Kiyohara had his arm around Mei's waist as the two of them returned to the camp.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Mei almost immediately slipped out of his embrace. Her long, reddish-brown hair spread out in the sea breeze.
She quickly raised a hand and tucked the strands behind her ear, moving so swiftly that it seemed as though she wanted to erase the embarrassment of having been held in his arms while flying around for so long.
The moonlight fell across the side of her face, revealing the faint redness at the tips of her ears.
"Tomorrow's mission will be left to them."
Kiyohara looked toward the several tents.
"My disciples need to see more blood, after all."
Kiyohara had no intention of raising a group of flowers that had only ever grown inside a greenhouse.
Once he finished tempering their personalities and giving them the proper foundation, Kiyohara planned to let them develop on their own.
Mei followed his gaze.
Between the tents, Itachi was replenishing the shuriken in his shinobi tool pouch. Izumi sat beside the campfire, carefully sharpening the edge of her kunai with a whetstone and maintaining her shinobi tools.
For a shinobi, this was an essential part of their training.
Kiyohara walked over and called the five children over to him.
"There is a small town ahead. There is a child in that town whose situation is not very good. Your mission is to find him and bring him back safely."
Kiyohara spoke in an indifferent tone.
"There are Mist shinobi patrol in the town. Deal with them yourselves."
Guren clenched both fists and waved them once in determination.
"Consider it done!"
Itachi placed the shuriken into his shinobi tool pouch and nodded slightly.
"Understood."
Izumi spun her kunai once between her fingers. The scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in her beautiful eyes.
"Kiyohara-sensei, don't worry. We won't bring shame to Konoha."
Yakumo also nodded.
The five formed a squad, and their figures disappeared into the depths of the sea fog.
Kiyohara watched until their backs vanished into the mist. Mei stood beside him, her brows slightly furrowed.
"You're really willing to let them go like this? There could be jonin among the patrol teams here."
"I already know their exact positions. I can sense them."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
If anything dangerous happened, his Flying Thunder God Technique would allow him to rush over immediately.
"We found it."
After entering the village, Itachi detected the sound of breathing coming from an abandoned house on the western side.
"Let's go."
Izumi was about to leap down from the rooftop when Itachi reached out and stopped her.
"There are enemies."
Before his words had even finished, the fog at the entrance of the alley was torn apart by several figures.
Four Mist shinobis surrounded them from three directions. The leader was a jonin whose face was wrapped in bandages, leaving only one gloomy eye exposed.
Three genin followed behind him.
"Shinobis from another village."
The bandaged jonin's gaze swept over the faces of the four children before stopping briefly on the Konoha forehead protector around Izumi's neck.
"Konoha? You actually ran all the way into the Land of Water. You certainly have some nerve."
Guren was the first to step forward. She planted both hands on her hips and raised her chin proudly.
"We came here to find someone. Get out of our way!"
The bandaged jonin sneered and waved his hand.
"Take them down. Leave one alive for questioning."
The three genin attacked simultaneously.
Water Release techniques condensed within the sea fog, forming several sharp blades of water that tore through the air toward the children.
Itachi threw several shuriken.
The shuriken collided with the water blades, causing splashes of water to scatter through the air.
"This kind of shurikenjutsu…"
The bandaged jonin was slightly surprised.
"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Blade!"
Guren formed hand seals.
Pink crystals condensed within her palm and transformed into a translucent crystal blade.
She pushed off the ground and rushed forward, bringing the crystal blade down toward the nearest Mist shinobi.
The shinobi hurriedly raised his kunai to block.
The instant the crystal blade collided with the kunai, pink crystals suddenly began spreading along the length of the weapon.
In the blink of an eye, the kunai was completely encased in crystal and transformed into a pink crystal pillar.
The genin was so shocked that he released his grip and staggered backward.
Guren seized the opportunity and kicked him directly in the chest.
The force of the kick sent him flying backward, and he crashed into a pile of snow beside the road.
"Crystal Release?!"
The bandaged jonin frowned.
"Another bloodline limit…"
Just as he was about to personally intervene, his vision suddenly became blurred.
The surrounding fog began to spin.
The outlines of the world gradually melted away.
A gigantic cherry blossom tree suddenly appeared before him.
Beneath the tree stood one of his companions who had long since died, staring at him with empty eye sockets.
"Genjutsu… When?"
The bandaged jonin's pupils contracted.
These genin had actually trapped him in a genjutsu without him realizing it.
And the person controlling the illusion from a distance was Yakumo.
The Kurama clan's Five Senses Control could transform illusions into reality and deprive their targets of their five senses.
