The impression this village left on Kiyohara was not particularly high.
The name Village of the Bloody Mist had circulated throughout the shinobi world for many years. Whenever someone mentioned Kiri, the first things that usually came to mind were assassination, internal conflict, and the persecution of those possessing bloodline limits.
However, after carefully walking around the village, Kiyohara found that it was actually not bad.
He turned his head and glanced at Mei beside him.
She was looking toward the fishing boats scattered across the sea. Their lights flickered in the distance, reflected in her emerald-green eyes like countless tiny stars. A thin layer of moisture had gathered along her eyelashes.
This woman had been blessed with exceptionally beautiful features, both in bone structure and appearance. Her facial contours were soft, while her features were striking and radiant.
Kiyohara could not help wondering whether Mei would have developed the same personality as she had in the original story if Obito had never turned Kirigakure into a village ruled by the Bloody Mist.
After all, judging solely from the original story, Mei had spent practically her entire life thinking about marriage.
Unfortunately, even by the time of Boruto, she still had not found a man she considered worthy of her attention.
"Why do you keep looking at me?"
"Because you're beautiful."
Mei's footsteps paused for a moment.
She immediately quickened her pace and walked ahead of him.
The hem of her cheongsam swayed gently with every step. Occasionally, the slit along the side revealed a small glimpse of her fair leg.
Without turning around, she said, "Stop with that nonsense. I don't fall for sweet talk from Konoha men."
Looking at her slightly stiff back, Kiyohara smiled.
He did not hurry. He simply followed behind her at an unhurried pace.
At the same time.
Deep within a secret base belonging to the Akatsuki, inside the innermost hidden chamber.
The walls of the chamber were covered with sealing formulas. Candle flames burned atop the holders, stretching the shadows of several figures across the stone walls, which were themselves covered in intricate techniques.
Orochimaru stood before a stone platform, his hands forming a complicated seal.
A new body lay upon the stone platform.
Compared with the body prepared for Madara, this vessel was considerably more robust. The outline of the muscles beneath the skin could clearly be seen.
Orochimaru had gone to considerable lengths to obtain a vessel that would be most suitable for Hashirama.
He took a deep breath.
Then he suddenly slammed his palm against the stone platform.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
A cold, sinister surge of chakra erupted throughout the chamber.
The candle flames on the walls were blown about violently, nearly going out.
Countless tiny pieces of paper-like material suddenly emerged from thin air and surged toward the body lying on the platform.
Layer after layer, they covered the vessel, gradually changing its appearance until it took on the form of another person.
Hashirama pushed himself up and sat upright.
His movements were somewhat stiff.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
They were covered with the distinctive cracks characteristic of an Impure World Reincarnation body.
"This is..."
His voice was hoarse.
"Tobirama's... Impure World Reincarnation?"
Hashirama frowned.
He had already strictly forbidden his younger brother from using this technique.
Why was he being affected by it now?
Could it be that Konoha had encountered some kind of major crisis?
What year was it in Konoha now?
A string of questions immediately surfaced in Hashirama's mind.
"Heh heh."
Orochimaru took a step back and respectfully bowed.
"Nice to meet you, First Hokage-sama. My name is Orochimaru. I am the one who summoned you back to the world of the living."
Hashirama raised his head.
He began examining Orochimaru carefully.
Wasn't Tobirama the one who had revived him?
Hashirama thought to himself.
He had originally believed that only Tobirama would be capable of using such a forbidden technique. He had not expected that there would be successors who had inherited the technique as well.
Still, Hashirama had a distinct feeling that Orochimaru was not exactly a righteous person.
He turned his head and began examining the other people in the chamber.
One person immediately caught his attention.
Red armor.
A massive Uchiha war fan and a gunbai-shaped weapon were strapped to his back, accompanied by a chain sickle.
His arms were folded across his chest, while his long hair fell over his shoulders.
That face was exactly the same as the one preserved in Hashirama's memories.
"Madara?"
Hashirama's pupils contracted.
"Weren't you... dead?"
"Likewise."
Madara lowered his arms and slowly stepped forward.
His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan met Hashirama's bewildered gaze.
"I did die. But you died too, Hashirama. The two of us are both dead men now."
"You..."
Hashirama stood up from the stone platform.
Orochimaru immediately felt the tension rise.
