So long as he could last these next five days—
Kiyohara would gain access to a new Will.
"See, Asuma? I told you Kiyohara would win."
Kurenai turned back, grinning playfully at the sulking Sarutobi Asuma.
Asuma's face twitched with embarrassment.
Damn those Uchiha… always talking big.
And yet they'd lost.
To Kiyohara.
In front of her.
He felt the bitter taste of defeat—emotionally bruised.
"Bloodline limits really are something else."
Said Genma, his signature senbon notably absent from his mouth today.
"You weren't exactly a beast before Kiyohara showed his either,"
Kurenai quipped casually.
Genma choked a little on his words.
Now that she said it… he really had no comeback.
Kiyohara had always been sharp—
His Magnet Release was just an extra layer on top.
Meanwhile, Shizune stood at the edge of the group, Ton-Ton in her arms.
She looked on in quiet awe.
Not just fast—
Kiyohara's situational awareness and adaptability were top-notch.
No wonder Tsunade-sama pays extra attention to him,
She thought, raising her evaluation of the boy once again.
Seeing the match conclude, she turned away quietly and headed toward Tsunade's tent.
As soon as she stepped inside—
WHAM! The stench of booze smacked her in the face.
Tsunade sat sprawled at a low table, cheeks flushed, eyes slightly unfocused.
Several bottles lay empty nearby, and a half-finished glass of strong liquor dangled from her fingertips.
"Oh? Back already, Shizune?"
Tsunade lazily lifted her eyelids.
"How'd it go? That brat didn't get wrecked too hard, did he? The Sharingan's no joke."
She'd honestly expected Kiyohara to lose.
Shizune set Ton-Ton down gently.
"You were right, Tsunade-sama. Kiyohara… won."
"…He won?"
Tsunade's hand paused mid-air.
"He beat Uchiha Shisui?"
She blinked in mild disbelief.
She'd only said that offhand, not expecting him to actually win.
Shizune nodded and briefly recounted the key points of the duel—
including Shisui's own concession.
Tsunade went quiet for a second.
Then tilted her head back and downed the rest of her drink in one gulp.
"Tch. Didn't expect that brat to pull it off…"
She exhaled a hot breath laced with alcohol.
"If only I had that kind of luck at the table…"
Shizune stood there, unsure how to respond.
She couldn't understand why Tsunade still thought gambling was a viable way to pay off her mountains of debt.
Let alone how she thought she'd actually stop after clearing it.
"…Tsunade-sama, please really try to gamble less."
"I knoooow, I know."
Tsunade waved her off.
But her expression turned serious as she rubbed her temple.
"Suna's pressure has been mounting again.
The poison they're using is a pain—
We've had multiple cases lately, and our current antidotes aren't cutting it."
Tsunade tapped her finger against the table, lost in thought.
To refine the antidotes, she needed more advanced equipment—
Stuff only available back in the village or the more secure labs behind the front lines.
And for that, she needed to travel.
Alone? Unwise.
She was Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin.
Even if danger was unlikely, the consequences of an ambush were too great.
But a big escort team would draw attention.
Ideally—just one or two sharp bodyguards.
Shizune, seeing her hesitating, made a timely suggestion.
"If you need escorts… Kakashi and Kiyohara might be perfect.
Kakashi is White Fang's son, and Kiyohara's instant-movement is fast—
He reacted quickly even during the fight just now."
"…Kiyohara? That kid?"
Tsunade instinctively wanted to brush it off.
Just a Chūnin, wasn't he?
But she bit back the words.
Chūnin was just a title.
The boy had just forced an Uchiha genius to admit inferiority.
That kind of talent wasn't something you saw every day.
She leaned back in her chair.
Her ample chest rose and fell with a thoughtful breath.
Defense types?
Trackers?
None of the options currently in camp really matched Kiyohara's flexibility and speed.
His growth rate was almost scary.
Fine, she admitted inwardly. Maybe bringing him really would make things easier.
"…Got it."
Tsunade didn't give a final decision yet, just waved her hand.
"Let me think it over. Go rest for now."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Shizune bowed and stepped out of the tent.
Meanwhile, across camp—
In a brightly lit command tent, Uchiha Yakumi worked quietly under lamplight.
An older, shrewd member of the Uchiha clan, Yakumi was a trusted aide of Clan Head Fugaku, responsible for external affairs and intelligence reports.
The flap opened.
Uchiha Tekko entered, visibly uneasy.
He'd just returned from the match, and word was Yakumi wanted to see him.
Tekko felt a chill of dread.
They'd lost.
"Yakumi-sama… You called for me?"
Yakumi didn't even look up.
"I heard you and Shisui sparred with that boy—Kiyohara, was it?"
"…Yes, sir."
Tekko recounted the whole story honestly, including handing over the custom shuriken and Kiyohara's parting words.
Finally, Yakumi put his pen down and looked up.
"Honoring the clan's dignity and keeping your word—
Good."
He gave a rare nod of approval.
But then his voice dropped an octave, layered with pressure.
"However—
Losing… does that not sully the name of Uchiha?"
Tekko's back straightened under the weight of his gaze.
A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his brow.
"…I… I take full responsibility."
Yakumi's stern face softened slightly.
"…Still.
That Kiyohara boy—
To have such strength at his age…
He's a rare talent."
He sealed the letter he'd been writing and looked out at the night through the tent flap.
"You two should maintain good relations with him.
Spar with him. Exchange techniques.
Don't be stingy with gifts or tools.
It's a worthwhile investment—for the clan and for yourselves."
"…Understood, Yakumi-sama."
Easy for you to say… You're not the one giving away premium ninja gear…
Tekko grumbled internally.
But outwardly, he nodded obediently.
Yakumi waved him off.
Alone again, he stared out at the moonlit forest.
"The Third… is getting old.
Once this war ends, there will be a shake-up in Konoha's leadership."
His eyes gleamed with Uchiha pride—and ambition.
"If we want Fugaku to advance further…
We'll need more than just the clan.
We'll need allies. Influential, promising allies."
He thought of Kiyohara again.
"A Magnet Release prodigy…
He may be small now—
But the future… who can say?"
The next morning, mist still clinging to the earth—
Kiyohara sat cross-legged atop a flat boulder at the edge of camp.
He wasn't doing heavy training, nor practicing any new jutsu.
Instead, he was holding an old, weathered scroll—quietly reading.
Its content?
Detailed notes on chakra control and the C-rank medical jutsu: [Regeneration Technique].
Only four days to go… he thought.
Just then, soft footsteps approached.
"Kiyohara?"
A gentle voice called out.
He looked up to see a short-haired girl with a composed smile.
"Shizune-san. Morning."
He rolled up the scroll and stood.
She'd definitely come for something important.
"Morning, Kiyohara."
Shizune walked closer.
Her gaze flicked to the scroll in his hands—
Studying medical ninjutsu first thing in the morning?
So he had talent and diligence…
She got to the point:
"Tsunade-sama needs to travel to a rear-line laboratory to continue analyzing Suna's poison techniques.
She'll need three guards.
She thinks your speed and reflexes would be ideal.
Would you be willing to take the assignment?"
Kiyohara only hesitated a moment.
"Of course.
It would be an honor to assist Tsunade-sama."
He had no objections.
In fact, he'd been wanting a chance to grow closer to her.
Even a casual exchange about medical theory would be worth it.
Shizune noted how readily he agreed.
Her eyes drifted back to the scroll again.
"…How's the studying going?
That section's known to be difficult—most combat-focused ninja never even pass the basics."