He opened one up—inside were ten puppets.
They looked like Sasori's earliest practice pieces; none of them had the same agility as the three puppets he'd blown up earlier.
And the final entry written on the scroll was… "Rebirth Core Technique."
That was the first time Kiyohara's expression genuinely shifted into surprise.
In a sense, this really was a technique that could grant someone a much longer lifespan. Not true immortality, but longevity—absolutely.
Unlike flesh that inevitably ages, puppet components could be swapped out whenever they wore down.
In other words, this was Sasori's real "true body."
Kiyohara skimmed it and realized the "core" was essentially the heart, the brain, and some of the nervous system.
Everything else could be replaced with parts.
Because the heart region contains the body's densest meridian network—and it's the key hub for chakra conversion and circulation.
Kakuzu could steal other people's chakra natures by taking their corresponding hearts, after all.
"So he got away."
Kurenai walked over while fanning away the lingering smoke.
By then, Kiyohara had already packed everything up.
He'd only glanced through it—he didn't waste time.
Genma came over too, his face not looking great.
Nono was already checking on Kabuto.
Luckily, Kabuto hadn't been caught in the fight.
"Is it really okay to let him escape like that?" Genma asked.
"He doesn't look like the type to let this go," Kurenai said anxiously, staring in the direction Sasori had vanished.
"Chasing right now is too risky with our current condition," Kiyohara said evenly. "Puppeteers are best at setting traps. A reckless pursuit is basically asking to get baited."
"Kiyohara's right," Nono agreed. With her spy experience, she'd seen every kind of darkness in the shinobi world. A puppeteer who uses poison isn't exactly the "honorable duel" type.
Charging after him really would be dangerous.
"Let's go back," Kiyohara said.
The three of them brought the child back to the orphanage.
When they returned, the plump nun and the bespectacled male caretaker visibly relaxed seeing them safe—then immediately sprang into motion when they saw the injured kid, preparing hot water, clean clothes, and food.
"How about we call you… Kabuto?" Nono asked the boy, whose eyes were no longer quite as empty and unfocused.
Another child in a little cap set a samurai helmet on Kabuto's head.
"Kabuto…"
Kabuto looked at Nono's smile, then at the other kids around his age, and slowly nodded.
…
Over the next few days, more Konoha ninja were stationed around the orphanage.
Clearly, Sasori's attack had been reported, and Konoha's higher-ups had started taking the threat of that Sunagakure rogue seriously.
Kiyohara's trio continued their guard duty, but no further attacks came.
Sasori seemed to have withdrawn for the time being; even the tiny puppet scorpions in the forest disappeared.
At last, the day came to hand over the assignment—another ninja squad arrived on time.
After transferring responsibility, Kiyohara's trio set off back toward the Kikyo Pass frontline.
Before they left, Nono pulled Kiyohara aside.
"This is for you."
She handed him a sealed small scroll.
"Inside are some medical-ninjutsu notes I compiled, plus antidote formulas for different poisons. Sasori's poison was unusual—it took me time to fully analyze. This should help you."
Kiyohara accepted it and nodded seriously. "Thank you."
Even with Sasori's notes, a genius's thought process could be hard for others to follow—Sasori's writing was sparse in many places.
Nono's notes would make things much clearer.
"I'm the one who should thank you." Nono adjusted her glasses, her gentle, saintlike face softening with a smile. "You saved my children. And you saved Kabuto."
She paused, then added quietly, "If you ever need help, come find me. In medical matters, I can still be useful."
Kiyohara nodded. "I'll remember."
…
Leaving the orphanage behind, the three of them headed quickly toward Kikyo Pass.
Along the way, the scars of war were everywhere—burned villages, abandoned fields, refugee tents thrown together in desperation. But compared to the worst period, things were calmer now.
The Konoha–Sunagakure line had stabilized; both sides were building strength for the next push.
Eventually, they reached Konoha's main camp at Kikyo Pass.
The mission report went smoothly.
When Nara Enhiru heard "encountered Sasori of the Red Sand," he clearly froze for a moment. He questioned them in detail and took special note of the intel that Sasori possessed the Third Kazekage puppet.
"This information is extremely important," Enhiru said sternly.
He looked at Kiyohara and silently marveled—reputation really hadn't exaggerated him. Kiyohara's strength was the real deal.
No one knew exactly how Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage and turned him into a puppet, but the fact Kiyohara had forced him to retreat spoke volumes.
"Sunagakure has been searching for the Third Kazekage for years. If they learn he wasn't 'missing'—he was murdered by one of their own and turned into a puppet… it could shake the war."
Kiyohara nodded; he understood.
In a shinobi war, information could be worth more than an army.
Once the report was complete, they were granted permission to return to Konoha.
That meant they could stay home until the next mission.
"Finally—home!" Kurenai couldn't hide her excitement.
