Near the sealing formation.
Zou Hyuga waited for Oto Uchiha to arrive and saw the spoils she carried: an unconscious Kimimaro.
Setting Kimimaro on the ground, Oto dispelled her Susanoo and told Zou Hyuga about the battle. Then she sighed softly. "Unfortunately, Orochimaru still got away in the end."
After listening to her account of the battle with Orochimaru, Zou Hyuga frowned at first, then smiled. "You might not have caught Orochimaru, but this isn't bad either. This kid possesses Shikotsumyaku, which is all but extinct in the shinobi world."
Oto nodded. "He certainly has potential. Give him a few more years, and he could cause me quite a bit of trouble."
"Of course. This was a good haul." After a pause, Zou Hyuga added, "This kid is most likely the vessel Orochimaru intended to reincarnate into. Orochimaru must be furious right now."
As he recalled, Kimimaro had reached the threshold of Kage level. He had once helped Orochimaru kill the Fourth Kazekage and had nearly sent the Fifth Kazekage to an early grave. Calling him a Kazekage killer would hardly be an exaggeration.
The only pity was that Kimimaro had contracted a kekkei genkai disease and died before reaching adulthood.
Otherwise, there was no telling how powerful Orochimaru would have become after successfully reincarnating into Kimimaro's body.
"Really? Hehe..." Hearing that Orochimaru would be furious, Oto laughed aloud.
Zou Hyuga walked over to Kimimaro and used Medical Ninjutsu on him. Only after activating his Byakugan did he realize how severe Kimimaro's injuries were. His arms and legs had multiple fractures, and several of his ribs were broken.
Zou Hyuga couldn't help frowning at those injuries. He wasn't particularly skilled in Medical Ninjutsu.
"Did I hit him too hard?" Oto asked.
Zou Hyuga shook his head. "These injuries are tricky.