Yugito, who already possessed a queen-like aura and great majesty, suddenly became even more imposing. Some of the Cloud ninjas didn't even dare to joke around in front of Lady Yugito; they kept their heads low, acting as if they hadn't seen a thing.
'Hmph, is it because of that Kiyoshi Uchiha guy again?'
Yugito felt irritated. Remembering that the village still needed the power of the Two-Tails in the future, she allowed the Two-Tails' chakra to manifest in her palm. A faint red, flowing chakra coiled around her hand, with white bubbles flickering occasionally. Yugito tossed this fragment of chakra to Killer Bee.
Bee caught it, not quite understanding why. Inside his mental space, a phantom figure suddenly appeared—it was Matatabi.
"Two-Tails, have you come here to tell me something?"
The Eight-Tails Gyuki was reddish-brown all over, with skin that had a wood-like texture. He had massive bull horns on his head and eight thick tentacles for a lower body, like an octopus.
"I encountered someone who is likely the 'Child of Prophecy'," Matatabi said slowly. After she finished speaking, the chakra dissipated as it was exhausted, leaving only the wide-eyed Gyuki behind.
Killer Bee was also full of confusion, not knowing what the Tailed Beasts were discussing. He wanted to ask Yugito, but she was already dragging her steps into the distance. Before leaving, she used [Fire Rat Ball] to incinerate the small puddle of blood and water beneath her.
"Kiyoshi Uchiha... good. I'll remember you."
Yugito gnashed her teeth inwardly. She would never be able to forget that man. After he did such a humiliating thing to her, she would eventually find a way to settle the score and defeat Kiyoshi fair and square!
Bee only felt that Yugito's temper had become somewhat erratic recently. Seeing that no one had died, he didn't say anything and quickly followed the others away.
...
After returning to the base, Fugaku Uchiha heard about the incident and immediately took Hizashi Hyuga and a group of men out to scout.
If they could capture an enemy village's Tailed Beast during the war, it could have a massive impact on the entire conflict. The destructive power of a rampaging Tailed Beast was enough to permanently alter the landscape, taking years or even decades to recover.
This was why Hashirama would lead Madara away to fight near rivers whenever possible. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, there was only a patch of post-war ruins; the Cloud ninjas had already retreated.
"Kiyoshi, come find me in a moment."
Fugaku, who had returned in a hurry, spoke with a solemn expression, asking Kiyoshi to meet him.
"Yes, Lord Fugaku," Kiyoshi nodded.
"Fugaku, is something the matter?" Mikoto asked.
"Nothing major, just asking about the details." Fugaku spoke vaguely and did not delve deeper into the topic, turning to leave.
"...Alright." Mikoto didn't say anything else, but the way she gripped the corners of her skirt showed that her mood was actually not very good.
Kiyoshi understood. It wasn't that Fugaku was intentionally ignoring Mikoto; it was just that the topics she asked about were often in a "minefield"—things Fugaku intended to hide from her for a lifetime. Namely, the Sharingan's suppression of Tailed Beasts!
Fugaku had once considered using the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails. The Uchiha Stone Tablet actually recorded the Sharingan's restraint over Tailed Beasts.
During the battle between the brothers, Itachi said that opening the Mangekyo would inevitably lead to blindness, and Sasuke immediately replied that blindness was the price for controlling the Nine-Tails. Itachi then realized Sasuke had already read the tablet.
From this, it was clear that although the stone tablet wasn't large, it recorded a vast amount of information, including the history of the Uchiha, the Senju, and the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya Otsutsuki.
The deeper the ocular power, the more one could see. Fugaku had very likely already seen the contents of the Uchiha Stone Tablet. Seeking him out now was ten to one to corroborate the words written there.
"Sister Mikoto, I still have some pastries here."
Kiyoshi handed a small box of pastries to Mikoto. He wasn't short on money now and had quite a bit of stock from previous purchases. If one were to ask why, it was because as long as Miroku wanted to cure the Daimyo of the Land of Demons, she would be under his thumb.
With the Priestess of the Land of Demons as a solid economic backer, he had achieved financial freedom in all aspects except for burning money on scientific research. No matter how small the Land of Demons was, it was still a nation; it could afford this much.
"Oh? You still have more?"
Mikoto was slightly surprised. These things weren't cheap. Could the cash-strapped Kiyoshi have spent his equipment money on this?
"That's right. Actually, I like sweets too," Kiyoshi laughed. He proactively looked for common ground between them. The best way to shorten the distance was to have shared hobbies and topics!
"Mikoto-nee, let's go over there and eat."
"Alright."
Mikoto's originally somber face broke into a smile. Over this period, the invisible distance between her and Kiyoshi had shortened significantly. Kiyoshi had lived with the Uchiha clan for several years now, which could be called assimilation.
Therefore, Mikoto wasn't as guarded against Kiyoshi as she was at the beginning, but rather looked at him as a promising young junior of the clan.
The two found a spot with some stools, sat down, and talked, with laughter breaking out from time to time.
"Is it really that interesting?"
"Yes. When we have time, I'll take you to Tanzaku Quarters to see for yourself," Mikoto laughed.
"Deal," Kiyoshi replied immediately.
He was, after all, a person of two lifetimes; his mental age was even older than Mikoto's, so there was no generation gap when they communicated. Mikoto felt a few years younger, being able to keep up with the thought process of someone this age.
The two talked harmoniously for a while before Kiyoshi excused himself. If he didn't go to Fugaku soon, Fugaku would likely come looking for him personally.
"Take care."
Seeing this, Mikoto could only wave goodbye. Being high-strung every day at the base, Mikoto lacked an emotional outlet. Chatting with Kiyoshi had left her a bit entranced, but unfortunately, he still had to go to Fugaku. She sighed softly and soon returned to her own tent.
On the other side, Kiyoshi arrived at Fugaku's place. After questioning Kiyoshi in detail about the circumstances of this encounter, Fugaku spoke:
"Was the Two-Tails really affected by you?"
"Yes," Kiyoshi nodded.
It was nothing more than Fugaku having his own thoughts about using the Mangekyo Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails. However, in his weakness, he only thought about it and never took actual action.
'As expected, the content on the stone tablet...' Fugaku thought to himself. Then he spoke again:
"You've done well. I've seen your achievements over this period. Now that the war has slowed down a bit, your group will head back to the village to rest for a while."
Ninjas needed rest too, and they weren't just soldiers; their primary job wasn't war. Now that the situation was more stable, sending some ninjas back would also reduce expenses.
Long-term warfare would lead to anti-war sentiment in the village, so it was good to let the people see how hard the heroes outside worked to protect their homes.
"Yes, Lord Fugaku."
Kiyoshi felt a flicker of joy in his heart. After returning to the village, he could better organize what he had learned. At the same time, it would be easier to further establish connections.
For example, Samui, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Surely, once he returned, the Cloud would receive intelligence about Yugito's rampage. They would undoubtedly try even harder to win him over.
There was a certain Nintaijutsu Kiyoshi had been eyeing for a long time. He would take this opportunity to squeeze it out of them!
***
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