Kakashi turned his head.
The hospital room he was in had good lighting, and through the window, he could see the distant Hokage Rock. The statues of the past Hokage stood tall upon it.
"Father… I'm starting to understand you," Kakashi murmured.
As a child, he didn't understand why his father would abandon a mission for his comrades.
"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."
That was a sentence Obito had said to him when he went to catch up with him. If it hadn't been for his hesitation, Obito's end might not have been dying under cold rocks in a foreign land.
He was the one who killed Obito…
Staring at the unchanging Hokage Rock outside the window, Kakashi covered his aching left eye.
...
"Rin, you're back?"
When Rin Nohara returned home, she was met with her parents' greetings. Her parents were from a very ordinary family—commoners, as they were called.
Rin nodded and went into her room alone. She took some fresh clothes and began to bathe.
*Splash…*
Hot water fell from the showerhead, flowing over her slightly youthful body. Hazy mist rose in the bathroom, making everything look blurry.
"…It feels like I'm getting hotter the more I wash."
Rin changed the hot water to ice-cold water. But even that couldn't extinguish her internal heat. It kept getting hotter, as if a fire was being suppressed inside her. Under the flushing of the cold water, she felt a sense of comfort.
Rin noticed this.
"It seems my stress is getting higher and higher."
People are like springs. Once pressure is applied, they need to decompress. But the matter with Kakashi prevented Rin from ever feeling at peace.
Rin thought of Kiyoshi.
As the saying goes, a doctor cannot heal themselves. If she had time, perhaps she should go find Kiyoshi to help her regulate her condition.
...
That night.
A secret gathering beneath the Naka Shrine.
"Captain Fugaku! The Sharingan must absolutely not fall into the hands of an outsider!"
Uchiha Yakumi's tone was intense. The Sharingan was the proof of the Uchiha clan. If it were leaked out, it would inevitably attract the greed of many people. It would be one thing if Kakashi became useless because of the Sharingan—that would serve as a warning that not just anyone can transplant it.
But if Kakashi, after recovering, used that eye to flourish or even advance further, it would strike a blow to the outside world's perception. The Sharingan would be seen as a hot-swappable plug-in!
When the Uchiha clan went out on missions, they would attract the greedy gazes of countless outsiders.
"I know. Don't be too agitated, Yakumi."
Uchiha Fugaku waved his hand, signaling Yakumi to calm down. Fundamentally, he didn't want to blow things out of proportion. Once things got out of hand, the Uchiha would become further alienated from the village. He himself was currently at the center of a storm, with voices slandering him constantly.
"Kiyoshi, you're in the ANBU. What does the village think?" Fugaku asked.
Most Uchiha worked in the Leaf Military Police Force. Even when they went on missions or participated in the war, it was in small squads. Kiyoshi was the only one holding a public office in the village. Although the Police Force was an important part of the village's security, it was still a bit far from the true core of power.
Thus, Kiyoshi had become the eyes and ears of the Uchiha—an important channel for the clan to listen to the village. Similarly, Danzo Shimura likely hadn't replaced Uchiha Harakawa yet and had only placed some surveillance. If the village higher-ups wanted to listen to the Uchiha, they also had to go through Kiyoshi.
Sometimes, what is seen through surveillance and what is told personally are two different conclusions. To understand the Uchiha, one still had to find a trustworthy Uchiha. That was the essence of being a bridge.
"The village's intention is likely to let Kakashi keep the Sharingan. After all, it was a gift from Obito for Kakashi becoming a Jonin. Kakashi is a hero of this war, and also… the son of the White Fang."
Kiyoshi spoke plainly. Sakumo Hatake's influence was indeed massive—so massive that decades after his death, even the Daimyo could remember him. Mentioning Kakashi, the first reaction was "son of the White Fang" rather than Kakashi's personal achievements.
"…The White Fang's child."
