The lingering warmth of what had just happened still remained in the room.
The white sleeveless undershirt Tsunade was wearing had long since been pulled completely out of shape during their earlier struggle. Most of the stitching around the collar had torn apart, exposing a large expanse of her fair skin.
"My clothes are ruined again."
There was a hint of complaint in her voice, yet the moisture still lingering at the corners of her eyes made her seem as though she had just been lifted from the water. She looked utterly languid, too lazy to even move her fingers.
Kiyohara sat beside her with one hand still resting around her waist.
"I'll buy you another one, Sensei."
Tsunade's eyes immediately lit up.
Supporting herself with one arm, she unconsciously rubbed her hands together with anticipation.
As she raised herself, the already overstretched undershirt could barely contain her figure any longer.
She looked at Kiyohara expectantly before asking with a sly smile,
"Just replacing my clothes?"
The implication in her words was obvious.
Kiyohara knew she was hoping to get a little more than that.
Most likely she had already gambled away nearly all of her money again.
Still, Kiyohara did not particularly care.
After all, he had already established a casino inside Konoha. Whatever Tsunade lost would simply circulate back to him from the other gamblers. It was merely moving money from one hand to the other.
He reached into the shinobi pouch beside him and took out a sealing scroll. After unrolling it, he released the sealing formula.
With a soft puff, a thick stack of banknotes appeared on the tea table.
"There's still plenty left inside the scroll. Use it for now, Sensei."
The instant Tsunade saw the money, she looked considerably more energetic.
She picked up one bundle of bills, weighed it in her hand, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Now that's more like it."
She set the bundle back on the table before lying comfortably against the sofa once more.
Turning her head, she looked at Kiyohara.
"Oh right. Have you found out who that mysterious person was during the Nine Tails incident?"
Kiyohara's hand still rested around her waist as he absentmindedly stroked the smooth skin at her side.
"It should have been someone from the Akatsuki."
Tsunade's brows immediately knitted together.
She sat upright again, this time using more strength.
"The Akatsuki? Haven't they always maintained a good relationship with Konoha?"
Her voice was filled with confusion.
"I remember that after you became Hokage, Konoha even hired the Akatsuki to carry out several classified missions. Their leader, Nagato, reached several cooperative agreements with you, didn't he?"
She also mentioned Konan, saying that she was currently staying in Konoha.
Kiyohara shook his head.
"The Akatsuki isn't as united as it appears."
"Although Nagato is the public leader, there are others around him. That masked man has serious disagreements with him."
Tsunade grabbed the hand Kiyohara had been idly moving across her abdomen and pressed it against her soft stomach to stop him from continuing.
"So what are we supposed to do? An enemy capable of controlling the Nine Tails, along with all those White Zetsu... If the Akatsuki truly intends to attack Konoha, we can't just sit here and wait."
"I'll deal with them later."
Kiyohara answered casually.
To him, Obito's actions were little more than minor disturbances.
He merely wanted Obito and the Akatsuki to continue attracting everyone's attention for the time being.
After all, Isshiki was still lurking somewhere in the shadows of the shinobi world, secretly carrying out experiments involving vessels.
Kiyohara estimated that once he fully became an Otsutsuki himself, he might also gain the ability to implant his own Kāma onto others.
The problem was that it would probably be extremely difficult to find a vessel compatible with him.
Nor did he intend to rely on such a method for reincarnation.
He was perfectly satisfied with his current body and had no desire to seize someone else's.
Even after becoming an Otsutsuki, he would still possess the bloodline of the animals from Sage Lands along with mastery of the Sage Arts. His lifespan would far surpass that of an ordinary Otsutsuki.
Moreover, controlling the Ten Tails itself could greatly extend one's life, essentially making one immortal unless sealed away.
"Once I finish dealing with one matter, I'll take care of the Akatsuki."
"What matter?"
"Hozuki Castle."
Tsunade's expression shifted from confusion to surprise.
"Hozuki Castle? What are you going there for?"
She remembered that Hozuki Castle belonged to Kusagakure. It was an international prison used to detain dangerous criminals from various nations.
