"Try drinking it."
Out of trust in Kiyohara, Kurenai twisted open the bottle.
She tilted her head back and drank it all in one go.
Soon after, she felt a warm current rise within her body, and then she noticed that her chakra recovery speed seemed to have improved.
A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
What Kiyohara said was actually true.
After waiting quietly for a while, Kurenai went to the backyard and casually used a genjutsu, deliberately consuming part of her chakra.
Then she clearly felt that her chakra was recovering faster than before.
"Kiyohara…"
For a moment, she did not know what to say.
Her heart was filled with gratitude.
After leaving Kurenai's house, Kiyohara headed straight for the village entrance meeting point.
Kakashi was already waiting there, leaning casually against the gate of Konoha.
"You are two minutes late," Kakashi said.
"I went to deliver a gift," Kiyohara replied.
"I see."
Kakashi nodded slightly.
Then the two of them quickly set off.
After leaving the village, they maintained a moderate pace as they moved through the forest, conserving stamina while staying ready to respond to any sudden situations.
The first day's journey was relatively calm.
By evening, they set up camp beside a small stream.
Kakashi skillfully started a fire and fetched water, while Kiyohara set up perimeter traps.
As night deepened, the campfire crackled, casting flickering light onto their faces.
"How is your Chidori training going?" Kiyohara suddenly asked.
Kakashi added a branch to the fire, sparks flying into the air. "Recently I have been trying to develop more variations. The standard thrust form is powerful, but its range and flexibility are limited."
"Any results?"
Kakashi nodded and stood up, walking to the open space nearby.
He quickly formed hand seals, and lightning began to flicker around his body.
"Chidori Current."
As Kakashi spoke, blue lightning flowed out from his body like a current, covering an area about one meter around him.
Electric arcs crackled in the air, producing a sharp, piercing sound.
Kiyohara quietly activated his Sharingan, the tomoe slowly rotating as he recorded every detail of Kakashi's chakra flow, hand seals, and transformation process.
This was an A rank Lightning Release ninjutsu.
In the original timeline, it was developed by Sasuke, yet now Kakashi had created it first.
This technique functioned almost like a reactive defense. Any enemy that approached would be struck by electric arcs.
All targets within a certain range could be attacked simultaneously, and when facing multiple enemies, it could also serve as an effective defensive method.
"Not a bad idea," Kiyohara commented.
"It has strong defensive and crowd control capabilities. How did you come up with it?"
Kakashi dispersed the lightning, breathing slightly heavier.
Maintaining such a technique around the body consumed a significant amount of chakra.
"It is because I have been watching you use powerful Lightning Release techniques. Under that pressure, I managed to make a breakthrough," Kakashi said.
"I see."
Kiyohara thought to himself that Kakashi improved when under pressure.
Or rather, that was simply the kind of person Kakashi was.
Unlike Sasuke, Kakashi responded strongly to pressure.
During the two years after retiring from the Anbu, without strong opponents, Kakashi had become somewhat lax. It was only before the Chunin Exams that he underwent special training again and realized how much his stamina had declined, even criticizing himself for being too careless.
Later, after losing the Sharingan, he would develop Purple Lightning.
If Kakashi had been under high pressure from the beginning, his development speed would likely have been even faster.
"I have developed one as well," Kiyohara said.
After seeing Kakashi's Chidori Current, he decided to show his own results.
That was the Chidori Sharp Spear.
Kiyohara stood up and walked to where Kakashi had been standing.
He raised his right hand, gathering Lightning Release chakra in his palm.
But unlike Kakashi's Chidori, the lightning in Kiyohara's hand was far more concentrated, producing a sharp humming sound.
The lightning extended outward, like a blue beam shooting forward.
With a piercing sound, a distant tree trunk was instantly pierced through by the Chidori Sharp Spear.
"I call it Chidori Sharp Spear."
With a flick of his wrist, Kiyohara sliced through the tree trunk, and along the same trajectory, even a large rock beneath it was cleanly cut apart.
Although the cut surfaces were slightly charred, they were still remarkably smooth.
