Many shinobi actually lacked the ability to fight in the air. If Kiyohara were to master the ability of flight, it would be extremely advantageous to him, whether for pursuing enemies or making a swift escape. With that thought in mind, Kiyohara tried again.
This time, he managed to hover for five seconds, reaching a height of three centimeters. Then came the third attempt, the fourth, the fifth…
With every single trial, he made progress. The hovering time grew longer, the height increased, and the chakra consumption steadily decreased. It was not until his chakra was nearly depleted that Kiyohara finally stopped. This feeling of becoming stronger little by little was truly intoxicating.
...
At the same time, deep beneath Konoha, within the Root base.
Danzo sat alone in a dimly lit room, the only remaining left eye fixed on the intelligence scroll in his hand. Candlelight flickered on the desk, casting his shadow onto the wall, twisted and grotesque.
"Kiyohara… proficient in Earth Release and Wind Release, possesses the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai. During a mission in the Land of Rain, he sent an enemy who had opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates flying with a single punch…"
Danzo's fingers tapped rhythmically against the tabletop, producing a heavy, dull sound.
"So Orochimaru didn't proactively report this information to me after all. As expected, he's developed his own intentions."
A cold sneer curved Danzo's lips.
"But that's fine. As long as he continues cooperating with me on experiments, I'll have leverage over him. Even if he becomes Hokage in the future, he'll still be constrained by my hand."
He set the scroll aside and looked at the Root shinobi kneeling on one knee before him.
"Continue monitoring Kiyohara. Focus on recording the people he comes into contact with, as well as his political inclinations."
"Yes," the Root shinobi replied with his head lowered.
"And also," Danzo added, "pay attention to the frequency of his interactions with Orochimaru. Report anything unusual immediately."
"Understood."
The Root shinobi withdrew silently, as if he had never been there at all.
Danzo closed his eyes, calculating in his mind. The potential Kiyohara had displayed was already worth paying attention to. If he could grow further, he might become a sharp blade in Root's hands. Even if not, he absolutely could not be allowed to completely side with Orochimaru.
Konoha's future had to remain in the hands of the right people, specifically, in the hands of himself. As for Orochimaru… that man obsessed with forbidden techniques and immortality was, in the end, nothing more than a chess piece. Once his talents had been fully exploited, there would naturally be a way to dispose of him.
...
Early the next morning, Kiyohara returned once again to the Third Training Ground.
The magnetic levitation practice from the previous night had consumed a large amount of chakra, but after a full night's rest, about seventy percent had already recovered.
Moreover, Kiyohara could clearly feel that his chakra reserves seemed to have increased ever so slightly again—this was the continued transformation following the inheritance he had received.
The fusion of spiritual energy and physical energy was not something that could be completed overnight; it required a gradual process. And throughout that process, Kiyohara's body was steadily growing stronger, until it would once again reach the bottleneck limit of physical enhancement.
Today, he planned to practice the coordination between Earth Release and Wind Release. Earth Release could be used to create obstacles and defensive structures, while Wind Release excelled at long-range attacks and acceleration. Combined, the two could form a wide variety of tactical options.
Later, when it was closer to evening, he intended to head deeper into a more secluded mountainous forest to continue training his flight ability.
Just as Kiyohara finished forming hand seals and was about to cast Earth Release: Earth Style Wall, a voice sounded from behind him.
"Kiyohara, training so early in the morning?"
Kiyohara turned around and saw Shisui Uchiha. Shisui still wore that gentle expression as always, but Kiyohara noticed that deep within his eyes, there was a trace of confusion. Moreover, compared to the last time they had met, Shisui's chakra was noticeably stronger—by more than just a small margin.
"Shisui," Kiyohara greeted him with a nod.
"You're here to train as well?"
"Mm… you could say that." Shisui walked over to Kiyohara's side and looked at the training posts in the distance. "There have been some things lately that I can't quite figure out. I thought training might help calm my mind. I didn't want to practice within the clan, so I came here instead."
Kiyohara could tell that Shisui had something weighing heavily on his mind, but he didn't point it out directly. Instead, he went along with the conversation.
"That's true. When you're training, you only need to focus on completing the jutsu. All other worries temporarily fade away."
"Yeah…" Shisui murmured softly, then turned to look at Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara, could you spar with me? I want to test my current level."
Kiyohara thought for a moment, then nodded. It just so happened that he also wanted to test his present condition. The last time he fought Shinno, it had only been a brief exchange. Shinno had been wary of Orochimaru and had chosen to retreat instead.
