Kiyohara instead grabbed hold of her hand.
"Do you still want to keep flying?"
Kurenai's irritation disappeared instantly, her eyes lighting up as she nodded eagerly.
"Yes!"
An experience like this was incredibly rare.
After all, deep down, most humans carried a desire to fly.
This time, Kiyohara did not merely hover in place. He truly began to fly.
He wrapped an arm around Kurenai's waist. This position was steadier than simply holding hands. Then he continued refining chakra, and the two of them glided through the night sky like birds.
They passed through layers of clouds as the bright moonlight poured down upon them unobstructed.
From this height, the endless mountain ranges below looked like deep black ink stretching endlessly into the distance.
Only the campfires below still provided small points of light.
Kurenai stared in fascination.
Kiyohara, however, did not have any particularly emotional thoughts about it.
He flew often enough already, and in his previous life there had been airplanes and other things like that, so he was not especially moved by the act of flying itself.
The shinobi world also possessed things similar to airplanes, such as airships and floating fortresses. Unfortunately, Konoha did not have those.
So for Kurenai, this was the first time she had ever looked down upon the world from such a height.
"So high…"
"We could go even higher, but if we continue upward, it'll get very cold."
Kiyohara shook his head.
His chakra reserves could still support flying higher, and he himself was not particularly afraid of the cold.
But Kurenai's body would not be able to endure it.
Kiyohara could already feel her trembling slightly as the altitude increased.
Her body pressed tightly against his, her curves completely apparent.
People in the shinobi world matured especially quickly.
Particularly now, with the war having lasted far longer than it did in the original story, Kurenai had gained several more years of development.
Even Kiyohara, who previously had not been especially interested in Kurenai, now found himself somewhat interested.
Personally, he preferred mature women.
"Kiyohara… thank you."
Kurenai spoke softly.
"For what?"
"Thank you for showing me all this."
Kurenai turned her head toward him as she spoke.
Under the moonlight, her eyes shone even brighter than the moon itself.
"I've never… never seen scenery like this before."
Kiyohara looked at her.
The moonlight coated her face with a faint silver glow, while her eyelashes cast delicate shadows across her eyelids.
Her lips were slightly parted, and each breath she exhaled condensed into white mist in the cold night air.
Kurenai also looked at Kiyohara.
It felt like he had never been this close to her before.
Her throat moved unconsciously.
Just then, a gust of wind swept through, scattering the clouds around them.
Kurenai suddenly leaned forward and lightly pressed her lips against his.
The moment they separated, her cheeks became so red they looked ready to drip blood.
She did not dare look at Kiyohara. Her gaze drifted elsewhere while her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes.
Kiyohara froze for a second before laughing softly.
"Does this count as taking advantage of me?"
"Shouldn't that line be said by the girl instead?"
Kurenai whispered in protest, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"Then say it again."
Kiyohara leaned closer.
Kurenai snorted stubbornly and forced herself to speak.
"I… I was blown by the wind just now. I accidentally bumped into you…"
"Really?"
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow, then lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Kurenai's eyes widened instantly, her hands unconsciously grabbing the front of his shinobi flak jacket.
She could feel Kiyohara's breathing…
And soon after, her consciousness began turning hazy.
Her breathing became hurried, her body trembling faintly as she melted limply into Kiyohara's arms.
No one knew how much time passed before Kiyohara finally let her go.
Kurenai leaned weakly against his shoulder, gasping for air. Her eyes were unfocused, her cheeks flushed red, and her lips glistened with a moist sheen.
"This is what really counts as taking advantage."
Kiyohara whispered beside her ear.
Kurenai could not say a word. She merely buried her face against his shoulder, too embarrassed to look at him.
At the same time, back at the camp…
Asuma crawled out of his tent while carrying a thick blanket in his hand.
The temperature had dropped significantly tonight, and he was worried Kurenai might get cold.
Although a shinobi's physique was far superior to that of ordinary people, being more comfortable was always better.
He walked over to Kurenai's tent and called quietly.
"Kurenai? Are you asleep?"
No response.
Asuma waited for a moment before calling out again, but there was still no reaction.
After thinking for a bit, he guessed she had probably already fallen asleep, so he gently placed the blanket at the entrance of the tent.
"Kurenai, I'm leaving the blanket here. If you get cold, just use it."
After saying that, he turned to leave, only to suddenly sense something above him.
Asuma raised his head.