Kiyohara withdrew his hand from her stomach, reached toward the teapot on the table, and poured himself a cup of cooled tea.
After taking a sip, he slowly spoke.
"Kusagakure has been sacrificing Konoha's shinobi."
Tsunade abruptly sat upright.
"What?!"
Her face instantly darkened with anger.
"Beneath Hozuki Castle lies something hidden."
Kiyohara continued.
It was an extremely well kept secret.
Konoha would not discover it until another ten years had passed.
"Kusagakure currently possesses the Box of Ultimate Bliss. According to legend, it is an artifact dating back to the era of the Sage of Six Paths and possesses the power to grant any wish. For years, Kusagakure has been feeding it with the lives of prisoners, trying to awaken the power sealed within the box."
Tsunade's face became increasingly grim.
"They're using prisoners' lives?"
"That's right."
Kiyohara nodded and began explaining in detail.
On the surface, Hozuki Castle was an international prison that accepted dangerous criminals sent by every major nation.
In reality, however, once those prisoners entered the prison, many of them never emerged again.
Kusagakure claimed they had either died from illness or escaped, but the truth was that they had all become sacrifices for the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Among those sacrifices were quite a few shinobi from Konoha."
Kiyohara continued.
The prisoners held within an international prison were generally people who deserved to be there.
Many had abused their abilities as shinobi to murder, rob, and terrorize ordinary civilians.
"They'll eventually become a threat to Konoha."
Tsunade spoke thoughtfully.
The prisoners were only one aspect of the problem.
Once Kusagakure truly mastered the power of the Box of Ultimate Bliss, they would never remain content with ruling such a tiny nation. Expansion would inevitably become their ambition.
Since the Land of Grass bordered the Land of Fire, Konoha would certainly become one of the first affected.
"Back then, what happened to Kyoko from the Uzumaki Clan was already their doing. Now they're sacrificing Konoha's shinobi as well..."
Kiyohara reached over and gently placed his hand on the back of hers, softly patting it.
"That's why I said I'll deal with it."
Tsunade looked up at him.
"So what exactly are you planning to do?"
"First, I'll take possession of the Box of Ultimate Bliss. If it truly possesses the wish granting power spoken of in the legends, then it's far too dangerous to leave it in Kusagakure's hands."
"I'm also quite interested in the box itself."
Tsunade stared at him for several moments before snorting.
"You just want to play around with it yourself."
Kiyohara made no attempt to deny it.
Sighing helplessly, Tsunade lay back on the sofa once again.
"Fine. Go then. With your strength, a place like Kusagakure won't be able to stir up much trouble anyway."
Her tone carried complete confidence in him, as though such a conclusion were only natural.
Kiyohara turned toward her and reached out with his other hand.
Tsunade's body stiffened slightly before gradually relaxing.
"I don't have any strength left."
She protested.
...
Several more days passed.
Inside Rin's mental world.
The enormous body of Isobu, the Three Tails, stood upon the shallow water.
Its three tails slowly swayed behind it, stirring countless ripples across the surface.
Then the water began to ripple.
A figure suddenly appeared, landing lightly atop the water.
The Three Tails slowly opened its eye.
The enormous yellow eye peered through the gap in its shell as it stared directly at Kiyohara.
"Human... you've come again."
The Three Tails spoke.
With each visit, it had become increasingly wary of Kiyohara.
"Thanks to you, Three Tails."
Kiyohara raised his right hand, slowly spreading his fingers.
A stream of water emerged from his palm and coiled around his wrist.
The Three Tails' pupil immediately contracted.
It could clearly sense that the chakra nature within that flowing water was exactly the same as its own.
Over the past several years, Kiyohara had entered Rin's mental world every so often, or temporarily transformed part of Isobu's body into its tailed beast form, taking away only a tiny fragment of its flesh.
Each piece had been no larger than a fingernail.
Such a wound could not even be considered a scratch and healed almost instantly.
Given Isobu's immense size, even one of its eyes was larger than half a human being.
Yet this human had consumed those tiny fragments of flesh one after another, gradually adapting to them until he completely mastered the Three Tails' chakra.
