Over the next few days, Rin threw herself into an almost fanatical level of training.
Every morning before dawn had even broken, she would already be awake, practicing chakra control.
From the most basic exercises like tree climbing and water walking, to more delicate techniques such as Water Release: Water Prison Technique and Water Release: Water Flow Whip, she trained them over and over without pause.
Even after finishing her work in the medical tents, when everyone else had already gone to rest, she would still remain alone in the empty field at the edge of the camp, practicing Chakra Scalpel again and again.
As the evening sun slowly sank below the horizon, Kiyohara finally ended his own training session and prepared to return to his tent to make dinner.
While passing by the training grounds, he spotted Rin's figure.
The girl was kneeling on one knee on the ground, her right hand stretched out flat in front of her. Chakra gathered above her upward facing palm, forming the thin shape of a surgical blade.
Sweat had already soaked through her nurse uniform. The white cloth clung tightly against her back, outlining the graceful curve of her spine.
Her dark red thigh high socks were covered in dust, and there was even a small tear near the top.
But she did not notice it at all.
Kiyohara silently watched her for a moment before finally walking over.
"Sometimes you need to balance work and rest."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He was wondering whether he had unintentionally placed too much pressure on everyone around him.
After all, from the perspective of others, he was practically as absurd as Minato.
His rise had been unbelievably fast, becoming famous across the battlefield almost overnight.
"I have tailed beast chakra, so I can train for a long time."
Rin explained softly.
If she relied solely on her own chakra reserves, there was no way she could sustain this level of training for so long.
But as a jinchuriki, her greatest advantage was possessing chakra reserves comparable to a tailed beast.
That amount of chakra ranked among the highest in the entire shinobi world.
Of course, how effectively one could draw out and utilize that power depended entirely on personal ability.
If Madara were the one using Kaguya's stats, his performance would probably be far superior.
"But mentally, you'll still get tired."
Kiyohara said.
Even he himself did not train nonstop every single day.
On the contrary, Kiyohara occasionally gave himself breaks as well.
"Come eat first, Rin."
Kiyohara grabbed Rin's hand and led her toward the tents.
Rin froze briefly, then could only obediently follow him.
The tent they entered was Kiyohara's own.
Inside was a simple little kitchen setup.
Kiyohara had specially placed another tent beside his own to use as a kitchen area.
"Overusing chakra can damage your chakra pathways. In severe cases, it might even affect your future training."
Kiyohara said.
"I understand."
Warmth spread through Rin's chest as she lightly nodded her head.
"There's still some water inside my tent. Go wash up a little. I'll start cooking."
Kiyohara said.
Then he turned and left, leaving Rin standing there alone.
The girl watched his figure disappear between the rows of tents. She lowered her head to look at her filthy thigh high socks and sweat soaked nurse uniform, her cheeks gradually growing warm. She quickly jogged off to clean herself up.
Twenty minutes later, the rich fragrance of flour drifted out from Kiyohara's tent.
Rin had changed into a clean set of casual clothes, a simple white short sleeved shirt and dark blue shorts. Her hair was still slightly damp.
When she entered the tent, Kiyohara was kneading dough.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
Rin asked.
"There are vegetables over there. Wash them."
Kiyohara replied without even raising his head.
"The meat's underneath. Take it out and slice it thinly."
"Okay."
The two of them began busily working inside the cramped little tent.
Rin was very skilled at washing and preparing vegetables. Sometimes she would even go to Tsunade's house to help Kiyohara cook.
"Kiyohara-kun is really good at cooking."
Rin could not help saying.
Even Kakashi could not compare to him.
As far as Rin remembered, the only thing Kakashi made particularly well was grilled fish.
"It's just a hobby."
Kiyohara answered indifferently.
His cooking speed was extremely fast, so he actually spent much less time than most people.
Besides, he did not cook every day.
After pausing briefly, he added, "And Sensei has a very picky palate. She isn't used to ordinary camp food."
Rin immediately remembered the satisfied expression Tsunade always wore whenever she ate Kiyohara's cooking, narrowing her eyes in happiness. She could not help smiling.
"Lady Tsunade really likes Kiyohara-kun's cooking."
Kiyohara did not continue the topic and instead started rolling the dough.
The dough flattened and stretched beneath his hands, gradually becoming thin, evenly sized sheets.
Then he picked up a knife and sliced them into noodles of perfectly consistent thickness. His movements were so fast they were almost impossible to follow clearly.
Looking at the neatly lined noodles, Rin suddenly remembered something.
"This... this couldn't possibly be Uncle Teuchi's ramen technique, could it?"
