Hashirama scratched the back of his head.
"I was actually planning to find an opportunity to warn him, but it looks like there was no need at all."
Although there was a trace of regret in his words, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl upward.
Madara let out a cold snort.
"Let's go."
"We're leaving already?"
"We've already gathered enough information."
Madara turned around.
"Next time, I'll take action personally."
Hashirama followed behind him, but before leaving, he glanced back at the emerald-green figure within the sensory channel.
The future of Konoha would probably be even brighter than he could have imagined.
After returning to the Akatsuki base, Madara walked straight toward the deepest part of the secret chamber.
When he pushed open the door, Orochimaru was bent over the experimental table, holding a syringe filled with dark red liquid in his hand.
"Lord Madara."
Orochimaru straightened his back.
"What about Mū?"
"He was sealed by Kiyohara. He used the Tenseigan to suppress Mū's Dust Release, then used the Sharingan to copy Dust Release on the spot. After that, he used the copied Dust Release against Mū and defeated him."
Madara calmly explained.
"So that's how it turned out?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru licked his lips, and a trace of greed flashed through his golden vertical pupils.
"With strength like that, if I could obtain a sample of Kiyohara's cells..."
"We'll talk about that later."
Madara interrupted him.
"How is the fusion experiment with the Hashirama cells progressing?"
"A sixty percent success rate. If you could let me study the mechanism behind Kiyohara's fusion of multiple bloodline limits, perhaps the success rate could even double."
Madara did not answer.
Instead, he turned around and walked toward his own secret chamber.
He had not even fought Kiyohara personally. How could he possibly allow Orochimaru to conduct research on him?
Orochimaru watched as Madara's figure disappeared behind the stone door. The deliberately constructed smile on his face gradually vanished, replaced once again by his sinister expression.
He turned around and continued with his research.
...
Several days later.
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Kiyohara sat in the Hokage's chair with several maps spread out before him.
According to the latest intelligence Black Zetsu had sent back, the whereabouts of the Five-Tails jinchūriki had finally been confirmed.
Kiyohara tapped his finger lightly against the map twice. Then he rolled it up and put it away inside his shinobi pouch.
He put on his white Hokage cloak, opened the door, and walked out of the office.
He had made plans with Rin to go and see the latest results of the laboratory's research today.
He walked along the streets at noon, and several children who had just finished school ran past him.
After walking for roughly two blocks, Kiyohara suddenly detected a familiar chakra signature within his perception.
Pakura.
He did not stop walking. Instead, he turned into a narrow alley and turned around once he reached the end.
"Pakura, you've been following me for quite some time. Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
Pakura stepped out from the shadows. She bit her lower lip before raising her head.
"Lord Kiyohara, there is something I want to show you."
"What is it?"
"You'll have to come with me."
A faint blush appeared around Pakura's ears.
"Lead the way."
Pakura's home was located in a quiet residential district.
"Wait here for a moment. I'm going to change clothes."
Kiyohara sat down on the sofa in the living room.
There was half a glass of water left on the coffee table, and faint steam was still rising from its surface.
About ten minutes later, the bedroom door opened.
Pakura walked out wearing a tight-fitting narrow skirt, its hem reaching only to the middle of her thighs.
Her bare feet stepped directly onto the wooden floor.
However, what immediately drew the eye most strongly was the pair of black stockings covering her legs.
The stockings extended from her toes all the way up beneath the hem of her skirt, wrapping around her long, straight legs and accentuating their full, graceful shape.
It was obvious that Pakura had an excellent pair of legs.
Her calves were firm and powerful from years of training, while her thighs were full and well-rounded.
Sand shinobi spent years enduring the scorching sun and harsh winds of the desert, so the skin of many of them tended to be rough. Pakura, however, had remarkably fair and smooth skin. Against the contrast of the black stockings, her complexion possessed an even softer, almost pear-like freshness.
"How do I look?"
Pakura was so nervous that she almost bit her tongue.