Uchiha Fugaku sighed. It was because of such considerations that he didn't want to blow things up. No one could have predicted Sakumo Hatake's suicide. But since he had committed suicide, and was a hero who had made countless contributions to the village, the village would feel it was in the wrong.
Thus, there would be some compensation for Kakashi, to avoid making other ninjas who sacrificed for the village think twice. The village's attitude regarding Kakashi holding the Sharingan was obvious.
"Hmph, then what if the Sharingan is lost to the outside?"
Uchiha Yashiro spoke. He was one of Fugaku's most capable confidants, but his personal views were more "Hawkish." Any factor that endangered the interests of the Uchiha clan had to be eliminated!
"Lord Fugaku, in my view, since we are in the middle of a war, it's better to be a bit more cautious."
Kiyoshi spoke again. The gazes of the other clansmen shifted to him. Today's Kiyoshi had transformed from a transparent presence at the start to someone whose words held significant weight. Whether it was his identity as a bridge or his own talent and strength, he was enough to convince the crowd.
Even Kiyoshi's youth was no longer a flaw of shallow experience, but rather a further testament to his genius!
"The Third is already old. After the war ends, a new Hokage should be chosen. This happens to be an opportunity for our Uchiha clan," Kiyoshi said.
The Uchiha wouldn't actually have an opportunity. In the original story's Hokage selection meeting, they didn't even have the qualification for nomination. Kiyoshi said this to plan for greater interests. If the Uchiha broke with the village at this stage, it wouldn't end well. Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya, and even Orochimaru were not to be trifled with.
It was better to let the Uchiha believe they had hope for the Hokage position. By the time the selection arrived, Kiyoshi's strength would have developed even further. At that time, for the sake of the Uchiha's movements and to appease a powerhouse like him, the village would surely give more benefits.
These would all become nourishment for Kiyoshi's growth. Once he was strong enough to flip the table, there would be one more statue on the Hokage Rock.
"That makes sense."
Upon hearing this, Fugaku was indeed moved. His greatest wish was to become Hokage. If he could trade this favor for an increased chance of becoming Hokage, it would naturally be a profitable deal. It could also show the other clans the Uchiha's broad-mindedness, improving their poor reputation.
Seeing Kiyoshi throw out such a grand reason, the other clansmen couldn't say much more.
"But we Uchiha must take a stance," Fugaku said.
He then arranged for several Uchiha to be responsible for expressing the clan's attitude to the village higher-ups and Kakashi. Things obtained too easily are never cherished. Therefore, they needed to first show how difficult it was, and then concede. What Kiyoshi had to do was time this perfectly to get what he wanted.
...
Two days passed in a flash.
"Finally, I've expanded the scale to the size I envisioned."
Kiyoshi took a breath. He put down the kunai marked with the [Flying Thunder God Formula] and hung it in a quiet room. In addition to this spot, Kiyoshi had set up several other hidden locations. These were all necessary coordinate points for performing the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu].
"The equipment in the lab ultimately cannot be taken away. I need to purchase a batch of my own experimental equipment."
Kiyoshi walked out of the quiet room and got a cup of water in the living room. Uzumaki Karī had been temporarily placed in the experimental base in the Land of Grass.
Ringo Ameyuri had stayed there for two days and had already returned to the Hidden Mist. The place Kiyoshi built was very hidden and set with many paper bomb traps. As long as Karī didn't wander around, her safety wouldn't be a major issue.
"Should I go find Orochimaru, or go to the Land of Demons to purchase a batch of equipment?"
Kiyoshi rubbed the smooth wall of the cup. If he went to find Orochimaru for such a large purchase, Orochimaru would surely be curious, leading to unnecessary probing. As for the Land of Demons, he could try using the name of the Priestess.
"Forget it, Orochimaru did mention letting me go to Ryuchi Cave."
Kiyoshi shook his head. He planned to find Orochimaru after the matter with Rin Nohara was finished. Orochimaru happened to be out on a mission during this period; he had to wait for his return.
