"I lost again."
Shisui suddenly spoke, sheathing his blade.
At first, only his palm had felt numb, but now even his arm carried a faint tingling sensation.
It could only be said that, as Tsunade's disciple, Kiyohara's physical strength was truly astonishing.
With such power, whether in taijutsu or kenjutsu, one would naturally hold a great advantage.
And if Kiyohara chose to use a sword, his skill would not fall behind Shisui's either.
Shisui understood this very clearly.
"Kiyohara, your rate of improvement is… truly unbelievable."
He paused, then gave a wry smile.
"And you barely used Magnet Release. You clearly possess a technique that can tear through the air with incredible speed. That is where your true strength lies. I know you were far from going all out."
The Sharingan in Kiyohara's eyes slowly faded back into black.
Indeed, "Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle" was not as fast as "Magnet Release: Iron Sand Bullets."
But if Shisui failed to react in time, that move might very well have killed him.
So Kiyohara had no intention of using it.
He shook his head. "You have improved a lot as well. It is just that I happened to improve a bit more."
Shisui sighed, but soon his eyes brightened again.
"It seems I will have to work even harder. Otherwise, I might not even be able to see your back anymore. Sparring with you always makes me realize how many shortcomings I still have."
Kiyohara smiled and turned his gaze toward Itachi, who was still standing under the tree, looking somewhat stunned.
"Itachi, did you understand anything?"
Itachi came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and nodded firmly before slowly shaking his head.
"Kiyohara-senpai, Shisui-niisan, your movements are too fast. There are many details I could not understand."
"Watching alone is not enough."
Shisui adjusted his breathing and turned toward Itachi.
"Itachi, come. Let us spar as well. Only by experiencing the gap firsthand can you truly improve."
"Alright, Shisui-niisan."
Itachi immediately straightened his posture, stepping into the field and facing Shisui, adopting a standard stance.
However, what followed left him stunned once again.
The battle began, and Itachi focused completely, watching Shisui's every move.
He took the initiative to attack.
Yet Shisui's reaction seemed far faster than usual.
"Too slow."
Shisui's voice seemed to remain in place, yet his figure had already appeared at Itachi's side. A hand strike lightly tapped Itachi's wrist, the one holding the kunai.
Itachi's wrist went numb, and the kunai nearly slipped from his grasp.
He hastily retreated, forming hand seals at the same time.
"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"
A small fireball shot forward.
Shisui did not even form seals. With a simple sidestep, he avoided the fireball and instantly closed the distance, lightly tapping Itachi's side with his fingers.
"Ugh!"
Itachi let out a muffled groan as his chakra flow faltered, his body stiffening immediately.
Shisui's hand was already resting on his shoulder.
"That is enough."
He released his grip.
The entire exchange lasted only two or three moves, just a few seconds.
Itachi stood frozen, his face filled with disbelief.
It was over?
Just like that?
When sparring with Shisui in the past, although he still lost, he could at least last ten or twenty exchanges. Sometimes he could even push Shisui to become slightly more serious.
But today…
He looked up at Shisui and noticed that Shisui still seemed tense.
"Ah… sorry, Itachi."
Shisui seemed to realize something, rubbing his forehead with an apologetic smile.
"I just finished sparring with Kiyohara, so I am still a bit keyed up. I did not hold back properly. Are you alright?"
So that was the reason.
Itachi understood instantly.
When Shisui usually sparred with him, he deliberately controlled his strength and speed, guiding him and feeding him moves.
But today, having just gone through a battle of that level with Kiyohara, Shisui's body and reactions were still operating at that higher standard, and he subconsciously fought closer to his true combat level.
And that… was likely Shisui's real strength.
No, perhaps not even all of it.
Then what about Kiyohara?
The shock in Itachi's heart was beyond words.
He had always believed that his own capacity was unique.
He thought that Shisui and Kiyohara were only stronger because they were older.
But now, a new question emerged in his mind.
When he reached their age, would he truly surpass them?
