Loneliness and longing was a part of Anko Mitarashi. She couldn't help something she was born into. For the greater part of her life, that was alleviated by men. It began with Orochimaru, then shifted to Sarutobi, and finally landed on Naruto Uzumaki: a young man who shared the same emptiness as her. Having someone to sleep beside and go home to meant more than the world to them; few other people could understand what that was like. Fading warmth in the night told her something was wrong before her eyes did.

"...Naruto?" Yawning, she slid off her bed and stretched. "Naruto?!" Her eyes narrowed at the answering silence. Not once did he ever leave while she slept. "Where the fuck is my cuddly-wuddly?" She bit into her finger, went through several hand seals, and slammed her hand into the bed, summoning a swarm of regular-sized snakes. "Find my bedmate."

A blue snake with green eyes looked up at her. "You were sleeping with a little boy?"

"And who are you supposed to be?" She blushed and squinted at him while the rest gave him looks.

"My name is Aoda. You are Anko Mitarashi, right?"

"Yeah." Scowling, she pointed where Naruto usually was. "Now shut the fuck up and do what I tell you to; I'm not in the mood."

He joined the rest in slithering over the spot. "Apologies." They slid down together and down the path the Naruto clone walked, stopping in the hallway. "He appears to have vanished out of nowhere."

She walked towards them. "What do you mean?"

"His heat and scent are strongest by his side of the bed. This trail we follow is weak and the only one. Either he vanished or found a way to eliminate his scent and his heat signature, the former of which is impossible unless he used some kind of jutsu."

"That's…" Anko twitched. "Oh, that sneaky, cheeky little shit! A Shadow Clone?! Just what do you think you're trying to pull on me?!" She ran back and threw on her coat before walking into the swarm, prompting the snakes to slither up and over her body. "The way you've been acting lately…" Her memory of his clone's words made her grimace. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Following the clone's trail out her place, her mind turned to the worst. "The world's going to pick and chew you apart, kid."

It was too late.

Naruto stopped on a tree branch when the memories and fatigue of his second last clone streamed into his consciousness. It went about how he expected it to, not that he saw Ukon's existence or Kankuro's assist coming. The clone set against Sakura and Choji wasn't into the fight at all, but Sakura's little trick showed promise, and he would have never expected Choji to do anything close to what he managed. Neji and Shino, to his conflicted glee, were good thinkers with abilities that wouldn't work on Kimimaro. Shikamaru, braid-bun girl, and Sasuke's abilities were the last to gauge.

"Don't let Shukaku's brat slow you down."

"I'm not." He put a hand on his back where Akamaru spiraled into him and the other on his side where Kiba threw a kunai. "Just getting my bearings."

"Oh please, you've been through worse."

Scoffing, he looked forward. "Whatever, you…" The actual last clone's experience made him turn back.

"Don't. You. Dare."

"Gaara, Shikamaru, Sakura, Choji, and Ino are going to die."

"As will the Uchiha, bug hive, and the uppity slave. If you turn back now, all of this would have been for nothing. They'll imprison you where you will never see the light of day or that girl ever again. Take the good with the bad and leave: you were probably going to have to kill them all anyway once you returned."

"But I–"

"Isn't this what you wanted? You knew it would come to this eventually. Enough sacrificing and concerning yourself with others. There is no one else in this entire world that will ever put your interests first, save that girl."

"If Kimimaro lives, he could tell Orochimaru about her!"

"Then kill him after he's done with them."

"Tha–"

"Naruto! Let go! Your ties with them give you far more suffering than they do joy! The more you cling to them, the more painful their loss will be!"

He clenched his eyes shut. "I just!"

"I know more than anyone else they could never be what you want them to."

"...You're right." Opening them, he turned back to the Land of Rice. "There's no point in turning back or saving them." His heart sank. "It was always going to be like this, one way or another. Better they die here than get in my way later." The air blew past him as he streaked through it. "I already left my goodbyes."

"They owe you far more than you could ever owe them. All of their lives are yours to do with what you wish and must. It is only fitting for them to die for you. Let them thinking it was for the sake of your salvation than the sake of your vengeance. I am sure they will rest a little more soundly."

"I hope so." He swallowed a growing lump in his throat.