High in the night sky, two blurry figures floated far above, their outlines illuminated faintly by the moonlight.
The distance was too great for him to see their faces clearly, but one of the silhouettes…
Was Kiyohara.
Asuma was almost certain of it.
In the entire team, only Kiyohara possessed the ability to fly.
Then who was the other person?
Kakashi?
Right, Kakashi had previously asked Kiyohara about Lightning Release flight. Maybe Kiyohara was demonstrating it for him?
Asuma found this explanation perfectly reasonable.
He imagined the scene of Kiyohara carrying Kakashi through the sky while the two discussed ninjutsu principles…
Somehow, it actually felt strangely harmonious.
Asuma shook his head, throwing away the bizarre thought in his mind.
He looked toward the night sky once more. The two figures still remained there motionless, seemingly admiring the scenery.
So enviable…
Asuma thought silently.
If only he could fly too.
Just imagining himself taking Kurenai flying through the sky was enough to make him excited.
Unfortunately, he could not fly.
Asuma sighed softly. After taking one final glance at the figures in the night sky, he turned and returned to his tent.
The blanket had already been delivered. If Kurenai felt cold, she would use it herself, so there was no need for him to worry further.
The next morning.
Asuma was awakened by the aroma of breakfast being cooked by Toudou.
He crawled out of his tent, stretched lazily, and instinctively looked toward Kurenai's tent.
The blanket was still lying there untouched.
At that moment, Kurenai also happened to step out of her tent.
She looked full of energy. Her complexion was rosy, her eyes bright, and her long hair had been carefully tied into a high ponytail.
"Morning, Kurenai."
Asuma greeted her.
"Didn't you feel cold last night? I left a blanket outside your tent, but it looks like you never touched it."
Kurenai froze briefly. She looked toward the blanket at the tent entrance before quickly understanding what had happened.
"Ah… last night, I… I wasn't cold. Actually, I felt a little hot."
"Hot?"
Asuma scratched his head in confusion.
The temperature had obviously been extremely low last night. He himself had slept under two blankets.
Shinobis could strengthen themselves with chakra, and their physiques were much stronger than ordinary people.
But in the end, they were still human. If it became too cold, they could still catch colds and shiver uncontrollably.
That was why compressed blankets were essential supplies during many missions.
"Yeah… maybe I was just sleeping too deeply."
Kurenai answered vaguely while shifting her gaze elsewhere.
At that moment, Kiyohara also walked out of his tent, currently organizing his shinobi tool pouch.
The moment Kurenai saw him, her cheeks reddened ever so slightly. She hurriedly turned around and ran toward the river to wash up.
Asuma watched her back, feeling that something seemed off, yet he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.
Breakfast consisted of simple porridge and pickled vegetables. Although Akimichi Toudou's cooking could not compare to Kiyohara's, it was still fairly good. The porridge was soft, fragrant, and pleasantly sweet.
As for Kiyohara's evaluation, it was that the Akimichi Clan truly deserved their reputation as expert eaters.
People who knew how to eat naturally knew how to cook.
Many members of their clan were actually quite skilled in the kitchen.
Everyone sat together quietly while eating.
Kakashi still looked half asleep as usual.
Last night, he had been reading a book to pass the time, one that Kiyohara had recommended to him.
A rather indecent little novel.
Originally, Kakashi had not been interested in those kinds of books at all. He had once believed they were a disgrace to shinobis.
But after secretly taking a look himself, he was shocked to discover an entirely new world had opened before him.
As a result, he accidentally became completely engrossed in them.
Kiyohara glanced at the dark circles beneath Kakashi's eyes and more or less guessed what had happened.
At first, he had only wanted to see whether Kakashi, without the gloomy personality he had in the original story, would still end up addicted to dirty novels.
The result was obvious.
Kakashi was actually a secretly perverted guy.
After breakfast, Kiyohara took out a map.
"At this speed, we should be able to pass through the hilly region by this afternoon and arrive at our destination."
Kiyohara pointed at a line on the map.
"Anything we need to watch out for on the way?"
Kakashi asked.
"There are occasionally wandering shinobis around this area, but they're all small fry."
Kiyohara rolled the map back up.
"As long as we stay alert, it shouldn't be a problem."
After eating, they packed up the camp and set off once more.
Whenever they stopped to rest, Kiyohara continued training his Lightning Release.
He experimented with gathering lightning chakra into even more parts of his body.
He even began trying to condense Lightning Release chakra into his eyes.