If the number of clan members capable of awakening this bloodline limit had not gradually declined, then with such a powerful bloodline limit, the Kurama clan would undoubtedly have been able to maintain its position as one of Konoha's great clans.
"I'm having a little trouble controlling it."
Yakumo spoke.
Although her body had improved considerably after being treated by Kiyohara, her chakra reserves were still somewhat lacking compared with the others.
However, she possessed an extremely large amount of Yin Release chakra, which could make up for this weakness when she used genjutsu.
Even so, maintaining the technique for an extended period placed considerable strain on her body.
"Good."
Itachi had been waiting for precisely this moment.
He reached his right hand into his shinobi tool pouch and pulled out eight shuriken between his fingers.
Whoosh!
All eight shuriken flew out at the same time.
The shuriken split apart in midair.
Eight became sixteen.
Sixteen became thirty-two.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
This was the technique Kiyohara had taught Itachi, and he could now execute it with considerable proficiency.
The countless shuriken curved around Guren and Yakumo before flying directly toward the four Mist shinobis.
The sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out in rapid succession.
The four shinobis were covered in shuriken.
All four collapsed at the same time, losing their ability to move.
Dark red blood spread across the snow.
The bandaged jonin knelt on the ground. A shuriken had pierced his knee, making it impossible for him to stand.
He could only support himself with his remaining hand while staring in terror at the group of genin who looked like nothing more than children.
Guren patted the crystal fragments from her hands and looked back at Yakumo with a grin.
"Not bad. We make a pretty good team."
Yakumo released her hand seals and gently exhaled.
Her cheeks had become somewhat pale from excessive chakra consumption, but she still curved her lips into a soft smile and gave Guren a gentle look.
On the high ground behind them, Kiyohara opened his eyes.
The corners of his lips curled upward slightly.
Mei stood beside him.
She could not sense things from such a great distance.
However, judging from Kiyohara's expression, she guessed that the group of genin had probably handled things quite well.
Just as Mei had expected, Itachi used fuinjutsu techniques to bind the injured Mist shinobis while the others searched through the battlefield and confirmed that there were no enemies left behind.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from the direction of Kiri.
More shinobis were approaching.
"The commotion has gotten too big."
Mei frowned and turned toward Kiyohara.
"How about you retreat for now? I'll deal with them. You're the Hokage of Konoha. If someone discovers that you personally infiltrated the Land of Water, things will become very troublesome."
"There's no need."
Kiyohara raised his right hand and brought his index and middle fingers together.
A pale chakra condensed in his hand.
The temperature of the surrounding air suddenly dropped.
Fine ice crystals appeared out of nowhere and rapidly spun around his fingers.
Then Kiyohara casually waved his hand.
A blade of ice condensed from the freezing chakra shot forward, dragging a dazzling Haku streak behind it as it flew toward the distant enemies.
Everything in the path of the ice blade was severed.
Trees were cut cleanly in half.
Rocks were split apart.
A straight trench of ice crystals stretched across the ground for several hundred meters.
The commotion in the distance suddenly quieted.
Immediately afterward came a muffled groan.
Then there was the heavy sound of something crashing to the ground.
Mei's eyes widened.
She had witnessed it with her own eyes.
The ice blade had pierced through the chest of an elite Kirigakure jonin who had been charging at the very front.
The jonin had not even been given the opportunity to form hand seals.
The impact of the ice blade sent his entire body flying backward, pinning him and several of his companions against the rock wall behind them.
A thin layer of frost had formed around the transparent hole in his chest.
Even his blood had been frozen before it could flow out.
Ice Release!
"Why can you use Ice Release?"
Mei turned her head.
The more she interacted with Kiyohara, the less she felt she understood him.
There was no unnecessary emotion in those deep black eyes, and there was nothing about his appearance that resembled someone from the Land of Water.
How could someone from Konoha possess Ice Release?
Mei could not figure it out.
This bloodline limit should have belonged only to the Yuki clan of the Land of Water.
Kiyohara withdrew his fingers.
"This way, no one will suspect that I'm the Hokage, right?"
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
"I only completed this Ice Release technique recently. Before this, I could only summon freezing winds. Recently, I finally figured out how to condense them into crystals."
Mei opened and closed her mouth.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that her understanding of this man might have been inaccurate from the very beginning.
It was not simply that he was stronger than she had imagined.
Rather, the limits she had assumed existed for him simply did not exist at all.
On the other side.
After dealing with the enemies, Izumi pushed open the door.
The rotten wooden door creaked as it moved.