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.
"This power…"
"By altering the shape of the lightning to extend its range, the power is somewhat lower than the standard Chidori, but the attack distance is greatly increased, and the risk to the user is significantly reduced," Kiyohara explained, dispersing the lightning in his hand.
"Your Chidori Current focuses on defense and control, while my Chidori Sharp Spear specializes in long range precision strikes."
Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Sometimes I feel like this is my technique, yet you always manage to develop applications I never thought of."
"I feel like I have always been living in your shadow."
To Kakashi, it seemed that no matter when, Kiyohara was always far ahead.
Kiyohara simply smiled.
Of course, he would not tell Kakashi that these were techniques Kakashi himself would develop in the future, and that he had merely brought them forward.
In a way, that was also a kind of victory.
"Let's learn from each other," Kiyohara said.
"I will learn your Chidori Current as well."
He closed his eyes briefly, recalling the details he had just copied, then formed hand seals. Lightning flared again, though his version differed slightly from Kakashi's.
Kiyohara's Chidori Current covered a wider area, reaching three meters, and the density of the lightning was higher, producing a sharper, more intense crackling sound.
"This…"
Kakashi felt the violent Lightning Release chakra in the air and was deeply shocked.
Kiyohara had not only learned it instantly but had also optimized and improved it.
Kiyohara sensed the flow of chakra within his body.
With repeated enhancements to his Lightning Release affinity, his control over lightning chakra had reached an extremely high level.
Moreover, in terms of chakra reserves, he had several times more than Kakashi, so the power of his techniques could not be compared on the same level.
In the next moment, Kiyohara made further refinements.
The range of his Chidori Current expanded to five meters.
With a bit more improvement, it could transform from a close range technique into something approaching mid range.
"The rhythm of chakra output can still be adjusted," Kiyohara muttered thoughtfully.
Kiyohara maintained his ninjutsu while analyzing at the same time.
"If I increase the chakra output here, I can expand the range while still maintaining the power of the core area."
Kakashi was almost numb from watching, and he could not help but feel envious of Kiyohara.
Was it that he did not want to increase his chakra?
No, it was simply that he could not do it.
In the end, Kakashi and Kiyohara continued their discussion centered around the various transformed states of Chidori, verifying each other's ideas and proposing improvements.
By the campfire, flashes of lightning flickered on and off, continuing deep into the night.
At the same time, deep within the headquarters of Konoha's Root.
Danzo sat behind a wide desk, his right hand resting on a cane while his left hand flipped through the latest list of candidates for the Chunin selection.
Generally speaking, once someone became a Chunin, they qualified to join the Anbu, and naturally they could also be recruited into Root.
Some Chunin with good aptitude could, after special training, quickly reach the level of a Jonin.
This step required keen judgment to determine a shinobi's potential.
Whether they could go further or would stop at the level of Chunin.
The dim light cast shadows across the room, hiding half of Danzo's face in darkness.
The roster recorded information about the new generation of Konoha ninjas. Name after name passed before his eyes, yet his gaze remained indifferent throughout.
"Mediocre, mediocre, still mediocre," he muttered softly as he closed the list and tossed it aside.
These so called geniuses were nothing special in his eyes.
There was only one person who truly caught his attention, and that was Kiyohara.
The young shinobi who had repeatedly achieved great feats on the battlefield, possessed the Sharingan, mastered the Magnet Release bloodline limit, and had been taken in as a disciple by Tsunade, and who was now already a member of the Anbu.
Such talent, such potential, was exactly the kind of individual Root needed most.
"Unfortunately, Hiruzen got to him first."
Danzo tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, producing a steady clicking sound.
He recalled how not long ago he had proposed to the Third Hokage that Kiyohara be transferred into Root, only to be rejected by Hiruzen on the grounds that Kiyohara was already an Anbu member and that Tsunade did not agree.
"Tsunade… hmph, that woman."
A trace of gloom flashed through Danzo's eyes.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade was indeed troublesome.
But what dissatisfied him even more was Hiruzen's attitude.
"Hiruzen, you are still too soft."