Kiyohara's movements paused slightly as he glanced sideways at her.
"You figured it out?"
"It really is?"
Rin widened her eyes in surprise.
"But isn't Uncle Teuchi's technique really difficult to learn?"
Confusion filled Rin's mind.
"Did Kiyohara-kun learn it with the Sharingan?"
Rin asked.
"More or less."
Kiyohara nodded.
"The Sharingan really is amazing."
Rin's voice carried unmistakable envy.
Still, she felt Kiyohara himself was even more amazing.
The Sharingan was merely a weapon. How powerful that weapon became depended on the user.
There were so many Sharingan within the Uchiha clan, so why had there never been another genius quite like Kiyohara?
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
You're right.
But this is the power of the Sharingan.
Once awakened, it drastically enhanced dynamic vision, allowed the user to see through genjutsu, and even copy taijutsu and ninjutsu.
Under those eyes, a user could fight gracefully on the battlefield like a blooming rose of war.
It also allowed them to perform flashy and stylish Uchiha Style Shuriken Techniques while greatly amplifying genjutsu abilities.
Every Uchiha shinobi was an all around specialist in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu alike.
And on top of that, it automatically granted a high appearance buff.
Then after reaching the Mangekyō beyond the three tomoe stage, one could even enter battle in giant armored forms.
It could practically be called the most versatile bloodline limit in the shinobi world.
Speaking of which, my ocular power also feels like it's approaching a thin membrane.
Kiyohara thought silently to himself.
As his spiritual energy continuously increased, along with the strengthening of his physical body, Kiyohara could feel his ocular power steadily growing stronger.
Faintly, almost imperceptibly, it was touching against some kind of barrier.
As long as he pushed just a little harder and broke through the bottleneck of the three tomoe Sharingan, he would reach an entirely new realm.
Afterward, the two continued working together.
Cold water went into the pot first, then the broth simmered slowly over low heat. Before long, a rich aroma filled the entire tent.
"It smells so good..."
Rin could not help sniffing the air.
Kiyohara scooped up a spoonful of broth for a taste, then added a bit more salt and soy sauce for seasoning.
After that, he began boiling the noodles, blanching the vegetables, and frying the meat.
Only when all the noodles had been cooked and divided into five large bowls did Rin finally realize something.
"So much? Is someone else coming too?"
"Sensei, Shizune, Kurenai, and you."
Kiyohara answered while arranging the bowls.
"Kakashi has patrol duty tonight, so he won't make it."
"Carry these over."
Kiyohara handed two bowls of noodles to her.
"Be careful, they're hot."
"Okay!"
The two of them carried the noodles toward Tsunade's tent.
By the time they arrived, Shizune and Kurenai were already there.
Tsunade was currently frowning as she read through a battle report. The moment she saw Rin and Kiyohara entering with steaming bowls of noodles in their hands, her eyes instantly lit up.
"Finally! I'm starving to death over here!"
She hurriedly accepted the bowl and took a deep breath of the fragrant aroma.
"Mmm, this is the smell."
To Tsunade, Kiyohara's cooking skills had truly become extraordinary by now. The flavor was unbelievably authentic.
Sometimes, Tsunade even suspected that Kiyohara had secretly added something special into the food.
Shizune smiled helplessly and said to Kiyohara, "Lady Tsunade has been complaining about the camp food all day. She kept saying your cooking tastes much better."
Kurenai accepted her own bowl and softly murmured a thank you. Her gaze lingered on Kiyohara's face for a brief moment before she quickly looked away again.
Rin noticed that tiny detail and was slightly startled inwardly, though she said nothing.
The four of them sat around the low table and began eating the noodles together.
Tsunade ate the fastest. Before long, her bowl was already empty.
She put the bowl down and let out a long breath.
"I've come back to life... Kiyohara, just how exactly did you train these cooking skills of yours? This is even better than Ichiraku Ramen."
Kiyohara was still eating at an unhurried pace.
"Maybe it's because of the soup base. Uncle Teuchi's broth leans more toward a rich flavor, while mine is lighter and cleaner."
"All I know is that it tastes amazing."
Tsunade wiped her mouth and picked the battle report back up again, but her brows quickly furrowed once more.
"Sensei, did something happen?"
Kiyohara asked.
"Kiri's recent movements have been a little strange."
Tsunade pointed toward several marked locations on the map.
"The reconnaissance team reported that troop deployments in these areas have noticeably decreased. But it doesn't look like a retreat. It's more like... they're regrouping."
"A large scale offensive?"
Shizune asked worriedly.
"Doesn't seem like it."
Tsunade shook her head.