Genma rolled the senbon in his mouth, a rare hint of relief in his eyes. "Yeah… it's been a while."
Even though he hadn't been in the Sasori fight, half a month of guard duty had worn him down.
Kiyohara, meanwhile, was thinking about other things.
Once he got back, he had a few items on his list:
1. Organize Sasori's research materials and see what could be learned—or guarded against.
2. Continue developing combined Magnet Release and Lightning Release applications.
3. And… try to complete the next "wish."
A four-year-old Itachi obviously couldn't beat him.
What Kiyohara needed was a pretext—a clean opening.
This trip back, he planned to find a way.
The next morning, the three of them set out for Konoha.
By evening, Konoha's gate came into view.
Two gate guards were on duty. One of them waved when he saw them.
"Yo! Back from the front? Rough one?"
"Nakamura-senpai, you're still on gate duty?" Genma replied familiarly.
"Yep. Old bones like us can only handle the easy jobs." Nakamura laughed, then sobered. "Go on in. Rest up. The war isn't over—keep your strength for the next fight."
They passed through the gate into familiar streets.
Even during wartime, most shops were open, and people still moved through the market. Konoha was, arguably, the safest place in the Land of Fire.
So far, despite everything, none of the Five Great Villages had been fought inside their own village.
"I'm heading home," Kurenai said, waving goodbye.
"Yeah. Get some rest," Kiyohara replied.
Genma said "See you," and peeled off toward his place too.
Kiyohara didn't go straight home. He stopped by the commercial district to pick up a few daily necessities.
As he stepped out of a bookstore, a familiar voice called from behind.
"Kiyohara?"
He turned and saw silver hair and a mask.
Hatake Kakashi.
He looked a bit more mature than the last time—slightly taller too—but the dead-fish eye and lazy vibe were the same.
The real difference was the stack of books in his hands:
How a Ninja Should Die, How to Get Along with Teammates, and the like.
"Kakashi." Kiyohara nodded.
"When'd you get back?" Kakashi asked, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his books.
"Day before yesterday. Mission ended—got a few days off. You? Just back from Kikyo Pass?"
"Just got in today."
They walked side by side.
After a short silence, Kakashi spoke again.
"I heard you did really well on the front."
Kiyohara blinked. "You heard that too?"
"Yeah. Sensei mentioned it," Kakashi said. "Said you're the fastest-growing of our year."
"Just got lucky," Kiyohara said.
Kakashi glanced at him. Something flickered in his one visible eye—then the lazy look returned.
"Too much humility becomes arrogance. Oh, and…"
"How about a spar?" Kakashi asked.
Kiyohara raised a brow. "Sure. When?"
"Now. Third training field should be empty."
Kiyohara thought it over, then nodded. "Alright."
He hadn't fought Kakashi in a while—really, not since they'd returned from the Land of Grass incident.
And now he had the Sharingan… it was a perfect chance to see if he could copy something cleanly.
…
Training Field Three.
Kakashi stepped into the center and faced him.
"Don't hold back. I want to see how strong you are now."
Kiyohara nodded, set his shopping to the side, and walked to a spot about ten meters opposite Kakashi.
They formed the Seal of Confrontation.
The instant it finished, Kakashi moved.
Fast—he crossed the gap in a blink, kunai stabbing straight in.
Kiyohara shifted aside, and iron sand gathered under Magnet Release, clinging to his ninja sword and extending its blade.
Steel met steel—sparks burst.
In a few seconds, they'd traded over a dozen collisions.
While they sparred, Nohara Rin arrived in her nurse uniform.
She'd run into Kurenai, heard Kiyohara was back—but hadn't found him at home.
So she tried her luck at Training Ground Three, and immediately found him mid-sparring with Kakashi.
"Both of them move so fast…" Rin murmured.
"Go!" she called out.
Kakashi turned and noticed her. Kiyohara, meanwhile, had sensed her the moment she arrived.
He nodded slightly—then knocked Kakashi's kunai aside.
Kakashi used the opening to hop back and form seals one-handed.
"Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!"
Electricity surged along the earth toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara jumped to avoid it, formed seals midair, and—
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared toward Kakashi.
Kakashi's pupil shrank—he clearly hadn't expected Kiyohara to complete that kind of technique while airborne.
He barely managed to dodge aside.
"That's… huge," Kakashi muttered. "What are you eating?"
Every time they met, Kiyohara felt like a different person.
Kakashi decided to stop holding back.
He formed seals—then the shriek of a thousand birds filled the air.
"Chidori!"
Blinding lightning gathered in his palm, forming a writhing sphere of crackling power.
KRAKAKAKAKA—
The lightning lit Kakashi's face.
Kiyohara's Sharingan snapped open.
"Quick—possess me and copy it with full Sharingan precision," Kiyohara said under his breath.
