"Hee hee, time to go report the situation here to Madara."
White Zetsu tightened his sleeves, covering the small patch of pale skin that was exposed.
"Kiyoshi Uchiha... I have to tell Madara about this guy. He's a bit too exceptional."
White Zetsu smirked. He had infiltrated the Hidden Mist under Madara's orders, waiting for the moment Madara said the time would be ripe. The aging Third Mizukage was, in fact, already under Madara's control. In the vast Hidden Mist, quite a few White Zetsu had already been embedded.
...
Mountains' Graveyard.
In the dim space, the walls seemed to ripple slowly. A pale figure emerged from within.
"Madara, the artificial humans over at the Mist told me..."
White Zetsu's form rose from the ground. Other artificial bodies had already transmitted intelligence to him via telepathy. Kiyoshi Uchiha's growth rate had reached a miraculous speed. This level of talent was many times greater than that of Obito, whom Madara had set his sights on. White Zetsu didn't understand why Madara was so fixated on Obito.
"You don't understand."
After listening to White Zetsu's report, the wrinkled Madara Uchiha's eyelids twitched, revealing a pair of scarlet Sharingan. These were not his own eyes. His [Rinnegan] had already been placed into the plan, currently far away in the Land of Rain.
Kiyoshi Uchiha was good—good enough to surprise even Madara. But that was all. What he needed was someone prone to extremes. Someone who could quickly turn love into hatred. The deeper the love, the thicker the hatred would be when the time came. Kiyoshi Uchiha was too calm; that temperament was suitable for other clans, but for the Uchiha, it was a purely negative trait. With such high mental resilience, whether he could even open the Mangekyo Sharingan was an unknown.
"The chosen one is still Obito. As for Kiyoshi, we can attempt to win him over."
Madara spoke and then paused to catch his breath. If his current body weren't being fed chakra by the [Gedo Mazo] behind him, he wouldn't last long. He had experienced too many battles in his youth, and his old age was riddled with hidden injuries. Unless something happened to Obito, he wouldn't choose Kiyoshi. His body simply didn't have much time left.
"Understood, Madara."
White Zetsu giggled, sank back into the wall, and swam away through the earth. Sensing White Zetsu's presence fading, Madara stared up at the dark ceiling.
"Kiyoshi Uchiha?"
Madara chewed on the name. He had known about Kiyoshi's presence in the Leaf for a long time. But that wasn't the first time he had heard the name. The first time was when he was still very young. While browsing through ancient texts, he had found scattered mentions of historical events, and a person named Kiyoshi appeared in them. However, a thousand years had passed, and the truth was no longer verifiable.
In the darkness, Madara sat on his stone throne and drifted back into sleep.
...
Summer faded into winter, and the war remained deadlocked. The climate shifted from scorching heat to freezing cold.
Kiyoshi exhaled a plume of white mist, watching members of the Hyuga clan pass by occasionally. The Uchiha stronghold here had merged with the Hyuga forces several months ago.
"You can take the day off today."
Yashiro Uchiha patted Kiyoshi on the shoulder. Over the past few months, Kiyoshi's performance had been outstanding; every time the Mist invaded, he managed to slay quite a few of their ninjas.
"Understood."
Kiyoshi nodded. This war would last for several years; this was just the beginning. After collecting his rations for the day, Kiyoshi walked out of the stronghold.
He had upgraded all his Genin Traits—Fire Style, Medical, Genjutsu, Sealing, Kenjutsu, Wind Style, and others—into Chunin level. Through his merits, Kiyoshi had also exchanged for some Water Style ninjutsu and obtained the Water Style Genin Trait. He was now only one advancement away from turning all his current Genin Traits into Blue Chunin Traits.
'I hope it grants a Purple Trait,' Kiyoshi thought, closing the panel.
By now, his foundation was incredibly solid. Numerous bonuses had made his body increasingly perfect. An increase in cultivation speed was essentially an increase in adaptability to a certain aspect. Since chakra natures in the ninja world can be inherited, it proves they are rooted in genetics.
Kiyoshi's genes were constantly being optimized and altered. Aside from adaptability, his resistance to various release styles was also increasing. Where this would lead, even Kiyoshi didn't know. No one in the ninja world had ever been in his situation.
If he had to make a comparison, it was similar to how the Otsutsuki plant the God Tree to achieve evolution through the [Chakra Fruit]. The formation of a [Chakra Fruit] is the condensation of massive energy and biological genetic information, as it records the data of every organism that has ever died on the planet.
'Time for the experiment.'
Kiyoshi pretended to head toward the riverbank near the stronghold to rest, but he bypassed the Hyuga sentries and headed further out. As an insider, he was very familiar with their patrol positions, so avoiding them was no difficult task.
'The timing for Natsu Hyuga is also ripe. It's time to harvest,' Kiyoshi thought.
Counting the months spent on the battlefield, it had been nearly three years since he arrived in the Leaf. Natsu Hyuga was now fifteen or sixteen—old enough to be "harvested." Ninja physical development is fast; after all, their cells are two to three times more active than humans in his previous world.
You couldn't judge them by old standards. Natsu Hyuga's body was virtually indistinguishable from an eighteen-year-old girl's. It was legal by the rules of the land and consistent with biology. He could even go propose to her now if he wanted.
Of course, Kiyoshi wouldn't do that. He already had candidates in mind for marriage. For now, Natsu Hyuga would serve as a supplemental pack for his ocular power. As for whether he would eventually give her a formal title, that was a matter for the future.
...
"Kiyoshi Uchiha killed even more Mist ninjas?"
Ginka Hyuga frowned. Aside from the war between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire, wars had broken out among other nations as well.
The entire ninja world was currently a mess of chaotic battles, with ninjas fighting everywhere and chaos reigning. Especially in smaller nations; rogue ninjas didn't dare cause trouble in the Great Nations, so they fled to the small ones to burn, kill, and pillage.
"Yes."
Natsu Hyuga nodded respectfully, a faint slap mark visible on her face. Even here, the Main House remained the Main House. The Branch House was required to protect them. Wherever there are people, there are classes.
"Come, come over here."
A smile suddenly bloomed on Ginka Hyuga's elegant, beautiful face. She beckoned Natsu to sit beside her, speaking with newfound warmth. Natsu was terrified, knowing this was just a mask. But if she didn't comply, Ginka would likely turn hostile immediately.
"Natsu, you were his classmate. Go and speak more good words for me to him," Ginka whispered, her breath fragrant and warm.
"Yes..."
Hearing Ginka's request—or rather, her order—Natsu Hyuga nodded sorrowfully.