A series of suppressed, low sobs lingered faintly in the air.
Guren brought a small bucket of water and moistened a white rag.
*Splash... splash...*
The sound of flowing water was constant. Guren was an insecure person, which made her incredibly diligent. To ensure she could remain by Kiyoshi's side, she spent every moment outside of her essential chakra refinement training working hard on whatever chores she could find.
"What is that sound?"
As she listened to the splashing of her own bucket, Guren felt like she could hear a second layer of water sounds. However, the source of that sound seemed further away than her own. Unable to make head or tail of it, Guren began scrubbing the floor.
"I remember Lord Kiyoshi saying I would awaken a Bloodline called [Crystal] Style."
Guren scrubbed the entire hallway floor until it was spotless, yet that lingering, low sound persisted. She paid it no mind, assuming it was just a bird circling the estate, letting out cries. In her leisure time, she extended her small, fair palm.
Her delicate face was tense, filled with a look of absolute seriousness. She attempted to refine the chakra within her body, drawing energy from every limb and the 130 trillion cells of the human form. Slowly, this chakra gathered at her hand through the meridian system.
It seemed to reach a tipping point.
There was a sudden, sharp gasp. The melodious, flowing sound was no longer low and muffled. Unfortunately, it was like a fleeting blossom, quickly subsiding back into a low drone. Guren looked at the pink crystal in her hand with delight.
Resting quietly in her palm was a diamond-shaped gemstone she had condensed using her chakra. It felt like an instinct—as natural as raising a hand or kicking a leg.
"This must be the [Crystal] Style Lord Kiyoshi spoke of."
Ignoring the noise in the mansion, Guren focused entirely on the pink crystal.
"Hehe, Lord Kiyoshi will surely praise me," she thought. This way, she would be more useful to him and certainly wouldn't be discarded.
*Hiss...*
The White Snake, which had been sleeping peacefully in a corner of the courtyard, slithered across the floor in a winding motion.
"Hey! I just finished those floors!" Guren jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of the snake. The pink crystal in her hand slipped and fell. Only a few millimeters in size, the tiny crystal seemed to vibrate against the floor in sync with a specific rhythm.
*Hiss...* The White Snake seemed to apologize before dragging its body across the floor toward the living room to continue its nap.
"That guy..." Guren gritted her teeth. Remembering that it was Lord Kiyoshi's esteemed summoned beast, she had no choice but to swallow her anger. She rinsed her rag and started over.
"But what is Lord Kiyoshi doing? Why is there suddenly so much noise? Is he practicing some incredibly powerful ninjutsu?"
...
"Finally... the aftermath of the Kanabi Bridge is complete."
Kiyoshi spoke to himself. He looked out the window. The night was no longer blurry; it was clearer than ever before. Every blade of grass in the courtyard swaying in the wind, every vein on the leaves, and every clinging dewdrop stood out vividly.
Swarms of insects circled in the air; their wing vibrations and the movement of their antennae were infinitely magnified. He could even capture the subtle changes of light refracting off their compound eyes.
His insight... had increased once again.
Within his eyes were three perfectly aligned tomoe, slowly rotating.
The Double Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
Kiyoshi had finally evolved both eyes. His right eye, which had been stuck at two tomoe, finally evolved after Rin Nohara became the final piece of the puzzle. The result of the completed puzzle was a massive surge in pupillary power.
*Chakra!*
Kiyoshi could feel the pupillary power from his eyes feeding back into his brain, which in turn generated a special type of chakra that radiated throughout his entire body.
Organs, nerves, bones, skin... everything felt as if a floodgate had opened. The Lightning Style body tempering, which had been at a standstill, saw another leap in progress.
Lightning woven from [Lightning Style: Iron Body] and [Lightning Style: Stream] traveled throughout his internal frame. Exaggerated currents, like neural pathways or blood vessels, coiled around him, forming a humanoid shape of electricity.
Within that, the purplish-red Moryo power and the repair effects of [Dark Medical Ninjutsu] worked to mend the destruction the currents caused to his physical flesh.
Everything had reached a brand-new stage!
