"That is the reason."
Yashiro fell silent.
He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but in the end, no words came out.
That was right.
The Uchiha already had a candidate.
Kiyohara.
He was also an Uchiha, and he possessed every qualification necessary.
The only difference was that Kiyohara had grown up outside the clan since childhood, so his ties with the Uchiha were comparatively weak.
Although he had participated in the secret gatherings beneath Naka Shrine, there was still an invisible distance separating him from the rest of the clan.
What more could Yashiro possibly say?
Unwilling to accept it, Yashiro turned toward Fugaku.
Fugaku remained seated, his expression unchanged.
After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"Enough."
Those simple words caused Yashiro's body to stiffen.
"Lord Fugaku..."
"Stand down."
Fugaku interrupted him before he could continue.
Yashiro clenched his teeth tightly, but in the end he lowered his head and quietly returned to his seat.
Silence settled over the conference room.
Kiyohara could clearly feel the countless gazes directed toward him, most of them carrying complicated emotions.
An Uchiha now stood only one step away from becoming Hokage.
To many people, that represented both hope and a threat.
After all, the village had long been influenced by the belief that the Uchiha posed a danger.
It was not entirely without reason.
The former Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Madara, had attempted to destroy Konoha twice, while Uchiha Setsuna had once incited a small-scale rebellion.
Among all of Konoha's clans, only the Uchiha possessed such a notorious record.
However, Kiyohara did not care what anyone else thought.
Their opinions meant nothing to him.
Power was everything.
The meeting continued.
"Those are all of the candidates."
With Homura's concluding statement, the three official Hokage candidates were finalized.
Koharu Utatane then began reading through the election procedures, voting regulations, and the official schedule.
Kiyohara remained seated, but his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
Deep within his eyes, that warm sensation continued to spread.
He could feel something inside those eyes slowly taking shape.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was almost complete.
By the time the meeting ended, it was already close to noon.
Kiyohara walked out of the Hokage Tower side by side with Tsunade.
The sunlight shone warmly upon them.
"You did pretty well."
Tsunade turned to look at him, amusement dancing within her amber-brown eyes.
"So, now you'll come drink with me, right?"
"Of course."
Kiyohara nodded.
He had lived in the shinobi world for over ten years now, yet he had never actually drunk alcohol.
Back then, it had simply been because he was too young.
But thinking about it carefully, shinobis killed people almost every day.
Who was really going to care whether they were old enough to drink?
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"So straightforward?"
"Mm."
Kiyohara smiled.
"If Sensei wants to drink, then I'll accompany you."
Tsunade gave a light snort and turned her face away.
However, the corners of her lips curved upward despite herself, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not suppress the smile.
Inside an izakaya.
The private room's low table was covered with sake bottles and various dishes to accompany the drinks.
Tsunade sat across from Kiyohara, picked up a cup of sake, and emptied it in a single gulp.
"Now that's satisfying!"
She slammed the cup down before immediately pouring herself another.
Across from her, Kiyohara calmly lifted his own cup and took a small sip.
The alcohol slid down his throat with a sharp burning sensation.
Yet his expression did not change in the slightest.
A trace of surprise flashed across Tsunade's eyes.
"Your alcohol tolerance isn't bad."
"It's alright."
Kiyohara took another sip.
Tsunade smiled and continued drinking.
One cup after another.
One bottle after another.
Kiyohara simply sat there, quietly watching her.
At first, Tsunade spoke clearly.
Gradually, her words became increasingly slurred.
Her cheeks grew redder and redder, the flush spreading from her face to her ears, then from her ears down to her graceful neck.
A hazy mist slowly appeared within those amber-brown eyes.
"Kiyohara..."
She suddenly called out.
"Yes?"
"Do you think... you'll really become Hokage?"
Kiyohara looked at her.
She leaned against the back of her chair, her long golden hair slightly disheveled, several strands clinging to her flushed cheeks.
Her collar had loosened slightly, revealing a smooth stretch of fair skin below her collarbone.
"I don't know."
He shook his head.
"But I'll do my best."
Tsunade smiled.
The smile carried both drunkenness and laziness.
"Doing your best... good..."
She raised another cup and emptied it again.
A thin stream of sake slipped from the corner of her lips, running down her chin before soaking into her collar.
She casually wiped it away with the back of her hand and continued drinking.
Kiyohara quietly watched her, his expression remaining unchanged.
'Strange.'
'I didn't use chakra to neutralize the alcohol, yet my tolerance is still this high?'
He pondered silently.
His best guess was that his physical body had become so powerful that both his metabolism and detoxification abilities had undergone a qualitative transformation. The moment alcohol entered his body, it immediately began breaking down.
Time quietly passed.
Eventually, Tsunade finally stopped moving.