"Hiss…"
The White Snake crawled out of Kiyoshi's sleeve and habitually lay like a corpse on the cool floor. Summoning beasts grew very fast. Once they passed the "Infancy," they would enter a rapid "Growth Phase." Her body's thickness alone was already greater than a carriage, and her length could coil around Kiyoshi's house several times.
Her current size was the result of the White Snake using [Transformation Jutsu] to suppress it. Otherwise, it would be too conspicuous and inconvenient. But her true body was still a bit smaller than Orochimaru's summon, Manda; there was still plenty of room for growth.
While thinking, Kiyoshi opened the Trait panel. These past few days of traveling back and forth between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire, constantly exhausting his chakra and recovering with food pills, had earned Kiyoshi two decent Blue Traits.
The first was the [Spring of the Earth (Blue)] Trait. The requirement was to exhaust chakra to only 1% left within a single day, repeated ten times. The effect was that when chakra was below 10%, the recovery speed of chakra would be increased by 40%.
There was also a Trait called [Gluttonous Maw (Blue)]. The requirement corresponded with the above Trait, requiring the use of food pills to recover chakra from 1% ten times in a day. If it weren't for Kiyoshi's amazing physique, others would feel dizzy and mentally exhausted even if their chakra only dropped to 5%, let alone 1%.
One must know that once chakra drops to 0%, a person will die of exhaustion. In the battle at the Final Valley, Naruto and Sasuke nearly died of exhaustion, forced to resort to physical brawling at the end. Forcing refinement only leads to death. Both waited for their chakra to recover slightly before using one final move to decide the winner.
"This is quite good."
Kiyoshi looked at the text on the Trait panel, closed it, and casually swallowed a food pill. The effect of [Gluttonous Maw (Blue)] allowed Kiyoshi to constantly strengthen his physical energy by eating, storing it in his cells without changing his body shape.
This was very similar to the Akimichi clan's secret techniques, using a special calorie control method to gather all strength into one's body. At critical moments, the calories accumulated during heavy eating could be converted into energy, significantly boosting his physical functions. Choji Akimichi's "Butterfly Choji Mode" worked on this principle.
"Time to find Kakashi."
Kiyoshi called out to the White Snake. The snake slid into his sleeve in a flash. Kakashi was being discharged today and was just in time to join the ANBU.
...
Before long, Kiyoshi passed a small fish pond and arrived at a wide estate. Kakashi's home looked quite a bit more dilapidated than before, likely because Kakashi didn't have the heart to maintain it.
"Let's go, Kakashi."
Kiyoshi called out. Kakashi pushed the door open and came out. His mental state seemed a bit better than in the hospital, but he still looked haggard. The two went to the ANBU together.
"Kiyoshi, is this the new junior?"
A masked ANBU ninja looked at the Kakashi that Kiyoshi had brought.
"Yes, he is Kakashi Hatake, our new comrade."
Kiyoshi said. Although he didn't perform many ANBU missions and spent most of his time on the battlefield, he had met some new comrades.
"Hatake…"
That ANBU ninja thought of something. Kakashi watched expressionlessly as Kiyoshi handled the negotiations. Afterward, Kiyoshi took Kakashi to receive his equipment and get a red tattoo on his arm.
As they were about to leave, a figure walked down the end of the corridor. Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed slightly. It was Danzo Shimura.
"Kiyoshi Uchiha, this should be our first formal meeting."
Danzo Shimura paused, then looked at Kakashi and said, "And you, Kakashi Hatake."
"I wonder what business Lord Danzo has with us?"
Kiyoshi looked at Danzo Shimura with a calm expression. With the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu], even if he couldn't beat Danzo, he could outrun him. Furthermore, he had the [Orochimaru-Style Substitution Jutsu] to withstand several fatal injuries. In other words, even if Danzo set an ambush to assassinate him, he could escape.
However, given Danzo's personality, he would only act secretly in the shadows. Facing him directly was actually safer. After all, Danzo's biggest trump card was the [Reverse Four Symbols Sealing], and besides that, at most he had transplanted one Sharingan and could use [Izanagi] once. A man who cherished his life like Danzo wouldn't strike easily.
