Early the next morning, Kiyohara was awakened by a faint itching sensation coming from his forehead.
The feeling was strange.
It was not the itch of a mosquito bite, but rather a numb, tingling sensation that seemed to seep out from beneath the skin itself, as though something was slowly flowing underneath it.
He opened his eyes. Outside the tent, daylight had already fully broken.
Kiyohara sat up and raised a hand toward his forehead.
The skin beneath his fingertips felt smooth, yet the itch was undeniably there, and it even seemed to be spreading outward from the center of his forehead.
A thought flashed through his mind. He got up and walked toward the basin of water in the corner of the tent.
The clear water reflected his face.
His black hair was slightly messy, and there was still a trace of sleepiness lingering between his brows and eyes, but on his forehead—
Kiyohara leaned closer to the water, his pupils contracting slightly.
There, the diamond shaped Yin Seal pattern that had previously only been partially completed had now fully formed!
The same purple rhombus mark Tsunade possessed now rested perfectly in the center of his forehead.
Completed?
Subconsciously, Kiyohara circulated his chakra.
He could clearly sense that the mark on his forehead was like a valve, currently sealed shut.
But as long as he wished it, he could open it at any moment and release the chakra stored within.
With a thought, Kiyohara activated the Yin Seal.
Interwoven patterns spread outward from his forehead like blossoming flowers.
At the same time, he could feel every part of his body becoming flooded with chakra.
"In that case, perhaps I can try combining the Curse Seal with the Yin Seal?"
Kiyohara rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
At its core, the Curse Seal was essentially another form of fuinjutsu.
Moreover, that Curse Seal could store natural energy and combine it with his own chakra at any time, transforming it into Curse Seal chakra and instantly pushing him into a cursed state.
That meant this kind of energy could indeed be stored.
If he combined the characteristics of both, then the endurance of Mount Myoboku Sage Mode could also be greatly improved.
Previously, whenever Kiyohara entered his cursed state or activated Mount Myoboku Sage Mode, both relied on the same pool of stored chakra.
Although the power was tremendous, the price was greatly shortened stamina.
That was why every battle Kiyohara fought ended quickly and decisively.
And after the natural energy inside the Curse Seal was exhausted, he could not immediately enter the cursed state again. He had to wait for the seal to accumulate enough energy before he could use it once more.
"Maybe I should go take another look at the Dragon Vein?"
Kiyohara fell into deep thought.
What if the seal was filled with Dragon Vein chakra instead?
Could he use that chakra to amplify himself?
Although Anrokuzan could freely wield Dragon Vein chakra within the kingdom of Roran, the fundamental reason was because he had built towers capable of receiving and transmitting Dragon Vein chakra.
Once he left that environment, he no longer possessed such convenience.
That was why Anrokuzan had gone to such lengths to develop his puppet army. Those puppets could also store chakra, allowing him to use them to conquer the Five Great Nations.
"Dragon Vein Jinchuriki…"
Another possibility surfaced in Kiyohara's mind.
He had once considered becoming a Dragon Vein Jinchuriki himself.
But due to a lack of suitable materials, he had never completed the process.
Kiyohara carefully pondered which approach would be the optimal solution.
After all, unlike Tailed Beasts, the Dragon Vein did not possess the weakness of fearing the Sharingan.
"What if I turned it into something similar to military ration pills?"
Another idea emerged.
If he engraved Curse Seals or Yin Seals onto certain materials, then infused them with Dragon Vein chakra—
"Forget it."
Kiyohara forcefully suppressed the countless thoughts racing through his mind.
Although the development potential of the Dragon Vein was immense, the most important thing right now was completing Yotsuki Kiyohara's second last will and inheriting the complete bloodline of the Yotsuki Clan.
At the same time, he also wanted to master Black Lightning Release.
After washing up, Kiyohara noticed the outside had become rather noisy.
After asking around, he learned that Sunagakure's replacement forces had arrived.
Baki walked at the front of the group, his expression as solemn as ever. The losses Sunagakure suffered in this war were far more severe than they appeared on the surface.
Kiyohara instructed Baki and the other Sunagakure higher ups to wait in the tent first while he went to find Tsunade.
"Kiyohara…"
Pakura looked at Kiyohara's departing figure.
Naturally, she had already received news that he had killed the Third Mizukage.
"How is this brat getting stronger like he's riding a rocket?"
Pakura felt a mounting sense of pressure.
To avoid losing the opportunity for revenge in the future, she planned to challenge Kiyohara to a one on one duel on the final day.