The result was two beams of electricity shooting outward.
Because of this, Kiyohara gave the technique a name.
"Lightning Release: Electrifying Eyes."
Unfortunately, its power was not very impressive. It was more entertaining than practical.
Since it involved a critical area like the eyes, Kiyohara did not dare gather too much chakra there either.
Kurenai sat beneath a tree while watching Kiyohara train, her gaze somewhat absent-minded.
The memories from last night still lingered in her mind. That kiss, that feeling, and the breathtaking sensation of looking down upon the earth from the sky…
"Kurenai?"
Asuma's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Ah? What is it?"
"Are you alright? You've been spacing out this whole time."
Asuma asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."
Kurenai quickly shook her head.
At that moment, Kiyohara suddenly looked toward a certain direction.
"Someone's approaching."
Kakashi immediately closed his book and activated his Sharingan.
A few seconds later, he sensed them too.
Three chakra signatures were approaching from the east. Their speed was not fast, and it seemed as though they were searching for something.
"Wandering shinobis?"
Kakashi asked quietly.
"Most likely."
Kiyohara stood up.
"I'll handle it. You guard the camp."
"Be careful."
Kiyohara nodded, and in the next instant, his figure flashed away into the forest.
The three wandering shinobis wore worn-out shinobi uniforms and carried various shinobi tools, but their chakra signatures were weak. At most, they were around Chunin level.
They moved through the forest carefully as if searching for something.
Kiyohara did not bother hiding himself. He landed directly in front of them.
The three men were startled and immediately took combat stances.
But after noticing Kiyohara was alone and looked very young, they relaxed again.
"Kid, hand over your money and shinobi tools, and we'll spare your life."
The scar-faced leader spoke viciously.
He intended to strike first and pulled the samurai sword from his waist.
Kiyohara said nothing.
He merely raised his eyes.
Then he used the technique he had just mastered today.
Whoosh!
Two beams of electricity shot directly out from Kiyohara's eyes.
One of the wandering shinobis failed to dodge in time and was struck in the neck by the electric beam. Blood sprayed out instantly.
The expressions of the remaining two wandering shinobis changed drastically.
Before they could react, Kiyohara's figure disappeared from where he stood.
In the next second, he appeared behind the scar-faced man.
A simple chop landed lightly on the back of the man's neck. The scar-faced shinobi let out a muffled groan before collapsing limply to the ground.
The last shinobi turned and tried to run.
Kiyohara casually raised a hand and threw two shuriken, striking the backs of the man's knees.
The wandering shinobi screamed as he fell. Before he could crawl away, Kiyohara had already bound him tightly with steel wire.
Kiyohara crouched down and inspected the three men's shinobi pouches.
There was nothing particularly valuable inside. Only ordinary kunai, shuriken, and a few explosive tags.
However, their mission scroll was somewhat interesting.
It contained the rough locations of several Kumogakure outposts.
Although the information was not detailed, it at least proved these three were not merely wandering shinobis. They were scouts hired by some faction.
Kiyohara put away the scroll before tossing the three men beneath a tree and temporarily sealing their chakra with a sealing technique.
Hiring wandering shinobis was actually a very common tactic.
The Land of Earth had secretly hired the Akatsuki before as well.
To the great nations, shinobis were far more valuable than money.
As long as they paid a certain amount of money, they could have outsiders carry out dangerous work while reducing casualties among their own shinobis. To them, it was an extremely worthwhile transaction.
Afterward, Kiyohara used Sharingan to control them and forced out additional information.
Once he had learned enough and finished searching through everything they carried, he ended their lives and headed back toward Kurenai and the others.
During wartime, wandering shinobis like these were among the most heinous criminals.
Official shinobis were not allowed to burn, kill, and loot at will, but wandering shinobis had no such restraints.
Many civilian villages that encountered bad luck often ended up completely massacred by groups like them.
When Kakashi saw Kiyohara return so quickly, he raised an eyebrow.
"Finished already?"
"Yeah. Three wandering shinobis. They probably have some connection to Kumogakure."
Kiyohara handed over the scroll.
Kakashi quickly skimmed through it.
"Kumogakure outpost distribution… so they're gathering intelligence on us too."
"Normal."
Kiyohara was not surprised.
"During war, intelligence gathering is routine."
Kakashi nodded and returned the scroll to Kiyohara.
After resting briefly, the group continued onward.