"A full scale attack requires stable supply lines, but Kiri's supply routes have already been sabotaged several times by Kiyohara and the others recently. They shouldn't have the conditions necessary for a complete offensive."
She paused briefly before looking toward Kiyohara.
"By the way, you mentioned before that you were researching something new. How's the progress?"
Kiyohara set down his chopsticks and thought for a moment.
"There's been some progress in combining Lightning Release and Water Release, but it's still far from becoming true Storm Release. As for Earth Release bloodline limits, I've also been experimenting a little, though the chakra control precision required is too high. Right now I'm still in the exploratory phase."
This was a lie.
Kiyohara had already obtained both of those kekkei genkai long ago.
Right now, he was merely pretending to be diligently researching them.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Brat, don't aim too high too quickly. Kekkei genkai aren't something that can be developed that easily. First focus on thoroughly mastering what you already have. You'd be better off properly learning the techniques the old man gave you."
"I've already mastered the Five Release: Great Combo Technique that the Hokage taught me."
Kiyohara replied.
"Using all five elemental natures simultaneously isn't a problem anymore."
It was just that Kiyohara normally did not use that ninjutsu very often.
That technique belonged more to the category of large scale area destruction ninjutsu, while Kiyohara usually preferred high single target damage techniques instead.
After all, these Mist shinobis fought more like guerrilla fighters. The moment combat started, they immediately retreated without ever confronting Kiyohara head on.
"Seriously?"
Tsunade's pretty face turned toward him.
"I can demonstrate it if you want."
"Forget it, forget it."
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.
Of course she believed Kiyohara's words, but it still felt far too fast.
Kiyohara was not merely learning a single technique.
He was advancing simultaneously across numerous completely different fields.
She truly could not understand what kind of brain this boy possessed.
"Same as always, take things steadily. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
After thinking for a moment, Tsunade still offered a word of advice.
"I understand."
Kiyohara calmly took another bite of noodles.
Kurenai quietly listened to their conversation, her gaze unconsciously drifting back toward Kiyohara's face.
She remembered the kiss they had shared in the sky that night, and her cheeks gradually grew warm. She quickly lowered her head and focused on eating her noodles.
Meanwhile, Rin silently tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
Kiyohara-kun is researching new bloodline limits again...
The gap between him and herself seemed to be growing larger and larger.
No.
I have to work even harder.
…
Three days later, early in the morning, an emergency intelligence report arrived in Tsunade's hands.
The messenger shinobi was covered in wounds, practically rolling off the back of his summoned beast upon arrival.
Shizune and Rin immediately rushed forward to treat him, while Tsunade had already opened the blood stained scroll.
After only one glance, her expression darkened.
"Sensei?"
Kiyohara walked into the tent from outside. The moment he saw Tsunade's face, an ominous feeling rose in his heart.
"Kiri has made their move."
Tsunade handed the scroll over to him, her voice heavy.
"But not against us. They attacked the border region between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Earth. According to reports, even the Hōki Clan living there was attacked."
"The Hōki Clan..."
Kiyohara repeated softly.
This clan had originally defected from Konoha to Suna.
Because the clan specialized in medical ninjutsu and intelligence gathering, they had earned Suna's recognition.
Of course, as the price for defecting from their original village, Sunagakure still never fully accepted them. They remained isolated from the core political center of Suna.
It was similar to what happened in Gaara Hiden, where the Suna higher ups pressured Gaara into attending matchmaking meetings because he had reached adulthood without an heir.
The arranged partner had been the princess of the Hōki Clan.
Due to their special political circumstances, their outside family influence would never become too powerful. Compared to other shinobi clans, they were very suitable for marriage alliances, and such unions would also help the Hōki Clan integrate properly into Suna.
Unfortunately, that arrangement ultimately failed, and Gaara received nothing but a rejection card.
In the end, he adopted Shinki, the child possessing the Magnet Release kekkei genkai, as his son instead.
Kiyohara lowered his eyes to the scroll Tsunade had handed him and quickly scanned its contents.
The intelligence report stated that one day earlier, the main Kirigakure forces had suddenly landed across multiple points along the coastline of the Land of Rivers and advanced inland at astonishing speed.
The Sunagakure defensive lines they encountered along the way had practically collapsed on contact. At present, Kiri's vanguard forces had already pushed fifty kilometers deep into the Land of Wind.
"What about the Sand shinobis besides the Hōki Clan?"
Kiyohara asked.
"The losses are severe."
Tsunade pointed toward the casualty numbers on the scroll.
"The coastal defense forces were crushed. Multiple breaches have already occurred in the inland defense lines. Rasa personally led troops to block them, but the results were limited. This time, the number of Kiri jonin deployed greatly exceeded expectations, and..."