If the physical limit of a human body is 10, most people, even with every possible method, can only reach an 8 or 9. Any higher results in permanent damage—much like Might Guy in the Gate of Death, who nearly ended the story by kicking Six Paths Madara.
Guy trained his [Eight Inner Gates Formation] for a lifetime, but his base physical state didn't increase much; only by opening the "Gates" could he temporarily exceed those limits.
Kiyoshi's training method, aided by his exquisite chakra control, acted like an accelerator. It could push him to an 8 or 9 rapidly, reaching the absolute peak of what a human could achieve at a given stage.
However, everyone's talent is woven into their genes at birth. The reason some people can never learn S-rank or A-rank ninjutsu is that their aptitude is insufficient. No matter how sharp their mind, they are limited by their flesh. The Uchiha, a uniquely blessed clan, could allow their bodies to rapidly synchronize with the "Power of the Heart."
Kiyoshi was an anomaly even among them. Whether it was due to his trait panel or his mixed blood, every evolution of his eyes brought a boost far greater than that of other Uchiha. This time was no different. He estimated the feedback from his pupillary power would continue for a long time. This signaled the start of a rapid growth period!
"Just in time. This increased strength will benefit my layout in the Land of Rain," Kiyoshi thought. After Obito's fall to the dark side, his first move would be to find Nagato and manipulate them. Danzo Shimura would also be stirring up trouble during that time, coordinating with Hanzo of the Salamander to suppress the Akatsuki for profit.
Konan's Paper Ninjutsu, Nagato's Rinnegan—they all had research value. Especially Konan; she was perhaps the most "rebellious" of women beneath a serious exterior, given her labret piercing and navel ring. If given the chance, Kiyoshi intended to help "correct" such delinquent behavior.
"Are you awake?"
By now, afternoon had turned into dusk, bordering on night. Warm lights flickered outside the window. The sounds of children playing in the streets and the chatter of families returning from work filled the air.
The Hidden Leaf Military Police Force was a respectable institutional job, so they strictly followed a nine-to-five schedule, divided into day and night shifts. Aside from captains and team leaders who might need to stay late for special cases, most Uchiha had returned home.
Rin Nohara remained silent. Her dilated pupils showed signs of focusing. After a long while, her vision cleared, no longer clouded by the previous muddled state. She dragged her hand, propping herself up, and followed Kiyoshi's gaze out the window. There were tens of thousands of lights out there, but not one belonged to her.
She had once sought a response from the light she desired, but the light had not answered... Even so, Rin decided to be someone who silently guarded that light. She believed that one day, she could move Kakashi's heart. But at that thought, her heart twisted again. How could she face Kakashi in this state? Yet, without this, how could she have saved his Sharingan?
Ultimately, Kakashi was someone people worried about. After all, he had a father who committed suicide. The "White Fang of the Leaf" was once so dazzling that even the Sannin stepped aside for him, yet one day, he died miserably by his own hand at home. As they say, "like father, like son"—who knew what would happen to Kakashi?
"I will handle the matter for you. Within a week, I will give you a result," Kiyoshi said, turning around.
"Okay..." Rin nodded numbly. The sound of her own voice startled her. It had never been so hoarse. All her energy and voice had been exhausted.
"Do you want to stay for dinner?"
"No... no need." Rin shook her head. She looked at the traces on the floor left after the 'Water Style training,' and a contradictory feeling surged in her heart. Desolation, attachment—a mix of emotions.
'Attachment?' Her face flickered. Propping herself up against the wall, she hurriedly said goodbye to Kiyoshi and walked out. Now, Kiyoshi would surely do his best to help her, and she wouldn't have to deal with the condemnation of her conscience. What she had paid was...
Kiyoshi walked to the window, watching Rin walk out the gate and down the street.
"The three-tomoe are in hand. The next step is the [Mangekyo Sharingan]," he thought. Now, his pupillary power was accumulating toward that stage. At that point, it wouldn't just be about physical feedback and basic strength; he would be granted a unique Mangekyo technique!
