Shinnō's body bent into the shape of a bow, and he could almost hear the sound of his own ribs snapping as his internal organs were displaced and ruptured by the tremendous impact.
"Pff!"
A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of shattered organs sprayed from Shinnō's mouth.
His body was blasted backward like a cannonball, smashing through seven large trees in succession before finally crashing into the mass of snakes.
Seizing the opportunity, the venomous snakes tore into Shinnō, sinking their fangs deep into his body.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
The rain continued to fall, washing the bloodstains from the ground.
Kurenai and Genma stared at the scene in dumbfounded shock.
Kiyohara had actually sent Shinnō flying with a single punch?!
Orochimaru's eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
He was surprised to discover that Kiyohara possessed monstrous strength similar to Tsunade's.
He carefully examined the metallic sheen that had yet to fully fade from Kiyohara's body.
"'Earth Release: Earth Spear'… your training is quite impressive."
After that, Orochimaru walked toward the ruins created by Shinnō's crash.
Amid the frenzied biting of the snakes, Shinnō's body was undergoing rapid regeneration.
His muscles writhed continuously, broken bones reconnected on their own, and ruptured internal organs repaired themselves.
That kind of recovery speed had already surpassed the limits of ordinary medical ninjutsu.
Even the Mystic Palm Technique could not achieve healing at such a rapid pace.
"Body Revival Technique … truly interesting,"
Orochimaru commented.
"Heh, kids these days really are strong,"
Shinnō said as he rubbed his abdomen.
Among the effects of his forbidden technique, the greatest enhancement was to his recovery ability; the other aspects were relatively mediocre.
However, Shinnō believed that once he fully mastered the power of the Zero-Tails, he would inevitably receive a massive overall boost.
"It seems… I'll have to come back and settle accounts with you later."
Shinnō knew that he could not succeed today.
That young shinobi possessed both tremendous physical strength and an extremely tough body—if the fight continued, he might truly fall here.
The reason was simple: Orochimaru was still watching him like a tiger eyeing its prey.
Shinnō could not allow Orochimaru to calmly observe him from the sidelines.
He stomped the ground, splitting it open with a fissure several meters long, while the bodies of the venomous snakes all burst apart at the same time.
Shinnō cast one last glance at Orochimaru and Kiyohara, then turned and charged into the rain curtain, disappearing into the depths of the forest after only a few bounds.
Orochimaru did not give chase.
Who knew whether Shinnō still had reinforcements waiting?
There were no Konoha support forces here, and with the enemy hidden while they were exposed, caution was necessary.
Letting Shinnō return would allow him to continue refining his forbidden technique, and they could reap the results later.
Moreover, their objective this time had already been achieved.
They had obtained a corpse sample of Kanorou.
"Kiyohara-kun, you always manage to surprise me,"
Orochimaru said as he turned around.
"It was just luck, he underestimated me,"
Kiyohara replied.
The color of his skin was gradually returning to normal.
Orochimaru smiled noncommittally and walked over to Kanorou's corpse.
He took out a scroll from his robes, formed seals, and sealed the body inside it.
"Mission complete. We're returning to Konoha."
......
The rain finally stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds.
The four of them stepped onto the Land of Fire, the dampness in the air replaced by dry warmth.
"The Land of Fire really is comfortable,"
Genma said as he stretched lazily.
"Staying in the Land of Rain try too long makes you feel like you're about to grow mold."
Kurenai nodded in agreement, then looked at Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara, that final punch of yours was incredible. You even sent an enemy who had opened the Eight Gates flying. How did you do it?"
"It was just a clever trick,"
Kiyohara explained briefly.
"His attack pattern was too simple, he relied entirely on brute physical force to charge straight in. I prepared my defense in advance and counterattacked at the moment he struck, catching him off guard."
This explanation barely made sense, but neither Kurenai nor Genma were fools.
They could tell that the power contained in that punch was far from being merely a trick.
However, among shinobi, respecting each other's privacy was basic etiquette.
Since Kiyohara did not wish to say more, they did not press him.
Orochimaru walked at the front, silent the entire time.
In his mind, the scene of Kiyohara fighting Shinnō replayed again and again—the instant hardening ability, the mountain-immovable defense, the power to send a Sixth Gate–state shinobi flying with a single punch…
'Can 'Earth Release: Earth Spear' really reach this level?'
Orochimaru pondered inwardly.
"No. I've heard that there's a missing-nin from Takigakure who also uses 'Earth Release: Earth Spear,' but his defense is nowhere near this level. Is it an improvement? Or… is it the power of Kiyohara's Magnet Release?"
Orochimaru recalled Kiyohara's earlier use of Magnet Release.
But there was another possibility, that Kiyohara had developed a bloodline limit that strengthened the physical body.
However, that possibility was the lowest of all, so low that it was almost impossible.
Orochimaru chose to eliminate that option.
If Kiyohara truly possessed both Magnet Release and some kind of physical-enhancement bloodline limit, then his potential would far exceed expectations.
Still, no matter how low the probability, it was not zero.
Orochimaru glanced back at Kiyohara.
Given Kiyohara's understanding of Earth Release techniques, if he really had developed a bloodline limit, it would not be entirely incomprehensible.