"Not bad, I admire you."
Danzo looked at Kiyoshi. This Uchiha showed no fear at all in front of him. This was rare even among the Uchiha. He was the leader who controlled Root. Ordinary ninjas might not know of his existence, but those Uchiha from major clans couldn't possibly not know.
"You will only be buried under Hiruzen. Why not come to me?"
Danzo extended his hand. To deal with the Uchiha, it was best to cultivate an Uchiha from within. Kiyoshi's talent was so outstanding that Danzo, who had planned to recruit him later, decided to advance his plan.
"The Orochimaru you admire also has deep relations with me."
Seeing Kiyoshi remain silent for a while, Danzo threw out a bait. Root had some understanding of Kiyoshi and knew he had been in contact with Orochimaru. The two had even conducted some research together. It was only natural for a youth like Kiyoshi to admire one of the Sannin.
"..."
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes widened slightly. Was this… the village higher-ups extending an olive branch to Kiyoshi? Kakashi wondered in his heart. He thought to himself that Kiyoshi was indeed amazing. Then he thought of his own failure and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Whether as a ninja or as a person, he was falling further and further behind Kiyoshi.
"That won't be necessary, Lord Danzo."
Kiyoshi used respectful language, but there was no look of respect on his face. Following Danzo? Waiting to be branded with the [Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal]? Danzo finding him now was nothing more than the same plan he had for Itachi—wanting to use him to deal with the Uchiha.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave, Lord Danzo."
With that, Kiyoshi stepped aside and passed Danzo. He also gave Kakashi a hand signal. A trace of doubt flashed in Kakashi's eyes, not understanding why Kiyoshi rejected Danzo, who appeared to be a village higher-up.
Without much hesitation, Kakashi followed Kiyoshi out. Kiyoshi was considered his ANBU senior now, so he naturally had to listen to Kiyoshi's advice.
"Hmph, as expected of the naturally evil Uchiha."
Left alone, Danzo's face turned grim. This fellow Kiyoshi Uchiha actually ignored him like that.
"Nono…"
Danzo suddenly thought of someone. If he remembered correctly, Nono Yakushi was Kiyoshi's teacher. If he brought Nono Yakushi back, perhaps he could use her to restrain Kiyoshi Uchiha.
The Uchiha clan was a demonic clan, but also a "clan of love." This sounded contradictory to their evil, but it was actually because they had too much love in their hearts, which turned into hatred.
Danzo deeply remembered the teachings of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. According to this theory, Kiyoshi Uchiha should also be one who valued emotions. Coincidentally, Leaf recently needed excellent spies to infiltrate enemy countries. He had already had the idea of bringing Nono Yakushi back.
"Ryoma, go investigate the information on Nono Yakushi's orphanage."
Returning to Root, Danzo immediately called his capable subordinate.
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Aburame Ryoma nodded respectfully.
...
After going out, Kiyoshi chatted briefly with Kakashi and then returned home. For the next few days, Kiyoshi rested at home. He had already obtained the [Lightning Style Jonin (Purple)] Trait, and he still had to get Traits like [Fire Style Jonin (Purple)] and [Kenjutsu Jonin (Purple)] to see if he could trigger even higher-level Traits.
The Moryo Power experiment in the Land of Grass also had to keep up. To save time, he even wrote a letter to other ninjas and sent the letter along with a specially made kunai to the Land of Demons.
In the shinobi world, there was a special type of ninja called "Postal Ninja," primarily responsible for transporting mail between countries or villages. Kiyoshi only said that the kunai was a souvenir for Miroku, so there was no need to worry about the risk of leakage.
Just as Kiyoshi finished organizing his next plans and intended to continue optimizing the [Shadow Clone Jutsu] to improve his learning efficiency, someone visited his door. A smile of anticipation flashed at the corner of Kiyoshi's mouth. He already knew who it was.
