"Furthermore, we can cooperate. You really want to become a member of the next generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, don't you? Once you lure Raiga Kurosuki out, I can use his body for experiments, which will accelerate the research progress. To fundamentally cure your illness, I must have more experimental subjects."
Kiyoshi's eyes remained fixed on Ringo Ameyuri.
In the Hidden Mist, the obsession with becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was akin to children in the Leaf shouting about wanting to become Hokage. It was a symbol of recognition and status.
"You think I would betray a comrade?" Ringo Ameyuri countered.
"Betraying a comrade doesn't mean betraying the village. Don't tell me that after you become a new member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, you don't have the confidence to do a better job than him?" Kiyoshi smiled.
If it were a matter of experimenting on ordinary or innocent people, it would indeed be inhumane, and Kiyoshi had no desire to do such things. However, these ninjas were different. Ninjas were essentially executioners who carried out missions. Raiga Kurosuki had countless lives on his hands; as a Hidden Mist ninja invading the Land of Fire, it was already a life-and-death situation.
Kiyoshi felt no psychological burden dealing with such a person. If he were the one caught, he would face death and the theft of his eyes. Thus, if their strength was inferior and they fell into his hands, it was only natural to maximize their utility.
In fact, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had done plenty of this. His forbidden techniques were inseparable from human experimentation; the [Reanimation Jutsu] was concrete proof of it. Successful casting required a living human sacrifice. How he arrived at the idea of using a living person as a sacrifice, and how many lives were spent during development, was a matter worth pondering.
"Isn't that right?"
A scarlet light flashed in Kiyoshi's eyes as he quietly poured a large amount of ocular power into Ringo Ameyuri, planting a hypnotic suggestion. This was to ensure she would not reveal information about this transaction.
The strength of mental energy is inseparable from a healthy body. Although Ringo Ameyuri could seize a position among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen despite her sickly frame—forging a will of steel through long-term pain—a weak body was ultimately like a leaking container, continuously draining the mental power that should have been flourishing. Only when her body was fully healed could her tempered edge truly shine.
In short, applying a suggestion in this state was a perfect use of the opportunity. A flash of Sharingan red mirrored in Ringo Ameyuri's eyes, but she herself remained unaware. She laughed, her sharp teeth reflecting the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.
"Interesting. You really are a different kind of Uchiha."
Ringo Ameyuri did not reject the cooperation offer. She had no concept of "comrades"; if they died, they died. To become a new member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, one inevitably had to bypass the previous generation; a battle was bound to happen sooner or later.
In the village, there was a boy named Zabuza Momochi, roughly the same age as Mei Terumi, who had killed all the other students in his graduation class single-handedly. Such behavior didn't lead to him being imprisoned for murdering comrades; instead, it made his name famous, earning him a nickname at a young age: the "Demon of the Hidden Mist."
This was the current Blood Mist Village—bloody, brutal, and where the strong reigned supreme. Even if one killed a comrade, as long as they didn't defect from the village, small-scale internal strife wouldn't be punished.
To be honest, Ringo Ameyuri didn't know why the Third Mizukage, who was wise and powerful in his youth, had become so brutal and senile in his old age. But once a policy was issued by the "Kage," defying it meant defecting, leading to a life of eternal wandering in the ninja world. This caused the Hidden Mist to become increasingly chaotic.
What made Ringo Ameyuri curious was that Kiyoshi, coming from the Hidden Leaf Village with its "Will of Fire," actually wanted to propose cooperation with an enemy like her. Wasn't this guy afraid of being treated as a traitor?
"Meet me here next time," Kiyoshi left these words and quickly rushed toward the battlefield ahead.
Now he had a follow-up experimental subject. He didn't need many—just one for daily research and another to verify the success of the experience. As long as he adjusted the dosage of Moryo's power, there would be no life-threatening danger. At most, some mutations might occur, like an extra eye or a leg.
As the moist air of the stream reached Kiyoshi's nose, he re-entered the mist. The fog had thinned considerably and was dissipating at a visible rate.
"Retreat!"
Kiyoshi heard Raiga Kurosuki's shout. In the next moment, rustling sounds occurred. The mist receded, leaving only the Uchiha ninjas and the three outsiders, including Minato Namikaze.
"Have they retreated?" Minato Namikaze's brow furrowed, but he did not pursue.
"We move forward to reinforce Lord Fugaku," Horikawa Uchiha announced.
He then instructed several clansmen to handle the corpses on the ground. These bodies had to be either cremated on the spot or sealed into scrolls to be taken back. A ninja's corpse revealed a vast amount of secrets—their jutsu, chakra natures, bloodlines, and even specialized drugs they had used.
Therefore, they were always processed promptly. If a foreign ninja died in the Leaf during the Chunin Exams, the leading Jonin of that country would also take the body back.
Minato nodded; this was indeed the best choice.
"Let's go," Kakashi glanced indifferently at Obito. Obito still had a smear of blood on his face, evidence of the recent battle.
"They're... they're dead," Obito watched his clansmen gather several Uchiha corpses. The shredded flesh from the water dragon's impact was difficult to handle and was cremated directly with Fire Style.
He had met these people in the clan before. In the blink of an eye, they were separated by life and death, their breath gone. The contrast made Obito feel like vomiting.
"Try to be a bit more mature, like Kiyoshi," Kakashi said.
"I'm not like that cold-blooded guy!" Regarding the death of his clansmen, Obito could not accept Kiyoshi's indifferent expression. Did this guy not feel any reverence for the loss of life?
Kiyoshi felt Obito's gaze, shook his head, and said nothing. Resealing his ninja blade into his scroll, he followed Horikawa Uchiha.
"Obito, Kiyoshi isn't that kind of person," Rin defended him. How could the Kiyoshi who took time to help her practice Lightning Style be as Obito described? Kiyoshi was a good person! During the battle just now, his actions were excusable given the emergency.
"You went outside the mist just now?" Horikawa Uchiha asked.
"Yes, I was pursuing that woman with the brownish-red hair," Kiyoshi replied.
"Let's move." Horikawa Uchiha didn't ask further. Once the corpses were processed, he quickly led the group to the battlefield.
The sun dipped below the mountain peak, and the night, like a layer of ink, covered the sky in black. The battle in this sector had come to an end. Kiyoshi had killed eight Hidden Mist ninjas and could feel his ocular power strengthening. If he continued, he would soon touch that "membrane."
***
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