Itachi turned his gaze toward Kiyohara, who stood calmly observing, as if that intense battle had been nothing more than a warm-up.
This was someone who could suppress Shisui and force him to operate at a higher level without realizing it.
Since the heavens had already given birth to Itachi, why did they also create someone like Kiyohara?
The thought flashed uncontrollably through his mind, bringing with it a trace of embarrassment.
Only now did he realize that he had been like a frog at the bottom of a well.
Perhaps Kiyohara and Shisui had been just as strong at his age, merely choosing to remain low-key.
"Alright, that is enough training for today."
Kiyohara spoke.
It was about time. He still needed to go collect his Anbu equipment.
He waved, bidding farewell to Itachi and Shisui.
As he left, he noticed that Itachi's expression seemed somewhat off.
After thinking about it, Kiyohara found it perfectly normal.
At the end of the day, Itachi was somewhat arrogant.
He placed his own ideals above the entire clan, often speaking of capacity as if it were the ultimate measure.
Moreover, Itachi had never interacted much with the non-shinobi members of the Uchiha clan.
Now that he had encountered someone far stronger than himself, it was only natural for his worldview to be shaken.
If even this could not be achieved, then all of Kiyohara's advantages would have been wasted.
After all, this was not just the result of one Kiyohara's effort, but the combined effort of multiple future versions of himself.
"Itachi, what is wrong?"
After Kiyohara left, Shisui noticed that Itachi did not look well.
"It is nothing."
Itachi shook his head.
He was simply thinking that perhaps he needed to increase the intensity of his training.
When Kiyohara returned home, it was already twelve thirty in the afternoon.
He quickly washed away the sweat and dust, then changed into a clean set of dark blue shinobi attire.
Standing before the mirror, he carefully examined himself.
His features had become more defined compared to a few months ago, and the youthful softness in his eyes had faded somewhat.
The two-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated in the reflection.
He was planning to reveal his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Once he joined the Anbu, he would likely receive his next mission, which would be the perfect opportunity to display it.
As for the explanation, it would be easy enough to fabricate.
Something like protecting comrades would suffice, and it would also serve to demonstrate how pure his Will of Fire was.
After all, no one understood the Will of Fire better than Kiyohara.
Afterward, Kiyohara organized his shinobi tool pouch and carefully stored away the sealing technique scroll that Kushina had given him.
With everything prepared, he glanced at the clock on the wall, which pointed to 1:40.
Kiyohara then set out.
The Anbu, whose full name was the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, was an elite group of shinobi directly under the Hokage.
Its members typically wore animal masks, referred to each other by codenames, and carried out the most dangerous and covert missions.
Joining the Anbu meant stepping into the very core of Konoha's power structure, but it also meant leaving behind life under the sunlight.
However, the Anbu did allow retirement, and for those who wished to rise to the upper ranks, having Anbu service experience was almost always a prerequisite.
Only someone as unusually eccentric as Might Guy would be repeatedly rejected by both Hiruzen and Danzo, possessing great strength yet unable to enter either the Anbu or the Root.
Kiyohara passed through Konoha's commercial district and headed toward the Hokage Building located in the village's central area.
Entering through the main gate, he presented his transfer order to the chūnin on duty and was then directed to the entrance of the underground level.
It was an inconspicuous iron door embedded into the wall on the side of the lobby, easy to overlook unless one deliberately searched for it.
Two Anbu wearing masks stood guard in front of the door. Though they appeared to be standing casually, Kiyohara could sense the chakra fluctuations emanating from them, both clearly at the jōnin level.
"Identity," the Anbu on the left spoke.
"Kiyohara, reporting for duty."
Kiyohara handed over his transfer document.
The Anbu took the document and carefully examined the Hokage's seal and the Anbu's encrypted markings, then used a certain technique to verify its authenticity.
The entire process lasted about a minute. During that time, both of them remained on high alert, ready to act at any moment.
"Approved."
The Anbu returned the document and pushed open the iron door.
"Go straight to the end, third room on the left, supply distribution."
