Kiyohara neatly laid out all the ingredients he'd bought: specially prepared herbal powder for soldier pills, along with several jars of sugar powder in different colors.
"Wow… Kiyohara-kun, you prepared way more ingredients than a normal soldier pill recipe," Rin said curiously, leaning in to study the rows of little bottles and jars spread across the counter.
"Tsunade-sama said the traditional soldier pill only cares about restoring chakra fast, and completely ignores taste," Kiyohara explained. "If something tastes awful, even if it works, people will still resist eating it on the battlefield."
On that point, Sakura Haruno would have plenty to say. She'd modified the classic soldier pill recipe too—making it even more effective than most standard versions.
The result, though…
Naruto's face had literally turned green.
Which was fair. Some ingredients just clash with flavor. Balancing effect and taste ultimately came down to the maker's skill.
"One tablespoon of vegetable juice, six bean snacks, ten mixed nuts, two teaspoons of sesame, a bit of seven-spice chili, twenty-five raisins…" Kiyohara ran through the standard recipe with Rin again, like a quick refresher.
These were basics. The Databook even listed the conditions for making them.
Soldier pills weren't magic. Chakra was, in the end, stamina. Restore stamina fast, and you can refine chakra again. And how do you restore stamina quickly?
By replenishing a broad range of nutrients, immediately.
As Kiyohara explained everything so seriously, Rin drifted for a second.
"You got all that?" Kiyohara asked.
"Y-yes. I got it," Rin snapped back to attention. She already knew most of it.
"Alright," Kiyohara said, "now I'll explain Tsunade-sama's improved version."
He brought out the real highlight: assorted specialty herbs. He poured several into a large bowl.
He'd already asked Tsunade if these could be shared. Her answer was basically: don't make a big deal out of it.
In the end, this was just a refinement to soldier pills—not some top-secret technique. Plenty of med-nin adjusted formulas on their own.
"Okay," Rin said quickly, listening hard, her cheeks faintly pink. Seeing how focused Kiyohara was reassured her.
"Tsunade-sama's version reduces the harsher stimulant herbs and increases gentler, nourishing ingredients," Kiyohara said, scooping out a pale yellow powder from another jar.
"This is a special herbal blend. It gently stimulates chakra points. It's safer than strong stimulants, and the effect lasts longer."
Rin watched every movement. His wrist was steady; he weighed each scoop with a small scale, precise down to the gram.
Before long, Kiyohara finished one improved soldier pill.
Rin took a bite and blurted, "Th-this… it really tastes like a candy bead!"
"Of course. I added a lot of sugar," Kiyohara said. This wasn't hard once you knew the formula—he was sure Rin could replicate it on her second try.
"It's still a bit hot," Rin said after a small bite, placing the rest in a little bowl. One pill was about the size of two thumbs.
"You can just cool it with a little wind," Kiyohara said, curling a faint stream of air around his fingertips—Wind Release chakra.
His Wind affinity was high now; something like this was effortless.
The gentle breeze washed over the pill. After a moment, he had Rin taste again.
Rin took another small bite. Her eyes lit up.
"It's really good… and the chakra recovery speed is solid."
She could feel the change in stamina. A normal civilian might not notice anything, but shinobi—especially those with good control—could sense subtle shifts.
She had recovered a bit.
She'd trained all afternoon at Training Ground Three, then went shopping with Kiyohara, then came straight here.
"Your turn, Rin," Kiyohara said.
"Okay."
Rin quickly made her own pill, matching Kiyohara's. After it cooled, she tasted it—flavor was good.
More importantly, the improved version's effect was about 50% better than a standard soldier pill.
Rin could only marvel—Tsunade-sama really is on another level.
The downside was obvious: it was fussier to make, and not cheap.
"Want to try the one I made?" Rin asked, holding a pill in her palm.
Her hands were freshly washed, pale and clean.
Kiyohara ate one and nodded. "It's good."
Rin was the classic gentle, traditional type. No wonder Obito couldn't forget her—what teenage boy could resist that kind of person?
Watching Kiyohara eat something she'd made, Rin suddenly thought of something, and her face grew even redder.
Kiyohara-kun… he can cook, he can use medical ninjutsu, he's strong in battle, and he's considerate to his comrades… he has every ideal trait.
A thought popped up out of nowhere:
He's going to steal a lot of girls' hearts someday, isn't he…?
Rin's cheeks warmed. She hurriedly lowered her head, staring at the pill in her hand instead.
On her wrist, Kiyohara's bracelet still rested.
Kiyohara's voice cut through her drifting thoughts.
"Alright. Next I'm making dinner."
"I'll help—I can cook a little too."
"No need," Kiyohara said, shaking his head. "I'm faster alone."