The lingering doubts raised by their presence were squashed. It wasn't as if he intended to return to the village, but the likelihood of his retrieval was increased exponentially if he turned back to assist. Leaving a clone to help would've raised more doubts in his mind, even if it would help his own chances against Kimimaro if he survived. Things were better for him that way. Little did he know what came next.

In a large hospital room, Tsunade stared out the window at the village she ruled over, specifically Hokage Rock. Genma was bedridden to her right while Raido lay with all his limbs in casts to her left. Shizune, who she punished while giving a break in the form of a mission, stood by her side. They completed it with a small amount of difficulty but ran into two dangerous ninja on their way back: Naruto and Kimimaro.

Raido groaned. "Lady Hokage, please tell me I misheard you because I could've sworn you said you sent a team of genin and rookie chunin after Naruto Uzumaki."

"You heard her." Genma could still feel the path of the makeshift weapon that skewered him. "We should send whoever we have left after, even if it might leave the village open for a few hours."

"That's unthinkable, and you know it," Shizune said.

"And chances of us having a village to leave defenseless if this fails goes slim."

Tsunade's eyes lingered on the visage of Minato Namikaze. "I've taken precautions should the retrieval team have difficulty or fail." She raised a hand to her chest where her grandfather's necklace usually rested. "The rest is up to them."

"It's this way," a doctor outside the door said.

She raised an eyebrow when Might Guy, utterly exhausted, collapsed the moment he stepped into the hospital room. "What happened to you?"

"Lee!" He, still face down, yelled, muffling his voice. Raising his head, he gave a pleading look to Tsunade. "How did Lee's operation go?!"

"It was a success, but he shouldn't train hard for a few days." She smiled as tears of joy fell from his eyes.

Another doctor walked into view behind the open doorway with Hinata in tow. "I'm afraid we have terrible news, Lady Fifth." He looked to his company, which caused everyone else to do the same.

"Lee…" Hinata gulped at the sight of his sensei's eyes widening. "Went to join the others."

His face hit the ground again while those in the know resisted the urge to facepalm. "Oh good. They'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

"Just what am I going to do with you?" Tsunade shook her head.

Guy turned back them. "Huh?" He squinted at their disbelief-filled faces.

Shizune's face scrunched in confusion. "Why are you still here if everyone else has gone?"

Tsunade took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm about to say something top secret, so the two of you outside return to your duties; don't think of listening in, or I'll have to kill you." She pointed at Hinata before beckoning her. "Close the door behind you."

"Y-Yes." Hinata obeyed, closing the door, while the doctors scurried off.

"Now, do you want to tell them or should I?"

"I will." And she did, to their shock and horror. "I just couldn't stop him after he took me as his woman." She held her proud, red face in her hands.

Shizune's mouth hung open. "...You can't be serious."

"Hiashi is going to be so pissed." Genma clucked his tongue.

Raido shot him a look. "We have bigger problems." Guy rising and taking hold of Hinata's shoulder drew his eyes as well as theirs.

"I understand you had your reasons, but what you did was wrong and foolish." Tears kept flowing down his cheeks. "With that hair cut, we're practically family; I can't be mad at you or your lustful teenage spirit!"

She frowned and twitched at what felt like an insult to her as a human being. "...What?"

Tsunade sighed while the other jonin expressed the same exasperation. "Where is my bottle of sake? I need a drink." She looked around the room to no avail.

No more help would come to the retrieval squad's aid. Most of their battles were finished with their enemies dead anyway. The only problem was one last foe standing between them and their objective. It was going to be many of them's first experience against an enemy above most ninja alive. Depending on the outcome, it would be either a learning experience or a tragedy or both.

Lee pulled the cork out the bottle and downed its contents in several gulps. There was something vaguely familiar about its acrid taste, but he couldn't remember from where for the life of him. Medicine was almost always bitter anyway. He took a step toward his opponent before swaying back, overcome by a strange unsteadiness.

"Time for you to die, I suppose." Kimimaro walked forward.

"What're you looking at, freeeeak?!" Lee stumbled from one foot to the other and charged. "Heeere I goooo!"

He stopped, aiming to protrude a bone at the right moment. When his foe stumble-flipped forward, he drew his arm back for a stab. Lee was in the air, so there was no way for him to escape. Then he caught a spinning side-knee to the face, sending him skidding across the ground. His eyes widened when he finally stopped several feet away. It took him out of the fight completely.