Kiyohara leaned against the back of the sofa and slowly looked her over from head to toe.
"Not bad."
The fists Pakura had been tightly clenching gradually relaxed.
"However, looking good alone isn't enough."
Kiyohara stood up, placed his white Hokage cloak over the back of the sofa, and rolled his wrist.
"I've never personally tested your taijutsu before. Since you're already here, let's give it a try."
Pakura's expression immediately became serious. She took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing her embarrassment.
The moment she entered a battle stance, her entire demeanor became calm and composed once again.
"Okay."
The two of them opened up some distance between each other in the living room.
Pakura made the first move.
She stepped forward with her right foot, lowered her center of gravity, and pushed off the wooden floor with her stocking-covered bare foot.
Her entire body shot toward Kiyohara like a cannonball.
Her right leg rose high, delivering a powerful high roundhouse kick. The black stocking blurred through the air, leaving behind a faint afterimage.
Kiyohara merely tilted his head slightly, easily avoiding the kick.
So fast.
Pakura's heart tightened.
Taking advantage of the momentum from her rotation, she planted her left foot firmly on the floor to stabilize herself, then followed through by sweeping her right leg horizontally downward.
She delivered a powerful downward kick toward Kiyohara's shoulder, the surface of the black stocking drawing a perfectly straight black line through the light.
Kiyohara raised his right arm and blocked the heel of her foot with the outside of his forearm.
Pakura felt as though her heel had struck an iron plate. The impact traveled through her leg, leaving her calf faintly numb.
Kiyohara then caught her ankle again. Taking advantage of her momentum, he lifted her leg upward, causing Pakura to be suspended in midair in a complete split.
Under the light, the black stockings reflected a soft sheen, revealing the graceful curves of her legs from her toes all the way to the roots of her thighs.
The strain from the spinning kick pulled against her abdomen, causing the clearly defined lines of her abdominal muscles to appear across her otherwise flat stomach.
"Your form is pretty good."
Kiyohara released her.
Pakura had probably taken a shower before coming over, because Kiyohara could instead smell a faint fragrance coming from her.
Pakura took two steps backward. Her chest rose and fell heavily, while beads of sweat gathered at her temples, rolled down her cheeks, and fell onto the black stockings.
Her legs trembled slightly.
The stretching caused by the split just now had pulled on the ligaments along the inner sides of her legs, leaving behind a faint soreness.
"Your taijutsu foundation is very solid. Your reactions are fast, and your explosive power is also quite good."
Kiyohara picked up the water on the coffee table and took a sip. It had already gone completely cold.
"Lord Kiyohara, you once told me that there was a shortcut that could make me stronger. I want to know what it is."
She bit her lower lip so hard that the color gradually faded from it.
Kiyohara had mentioned it casually during one of their previous conversations.
He had not expected Pakura to remember those words.
But then again...
Kiyohara stroked his chin and stood up, walking toward her.
"Your Scorch Release is quite powerful, but it places an enormous burden on your body. Every time you use Scorch Release, the chakra pathways in your body have to endure intense heat."
"The chakra pathways in your right leg should already have an old injury. Whenever you increase the intensity of your training, you experience a faint stabbing pain. That is a side effect of your bloodline limit. If this continues for a long time, your speed will gradually decrease, and your explosive power will slowly deteriorate as well."
Pakura's body trembled.
Everything Kiyohara said was correct.
"Other than slowly recuperating and allowing your body to recover over time, the only way to solve this problem is to increase the strength of your Yang Release. You need to make your cells' regenerative ability stronger than the damage caused to your body by Scorch Release. And the fastest way to increase that ability is..."
Kiyohara paused for a moment.
"To transplant some of my cells into your body."
Pakura's eyes suddenly widened.
"If you accept my cells, not only will the old injuries in your meridians heal, but there is even a possibility that you could awaken both Scorch Release and Wood Release at the same time. You should be able to imagine the power that would come from combining two Kekkei Genkai."