Danzo murmured to himself.
Always talking about the Will of Fire, always talking about trust between comrades. In this cruel world, only power and methods were real.
He stood up and walked to the window.
Outside was the dim corridor of Root's headquarters, where members wearing animal masks occasionally passed by in silence.
"A talent like Kiyohara is wasted in the Anbu. Only in Root, under my guidance, can he realize his full value."
Danzo tightened his grip on his cane.
"To possess the Sharingan and possibly other bloodline limits… if I can obtain him, it will greatly benefit Root."
But the reality was that Kiyohara already belonged to the Anbu and was clearly valued by the Hokage's faction.
Trying to take him by force would only cause conflict.
Danzo turned back to his desk, opened a hidden compartment, and took out an encrypted scroll.
The scroll contained information about Yakushi Nono.
A former Root member with the codename Wandering Shrine Maiden, she possessed extremely high level intelligence gathering and medical abilities.
Even within the current Root, there was no spy more outstanding than her.
After leaving Root, she had taken on the name Yakushi Nono and was now running an orphanage in Konoha.
"Even if you have left the organization, you are still a useful piece."
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Danzo's mouth.
He pressed a bell beneath the desk.
Moments later, the office door opened silently, and a shinobi wearing a black hood entered and knelt on one knee.
"Lord Danzo."
"Tatsuma, I have a mission for you."
Danzo handed the scroll to Aburame Tatsuma.
"Go to the orphanage and find Yakushi Nono. Use the excuse that Iwagakure may launch a large scale attack and request that she infiltrate the Hidden Stone Village to gather intelligence."
Danzo spoke calmly.
Although Iwagakure was already in decline, there was still the possibility that it might join forces with other villages to deal with Konoha.
If Iwagakure were the first to surrender, Konoha could establish a strategic advantage and would no longer be in such a difficult position.
Aburame Tatsuma accepted the scroll. "What if she refuses?"
"Then remind her who provides the orphanage's funding."
Danzo's voice turned cold.
"And tell her that Konoha has not been very peaceful lately. There have been frequent thieves, and if the children from the orphanage go out alone, they might encounter accidents."
Aburame Tatsuma lowered his head. "Understood."
"Go. I want her answer within three days."
Tatsuma's figure disappeared beyond the door.
Danzo sat down once more, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk.
"Kiyohara, one day you will understand where you truly belong."
He spoke in a low voice, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.
Two days later, at dusk, Kiyohara and Kakashi arrived at their mission destination.
By noon, they had already reached the district where the orphanage was located.
From a distance, Kiyohara spotted several people standing at the entrance of the orphanage.
His Sharingan clearly captured their attire, the standard uniform of Root.
"Root members?"
Kakashi frowned.
"What are they doing here?"
"Let's take a look."
Kiyohara quickened his pace.
As the distance closed, faint voices drifted into Kiyohara's ears.
With his hearing, he could detect movement even from far away, though it was still somewhat unclear.
To avoid alerting those inside, Kiyohara summoned the spirit of his Anbu self and asked it to go ahead and check the situation.
"Alright, I will take a look."
Anbu Kiyohara's spirit drifted silently through the air and moved forward without a trace.
Kakashi was confused.
He did not understand why Kiyohara had suddenly stopped.
He could not hear anything at all.
All he could sense was a faint smell of blood.
Kakashi was certain that those Root shinobis had killed many people in their time.
As expected of an organization even more hidden in the shadows than the Anbu.
After joining the Anbu, Kakashi had learned about the existence of Root.
"We will stay here."
Kiyohara said.
Although Kakashi felt puzzled, he still nodded.
Since Kiyohara said so, then so be it.
After all, their objective was to investigate the disappearance of people from the orphanage and gather information about the attacks.
They would eventually have to question the head of the orphanage for clues, then lie in wait and capture the attacker in one decisive move.
Besides, Root was currently talking with the people from the orphanage.
It could not be that the attackers were actually Root, could it?
With that thought, Kakashi lost interest in whatever the Root shinobis were doing ahead.