Lee, standing on his hands, waved his feet. "Aaaaaw?!" He swayed, nearly falling on to his side. "Did I huuuurt you?!" An uneven hum rumbled in his throat. "Didn't you saaaay I was already deeeead?!"

"I did." Kimimaro raised a hand to his bleeding nose and stared at the unusual sight of red on his hand. "...I'm going to kill you now."

"Then doooo it!" He dropped as his enemy shot fragments of bone from his fingertips. "Whoops!" Springing back to a hand stand, he avoided a second volley. "What was thaaat?" Every other bone propulsion failed thanks to their target wobble-hand-walking out of their path. "Whyyy are you waving your hands like a…" Tilting his head, he launched himself into a spinning kick that nearly smashed into his eye. "Epileptic!" A proud smile spread across his face as he swayed out of a bone blade barrage. "Thaaaat's the wooooord!" He blinked at the flashing white, dunking under it. "Hold on whaaaat?"

Twitching, Kimimaro shifted into a bone protruding elbow that only grazed his target's cheek. He was tempted to shift into the first stage of his Cursed Seal to stab him with his ribs, but his opponent would adapt to it if he missed: his kekkei genkai wasn't instantaneous. It was either by freak accident or insane skill he avoided his drilling bones, giving him the much-needed foreknowledge to avoid them. His first blow landed by virtue of sheer surprise. They were, in terms of Taijutsu, on even grounds.

"I got it!" Lee flipped back and leaned out of another barrage of bones shards. "You can do bone stuuuuff!" He pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Congratulations. Now die." Creating another sharpened ulna, he prepared for a charge of his own.

Lee hicced. "You already said thaaat." He raised an eyebrow when he darted forward. "I don't think that's going to haaappen." The makeshift weapon stopped an inch from his heart. "Seeeriously." He, gripping the large bone, pivoted to his side. "That aaall you can saay?"

Kimimaro shifted his legs to entangle his enemy's for him to respond in kind. Adapting, he aimed to kick the back of his knee only for him to force his foot back with his own. They played a brief game of tug-of-war with the bone before Lee forced him back again and on his knees with a sudden, solid blow to his liver. He always extended his rib-cage during fights to protect his lower organs, but the sheer force transmitted through into it.

"Time for yoooou to diiiie!" He flipped forward, adding as much force as he could into his next kick.

There was little choice left for Kimimaro; he activated his Cursed Mark. "I'm impressed." Standing up, he stepped back from the blow and dropped the bone sword to caught his wrists when he tried to shift into punches. "You're the fir–" A forehead smashing into his nose at the same time as a knee doing the same to his groin made him let go.

Lee, smirking, jumped back and tilted his head. "Yoooou were saying?"

"...I am going to enjoy this far more than I should." It was the first time he was being pushed back by Taijutsu alone.

"That makes one of uuus." He darted forward. "You're boooooring me!"

Kimimaro protruded bone spikes from his entire body. "Then allow me to...entertain….you." He squinted at Lee falling flat on his stomach, snoring. "...This is the most intense fury I have ever felt in my entire existence." Waving his hand, he shot more bone at his enemy.

He turned on to his side and narrowly avoided them. When even more shot out, he began rolling in the grass. The odd sensation of bone against his body stirred him after a few times. His eyes opened and widened at his spiky foe overhead, hoping for a deadly landing. He curled his body, launched himself back, and swayed away from the continued barrage of bone.

"Why can't I hit you?"

Lee yawned. "Haaave you tried not using the same move in the same waaaay?!"

"You had your eyes closed!" He dashed forward and extended his bone.

"That's how much your moves suuuuuck!" He raised a bushy brow at the growing bones before running away. "No, no, no, no, noooo!" Looking back, he saw little flashes of white emerge from his foe's fingertips, so he began running in wild patterns.

Kimimaro, realizing the futility in pressing the attack, stopped to retract his large spikes. "This is getting neither of us anywhere."

"I'm not…" Lee skidded to a halt and raised a hand to his chin. "What was I doing here again?" He looked to him. "Why are we fighting?" Blinking, he gave an uneven mumble. "Were we even fighting?"

"...You're drunk."

He stomped and nearly fell over. "No, you're drink!" The landscape of green turned into the open, cloudy blue as he fell on to his back. "I mean… drunk?"