The sound of Pakura's heartbeat inside her chest became so loud that she could almost hear it herself.
Wood Release combined with Scorch Release.
If she could truly reach that level, then forget about getting revenge. Even defeating Rasa head-on would no longer be a problem.
But what would the price be?
She raised her head and met Kiyohara's dark eyes. Then she lowered her gaze again, a blush slowly spreading across her face.
It was not as though she had never heard those rumors.
Kiyohara looked at her expression and immediately realized that Pakura had misunderstood his meaning.
But then again...
He really was that kind of man.
Kiyohara could not be bothered to pretend to be some righteous gentleman.
He extended his hand, gently grasped Pakura's chin, and lifted her face.
"Are you certain you're willing to pay such a price?"
As for what it would be like to experience the former hero of the Sand Village for himself, Kiyohara did indeed want to find out.
However, he did not want to force her into doing anything against her will.
After all, Kiyohara already had plenty of women around him. He was certainly not lacking in that regard.
Only someone like Obito, with his deeply suppressed obsession, would remain fixated on a childhood companion from so many years ago.
Pakura closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Her mind was in complete turmoil.
Kiyohara was not exactly a bad person.
On the contrary, Kiyohara was an outstanding man.
At most, his personal lifestyle and conduct were somewhat questionable.
"Crouch down."
Kiyohara said it calmly.
A huge shadow immediately appeared across Pakura's face.
Kiyohara placed his hand on Pakura's head.
After a brief moment of shock, Pakura quickly understood what was happening.
The next day.
After leaving Pakura's home, Kiyohara first went to the Hokage Tower and finished dealing with the various administrative matters that required his approval.
Black Zetsu emerged from the floor, his yellow eyes carrying a hint of excitement.
"I found the Five-Tails jinchūriki."
Kiyohara put down the teacup in his hand.
"Where is he?"
"The northeastern border of the Land of Earth. There is a mountainous region called Mt. Tsuchiori, roughly two days away on foot from Iwagakure."
"I see."
Kiyohara nodded.
Black Zetsu placed a folded piece of paper on the desk. It was filled with information about Han.
"Han's strength ranks among the very best of Iwa's elite jonin. He can use steam to unleash power far beyond his normal physical limits, and his strength in close combat after completely transforming into the Five-Tails is extremely formidable. Even the Eight-Tails was once suppressed by him in a direct collision."
Black Zetsu paused before adding,
"However, with your current strength, he does not pose a genuine threat to you."
Kiyohara scanned through the information on the paper before casually folding it up and placing it inside his sleeve.
"What about the Four-Tails?"
"We still don't have any definite information about the whereabouts of Rōshi. Once I find his exact location, I'll inform you immediately."
"Good."
Kiyohara rose from the Hokage's chair.
If that stubborn old man Ōnoki found out that he intended to take the Five-Tails jinchūriki's chakra, he would probably be so furious that he would not even be able to straighten his back.
Kiyohara, however, did not care.
The rules of the shinobi world had always been determined by the strong, and with his current strength, he had more than enough qualifications to make the rules himself.
Mt. Tsuchiori was located deep within the continuous mountain range along the northeastern border of the Land of Earth.
The mountains here were completely different from the rolling hills of the Land of Fire. The mountain ranges looked as though they had been split apart by a gigantic axe before being randomly piled back together. The terrain was rugged and steep, with almost no vegetation growing anywhere.
A layer of grayish-white weathered rock covered the surface of the mountains. Whenever someone stepped on it, the rocks would crack and crumble beneath their feet.
The wind in the mountains was extremely strong. It carried tiny fragments of rock as it howled through the valleys, scraping across the face like sandpaper.
Kiyohara stood beside a dead pine tree on the ridge opposite Mt. Tsuchiori.
The pale blue Tenseigan in his eyes slowly faded, returning to its original pitch-black color.
Just moments ago, he had used the Tenseigan's long-distance vision to observe everything around the foot of the mountain in perfect detail.