She paused, her tone growing even heavier.
"The Third Mizukage personally entered the battlefield as well."
"The Third Mizukage..."
Shizune, who was also inside the tent, looked shocked upon hearing that news.
A village's Kage had personally gone to the front lines?
"The Third Mizukage is already extremely old. Older than Lord Hokage himself."
Kiyohara noticed Shizune's reaction and calmly explained.
Back when the Five Great Nations had first been established and the First Five Kage Summit was convened to discuss the distribution of tailed beasts, the current Third Mizukage had already served as the bodyguard of the First Mizukage.
The fact that he was still alive today was practically a miracle.
After all, nearly all of his contemporaries had long since died. He alone remained alive the longest.
Even Madara had only survived by using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to sustain his life.
"Even though the Third Mizukage has aged and his strength has declined, he still cannot be underestimated."
Tsunade said.
Information regarding the Third Mizukage had always been heavily restricted. Very few shinobis knew what techniques he actually possessed.
More importantly, his appearance signified that Kiri was committing everything they had this time. It looked as though they intended to rip open a path through the Land of Wind.
"Suna has officially requested reinforcements from Konoha."
Tsunade continued.
"The old man has sent orders demanding that we immediately dispatch forces to support Suna's defensive lines from the flank."
She turned toward Kiyohara.
"What do you think?"
Kiyohara fell silent for a moment, his finger sliding slowly across the map.
"Kiri chose to enter the Land of Wind through the Land of Rivers because they want to avoid our coastal defense network. Once they establish a stable foothold inside the Land of Wind, they'll be able to threaten the western side of the Land of Fire from inland. At that point, we'll truly be dragged into a two front war."
"So we have to support them."
Tsunade nodded.
"The question is how many troops to send, and how we should support them."
She stood up and walked toward the center of the tent.
"Gather all jonin immediately. Emergency meeting. Kiyohara, you're coming too."
"Yes."
Ten minutes later, more than thirty jonin currently present within the camp had gathered inside the main command tent.
Standing before the map, Tsunade quickly explained the situation.
"Kiri's objective is obvious. They want to exploit Suna's weakened state and push directly into the heart of the Land of Wind. If they succeed, they'll be able to rely on the Land of Wind's resources to threaten the Land of Fire long term."
"So we must stop them."
"But Lady Tsunade, what about our own defensive lines?"
One of the Hyuga clan jonin asked worriedly.
"If we transfer too many troops away, we'll be at a severe disadvantage if Kiri launches attacks from the sea."
"That's why we can't send everyone."
Tsunade replied.
"I've decided that Kiyohara will lead five hundred men and rapidly mobilize along the inland river routes to attack the Kirigakure forces from the flank. Meanwhile, a Nara clan jonin will lead two hundred men to remain behind at the coastal defense line while also serving as a reserve force capable of supporting any front at any time."
The small number of remaining shinobis would continue guarding the current camp.
She looked toward Kiyohara.
"Any objections?"
Kiyohara shook his head.
"No."
"Good."
Tsunade turned toward the others.
"Begin preparations immediately. We depart in two hours. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Everyone responded in unison before quickly dispersing to prepare.
Kiyohara remained behind.
He stared at the route of Kiri's advance marked on the map, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Sensei, Kiri's operation this time happened too suddenly. I keep feeling like..."
He carefully considered his wording.
"Everything is going too smoothly."
Tsunade glanced sideways at him.
"You think it might be a trap?"
"Even if Suna is weak, they shouldn't have had this many defensive lines broken within only two days."
Kiyohara said quietly.
"Unless... Kiri possesses intelligence we don't know about, or there's a problem inside Sunagakure itself."
Tsunade remained silent for a moment.
"Your concerns are reasonable. But no matter what, we can't just stand by and watch Kiri invade the Land of Wind. If that happens, the entire western front will collapse."
She patted Kiyohara on the shoulder.
"I'm leaving the coastal front to you. Remember this, if you can't hold the line, retreat. Preserving your forces comes first."
"I understand."
Two hours later, at the eastern gate of the camp.
The Konoha shinobi forces had already assembled completely, fully equipped and ready to depart.
After Tsunade gave the order, the troops rapidly poured out of the camp and disappeared deep into the dense forest.
Kiyohara was among them.
As he moved forward, he continued thinking.
There were rumors that the Third Mizukage possessed Blood Release.
As for whether that was true, even Kiyohara himself did not know.
The original story had never clarified it, and the Third Mizukage rarely ever took action personally. He remained an extremely mysterious figure.
(End of Chapter)