Even the Sage himself had never accomplished something like this.
The Sage had created the Nine Tailed Beasts by dividing the Ten Tails' chakra into nine separate portions, giving each of them its own consciousness and form.
Even so, he had still needed to seal the tailed beasts inside jinchuriki before humans could wield their chakra.
The Sage of Six Paths had ultimately died because he extracted the Ten Tails from his own body, leaving himself so weakened that he remained bedridden for several months before finally passing away.
Kiyohara, however, had bypassed that entire process.
He was not a jinchuriki.
There was no seal within him.
No tailed beast lived inside his body.
He had simply eaten the Three Tails' flesh, digested it as though it were ordinary food, and transformed the Three Tails' chakra into something that truly belonged to himself.
"Next..."
Kiyohara's voice interrupted Isobu's thoughts.
"I'll fight you using nothing but your own chakra."
"I hope you won't disappoint me."
As his words fell, Kiyohara's chest expanded slightly.
Opening his mouth, he expelled an enormous sphere of water.
Water Release: Iron Cannon Shell!
Isobu's huge eye widened.
Without the slightest hesitation, it also opened its massive mouth and fired an equally enormous sphere of water.
The two Iron Cannon Shells collided violently in the middle of the lake, exploding into a towering curtain of water.
Countless droplets poured back down, splashing across the surface and creating endless rings of ripples.
"...His is even faster."
Isobu frowned.
Although Kiyohara was using the Three Tails' own chakra nature, and their chakra output was nearly identical, Kiyohara's technique was noticeably more powerful.
There was only one possible explanation.
Kiyohara's understanding and mastery of Water Release had already surpassed even that of the Three Tails itself.
The next moment, the Three Tails drew in its four limbs, allowing the massive shell on its back to completely envelop its body.
It curled itself into a gigantic sphere.
Then it rolled toward Kiyohara with tremendous speed.
Shadow Rolling!
The enormous armored ball charged forward with unstoppable momentum, as though nothing in its path could possibly withstand its crushing force.
Kiyohara remained standing where he was.
He raised his right hand, and a layer of faint crimson chakra appeared across his palm.
The chakra rapidly condensed into coral-like crimson crystals that completely covered his hand.
Facing the gigantic rolling sphere head on, he thrust out his palm.
Coral Palm!
The instant his palm collided with the massive shell, a deep, thunderous impact echoed throughout the entire space.
The shockwave sent a massive circular wall of water surging across the lake, spreading outward in every direction.
The Three Tails' enormous body was actually blasted backward by that single palm strike. It tumbled across the water more than a dozen times before finally managing to stabilize itself.
Then its shell began to change.
Pale crimson coral crystals sprouted from the gaps in its shell, spreading like creeping vines. In the blink of an eye, they had covered nearly half of its back.
The coral continued growing outward, firmly anchoring it in place. Its curled-up body could not even unfold.
"My ability..."
Isobu's voice was filled with disbelief.
This was its own power. It too possessed complete control over coral.
Quickly, it dissolved the coral growing across its body, finally regaining its freedom of movement.
"You've mastered all of my abilities?"
Isobu stared at Kiyohara in astonishment.
It stamped both feet down, sending ripples racing across the surrounding water.
Water Release: Great Waterfall!
Centered on the Three Tails, an enormous ring-shaped tidal wave erupted into existence.
It surged in every direction, lifting towering walls of water wherever it passed.
Seeing this, Kiyohara performed the very same technique.
Water Release: Great Waterfall!
The two gigantic waves collided violently.
However, Kiyohara's tidal wave was clearly far more violent.
The Three Tails' wave was swallowed the instant the two forces met.
The overwhelming torrent slammed directly into its body, causing crack after crack to spread across its shell.
"What incredible waves..."
Standing in one corner of the mental world, Rin hurriedly formed hand seals.
Water Release: Clear Mirror Still Water.
An oval-shaped mirror of flowing water appeared before her, shielding her from the aftermath of the crashing tidal waves.
"Amazing..."
Her voice was filled with genuine amazement.
"He really mastered the Three Tails' chakra."