Sunlight from outside entered through the doorway and fell upon a small figure curled up in the corner.
It was a child only a few years old, even younger than Izumi.
His long, jet-black hair was filthy and tangled into clumps.
His skin was pale, and there were dried streaks of blood and dirt across his cheeks. It was impossible to tell whether the blood belonged to him or someone else.
He wore nothing more than a tattered single-layer garment with several holes in it.
He was so thin that the outline of his ribs could be seen beneath his collarbone.
When he heard the sound of the door opening, his body instinctively shrank further into the corner.
"Don't be afraid. We're here to save you."
Izumi spoke gently.
Haku showed no reaction.
"Let's take him back to Sensei first."
Itachi carried Haku onto his back.
Haku seemed to have gone for a long time without receiving enough nourishment.
His body was weak from exhaustion, and he did not even have the strength to resist.
It did not take long before the group returned to Kiyohara.
Kiyohara looked at the person on Itachi's back and motioned for Itachi to put Haku down.
At the same time, he took some food out of a sealing scroll and handed it to Haku.
Haku slowly raised his head.
Almost instinctively, he reached out and accepted the food.
He had already grown accustomed to the malice of other people.
As for whether Kiyohara harbored any malicious intentions toward him, Haku no longer had the energy to distinguish between them. At this moment, all he wanted was to eat.
After Haku had eaten for a while and some color gradually returned to his pale face, Kiyohara finally spoke.
"What is your name?"
"Haku."
Haku answered quietly.
He had noticed that, even now, Kiyohara had never looked at him with any strange or hostile expression, nor had he shown the slightest intention of attacking him.
Clearly, Kiyohara was different from those villagers.
"Haku, your ability is not a sin. On the contrary, it is a blessing for a shinobi."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
A bloodline limit was essentially equivalent to a normal shinobi possessing some additional passive abilities or extra skills.
With normal thinking, people should have tried to cultivate such abilities and increase the number of people capable of inheriting them.
However, Kirigakure was no longer a normal shinobi village.
It was merely a blood bank for Obito.
Naturally, no one there cared enough to protect or train talented children with bloodline limits.
"A blessing?"
Haku had heard about shinobis before, but this was the first time he had learned that his own ability could actually be considered a blessing.
"That's right. The only problem is that the other people are too ignorant."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Killing someone simply because they possessed a kekkei genkai was no different from the witch hunts of medieval times.
An ability itself was neither good nor evil.
It was simply a tool.
From beginning to end, it was the person holding the tool who determined how it would be used.
"Come here. I need you, Haku."
Kiyohara extended his hand.
The shinobi world was, in fact, one enormous society built around bullying.
Whenever someone possessed something different from ordinary people, they were likely to become the target of bullying.
Naruto was bullied because of the Nine-Tails.
Sakura was mocked because of her forehead.
Kushina was isolated because of her red hair.
Hinata was looked down upon because of her Byakugan.
There were countless examples like these.
As a result, almost no one in the shinobi world had been able to enjoy a normal childhood.
Some had lost their parents.
Others had been bullied from the moment they were young.
And among those who managed to grow up, the number of people who could still smile while walking their chosen shinobi path was extremely small.
Haku was no different.
For him, the most important thing in life was having a sense of "value to another person."
That was why he had become so obsessed with becoming Zabuza's tool.
He regarded that role as the meaning of his existence and continued to live as Zabuza's right-hand man.
In reality, Zabuza was similar to Kiyohara.
He had initially valued Haku simply because of Haku's talent.
It was only after spending a long time together that Zabuza eventually discovered that he could no longer live without Haku.
"Really?"
Haku was still somewhat hesitant.
"Of course."
Kiyohara extended his hand and refined Ice Release chakra.
The Ice Release chakra condensed into a beautiful ice lotus in his palm.
When it came to chakra control, Kiyohara had already surpassed Tsunade.
Therefore, performing such delicate manipulation was effortless for him.
Haku stared at the ice lotus in Kiyohara's hand with his eyes wide open.
Kiyohara actually possessed the same ability as him.
At that moment, Haku suddenly felt that he was no longer alone.
"I'm willing."
Haku nodded.
Seeing this, Kiyohara took another piece of clothing out of a sealing scroll.
"Put this on first."
Kiyohara handed it to him.
Mei watched Kiyohara openly abduct one of the Land of Water's most precious talents.
Her expression clearly showed that she wanted to say something, but she forcibly swallowed her words.
There was nothing she could do.
The situation was stronger than the person.
She still needed Kiyohara's help.
Besides, the Mist shinobis in this area had already intended to kill Haku outright.