"Thank you."
Kiyohara stepped into the corridor beyond the iron door.
The lighting here was noticeably dimmer. The walls were raw, unpolished stone, and the air carried a faint mixture of disinfectant and rust.
Closed iron doors lined both sides of the corridor. There were no labels on them, only numbers.
He could sense sealing techniques embedded within the walls, likely barriers for soundproofing and anti-detection.
Every ten meters or so, there was a tiny surveillance hole hidden in the corners of the ceiling, cleverly concealed.
Reaching the end of the corridor, he turned left and stopped at the third door.
Kiyohara knocked.
"Enter."
A hoarse voice responded.
He pushed the door open. The room was not large, about twenty square meters. Storage racks lined three of the walls, neatly arranged with various equipment.
Masks, uniforms, shinobi tools, scrolls, and shinobi blades.
In the center of the room was a long table, behind which sat an Anbu wearing a raccoon mask, head lowered as they organized documents.
"Transfer order."
The raccoon-masked Anbu did not even look up.
Kiyohara handed it over again.
This time, the inspection was much quicker.
The raccoon Anbu only glanced at it before taking out a sealed scroll from beneath the table and releasing its seal.
With a soft pop, a complete set of Anbu equipment appeared on the tabletop.
"Standard equipment list: two sets of Anbu uniforms, one animal mask, one standard shinobi tool pouch containing two kunai, ten shuriken, three coils of wire—"
The raccoon Anbu spoke rapidly, clearly having repeated this process countless times.
"Try on the uniform and mask now. Once confirmed to fit, sign and receive. If there are any issues, raise them now."
Kiyohara picked up the uniform. It was a black, form-fitting combat suit with a gray vest over it. The material was tougher than ordinary shinobi clothing and had slight chakra conductivity.
He moved behind a screen in the corner of the room to change.
The clothes fit surprisingly well, as if they had been tailor-made.
Kiyohara knew this was not unusual. With the Anbu's intelligence capabilities, obtaining his body measurements would have been effortless.
His mask was fox-shaped, decorated with black patterns, resembling a fox hidden in the shadows.
And Kiyohara's codename in the Anbu, just like his identity within it, was "Shadow Fox."
After getting fully dressed, Kiyohara stepped out from behind the screen.
"It fits," he said, his voice slightly muffled through the mask.
The raccoon Anbu nodded and handed over a scroll. "This is the basic Anbu code. Memorize it tonight and destroy it tomorrow."
Kiyohara accepted the scroll and was about to leave when the door opened again.
Another figure walked in, also wearing an Anbu uniform and an animal mask.
But from the silver-white hair and the familiar build, Kiyohara recognized him instantly.
Kakashi.
The two looked at each other. Even through their masks, they could sense the mutual recognition.
"Supply pickup?" the raccoon Anbu repeated the process.
Kakashi nodded and handed over his transfer order.
Taking advantage of the time while Kakashi tried on his equipment, Kiyohara went to the adjacent room first.
About ten minutes later, Kakashi entered as well.
"Kiyohara."
Kakashi removed his mask and greeted him.
His mask had two cat-like ears, with a white base and red markings, resembling a cat.
"We've both been assigned to Squad Six. What a coincidence."
Kiyohara gave a slight nod.
At this point, both of them were still waiting here for their assignment.
Before long, the squad leader of Anbu Squad Six arrived and informed Kiyohara and Kakashi of their first mission.
The mission was simple: investigate an orphanage.
A week ago, unknown individuals had attacked the orphanage, causing minor injuries to two staff members and damaging part of the building.
Moreover, some children had been abducted.
This orphanage had been funded by Konoha, which was why the village had dispatched them to investigate.
The moment Kiyohara heard this, he immediately realized that Danzo was behind it.
In the original story, it was precisely this kind of pressure from Danzo that forced Yakushi Nono to return.
Danzo's methods involved attacking orphans and siphoning off funding.
Of course, all of this was done behind Hiruzen's back.
The mission was scheduled to depart tomorrow.