"The Five-Tails jinchūriki."
Kiyohara looked ahead.
The man standing there wore a dark red suit of armor. Beneath it was a tight-fitting black sleeveless undershirt, revealing a pair of thick, muscular arms that seemed almost disproportionate to the rest of his body.
His features were rugged and hard. He had high cheekbones, a square jaw, and skin that had become rough and reddish from years of exposure to the mountain winds.
His dark brown hair was cut extremely short, almost completely shaved against his scalp. On top of his head was a strangely shaped red straw hat.
The brim of the hat hung low, concealing most of his face.
The legendary Steam Shinobi.
Kiyohara leaped down from the mountain ridge.
The Five-Tails jinchūriki, Han, stopped chopping wood. He slowly lowered the axe in his hand and placed it on the ground.
He straightened his back and turned around. Beneath the brim of the red straw hat, his eyes stared toward the approaching figure.
"The Hokage of Konoha?"
"I'm here to find you."
"Find me?"
The Five-Tails jinchūriki, Han, tilted his head slightly. The red tassels hanging from his straw hat swayed gently with the movement.
"I want a portion of the Five-Tails' flesh and chakra."
Han remained silent for several breaths before slowly shaking his head.
"No."
Although he had no idea what Kiyohara intended to do with the Five-Tails' flesh and chakra, Han rejected the request without hesitation.
Kiyohara was not surprised by the answer.
Han was an extremely stubborn man who was fiercely loyal to Iwa. No amount of persuasion would change his mind.
"Then there is nothing left to discuss."
Kiyohara pulled both hands from his sleeves.
Han removed the red straw hat from his head and gently placed it on the pile of firewood beside him.
He rolled his shoulders, and the sound of his thick bones cracking echoed through the air.
"I don't want to fight the Hokage of Konoha, but if you insist on doing this, then I have no choice but to stop you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Han lowered his massive body slightly.
A surge of scorching white steam suddenly erupted from within him.
The loose stones beneath his feet began to tremble. The tremors were caused by the aftershock of the steam exploding outward.
Steam Armor!
High-temperature white steam enveloped Han's entire body, forming a scorching steam field several meters in diameter around him.
The temperature of the surrounding air rose sharply in an instant. Even the withered grass in the distance curled up from the intense heat.
Kiyohara remained where he stood, calmly feeling the scorching air rushing toward his face.
The steam was extremely hot, hot enough to instantly burn an ordinary person's skin. To Kiyohara, however, it was nothing more than a warm breeze brushing across his face.
The Five-Tails jinchūriki attacked first.
Steam erupted from the back of his armor. The tremendous propulsion force caused his body, which stood more than two meters tall, to accelerate in an instant to a speed that was difficult for the naked eye to follow.
His entire body transformed into a streak of white steam and shot directly toward Kiyohara.
The hard stone ground beneath his feet collapsed into a deep depression the instant his steam erupted.
Boil Release: Steam Rush!
Kiyohara shifted his body slightly.
Han's enormous fist, wrapped in white steam, grazed past his shoulder.
The force of the punch carried scorching steam with it, instantly scorching the dead pine tree behind Kiyohara until a large portion of its bark turned black.
His first punch missed.
Using the propulsion of the steam, Han changed direction in midair and raised his right leg high.
Steam condensed around his leg into visible white rings. Layer after layer wrapped around his leg from his thigh down to his calf, with every ring spinning violently.
The power behind that kick was enough to flatten a small hill.
Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength!
Kiyohara raised his right arm.
A thin layer of emerald-green Tenseigan chakra covered the outside of his forearm, meeting Han's thunderous steam-powered kick head-on.
BOOM!
The collision of the two enormous forces created a shockwave that swept outward with the two of them at its center.
The ground shook violently, producing countless spiderweb-like cracks as fragments of stone flew in every direction.
When the shockwave finally dissipated, Kiyohara was still standing exactly where he had been.
