The force was not heavy, yet it made his entire body stiffen.
"What are you standing around for?"
Kiyohara's voice came from above him.
"Let's go."
Kiyohara withdrew his hand and turned around, walking forward.
Yamato had not been completely brainwashed by Root, or perhaps the effects were simply not severe. In the future, there was even a possibility that he could be recruited into the Anbu.
As for his Wood Release, Kiyohara was still somewhat interested.
After all, Yamato was the only successful experimental subject.
The other beings capable of using Wood Release were either monsters like White Zetsu or people such as Obito who possessed Uchiha blood.
Only Yamato had obtained Wood Release while being born with the bloodline of an ordinary civilian shinobi.
Yamato stood frozen where he was.
Kakashi passed by his side and patted him on the shoulder.
"Relax. Kiyohara doesn't eat people."
After saying that, he followed after him.
Yamato remained where he stood, staring at the two figures gradually disappearing into the distance. Taking a deep breath, he quickly chased after them.
At noon, during the lunch break.
Kiyohara sat beneath a large tree and took out his rations.
Kurenai walked to a nearby river and crouched down to wash her hands.
The river water was crystal clear, reflecting her figure upon its surface.
She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it onto her face. Cool droplets slid down her cheeks and soaked the collar of her clothes.
"Kurenai, I'm going to gather some firewood."
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze and prepared to get up.
Conditions during wartime were limited. Materials had to be gathered locally, so firewood was naturally the easiest fuel to obtain.
"Kiyohara-kun."
A voice came from nearby.
Rin was standing beside him, carrying a cloth bag in her hand.
"I'll help you."
Kiyohara nodded.
The two walked side by side toward the deeper part of the forest.
Rin lowered her eyes.
For some reason, whenever she was alone with Kiyohara, she always felt a little nervous.
As they walked, Kiyohara observed her complexion.
"Rin."
"Hm?"
"Your skin looks even better than before."
Rin froze for a moment before raising a hand to touch her face.
"Really?"
She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Then I have to thank Kiyohara-kun for that."
Kiyohara looked at her.
Under the sunlight, her skin was indeed fairer and smoother than before, carrying a healthy rosy glow.
"Is a verbal thank-you all I get?"
Kiyohara asked.
Rin blinked.
"What else does Kiyohara-kun want?"
Kiyohara stopped walking.
Rin stopped as well and looked at him in confusion.
Then Kiyohara lowered his head.
He gently kissed her on the lips.
Rin froze completely.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the face now so close to hers.
Color rushed into her cheeks at a speed visible to the naked eye.
From her face to her ears, from her neck to her collarbone, her entire body turned red like a freshly cooked shrimp.
"K... Kiyohara-kun..."
Kiyohara looked at her reaction and slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
"What's wrong?"
"You... you..."
Rin opened her mouth, but no words came out.
She lowered her head and looked at her hands.
They were trembling slightly.
Her heartbeat was so fast that it felt as if it would burst right out of her chest.
The sensation from that brief moment still lingered on her lips.
"I... I..."
She stammered for a long time without managing to complete a sentence.
"I don't think Rin minds."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
As for Rin's feelings toward him, Kiyohara could see them clearly.
After all, he was more handsome than Kakashi, more outstanding, and had spent far more time by her side.
"I'll head back first."
Kiyohara quickened his pace and walked ahead.
Rin secretly glanced at his back before hurrying after him as well.
At the same time.
The Kumogakure main camp.
Inside the enormous command tent, the atmosphere was so heavy that it seemed almost frozen solid.
The Fourth Raikage sat in the main seat. The muscles on his bare right arm bulged as it rested upon the table.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
Every strand of his short golden hair stood upright like the mane of a lion on the verge of exploding into action.
"Dodai."
His deep voice rumbled like rolling thunder.
Dodai stood up and walked to the map.
"According to the latest intelligence, Konoha's reinforcements have already arrived at the front lines."
He pointed at several red marks on the map.
"Kiyohara, Orochimaru, and Minato Namikaze are all active on the battlefield. Over the past three days, many of our shinobi have lost their combat capability."
A wave of suppressed gasps spread through the tent.
Mabui stood up, her youthful face carrying a solemn expression.
"Lord Raikage, when it comes to high-level combat power, we're beginning to fall behind Konoha."
She paused.
"Although we still maintain an advantage in total numbers, if this war continues..."
She did not finish her sentence.
Everyone present understood what she meant.
Silence fell over the tent.
The Fourth Raikage slowly rose to his feet.
His gaze swept across everyone present.
"On this land of the shinobi world, countless wars have been fought since the Warring States Era."
"Even after the establishment of the Five Great Nations, three major wars erupted. Right and wrong, merits and faults, victory and blame. Even the most experienced historians of the shinobi world cannot clearly define them."
