Although Bai had spent a lot of time with Kimimaro and it was the first time he had seen him send out troops, it didn't mean he knew nothing about the Kaguya clan's bloodline disease.
On the contrary, because he knew Kimimaro was a genius within the clan, he had specifically paid attention to related information.
However, the information Bai learned was quite disheartening.
Unlike the random occurrences and possible cures in other bloodline families, once every Kaguya ninja awakened the Shikotsumyaku, it was equivalent to their life starting a countdown. It was only a matter of sooner or later, unlike other ninjas who could enjoy their old age.
Therefore, whether in the Hidden Mist Village or later in the Land of Iron, the Kaguya clan ninjas were fearless of death, their temperaments as wild as ever, and rarely died outside of battle.
So, when Bai learned from the man in black that he could cure Kimimaro's illness, Bai was overjoyed.
He wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was very smart. He knew that since the other party had come for him, there was absolutely no chance of escape. And if this could save Kimimaro, he would have no regrets even if he had to give up his life.
The reason he questioned was not that Bai didn't believe the other party, but because his heart was filled with pleasant surprise, and he instinctively asked.
"I have no reason to lie to you."
As he spoke, Isshiki took a step forward, crossing more than ten meters in the blink of an eye.
Before both of them could react, he raised his palm and grabbed Kimimaro's neck. At the same time, a faint light flashed in his eyes, completely taking away Kimimaro's control over his body.
"You..." Ice and snow flew around Bai, but under Isshiki's gaze, he suppressed the urge to attack.
Intricate black patterns spread from Isshiki's arm into Kimimaro's body. Soon, they filled Kimimaro's entire body, and as the jutsu was completely completed, they all disappeared.
Isshiki released his hand, and Kimimaro slumped to the ground. Isshiki said, "I've done what I promised you. Now, come with me."
A deep, dark door opened behind him, tearing through space itself.
Bai examined Kimimaro's body and confirmed that he could not stand only because of weakness. He then walked behind Isshiki and stepped through the spatial gate without looking back.
"Bai..." Kimimaro's voice was weak. He stretched out his hand with difficulty, but grasped nothing.
"I'll spare your life, don't do anything unnecessary."
As Isshiki stepped through the teleportation gate, he looked back at Kimimaro. His voice was expressionless, but a strange glint flashed in his eyes.
He had indeed solved Kimimaro's illness, but what he hadn't told Bai was that this method was not permanent either. It was only by using a sealing jutsu to seal the poison of the incomplete Shikotsumyaku.
As long as Kimimaro continued to develop and use the Shikotsumyaku, the poison would continue to accumulate until it eroded even the sealing jutsu.
Of course, Isshiki had a way to completely resolve this bloodline disease, but it offered him no benefit and was entirely unnecessary.
On the contrary, through his current methods, he might be able to obtain some incomplete Shikotsumyaku, which would be very beneficial for his future research.
Although this descendant of Kaguya was not as good as Bai, his body had reverted to an ancestral state to a high degree, and he could use this to explore some of Kaguya's power.
"It's just a pity that at this level, he cannot be a sacrifice for the Ten-Tails..."
The spatial gate closed. In the alley, as the two of them left, silence returned.
After a long time, when Kimimaro regained his ability to move, he immediately rushed back to his clan at the fastest speed.
When he learned from his clan members that the two Clan Leaders were receiving guests in the conference room, he didn't care about anything else and barged in. Everyone present looked at him.
Seeing that it was one of his clansmen behaving rudely, the Kaguya clan leader, Kaguya Kenshitsu, frowned.
He had a square face and large ears. When he got angry, a fierce aura projected from his eyes as if it were tangible. "Why are you in such a panic? What happened? Don't you know we are receiving guests?"
Kimimaro was not intimidated by him. His eyes were equally cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Bai was taken away by a strange person."
Beside him, the leader of the Kirigakure clan, Mizunashi Chizuru, who was watching Kaguya Kenshitsu reprimand the junior,'s eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"
Kimimaro recounted what had happened in the alley in detail. The air in the conference room became heavy, and there was a brief silence.
After a while, Mizunashi Chizuru said in a low voice, "Is there a possibility that he was under genjutsu?"
When did individuals of the Akatsuki leader's caliber become so easy to encounter? That probability was even lower than Kimimaro losing his mind and imagining everything.
Kaguya Kenshitsu stood up, walked to Kimimaro, grabbed his arm, and carefully examined his physical condition. His expression became grave.
"Sealing jutsu has been implanted in all his bones, and it's self-contained..."
This kind of technique was clearly not something an ordinary ninja could do, and Kaguya Kenshitsu knew Kimimaro's strength, so he wouldn't be unable to distinguish whether he was under genjutsu or not.
"It's a turbulent time..."
Mizunashi Chizuru sighed, then directly gave up the idea of a rescue, not even wanting to investigate.
Living people must first ensure their survival. There was no point in provoking an enemy with whom there was no chance of resistance.
Even the warlike and battle-loving Kaguya clan would not make such a choice.
He turned to his guest and said, "You must think less of me, Hozuki."
"Trouble comes unexpectedly; this is not something we can handle. Hasn't Kirigakure also lost its Mizukage and Jinchuriki due to an 'accident'?"
The man named Hozuki Kyōgetsu shook his head. "Let's continue our previous topic. The Land of Water no longer has room for bloodline families to survive..."
"I know that. Although the Land of Iron is small, it's fine to have an additional Hozuki clan."
Mizunashi Chizuru smiled. "It's just that others will not be welcome..."
The Hozuki clan and the Yuki clan leaders continued their conversation, completely forgetting about what had just happened, as if it had never occurred.
Seeing this, Kimimaro's eyes turned cold, and he turned and walked out the door.
He was a smart person and should have realized long ago that his clan would not stand up for Bai, but he had held onto a sliver of hope.
But he never expected that the Clan Leaders' attitude would be so clear and indifferent. It even seemed like they would cover up the incident and not even report it to the Akatsuki.
Kimimaro's heart grew cold. He shouldn't have relied on his clan; he had to do this himself.
Watching Kimimaro disappear at the door, Hozuki Kyōgetsu suddenly stopped the conversation and asked, "Aren't you going to stop him?"
"It's alright. It's normal for young people to be impulsive,"
Mizunashi Chizuru glanced in the direction Kimimaro had left and said slowly, "He's very smart. When he calms down, he should know... some things in this world can be done, and some things simply cannot be done."