Meanwhile, Kiyohara listened to the relay from Anbu Kiyohara.
The spirit floated to the edge of a window crack, repeating each sentence spoken inside to Kiyohara.
"This is for Konoha's safety."
Aburame Tatsuma's voice carried a sense of pressure.
"Iwagakure has been mobilizing frequently recently. It is very likely they are planning a large scale attack, and there is a risk they may cooperate with other shinobi villages. Even if the possibility is low, we still need someone inside to provide intelligence, just in case."
Standing opposite him was a woman wearing round framed glasses, with a gentle temperament and a face that resembled a holy and compassionate mother, Yakushi Nono.
Her hands were clasped in front of her as if in prayer, her complexion somewhat pale.
"Tatsuma, I have already withdrawn from the shinobi world."
Yakushi Nono said softly.
"I only want to take care of these children now and give them a home."
"Withdrawn?"
Aburame Tatsuma sat across the table and let out a cold laugh. "Nono, you should understand that once you have certain identities, you can never truly escape them. And what do you think keeps this orphanage running?"
Yakushi Nono fell silent at his words.
"Do you think that just treating those shinobis is enough to earn subsidies? With more and more orphans coming in, how do you plan to handle that?"
The reflection in Tatsuma's black framed glasses captured Yakushi Nono's face.
This woman was completely different from who she used to be.
Now she had become so soft hearted.
During wartime, there was never a shortage of orphans.
The number of children in Yakushi Nono's orphanage would only continue to increase, and the daily expenses would grow larger and larger.
Unless the war ended, the costs would inevitably keep rising.
"Lord Danzo has always been very concerned about this place."
Tatsuma glanced around the worn but tidy room.
"But if he decides to stop the funding, what will happen to these children? Konoha's finances are not abundant, and after the war, many welfare institutions have already been cut."
"This is something we applied for with the Third Hokage—"
Yakushi Nono had not even finished speaking before Tatsuma interrupted her.
"That is true, but what happens after the funds are distributed to the orphanage?"
"And recently, Konoha's public security has not been very good. There are often thieves around. Perhaps the funds might disappear, and the children are still young. If they go out alone and encounter bad people…"
Yakushi Nono frowned deeply.
There was no way she could not understand the implication behind Tatsuma's words.
She understood Danzo's methods all too well.
Cutting off funding would only be the beginning. After that would come accidents, children going missing while out, or the orphanage being attacked by bandits.
Yakushi Nono was almost certain that the children who had previously disappeared had been taken by Root.
"That is enough!"
Yakushi Nono spoke out.
She hated this kind of behavior from Root.
At that moment, Kiyohara, who had been listening to the relay from Anbu Kiyohara, pushed open the door and entered.
Seeing Kiyohara go in, Kakashi hurriedly followed.
"It is quite lively here."
Kiyohara said.
Aburame Tatsuma turned around, the eyes beneath his mask fixed on Kiyohara and Kakashi.
"This matter has nothing to do with your Anbu."
"Nothing to do with us just because you say so?"
Kiyohara looked directly at Tatsuma.
Tatsuma raised an eyebrow at that.
No one had ever spoken to Root like this.
"Or do you have a direct order from the Hokage?"
"We are acting under Lord Danzo's comma—"
"That is enough. Someone who does not know better might think Danzo is the Hokage."
Kiyohara had no interest in hearing what Tatsuma wanted to say.
Those Root shinobis might regard Danzo as an uncrowned king, but that did not mean others had to accept it.
"You—!"
Hearing Kiyohara's words, which carried an insulting tone toward Danzo, Tatsuma grew angry.
Insulting him was fine, even insulting his parents would have been fine.
But insulting Lord Danzo.
That was absolutely not acceptable.
"We are Anbu members assigned to investigate the orphanage. We have the authority to handle all matters here. Right now, we suspect you are interfering with official duties."
Kiyohara directly produced the mission scroll issued by the Hokage.
Tatsuma caught a glimpse of it, and his expression changed several times.
In the end, he swallowed all the words that had been about to follow.
As a Root shinobi, he could not cause trouble for Lord Danzo.
