"Lord Orochimaru!"
Tetsu Hyuga cried out in relief. If Orochimaru hadn't arrived, he felt as though they would have surely died there.
"Kiyoshi must have used Sharingan Genjutsu to provoke that monster into a rampage," Tekka Uchiha noted, staring at the demon cat in awe.
The Cloud ninjas, who had previously surrounded Yugito, were now scattering in all directions. Those among them who knew Sealing Jutsu were frantically attempting to restrain her. Everyone watched the silhouette of the Two-Tails, Matatabi, with gazes full of shock. It was the first time they had ever laid eyes on such a monster.
"Heh heh. They have a collective name: Tailed Beasts."
Orochimaru introduced the concept of these "War Weapons" to the group. He explained how, under the leadership of the First Hokage, the Tailed Beasts were distributed among the Great Ninja Villages. The "Tailed Beast Balance" was meant to be a means of maintaining a check on all nations and villages, thereby achieving a facade of peace.
Unfortunately, the vision was beautiful, but the reality was cruel. As soon as the First Hokage died, the First Great Ninja War erupted immediately. Orochimaru spoke quickly and concisely, laying out the history in mere seconds while the roars of the demon cat continued to echo incessantly.
"You have unlocked the Trait: [The Uchiha's Power (Blue)]."
[Trait: The Uchiha's Power (Blue)]
[Requirement: Defeat a Jinchuriki hosting a Tailed Beast once using Uchiha power.]
[Progress: (Completed).]
[Effect: You have gained a brand-new understanding of the Uchiha clan's power, generating a type of "Presence." When enemies fight you, they will feel as if facing a formidable foe. This effect is more pronounced the weaker the opponent is.]
[Note: Can be further evolved.]
Presence?
Kiyoshi estimated this was a passive ability meant to deter enemies. It likely wasn't much use in a fight between equals, but the more opponents there were, the more effective it would become. Ninjas were not invincible; below the "Six Paths" level, all were mere ants. Unless one had a special mechanism like Obito—using space-time jutsu to maneuver or even cause damage—even someone as strong as a "Kage" could be swarmed to death.
The Third Raikage had died under the siege of ten thousand ninjas. Very few of them were Jonin; the vast majority were Genin cannon fodder. This illustrated the brutality of the Shinobi world.
If Kiyoshi were to encounter such a siege, having [The Uchiha's Power (Blue)] would change the outcome significantly. The weak wouldn't even dare approach him; they might even be paralyzed by fear, waiting to be harvested. It was essentially a god-tier skill for clearing mobs.
"We should go."
Kiyoshi turned back to the group. Everyone caught a glimpse of his singular, strange Sharingan. Tekka Uchiha, in particular, widened his eyes.
'Wait, why is Kiyoshi's Sharingan evolution path different from mine?'
He remembered that when Kiyoshi first awakened his eyes, it was only one eye. Back then, everyone thought it was a defective product due to his mixed bloodline. Yet, Kiyoshi had surpassed them all. Now, one of his eyes had become a three-tomoe Sharingan!
In Tekka's understanding, a three-tomoe was the peak for an Uchiha ninja. Yet, Kiyoshi's other eye was still missing one tomoe. 'Was he evolving his eyes one by one?' Tekka couldn't wrap his head around it; he just felt a sense of awestruck mystery. Truly powerful figures always seemed to have some sort of strange phenomenon accompanying them.
The Uchiha clan had fully experienced the Warring States Period, and they preserved many ancient texts. Some records even claimed that Indra's father had two horns on his forehead and looked like an alien. Of course, Tekka had always treated those as mythological fables.
How could a human have horns? Aliens? Monsters? But seeing Kiyoshi now, he had to admit that some people were indeed born with unique traits that set them apart.
"Then let's move."
Amidst their brief conversation, the group began to distance themselves rapidly from the area. Preoccupied with dealing with the Two-Tails, the Cloud ninjas had no time to focus on the retreating party.
As they leaped through the branches, Orochimaru stole a glance at Kiyoshi. 'If it's him, perhaps he really can cultivate the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave.' At this age, he had already mastered the Uchiha Bloodline to such an extent. Orochimaru, always hailed as a genius himself, couldn't help but wonder: 'Who is the real genius here?'
The group remained silent for the rest of the journey, sprinting back toward the base.
...
"Lady Yugito, you're finally awake!"
By this time, over half of the Cloud ninjas were injured. Matatabi had used restraint, ensuring that no Cloud ninja was actually killed.
She had let Kiyoshi go because of the promise, but she couldn't afford to alienate Yugito, who was the host she acknowledged. Whether Kiyoshi was truly the "Child of Prophecy" still required further observation.
"Yugito, you..."
Killer Bee arrived on the scene. The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, inside him had felt the chakra fluctuations. Hearing that Yugito had gone into a rampage, he had rushed over.
"What happened?" Bee frowned. Yugito was capable of communicating with her beast just like he was. Theoretically, the possibility of a rampage should be very low.
Proceeding another thirty kilometers would lead to the Uchiha base. For a ninja, this distance wasn't far—especially since many outposts were stationed with Hyuga scouts, extending the alert range to ten kilometers. If they were discovered by Konoha ninjas, things would turn dire.
"Nothing happened."
Yugito sat on the ground, hugging her legs, her fair face covered in a layer of frost. She pressed her legs together tightly and took a piece of cloth from a sealing scroll to wrap around her lower body before standing up.
Bee was confused at first, then it dawned on him. When a Tailed Beast rampages, the chakra burns away the Jinchuriki's skin, and the mixture of blood and chakra forms a dark red cloak on the surface. Yugito was likely stained with her own blood or that of her comrades. Using cloth to cover herself was perfectly normal—she was a girl, after all.
"Everyone... no one died, right?" Yugito didn't have time to ask Matatabi why she had turned on her; she asked the question she cared about most.
"No, Lady Yugito."
"Just light injuries, a bit of ointment will fix it."
"You call that needing ointment? A bit of Medical Jutsu and it's fine, don't try to slack off..."
The Cloud ninjas chatted among themselves. They didn't fear Yugito because of the rampage, nor did they view her as a monster.
On the contrary, they were moved. They could feel the Tailed Beast holding back its strength while attacking them. This must have been a heroic feat by Lady Yugito, silently battling the beast to protect everyone!
Yugito, unaware of what the others were thinking, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Matatabi, why did you defect?" Yugito knit her brows, questioning the Two-Tails within her.
"Give a portion of my chakra to the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. I have something to say to him," Matatabi spoke within the mental space. Yugito's brow furrowed even deeper.