After this period of training and reflection following her previous defeat, Pakura had become much stronger.
In her view, Kiyohara must have consumed a great deal of energy during the past few days and might even be injured.
If she made her move now, she could still gain a slight advantage.
...
Because of the drinking the previous night, Tsunade had woken up later than usual today.
"Sensei, the sun's already shining on your butt."
Kiyohara said as he lifted the curtain.
The curtains here were very thick, so the wind could not move them.
Tsunade's sleeping posture was absolutely terrible.
Clearly, Kiyohara had covered her with a blanket the night before, but now the blanket had already been twisted into a ball and trapped tightly between her legs.
As Kiyohara entered, sunlight streamed through the gap and landed upon Tsunade's body.
She wore light blue cropped pants on her lower half, which had become stretched tightly against her curves because she was lying on her side.
Her peach like hips and backside were bathed in golden sunlight.
What Kiyohara had just said was literal.
The sun really was shining on her butt.
"Mmm?"
Tsunade was still half asleep and groggy.
Seeing this, Kiyohara could only walk over and send some of his chakra into her body to help her sober up faster.
The area surrounding Tsunade's tent was occupied entirely by Shizune and other female medical shinobi.
As a result, Tsunade usually acted rather casually here.
In fact, among all the male shinobi, Kiyohara was the only one allowed to enter this area.
"The Sunagakure troops have arrived. They're here to complete the handover with us."
Kiyohara explained.
As his chakra circulated through her body, Tsunade felt a warm sensation spread through her, causing her to let out a soft hum unconsciously.
"Ah, the Suna…"
Tsunade's mind gradually became clearer.
"I forgot to tell you yesterday. The old man already issued the order."
"The Konoha forces will withdraw from the coastal defense line of the Land of Rivers in one day. From then on, all defensive responsibilities will be fully handed over to Sunagakure."
Tsunade looked toward Kiyohara, about to continue speaking, but suddenly stopped.
Her gaze landed on his forehead.
The diamond shaped mark that had previously only been a faint outline had now completely solidified.
"Your Yin Seal…"
Her voice carried unconcealable shock.
"It succeeded?"
Kiyohara raised a hand and touched the mark on his forehead. His fingertips brushed against the slightly raised seal as he nodded.
"That's right."
Kiyohara nodded proudly.
This shinobi finally made it.
The tent suddenly fell silent.
Tsunade sat up and yawned, her eyes narrowing into slits.
Then she opened them fully and reached out to lift Kiyohara's chin, forcing him to tilt his head slightly upward while her brown golden eyes carefully examined the seal.
After a long while, Tsunade finally released him and began sizing up the young disciple standing before her once again.
Kiyohara stood there quietly. After being tempered by repeated battles, most of the childishness on his body had already faded away.
Furthermore, after multiple enhancements stacking together, his physical development had progressed far faster than those his age, making him appear taller and more mature than ordinary people.
A strong sense of daze suddenly overtook Tsunade.
She recalled the first time she met Kiyohara. Back then, although his talent had already begun to show itself, he was ultimately still just a junior who required her guidance.
And now—
"The younger generation truly pushes aside the old."
Tsunade let out a soft sigh, though the corners of her lips curved upward in satisfaction.
As a teacher, raising a disciple like this brought a sense of accomplishment no amount of gambling winnings could ever compare to.
"It's all thanks to Sensei's excellent guidance."
Kiyohara spoke honestly.
That statement was genuinely sincere. Tsunade truly held nothing back when teaching him. Whatever she knew, she taught.
Perhaps her only remaining flaws were constantly tempting her disciple into drinking and… refusing to repay debts?
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.
"Cut the flattery. Your own hard work and talent are what mattered most."
She paused, then spoke seriously.
"Now that the Yin Seal is complete, after some time passes, I'll teach you the Hundred Healings Technique and Shinobi Art Creation Rebirth. Those two are the true applications of the Yin Seal. Once you master them, as long as you have enough chakra and your head remains attached, you'll practically become immortal."
A gleam flashed through Kiyohara's eyes.
This was exactly the sentence he had been waiting for.
Rich Lady Tsunade was dropping more gold coins again.
"Thank you, Sensei."
"Alright, alright."
Tsunade turned and walked toward the tent curtain.
"Let's go. We should finish the final handover with Suna first."
"Understood."
Master and disciple quickly headed toward the Sunagakure camp together.
The transition period passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, the Konoha camp became exceptionally busy.
Shinobi dismantled tents, organized supplies, and destroyed confidential documents that could not easily be transported away.