Rin had personally watched Kiyohara progress step by step until he reached this point.
His rate of growth and his incredible adaptability had already completely surpassed everything she believed possible for a shinobi.
She had never imagined that such an ability, one capable of devouring another's chakra, could exist within the shinobi world.
By the time the gigantic waves finally subsided, the Three Tails had already been blasted into a corner, lying motionless against the ground.
Sssss...
White steam continuously rose from its body as it regenerated its injuries.
Slowly, it lifted its head.
Its enormous eye stared at Kiyohara.
"How did you do it?"
Its voice was hoarse.
Kiyohara lowered his hand as the rings of water surrounding him gradually dispersed.
Looking down through the calm water, he met the Three Tails' gaze.
"Perhaps because I'm a genius."
Isobu remained silent for a long time.
Because it knew perfectly well that genius alone could never explain this.
Was the Sage of Six Paths not a genius?
Was Indra not a genius?
Was Asura not a genius?
All of them had been unparalleled prodigies, standing at the very pinnacle of the shinobi world's thousand-year history.
Yet none of them had accomplished anything like this.
The only possible explanation was that Kiyohara's bloodline had undergone some unprecedented mutation.
Just as Asura and Hashirama had awakened Wood Release despite the Sage himself never possessing it.
Some unpredictable transformation had occurred through generations of inherited bloodlines, giving birth to an entirely new possibility.
Suddenly, Isobu recalled an old legend it had once heard.
It was a story from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning.
The tale of the Gold and Silver Brothers.
According to the legend, those two men had once been swallowed alive by the Nine Tails.
Instead of dying, they survived inside its stomach, feeding upon its flesh until they eventually obtained the Nine Tails' chakra.
They had never become jinchuriki.
Yet they were still capable of wielding the Nine Tails' power.
Just like Kiyohara.
"I'll come see you again next time."
With those words, Kiyohara left the mental world.
Rin also returned to reality.
She sat quietly on the edge of her bed, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders, several loose strands falling across her chest.
Meanwhile, Kiyohara frowned slightly, clearly lost in thought.
After continuously consuming pieces of the Three Tails' flesh, he had now completely confirmed his earlier hypothesis.
His own physique truly possessed the ability to synthesize the Three Tails' chakra.
At any moment, he could refine Isobu's chakra from within himself and freely wield its power.
He had also asked Akakaku Kiyohara about this phenomenon.
However, even Akakaku Kiyohara had been puzzled.
Although he too had devoured the Nine Tails' flesh and gained access to its chakra, he was incapable of freely producing the Nine Tails' chakra at will. The amount he possessed had never reached the level of the Nine Tails itself.
Yet Akakaku Kiyohara had noticed something extraordinary.
The additional chakra Kiyohara had accumulated was already approaching the total reserves of an entire Three Tails.
It was as though the potential of every single cell in his body had increased dramatically.
Even if an enemy somehow extracted every trace of tailed beast chakra from his body, he could simply refine it all over again.
Just like bone marrow constantly producing fresh blood.
An endless cycle that would never cease.
"It must be my other bloodlines at work."
Kiyohara slowly shook his head.
Even now, he could not determine whether the countless bloodlines within his body had interacted with one another, eventually producing some unforeseen mutation.
"Perhaps I can repeat the same process with the other tailed beasts."
He muttered softly to himself.
The One Tail.
The Two Tails.
The Four Tails.
The Five Tails.
The Six Tails.
The Seven Tails.
The Eight Tails.
The Nine Tails.
If he could gradually consume portions of each of their flesh and master every tailed beast's chakra...
However, another problem still remained.
Even if he successfully gathered all nine tailed beasts' chakra, he would still require a vessel capable of bringing about their qualitative transformation.
A vessel comparable to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
The Demonic Statue was the empty body of the Ten Tails itself, possessing life force so immense that it bordered on the unimaginable.
Even after all nine tailed beasts had been extracted, its withered body still retained the so-called Demonic Statue chakra.
It had even allowed Madara to prolong his own life through its existence.
As for creating a substitute...
Kiyohara had been conducting experiments for quite some time.