She leaned back against the chair, her eyes half closed, her chest rising and falling gently.
Her beautiful face was covered with the rosy blush of intoxication.
Kiyohara stood up and walked over to her.
"Sensei, it's time to head home."
Tsunade slowly raised her eyes to look at him.
Within those amber-brown pupils, his reflection could clearly be seen.
"Mmm..."
She answered vaguely, but made no effort to move.
Kiyohara reached out and gently patted her thigh.
"Sensei?"
The instant his palm landed, he felt the warmth and softness beneath the thin layer of fabric.
Her thigh was full and firm, yet possessed the unique softness of a woman's body.
Tsunade's body trembled ever so slightly.
She lifted her head and glared at him.
There was a trace of drunken annoyance in her gaze, mixed with a faint hint of reproach, but there was no genuine anger behind it.
"You little brat..."
she muttered indistinctly.
"This is the second time today you've taken advantage of me."
Kiyohara looked at her calmly.
"What are you talking about? I'm just reminding Sensei that it's time to leave."
He continued lightly patting her thigh while speaking with complete seriousness.
"You've had too much to drink. I'll take you home."
Tsunade snorted softly but did not refuse.
Kiyohara reached out and supported her arm.
Using him for balance, Tsunade slowly stood up, though her steps were somewhat unsteady.
She leaned heavily against him, nearly hanging from his body.
Her figure was warm and soft, carrying both the scent of alcohol and her own unique fragrance.
Kiyohara could clearly feel her soft curves pressing lightly against his arm, the warmth transmitting through their clothing.
As he lowered his head slightly, he caught sight of the fair skin visible beneath her loosened collar.
Then the scenery around them began to distort.
An instant later, the two of them were already standing inside Tsunade's living room.
Tsunade remained where she was and rubbed her eyes.
"...We're home?"
Her voice was still slurred.
"Yes."
Kiyohara released his hold on her.
"Sensei, get some rest."
Tsunade looked at him without saying anything.
Those amber-brown eyes quietly reflected his figure.
After a moment, she suddenly raised her hand.
Her finger gently poked his chest.
"You brat..."
she mumbled.
"You're becoming... more and more disrespectful..."
Kiyohara lightly grasped her finger.
It was slender, soft, and pleasantly warm.
"Sensei doesn't like it?"
Tsunade froze for a brief moment.
"You little brat..."
She withdrew her hand before turning toward the staircase.
After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
"Kiyohara."
"Yes?"
"Good night."
She did not turn around as she continued walking upstairs.
Kiyohara remained standing in place, watching her figure disappear around the corner of the staircase.
"Good night, Sensei."
he replied softly.
That night.
Kiyohara sat quietly inside his room with his eyes closed, carefully sensing the changes occurring within his body.
On the back of his hand, a pale violet seal was slowly taking shape.
It was the outline of the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
However, unlike the complete Strength of a Hundred Seal located on the forehead, this mark was much smaller and far simpler.
Kiyohara attempted to refine Senjutsu Chakra, the chakra created by mixing chakra with natural energy, and slowly injected it into the newly forming seal.
The chakra flowed across the back of his hand before gradually seeping into the pattern.
Beside that seal was another design.
A curse mark.
Whenever chakra was poured into it, the pattern would emerge on the surface, while under normal circumstances it remained hidden beneath the skin.
What Kiyohara was currently considering was whether it would be possible to combine these two seals together, allowing them to store an even greater quantity of Senjutsu Chakra.
Once someone entered Sage Mode, they could not continuously absorb natural energy during combat to replenish their Senjutsu Chakra. Every bit that was consumed was gone.
Unless they stopped fighting and patiently remixed another batch of Senjutsu Chakra.
Ordinary chakra was completely different.
As long as the body remained active, chakra could continuously be refined from the body's cells during battle, ensuring a constant supply.
After researching the idea for a while, Kiyohara decided to leave it for later.
His current combat strength was already more than sufficient, and there were many other directions in which he could continue his research.
Increasing the Sage Mode's duration was ultimately preparation for facing the Ōtsutsuki in the future.
For example, he had also been researching the Chakra Armor from the Land of Snow.
At the moment, what interested him the most was the Chakra Armor's ability to automatically defend against genjutsu.
The armor's defensive mechanism functioned on its own without requiring the wearer's conscious control.
Kiyohara wondered whether, if he successfully deciphered its principles, he could eventually develop something capable of defending against Shisui's genjutsu.
If that became possible, his resistance against genjutsu would rise to an entirely new level.
The following morning.
Kiyohara slowly awoke from his sleep.
The instant he opened his eyes, he sensed something unusual.
Deep within both eyes, an intense heat suddenly erupted.
It felt as though two blazing flames had ignited inside his eye sockets, burning hotter and hotter.