The Fourth Raikage paused and clenched his fist.
"But no one can deny that it is on blood-soaked battlefields like these that the rise and fall of villages, their glory and humiliation, their growth and decline, are decided."
"That is why people have always spoken of contending for supremacy over the shinobi world."
His voice gradually grew louder.
"Back then, the First Raikage personally led Kumogakure's elite forces and established our village's glory upon this land."
"At the beginning of the Third Great Shinobi War, it was also on this border front that my father, the Third Raikage, personally led tens of thousands of Kumogakure shinobi against the forces of every nation."
Suddenly, he slammed a fist onto the table.
Bang!
"Even when facing Konoha, we never retreated. We even pushed them to the brink more than once!"
Veins bulged across his resolute face.
"I do not understand why everyone keeps talking about defeats."
"It is as though this border of the Land of Fire is destined to bring disaster upon Kumo!"
"When the war first began, that magnificent vitality, like ten thousand bolts of thunder roaring together, was right before our eyes. That heroic spirit of risking everything and striving forward still feels as vivid as yesterday!"
His voice echoed throughout the tent.
"And now, after only a few short years, has this place somehow become the burial ground of Kumo's shinobi?"
He took a deep breath and looked at every person present.
"No matter what happens, in terms of forces assembled for this battle, Kumo holds the advantage over Konoha."
The atmosphere inside the tent was instantly ignited.
"Wise words, Raikage-sama!"
"We dedicate ourselves to Kumogakure!"
"We would gladly die for Lord Raikage!"
Listening to the voices of his subordinates, the Fourth Raikage finally nodded in satisfaction.
He planned to personally lead a surprise assault against Konoha and investigate the strength of Konoha's forces on this front.
...
Meanwhile.
At Konoha's camp on the border of the Land of Fire.
A reconnaissance shinobi rushed into the camp and dropped to one knee before Kiyohara.
"Captain Kiyohara! Kumogakure forces have launched an attack!"
Kiyohara immediately stood.
"How many?"
"We're not sure yet, but it appears to be an elite unit. They're advancing rapidly in our direction and are expected to arrive in about thirty minutes!"
Kiyohara's eyes swept across the camp.
Tsunade was inside the medical tent.
Orochimaru was nowhere to be found.
Minato was still fighting on another front.
He took a deep breath.
"Gather everyone."
"Yes, sir!"
The alarm sounded throughout the camp.
Shinobi rushed out of their tents and quickly formed ranks.
Kakashi stood beside Kiyohara with Yamamaru already unsheathed.
Rin arrived last, still carrying a medical kit in her hands.
"Kiyohara-kun!"
Kiyohara looked at her.
"Stay close to me."
Rin nodded immediately.
Kiyohara turned around and looked toward the distant forest, where movement was already spreading through the trees.
Before long, Cloud shinobi emerged from the woods.
Kiyohara quickly spotted the man leading them.
The Fourth Raikage.
A hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.
He had not expected the Raikage himself to personally lead the operation.
The next moment, the Kumogakure forces unleashed ninjutsu toward the Konoha camp.
The Konoha shinobi retaliated at once.
The earth trembled.
Flames soared into the sky.
Screams, explosions, and the clash of shinobi tools mixed together into a deafening cacophony.
The entire stronghold seemed like oil poured into a boiling cauldron, erupting into instant chaos.
"Kiyohara!"
Kiyohara entered the battlefield as well.
However, after killing only two Kumogakure shinobi, he noticed that the Fourth Raikage was charging straight toward him.
Turning his head, he saw the Raikage already upon him.
The Raikage's right fist came crashing down.
Kiyohara sidestepped.
The punch grazed his cheek.
The ground exploded beneath the impact, forming a crater nearly three meters deep as shattered stone flew in every direction.
Kiyohara counterattacked immediately.
His right leg swept out horizontally, aiming directly for the Raikage's waist.
The Fourth Raikage raised an arm to block.
A heavy boom echoed through the battlefield.
The Raikage was actually launched into the air.
He swiftly flipped once before landing back on the ground.
"Brat, you've got some strength."
The Fourth Raikage shook his slightly numb arm.
"But that's all!"
He lunged forward once more.
Both fists shot out relentlessly, each punch carrying enough force to shatter rock and tear apart the earth itself.
Kiyohara's Sharingan spun rapidly, the three tomoe rotating as they tracked every movement of the Fourth Raikage.
The two fought from the center of the camp all the way to its outer edge.
Wherever they passed, the earth split apart, tents collapsed, and both Konoha and Kumogakure shinobi hurriedly scattered out of their path.
"Get back!"
A sharp shout suddenly came from the side.
Tsunade's figure appeared behind the Fourth Raikage.
Her right fist rose high into the air.
Chakra Enhanced Strength!
Her fist crashed forward.