Even though Hashirama was not displaying any hostility at the moment, his entire presence radiated an imposing authority that made it difficult for anyone to treat him lightly.
"You were also revived using the Impure World Reincarnation?"
Hashirama asked in a deep voice as he looked at Madara's body, which was covered with the same cracks.
"What exactly happened? Why did this junior summon both of us at the same time?"
Madara did not answer his question.
He simply stared at Hashirama.
After the Battle of the Valley of the End all those years ago, the two of them had never met again.
Before using Izanagi to fake his death, Madara had secretly taken a piece of Hashirama's flesh. For several decades afterward, he had used that piece of flesh to repair his own body, eventually integrating it into his chest.
In a sense, every single day of the latter half of Madara's life had involved dealing with Hashirama's cells.
But standing face-to-face with the real Hashirama felt completely different from observing cultivated cells in a laboratory.
Madara could still sense that Hashirama's chakra was as enormous as it had been back then.
It seemed that this vessel really was quite good.
With that thought, Madara suddenly raised his right hand and held it upright before him.
Hashirama was more familiar with this gesture than almost anyone else in the world.
It was Madara's invitation to battle.
At a time like this?
Hashirama could not help feeling that Madara had to be joking.
"Stop messing around, Madara. Let me figure out what is going on first."
Hashirama frowned.
He felt that Madara was still just as childish as he had been in the past.
"None of that matters, Hashirama."
Madara shook his head.
Now that he had witnessed Hashirama's revival with his own eyes, there was only one thought occupying his mind.
He wanted to see who was stronger in this state, himself or Hashirama.
Competing with Hashirama had been something Madara had pursued for practically his entire life.
"Come on, Hashirama!"
Madara released a burst of chakra.
The resulting wind swept through the chamber, causing the candle flames to dance wildly.
"These two..."
Orochimaru's eyelid twitched.
Neither Madara nor Hashirama was an existence he could possibly defeat.
If he stayed here and the two of them actually started fighting, he would inevitably be caught up in the battle.
To avoid being dragged into the conflict, Orochimaru immediately began moving across the floor, slithering away like a snake as he rapidly escaped toward the outside.
....
Meanwhile.
Kirigakure.
The wind carrying the mist gently stirred the loose strands of hair beside Mei's temples.
Ever since Kiyohara had said, "Spend the day with me," her nerves had remained tightly wound.
She had even prepared herself for the worst in her mind.
If Kiyohara made some unreasonable demand, how was she supposed to refuse him? More importantly, how could she maintain her boundaries without provoking him?
Yet after an entire day had passed, nothing happened.
Kiyohara had simply wandered aimlessly along the streets of Kiri, occasionally stopping in front of a stall or shop.
Mei's brownish-red hair was slightly disheveled by the sea breeze, but she did not even have the mind to brush it back.
All she could think about was what Kiyohara actually wanted to do.
His unusual kindness made her even more uneasy.
However, now that the day was almost over, Mei realized that Kiyohara truly had not done anything.
She could not help feeling somewhat surprised.
Had Kiyohara really changed?
When they reached the area near the main gate of Kiri, Kiyohara stopped walking.
"Let's stop here."
He turned around.
His dark eyes reflected the shimmering light of the distant sea.
Mei stopped as well and raised her head to look at him.
"You're leaving?"
"I've finished what I came here to do. It's time for me to go back."
Kiyohara placed both hands inside his sleeves.
Mei froze.
Seeing the hesitant expression on her face, Kiyohara's lips curved into a faint smile.
"During the Chunin Exams, Konoha and Kiri should have some exchange activities. When that happens, we can continue our conversation."
Mei was stunned for a moment before nodding.
"All right. I'll definitely keep you company then."
Seeing that she had relaxed, Kiyohara suddenly raised his hand.
Smack.
Mei's entire body froze in place.
Her eyes widened.
A flush instantly spread across her cheeks, turning her already radiant face bright red.
Kiyohara's hand had given her buttocks a light, neither particularly hard nor particularly gentle, pat.
"You..."
Mei abruptly came back to her senses.
She instinctively covered the spot he had just slapped and jumped half a step backward.
However, because she was afraid of offending Kiyohara, she could only glare fiercely at him with her emerald-green eyes, which were now filled with a layer of moisture.
Seeing her reaction, Kiyohara could not help smiling.
The next moment, his figure disappeared.