The shinobi living under the Bloody Mist would not have much mercy to spare.
One day later, the group arrived at Kirigakure.
A thin layer of mist covered the shinobi village built upon the island.
Waterfalls poured down from the tops of the surrounding cliffs, crashing into the pools below with a continuous roar.
Mei walked at the front, leading the way.
Kiyohara followed behind her with a relaxed expression.
Itachi and Izumi guarded Haku from either side, while Guren and Yakumo walked at the rear.
Haku had changed into clean clothes.
His face had also been washed clean, revealing a delicate and handsome appearance.
He was still not accustomed to speaking with other people.
He simply followed quietly in the middle of the group, his eyes carrying a hint of caution and uneasiness.
The pedestrians on the streets of Kiri paid no attention to Kiyohara and the others.
That was because they had already used the Transformation Technique to change their appearances before entering the village.
Mei led Kiyohara and the others to a large residence in the eastern part of the village.
The family crest of the Hozuki clan was carved into the stone lanterns outside the residence.
Mei then led them into an underground passage.
The passage eventually opened into a secret chamber.
There were many Mist shinobis inside.
The moment Kiyohara stepped into the room, every person inside turned their attention toward him.
Standing at the very front was a tall and slender young man.
His silver-white hair fell all the way to his waist, and his narrow eyes coldly examined Kiyohara.
A uniquely shaped sword hung from his waist.
The blade was broad and thick, while the handle was wrapped in dark blue rope.
It was a replica of one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, Hiramekarei.
Or, more accurately, it was a substitute weapon created by the Hozuki clan.
The genuine Seven Ninja Sword were currently still in Konoha.
"Mei, are you certain that bringing in outside assistance is the right choice?"
Hozuki Mangetsu spoke.
He was somewhat dissatisfied with Mei secretly leaving the village to seek outside assistance.
After all, what was the difference between this and gambling?
"The situation is complicated. I need to explain everything to you first."
"No need."
Mangetsu interrupted her and looked directly at Kiyohara.
"I don't trust him. Kiri's internal affairs do not require Konoha's interference."
The moment Izumi heard this, she became furious.
She poked her head out from behind Kiyohara.
Her beautiful eyes were wide open, and she planted both hands on her hips.
Her voice was clear and sharp.
"What's wrong with you? My sensei came all this way here to help you. If it weren't for my sensei, who would even bother coming to this place that is completely covered in fog?"
For once, Guren did not contradict Izumi.
Instead, she folded her arms and stood beside Izumi.
"Exactly. With this few people on your side, my sensei could deal with all of you with one hand. You can barely stand properly, yet you're still talking so confidently here."
A relatively young genin from the Hozuki clan flushed bright red.
Unable to hold himself back, he shouted in rebuttal.
"Are you leaf shinobis too arrogant? Big Brother Mangetsu is the strongest genius of our Hozuki clan!"
Izumi turned her head toward him.
Her beautiful eyes blinked.
Her tone was completely sincere.
"I'm not targeting your clan. I mean that every single person here isn't worth my sensei using even two fingers."
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
Then, almost simultaneously, the Mist shinobis tightened their grips around their weapons.
Mangetsu's brows knitted together, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched slightly.
Even if Kiyohara was currently known as the strongest Hokage, this was simply too dismissive of everyone else.
Kiyohara stood where he was and watched the entire scene unfold.
His mood was rather complicated.
According to his memories, the Kaguya clan should have been wiped out during the civil war in the Land of Water.
Yet there were not only Hozuki clan shinobis standing in the courtyard now, but also several people dressed in the distinctive clothing of the Kaguya clan.
The Kaguya clan crest was embroidered around their collars.
Their expressions were vigorous and their bodies were full of vitality.
Clearly, the clan had not been exterminated.
Instead, they seemed to be living quite comfortably.
This was probably another consequence of the butterfly effect caused by Kiyohara.
The movements of the various great shinobi villages had also changed as a result, and the Kaguya clan had not suffered the same tragic fate as they had in the original story.
Kiyohara swept his gaze across the crowd.
Then his eyes suddenly stopped on one child.
The boy had white hair that fell to his shoulders.
Two vermilion-red marks, resembling cinnabar, were placed between his eyebrows.
He wore a pure white robe and stood quietly among the members of the Kaguya clan.
Kiyohara immediately recognized him.
Kimimaro.
Kimimaro was also curiously looking at Kiyohara.
He had never seen a shinobi from another village before.
He had certainly never seen an outsider capable of making Mangetsu react as though he were facing an overwhelming enemy.
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze and silently sighed.