"There is no point in continuing." Deactivating his Cursed Mark, Kimimaro sat down in the grass. "I'll be sure to take care of you once you sober up."

A big smile spread across Lee's face. "Thank you, bone frieeeeend!"

"You're welcome, you insufferable reject."

"Heeeey, that wasn't very nice or friiiiendly…. Friend… Wasn't I goooing to save a friend?" He raised his upper body and hummed.

"No. Go back to sleep."

"I don't waaanna." Lee squinted at him. "Weren't we fighting oooor something?"

He remained unfazed. "When I told you not to drink so much, you got angry at me."

"Huh… Since when did I start drinking? Alcohol is one of the threee shinobi prohibitions, especially for underaaaage shinobi!"

"Don't worry about it: soon, all your troubles will come to an end."

Lee lifted his head into the air. "That's sooo nice of you, friiiiiend!" He blinked. "Wait a secooooond! You're not Narutoooo!" Jumping to his feet, he dropped into a wavering stance.

"I never said I was." Kimimaro stood up.

"Where is heeee?!"

"Would you believe me if I told you I don't know?"

"Yes!" He froze. "...I meeeean, no!"

Knowing it was better to keep him guessing, Kimimaro approached without protruding any of his bones. "Then are we going to fight?"

"Maaay as well!" He ran forward before he saw sand emerging from the ground and enveloping his enemy.

A familiar figure stepped out from the forest. "I didn't expect to see you again, much now of all times."

Lee turned to him. "Now I know I'm druuunk!" Rubbing his eyes, he whimpered. "Forgive me Guy-senseeeeei! Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm failing my friiiiiend!"

"I…" Gaara drifted off. "Have no idea what to say to that." He looked to the sand-covered Kimimaro and held out a hand, as if gripping him with it. "I'll deal with this one."

The sand was expelled by an eruption of bones. "Gaara of the Sand." Kimimaro jumped back before the hold could re-solidify, retracted his largest protrusions, and shot phalanges that were immediately blocked by sand. "I witnessed your father display a similar aptitude with gold dust before Lord Orochimaru killed him."

"Suppose I owe him thanks." He held out his other hand to better direct the sand.

Kimimaro backed out of the grains' range. "You could repay him by leaving."

"That's impossible: I cannot let Naruto Uzumaki make the worst mistake of his life."

"Then you will die." He let his Cursed Mark recede, aiming to conserve as much stamina as possible. "Lord Orochimaru's will decrees it."

His battle had only just begun.

Shikamaru and Temari helped Tenten back on to her feet before going forward. While not in top shape, she was still capable enough to lend a hand. They needed all the help they could get to face their target, much less capture him alive. It wasn't ideal to continue onward with two exhausted Leaf ninja, but there was no choice: they had their orders and failure would lead to the mother of all international incidents.

"That was a fifth of Naruto." Tenten scoffed. "A fifth!"

"Sounds to me like that girl was far more trouble than he was," Temari said.

Shikamaru wore a frown on his face. "He wasn't even trying. The entire time, he was stalling and measuring our abilities." He groaned. "That 'Kimimaro' guy seems to be a concern of his. Could be he wanted us to kill him or our help but why?"

"You don't think he was pulling some kind of double agent thing, do you?" Tenten glanced at him.

"Oh, hell no: there is way too much at risk if Naruto even pretended to go rogue. If he is, it's needlessly complicated and stupid."

Temari laughed. "The pervert's got the stupid part down."

"Naruto is a lot of things, but he's only an idiot when it comes to stuff he doesn't care about, which is also a lot. The effects of his desertion aren't something he's ignorant of." Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "In fact, I'm pretty sure he's going along with Orochimaru despite the body-switching thing because, even if he does lose his body, it's a win-win."

"Body-switching?"

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked.

"Orochimaru plotted to destroy the village, and he's probably going to try again," Shikamaru said, ignoring Temari's question. "Once word spreads the Leaf lost its jinchuriki, the Stone or the Cloud is going to make a move. It will escalate into the Fourth Shinobi World War. Everyone will be distracted during and weak after." He grit his teeth. "When I told that clone the world would turn against him if he destroyed the Leaf, it didn't care at all because why should he? There's not going to be much of it left when he makes his move."

"You don't seriously think he could do anything like that, do you?" Temari shot him a look.