Rin could only start packing the soldier pills. Kiyohara had her wait outside.
…
A little later, when Kiyohara set the dishes on the table, Tsunade came downstairs.
She wore a white nightgown and padded down from the second floor, still sleepy.
The fabric hugged her curves, outlining her full, mature figure. Her blonde hair was loose and messy, a few strands sticking to her cheeks—pure just-woke-up laziness.
"Mm? Smells good."
She sniffed, wandered to the table, and muttered, "Kiyohara, what are you messing with now—"
Then she walked into the kitchen and froze when she saw Rin.
"Oh? A guest."
"Tsunade-sama!" Rin sprang up and bowed.
"Don't be so stiff," Tsunade waved her off and returned to the table, noticing that the dishes Kiyohara had made were a little unusual: steamed fish, fried chicken cutlets, tempura…
But what grabbed her attention most was a block of tofu.
It had been cut into neat cubes, carved with dice pips, and drizzled with sauce to make the dots stand out.
"A special dish for Teacher," Kiyohara said.
Tsunade lifted her head, staring at him.
"You put dice into the food?"
"I figured it'd be more creative," Kiyohara said with a smile. In his old world, people could carve a dragon out of a radish—this was nothing.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
Tsunade didn't answer right away. She pulled out a chair and sat down, still staring at the "dice."
"You don't mind that I gamble… and you even made a dice?"
She raised an eyebrow.
Shinobi had "three taboos," and most avoided gambling—at most they'd visit pleasure districts. A gambler's reputation was usually awful.
It just so happened her Sannin title drowned that out.
Kiyohara sat too.
"Tsunade-sama's gambling is just a hobby. I've heard the First Hokage gambled too. And you're always good to me—this is what a student should do."
It was funny, really: the honest-looking Senju Hashirama liked gambling too. Tsunade grew up watching him and picked it up.
And these days… it was also her way of numbing herself.
Tsunade's eyes flickered—something strange and quiet passing through them.
For a moment, she felt… oddly moved.
Maybe she hadn't picked the wrong student after all.
"Eat," she said, shaking it off.
"And Rin, stay and eat too."
She called Rin back when she looked like she was about to leave.
"…Okay, Tsunade-sama," Rin said, stopping. Chances to eat with her idol didn't come often.
When Shizune arrived, Tsunade picked up her chopsticks and started with the steamed fish.
The fish was tender, properly seasoned, perfectly cooked.
Then she tried the chicken cutlet, then the tempura…
Everything tasted great. Kiyohara's cooking really was improving day by day.
Sometimes Tsunade honestly wondered if the brat was turning on the Sharingan and stealing techniques from restaurants.
Finally, her chopsticks moved to the dice-tofu.
She lifted a corner, hesitated, then ate.
It was a special tofu—silky smooth, faintly fragrant with soy, balanced by salty-savory sauce.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Her brows eased; even the tension at the corners of her eyes loosened.
She savored it, then took another bite.
"How's my secret tofu?" Kiyohara asked.
"Your skill is real," Tsunade swallowed and looked at him. "If you weren't a shinobi, you'd get famous running a restaurant."
Kiyohara smiled. "Is that so?"
Rin watched them—master and student—thinking how close they seemed.
She tried a piece of the dice tofu too. It was delicious… though she still didn't understand why it had to be shaped like dice.
Rin still didn't know Tsunade was a gambling addict.
"Eat more, Rin," Kiyohara said, placing a piece of fish on her plate. "You've taught me medical ninjutsu so many times."
"I didn't do much… you just learn fast," Rin said shyly.
"If you didn't teach, I wouldn't learn. You can come by often," Kiyohara said casually.
Tsunade looked up, still chewing. "Rin, don't be polite with him. This brat cooks well—eat."
It was said lightly, but it warmed Rin's chest.
She nodded hard. "Mm!"
Dinner continued in a cozy mood.
Tsunade ate two bowls of rice, drank two bowls of soup, and finished off the dice tofu.
Kiyohara ate slowly, occasionally serving food to Tsunade and Rin.
After dinner, Kiyohara handed Rin a small, neat box.
"Take some soldier pills home. The green ones are mint, the yellow ones are caramel."
Rin opened it—two rows of perfectly rounded pills, neatly arranged.
"Thank you, Kiyohara-kun!"
"No problem." Kiyohara walked her to the door. "Be careful on the way."
Rin carried the box home under the streetlamps of Konoha.
She glanced back toward Tsunade's house—its windows still glowing with warm light.
She looked down at the soldier pill box, then touched the bracelet on her wrist.
Today felt… full. In a good way.
…
A few peaceful days passed, and then Tsunade received an urgent notice for a jōnin meeting.