Mei remained standing where she was, covering her backside as she stared angrily at the empty space for quite some time.
"That... damnable bastard..."
Mei bit her lower lip.
And she had actually felt a little touched just now!
She stomped her foot hard before turning around and walking briskly toward the village.
Not long after Mei had left, a young and somewhat immature voice came from the side.
"Lady Mei?"
Mei's footsteps stopped.
She turned her head and discovered a small figure standing not far away.
It was Chojuro.
Mei recognized him immediately.
Chojuro was already known as a prodigy despite his young age. Although he was still very young, his talent with kenjutsu was far beyond that of his peers.
It was said that he had defeated students from the Shinobi Academy with nothing more than a short blade. Even Mangetsu believed that this child might one day become the successor to the Hiramekarei.
Thinking about that, Mei felt somewhat regretful.
If she had known this beforehand, she should have found some way to get Kiyohara to return all seven of the original Seven Ninja Swords.
"Ah, it's Chojuro."
Mei turned around and spoke.
"Yes."
Chojuro nodded.
His blue-haired head bobbed up and down repeatedly. He pushed up his black-framed glasses and gave Mei a smile.
Inside his mouth were the shark-like teeth possessed by many of Kiri's shinobi.
"G-good morning, Lady Mei."
Chojuro stammered as he struggled to get the greeting out.
"Chojuro, have you finished your training for today?"
"Not yet. I-I was just about to head over."
Chojuro answered.
Mei nodded and raised a hand, gathering the long hair that had been blown loose by the sea breeze and tucking it behind her ear.
Her thoughts were not on Chojuro at all.
She was thinking entirely about Kiyohara.
Although Kiyohara had already left, the two conditions he had left behind were still waiting for her to deal with them.
The agreement for the joint development of the mineral deposits needed to be drafted again, and there was still a huge mess waiting to be cleaned up over at the Mizukage's office.
"Then hurry up and go."
After saying that, Mei waved her hand at him before turning around and walking briskly toward the Mizukage Building.
Chojuro felt somewhat disappointed.
In truth, he had always had a good impression of Lady Mei.
It was not merely the kind of admiration a child might have for a beautiful adult. There was also a deep sense of admiration for her strength.
He had accumulated several questions about kenjutsu that he wanted to ask her, but every time he encountered Lady Mei, she always seemed to be in a hurry. He never even had the chance to open his mouth.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Although Kiyohara had gone sightseeing around Kiri, he had not simply wandered around the village without accomplishing anything.
While Mei was not paying attention, he had secretly placed several Flying Thunder God kunai around the village, marking Kiri's location.
Afterward, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Izumi and the others back to the airship.
Several days later.
After the airship landed outside Konoha's main gate, Yugao was already waiting there.
"Hokage-sama, you have worked hard on the journey."
"Mm."
Kiyohara nodded, then turned his head and glanced at Haku, who was walking at the very back of the group.
"Yugao, I'll leave this child to you. Take them to the Shinobi Academy and complete the enrollment procedures. From today onward, he will be a prospective shinobi of Konoha."
"Yes."
Yugao bowed slightly before walking over to Haku.
"Come with me."
Haku raised his head and looked at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara nodded at him.
Only then did Haku take a step forward and follow behind Yugao.
After sending his other disciples back to their respective homes, Kiyohara also returned home.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he saw Tsunade.
Tsunade was lying prone beside the low table in the living room.
Her long golden hair was not tied into its usual ponytail. Instead, it was casually spread over her shoulders.
One hand supported her chin while the other lazily flipped through a scroll every now and then.
The scroll Tsunade was looking through contained secret techniques related to Wood Release.
However, it was obvious that she was not actually paying much attention to it.
Her eyes were half-closed, and her eyelashes cast faint shadows across her eyelids.
Then she heard the sound of the door opening.
Tsunade raised her head, and her amber eyes immediately opened wide.
"You're back?"
Tsunade spoke.
"I'm back."
Kiyohara walked into the living room and sat down on the tatami beside her.
Tsunade straightened her back and stretched.
The movement was not particularly exaggerated, but it still caused the fabric of her casual short-sleeved shirt to pull taut.
She then relaxed and looked toward Kiyohara.
"Nothing went wrong, did it?"
Tsunade lowered her arms and scanned Kiyohara from head to toe, as though checking whether he had returned with any injuries.
