On the journey, Nohara Rin remained lively—
constantly asking Tsunade questions about medical ninjutsu.
And although Tsunade responded lazily, she still answered them all one by one.
Rin listened intently, nodding as she absorbed the knowledge.
Kiyohara perked up too.
Everything Tsunade shared was incredibly useful in helping him refine his chakra control.
He and Kakashi took turns scouting ahead.
Kakashi used his Eight Ninja Hounds, while Kiyohara's rapid body flicker made him ideal for swift recon and quick reporting.
Even without help from his future selves,
Kiyohara could now scout enemy presence on his own.
Meanwhile, Rin carefully scouted for useful herbs, collecting them during rest stops and placing them in her medical pouch.
"This one's Purple Cloud Grass. It's excellent for clotting blood,"
she explained, holding up a delicate violet blossom.
"Combined with chakra, it speeds up tissue healing."
Kiyohara was curious.
"What's the difference between medical ninjutsu and herbal medicine?"
Rin replied patiently,
"Medical ninjutsu directly stimulates cell regeneration with chakra—it's fast but energy-consuming.
Herbology, on the other hand, uses the natural properties of plants. Slower, but more lasting.
A good medic-nin should know both."
Tsunade, trailing behind, caught the exchange and allowed a faint smile to form on her lips.
She was clearly pleased.
As night fell, the four of them set up camp beside a quiet stream.
The fire crackled gently, casting warm light across their faces.
Tsunade slipped off her high-heeled sandals, rubbing her aching ankles.
She wore cropped light-blue pants that hugged her legs snugly, outlining their firm curves.
Her bare feet—round toes, delicate and pale—looked surprisingly cute under the firelight.
Eventually, she wandered over to the stream, rolling up her pant legs and dipping her calves and feet into the water.
Kiyohara glanced over and noticed—
Tsunade's toenails were painted the same deep red as her fingernails.
He quietly rinsed his own feet too.
For ninja, legs and feet were everything.
Their open-toed sandals were designed for ventilation.
Wrap your feet up too tightly and sweaty feet would become unbearable.
Nearby, Kakashi kept watch.
His nose twitched.
He'd caught something… off.
"Kiyohara," he said, "Do you sense anything strange?"
Kiyohara turned his head.
After a moment's pause, he raised his hand.
With a hiss, iron sand spilled from the canister at his waist—
but instead of forming weapons, it dispersed into a fine mist.
This was a new technique of his—
A magnetic "fog" that spread outward like a sensor net.
Sure enough,
the iron mist outlined a large, vague shape hidden in the brush—
a creature at least several meters long, camouflaged like a chameleon.
"Hostile summon incoming!"
Kiyohara called out, readying for battle.
There were only two types of summoned beasts:
those contracted by ninja, and wild ones.
Size often correlated with danger.
The Three Great Sage Beasts, after all, could overwhelm even Jonin-level shinobi.
A powerful summon could massively bolster a shinobi's strength.
"ROAR!!"
The chameleon beast, agitated by the iron mist revealing its presence, lunged straight toward the nearest target—
Tsunade.
Her battle instincts snapped into action.
Without even turning around, chakra surged into her right fist—
then she slammed it behind her.
"Monstrous Strength!"
BOOM!
The punch ripped through the air and landed square on the invisible beast!
A shrill screech rang out as the creature was launched, crashing into a tree with a heavy crack.
Its camouflage broke—
Revealing green scales, a crushed shoulder, and blood gushing from its wounds.
That was Tsunade's monstrous strength in action.
Kiyohara winced.
Even the Fourth Raikage might not match her raw power.
If she wanted to, she could pulp a man with a single punch.
But just as the beast's blood splattered out—
Tsunade froze.
Her face went pale, body trembling—
Her hemophobia was triggered.
"Tsunade-sama!"
Rin rushed to catch her as she stumbled.
The beast, though gravely injured, was enraged.
It snarled, dragging itself upright—
then pounced again, eyes burning red.
Crackle!
Lightning surged as Kakashi leapt forward.
"Chidori!"
He drove the piercing arc of chakra into the creature's flank.
But their size difference was too great—
Even a Chidori wasn't enough to put it down.
While Kakashi held it off, Kiyohara's iron sand coiled once more.