Almost simultaneously, Kiyohara received the same.
"Big trouble," Tsunade muttered as she changed into standard shinobi gear, leaving her green gambling jacket at home.
She tied her blonde hair into a high ponytail, suddenly crisp and sharp—nothing like the sleepy drunk in a nightgown.
Kiyohara dressed similarly: flak jacket, black chainmail underlayer, guards—every piece of gear that didn't cost chakra but improved survival odds.
He checked his tool pouch carefully. Everything was ready.
Usually, when meetings like this happened, deployment could follow that same afternoon—so both he and Tsunade had prepared in advance.
"Nervous?" Tsunade asked while adjusting her forehead protector.
"First time attending a formal jōnin meeting," Kiyohara admitted.
"But… I'm okay."
He hadn't qualified during the last one. After becoming a full jōnin, there hadn't been another meeting—until now.
They left together and headed for the Hokage Tower.
When they arrived, the corridor was already crowded.
Muted conversations, footsteps, papers rustling—heavy, tense atmosphere.
Kiyohara swept the crowd with his peripheral vision.
As expected, nearly every major clan had a representative.
The most conspicuous were the Sarutobi—besides the Third Hokage, several older Sarutobi members stood in traditional dark kimono, faces stern.
Hyūga Hiashi was there too. When his gaze passed over Kiyohara, it paused—clearly interested in this "outsider" with Uchiha blood.
Ino–Shika–Chō stood together: Nara Shikaku murmuring to Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chōza grim-faced.
Inuzuka had their representative plus a nin-dog. Aburame were wrapped head to toe.
And—Kiyohara saw Shimura Danzō himself.
The Shimura didn't often show, but they were unquestionably a major clan.
Beyond them were many mid and minor families: Kazamatsuri, Ise, Kurama, Tsukikage, Yūhi, Mimura…
Some faces he knew. Others were new.
All of them were elite—at minimum jōnin.
It wasn't a huge number overall—because most were still out fighting.
"Let's go in," Tsunade said quietly, pushing open the meeting room doors.
All eyes snapped toward them.
Kiyohara felt the weight of those looks: curiosity, scrutiny, appraisal, caution… and plenty of emotions hiding underneath.
The room was large.
Hiruzen sat at the head, pipe in his mouth. At his sides were the two advisors: Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Seats were arranged by unspoken hierarchy—closer seats meant bigger power and influence.
Tsunade walked straight to a front-row empty seat. Kiyohara found his own farther back—by seniority, a newly promoted jōnin belonged in the rear.
But because of Tsunade, he could sit near her.
As he sat, he felt the gaze from both sides.
To his left was a Yamanaka jōnin. To his right, a middle-aged Akimichi.
Both glanced at him, weighing this young jōnin.
The room filled.
Kiyohara counted. There were a lot—dense rows.
This was called a jōnin meeting, but special jōnin also had standing to attend.
Special jōnin were basically "jōnin in one field," with a major shortcoming elsewhere—once that gap was filled, they could promote.
"Alright," Hiruzen tapped his pipe. The room fell silent.
"Latest intelligence from Kumogakure."
He signaled an ANBU to deliver documents.
"They've deployed the Two-Tails jinchūriki again. It's putting heavy pressure on the front. Iwagakure hasn't made major moves, but the Sunagakure border has seen small-scale clashes."
He paused, sweeping his gaze across the room.
"The front line needs reinforcements. After assessment, we will dispatch five hundred shinobi to support the Kumogakure front."
A low ripple of discussion spread.
"Command assignment," Hiruzen continued. "Namikaze Minato."
The blond man in the front row rose. "Yes."
"You've fought the A–B combination before. You have experience," Hiruzen said. "Your mission is to stabilize the line. If necessary, take initiative. Tactical decisions are yours on-site."
"Understood," Minato said, then sat.
"Medical support," Hiruzen looked to Tsunade. "Tsunade. You'll lead the medical corps forward. Frontline medical resources are strained—we need you."
Tsunade, legs crossed, nodded. "Got it."
"And…" Hiruzen's eyes moved to Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara."
Every gaze snapped to him again.
Kiyohara stood. "Present."
"You will serve as squad leader for a medical-combat detachment," Hiruzen said. "You have both medical and combat capability. This role requires someone like that."
Whispers rose.
Some nodded approval. Some frowned, thinking. Some traded meaningful looks—mostly at his age.
Kiyohara understood the subtext: He's too young. Is he really that capable?
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kiyohara answered.
He was surprised. It looked like Hiruzen intended to use him heavily.
At the same time, other clan leaders' eyes sharpened.
Kiyohara hadn't "joined" the Uchiha, but he carried their blood.
What did that signal imply?
The clan heads' minds were already turning.
~~~
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