Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
Looking at the bustling crowds on the streets of the Hidden Leaf, Kiyoshi couldn't help but feel as if a lifetime had passed. The atmosphere here was worlds apart from the chilling, tense daily life of the battlefield.
"We're finally back," Kurenai sighed. She had never been away from the village for such a long time.
"Let's move. Our comrades' remains are still cold; it's best to bury them early," Kiyoshi said, his face calm.
Aside from him, many other ninjas were granted leave during this stage of the war. They took the opportunity to bring back the bodies of fallen companions for burial. For those blown apart by explosive tags until only fragments remained, identification was impossible; their personal belongings were buried as mementos instead.
Currently, the fighting between the Mist and the Sand, and the Cloud and the Stone, was particularly fierce. This gave the Hidden Leaf a brief moment to catch its breath. However, Kiyoshi could already foresee that if the war continued, even young children would soon be sent to the front lines.
Kurenai nodded. This time, they weren't returning alone but as part of a large battalion. Their first task was to head to the Hokage Building to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The troops continued their march, pulling long horse-drawn carriages behind them. It was considered a great sign of disrespect to seal the bodies of comrades inside storage scrolls, so they were transported traditionally.
Kiyoshi's physical strength was immense; he pulled a carriage laden with the most weight. Pedestrians on both sides of the street stopped to watch the returning group. Children looked at the troops with expressions of worship and envy, longing to become "heroes" just like them. Older villagers thought more deeply; some rejoiced at the return of family members, while others wore looks of profound sorrow.
Soon, a crowd gathered, pulling back the white cloth coverings. The scene grew heavy, followed shortly by the sound of muffled, uncontrollable sobbing.
Kiyoshi watched this spectrum of human emotion, the noisy clamor of the crowd ringing in his ears. War was never a good thing. The only harvest it yielded was pain. Only the politicians hiding behind the scenes would reap the rewards until their pockets overflowed. If it weren't for greed and the unequal distribution of interests, war would never break out.
As Kiyoshi continued forward, two children stepped out in front of him, offering him a flower.
"Thank you," Kiyoshi said, rubbing one of their heads.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Kiyoshi," the girl looked up. It was Uzuki Yugao. Standing beside her was Gekko Hayate.
"By the way, Lord Kiyoshi, is the Yellow Flash really that strong?" Yugao asked about Minato Namikaze. Hayate chimed in as well, their conversation filled with admiration for Minato.
Listening closely, Kiyoshi realized the villagers were full of praise for Minato Namikaze. Yet, Minato wasn't even here. This meant his fame had already been successfully funneled back to the home front. Kiyoshi's eyes flickered, a slight smile touching his lips.
'Creating a god?' A classic tactic. In a Konoha currently shaken by instability and fear, pushing a hero to the forefront was perfectly normal. Unfortunately, the contributions of the Uchiha clan would be kept in the shadows.
Sure enough, after giving Kiyoshi a flower, the two children handed flowers to other ninjas. Yet, almost no one offered flowers to the Uchiha ninjas. Even the usually low-profile Kurenai received quite a few.
Kiyoshi's expression didn't change; these patterns were already detailed in the *Itachi Shinden*. It was exactly why the Hokage nominations would eventually only include Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze.
Due to the villagers blocking the path, the march was slow. It took an extra hour before they reached the Hokage Building to report the mission details to Hiruzen. Only after finishing the tedious paperwork did Kiyoshi finally have his own free time.
...
Kiyoshi's Home.
"Phew..."
Kiyoshi sat cross-legged indoors, exhaling a breath of turbid air. His bare upper body revealed muscle contours as perfectly carved as marble, glowing with a sense of robust beauty in the sunlight. With a slight exertion, he could feel a continuous stream of strength surging from deep within.
Ever since he successfully combined the power of Moryo with Lightning Style body tempering, he had entered a state of 24-hour continuous "AFK" training. His entire being had ascended to a new level, and his physical fitness was growing at a terrifying speed.
Kiyoshi opened his eyes slightly and glanced in one direction. The white snake coiled on his lap flicked its tongue and scurried out. Moments later, it returned, carrying a pale-colored stone in its mouth. Kiyoshi gripped the stone, and it instantly turned to powder, crumbling in his hand.
'My physical strength is still increasing,' he thought. If this continued, he wouldn't even need a jutsu like [Chakra Enhanced Strength] to exert that kind of power.
He wondered just how strong he would be if he actually layered [Chakra Enhanced Strength] on top of his current physique. *Could I split a mountain with one punch?*
Kiyoshi mused for a moment, then stood up and ordered the white snake to mop the floor. With the intelligence of a three or four-year-old child, the snake understood his command.
It moved its body quickly, found a cloth, and began cleaning up the stone dust. It didn't understand the meaning of cleaning; it simply followed Kiyoshi's order and repeated the process.
'Perhaps I should try Moryo's power on the white snake as well?' The thought popped into his head. Moryo's power could alter flesh and was not limited to humans. [Dark Medical Ninjutsu] was merely a system created based on human anatomy, but fundamentally, any biological creature could be influenced by it.
However, a problem stood before Kiyoshi: How to replenish the consumed power of Moryo? His experiments and physical tempering both relied on it.
But Moryo's soul was shattered, and its physical essence would eventually run out. The Priestess Miroku likely knew this when she handed the power to him.
'Moryo's power can be replenished through negative emotions...' After some thought, Kiyoshi found a lead. What place had more negative emotions than a war? He just needed to develop a method to convert negative emotions into Moryo's power.
This wasn't building something from nothing; it was about integrating negative emotions into the existing physical vessel of Moryo to convert them. The difficulty was significantly lower.
'I should go purchase some advanced equipment,' Kiyoshi thought. With professional equipment and the help of the Sharingan, his research speed would double. His first thought was Nonō Yakushi.
A short while later, Kiyoshi dressed, bought some souvenirs from the street, and headed toward the Hospital.
At the Sushi Shop.
"Sis, the streets are so lively today," Atsui said as he pushed open the door. Today was a holiday with no classes. He had walked around and seen many ninjas returning from the battlefield. Among them, he had spotted that guy, Kiyoshi.