After the Anbu squad leader left, only Kiyohara and Kakashi remained.
"Looks like this is our first mission."
Kakashi spoke.
"Yes," Kiyohara replied.
But what occupied his thoughts was something else entirely.
Yakushi Nono and Yakushi Kabuto were both rare talents, the kind that did not come by easily.
At the moment, Kiyohara still had something like the Ketsuryūgan in his possession, and he was planning to outsource part of his research projects.
He could have Nono handle the investigations while he provided the funding.
As for Kabuto, he could be further cultivated, another highly technical talent in the making.
With just a small amount of money, he could secure two top tier individuals. It was, by any measure, an extremely worthwhile transaction.
Of course, the premise was dealing with Danzo first.
On that matter, Kiyohara had already thought of a solution.
Anyone who came would be killed.
The Root had its share of experts, but as for someone stronger than Kiyohara, he found that unlikely.
Setting aside Orochimaru, elites like Tatsuma Aburame, Fuu Yamanaka, and Torune Aburame had abilities that were coincidentally all countered by Kiyohara.
Those insects and toxins could not break through Kiyohara's Steel Release combined with Earth Release: Earth Spear, while Fuu Yamanaka's Yin Release secret techniques were far slower to activate than the Sharingan.
The Yamanaka clan's techniques required hand seals and focus, and could easily be dodged if the timing was off, unlike the Sharingan which could cast genjutsu instantly with a glance.
"Let's go," Kiyohara said.
It just so happened that his previous trip to the Land of Grass had earned him quite a sum of money. That amount was enough to build a small laboratory.
As long as he avoided purchasing those extremely expensive instruments, the initial investment for a laboratory was not particularly high.
At the very least, a few million ryō was something Kiyohara could currently afford.
His loans had all been paid off as well.
Recently, however, Kiyohara had even considered taking out high interest loans. After all, his personal credit was far better than someone like Tsunade, whose record was notoriously terrible.
"Alright," Kakashi said, quickly catching up to Kiyohara.
The two parted ways midway. Kiyohara did not head home directly but instead turned in another direction, toward the location of Orochimaru's laboratory.
Orochimaru's laboratory.
The place always reminded Kiyohara of the internal organs of some living creature. The walls were covered with pipes and containers, within which various biological tissues were suspended. Workbenches were cluttered with instruments and scrolls, and some devices hummed softly as they operated.
In one corner of the room stood several cultivation tanks, inside which indistinct shadows floated.
Orochimaru's shadow clone stood at the central workbench, back facing the entrance, observing something under a microscope.
"You're here, Kiyohara-kun," Orochimaru said.
"I heard you reported to the Anbu today. Congratulations."
At Orochimaru's level, information about the Anbu was entirely transparent.
"It's just carrying out missions," Kiyohara said as he walked to the workbench.
Only then did Orochimaru raise his head, his golden vertical pupils turning toward Kiyohara as a meaningful smile curved his lips.
"The Anbu is not merely a place for executing missions. It is Konoha's darkest corner and also the place closest to the truth."
Kiyohara did not respond. Instead, he turned his gaze to the sample on the workbench.
It was a small piece of skin tissue, and under the microscope, its cells exhibited abnormally active division.
"What is this?" Kiyohara asked.
At the mention of research, Orochimaru's eyes clearly lit up. "Heh… Kiyohara-kun should know about natural energy. But I have been thinking… what if natural energy were directly injected into the human body?"
Whenever Orochimaru finished his duties on the front lines and returned to the village, he would always come back to the laboratory to conduct research.
The moment Kiyohara heard this, he immediately understood that Orochimaru was working on experiments related to cursed seals.
Unfortunately for Orochimaru, when it came to research, Kiyohara was far ahead.
He could directly point out techniques that Orochimaru had yet to master.
And once he fulfilled his second wish, he would possess results equivalent to more than a decade of Orochimaru's painstaking research into cursed seals.
