XI - 01.11

Kimimaro awoke in the same tree he'd been watching the moon on, the harsh heat of the sun beating down on him. His head darted from side to side, his hands grasping at his body. Had the entire thing been a dream?

The entire situation seemed foggy in his mind, which internally throbbed within his skull. His body was weary and heavy, even despite the recent rest. He slowly climbed from the peak of the tree, cautious as to not fall.

The sun was nearing its peak in the sky, meaning that it was nearing noon. Kimimaro hoped that his clan had waited for him, or hadn't traveled too far in his absence. 

Traveling through the towering trees had filled him with a much more sinister feeling than before. He'd feared that the plant man would return, accompanied by the other boy. He was thankful that they'd finally be crossing the border between the Land of Fire and Land of Rivers today, so he could be free from the shadows of the large plants.

The reminder of today's planned events in his head caused him to speed up, even as his body ached and his brain groaned. The Land of Rivers was situated between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, who were allies. Because of that, the borders between the lands weren't as strictly patrolled.

Even with its circumstances, it was still the border of one of the strongest countries in the world. Konoha-nin frequently took missions guarding the main entrance of the border, as well as patrolling the area nearby.

Because of that, the Kaguya had decided to avoid the central gate altogether. The process had lengthened their trip, especially since they'd had to go around one of the larger rivers, but it saved them from the hassle that Konoha would surely have brought.

The most difficult part had already been completed, but it was best that Kimimaro was present among his clan once they finally exited the tree-filled country. Even if the cross between countries was completely uneventful, it'd still serve him well as patriarch to be present.

To his dismay, the clearing where they'd been resting the night before was devoid of the leather tents of his clan, signaling that they'd continued forward without him. 

Catching up to the rest of his clan had thankfully been easy. He'd known what route they'd be traveling on, and they weren't moving at a pace he couldn't catch up to. Most of the members paid little mind to their patriarch's absence, continuing their march forward towards the Land of Rivers.

All of them weren't so dismissive, though. A few of the elder Kaguya had made a complaint regarding his absence, blaming his youth and his 'curse' for his 'lack of care for the clan'. Kimimaro was too worn out to argue, and would rather use the rest of his energy for travel.

Sticking towards the back of their formation, Kimimaro watched as his clan members moved through the terrain before him, conversing and joking with each other. He'd usually led from the front with the older children, so he didn't know what exactly went on towards the back of their band.

The back lacked the youthful energy that emanated from the children. Towards the front, the red-dotted clan kids would argue and boast about their own progression, exaggerating their own strengths while diminishing that of their peers. They'd share their ambitions on becoming powerful Shinobi using Jutsu that could level mountains, or a fierce swordsman capable of cutting through steel with a single swing.

Kimimaro had gotten used to the younger clan members' loud rambles, so the rather quiet rear of the band had come as a surprise to him. The adult members still conversed with each other, sharing stories on caravan raids or of powerful feats, but it lacked something that the children's conversations possessed.

The adults' battle of pride was taken much more seriously than that of the kids. Their stories trickled with hostility as they went into explicit detail on how they'd defeated an opponent, discussions regarding training sessions held an air of arrogance, and the arguments that ensued weren't that of competition, but a genuine strike at their pride and standing.

It wasn't until now that Kimimaro realized just how deeply Kyo's attitude had been enforced within the Kaguya. The adults of the clan truly believed that life's standings were established by battle, and those weaker than them were naturally beneath them. 

Kimimaro also held the belief that to live was to be strong, but he believed that the weak should be fostered, not be diminished. One had to grow into strength, and it was their job to ensure their clan members grew to be as strong as possible. The notion that someone weaker than themselves wasn't worth anything at all was an acidic mindset that constantly eroded the clan.

Kimimaro wanted to interject and correct the mindset, but he feared he wasn't established enough as patriarch to change such a way of living. He hoped that by the time he was ready, the acidic mindset hadn't burnt a hole unfillable.

Rather than waste away in the negative atmosphere, Kimimaro decided to make his way towards the front of their band. The change in pace wore at his already fatigued body, but he'd just have to deal with it.

The towering trees of the Land of Fire had finished fading, replaced by smaller forest. The small streams of the border grew in size as they carved a path through the smaller trees until they met with larger, fiercer bodies of water.

The other children gawked at the sight, the maze of rivers, streams, and small waterfalls painting a beautiful picture. It was very clear that the Land of Fire was finally behind them, and that they now stood in the Land of Rivers.

The children diverted their attention towards him as Kimimaro finally neared the very front of their band.

"Aye, Kimi-sama! We were starting to think you got replaced." A boy similar in age to him joked. Dark brown eyes met Kimimaro's green, nearly covered by a mass of wavy black hair.

"Ahh, I just overslept a little." Kimimaro replied sheepishly, earning a chuckle from the other members of the group. The clan children were much more connected than the adults, but that hadn't meant they didn't have branching groups of their own. 

Kimimaro's own group of friends had formed from Katsuo's training sessions, the group growing even fonder of each other when Kimimaro took the role of instructor.

Nagahara was the oldest of the group at twelve. Despite his greater age, Nagahara was one of the shorter members of the group. It seemed his body favored width rather than height, his broad shoulders and overall larger frame making him bigger than the others, even though he wasn't the tallest.

After Nagahara was Tsutsuji, who was eleven. Tsutsuji was the tallest of the group, and was taller than most of the other children as well. Her silk black hair was styled in a short bob, a familiar zigzag splitting it. She'd been Kimimaro's most frequent sparring partner, the twin Nail-Blades on her hip a statement to her Kenjutsu prowess.