With Uchiha Kiyohara's spirit in control, his insight would spike again—more detail, higher chance of learning it correctly.
Uchiha Kiyohara nodded and didn't refuse.
In his own timeline, he'd never learned Chidori. He was curious too.
As the spirit possessed him, a three-tomoe phantom flickered for an instant—then the one-tomoe Sharingan turned steadily, drinking in every detail: Kakashi's motions, the chakra flow, the nature transformation, the shape control.
In a flash, Kakashi became a bolt of lightning and shot straight at him!
Kiyohara didn't take it head-on.
Repulsion exploded under his feet—he vanished like scattered leaves, reappearing to the side.
Kakashi struck only an afterimage.
He held Chidori, breathing a little heavier.
Before Kakashi could adjust, Kiyohara spoke calmly:
"So the principle is like this, right?"
His hands moved—identical seals, perfectly reproduced.
This was Uchiha Kiyohara controlling him.
Chakra ran through the same route.
That piercing birdsong erupted again—this time from Kiyohara's hand.
"Chidori."
Lightning formed in his palm, identical to Kakashi's.
Kakashi's eyes widened. Under his mask, his lips parted slightly.
He knew the Sharingan could copy jutsu.
But seeing his own painstaking, self-developed technique duplicated instantly still hit like a punch.
Especially because Kakashi, with a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan, still hadn't copied many techniques yet.
And Kiyohara—with only one tomoe—just did it?
No wonder. Original hardware beat a "borrowed" eye. Kakashi's mouth twitched into a thin, bitter smile.
Kiyohara let the lightning disperse. The birdsong faded.
"Your jutsu is good. But now it's mine," Kiyohara said.
He reclaimed control of his body and kept the Chidori stable for a moment, feeling the structure and pressure of it.
"I'm worse at using the Sharingan than you are," Kakashi admitted.
Rin opened her mouth to say something—but another voice beat her to it.
From the trees opposite, a big-nosed boy walked out.
"Pretty lively in here."
Kakashi and Kiyohara both turned.
A short blade on his back. Bright eyes.
Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui," Kiyohara greeted.
Kakashi relaxed back into his lazy posture. He wasn't close with Shisui.
Shisui stepped between them, looked at the damage and the fading crackle around Kiyohara's hand, and asked:
"I thought that technique was Kakashi's. You can use it too now?"
"More or less," Kiyohara said.
His chakra was stable enough that he could hold Chidori while talking—just like Kakashi.
"You here for training?" Kiyohara asked.
"I just came down from the back hills," Shisui replied. "I've been training there a lot lately… with Itachi."
"Itachi?" Kiyohara's interest sparked.
He hadn't found a clean reason to "fight" Itachi and fulfill the second wish yet.
This sounded like a gift.
"Itachi isn't here today?" Kiyohara asked.
Shisui shook his head. "No. Yesterday, Fugaku-sama took him to the front line. Said he needed to see the real shinobi world."
Kiyohara frowned. If Itachi came back from that… would he start thinking about the clan and the village already?
"Four years old on the battlefield?" Kakashi blurted. "That's way too early."
As someone who'd lived war, Kakashi knew exactly what that did to a child.
Shisui sighed. "I think it's too early too. But Fugaku-sama insists. He says if Itachi has talent, he needs to adapt sooner. And… it's wartime."
The mood sank.
War made everything accelerate—even childhood.
Rin walked closer, overhearing, and fell silent too.
"But once Itachi's back, I can arrange for him to meet you guys," Shisui said with a smile. "You and Kakashi are top-tier among our generation. If you can guide him a little, it'll be valuable experience."
Kiyohara's heart lifted.
Guide him?
Perfect. The "pretext" just walked in.
A "sparring" session framed as guidance meant he could fulfill the wish without it looking like bullying a child.
"Sure," Kiyohara said. "Whenever he's back, he can come find me."
Kakashi shrugged. "I don't care."
"Then it's settled," Shisui said, genuinely pleased. "That kid's lonely. He needs more friends and rivals."
"Good," Kiyohara said. "I like rivals."
Then his eyes flicked over Rin's nurse outfit, tracing the way it fit—still modest, but clearly outlining that she was starting to grow.
White gloves. The little nurse cap.
He couldn't help thinking it had a certain… roleplay vibe.
"Y-you… what are you looking at…?" Rin stammered, feeling awkward under his gaze.
Kakashi, meanwhile, looked completely unfazed. He glanced between them once, then spoke:
"Kiyohara, turn off Chidori. Spar's over for today—I'm heading out."
He waved.
Then he patted Kiyohara's shoulder and walked off.
Kiyohara watched his back, baffled.
Did Kakashi grab the wrong script?
He probably thought something was going on between him and Rin.
Honestly… Kiyohara didn't mind if something did.
~~~
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