The Fourth Raikage sensed the danger behind him and instantly spun around, raising his right elbow to meet the attack.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from the point where the two collided.
The ground cracked and sank as though struck by a giant hammer.
Several nearby shinobi were instantly thrown away by the violent air pressure, screaming as they crashed into the surrounding ruins.
The Raikage's body shot backward like a cannonball.
After rolling several times, he finally regained his footing and looked toward Tsunade, who was slowly lowering her fist.
Tsunade stood where she was.
Her breathing was noticeably heavier than usual.
Sweat rolled down her cheeks, dampening her golden hair. Several strands clung to her forehead.
Her sleeveless top had been soaked through, tightly hugging her body and outlining every curve.
But then the Fourth Raikage noticed something strange.
Tsunade's eyes were closed.
What was that supposed to mean?
Was she looking down on him?
For a moment, even the Fourth Raikage could not figure out her intentions.
"Sensei, leave this to me. Don't force yourself."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
Although Minato and Orochimaru were absent, Kiyohara alone was enough.
"How can I keep watching my student fight every time?"
Tsunade shook her head.
She wanted to overcome her fear, but she had discovered that it was still extremely difficult.
As a result, she had spent this period training herself to fight without using her eyes.
If she could not see blood, then naturally it would not affect her.
"Hmph. Teacher and student together?"
The Fourth Raikage flexed his aching right elbow.
The bones were unharmed.
However, the muscles and tendons had certainly suffered damage.
When it came to pure strength, there was only one person he had ever lost to.
Killer B.
But that brat possessed the power of the Eight Tails.
Yet this woman and Kiyohara...
If they were compared solely by physical strength, the Fourth Raikage could not shake the feeling that they might even surpass Killer B.
"Interesting."
Lightning began to flash around the Fourth Raikage's body.
At that moment, a gigantic figure burst out from the side.
Killer B.
His body was wrapped in dark crimson Tailed Beast chakra.
Several tails resembling giant octopus tentacles swayed behind him.
One of them lashed violently toward Kiyohara.
"You bastard~! Don't think you can bully my big brother~!"
Kiyohara raised his hand.
Wind Release chakra gathered in his palm and instantly formed an invisible sword.
He swung.
A flash of blade light streaked through the air.
The incoming tail was severed in midair.
Dark crimson chakra scattered everywhere.
The detached tail fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and then dissolved into pure chakra.
"Yo~! This little brat~ isn't simple~!"
The Eight Tails spoke from within Killer B.
"B, be careful. His Wind Release chakra is incredibly sharp."
But Killer B had no time to think further.
Because another figure rushed toward him.
Kakashi.
Pale violet lightning wrapped around the short blade in his hand.
Purple Lightning.
Killer B raised an arm to block.
Tailed Beast chakra condensed over his forearm, forming a thick protective shield.
The two immediately exchanged blows.
Blade light and Tailed Beast chakra collided repeatedly.
Killer B wielded seven swords.
Kakashi wielded only one.
Yet Kakashi's blade was faster.
Arcs of electricity flashed continuously along its edge.
"So this is the White Fang's son~!"
Killer B frowned.
He had always heard that Kakashi had abandoned kenjutsu.
Yet somehow, he had picked it up again.
Not only that, but his skill was far from weak.
Kiyohara glanced at the battle between Kakashi and Killer B.
At the moment, both were relying purely on kenjutsu.
Killer B was using the classic Kumogakure style, excelling in controlling seven blades simultaneously.
However, Kakashi clearly possessed greater understanding when it came to kenjutsu and Lightning Release.
Combined with the support of the Sharingan, he was actually fighting Killer B on equal footing.
Kiyohara silently thought that Kakashi truly deserved the title of the legendary Fifty-Fifty Shinobi.
However, Kiyohara also knew one thing.
If Killer B began using more of the Eight Tails' power, Kakashi would have only one possible outcome.
Defeat.
Therefore, Kiyohara moved to support Kakashi.
Tsunade was not idle either.
Sensing the Fourth Raikage approaching again, she threw another devastating punch.
On another part of the battlefield, Rin was fighting several Cloud shinobi.
Her hands rapidly formed seals.
Chakra surged.
"Water Release: Water Tornado!"
A massive water cyclone erupted from the ground and roared toward the enemy.
The spinning water rotated at terrifying speed, resembling countless sharp blades.
Three Cloud shinobi failed to evade.
They were swept directly into the vortex.
Their screams rang out briefly before being swallowed by the roaring torrent.
Rin stood where she was, maintaining the technique.
Her breathing remained steady.
Not far away, Kurenai formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gale burst from her mouth and surged toward the enemy.
The wind moved with astonishing speed.
As it passed, even broken stones were swept into the current, forming a miniature tornado.
Several Cloud shinobi were caught within it and sent flying while screaming.
Kurenai did not stop.
She inhaled deeply.