Tenten squinted at her. "He blew up a Tailed Beast not even a year into his time as a shinobi."

"Oh, right…" Her eyes widened. "Holy shit!"

Shikamaru nodded. "If he keeps improving at the rate he has, he might not even need to wait for everyone to be spent." An anxious lump grew in his throat.

"That's why we need to stop him here," Tenten said.

Temari smirked, regaining her composure. "Then just leave it to us."

"...You do remember when he literally spanked your ass, right?"

She twitched. "Still sore about our fight, huh?" Narrowing her eyes, she looked to her. "That's the only action he's ever getting."

"No and no."

"Oh plea–" Temari raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?" A blush on her face made her scoff. "Did yo–"

"No!" Tenten's pink face scrunched. "Oh, hell no!"

"Then who would do anything with a perverted, orange gremlin like him?!"

Shikamaru looked from one to the other. "Are you two seriously having this conversation right now?"

"Yes!" They yelled in unison.

"Women." He was unfazed when their eyes, narrowed, turned to him. "Of all times, this shouldn't be one of them."

Tenten ignored him, looking to Temari. "The way our fight went is exactly how any of us fighting Naruto one on one would go."

"Even if that's true, me and my brothers have gotten far stronger than we were the last time we saw him."

"Didn't he beat two of you at the same time?"

"Like I said, we're far stronger now." Temari smirked. "Can you say the same?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I can but so can Naruto: that 'Kimimaro' defeated Lady Tsunade of the freaking Sannin, and Naruto almost killed him!"

"So he's on the level of a Kage. Well, so is Gaara. He has been for a while, really. Only our father was stronger."

"The Kazekage right? Orochimaru supposedly killed him." Tenten met her questioning look with a doubtful one. "This guy is basically his number two."

"Then they'll be about the same."

Shikamaru resisted the urge to laugh. "I doubt it: despite everything, Naruto has no reason to lie to us and isn't the type to. Sasuke better be alive up ahead, or we'll all be screwed."

"Sasuke?" Temari blushed. "What can he do?"

"Kimimaro can shield himself with his own bones, which can resist explosions and most physical forces. Sasuke can use fire and lightning jutsu to bypass it. He's our best shot," Tenten, shaking her head at the tinge of pink on her cheeks, said.

"What kind of jutsu lets you do that with your bones?"

"Kekkei genkai," Shikamaru answered.

"And of course it would be."

Tenten hummed. "I wonder what kind of weapons he could make with his bones." She pouted. "It's probably just going to be spikes: effective but boring."

Shikamaru would've muttered his unofficial family saying if he wasn't as tired and stressed. There were too many factors to consider, and he didn't know what to do with the pieces still on the board he could control. Even if everyone was in peak fighting condition, he wasn't sure they'd win. The fact it took assistance from a surprise ally to survive what was apparently just a goon told him all he needed about their chances. Naruto and Kimimaro were both on an entirely different level.

After a few minutes, they saw the most peculiar sight. The last Sound ninja was staring off with the leader of the Sand backup squad while an unexpected member of the Leaf sat about. It was unlike either of the ninja from what they knew. Someone could make a horrible joke out of it really. A man with broken bones, a man with too many bones, and a man who can break them all with ease.

"Lee?!" Tenten's eyes widened when he turned to her with rosy cheeks. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

He giggled. "Tenten?!" Shifting his balance to his palms, he curled his body back. "Tenten!" He launched himself toward her and crashed into the ground a few steps away. "I miiiissed yoooou!"

"You're drunk." Temari scoffed and stepped back when Tenten slapped her. She nearly returned the favor before she saw the horrified look on her face.

Squatting down, she forced herself to smile. "I missed you too, Lee!" A look from Temari made her twitch.

Shikamaru, keeping his eyes on the enemy, walked towards Gaara. "What the hell's going on?" He spared him a glance. "Did Sasuke go on ahead?"

"I haven't seen his mangled corpse, so he probably has if he's here." Gaara did not avert his gaze at all. "And I'm going to kill this man between us and Naruto."

"...Right." Knowing he wasn't one to mince words, he knew he was plotting something.

Temari stepped forward and unfurled her fan. "Do you mind if I take a shot at him, Gaara?"

"By all means, go ahead."