The Hokage's authority still stood above Danzo's.
"Think it over carefully, Yakushi Nono."
"I will give you one day to consider. I hope you make the right choice."
Before leaving, Tatsuma threw out one final sentence.
Then he led several Root shinobis out.
After Tatsuma left, Kiyohara glanced at Yakushi Nono.
"Director Nono, are you in trouble?"
Nono bit her lip, hesitating to speak.
Tatsuma's presence had made her afraid to say too much.
After all, she now had many weaknesses.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
At that moment, the orphanage door opened slightly, and several small heads peeked out. Among them, a boy wearing round glasses looked at Yakushi Nono with concern. It was Kabuto.
Yakushi Nono let out a small breath of relief.
"Director, are you alright?"
"I am fine, Kabuto."
Yakushi Nono forced a smile, then turned to Kiyohara and Kakashi.
She invited them inside to sit.
Inside the orphanage, Yakushi Nono prepared tea for Kiyohara and Kakashi.
The children were told to go outside and play, but Kiyohara noticed that Kabuto remained by the door, clearly still worried.
"Those people just now were…"
Kakashi began to ask.
Yakushi Nono's lips moved slightly, but in the end she only forced a faint smile. "It is nothing. Just a routine inspection from Konoha. The security situation has not been very good lately, so they came to remind us to be careful."
Since she did not want to say more, Kakashi did not press further.
Anbu discipline taught him that knowing too much could sometimes be a bad thing.
"We came this time to investigate the attack on the orphanage and the disappearance of the children."
Kiyohara took over the conversation.
"Could you describe the situation at the time in detail?"
Yakushi Nono let out a breath of relief. The topic had finally shifted to something she could face calmly.
She stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the children playing in the yard.
"That night, it was around two in the morning when I heard unusual noises coming from the warehouse, so I got up to check."
She recalled the events.
"When I arrived, the warehouse door had already been broken open. Half of the stored food supplies were gone, and two of my caretakers were injured."
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
It seemed to be that heavyset nun and the old caretaker.
"Did they see the attackers' appearance?"
Kakashi asked.
Yakushi Nono shook her head. "No."
Although in her heart, she had already guessed who it was.
"We will investigate the surrounding area."
Kakashi stood up.
"We will also keep watch here tonight. If the attackers appear again, we will capture them."
"Thank you."
Yakushi Nono said softly.
By evening, Kiyohara and Kakashi set up warning traps around the orphanage.
The two split up to patrol. Kakashi was responsible for the front yard and the main buildings, while Kiyohara patrolled the forest behind and the warehouse area.
As night deepened, the lights in the orphanage went out one by one, and the children fell into sleep.
Only the light in the director's office remained on. Through the window, Yakushi Nono's silhouette could be seen working at her desk.
Kiyohara stopped at the edge of the forest, his Sharingan slowly rotating in the darkness.
His perception spread outward. Kakashi was near the front gate.
Inside the orphanage, the children's steady breathing could be heard, and farther away, the rustling sounds of nocturnal animals.
Everything seemed normal.
At midnight, Kiyohara silently arrived outside the director's office window and gently tapped on the glass.
Yakushi Nono was startled, but when she looked up and saw it was Kiyohara, she relaxed.
She opened the window, and Kiyohara drifted inside like a falling leaf, landing without a sound.
"Kiyohara? What is it?"
She asked with some confusion, while subconsciously glancing toward the door. Kakashi was not there.
"It is about what happened during the day."
Kiyohara spoke directly.
"I heard everything those Root shinobis said."
"You heard all of it."
Yakushi Nono gave a bitter smile.
At the same time, she was inwardly shocked that Kiyohara could hear from such a distance. Their voices had been very low, and she had not sensed anyone approaching at all.
"I have a proposal."
Kiyohara said.
Yakushi Nono looked up at him.
"I can provide funding for the orphanage to ensure the children's lives. As for the possibility of attacks from Root, I will find a way to deal with it."
"As an exchange, I need your help."
Kiyohara laid out his conditions and request.
(End of Chapter)