"No."
Kiyohara shook his head.
He reached over, picked up the teacup Tsunade had only half-finished, and took a sip.
"The matter in Kiri has been settled. Yagura has been dealt with completely, Terumi Mei has taken over, and we have signed both the mineral development rights agreement and the strategic cooperation agreement."
Tsunade's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Mineral deposits? What kind of mineral deposits?"
"Chakra ore."
Kiyohara briefly explained everything that had happened during his trip to Kiri.
Tsunade remained silent for a while before slowly speaking.
"Kumogakure has signed the military base agreement, Kusagakure has been infiltrated by the people of Hozuki Castle, and now Kirigakure has also signed a mineral development agreement and a strategic cooperation agreement."
She paused.
"The entire shinobi world is now largely under Konoha's control."
Tsunade sighed.
When her grandfather, Hashirama, had been Hokage, Konoha had certainly been powerful, but he had never tried to control the other villages in this manner.
Her grandfather believed in balance and peace. During the Five Kage Summit, he had even lowered himself before the other four Kage simply for the sake of reducing the amount of blood that would be shed throughout the shinobi world.
But that kind of peace had collapsed after her grandfather's death.
The First Shinobi War.
The Second Shinobi War.
The Third Shinobi War.
The shinobi fought, stopped, and then fought again. One generation after another died on the battlefield.
Yet Kiyohara had accomplished something her grandfather had never been able to achieve, using a completely different method.
Without shedding blood, he had allowed Konoha's influence to spread throughout the entire shinobi world.
"Restoring Konoha to its former glory is the duty of our generation."
Kiyohara smiled.
After all, this Konoha was his Konoha now.
"By the way, a message came from the Daimyo's residence. They said that His Excellency the Daimyo might be coming to Konoha after some time."
"Then let him come."
Kiyohara answered casually.
"You're not concerned?"
Tsunade looked somewhat surprised.
Although the Hokage and the Daimyo were technically equal in status, the economic lifeline of the shinobi village, the distribution channels for missions, the supply of military equipment, and most importantly, the allocation of financial funds were all controlled by the Daimyo.
"There's nothing to worry about."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Whether it was Hiruzen or Naruto, who eventually became the Seventh Hokage in the original story, both had maintained a considerable degree of respect toward the Daimyo. In some cases, their attitude could even be described as flattering.
Even Naruto, the hero who had saved the entire world, had been troubled when the Daimyo reduced Konoha's funding and had struggled to figure out what to do.
As far as Kiyohara was concerned, that was simply the result of having been conditioned to think a certain way for far too long.
He had never regarded the Daimyo as some untouchable, exalted figure.
In his eyes, the Daimyo was nothing more than a source of funding, along with a useful tool for maintaining the stability of the country.
Economically, Konoha had already undergone reforms and had developed numerous sources of overseas revenue. Its dependence on the Daimyo had therefore been greatly reduced.
Even if Konoha ran short of money, Kiyohara had plenty of ways to make the Daimyo hand over whatever was needed.
Under these circumstances, when the Daimyo came to Konoha, it was not Kiyohara who needed to rely on the Daimyo.
It was the Daimyo who needed to rely on him.
"All right. You're the Hokage, so you have the final say."
Tsunade tossed the scroll in her hand onto the table and leaned backward, sprawling across the tatami.
"By the way, I found another Kekkei Genkai in Kiri this time."
Kiyohara suddenly spoke.
"What is it this time?"
"Ice Release. A descendant of the Yuki Clan. A child named Haku."
Tsunade's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Ice Release, the Yuki Clan?"
Kiyohara briefly recounted how he had encountered Haku, including how the villagers had treated him as a monster, how he had been left alone to wait for death inside an abandoned woodshed, and how Itachi and the others had eventually brought him back.
After listening to the entire story, Tsunade's expression became complicated.
"You really intend to bring every bloodline limit in the entire world to Konoha, don't you?"
"That makes sense. The more, the better."
Kiyohara admitted it without the slightest hesitation.
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
However, she understood perfectly well that what Kiyohara was doing could only benefit Konoha.
"By the way, let me show you something."
Kiyohara raised his right hand, palm facing upward.
Tsunade pushed herself up from the tatami and curiously leaned closer.
Kiyohara moved closer to Tsunade.
Tsunade instinctively covered her chest.