His research into artificial tailed beasts had also been progressing remarkably well.
He was already capable of placing a portion of Moryo's chakra into specially prepared vessels.
He simply had not yet attempted to inject significantly larger quantities.
The greater the chakra involved, the higher the quality demanded of the vessel itself.
"At the very least, I can learn from Sasuke."
After considering it for a moment, Kiyohara concluded that there was no need to worry too much.
During the battle at the Valley of the End, Sasuke had used Susanoo as a vessel, pouring the chakra of all nine tailed beasts into it to create Takemikazuchi Susanoo.
The resulting Susanoo had been every bit as powerful as Naruto's Three-Headed, Six-Armed Nine Tails form, which combined the natural energy of the earth with portions of all nine tailed beasts' chakra.
The matter of the vessel could be solved gradually.
For now, collecting the tailed beasts' chakra remained the highest priority.
"What are you thinking about?"
A soft hand gently touched the center of his forehead.
Kiyohara returned to his senses.
Rin had placed one hand between his brows, slowly massaging away the frown that had unconsciously formed there.
"It's nothing."
He shook his head as his furrowed brows gradually relaxed beneath her fingertips.
"Oh, right. About the Eight Gates you taught me..."
Rin suddenly spoke.
"I can open the Fourth Gate now."
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at her.
The Eight Gates was the pinnacle of taijutsu.
It placed extraordinarily high demands upon the user's physical body.
Even someone as gifted as Might Guy had only managed to open each gate after enduring training volumes dozens of times greater than those of an ordinary shinobi.
Rin had originally been a medical shinobi.
Her taijutsu foundation had never been particularly outstanding.
For her to reach the Fourth Gate was genuinely unexpected.
After thinking about it more carefully, however, it also made perfect sense.
The Three Tails resided within her.
A tailed beast's regenerative abilities vastly exceeded those of ordinary humans.
No matter how brutally she trained or how severely she damaged herself, the Three Tails' chakra could rapidly repair her muscles and chakra pathways.
"Show me."
Kiyohara reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and gently pulled her into his embrace.
Rin's body stiffened slightly as she instinctively pressed her legs together.
"Why does it feel like that's all you ever think about..."
Her voice was quiet, carrying a hint of playful complaint.
"I've simply got too much energy."
Kiyohara answered without embarrassment.
That was probably the greatest downside of possessing such overwhelming vitality.
His immense life force left him with boundless energy.
And that excess energy naturally needed an outlet.
This happened to be one of the best ways to release it.
Of course, the reason he had taught Rin the Eight Gates had never been so she could charge onto the battlefield.
The Gate of Life.
The Gate of Pain.
The Gate of Limit.
With every gate opened, the density and firmness of the body's muscles increased to an entirely new level.
Rin immediately understood what he meant.
"I knew your intentions weren't pure..."
Kiyohara simply smiled without denying it.
His hand slowly slid down along the curve of her waist until his palm rested against her toned hip.
"So let me inspect how effective the Fourth Gate really is."
Rin's body trembled softly.
...
When Kiyohara left Rin's home the following morning, dawn had only just begun to break.
After returning to the Hokage Tower, he summoned Konan.
"Take this month's medicine to Nagato."
Kiyohara removed a sealing scroll from his desk drawer and handed it to her.
Inside the scroll were three sealed test tubes filled with pale green liquid.
As far as Nagato was concerned, Kiyohara had always preferred a gradual approach.
He had never completely cured Nagato's illness in one treatment.
Instead, every month he provided another dose of medicine to keep his condition stable.
Although Nagato now appeared no different from an ordinary shinobi, the hidden injuries within his body and the damage to his chakra network still remained.
He needed to continue taking the medicine regularly to maintain his health.
That arrangement also gave Kiyohara a reason to keep Konan close.
As long as Nagato depended on his medicine, Konan would continue staying by his side.
Konan accepted the sealing scroll.
Her blue eyes lingered on Kiyohara's face for a moment.
"Where are you going?"
Her voice remained as cool as ever.
Based on Kiyohara's usual habits, he would never hand over an entire month's medicine in advance unless he planned to travel far away.