The Sand shinobi gradually moved into the camp, beginning to reinforce and modify the original defensive structures, transforming them into fortifications better suited for the use of Wind Release techniques and puppet arts.
As for the Land of Rivers—
It was merely a small country situated between the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, existing primarily as a symbolic buffer between the two great shinobi nations.
A small country without its own shinobi village naturally possessed little to no voice in major affairs.
Even in the original story, the Land of Rivers became the main battlefield where the Akatsuki extracted the One Tail, Shukaku. Battles such as Team Guy intercepting Kisame and Team Kakashi rescuing Gaara all took place there.
"There's way too much…"
Kiyohara let out a sigh.
As vice captain, he had to handle an enormous amount of transfer paperwork.
It was not until nightfall that he finally managed to finish everything.
Kiyohara stepped out of the main tent and took a deep breath of the salty air tinged with the scent of the sea.
Not long after he walked away, a figure blocked his path.
Pakura stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, her orange and green hair swaying lightly in the evening wind.
Her sleeveless tight fitting top still outlined the smooth curves of her beautiful back, Baking her pale skin appear even fairer.
"Kiyohara."
Flames burned within Pakura's emerald green eyes.
Kiyohara stopped walking.
"Need something?"
"A spar."
Pakura answered directly.
"Right now."
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
Seriously? She had guts.
Coming to challenge him directly like this… did the Sunagakure even know about it?
"You should know that I killed the Third Mizukage."
"So what?"
Pakura lifted her chin slightly, the fighting spirit in her eyes becoming even more intense.
"I know you're strong, but I've improved a lot during this time too. I want to know how big the gap between us still is."
Her voice carried the stubbornness and pride unique to a Sunagakure shinobi.
It was the kind of determination that insisted on personally verifying the truth, even when defeat was likely.
A shinobi, after all, was someone capable of enduring.
In the traditional mindset of Sand shinobis, a shinobi was someone who could endure unreasonable circumstances, endure the blowing sands, and still continue fighting.
And shinobi were those capable of overcoming adversity.
Even if blades rained down from above, a shinobi's conviction would never waver.
That was "nin."
That was what it meant to be a shinobi.
Thus, Kiyohara nodded and agreed to Pakura's request.
"Fine."
Since Pakura wanted a spar, Kiyohara also wanted a punching bag to vent some frustration.
The two arrived at a relatively open area outside the camp.
Pakura rapidly formed hand seals with both hands, extracting a large amount of chakra and combining it into Scorch Release chakra. The air around her began to distort and heat up.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
Several orange red fireballs condensed around her body. Each one was only the size of a human head, yet even from a distance Kiyohara could feel the terrifying heat contained within them.
This was Pakura's signature technique, capable of instantly evaporating all moisture within an enemy's body and killing them invisibly.
Kiyohara stood in place and formed seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
An enormous fireball burst from his mouth and collided head on with Pakura's Scorch Release spheres.
BOOM!
The collision between flame and flame erupted into a shocking heatwave. The instant Pakura's fireballs touched the Great Fireball, they began to melt away, swallowed whole by the vastly larger inferno.
Pakura's pupils shrank as she rapidly retreated.
She had originally thought Kiyohara would use the Sharingan or Magnet Release, yet he had only used the most basic Fire Release.
And the power of that Fire Release—
"You're only using Fire Release?"
Pakura steadied herself.
"Didn't you want a spar?"
As Kiyohara spoke, flickers of flame still danced between his lips and tongue.
"I'm using Fire Release while you're using Scorch Release. Seems fair enough."
Pakura gritted her teeth and formed seals once again.
This Kiyohara really loved looking down on people.
She was Pakura of the Scorch Release!
This time, she extracted even more chakra from her cells. The number of fireballs surrounding her increased from five to ten.
"Scorch Release: Flame Wheel!"
The ten fireballs traced arcs through the sky and attacked Kiyohara from multiple directions.
As they collided with one another in midair, they split apart into dozens of fiery trajectories.
Kiyohara inhaled deeply, his chest visibly swelling before he slowly exhaled.
A massive amount of flames erupted outward, directly forming a spiraling fire tornado.
The fiery vortex shattered Pakura's Scorch Release technique and reduced it into nothing but pure heat.
Meanwhile, the area around Kiyohara had already been scorched black by the intense temperature.
The ground had become visibly charred, while the surrounding trees had been burned entirely into charcoal.
Pakura froze in place, her hands still locked in the final seal.