Instinctively, he raised his hand toward his face.
The moment his fingertips touched his eyelids, he could clearly feel the pulsation coming from his eyeballs.
It's here.
Kiyohara immediately sat upright and took a deep breath.
Chakra surged through his body before rushing toward both eyes.
Within the depths of his eye sockets, the two burning flames gradually began to merge.
He could clearly sense the three tomoe undergoing an extraordinary transformation.
They began rotating.
Intertwining.
Fusing together.
Each tomoe slowly moved closer to the others, weaving together until they finally transformed into an entirely new pattern.
That design slowly formed within the depths of his eyes.
It became clearer.
More complete.
Then, within that endless world of darkness...
Light appeared.
Kiyohara slowly opened his eyes.
At that moment, the world before him was completely different.
The colors had become infinitely more vivid.
Every outline had become incomparably sharper.
He could see tiny specks of dust drifting through the air.
He could see every vein running across the leaves outside the window.
He could even see a single ant crawling across a rooftop far away.
Nothing could escape the perception of those eyes.
Kiyohara stood up and walked toward the mirror.
His reflection stared back at him.
On that handsome face, the most striking feature was undoubtedly his eyes.
Against the crimson background of the Sharingan, an entirely new pattern had emerged.
The design resembled two overlapping black moons, surrounded by a small ring of black tomoe.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Kiyohara's lips slowly curved into a smile.
He closed his eyes once more, carefully sensing the power dwelling within them.
He could clearly feel that his ocular power had increased dramatically.
That tremendous surge of eye power was, in turn, continuously nourishing his physical body.
Within his consciousness, two distinct dojutsu appeared with perfect clarity.
At the same time, Kiyohara instinctively understood exactly what each ability could do.
Whenever an Uchiha awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the owner would naturally know the names of their dojutsu techniques.
Kiyohara had no idea how that phenomenon worked, but every Mangekyō ability seemed to derive its name from a deity found in ancient mythology.
Just as Itachi's Amaterasu was named after the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, and Sasuke's Kagutsuchi was named after the God of Fire.
The ability residing within Kiyohara's left eye was called...
Ame-no-Minakanushi.
It bore the name of the primordial deity who existed at the beginning of creation, the supreme god who ruled from the very center of Heaven.
Its power allowed him to manipulate attraction and repulsion.
Everything could be drawn toward him or pushed away.
Whether it was an enemy's attack or even his own body, he could instantly alter its trajectory.
The technique residing in his right eye was called...
Ashihara no Kakuriyo.
This name represented Ōkuninushi, the great deity who ruled both the earthly realm and the hidden world, also known as the God of Eight Thousand Spears.
Its ability was to compress gravity into a single point.
At any location within his line of sight, Kiyohara could create a tiny gravitational singularity.
Everything within a five-meter radius would be violently dragged toward that point while simultaneously being subjected to several times Earth's normal gravity.
Enemies caught within its influence would find their movements greatly slowed.
Even thrown kunai would have their trajectories forcibly altered.
Kiyohara opened his eyes once again and looked into the mirror.
Within those Mangekyō Sharingan, his own reflection gazed back.
"Not bad."
He was quite satisfied with both dojutsu techniques.
Furthermore, both abilities revolved around three related concepts.
Attraction.
Repulsion.
Gravity.
Yet fundamentally, both of his dojutsu techniques were expressions of the same underlying force.
Gravity.
Repulsive force was simply the opposite aspect of attraction.
Gravity itself was merely concentrated attraction exerted upon a fixed point.
"I wonder what kind of ability my Rinnegan's unique dojutsu technique will have."
Kiyohara rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
After thinking for a while, he decided to begin familiarizing himself with the Mangekyō's abilities.
He suspected that his Mangekyō Sharingan would not lose its vision nearly as quickly as those of ordinary Uchiha.
The reason was simple.
He possessed extraordinarily powerful Yang Release chakra.
Asura had inherited the Sage of Six Paths' Yang Release.
Indra had inherited the Sage's Yin Release.
The descendants of those two brothers inherited those same characteristics, eventually becoming the Senju and Uzumaki clans on one side, and the Uchiha clan on the other.
After Obito transplanted Hashirama's cells into his body, he gained tremendous vitality and yang nature chakra.
That balance allowed him to stabilize the Mangekyō's power and freely use its dojutsu abilities without suffering the same severe consequences as ordinary users.
"There's a ninety percent chance that's exactly the reason. Danzo's arm full of Sharingan also relied on this same principle to maintain balance."
Kiyohara silently analyzed.
However, that balance was incredibly delicate.
After the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Danzo undoubtedly possessed far more than just ten Sharingan.
That number represented only five pairs of eyes.