The remainder of the journey went smoothly. Around six-thirty in the evening, the team arrived at the Konoha outpost.
It was a camp built within a valley. Its scale was somewhat smaller than the one in the Land of Rivers, but its defenses were extremely complete.
Watchtowers, trap zones, and barrier formations were all present.
There were roughly five hundred shinobis stationed inside the camp. Most were standard combat forces, while some belonged to medical and intelligence divisions.
Kiyohara handed over the escorted supplies to the person in charge of the outpost, a middle-aged Jonin named Yamanaka Kaisui.
He was Yamanaka Inoichi's cousin and also the supervising Jonin of Asuma's team.
"Good work."
Yamanaka Kaisui accepted the supply list and quickly checked through it.
"You didn't run into any trouble on the road, did you?"
"Just a small issue. It's already been dealt with."
Kiyohara answered.
Yamanaka Kaisui nodded, though his gaze lingered on Kiyohara for a moment longer.
Of course he had heard Kiyohara's name before. His recent achievements on the Kirigakure battlefield had already spread throughout Konoha's upper ranks.
But seeing him in person still surprised him somewhat.
He was too young. So young that he hardly looked like someone capable of killing members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
"You should all get some rest first. Your accommodations have already been arranged."
Yamanaka Kaisui looked toward the group.
"Kiyohara-kun, there may be a meeting later tonight that requires your attendance."
"Understood."
Kiyohara nodded.
He was no longer an ordinary Jonin. He now held an official position.
It was perfectly normal for him to be summoned to meetings.
After exchanging a few more words, Kiyohara turned and left.
His lodging for the night consisted of several connected tents. The conditions were rougher than those in the Land of Rivers, though still relatively clean.
Kiyohara had just set down his luggage when he heard someone call out to him from outside the tent.
"Kiyohara, so you finally made it here."
The voice sounded very familiar.
Kiyohara lifted the tent flap and saw a familiar face.
Uchiha Tekka.
He wore the Uchiha clan's traditional high-collared robe and carried a shinobi sword on his back.
"Tekka."
Kiyohara greeted him.
"Your reputation's getting bigger and bigger these days."
Uchiha Tekka walked over as he spoke.
"Killing members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, taking the Executioner's Blade and Samehada… not bad, kid. You've really brought glory to the Uchiha clan."
Kiyohara merely smiled without replying.
As his strength continued increasing, the Uchiha clan's attitude toward him had also changed drastically.
The saying that no one visits the poor in bustling cities while distant relatives flock to the rich living deep in the mountains still applied perfectly well in the shinobi world.
Uchiha Tekka did not mind Kiyohara's silence and continued speaking on his own.
"I got transferred to this battlefield six months ago. I originally thought things would be easier here, but those lunatics from Kumo are even more troublesome than Kiri. You have no idea. They constantly carry out suicidal attacks and completely disregard their own lives."
"That's always been Kumogakure's style."
Kiyohara replied.
"Yeah. A bunch of maniacs."
Tekka shook his head before lowering his voice.
"But it's good that you're here. The commander on this battlefield is Lord Jiraiya. He's recently been planning a counterattack and needs more manpower."
"I probably won't stay here long."
Kiyohara shook his head.
His main reason for coming here was the escort mission for the supplies.
At most, he would rest here for two or three days before returning to the Land of Rivers.
During those two or three days, Kiyohara intended to complete Yotsuki Kiyohara's lingering wish.
"Fair enough."
After thinking about it, Tekka remembered that Kiyohara was also the vice-captain on another battlefield.
It was understandable that he could not remain here for long.
"Shisui isn't here?"
Kiyohara asked.
He was curious about how well Shisui had adapted to his Mangekyo Sharingan by now.
Since Shisui had awakened it relatively early, his body would gradually adapt to the feedback from the ocular power over time. It could not happen overnight.
"He just left yesterday. Once he finishes the mission, he should return."
Tekka scratched his head.
"Alright, got it."
Kiyohara waved his hand, indicating that he wanted to rest.
Seeing this, Uchiha Tekka tactfully left.
Once the tent contained only himself, Kiyohara sat on the simple bed and began organizing his thoughts.
When he attended the meeting later, he could gather more information about this matter.
Darui was around the same age as Kakashi.
So right now, he was still only a teenage shinobi and probably did not have complete mastery over Black Lightning yet.
"I wonder how long Kumogakure has been researching their chakra cannon."
Kiyohara muttered while stroking his chin.
(End of Chapter)