"I am not playing that right now."
Kiyohara said calmly.
"You scared me."
At first, Tsunade had not understood what Kiyohara meant.
Eventually, however, Kiyohara had personally demonstrated what he meant, and she understood.
"I haven't taken a bath yet."
Tsunade spoke seriously.
Something like that obviously had to wait until after she had taken a bath.
"I'm going to show you Ice Release."
With that, Kiyohara reached toward the back of Tsunade's neck and condensed a strand of pale-white chakra.
The sudden drop in temperature made Tsunade involuntarily let out a soft sound.
"So cold."
Tsunade complained.
She shot Kiyohara an annoyed glance.
This rebellious student really did enjoy crossing the line with his teacher.
"You learned Ice Release?"
"Mm."
Kiyohara withdrew his hand.
The cold current surrounding it condensed into ice crystals, eventually forming a lotus flower.
"Yeah. I only broke through recently. Before, I could only produce cold winds. Now I can finally condense them into crystals."
Kiyohara held the ice lotus out in front of Tsunade.
"Water Release and Wind Release combined?"
"That's right."
Tsunade shook her head and placed the ice lotus on the table.
Just then, the corners of Tsunade's lips suddenly curled upward.
She turned her head toward Kiyohara, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.
"This is going to be convenient."
"Convenient for what?"
"For summer."
Tsunade gestured with both hands, and there was a hint of anticipation in her voice.
"Think about it. When we're out on a mission during the summer and it's unbearably hot, you can use Ice Release to make a huge bowl of ice. Then we'll put shaved ice inside, pour cut fruits and condensed milk over it, and sit beneath the shade of a tree while eating it. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Kiyohara stared at her serious expression.
All he could do was marvel at Tsunade's extraordinary talent for enjoying food.
She really knew how to eat.
Kiyohara felt that, aside from gambling, Tsunade actually possessed considerable talent in almost every other area.
"I spent several months finally figuring out how to combine Ice Release, and you want to use it to make shaved ice?"
"What else would I use it for? Using it to fight would be so boring."
Tsunade answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Then she added,
"Of course, we could also use it to chill alcohol. Cold sake during the summer is the best."
Kiyohara looked into those amber eyes and saw the serious light of someone contemplating exactly how Ice Release could be used to enjoy life.
He felt that, in certain respects, his teacher truly had never changed.
"All right. I'll make some for you next time."
Kiyohara smiled as he agreed.
Then he changed the subject.
His gaze fell upon the Wood Release secret technique scroll spread across the table.
"Sensei, how is your Wood Release training going?"
Tsunade's smile immediately collapsed by half.
She sighed and rolled over, crossing her legs.
"Not very well."
"Which technique are you stuck on?"
Kiyohara reached over, picked up the scroll, and unfolded it to take a quick look.
The scroll recorded the basic cultivation methods for Wood Release along with several introductory techniques, including Wood Release: Smashing Rock Pillars and Wood Release: Silent Strangulation Jutsu, both of which Tsunade had already learned.
She had already become proficient with these two techniques, which was why Kiyohara had previously felt that Tsunade's progress in Wood Release was exceptionally fast.
However, the techniques recorded in the latter half of the scroll were clearly much more complicated.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique."
Tsunade raised her head and pointed at the scroll.
"I've tried this technique several times, but I can't get it right. At most, I can only condense half of a wooden person. Maybe I still don't have a deep enough understanding of the nature transformation of wood natured chakra."
Kiyohara lowered the scroll and looked at Tsunade's face, which rarely showed such a frustrated expression.
In truth, Tsunade understood very clearly that being able to synthesize Wood Release chakra was merely the ticket that allowed her to begin training in Wood Release.
It was like how many shinobi in the shinobi world possessed Fire-nature chakra, yet only a tiny number of them could master every Fire Release technique.
The same principle applied to those capable of synthesizing Wood Release chakra.
Every Wood Release technique had its own difficulties.
Some techniques had a better compatibility with Tsunade's abilities, allowing her to learn them quickly, such as Wood Release: Smashing Rock Pillars.
Other techniques involved knowledge and control in additional areas, making them considerably more difficult for her to master.
As for the Wood Clone Technique, it required her to precisely divide her Wood Release chakra into two separate portions.
That was where Tsunade was having considerable difficulty.
(End of Chapter)