Next was Baiza, who was also eleven. He didn't have any physical traits to set him apart like Nagahara and Tsutsuji, being an average height with traditional buns of the Kaguya laying atop his head. Despite his appearance, Baiza was the most ambitious of the group, wanting to own his own country someday.

Then there was Kyuna, who was ten. Her shorter frame contrasted her harsh attitude. Being born just a singular day before Katsuo, she'd proclaimed herself as his elder brother's rival. She'd taken to copying his brother's hairstyle, her braided black hair mirroring Katsuo's gray.

Lastly was Horino, who was just a few months older than Kimimaro. He'd earned the reputation as the best looking member among the children, his chiseled face a contrast to his youthful age. Long, wavy black hair sprouted from atop his head, nearly reaching all the way to his butt. Horino had taken a liking to Katsuo's Ninjutsu lessons, and claimed he wanted to learn every Ninjutsu that existed.

Along with himself and Katsuo, the seven were the children who stood out the most within the clan. Kimimaro hoped they could lead the future generation away from Kyo's teachings, but that'd come after they finished their conquest of Tanigakure.

With the Land of Fire behind them, the already bolstering flame of their ambition had been granted a forest's worth of wood to rise to greater heights. It was a blessing that the Kaguya hadn't erupted into battle amongst themselves, for their bloodlust burned brighter than even the sun.

The night's embrace had been a needed break for the clan. Various leather tents lay scattered along a clearing split by two streams, eerily similar to the same scene Kimimaro earned his title of patriarch on.

Despite the sun nearing the end of its descent, the soothing light of the full moon washing over them near its peak in the sky, the Kaguya hadn't started to settle and rest in the slightest. Whether nerves or ambition, the campsite was filled with the sharpening of swords, thudding of fist impacting skin, and the usual sounds escaping from the grueling sparring matches.

Kimimaro had decided to watch the moon along with the rest of the clan tonight. He didn't know if the event of his memories had been that of a dream or reality, but he didn't wish to run into The Boy or The Plant again.

The short blades of grass moved with the wind, dancing along his skin. The sensation added on to the familiar feeling of the moon's embrace, washing away all the fatigue that'd been built up recently. 

Sleep had begun to call for him, even among the sounds of battle nearby. Kimimaro's eyelids grew heavier, and his blinks grew longer with each passing second, until he couldn't fight the overwhelming feeling anymore.

What followed his descent into sleep starkly contrasted the soothing feelings he'd had just moments prior. He'd been surrounded by tower trees, tall enough that they seemed to reach towards the stars and thick enough to span for miles.

Thick inked lines covered the body of the hulking plants, forming a plethora of swirls and spirals. The moon overhead no longer donned its soothing white light, instead replaced by an uncomfortable red one. Similarly colored bones spread across the ground, spanning well past Kimimaro's vision.

He'd never been so aware when he dreamt, but something about the sight before him told him that he wasn't in a Genjutsu. That feeling had been enforced when his chakra flared yet the sight remained.

Kimimaro moved forward slowly, his feet struggling to find stable ground to stand on because of the rather large skeletons scattered. He didn't know where he was going, but just standing still hadn't felt right.

He'd barely gotten two steps in before the surrounding trees seemed to form together, the swirling seals decorating them fitting together like a puzzle piece. Kimimaro nearly lost his footing when the bones scattered across the ground moved to do the same, the red moon above splitting into two joining the mass of bones.

Both the sealed trees and the scarlet bones created two men who towered over Kimimaro. The tree-formed figure saw short brown hair sprout from its head, a piece of white cloth wrapped tightly around it. It donned a cloak of nearly pure white, six black circular symbols as well as a black cloth around his waist opposing the otherwise pure attire.

The bone-formed figure saw similar brown hair form, except its length was much greater than the tree-formed one's. It donned a similar attire to the other figure, its crimson red eyes locking onto the brown opposite of it.

The giants locked eyes for little more than a singular moment before they moved towards each other, their large steps shaking the ground underneath. Both raised a fist, but each form split into two before either could make contact with the other.

The new four figures were smaller than their previous versions. The figures stood opposed to the other in two groups separated by their predecessor. The wood figure had borne a similarly brown haired man, as well as another man with pale skin and flowing red hair.

Neither of the bone borne men supported the brown hair of its predecessor, instead possessing long manes of black and white respectively. The black haired man seemed to inherit the bone figure's eyes, while the white haired man sprouted the bones from its body.

The brown-haired man and the black-haired man rushed towards each other, continuing the battle of those before, while the other two remained unmoving. The red-haired man's painted swirls seemed to slowly consume its body, while the white-haired man's bones did the same.

The ground began to shake violently, even worse than it'd been when the first two figures had charged forward. The towering men dissolved into the air, replaced by the terrain from earlier. The ground continued to shake, the rejuvenated moon growing in size until it completely covered the sky.

From the moon's depth reached a hand of white hand, its palm easily big enough to palm the entire planet. Its outstretched fingers grew closer until they were all that could be seen.

Kimimaro jolted upward from his sleep, the feeling of the dancing grass returning to him. His head jolted back and forth as he took in his surroundings, before finally calming himself once he saw the familiar sights of the clan's tents.

His sated nerves were quickly returned to their state of alarm as a high pitched screech struck his ears. A growing shadow had formed around him, causing him to look upward.

The sight of the familiar gray hair overpowered the state of confusion his dream had given him, the giant bird it rode upon descending quickly towards him. 

Katsuo was back.