......
Several days later, Konoha.
The familiar Hokage Rock came into view, and the gate guards recognized Orochimaru, saluting respectfully and letting them pass.
"You all go back and rest first. I'll head to the Hokage Tower to report the mission,"
Orochimaru instructed, then looked at Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara-kun, I'll report your performance truthfully this time. I believe sensei will look at you in a new light."
Kiyohara nodded in thanks, parted ways with Kurenai and Genma, and returned to his residence.
After washing away his exhaustion, Kiyohara sat by the bed and began to organize the gains from this mission.
First was the complete inheritance of Steel Release.
His understanding of Steel Release had now reached Kanorou's level, and even surpassed it.
For the same defensive effect, he only needed to consume seventy percent of the chakra Kanorou required.
Second was the increase in chakra reserves.
His current chakra amount had definitely reached the threshold of an elite jōnin.
If his chakra control improved further, he could raise the efficiency of chakra utilization even more.
"Still not enough…" Kiyohara clenched his fist.
"When facing a true Kage-level powerhouse, I'm still too weak. Shinnō was only repelled because he underestimated me and wasn't in peak condition. If he had been at full strength, the outcome would have been uncertain."
Kiyohara rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
His foundation was already quite solid, the greatest bottleneck was simply time.
How much time had actually passed since the Kannabi Bridge incident?
And yet, how many times had his strength multiplied since then?
If given more time, even without new futures, he could integrate his abilities and step into a higher realm of power.
"I can still improve my mobility,"
Kiyohara mused inwardly.
His defense was already decent; if he could further enhance his mobility, his survivability would rise to another level.
As for this idea, he already had a rough plan.
That was to develop a combined application of Steel Release and Magnet Release.
After hardening the body with Steel Release, could it be treated as a metallic conductor?
While Kiyohara was thinking, a voice interrupted him.
"Kiyohara, the mission payment has been distributed!"
She held up a small money pouch, smiling brightly.
"Let's go eat barbecue together! Genma's coming too."
Kiyohara hesitated for a moment, then politely declined.
"Sorry, Kurenai. I want to train on my own for a bit."
Kurenai looked a little disappointed, but quickly nodded in understanding.
"Alright, then we'll do it next time. But don't push yourself too hard, rest is important after finishing a mission."
"I will."
After seeing Kurenai off, Kiyohara changed into clothes suitable for movement and headed to Training Ground Three.
Konoha had more than forty training grounds, used by shinobi for cultivation and training.
The venues for the Chūnin Exams were also usually selected from among them.
These training grounds were generally located in the rear areas of Konoha, most of them resembling mountainous forests.
It was already dusk, and Training Ground Three was completely empty.
The setting sun dyed the sky orange-red, while the training posts cast long shadows across the grass.
Kiyohara walked to the center of the field, closed his eyes, and began circulating chakra.
First, he tried concentrating Steel Release on the main areas of his torso—his chest, abdomen, and back.
Chakra flowed beneath his skin, and the color of those areas gradually darkened, taking on a metallic sheen.
It looked as if his upper body had been cast entirely from black metal.
Next came the crucial step.
A body hardened by Steel Release would become an excellent conductor.
This conclusion came from Kiyohara's understanding of physics, metal conducted electricity far better than human tissue.
What if he magnetized himself?
Kiyohara began guiding Magnet Release chakra.
Black iron sand seeped out from a thermos flask, but instead of forming a solid shape, it circled his body in ring-like coils.
Then he attempted to construct an electromagnetic field within his body.
This was not simple magnetic manipulation, but turning himself into a "living electromagnet."
Chakra circulated through specific pathways within his body, generating a stable magnetic field.
The first few attempts all failed.
Either the magnetic field was too weak, or it was unstable, or the chakra consumption was excessive.
But Kiyohara did not give up.
He adjusted the chakra flow paths again and again, fine-tuned the polarity of the magnetic field, and coordinated the hardened areas with the magnetic field.
Two hours later, when the moon had already risen into the sky, Kiyohara finally achieved a breakthrough.
He felt a subtle connection form between his body and the surrounding environment. The metallic minerals in the ground and the charged particles in the air all entered his range of perception.
Even more miraculously, his hair slowly began to float, as if he were submerged in water.
Kiyohara's toes left the ground.
Although it was only one centimeter, and although it lasted just three seconds, he had indeed levitated!
"As expected, it works!"
A flash of joy appeared in Kiyohara's eyes.
The principle of magnetic levitation was to use magnetic force to counteract gravity. What he was doing now was magnetizing himself and, by controlling the interaction between his magnetic field and the Earth's magnetic field, generating lift.
Of course, this was still the most rudimentary application.
There was still a long way to go before true flight.
Moreover, this process placed extremely high demands on chakra control.
Kiyohara had to simultaneously maintain Steel Release hardening, the Magnet Release magnetic field, and precise chakra manipulation—any mistake would lead to failure.
"My proficiency isn't enough yet, and my chakra control still needs to be strengthened,"
Kiyohara analyzed.
"But the direction is correct. If I can master this ability, my mobility will undergo a qualitative leap."
Abilities related to flight were extremely rare.
(End of Chapter)