Electric arcs crackled through the grains as he compressed them.
This time, instead of flattening the iron into coins,
he forged it into a spindle-shaped bullet.
Aerodynamic and deadly.
Like a torpedo.
Boom!
The magnetic railgun fired.
The iron bullet tore through the air at over 600 meters per second—
so fast even Kakashi's Sharingan barely tracked it.
SPLAT!
The projectile shredded the beast's scales and embedded deep into its body.
It crashed to the ground, bleeding, unable to move.
It wasn't as devastating as Tsunade's punch—
But it was precise and efficient.
Still, there was room to improve.
Kiyohara moved forward and formed seals—
"Iron Sand: Binding Pillar!"
The injured beast was wrapped in a thin layer of iron sand.
Not enough to restrain fully, but enough to prevent escape for now.
"You're planning something, Kiyohara?"
Kakashi asked, panting after a second Chidori.
His Sharingan drained him quickly—he pulled down his forehead protector to conserve chakra.
"I'm going to contract it."
"…You want to make this beast your summon?"
Tsunade, eyes closed to avoid the blood, frowned slightly.
"Yes. I brought a summoning scroll just for this."
While he'd hoped for a flying summon,
this chameleon's stealth ability was valuable in its own right.
If it could cloak itself—
it could cloak him too.
And judging by how it refracted light through its scales,
even hiding under its belly or inside its mouth might keep him invisible.
He bit his finger and wrote his name on the blank scroll.
Then, with the chameleon's blood, added its designation.
"Summoning: Blood Contract!"
The sealing formula spread across the beast's body—
A faint link formed in Kiyohara's chakra.
Weak, but present.
The foundation of a contract.
Eventually, he could even reverse-summon himself to the beast's location.
Like Naruto had done to reach Mount Myōboku.
He took a deep breath.
This was only the beginning.
The chameleon screeched weakly—
Then vanished from sight, scuttling away into the forest.
Kiyohara didn't chase.
The contract was signed.
He could summon it again anytime.
From here, it was just a matter of taming it.
"Kiyohara, are you alright?"
Rin supported the medic over to a safer spot.
Kiyohara nodded.
"I'm fine. Go help Tsunade-sama."
Rin still insisted on checking both him and Kakashi before relaxing.
"That chameleon's stealth was dangerous. If not for your magnetic mist—"
"It was Kakashi who sensed it first. And Tsunade who dealt the heaviest blow,"
Kiyohara said honestly.
Tsunade had recovered somewhat.
As long as she didn't see the blood, the symptoms faded.
"…Not bad, brat. That stealth ability will be useful. Train it well."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Kiyohara stored the scroll away.
They moved to a new, more hidden campsite.
Rin brewed calming tea for Tsunade, and Kiyohara set up wire alarms.
Kakashi had his ninja hounds on patrol.
That night, Tsunade looked toward Kiyohara as he kept watch.
"Your use of Magnet Release is impressive,
but your chakra consumption is still too high."
"I'd appreciate any advice, Tsunade-sama."
"Bloodline limits are powerful, yes—
But don't rely on them too much.
Control and conservation are key."
She glanced at Kakashi.
"Same with him.
His Lightning Release drains too much.
And his chakra pool isn't even as big as yours."
Kakashi remained silent.
Compared to Kiyohara, his reserves did seem… lacking.
Kiyohara nodded.
That fight had cost a lot.
He'd burned through a huge amount of chakra in seconds.
"I'll work on refining control. Thank you."
Later that night, with the women asleep,
he and Kakashi shared the fire.
"Here,"
Kiyohara tossed him some jerky.
It rehydrated in hot soup—
nutrient-dense, high protein, no bugs required.
Kakashi blinked in surprise.
"…Thanks."
He looked at the well-prepared meal, then at Kiyohara.
For someone who lived so simply,
he really didn't skimp on food.
Kiyohara leaned back under a tree, eyes fixed on the firelight.
Time should be just about right...
Today was the last day.
His heartbeat quickened.
And then—
[Please retrieve your Will and Urn.
Handle the remains with care.]
It arrived.
Kiyohara's eyes gleamed.
It's here.
Finally!
Every month, this was the moment he looked forward to most.