Kiyoshi turned around. It was a teammate from Tekka's previous three-man squad, a girl named Emi Uchiha.
Squad members were not fixed; they were adjusted based on the mission. For the mission assigned to the Uchiha clan this time, the teammates were organized into a large battalion consisting entirely of Uchiha members.
It was similar to the Fourth Great Shinobi War, where the front-line combat was divided into five main battalions: Long-Range specialized units, Close-Combat units, Mid-to-Close Range units, and so on. There were also many specialized divisions such as Medical and Logistics, Interception squads, Sensory units, Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Surprise Attack units.
A war was never child's play. Every time one broke out, it required the mobilization of many people and precise distribution of roles to maintain the battle lines and prevent the forces from becoming a scattered mess. This was one of the biggest differences between the Great Nations and smaller countries; those small nations lacked such complex regulations and did not possess nearly as many ninjas.
"Did you come to see me for something?" Kiyoshi asked.
The two were not particularly close. Occasionally, when they bumped into each other in the Uchiha settlement, their relationship was limited to a simple nod.
"I look forward to working with you from now on," Emi Uchiha said with a smile.
"I see," Kiyoshi understood.
So, he had gained an admirer? It made sense. In the original work, Sasuke had many pursuers; there was no reason why he, with his good looks and startling talent, would be any different.
Kiyoshi sized her up for a few moments. She looked very much like an Uchiha, with shoulder-length black hair and a tight-fitting ninja combat suit that outlined a youthful figure. She was considered the better type among her peers.
However, Kiyoshi had never seen her in the anime or manga, so she was likely just a minor character with mediocre talent and strength. In the official novels, the Uchiha who appeared were few and far between, mostly serving as background characters mentioned in passing.
After a few casual words of small talk, Kiyoshi was the first to excuse himself. Returning to his tent, Kiyoshi took out a puppet technique scroll and began to study it.
Puppet techniques were divided into three main parts: production, control, and maintenance. Production took up the vast majority of the text, documenting in detail how to hollow out a body, place materials that could substitute for chakra flow, and how to apply preservatives to human skin.
Kiyoshi focused his attention on the control portion. The Uchiha clan actually possessed great potential as puppeteers. Of course, the prerequisite was combining the chakra of Indra and Asura to draw out the Six Paths chakra and evolve the [Rinnegan].
An owner of the [Rinnegan] could create [Chakra Receivers], also known as "Black Receivers." These items could be inserted into puppets, allowing for control even across vast distances, no longer restricted by chakra threads. Otherwise, the user always having to remain behind the puppet and being distracted by controlling it made them even more susceptible to sneak attacks.
"Chakra threads..."
A glow of chakra—blue with a hint of pinkish-purple—emerged from Kiyoshi's fingertips, clinging to them like flowing water. Kiyoshi took out a sealing scroll and summoned a ninja blade, attaching the chakra threads to the hilt.
Whoosh!
Kiyoshi threw the blade out and quickly retracted it.
"The limit distance is twenty meters..."
Kiyoshi was quite satisfied with this distance. Mid-range ninjutsu typically covered ten meters, so anything exceeding ten meters was already considered long-range.
"I need to find a suitable test subject," Kiyoshi thought to himself.
Puppet techniques only needed to be functional for his needs; the research into Moryo's power was the main priority now.
"Is Kiyoshi here too?" A familiar female voice sounded outside the tent.
"Of course he's here. This is an Uchiha stronghold. However, since Captain Minato is also in charge of this area, outsiders like Rin and Kakashi can be here too," Obito said with a grin, his hands behind his head.
Executing a mission with a group of clansmen felt average at best to Obito. But with Rin around, the experience improved significantly! Even the dull work of transporting supplies became somewhat acceptable.
"This is a battlefield. If you keep up that carefree attitude, you won't even know how you died," Kakashi glanced at Obito, his dead-fish eyes devoid of emotion.
"Hey, can't you say something nice for once?" Hearing Kakashi curse him, Obito immediately became displeased. Did he not know how to speak? Coming out with unlucky talk about him dying here. He, Obito, was the one who was going to awaken the Sharingan in this war and bring an end to the Great Shinobi War.
"Alright, alright," Minato played the mediator.
Obito and Kakashi were just like that—always at odds and bickering. Usually, Minato felt it was fine, but this was an Uchiha stronghold. Minato wanted to leave a good impression on the others here.
He didn't want people thinking that Obito was being marginalized in his squad. That wouldn't be conducive to his goal of improving the relationship between the Uchiha and the village after he became Hokage. Becoming Hokage was Minato Namikaze's greatest dream, something he thought about day and night.
"You are Jonin Namikaze?"
"Yes, you can call me Minato."
Kisuke Uchiha, who was in charge of this stronghold, walked over, a trace of wariness hidden deep in his eyes.
"...Jonin Minato, I look forward to your guidance during this time."
Kisuke Uchiha looked at the gentle young man. Rumor had it that he knew the Second Hokage's signature technique, the [Flying Raijin Jutsu]. He would likely bring a lot of help to the front line.
But... who knew if this was a person sent by the Leaf high-ups to monitor the Uchiha? With such an ability, transmitting intelligence would also be extremely fast.
"Kiyoshi, long time no see."
Rin Nohara suddenly saw the tent curtain not far away lift as Kiyoshi emerged.
"It has been a long time," Kiyoshi nodded.
The two were not in the same squad and had their own missions, so they hadn't seen each other for quite a while. Compared to when she had just graduated, Rin Nohara had shed that bit of girlish innocence and was gradually becoming more mature.
Her youthful face had opened up more, and her softness gave off a sense of acceptance. Perhaps the reason Obito was so obsessed with Rin Nohara was that she always took care of him and accepted him.
People whose parents had both died often lacked affection more than others, much like how Naruto cared deeply about the recognition of outsiders.
Seeing it was Kiyoshi, Obito immediately shielded Rin Nohara behind him. He saw Kiyoshi every now and then; they met every time there was a secret gathering under the Naka Shrine.
"Honestly, Obito, stop acting up," Rin Nohara said softly. In her eyes, Obito was always an immature child.
Kiyoshi's expression didn't change. It was said that the Kamui could not hide tears, for all one sees is Rin. Obito's leisurely days were numbered; he would soon become burdened by deep hatred.
Looking at how half his body was crushed in the future, Obito would likely lose one 'meatball' and half a 'sausage'—if it shifted slightly, it would be the whole thing. White Zetsu didn't have those organs to give Obito as replacements.
(T/N:- 💀 Kiyoshi got no chill)
"Kiyoshi, I heard you perfectly completed a mission with an excessive difficulty rating."
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Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666