It is said that the Sharingan is the "Eye that Reflects the Heart," mirroring one's deepest desires. Kiyoshi looked forward to what his Mangekyo technique would be. As for the side effects, Obito and Danzo solved them using [Hashirama Cells].
According to Danzo, the [Yang] Style in the cells balanced the [Yin] Style of the Sharingan, allowing him to use an entire arm of eyes. Obito, too, used [Kamui] countless times because half his body was made of Hashirama cells.
Yang Style represents physical energy and vitality. Hashirama cells are the pinnacle of vitality, able to sprout a massive tree in seconds. Coincidentally, Kiyoshi's vitality was also surging, comparable to or even exceeding most members of the Uzumaki clan.
This vitality would likely minimize the side effects of his Mangekyo. Theoretically, if his vitality was high enough, he might not suffer any side effects at all—not to mention his trait panel.
"I should get used to using the three-tomoe first." Kiyoshi looked into the distance. His eyes were now sufficient to be used as binoculars. Under the feedback of pupillary power, his long-distance vision had also strengthened. As for how much of a boost the three-tomoe would truly provide, he lacked a real battle to test it.
"Guren." Kiyoshi went downstairs. His room was on the second floor; the mansion had three floors total. "Go clean my room."
"Yes, Lord Kiyoshi." Guren, who had just finished the floors, didn't dare delay and hurried to the second floor.
"Was a water glass knocked over?" Guren muttered to herself, looking at the messy floor. She began a new round of labor, using a wrung-out rag to deal with the moisture.
...
"Should I have been gentler to Rin?"
Kakashi felt some regret at home. At the end of the day, Rin was a kind girl. Letting her bear all this pressure alone was quite poor of him. A copy of *Icha Icha Paradise* covered Kakashi's face.
This unpublished book by Kiyoshi had almost become his spiritual pillar. Only the thrilling, yet warm and occasionally philosophical stories within could help him briefly forget the emptiness of reality.
"The left eye... it still hurts."
Kakashi covered his eye, put the book down, and went out. He wanted to clear his head alone.
"Rin?"
The streetlights on both sides of the road flickered to life. Among the crowd, Kakashi saw a familiar silhouette. Subconsciously, he called out. The person walking ahead slowly turned their head. It was indeed Rin.
"Kakashi, what a coincidence."
Rin's voice was hoarse—so much so that it had a slight pitch shift, sounding very strange. Kakashi keenly noticed this. He hurried through the crowd and stopped in front of her. The distance between them was only a meter. Kakashi stopped there, not taking another step. That small gap felt like a chasm separating them.
Rin looked up. The figures behind her were blurred, like phantoms; only Kakashi stood firmly in place. Her lips, which were fuller than usual, parted slightly as a few sounds escaped her throat.
She hesitated. She felt a surge of joy she wanted to share with him, to tell him not to be so pessimistic—Kiyoshi was willing to help, and with his status, he might solve the issue.
But everything that had happened with Kiyoshi felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over her. In this sweltering summer night, Rin felt a chill. The grievance was once again blocked in her throat, unable to be voiced.
Kakashi felt that Rin's posture was strange, yet he couldn't pinpoint why. He looked closer and realized she looked different from before. Like a green fruit that had finally taken the last step toward ripeness, hanging from a branch and emitting a fragrant aroma. Although Kakashi felt it was impolite, he felt that just by standing there, Rin had more "womanly charm" than before.
"Rin, we are still the best of comrades. I shouldn't have been like that today..."
"It's okay, Kakashi. It's okay," Rin said softly. Kakashi coming to apologize meant he still cared about her. That was enough.
"Thank you, Rin." A smile appeared on Kakashi's haggard face. He felt he had spoken too harshly; it was good that Rin understood. "I hope we can continue to be close in the future."
"I..." Looking at Kakashi's hopeful eyes, Rin didn't know what to say. Her heart ached again. If Kakashi knew she was no longer the same person she used to be, what would happen? Some things, once lost, are gone forever.
"I think so too." She lowered her head slightly, her short hair brushing against her reddened eyes as a silent tear fell.