His right arm remained raised in front of him, and the emerald-green chakra flames covering its outer side continued to burn steadily. There was not even the slightest fluctuation in their intensity.
Han, meanwhile, had been thrown backward by the recoil.
His massive body spun once in midair. He used a burst of steam to stabilize himself before landing more than ten meters away.
Han lowered his head and looked at his right leg.
The bones in his leg were faintly aching.
That was the result of the recoil from their collision.
"You're stronger than I imagined."
A much more solemn tone had entered the Five-Tails jinchūriki's voice.
He crouched down once again and charged forward.
Steam erupted simultaneously from both of his shoulders and his back, making him even faster than before.
Kiyohara raised his head.
A faint glimmer appeared within the pale blue pupils of his Tenseigan.
Repulsion.
An invisible force exploded outward from Kiyohara as its center.
The Five-Tails jinchūriki, Han, was sent flying backward at a speed even greater than the speed at which he had charged forward.
"Your dōjutsu..."
Han's expression became one of shock and uncertainty.
He had no idea what Kiyohara had done.
Kiyohara did not answer.
He simply stood where he was and waited for Han to get back up.
Han slowly straightened his body and looked toward Kiyohara with his deep brown eyes.
After only a few exchanges, he had already realized something clearly.
Neither his Steam Armor nor his Boil Release could have any real effect against Kiyohara.
Han took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Five-Tails."
The Five-Tails jinchūriki called out to the beast deep within his mind.
In a vast spiritual space, Han stood on a cold surface covered in water that reached his knees.
Behind an enormous stone prison stood a gigantic creature covered entirely in snow-white fur, with five massive horns growing from its head.
The enormous beast silently stared at him.
"You cannot defeat him."
The Five-Tails, Kokuō, spoke.
"I know."
The Five-Tails jinchūriki Han raised his head and met those enormous vertical pupils.
"I know I can't win, but the will of Iwa cannot end with me."
Kokuō remained silent for a moment.
"Then let him see it. Let him see everything we have."
In the real world, the body of the Five-Tails jinchūriki, Han, began to change.
Dark red chakra surged from within his body like boiling lava erupting through cracks in the earth, dyeing the surrounding white steam a deep crimson.
His skin began to peel away, revealing a layer of dark red muscles underneath that rapidly expanded.
Twisted chakra covered the surface of his muscles, constantly spraying scorching steam outward.
Tailed Beast Transformation!
The dark red chakra continued to surge forth in greater and greater quantities until it completely enveloped Han's body.
His body rapidly expanded.
His human silhouette transformed into a gigantic four-legged beast.
Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.
The Five-Tails, Kokuō.
And this was exactly the moment Kiyohara had been waiting for.
He carefully observed the Five-Tails' appearance.
The Five-Tails could be said to possess the greatest physical strength among all the Tailed Beasts.
Even Naruto's monstrous physical strength during his battle with Madara had relied upon the Five-Tails' power.
The Five-Tails raised its head and let out a deep, rumbling cry.
Its front hooves slammed heavily into the ground, and its pure physical strength crushed the rock beneath its feet, creating a depression several meters deep.
The Five-Tails lowered its head.
Its five enormous horns pointed directly at Kiyohara.
Its massive white body suddenly charged forward at a speed completely disproportionate to its enormous size.
Every step its feet took against the ground triggered a small-scale earthquake.
Horn Charge!
Facing the five enormous horns rushing toward him, Kiyohara raised his right hand and spread all five fingers.
Gravity.
An invisible gravitational force surged from the palm of his hand, forcibly dragging the enormous body of the Five-Tails to a halt.
Kokuō's front hooves carved several deep trenches into the ground.
The rocks beneath its hooves were crushed into pieces, but no matter how much strength it exerted, it could not move forward even half a step.
Kiyohara twisted his wrist.
Gravity instantly switched to repulsion.
The enormous body of the Five-Tails was directly thrown backward.