What a pity.
Kimimaro possessed an exceptional physique, but his bloodline disease was still like a sword hanging over his head.
In the shinobi world, the stronger a bloodline limit was, the more likely its wielder was to be unable to properly control it and eventually suffer backlash.
The Uchiha clan was one example.
The more frequently they used the Mangekyō Sharingan, the closer they came to losing their eyesight.
Even Itachi had eventually developed a bloodline-related illness in the original story.
Gekko Hayate, who possessed the Transparent Escape technique, had also been troubled by the same kind of disease.
When Kiyohara returned from his thoughts, he happened to hear Mangetsu speak.
"Hokage-sama, since you claim that you came here to help us, then show us the strength you intend to use to help."
Mangetsu placed his right hand on the handle of his sword.
A layer of water began to flow across the surface of his body.
This was the preparation for using the Water Transformation Technique.
"I challenge you here. If you win, I will have nothing more to say. If you lose, please take your people and leave Kiri."
Kiyohara did not even raise his eyelids.
He casually lifted his right hand and formed a hand seal with one hand.
Bang!
A Shadow Clone condensed into existence beside him.
"Beat my Shadow Clone first."
Mangetsu's expression darkened.
He took a deep breath.
His entire body suddenly liquefied.
In an instant, he transformed into a transparent puddle of water and surged toward the Shadow Clone.
Water Transformation Technique!
While in his transformed state, he could become immune to physical attacks.
No ordinary weapon could injure him while his body remained in liquid form.
The Shadow Clone remained standing where it was.
It raised a single finger.
A black arc of electricity appeared at the tip.
The electric arc was as thin as a strand of thread, yet its color was as deep as ink.
A terrifying surge of Lightning Release chakra radiated from it.
Lightning Release: Black Lightning.
The black lightning shot forward.
The moment it struck Mangetsu while he was in his water form, his entire body was forcibly pulled back into its physical state.
He dropped to one knee.
Fine electric arcs still danced across the surface of his body.
Every muscle in his body twitched uncontrollably.
His entire body was in pain.
The chakra flowing through his meridians had been thrown into complete chaos by the cold and sinister Lightning Release chakra.
He could no longer even maintain the Water Transformation Technique.
"That's it?"
Guren's voice came from behind.
The unmistakable tone of schadenfreude in her voice made no attempt to hide itself.
With a soft pop, the Shadow Clone transformed into white smoke and disappeared.
Kiyohara lowered his finger.
He did not even bother giving Mangetsu a comment.
These people really had no idea what it meant to accidentally wander into the domain of someone far beyond their level.
Still, this was quite normal.
After all, even Naruto and Sasuke, who had saved the entire world, still had people bold enough to challenge them without understanding the difference in strength.
Challenging those above you was practically a traditional art in the shinobi world.
Kiyohara turned his head and glanced across the remaining Mist shinobis standing around the courtyard.
He slowly spoke.
"Whoever is dissatisfied can challenge my disciples first."
Kiyohara patted Itachi on the shoulder.
He could not be bothered to fight personally anymore.
Otherwise, controlling his strength well enough not to accidentally kill the other shinobis would become troublesome in itself.
Mei understood what Kiyohara was doing.
She knew that he was deliberately holding back.
At the same time, a sense of anticipation began to rise within her heart.
If things continued like this, then with Kiyohara personally taking action, perhaps their operation was already guaranteed to succeed.
Mangetsu's expression was extremely ugly.
He had been defeated instantly by a Shadow Clone using only a single finger.
Kiyohara's real body had not even moved.
Yet Mangetsu understood very clearly that the previous exchange had already demonstrated the enormous gap between them.
Kiyohara was not someone he could challenge.
He was not even qualified to pretend that he could compete with him.
The Mist shinobis standing throughout the courtyard looked at one another.
No one wanted to be the first to step forward.
No one wanted to be the next person to suffer such humiliation.
At that moment, Kimimaro suddenly walked out from the Kaguya clan group.
He raised his head and looked at Itachi.
His voice was still childish and immature.
"I want to challenge your disciple."
Itachi looked at the child standing before him.
Kimimaro was even shorter than he was by an entire head.
A trace of surprise flashed through Itachi's dark eyes.
He had heard at least a little about the Kaguya clan and their reputation as a clan of warriors.
However, Itachi did not say anything.
He simply thought about how he could not afford to embarrass Sensei Kiyohara.
He reached into his tool pouch and pulled out a kunai.
He reversed his grip, holding the weapon firmly in his palm.
Then he lowered his center of gravity and assumed a combat stance.
(End of Chapter)