"One must take things one step at a time," Kiyohara thought, his mind racing with plans.
First, he needed to accumulate enough military merit to officially exchange for a B-Rank Lightning Release jutsu, fulfilling the Iwa Spirit's first dying wish. At the same time, he needed to use his mission deployments to scout for any lone Steel Release users from the Hidden Stone.
Night. A temporary training ground on the outskirts of the outpost.
Two figures were rapidly crossing paths in the moonlight.
Kiyohara and Kakashi were conducting a nighttime, high-intensity sparring session.
Fine, dust-like black iron sand floated all around Kiyohara, forming a massive, shifting cloud.
He rapidly formed hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Flow Technique!"
Crackle!
The electric arcs did not cover Kiyohara's kunai or his sword. Instead, the high-voltage current was infused directly into the massive cloud of floating iron sand. In an instant, dazzling azure electric sparks leapt wildly within the black mist, crackling with a deafening roar.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shower!"
With a violent wave of Kiyohara's hand, the lightning-infused iron sand, like a commanded swarm of angry wasps, whistled through the air and shot toward Kakashi, blotting out the sky!
The spread was immense, covering almost all of Kakashi's conventional evasion routes.
Facing the electrified barrage, Kakashi pushed his headband up, revealing his crimson Sharingan with its two rotating tomoe.
The Sharingan spun incessantly. Its terrifying dynamic vision captured the trajectory of every single grain of electrified iron sand, instantly processing their speed, angle, and lethal density.
Just as the lightning sand was about to shred him, Kakashi moved.
His body wove flawlessly through the microscopic gaps in the dense iron swarm, twisting, retreating, and pivoting with inhuman precision. A few stray grains of sand that penetrated his defensive circle grazed his flak jacket, leaving faint, smoking burn marks, but failed to cause any substantial damage.
'The precognitive insight of the Sharingan is incredibly troublesome,' Kiyohara thought.
He wasn't discouraged. He simply concentrated harder, micro-adjusting the magnetic field to change the sand's formation mid-flight.
Kakashi was equally hyper-focused, and the two traded lethal blows back and forth for several minutes.
At the edge of the training ground, Rin sat quietly on a rock, her chin resting in her hands as she watched them spar. The moonlight shone on her delicate face, outlining her soft silhouette.
'This scene... it feels like going back to the old days,' Rin thought sadly.
She remembered when she would watch from the sidelines as Obito noisily challenged Kakashi to a duel, only to get beaten black and blue, before picking himself up and stubbornly refusing to admit defeat.
But now, that hot-blooded, impulsive boy was gone. He had been replaced by the calm, calculating Kiyohara, whose lethal methods seemed endless.
'Kiyohara... he's completely different from Obito,' Rin thought silently. 'Stronger. Quieter. And... more handsome.'
The stray thought made her cheeks flush slightly, and she quickly shook her head to banish it.
The spar lasted for over ten minutes, stopping only when both boys had consumed the vast majority of their chakra reserves and stood panting in the dirt.
"Kiyohara... the speed at which you are getting stronger... is too fast," Kakashi breathed heavily, pulling his headband back down to cover his Sharingan.
"It's just that I've spent more time on cultivation," Kiyohara replied smoothly.
Kakashi nodded. In his impression, Kiyohara was indeed a person who was both exceptionally talented and worked brutally hard.
"I'll head back to rest first," Kakashi said. The Sharingan was constantly draining his chakra, meaning he fatigued much faster than a standard ninja.
"Kakashi... wait. I have something I want to say to you," Rin stood up from the rock and hurried after him.
"Is something the matter?" Kakashi turned back, his lone eye looking at her blankly.
"I want to ask you... why? Ever since Obito died, you've rarely trained with me. You barely even talk to me," Rin asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Before Kakashi became obsessed with perfecting his Chidori, the three of them had been inseparable. She had thought that once Kakashi finished his jutsu, things could go back to the way they were. Who would have expected that Obito would be crushed under a boulder at Kannabi Bridge?
Since that day, Kakashi had become increasingly silent, only caring about his own solitary training.
"Because Obito entrusted you to me," Kakashi replied in a dead, hollow voice. "Even if I die, I must protect you."
"But—"
"Rin. Obito... he loved you. He loved you very much, and he valued you above his own life."
Rin listened to Kakashi's blunt words, not knowing how to respond. Obito liked her, yes, but what did that have to do with Kakashi freezing her out?
"And I... I am just scum," Kakashi shook his head, staring at the dirt. "I am trash who was willing to abandon you and watch you die just to complete the mission."
Even though Rin had forgiven him, Kakashi hadn't forgiven himself. He had chosen to prioritize the mission over her life. It was only after Obito yelled at him that he realized comrades were far more important than the rules.
That realization had planted a poisonous thorn of guilt in Kakashi's heart.
Rin watched Kakashi turn and walk away into the dark. Her lips moved slightly, wanting to call out to him, but the words died in her throat. She sighed softly, a hint of deep disappointment flashing across her face.
Why was it that, even though they had survived, their bond had completely shattered after Obito's death?
'What a melodramatic love triangle,' Kiyohara shook his head, watching the scene from afar.
Even without hearing every word, he could easily guess what had just happened.
Kiyohara recovered a bit of chakra and began converting it into magnetic force, probing the earth beneath the training ground.
He planned to refine some of the ambient iron sand for his daily jutsu usage. The excess, he intended to sell for cash. In the civilian market, high-density iron sand could be sold in bulk as a raw mineral resource.