"Ah, it seems some sand got in my eye..." Rin gently rubbed her eyes, trying her best to hide the trembling in her heart.
A flash of joy crossed Kakashi's slightly hollow eyes. In this brief pause, he seemed to find a shadow of their old friendship. The two continued to walk forward, their figures stretched thin under the streetlights. As they stepped, the two shadows seemed as if they could overlap, yet they remained parallel, never to intersect.
...
Land of Demons
"The Daimyo's illness is getting worse lately?" Miroku asked Doctor Sada. Doctor Sada was famous in the Land of Demons, Land of Swamps, and several other nations.
"It's no use." Sada shook his head. "The Daimyo is suffering from demonic possession. His lifespan has been greatly reduced, and his physical body has aged terribly. Even a slight cold is a major illness for him."
He chose his words carefully and continued, "The doctor who treated the Daimyo's injuries before was very skilled; perhaps you could invite him back. Otherwise, you would have to invite the famous Princess Tsunade."
Sada offered solutions to prevent the esteemed Priestess from venting her anger on him. He listed several renowned doctors and even mentioned Shinno. Hearing the list of names, Miroku sighed.
Her side would not simply allow themselves to be manipulated by Kiyoshi. They had searched for countless doctors, but there had been no progress. In fact, the money spent searching for these doctors far exceeded what they gave Kiyoshi.
But Kiyoshi only visited once in a long while. Currently, during the Great Ninja War, the ninjas were busy fighting enemies; who would care about the mission orders of a small country?
This was a time of survival! Unless a small country was willing to form an alliance and supply massive amounts of resources to help a major nation, the major nation wouldn't extend a hand.
"You may leave." Miroku rubbed her brow, an unshakeable worry lingering in her expression. Her majestic, ethereal face carried a sense of compassion for the world.
"Yes, Lady Priestess." Sada bowed respectfully and left the shrine. After he left, a female guard brought a letter to Miroku. The envelope was heavy, containing something.
"This is a letter sent by Uchiha Kiyoshi from the Hidden Leaf Village."
"I understand."
Miroku dismissed the guard and, out of curiosity, opened the envelope. Inside was an ordinary kunai with mysterious black formula patterns drawn on the handle. Below it was a letter stating this was a gift for Miroku.
"What is that guy thinking?" Miroku frowned slightly. Uchiha Kiyoshi didn't seem like the type to send gifts for no reason. But she couldn't imagine what use this kunai had. She casually put the kunai down and removed her priestess robes. Beneath them, she wore only a thin undershirt, which clung to her graceful, curvaceous lines. Miroku soon fell into a dream.
...
Early Morning.
"Sleeping so early?"
While Miroku was in a daze, a sudden voice jolted her from her dream. She opened her eyes to see Uchiha Kiyoshi's face.
"!"
Miroku clutched her blanket and leaned back, nearly falling off the bed. Seeing the esteemed Lady Priestess startled into such a disheveled state made Kiyoshi laugh.
"How... how did you do it?" Miroku's gaze swept the room and found Kiyoshi holding that kunai. The very one he said was a gift.
"Wait, this is..." Miroku seemed to remember something, searching her memory. She blurted out, "Isn't this that Minato Namikaze's [Flying Raijin Jutsu]?"
She remembered him using such a ninjutsu. But it seemed to have a limited range. The Land of Demons was separated from the Land of Fire by countless nations; could he cross that distance in an instant with such a jutsu?
"To be precise, this is the Second Hokage's jutsu." Kiyoshi corrected her. He wandered around the simple room and hung the kunai on the beam of Miroku's ceiling. While she was sleeping, Kiyoshi had placed backup kunai in other locations.
Miroku ignored his behavior, set the blanket down, and walked up to him. "The Daimyo has fallen seriously ill again. I hope you can treat him." Her tone was low.
"Then you should know what I want," Kiyoshi said calmly. He had mostly learned the Priestess Sealing Techniques. What he lacked was the Priestess's chakra.
His own chakra had already mutated under the influence of [Trait: Reincarnated Priestess (Blue)], gaining a 40% Demon-Slaying effect. But that wasn't enough; Kiyoshi wanted more.