Its four thick legs, resembling massive white pillars, were sent toward the sky as its body was overturned and slammed sideways into the mountain slope beside the entrance to the mine.
The rocky cliff face of the slope was smashed inward, forming an enormous depression.
Broken stones came rolling down from the edges of the impact crater.
The Five-Tails struggled inside the depression, attempting to stand back up.
Kiyohara gave it no such opportunity.
A ball of emerald-green chakra appeared in the palm of his right hand.
The chakra ball then split apart into dozens of emerald-green beads, each roughly the size of a fist. They shot toward Kokuō at an extremely high speed.
Tenseigan Truth-Seeking Balls!
The Five-Tails let out a mournful cry.
One of its forelegs was forcibly blown away.
Its enormous body also began shrinking rapidly within just a few breaths, eventually transforming back into the familiar, broad-shouldered red figure.
The Five-Tails jinchūriki, Han, was left kneeling among a field of broken stones.
Several burns left behind by his Tailed Beast Transformation remained across his skin.
He tried to stand up, but the Tenseigan Truth-Seeking Balls had sealed most of the chakra points throughout his body. He could not even properly refine chakra anymore.
After struggling several times without success, Han finally gave up.
"I lost."
Kiyohara walked over to Han and looked down at him from above.
"I only wanted a portion of the Five-Tails' chakra. I never intended to take the entire Tailed Beast, and I have no intention of killing you."
Kiyohara sealed one of the Five-Tails' forelegs inside a sealing scroll.
With that, he could consider the Five-Tails' chakra to be in his hands.
For Kiyohara, all that remained was a matter of taking the time to adapt to it.
Kiyohara then raised his hand and waved it once, releasing the Tenseigan Truth-Seeking Balls that had sealed the chakra points throughout Han's body.
Han's body instantly regained its freedom.
He supported himself against the ground and stood up, then moved his numb wrist a few times.
The Steam Armor around his body had completely dissipated, leaving behind only a few faint wisps of white vapor.
"You're not going to kill me?"
"I already told you. I only want the chakra."
Kiyohara turned around and prepared to leave, but then stopped.
"Tell Ōnoki that Konoha has no intention of going to war with Iwa. However, if he wants an explanation, he can come to Konoha and ask me personally."
The Five-Tails jinchūriki, Han, remained silent for a moment.
He picked up the red straw hat that had been blown a long distance away by the shockwave and placed it back on his head.
"I'll pass on the message."
The corners of Kiyohara's mouth lifted slightly.
His figure disappeared into the mountain valley.
He did not believe Ōnoki would actually dare to come and demand an explanation from him.
As for Boil Release, he had also gained a better understanding of it.
Kiyohara stroked his chin.
During his battle with the Five-Tails just now, he had also been trying to learn Boil Release.
However, Kiyohara had never used techniques of this nature before, so he would still need to return and spend some time cultivating and experimenting with it himself.
The next moment, Kiyohara returned to Konoha.
"The Nine-Tails has almost been completely adapted."
Kiyohara stroked his chin thoughtfully.
At present, if he wanted to revive Kaguya, he needed to fuse the chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts together and create the Ten-Tails.
However, the current strength of the artificial Tailed Beasts was still insufficient to accomplish that.
The reason the Dragon Vein could succeed was because the Dragon Vein itself did not require any further transformation.
The Ten-Tails, however, was completely different.
It needed to take the chakra from nine separate sources and guide it through a process similar to a chemical reaction, eventually producing the unique chakra belonging to the Ten-Tails.
That process would result in a qualitative transformation, which placed extremely high demands on the strength and stability of the artificial Tailed Beasts.
So, should I seal Kaguya inside my body?
Kiyohara fell into deep thought.
Of course, there was another option.
He could simply increase the quantity of the materials used for the artificial Tailed Beasts while simultaneously lowering the Ten-Tails' overall power.
That way, he could create a weakened version of the Ten-Tails.
With its strength reduced to that level, it should no longer collapse under the strain of the fusion.
(End of Chapter)