"Alright, but let's keep it to a spar," Kiyohara said.
Shisui nodded, and the three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eyes. The two of them stepped back, standing twenty meters apart.
"Shall we begin?" Shisui asked, forming the Seal of Confrontation.
"Let's begin," Kiyohara replied, forming seals as well.
Almost the instant the words left their mouths, both moved simultaneously. Kiyohara formed hand seals with both hands, noticeably faster than before, as his chakra control had also improved. What limited seal speed wasn't just hand speed—it was also one's ability to guide chakra efficiently.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
Sharp stone spears erupted from the ground, thrusting upward from beneath Shisui's feet. But Shisui's figure vanished from where he stood, reappearing the next moment to Kiyohara's left.
"So fast, his Body Flicker…" Kiyohara frowned slightly. Shisui seemed even stronger than the last time they met.
In the next instant, Shisui didn't use ninjutsu. Instead, he directly drew the short blade from his back and slashed toward Kiyohara's neck. Wind-nature chakra wrapped around the blade, dramatically increasing its sharpness.
At the same time, black iron sand surged out from Kiyohara's thermos, transforming into dozens of spikes that shot toward Shisui.
Shisui had no choice but to swing his blade to block, the flashing steel forming a curtain of light that knocked every sand-iron spike away. However, after scattering, the iron sand didn't fall to the ground. Instead, it regrouped in midair, forming chains that lashed toward Shisui's ankles.
"Magnet Release…" Shisui sensed that Kiyohara's abilities had also risen considerably. With a light leap, he avoided the chains. While still in midair, he formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Jutsu!"
Dozens of fireballs flew toward Kiyohara from different angles, sealing off all possible avenues of evasion. Kiyohara didn't dodge. Instead, he brought his hands together.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
A thick, heavy earthen wall rose up, blocking every fireball. Flames exploded against the wall, filling the air with smoke and dust. But Shisui's assault wasn't over yet. His figure appeared above the wall, hands forming seals at lightning speed.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A massive fire dragon burst from his mouth, crashing downward toward Kiyohara behind the wall. The power of this attack far exceeded that of an ordinary jonin's Fire Release. Kiyohara could feel the scorching heat radiating from the flames.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Great Spear!"
Black iron sand surged skyward, forming several gigantic black spears that collided head-on with the fire dragon. The iron sand melted under the intense heat, but the fire dragon was pierced through as well.
Amid the smoke and dust, Kiyohara suddenly charged out, his right hand held like a blade, thrusting straight toward Shisui's chest. His fingers gleamed with a metallic sheen—localized hardening from Steel Release.
Shisui swung his blade to block.
Clang!
When the short blade collided with Kiyohara's fingers, it actually produced the sound of metal striking metal. Shisui felt an immense force travel through the blade, numbing his tiger's mouth.
Using the rebound, he leapt backward, his three-tomoe Sharingan locked tightly onto Kiyohara. Kiyohara also halted his attack, staring back at Shisui. Both were evaluating each other's strength.
'Shisui must have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—otherwise, his strength couldn't have increased this fast,' Kiyohara thought. He could clearly feel that Shisui's speed, strength, and reaction time were several times greater than during their last encounter.
At the same time, Shisui was equally shocked by Kiyohara's growth. The speed of his improvement was terrifying. His control over Magnet Release was already masterful, and his taijutsu had undergone a qualitative leap.
And that finger-hardening ability just now, it had to be some kind of powerful Earth Release technique. He had seen Iwa shinobi use similar jutsu before, but he didn't know which specific one Kiyohara had employed.
"Kiyohara," Shisui couldn't help asking, "what was that jutsu just now?"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear," Kiyohara replied.
"But I've been trying to develop Steel Release recently, so I made some improvements."
He said it casually. He planned to reveal his intention of developing that direction first, so that when he eventually displayed it openly in future battles, it wouldn't feel too abrupt. After all, Kekkei Genkai weren't limited to just one, Mei Terumi herself possessed two.
"Steel Release…" Shisui pondered, then nodded without pressing further. He sheathed his short blade, and the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes faded away.
"Let's stop here. If we keep going, it might be hard to hold back."
Kiyohara also restrained his chakra. The iron sand returned to the thermos, and the metallic sheen on his body faded. The two of them walked to the shade of a tree at the edge of the training ground and sat down. After a moment of silence, Shisui suddenly asked,
"Kiyohara … what do you think companions and bonds truly are?"