The Demon-Slaying attribute could likely suppress the power of Tailed Beasts; Kiyoshi would not give it up. In the ninja world, there wasn't just one Ten-Tails! A second Ten-Tails existed—the one held by Isshiki Otsutsuki. A Tailed Beast is ultimately a massive clump of chakra that can be split or recreated.
Isshiki's Ten-Tails was imprisoned in another dimension; later, due to certain events, it was split into countless clones that even evolved and gained consciousness, known as the "God Tree People." Like the nine Tailed Beasts, they possessed intelligence and thought. Moreover, their bodies weren't in an archaic beast form but a highly condensed humanoid form!
It is common knowledge that a Jinchuriki is stronger than a wild Tailed Beast due to efficiency. Naruto and Kurama were perfect Jinchuriki, performing better than Madara and Kurama. Those Ten-Tails "God Tree People" were essentially perfect Jinchuriki with Rinnegan.
Sasuke was eventually sealed on a tree, merging with the God Tree. In the face of such a crisis in the future, Kiyoshi naturally wanted to max out his Demon-Slaying chakra attribute. In the later stages, genjutsu would have little effect on enemies of that level.
"I can give you money." The Lady Priestess replied almost without hesitation. Money was useless to her as long as she could save the Daimyo.
"Not just money. I want a batch of advanced medical equipment." Kiyoshi handed a list to Miroku. These devices were expensive and difficult to acquire. This was why Orochimaru worked for Danzo; scientific research required a financier.
Since Kiyoshi could control Miroku, he didn't need to associate with Danzo like Orochimaru or provide experimental results. Otherwise, the probability of Danzo successfully transplanting so many Sharingan using Hashirama's arm would be nearly zero.
"...Fine." Miroku nodded. The items on the list were indeed expensive and would put pressure on the Land of Demons' treasury. They were a small country, unable to match the economy of a major nation.
But as long as Kiyoshi could treat the Daimyo, it wasn't a problem. The current situation in the Land of Demons was stable, hidden in a remote corner and avoiding the Great Ninja War. With the people living in peace, the money could be earned back soon.
"Very good." Kiyoshi smiled slightly. Working to save money and then using connections to buy equipment would waste too much time. Now, it was just a matter of a single sentence. "I have one last request. I need your chakra."
By combining the Priestess's chakra with his own mutated chakra and finding the commonality, he could accelerate the research. It might even speed up the Moryo power experiments. After all, the Priestess's chakra naturally suppressed Moryo's chakra, and legends said they were once one.
"My chakra?" Miroku's frown deepened. She had already given him the sealing techniques, but now he wanted her chakra. Moryo's physical body was also with Kiyoshi. Did he have some ulterior motive?
"Don't push your luck." Her tone grew colder, her majesty peaking.
Had it been a citizen of the Land of Demons, they would have likely knelt in apology. Unfortunately, Kiyoshi was a man of Konoha. He stepped closer to Miroku. Her thin undershirt wasn't enough to cover her entire body; it was like tight underwear. Without the large, heavy outer robe as a cover, she wore white stockings of the same color as the undershirt.
The stockings weren't long or short, wrapping her thighs tightly and highlighting the soft flesh, looking incredibly seductive. The only downside was that they were too plain, lacking any ornaments, likely being traditional priestess attire.
Priestess Miroku's eyes showed a hint of nervousness as she looked up at Kiyoshi. Having not seen him for a while, he seemed to have grown taller and more handsome.
"Lady Priestess, the Daimyo has come to see you."
Outside the room came the guard's voice. Miroku's nervous expression turned to panic. If the Daimyo and the guards burst in, Uchiha Kiyoshi's presence would be impossible to explain.
It would deal a fatal blow to the priestess's reputation built over a thousand years! Miroku would never allow that. She hurriedly shouted toward the door, "Let the Daimyo wait a moment; I am changing into my robes."
"But... the Daimyo has already arrived." The guard finished. In the distance, the sound of footsteps could be heard.
"Miroku... *cough, cough*..." The Daimyo's voice was old and clouded, accompanied by coughing.