Then her crimson lips parted slightly.
Demonic Illusion: Sound Bind!
The sound itself was not loud.
Yet it possessed incredible penetrating power.
It drilled directly into the ears of several Cloud shinobi.
Their movements froze simultaneously.
Their eyes became unfocused.
The expressions on their faces stiffened as though they had become statues.
Kurenai's figure blurred.
In the next instant, she appeared before them.
Red Moon flashed through the air.
A spray of blood blossomed.
The crimson eyeball embedded within the guard of the blade rotated slightly, almost as though it were expressing satisfaction with its owner's slaughter.
Kurenai sheathed her sword.
Standing among the corpses, she breathed heavily.
Meanwhile, after exchanging a few blows with Tsunade, the Fourth Raikage no longer intended to waste time fighting her.
This raid had already allowed him to determine Konoha's troop strength in the region and assess their emergency response capabilities.
Now, he only wanted to see whether he could eliminate a genius like Kiyohara.
Tsunade had already been famous for many years.
Her potential growth was limited.
But a monster like Kiyohara...
No one could predict how far he would develop in the future.
Lightning Release: Chakra Mode!
A cloak of blue lightning enveloped his body.
Every strand of his hair stood upright.
The outlines of his muscles became even more pronounced beneath the lightning.
"Brat!"
With a thunderous roar, the Fourth Raikage charged directly toward Kiyohara.
He leaped high into the air.
Concentrating an enormous current of lightning chakra into his right hand, he descended like a falling meteor.
His right hand transformed into a blade.
It came crashing toward Kiyohara's head.
Guillotine Drop!
This was the very technique he had once used to sever one of the Eight Tails' horns with a single strike.
Kiyohara looked up.
Within his crimson Sharingan, the three tomoe spun rapidly.
Then he raised his right hand.
His palm calmly caught the descending hand blade.
BOOM!
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Steel Release!
Earth Release: Earth Spear!
The Fourth Raikage's eyes widened.
He saw his hand blade firmly caught by that single hand.
Lightning crackled against the pitch-black palm.
Countless sparks flew.
Yet the attack could not cut even a fraction of an inch deeper.
"Impossible..."
The Fourth Raikage frowned.
That attack could cut through one of the Eight Tails' horns.
How could it be stopped by a bare hand?
Even a hardening ninjutsu should not be tougher than a Tailed Beast.
Taking advantage of the brief moment in which the Raikage was stunned, Kiyohara immediately threw a punch.
Bang!
The Fourth Raikage was blasted backward.
His feet carved two long trenches through the earth as he slid across the battlefield.
Finally, he dropped to one knee.
He breathed heavily.
He could clearly feel that several ribs had been broken.
Reaching out with one hand, he forcibly pushed them back into place before relying on the enhanced regenerative ability provided by his activated cells to heal the damage.
'Tougher than I expected.'
Kiyohara thought silently.
Then he decided it was time.
He wanted to activate the Seventh Gate and test the ninjutsu he had personally developed in real combat.
The next moment, his body began to change.
Blue vapor erupted from every pore.
Eight Gates Formation.
Seventh Gate.
Open!
His clothes fluttered wildly within the torrent of blue steam.
In the distance, a green-clad figure suddenly stopped.
Might Guy stared with wide eyes at the figure wrapped in blue vapor.
"If Kiyohara has already burned his youth to this extent, then how can my own youth remain stagnant?!"
He bent forward.
Both hands pressed against the ground.
Chakra exploded outward from his body.
"Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder... Open!"
Guy also opened the Seventh Gate.
Azure steam coiled around him.
His skin reddened.
Veins bulged across his body.
The moment sweat emerged, it was instantly evaporated.
"Burn, my youth!"
Filled with passion, Guy charged into battle.
To the Cloud shinobi, it felt as though a ferocious beast had suddenly been unleashed.
"Konoha truly is a place overflowing with talent."
The Fourth Raikage leaped into the air once more.
His right leg rose high above his head.
Then he descended like a gigantic battle axe.
Guillotine Drop!
Kiyohara looked upward.
Watching the descending figure, he formed a strange hand seal.
Then he threw a punch.
Eight Heavenly Vacuum Strikes!
Countless flaming fists erupted from Kiyohara's punch.
Each fist dragged a blazing trail behind it.
Like a meteor shower, they surged toward the Fourth Raikage.
"Big Brother!"
Killer B, who had still been fighting Kakashi, could no longer ignore the situation.
Dark crimson chakra exploded from his body.
Six tails swayed violently behind him.
The chakra rapidly expanded and transformed into a gigantic crimson monster.
Complete Tailed Beast Transformation!
The massive body of the Eight Tails moved in front of the Fourth Raikage.
Its enormous frame became a shield, intercepting the countless flaming fist projections that filled the sky.
(End of Chapter)