The White Snake slithered her white body and opened the main door with her flexible tail. She then pointed toward the room with her tail. With her current intelligence, she could only do these simple things.
Perhaps because she came from the Summoning Island, Kiyoshi always felt the White Snake was a bit silly. Fortunately, her physical body grew faster than ordinary summons, making her quite useful for large-scale clearing of fodder.
"Sit down, Rin."
Kiyoshi made a gesture of invitation. Seeing Kiyoshi being so polite, Rin Nohara actually felt uneasy in her heart.
"Rin, have you encountered some difficulty?" Kiyoshi asked knowingly.
Rin hesitated for a moment and slowly nodded. These past two days, she had heard the rumors in the village, with some voices shouting for Kakashi to return the Sharingan.
"It's… it's about Kakashi's Sharingan." Rin said in a low voice.
"Oh, that matter."
Kiyoshi acted as if he had just realized. In his heart, he thought that some Uchiha had likely gone to pressure Kakashi. And this kind of thing, besides the Uchiha, other clans with bloodlines were also very wary.
For example, the Hyuga clan, another major dōjutsu clan, had many members clamoring that Kakashi should return the Sharingan. They didn't want to see someone walking around with a Byakugan, so the precedent for transplanting bloodlines absolutely could not be set.
"Rin, you must know that this matter has significant implications. The people in the clan are very concerned about it."
Kiyoshi tapped his finger on the table. He spoke about the radical side of the Uchiha clan regarding this matter. Kiyoshi only selectively told some truths.
The people in the clan had always been concerned, but it was just that the anticipation of the Uchiha potentially producing a Hokage allowed the dissatisfaction to be suppressed. If things didn't go as desired when the time came, it would likely lead to an even more intense backlash.
At this time, Guren, wearing a clean little dress, served two cups of tea.
"Lord Kiyoshi, tea."
"Your tea ceremony has improved a lot. Keep working hard."
Kiyoshi took a shallow sip. Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Guren's little face, and she carefully took the tray and waited in the kitchen. Sensible children are better at observing expressions than ordinary people. She knew when she could stay in the living room with Kiyoshi and when she couldn't.
Kiyoshi nodded in satisfaction. It wasn't in vain that he picked her up from outside. No wonder Orochimaru would use Guren as the primary vessel; this self-awareness was indeed quite good.
Rin felt ashamed after hearing this, embarrassed to look at Kiyoshi or Guren. She knew this matter had major implications and that she shouldn't have sought out Kiyoshi, whose stance was with the Uchiha. But thinking of Kakashi's dejected state, Rin braced herself and wanted Kiyoshi to say some good words to the other Uchiha.
"I know, but that was Obito's final wish…"
Rin's tone carried a plea. She really didn't want the bond between Kakashi and Obito to be destroyed like that. She also wanted Kakashi to have the motivation to continue living. She was truly afraid that Kakashi would follow in his father's footsteps.
"Fine, I will do my best to try."
Kiyoshi said with difficulty. Whenever someone asks for a favor, one must act as if it is extremely difficult. Such an effect is best.
Seeing Kiyoshi like this, the innocent and kind Rin couldn't help but feel some guilt. Aside from the period when Kiyoshi first came to school and Rin helped him learn some basics, Kiyoshi had been the one helping her.
In the end, she still troubled Kiyoshi like this. Was there anything she could do to help Kiyoshi? A question flashed in Rin's mind.
"Kiyoshi, thank you."
Rin thanked him sincerely. She finally raised her eyes to look at Kiyoshi. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she actually felt that Kiyoshi's gaze was somewhat burning. Rin, with her clear and beautiful looks, had never lacked admirers since she was a child. She was very familiar with this kind of gaze.
(T/N:- I can imagine him like that unhinged sukuna art. 😂)
Suddenly, a memory of what Kiyoshi and Samui did flashed in Rin's mind. That scene that had shocked her worldview was still vividly remembered.
Could Kiyoshi be…