Chapter 21: **Chapter 21: Orochimaru’s Severed Arm**
Kimimaro suddenly thought of something, and with a single thought, his hands began to change.
However, this transformation happened beneath the surface, within the bones of his hands, so it was invisible to the naked eye.
His hand bones turned gold!
The Divine Hand of God, activated!
Since obtaining this power, this was the first time Kimimaro had used it.
The power of the Divine Hand of God was actually quite simple: it made his hands much more dexterous.
Anything done by hand could be enhanced by this ability.
However, it only increased precision, not speed.
For example, the Divine Hand of God could make hand seals incredibly precise but wouldn't increase the speed of performing them.
Even with just this effect, it was enough to significantly boost Kimimaro's efficiency in learning medical ninjutsu.
It would also allow him to advance much further along this path.
"This feeling... it's really different," Kimimaro mused, feeling as if his hands had been completely transformed.
Once clumsy, now they felt extremely agile.
He placed his hands once again on the dying carp.
A green chakra, generated by the Healing Palm Technique runes, flowed into his palms.
Under the control of the Divine Hand of God, the once-wild chakra was tamed, like a horse bridled by a rider, completely subdued.
Kimimaro felt a strange contradiction at this moment.
His hands were doing something he was familiar with, but in an entirely unfamiliar way.
As strange as it sounded, it was happening right before him.
Minute by minute passed, and miraculously, the wounds on the carp began to heal.
After half an hour!
Kimimaro's forehead was drenched in sweat.
But his eyes shone brightly.
"I did it!"
He withdrew his hands, and the green chakra vanished.
The carp, now full of life, wagged its tail energetically, leaping back into the pond.
Its lively movements showed no trace of the life-threatening injuries it had earlier.
"The Healing Palm Technique... I've mastered the basics!"
Kimimaro was overjoyed as he looked at his hands.
The effects of the Divine Hand of God were still present.
This was the first time he'd used the ability, and he couldn't yet unleash its full power, only enhancing his dexterity by about tenfold.
As he used it more, his proficiency would increase, allowing him to boost his dexterity even further.
Kimimaro didn't know the true limits of the Divine Hand of God, but it was likely to increase dexterity by hundreds of times.
If he reached that level and gained enough medical knowledge along with the appropriate medical ninjutsu, he could become a medical ninja on par with Tsunade.
But that would take a long time.
Both mastering medical knowledge and developing the Divine Hand of God would require time.
Kimimaro didn't have much time, so he needed to shorten this process as much as possible.
Plus, there were many medical techniques that even the Hidden Sound Village didn't possess, and he would need to find ways to acquire them himself.
"No matter what, I've completed the first and second stages of the Healing Palm Technique. What's left is the third stage, converting my chakra into the green medical chakra by channeling it through the Life Gate."
The Healing Palm Technique was a basic medical ninjutsu, but it was also an advanced one.
Its difficulty lay in the third stage.
Ordinary medical ninjas could only use the Healing Palm Technique through the use of runes and symbols. Mastering the third stage was a lifelong challenge for most.
Using the technique via runes was considered basic medical ninjutsu.
But if one could perform it through their own power, that would be advanced medical ninjutsu.
That was the difference.
Now, Kimimaro began practicing the third stage.
In this stage, the Divine Hand of God couldn't help him; he would have to rely on himself.
However, the Still Plate could provide some assistance.
Channeling chakra through the Life Gate and releasing it was as difficult as opening the third gate in the Eight Gates Technique.
The Eight Gates Technique forcefully opened the Life Gate by using violent chakra to break through, granting incredible power.
In contrast, the Healing Palm Technique gently allowed chakra to pass through the Life Gate, harnessing its energy and channeling it into the hands for healing.
The principles were different, but the difficulty was the same.
Kimimaro knew this but wasn't discouraged by the challenge.
A new cycle of training began.
One day...
Two days...
Three days...
By the seventh day!
The constant refining, controlling, and flowing of chakra had pushed Kimimaro's body to its limits.
Fortunately, with his strong body and the power of the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), he could withstand this grueling training.
Finally, after seven days, he saw results.
As green chakra appeared in his hands, Kimimaro couldn't help but feel a rare joy.
"At last, I did it."
He felt a wave of exhaustion and leaned against the wall, slowly sitting down.
The green chakra dissipated, leaving his hands' chakra pathways sore and aching.
"Whew..."
Kimimaro winced and smiled bitterly.
"I overtrained... I'll need to pace myself from now on."
In these seven days, he had fully mastered the Healing Palm Technique.
At the same time, his proficiency with the Still Plate had also improved.
"Boss, boss, are you in there?"
Just as Kimimaro was about to rest, Suigetsu's voice came from outside.
"What's up?"
"Boss, open the door. I'll tell you inside."
Seeing Suigetsu so anxious piqued Kimimaro's curiosity.
He stood up, opened the door, and saw Suigetsu rush in, looking flustered.
"What's going on? Why are you so worked up?"
"Orochimaru is back! And he got his left arm chopped off! He looks awful. Not sure who did it to him."
Suigetsu had a smug look on his face, clearly enjoying Orochimaru's misfortune.
"How do you know?"
Kimimaro was surprised.
The only person who could have severed Orochimaru's arm was Itachi.
It seemed just as Kimimaro had predicted: Orochimaru returned to the Akatsuki, targeting Itachi and trying to take his Sharingan.
But he didn't expect Orochimaru to get defeated by Itachi so quickly.
"I happened to see it. When Orochimaru went to see Oyashiro-senpai, I was nearby and saw everything.
Orochimaru just called Oyashiro away and didn't even notice me. I figured such a big event needed someone to talk about it, so I came to find you.
Who do you think Orochimaru pissed off to get beat so badly? Are we following the wrong guy? Orochimaru's practically a one-armed ninja now."
"Even a broken ship still has three pounds of nails. Stop overthinking. Just stay quiet for the next couple of days. Orochimaru just lost his left arm, so he's probably in a foul mood. If you annoy him, you'll be the one in trouble. Best to lay low for now."
(End of Chapter)
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