"Hozuki Castle."
Kiyohara answered.
"There's something I need to take care of there. Once you've delivered the medicine, come back and accompany me."
Konan's brows furrowed ever so slightly.
An international prison used to confine the most dangerous criminals from every nation.
Such a place had virtually nothing to do with Konoha.
If Kiyohara intended to go there personally, there had to be a special reason.
"I understand."
She tucked the scroll away before turning around.
Her figure vanished from the office.
Kiyohara watched her leave before walking out of the Hokage Tower toward Training Ground Three.
Training Ground Three.
Several children were currently training on the open field.
Itachi stood beneath a large tree, gripping a practice kunai as he repeatedly drilled the most basic thrusting technique over and over again.
Izumi was squatting in the grass beside him, resting her chin in both hands. Her peach blossom eyes were half closed, looking as though she had not fully woken up yet.
On the opposite side of the training ground, Guren and Yakumo were sparring with one another.
Guren's Crystal Release had already begun taking shape.
Pink crystals condensed within her palms, transforming into various weapons one after another, including shuriken, kunai, and short blades.
Yakumo did her best to keep up with Guren using taijutsu alone.
Her talent for genjutsu was already extraordinary, so there was little need for anyone to worry about that aspect of her training.
Because of that, the thing she trained the most was actually taijutsu.
Shion sat alone on a large rock at the edge of the training ground. A scroll on fuinjutsu techniques rested across her knees as she read it with complete concentration.
Meanwhile, beneath the shade of the trees surrounding the training field, Kushina sat side by side with Mikoto on a picnic blanket spread across the grass.
In Kushina's arms was a tiny swaddled bundle.
Baby Naruto was wrapped in a pale yellow blanket, with only his small face exposed.
The little fellow was awake, his tiny fists raised beside his ears as he waved them every now and then.
Beside her, Mikoto was also holding a small bundle.
Compared to Naruto, Sasuke was much quieter. His eyes remained closed as he breathed steadily, his tiny mouth slightly open as he occasionally smacked his lips in his sleep.
After finishing his training, Itachi walked over to his mother and lowered his head to look at his younger brother in the blanket.
For some reason, Itachi already felt an especially deep affection for Sasuke.
If it were for his little brother's sake, he felt that he would be willing to do anything.
Izumi also came over and crouched beside Mikoto, curiously staring at Sasuke's tiny face.
"Itachi, your brother is so tiny."
She carefully reached out a finger and gently poked Sasuke's cheek.
Sasuke frowned slightly and pouted before settling down again.
"Yeah."
Itachi nodded.
He also thought Sasuke was incredibly small right now.
At that moment, the only thing on Itachi's mind was hoping that Sasuke would grow up quickly so they could train together one day.
Kushina turned toward Mikoto's arms before looking down at the Naruto she was holding.
A mischievous smile spread across her face.
"Mikoto, if Naruto were a girl, I'd seriously want to arrange a childhood engagement with your family."
Mikoto covered her mouth as she laughed.
"I know. It's a shame they're both boys."
Kushina sighed dramatically, her voice filled with regret.
Looking down at Naruto, she reached out and lightly poked his soft little cheek.
"You little rascal, why couldn't you have been born a girl?"
Naruto, clearly annoyed by being poked, swung his tiny fist without thinking.
It landed squarely on Kushina's nose.
The punch was not strong.
But it was remarkably accurate.
"Ow!"
Kushina covered her nose, staring at the little troublemaker in disbelief.
Naruto had absolutely no idea what he had just done.
He continued waving his tiny fists while making happy babbling noises.
Mikoto could not help laughing again.
"This child is definitely going to be mischievous when he grows up."
At that moment, a figure emerged from the nearby forest.
Shion was the first to notice.
She quickly stood up and respectfully greeted him.
"Sensei."
The other children also stopped training and gathered around Kiyohara.
"Hokage-sama."
"Kiyohara-sensei!"
Kiyohara gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping across each of them.
"How well have you adapted to your Curse Marks?"
he asked.
Shion answered first.