Within her eyes was reflected Kiyohara's calm figure, along with the landscape behind him that had been completely transformed by overwhelming heat.
The difference.
An enormous difference.
She really had improved during this period. Her control over Scorch Release had become more refined, and her chakra reserves had increased somewhat as well.
But in front of Kiyohara, those improvements felt utterly insignificant.
Kiyohara had not even gotten serious.
"That's enough."
Kiyohara finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Let's stop here."
He waved his hand dismissively.
In his opinion, Pakura simply had too many weaknesses.
Her chakra reserves were the greatest limitation holding her back.
No matter what kind of techniques she developed, the size and quantity of her Scorch Release fireballs would always be restricted by the amount of chakra she possessed.
As he spoke, Kiyohara removed the forehead protector from his head.
After wearing it continuously for several days, the metal edges had left a faint red mark on his skin that felt rather uncomfortable.
Pakura's gaze subconsciously followed his movement before freezing on his forehead.
That diamond shaped mark was clearly visible beneath the moonlight.
"The Yin Seal?"
Pakura was stunned.
"You completed the Yin Seal? Since when?"
Kiyohara held the forehead protector in one hand and glanced sideways at her.
"A few days ago."
"That's not fair!"
Pakura blurted out the words, her voice carrying a trace of grievance even she herself had not noticed.
"You used the power of the Yin Seal, yet you lied and said you were only using Fire Release—"
"I didn't use the Yin Seal."
Kiyohara interrupted her.
"That Fire Release just now was powered by my own chakra."
After a brief pause, he added:
"And you're saying it's unfair? I used ordinary Fire Release while you used Scorch Release, a bloodline limit against a normal elemental technique. So who exactly has the unfair advantage here?"
Pakura froze.
She opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but realized Kiyohara was right.
Scorch Release was a Kekkei Genkai. In terms of ninjutsu level, it naturally surpassed ordinary Fire Release.
If fairness was really being discussed, then she was actually the one with the advantage.
But then why—
Why had the result turned out like this?
Kiyohara looked at the changing expressions on Pakura's face and knew she had fallen into self doubt.
He said nothing more. Reattaching his forehead protector, he turned and walked away.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
Without turning around, he simply said calmly:
"Looking at your back, what a waste."
Pakura abruptly raised her head.
"A waste of what?"
"A waste of your talent."
Kiyohara's voice drifted over with the wind.
"One last piece of advice. Be careful of the people around you, Pakura. Not every comrade is worthy of trust."
After speaking, he no longer paused. His figure gradually disappeared into the shadows between the forest and mountains.
Pakura remained standing alone on the sandy ground. She lowered her head and looked at her hands, her palms slightly reddened from repeatedly forming seals.
"Betrayal…"
She softly repeated the word, her brows tightly furrowed.
Kiyohara's words were strange and baseless.
Although she was not especially popular within the Sunagakure shinobi circles, she had never made enemies either.
Moreover, the ordinary civilians admired her greatly.
As for the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, although strict, he had always seemed fair and impartial—
Yet for some reason, Kiyohara's words still left a tiny crack deep within her heart.
"What nonsense."
In the end, Pakura shook her head and forcefully cast aside those distracting thoughts.
She clenched her fists tightly as fighting spirit reignited in her eyes.
No matter what, she could not stop training.
Kiyohara's strength had allowed her to glimpse an even taller mountain.
No matter how great the gap was, she would continue climbing step by step.
One day, she would wash away this humiliation with her own hands.
Soon enough, the time came for the Konoha forces to officially withdraw.
Sand shinobi stood on both sides of the camp, watching this allied force depart.
Standing at the very front, Baki respectfully bowed to Tsunade and Kiyohara.
"Thank you for Konoha's support. Sunagakure will remember this friendship."
Tsunade returned the gesture while Kiyohara merely gave a slight nod.
They would be lucky enough if the Sunagakure did not stab them in the back, yet they were talking about remembering friendship?
For them, betrayal was practically a traditional art form.
The troops advanced eastward along the coastline, expecting to return to Konoha in three days.
...
The journey remained calm and peaceful.
After losing the Third Mizukage, Kirigakure had clearly descended into internal chaos and no longer had the ability to organize large scale attacks.
As the sun rose and the moon fell, Kiyohara and the others finally reentered the Land of Fire and continued toward Konoha.
When Konoha's great gates finally appeared within sight, many shinobi let out relieved sighs.
They were finally home.
Kiyohara walked at the front of the formation, looking toward the familiar Hokage Rock in the distance.
(End of Chapter)