If he had covered not only his arm but also his abdomen with Sharingan, he could have possessed dozens, perhaps even hundreds of extra lives through Izanagi.
Yet he never did.
The reason was extremely simple.
Hashirama's cells would lose control.
Danzo could barely suppress them with a single arm containing Hashirama's cells.
Under those circumstances, that amount of Yang Chakra was only just enough to restrain the Sharingan.
He had to maintain a precise equilibrium.
No more.
No less.
Too many Sharingan, and Hashirama's cells would run wild.
Too few Sharingan, and the Sharingan themselves would become unstable.
Obito was much the same.
The only difference was that he had received far more of Hashirama's cells than Danzo, allowing him to control that power much more comfortably.
Furthermore, his Sharingan were his own original eyes.
Kiyohara's current condition resembled Obito's far more closely.
Although his body lacked Hashirama's overwhelming Yang Release vitality, his Sharingan were perfectly compatible with his own bloodline.
"Ashihara no Kakuriyo..."
Kiyohara activated his Mangekyō technique.
An incredibly dense mass of Yin Release chakra rapidly condensed at the focal point of his vision.
The chakra collapsed inward upon itself, forming a tiny black sphere.
The small sphere immediately began pulling everything nearby toward itself.
Even Kiyohara's blanket was dragged across the room.
Just before it made contact with the singularity, he canceled the technique.
Thud.
The blanket fell harmlessly onto the floor.
'As expected. It places a burden on me, but not a very heavy one.'
Kiyohara thought silently.
His Mangekyō Sharingan was likely dozens of times more durable than an ordinary Mangekyō.
Of course, overusing it would still eventually lead to blindness.
However, as long as he controlled how frequently he used it, the onset of blindness could be delayed for an extremely long time.
That amount of time would be more than enough for him to find a way to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Afterward, Kiyohara also tested Ame-no-Minakanushi.
He created a Shadow Clone and instructed it to throw a kunai at him.
As the kunai flew toward him, it suddenly seemed to strike an invisible wall.
Its flight path abruptly bent, causing it to veer harmlessly off to one side.
Watching the result, Kiyohara fell into thought.
If he continued developing Ame-no-Minakanushi, perhaps he could access certain abilities of the Rinnegan ahead of time.
Specifically...
Universal Pull.
And...
Almighty Push.
Those two fundamental Rinnegan techniques were ultimately nothing more than manifestations of attraction and repulsion.
After spending some more time becoming familiar with his new abilities, Kiyohara left the village and headed toward an uninhabited forest.
Within the forest, he activated...
Susanoo.
Golden skeletal ribs materialized around his body.
Then, attached to those ribs, a single enormous skeletal arm emerged.
Kiyohara thrust it forward.
Boom!
The massive hand slammed into the earth, instantly creating an enormous crater.
'I still need much more practice before I can master Susanoo's higher stages.'
Kiyohara thought to himself.
Although using it consumed the Mangekyō's power, refusing to practice at all would only leave him struggling to adapt during an actual battle.
Even the smallest mistake could determine victory or defeat.
Only after finishing all of his experiments did Kiyohara finally return to Konoha.
Even now, his body continued undergoing gradual transformation.
Part of it came from inheriting a portion of the Uzumaki clan's legacy.
The other part came from the tremendous ocular power of the Mangekyō Sharingan continuously feeding back into his body, strengthening him little by little.
"Is Kiyohara-senpai home?"
Just as Kiyohara was inside the house continuing to improve the Strength of a Hundred Seal, someone called out from outside.
Shizune quickly walked over and opened the door.
Standing outside was a young girl about the same age as Itachi.
"Are you... Izumi?"
Shizune had heard Kiyohara mention her before.
"Yes."
The young girl nodded politely.
"I'm Uchiha Izumi."
"I came to see Kiyohara-senpai."
Earlier, Izumi had already discussed the matter with her mother, Uchiha Hazuki.
Seeing her daughter receive the protection and guidance of someone as powerful as Kiyohara was something Hazuki could not have wished for more.
And so, from this day onward, Uchiha Izumi officially became Kiyohara's second disciple.
At the same time, she also became Itachi's junior fellow apprentice.
"So it's Izumi."
Looking at the little girl whom Shizune had brought upstairs, Kiyohara smiled warmly.
Teaching Izumi felt much easier than teaching Itachi.
The reason was simple.
Itachi always thought too much.
He constantly buried himself in complicated thoughts, endlessly analyzing all sorts of unnecessary matters by himself.
Izumi, on the other hand, was completely different.
Whenever Kiyohara did anything, she would simply stare at him with sparkling eyes and an expression that clearly said...
Senpai is amazing!
Compared to Itachi, the emotional satisfaction she provided as a disciple was infinitely greater.
(End of Chapter)