Kiyohara looked at Shisui, his heart confirming beyond doubt that Uchiha Shisui had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
In the anime, the only thing that could cause Shisui such confusion was the death of a close friend. In Itachi Shinden, Shisui had once told Itachi the real reason behind his awakening: the darkness hidden in his own heart had caused him to feel jealousy toward his closest friend. Though it lasted only for an instant, that moment of hesitation led to his friend's death, a regret that haunted Shisui ever since.
"I'm not sure," Kiyohara shook his head.
"But I think companions are those you're willing to entrust your back to. And bonds… are connections you won't easily sever, no matter how great the difficulties."
Shisui lowered his head, his voice barely audible.
"I once had a close friend. He was even more talented than I was, always running ahead of me. I was jealous of him…"
Kiyohara didn't speak, simply listening quietly.
"It was my fault that he died," Shisui's voice trembled. "Now that I think about it, that jealousy was so laughable. If I had acted back then, he might still be alive. We could still be training together, striving together for the future of the clan…"
"The past can't be changed," Kiyohara said, "but the future can still be chosen. If your friend is watching from above, he wouldn't want you to live trapped in guilt forever."
That was how the Uchiha were—emotions too intense, too deep. Put bluntly, it was internal friction. The more they struggled internally, the more extreme they became, the easier it was to truly uncover the darkness within their hearts.
Shisui was actually one of the better ones. Even after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, he hadn't fallen into darkness. Obito, on the other hand, once he turned dark, wanted the entire shinobi world to join him inside the "Infinite Tsukuyomi" and dream together.
Shisui fell into thought. The two chatted a bit more about training insights before parting ways. Kiyohara could feel that the confusion in Shisui's heart hadn't completely disappeared. But there was nothing more he could do. Dealing with the Uchiha clan's madness wasn't something that could be solved with just a few words.
...
Several more days passed. Kiyohara's mastery of "flight" improved steadily. He could now maintain a hovering state several minutes at a time, just above the ground.
Although it was still far from agile, high-speed aerial combat, as an unexpected means of movement or a way to disengage from battle, it was already beginning to take shape. His fine chakra control also received significant tempering under this demanding training.
That afternoon, Kiyohara had just exited Orochimaru's laboratory at the edge of the village, a place permeated with the smell of disinfectant, his body still faintly carrying the scent of medicinal agents. He was about to head home to wash up before continuing his training, when an ANBU shinobi wearing an animal mask appeared silently before him.
"Jonin Kiyohara, the Hokage has issued an urgent summons. Please proceed immediately to the Hokage's office."
Kiyohara's heart stirred, though his expression remained calm as he nodded.
"Understood."
Just yesterday, he had received his official jonin appointment notice. He was now a fully recognized jonin. Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was heavy. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat behind his desk, brows slightly furrowed, smoke curling upward from his pipe. Besides him, Orochimaru was present, as well as Kurenai and Genma, and even Might Guy was there.
"Kiyohara, you're here," Hiruzen said, gesturing for him to step closer.
"Hokage-sama, Orochimaru-sama," Kiyohara greeted, also nodding to Kurenai and the others. Might Guy flashed a wide, toothy grin and gave him a silent thumbs-up.
"There's an urgent mission," Hiruzen said, getting straight to the point as he pushed a scroll toward the edge of the desk. "Last night, the Green Hill outpost on the border of the Land of Grass was attacked by an unknown force. A small team of five medical shinobi stationed there was captured while conducting a routine patrol. The enemy's identity and objective are unknown. Their actions were swift and covert, the outpost guards only managed to send out a distress signal."
Medical shinobi captured? Kiyohara's heart sank, an ominous premonition rising within him. In the shinobi world, medical shinobi were highly valued for their healing abilities and were usually heavily protected but they were also prime targets for enemy capture or elimination.
Orochimaru's hoarse voice sounded.
"According to intelligence provided by other shinobi, the attackers used powerful Water Release techniques, with excellent coordination and disciplined execution. They don't resemble ordinary rogue shinobi or wandering groups. There's a high probability they're Mist shinobi who infiltrated the area."
As he listened to Orochimaru and Hiruzen speak, Kiyohara's heart grew heavier and heavier. This was bad. It looked like the event had been triggered. Among those medical shinobi, there was a very high chance that Rin was included. And sure enough, after that thought crossed Kiyohara's mind, Orochimaru produced another list—the roster of missing medical shinobi. When Kiyohara looked at it, Rin's name was right there.
Their mission this time was to head to the Land of Grass to provide support and rescue the captured medical shinobi. There were some differences compared to the original story, but one thing remained unchanged—Rin had still been captured.
(End of Chapter)