Even the cursed seal Orochimaru later implanted into Mitarashi Anko before his defection was only a half finished product, lacking both Stage One and Stage Two.
It merely had relatively basic chakra injection and control functions.
"This is experimental subject number seventy three," Orochimaru said, lightly tapping the glass container with his fingertip.
"I attempted to combine diluted natural energy with chakra and inject it through a specially designed cursed seal. Can you guess what happened?"
Kiyohara looked at the white mouse inside the container.
Its eyes were red, its pupils vertical, its body covered with fine scales, and its tail was much thicker and longer than that of an ordinary mouse.
"It acquired some traits of a snake."
"Not just traits," Orochimaru's voice carried excitement.
"Its strength, speed, and recovery ability have all increased more than fivefold, and it has developed resistance to toxins. Of course, the cost is that its lifespan is reduced to one tenth of the original, along with occasional bouts of violent frenzy."
He pressed a button on the control panel, and a pale yellow gas was released into the tank.
The white mouse began to struggle violently. The cursed seal on its back flickered erratically. Within seconds, its body suddenly expanded, its skin split open, and its bones warped.
Bang!
The mouse exploded into a cloud of blood, splattering against the inner walls of the tank.
Orochimaru's expression did not change. "Stability remains a major problem. Natural energy is too violent. The bodies of ordinary organisms cannot withstand it. I need a stronger vessel, or… a better method of control."
Kiyohara understood clearly.
This was the prototype of the cursed seal Orochimaru would later develop.
The principle was to use Jugo's cells as a medium to stabilize natural energy, then bestow it upon others through the cursed seal.
"I see," Kiyohara nodded.
He had come here simply to fulfill his duties as Orochimaru's assistant.
Normally, Orochimaru rarely returned. This time, it just happened that he had come back while leading a team.
That was why Kakashi and Rin had also been able to return together. Otherwise, they would have needed to remain on the battlefield for some time before coming back for reinforcement of the seal.
After all, the seal on Rin had not loosened. It was merely being reinforced as a precaution.
Soon, after finishing his work here, Kiyohara also took a portion of the "Power of the White Snake" potion.
Having already consumed it once, it no longer had any effect on him.
The reason he took another portion was that he intended to give it to either Kurenai or Rin.
Of course, the reason he gave Orochimaru was that he wanted to conduct his own research.
Orochimaru did not refuse his request. To refine and optimize such things, large scale experimentation was unavoidable.
If Rin and Kurenai used the "Power of the White Snake," both of them should experience enhancement.
After bidding farewell to Orochimaru, Kiyohara split the "Power of the White Snake" into two portions.
Just because he could withstand the full version did not mean Kurenai and Rin could.
Thus, what he prepared for them now was a weakened version.
This had been part of Kiyohara's plan from the beginning.
As a medical shinobi, Rin would benefit greatly from the "Power of the White Snake." It would not only enhance her medical abilities but also provide additional vitality and self healing capability, increasing her chances of survival.
Although Kurenai specialized in genjutsu, the "Power of the White Snake" could improve her physical constitution and expand her chakra reserves, greatly benefiting her future development.
In this way, Kurenai's genjutsu abilities could also be strengthened.
Enhancing his teammates was equivalent to strengthening himself.
In the future, it would be impossible for Kiyohara to handle every trivial matter alone.
He intended to cultivate his own group.
When necessary, tasks could be distributed among those around him.
This would greatly improve efficiency.
Doing everything alone was simply too much of a waste of time.
Later on, Kiyohara also planned to see if he could prepare a portion for Kakashi.
However, he estimated that none of them could withstand the full "Power of the White Snake," and would only be able to receive partial enhancement.
If Kakashi were given this, perhaps he could develop "Lightning Release: Purple Lightning" earlier, allowing Kiyohara to copy it.
Kiyohara stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Kurenai's birthday was also approaching.
He considered this quietly.
Kurenai's birthday was very close to that of Itachi. Itachi's was on the ninth.
Kurenai's, meanwhile, was on the eleventh of this month.
(End of Chapter)