"I've adapted very well. My chakra refinement is much faster than before, and even the stability of my fuinjutsu techniques has improved."
As she spoke, she raised her right hand.
A faint layer of green chakra gathered in her palm.
It was clearly a D Rank medical ninjutsu.
Not wanting to be outdone, Guren clapped her hands together.
A short pink crystal blade quickly condensed in her palm.
"Me too! When I use the Curse Mark, my crystals becomes much tougher than before!"
She thrust the crystal dagger into the ground.
The blade sank cleanly into the soil and looked extremely sharp.
However, several tiny cracks immediately appeared along the blade.
"It's still not stable enough."
Kiyohara commented.
Seeing Guren's disappointed expression, he added,
"But you've improved."
He still praised her effort.
Guren's gloomy expression immediately brightened into a cheerful smile.
Kiyohara then turned toward Itachi and Izumi.
"What about the two of you?"
Itachi answered calmly.
"The Curse Mark integrated very smoothly. The increase in Yang Release chakra has significantly improved my recovery speed."
Izumi simply rolled up her sleeve, revealing her fair arm.
"Sensei, look! The injury on my arm has completely healed!"
Sure enough, not a single scar remained.
Her skin looked smooth and flawless.
Kiyohara nodded.
It seemed all of them had adapted well to their Curse Marks.
Then he revealed the true reason he had come today.
"This time, I'm taking several of you with me on a mission."
The moment he finished speaking, every child immediately looked up.
"I want to go! Me!"
Guren was the first to volunteer enthusiastically.
Although Yakumo remained silent, anticipation clearly appeared in her eyes.
Watching the children eagerly competing with one another, Mikoto smiled.
"Kiyohara really is popular."
Kushina laughed as well.
While gently patting the Naruto in her arms, who had started waving his fists again, she sighed nostalgically.
"Kiyohara has always been popular. I still remember when he was attending the academy. Quite a few girls secretly watched him all the time."
She secretly glanced at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara simply ignored the topic.
Instead, he carefully considered who should accompany him.
"Izumi, Shion, Itachi. The three of you are coming with me."
Izumi instantly cheered.
"Why am I not going..."
Guren's voice was filled with grievance.
Yakumo said nothing, but she quietly lowered her head.
Kiyohara walked over to the two girls before crouching down so that he could look directly into their eyes.
"I've noticed all the hard work both of you have put in."
His voice was calm but sincere.
"By the time I return from this mission, your birthdays will be close at hand."
"I'll have a present ready for each of you."
That was exactly what he had planned.
For Guren, he intended to gift her a specially crafted hilt made from chakra-conductive metal.
With it, she would be able to channel Crystal Release chakra directly through the handle and freely create any weapon she desired.
"Really?!"
"Really."
Kiyohara nodded.
All of Guren's disappointment about being left behind instantly vanished.
She happily threw herself forward and hugged Kiyohara's arm.
Yakumo was equally delighted after learning she would also receive a gift.
As for her present, Kiyohara planned to give her a high quality drawing board along with a set of excellent paintbrushes.
...
By the time Itachi returned home, darkness had already fallen.
Fugaku sat before the low table in the living room with a cup of tea in his hand, quietly reading through a document.
Hearing movement at the entrance, he looked up.
"You're back."
"Father."
After changing his shoes, Itachi entered the living room and sat properly across from Fugaku.
Setting down his teacup, Fugaku looked at him.
"Mikoto told me that Kiyohara selected you to accompany him on a classified mission."
"Yes."
Itachi nodded.
Fugaku lifted his teacup and took another sip.
Although his expression remained as stern as ever, the corners of his mouth were noticeably softer than usual.
"Very good."
He set the teacup down.
"Kiyohara is the Hokage produced by the Uchiha Clan, and one of the strongest shinobi in the entire world. Being personally chosen by him proves that your talent has been recognized."
He paused before fixing his gaze upon Itachi.
"Itachi, your talent is exceptionally rare even in the history of the Uchiha Clan."
"I believe that one day, you will undoubtedly surpass me."
Itachi lowered his head.
"You overestimate me, Father."
Fugaku slowly shook his head.