He swept the area for a while, and thanks to the specific geography of the outpost, he managed to extract a massive quantity.
To his surprise, Rin walked back into the clearing.
"Kiyohara... let me help you look," she said softly, squatting down to help him sift through the dirt for the black iron sand he had magnetically pulled to the surface.
"Thanks," Kiyohara didn't refuse. He could sense that Rin desperately needed a menial task to distract herself.
The two collected the sand in silence for a while. The atmosphere was heavy.
Finally, Rin couldn't hold it in anymore. "Kiyohara... do you think Kakashi... will never be able to forget Obito?"
Kiyohara's hands paused. He turned his head to look at her. Under the moonlight, she kept her head down, her long eyelashes concealing the profound sadness in her eyes.
'As expected. It's because of this,' Kiyohara understood instantly.
Right now, Rin simply had a massive crush on Kakashi. But this crush had died before it even had a chance to bloom, because Kakashi was emotionally crippled by survivor's guilt.
He thought for a moment, deciding to be pragmatic. "Don't be sad, Rin. Kakashi... hasn't moved on from Kannabi Bridge. That Sharingan in his left eye isn't just a weapon; it's a massive, physical reminder of his guilt and Obito's final request."
"When he looks at you, he doesn't see a teammate. He unconsciously thinks of Obito's dying wish. So, it's inevitable that his feelings are complicated, and he pushes you away to avoid the guilt."
"I'm... not sad," Rin lied softly.
Hearing this, Kiyohara couldn't help but smile, pointing directly at her face. "Your worries are literally written all over your face, Rin. Besides, anyone with half a brain could guess the gist of the Obito situation."
"Are my emotions really that obvious?" Rin touched her cheek, startled.
Kiyohara paused, delivering his next line half-jokingly, half-seriously. "A girl as beautiful and kind as you will naturally attract a lot of attention. So, it's quite normal for people to notice your emotions and read what's on your mind, isn't it?"
The blunt, unexpected praise caught Rin completely off guard. Her mood, which had been spiraling downward because of Kakashi, was instantly lightened by the sudden compliment.
'Kakashi might not care about me... but there is still someone who does,' she thought.
Rin looked up, stealing a glance at Kiyohara's handsome face in the moonlight. She had accidentally seen Kakashi without his mask once, but compared to Kiyohara's sharp, mature features, Kakashi was still a bit lacking.
Seeing Rin's suddenly shy demeanor, Kiyohara knew his counseling had worked. He didn't pursue the romantic angle further; he had no interest in playing teenage games.
"Alright, don't overthink it," Kiyohara said practically. "Since you're out here, why not practice some Medical Ninjutsu? I'd like to reinforce the basics you taught me."
"Mm... okay," Rin nodded gently, eager for the distraction.
Meanwhile, inside the main tent.
Kakashi sat alone on his sleeping bag, staring blankly at the canvas ceiling. After an hour of brutal inner struggle, he sighed. He decided to go back out and check on Rin; he was worried she was crying alone because of his cold attitude. He just wanted them to be comrades again.
But when he lifted the tent flap and stepped outside, he saw Kiyohara and Rin walking side-by-side from the training ground.
The moonlight spilled over them. Rin was talking animatedly to Kiyohara, a bright smile on her face, while Kiyohara tilted his head slightly, listening intently.
Seeing this scene, Kakashi silently lowered the tent flap and went back inside.
It seemed that with Kiyohara there, his presence wasn't needed.
'Obito... I will protect the promise I made to you,' Kakashi swore to himself.
The next day.
Kiyohara woke up early and packed the massive quantity of iron sand he had extracted last night into a heavy, sturdy cloth bag. The sand particles were uniform, dense, and pitch-black, making them an excellent raw metal material.
He took advantage of the morning break to sneak out to the civilian transit town near the outpost to complete a transaction.
He quickly located a merchant who dealt in raw ores. The merchant tested the magnetic purity of the sand and offered a fair market price.
40,000 Ryo.
That was the payout for the excess iron sand. The high-quality sand he needed for combat remained sealed in his thermos.
It was a decent payout, but iron sand wasn't a precious metal. In the modernized ninja world, industrial mining techniques were highly efficient, driving down the price of standard iron.
'To make real money, I still need to learn from Rasa,' Kiyohara thought, stowing the cash. His desire to meet the Fourth Kazekage was growing stronger by the day. He was fiercely curious about how Rasa magnetically synthesized Gold Dust from the earth. If he could learn that specific frequency, he wouldn't have to hustle selling cheap iron.
'Still, it's certainly safer than performing A-Rank assassination missions for cash,' Kiyohara rationalized.
Returning to the base, Kiyohara found an isolated spot behind the barracks to squat down and count his money. He was debating whether to buy a new set of tactical armor; his current flak jacket was heavily worn and wouldn't withstand a direct hit.
Just then, he suddenly felt the ambient light dim. His face was abruptly shrouded in shadow.
A scent mixed with expensive perfume and a heavy aroma of alcohol approached.
Kiyohara subconsciously looked up.
A pair of towering, tightly wrapped snow-capped mountains entirely obscured his field of vision.
"What are you looking at, brat?" Tsunade's voice rang out from above him.
Realizing he had forgotten to turn off his "auto-aim," Kiyohara's expression didn't change. He simply shifted his gaze and took a step back while still squatting. He tilted his neck back further, finally looking past her massive chest to see Tsunade's lazy, hungover face.
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