Kiyoshi's vision had completely transformed.
He could now see the branches on distant trees swaying with the wind—
Even the patterns on the leaves were crystal clear.
Further away,
Countless insects circled around the streetlights,
Their wings beating rapidly—
Each movement now distinctly visible.
Right in front of him—
Obito's face was filled with anger and shock.
That fury seemed almost tangible,
Flowing through every line on his face.
Kiyoshi's gaze swept past Obito's slightly open mouth,
Even capturing the subtle grinding of his teeth.
Then he turned his head—
Rin stood there,
A faint exhaustion slipping through her expression,
While worry lingered deep in her eyes.
Kiyoshi silently observed them both.
In his eyes—
Scarlet light rotated slowly,
And within it—
A single black tomoe emerged.
This…
Was the power of the Sharingan.
"It's getting late… I should go."
Rin glanced at the sky.
She couldn't stay any longer.
"Obito, let's go."
She called him along,
Afraid he might continue causing trouble.
"…Fine."
Obito suppressed his emotions and followed her out.
Kiyoshi watched their backs in silence.
Only after Rin politely closed the door—
Did he withdraw his gaze.
A world without a "victim"…
Had no meaning.
In Kiyoshi's eyes,
Obito's life would bring nothing but suffering to the ninja world.
The Nine-Tails incident…
The Bloody Mist Village…
The Fourth Great Ninja War…
One disaster after another.
Countless innocent people would lose their homes,
Their families—
Even their lives.
Someone like that…
Deserved punishment.
As for guiding him onto a different path?
First of all—
There was no guarantee Madara hadn't already set his sights on Obito.
And more importantly—
After seeing Kakashi kill Rin,
Without even understanding the full truth,
Obito would irrationally blame the entire ninja system.
A normal person would try to change the system—
Reform it.
But Obito?
He would choose to drag the entire world into the Infinite Tsukuyomi—
Just to escape reality.
Someone this extreme…
Was the perfect example of what Tobirama meant.
A mind altered by the power of the eyes.
But Kiyoshi was different.
He wasn't a pure Uchiha—
Nor even a native of this world.
He couldn't understand such madness.
And he had no intention of changing it.
"…The next step won't take long."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
His theory had no successful precedent.
But Rin—
For Kakashi's sake—
Would definitely come back again.
And if she still couldn't learn?
Was that his problem?
No.
She would have to question herself.
Maybe…
She simply wasn't trying hard enough.
Meanwhile—
Rin and Obito reached the edge of the Uchiha compound.
One more step—
And they would be back in Konoha's streets.
"Obito… what Kiyoshi was doing earlier was to help me with chakra nature transformation."
Rin finally explained.
"…What kind of training requires that?"
Obito clearly didn't believe it.
After a pause, he added:
"Rin, don't let that guy fool you. Some people look kind on the outside… but are actually dark inside."
He wanted to stop her from going back.
Even though he didn't understand chakra nature transformation well—
He had never heard of needing physical contact like that.
"Obito… you don't understand."
Rin shook her head gently.
Whether it worked or not—
She had to try.
Could she just stand by and watch Kakashi fall deeper into despair?
A ninja ruled by emotions—
Was bound to make fatal mistakes.
She wanted to share his burden.
"I'm heading home."
She waved and stepped out of the compound.
Obito remained behind, standing alone by the wall.
"…Rin wants to learn chakra nature transformation… but she wanted to become a medical ninja, right?"
He muttered to himself.
"Could it be… Yang Release?"
Morning—
Kiyoshi got out of bed, ate a simple breakfast,
Washed up,
And headed to the Third Training Ground.
The forest was dense,
Birds occasionally scattering into the sky.
Standing before a tree—
He began refining chakra.
Forming hand seals,
He extended his index and middle fingers together.
Crackling arcs of blue-white lightning gathered at his fingertips.
He carefully calculated chakra and stamina consumption.
Unlike basic E-rank techniques or defensive skills like Lightning Release: Iron Body,
Pure offensive techniques—
Like Lightning Release: Lightning Finger—
Required precise control.
If his chakra refinement or hand seals were imperfect,
Energy would be wasted.
Only elite ninja—
Could achieve perfect efficiency.
Crackle!
A sharp sound echoed.
Once enough chakra gathered within the meridian system of his fingers—
He thrust forward.
Chi—!
The tree bark burned instantly,
Releasing a scorched smell.
Two black holes appeared where his fingers struck,
Thin smoke rising from them.
"…Not bad."
Kiyoshi nodded.
The rank of a jutsu wasn't everything.
As long as one's "Nin" and "Precision" were high enough—
Its power could be amplified.
Just like Madara's Fire Release,
Which required over twenty Mist ninja working together to counter.
With his natural affinity for Lightning Release,
Combined with his enhancements—
Even a modest technique like Lightning Finger
Became quite powerful in his hands.
"And I'm still getting stronger…"
The feedback from his ocular power
Hadn't stopped since last night.
And it would continue for a while.
"…Next—genjutsu."
Kiyoshi murmured.
Swordsmanship gave him one path.
Lightning Release, another.
Naturally—
Mastering genjutsu should grant him a new advantage as well.
As for whether Lightning Release: Fierce Flash counted as genjutsu or ninjutsu…
There was no point overthinking it.
Time was better spent growing stronger.
Meanwhile—
On the streets of Konoha.
Rin walked among the bustling crowd,
Her thoughts still on Kakashi.
"…Lightning Release… how do you stimulate cells?"
Just then—
She heard a familiar voice.
Turning around—
It was Kakashi.
"Kakashi! Have you been assigned to a three-man squad already?"
Her face brightened as she greeted him.
"…Yeah."
Kakashi nodded.
Dressed as a ninja,
With the short blade left behind by the White Fang on his back.
Their paths… were beginning to shift.
— End of Chapter —