"I'm not overestimating you."
His gaze shifted toward the cradle in the corner of the living room.
Sasuke lay peacefully inside, sleeping soundly with one tiny hand raised beside his ear.
"When Sasuke grows up, I hope he'll possess talent just like yours."
Following his father's gaze, Itachi looked toward the cradle.
Sasuke rolled over in his sleep before continuing to slumber peacefully.
"He will."
Itachi nodded.
He had a strong feeling.
His little brother would become someone truly remarkable in the future.
...
One week later.
The main gate of Konoha.
A gigantic airship was parked outside the village.
Its entire body was painted silver white.
Rows of propulsion engines were mounted along both sides of the vessel, while a large propeller slowly rotated at the rear.
Izumi tilted her head back.
Her eyes widened until they were perfectly round.
Her mouth hung open in amazement.
"It's huge..."
She had never seen anything so enormous in her entire life.
Standing beside her, Itachi maintained his usual calm expression, though a trace of surprise still flickered through his dark eyes.
"This was transported here from the Land of Snow, wasn't it?"
he asked uncertainly.
Standing ahead of them, Kiyohara turned slightly after hearing the question.
"No."
"It was built together with the Land of Snow."
This was also one of the cooperative projects he had established with the Land of Snow.
Although the core technologies had indeed come from the Land of Snow, the manufacturing and assembly had all been completed within Konoha.
Starting by learning through imitation.
Kiyohara was confident that one day they would surpass the original technology itself.
Click.
The hatch of the airship slowly opened.
A woman stepped out.
It was Kakuyoku Fubuki.
Today she wore a white Chakra Armor, while her pink hair was tied into a high ponytail.
Walking up to Kiyohara, she lowered herself onto one knee and bowed her head.
"Hokage-sama."
Kiyohara nodded.
During their previous encounter in the Land of Snow, he had spared Fubuki's life.
Fubuki's other comrades, Rouga Nadare and Mizore Fuyukuma, had died.
She alone had survived.
During the final reckoning carried out by the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, Fubuki chose to surrender.
She placed all responsibility upon Rouga.
Since Yukigakure already had too few shinobi remaining, she was ultimately spared execution and continued serving the Land of Snow as a form of atonement.
"Everyone's here."
Kiyohara turned around and looked at the three children standing behind him.
Itachi.
Izumi.
Shion.
All three had changed into practical shinobi attire suitable for combat.
Each carried a shinobi pouch around the waist, and all three wore nervous expressions.
"Board the airship."
"I'll explain the details of this mission during the journey."
The inside of the airship was even more spacious than it appeared from the outside.
Fubuki entered the cockpit and grasped the control levers with both hands.
The propulsion engines began humming loudly.
The massive vessel slowly rose into the sky.
Izumi rushed to one of the windows, pressing her face so close against the glass that it nearly touched.
Watching Konoha gradually shrink beneath them, she cried out in amazement again and again.
"We're flying! We're really flying!"
Shion sat beside her.
Although she did not press herself against the window the way Izumi did, she still could not resist turning her head to admire the clouds drifting outside.
"Sensei, what's the objective of this mission?"
Itachi, however, was far more concerned about the mission itself.
"Beneath Hozuki Castle lies something."
Kiyohara raised one hand and traced the outline of a square in the air with his finger.
"Our objective is to obtain the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
"It is said to be a treasure left behind from the era of the Sage of Six Paths."
"It supposedly possesses the power to grant any wish."
The three children immediately fell silent.
"Grant... any wish?"
Itachi had never imagined such a power could possibly exist.
"That's what the legends claim."
Kiyohara nodded.
Judging from what he knew of the original story, such a power truly did exist.
However, every wish carried a price.
The warden of Hozuki Castle, Mui, had indeed fulfilled his greatest wish by seeing his deceased son once again.
Unfortunately, his son had returned as nothing more than a monstrous creature.
This time, Kiyohara also intended to obtain the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Now that he is a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, he could now freely wield the legendary Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Path.
The question now was whether that ability also extended to controlling the Box of Ultimate Bliss itself.
(End of Chapter)