"It seems the Daimyo has aged even more since my last visit," Kiyoshi said. While the Moryo power had aged his body, his spirit had also aged. Suddenly turning from a young body to a decrepit old one requires great mental fortitude—something a pampered Daimyo lacked.
Miroku ignored Kiyoshi, hurriedly throwing on her Robe and putting on her crown. As she was about to tie her belt and leave, Kiyoshi grabbed her from behind.
*Creak...* The door opened a sliver. Outside, the sky was just beginning to brighten with the first light of dawn. The mountains swayed in the wind, and the air was fresh. The Daimyo's wrinkled face showed a hint of excitement. The daily pain made him want nothing more than to see the Priestess of his dreams—she had become his greatest spiritual pillar.
"Miroku..." he called. A beautiful day began with seeing the Priestess. However, after waiting a few seconds, he found the door remained motionless.
"Miroku?" he called again, this time with a hint of confusion.
"One moment. I forgot something; please wait." Miroku's body was slightly stiff. She looked back at Kiyoshi, her beautiful eyes glaring at him as she tried to push him away from behind her.
"You won't mind if I take a bit of chakra, will you?" Kiyoshi's mouth curled into an arc. He was just thinking of a reason to make her hand it over, and here was the perfect opportunity.
"No, absolutely not. The Priestess's chakra cannot be leaked." Miroku refused flatly. Giving him the sealing techniques was her limit; now he wanted her chakra too. If he used her chakra to do something to Moryo, it would be disastrous.
After the Daimyo's incident, Miroku had become much more cautious with the handling of power. In her eyes, Kiyoshi was clearly someone on a crooked path, capable of anything.
"You wouldn't want the Daimyo or the people outside to see me here, would you?" Kiyoshi lowered his head, whispering into Miroku's ear. His hot breath hit her skin, causing a wave of goosebumps.
"You...!" Miroku's elegant face turned red with anger. This guy was truly as shameless as ever! He was actually using that reason to threaten her.
"Lady Priestess." The guard, seeing the Daimyo was getting tired of waiting, quickly stepped up with another guard to support him.
"Hmph." Miroku could only let out a heavy huff to vent her dissatisfaction, keeping the sound within the room. "Fine, take it. But you must treat the Daimyo's illness."
"No problem." Kiyoshi handed a bottle of medicine to Miroku, then summoned his ninja sword, asking her to input chakra into the red stone embedded in the hilt.
This was the red stone from Miroku's bell artifact; Kiyoshi had disassembled it and forged it into his sword. The stone originally stored some priestess chakra, but it would diminish with every use. Now that little was left, Miroku had to input new chakra.
"Very good." After finishing, Kiyoshi nodded with satisfaction. The matters in the Land of Demons could take a break for now. As for a "deeper" relationship with the Priestess, that could wait until the experimental base was on track. "Well then, until next time, Lady Priestess."
Kiyoshi made a polite bowing gesture, pinched Miroku, and vanished.
"That guy!" Miroku was furious, her heart pounding and her face flushed. She took several deep breaths, opened the door, and said in a natural voice, "I am coming, Lord Daimyo."
Miroku walked out, her posture echoing the ethereal sanctity of a priestess.
"Good morning, Miroku." Seeing her sacred appearance, the Daimyo's wrinkled face crinkled like a chrysanthemum. Suddenly, he noticed a crease on the back of her robes. The shape looked as if someone had pinched it.
"I must have come too early today, and Miroku didn't have time to straighten up," the Daimyo thought, finding a suitable reason. What else could it be? He didn't believe anyone could sneak into the shrine undetected.
The area behind the shrine was the Priestess's private rest area; ordinary people didn't even have the right to approach it. This showed that the Priestess of the Land of Demons held a status unlike priestesses in other nations.
"*Cough, cough*..." The Daimyo coughed. Miroku handed him the medicine Kiyoshi gave her, saying it was a leftover from last time. She subconsciously glanced back at the empty room. Had she known, she would have let Kiyoshi stay—as long as he didn't leave her room.
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666