She swung her fan, propelling a sharp blade of wind. Kimimaro jumped over it, so she swung multiple times. Nearly every one of them missed. Her lips curved into a smirk before bones erupted from his body to absorb the impact of three. A barrage of bones emerged from his finger tips, but she blew them back at him, causing them bounce off his odd armor.

"Like I said, Sasuke is our best chance." Shikamaru grit his teeth. "And he's going after Naruto alone. Don't waste your chakra."

"What is that freak even waiting for?" Temari squinted at his stalwart form.

More arrivals didn't faze Kimimaro at all. He knew what Gaara was capable of from seeing the former Kazekage in action and his performance in the final round of the Chunin Exams. Only his transformation would be an issue if he decided to go that far. It would require him to go all the way too, which would leave him exhausted afterward and open to anyone who came next. He was safe from his sand at his distance, but his finger bones couldn't reach them thanks to two strong defenses against.

Shikamaru saw sand digging into the earth behind Gaara's foot from the corner of his eye. Recalling the fight against Lee, he realized what he was doing. Getting close was unwise, and he was too fast for his sand, so the best move was to attack him in a way he couldn't see or escape. It was something he would've thought of immediately at the sight of him if his mind wasn't so chaotic.

Temari turned to him. "Aside from Sasuke, Pom-Pom here, and The Green Flash, who else is after the pervert?"

He put his lips by her ear to avoid the chances of their enemy reading them, making her blush. "Ino Yamanaka, Shino Aburame, Choji Akimichi, Neji Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sakura Haruno." His eyebrow rose as she stepped back.

"You could've just said everyone from your village that attended the Chunin Exams." She blinked. "Wait a second, what about the other Hyuga? The one he swooped in to save? Did she die or something?"

He groaned. "Hinata's the reason we're in this troublesome mess to begin with."

"Naaaaruto joined with Hinaaata as man and wooooman!" Lee stood up straight. "I 'member what I waaas suppose to dooo!" He turned to Kimimaro. "First!" He broke off into a run but was tripped by sand. "Heeey!" Standing back up, he jumped out of it. "You're not breaking my bones agaaaain!"

"I'm trying to save you from yourself," Gaara deadpanned.

"Thaaas what I'm trying to do with my friend Naaaaruto!"

"He's a friend!" Tenten stepped between them, eye twitching. "We're all friends here!" She stiffened when Lee hugged her before hugging him back. "There, there."

"Wheeere's Neji?!" He hummed happily. "I want all of us to be a teeeeam again."

Her smiled turned genuine and sad. "We will, buddy." She patted his back gently.

Temari, during that entire exchange, was processing the new information. "…He got laid?"

"I don't know why anyone was surprised by that of all things over him turning traitor but yeah." Shikamaru rubbed his temples. "Can't wait for this all to be over already."

"How is Hinata Hyuga responsible for this scenario?" Gaara asked, glancing at him.

He groaned. "She saw them approach him, confronted him about it after, apparently beat him, fucked him, and then decided to let him go because of how the village treated him."

"That was very unwise."

"Understatement of the fucking century."

"Sounds like something straight of a dramatic play." Temari, imagining herself in a similar position with a far more attractive lover, hummed. "That's probably giving her the biggest high of her life." She looked down as her cheeks turned pink. "I'm actually kinda jealous," she whispered to herself.

"I will never understand what drives you women do and want such stupid things." Shikamaru rolled his eyes when the two glared at him.

Beneath the earth, Gaara's plan was almost ready. It would be a literal lake's worth of sand that his opponent couldn't possibly escape. There wasn't much else he could do if he did though. Naruto was up ahead with Sasuke Uchiha on his tail. While not ideal, he could at least slow him down until they finished with their current foe and caught up to assist. Other Leaf ninja were coming to help, but there was a chance they wouldn't make it in time. Even worse, they could hinder.

AN: Nothing like a power outage to throw you off-balance. My failure to adapt, really. Sorry for the longest wait of any chapter yet.

I just had to give Drunken Fist Lee more than what he got in canon. That was way too good and fun of a character shift to end so soon. Besides, people don't sober up that quickly. Still not a lot he can do when Kimimaro decides to go full 1st stage with his Cursed Seal.

Since Naruto accidentally informed Kimimaro about the state of the other retrieval team members, he's fighting with facing them all in mind, just in case. Not much he knows about the rest of the retrieval team save for what the clans can do.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.