Kiyohara wrapped an arm around Mei Terumī's waist, and the two returned to the camp.
Almost the instant they landed, Mei slipped out of his arm. Her reddish-brown hair scattered in the sea breeze.
She lifted a hand and tucked her hair behind her ear, moving so quickly it was as if she wanted to erase the embarrassment of having been held while flying for half a day.
Moonlight fell across the side of her face, revealing the faint redness at the base of her ear.
"Tomorrow's mission is theirs."
Kiyohara looked toward the tents.
"My students need to get used to seeing blood eventually."
He had no intention of raising a bunch of flowers in a greenhouse.
Once their personalities had been tempered properly, Kiyohara planned to let them grow more freely.
Mei followed his gaze.
Between the tents, Uchiha Itachi was refilling his ninja pouch with shuriken. Uchiha Izumi sat by the campfire, carefully sharpening the edge of her kunai with a whetstone and maintaining her tools.
For ninja, this was a necessary lesson.
Kiyohara walked over and gathered the children in front of him.
"There's a small town ahead. There's a child in that town, and his situation isn't good. Your mission is to find him and bring him back safely."
Kiyohara's tone was calm.
"There are Kirigakure patrol ninja in town. Handle it yourselves."
Guren clenched both fists and gave them a little pump.
"We'll complete the mission!"
Uchiha Itachi placed the shuriken into his ninja pouch and nodded slightly.
"Understood."
Uchiha Izumi spun a kunai between her fingers. Scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in her peach-blossom eyes.
"Don't worry, Kiyohara-sensei. We won't embarrass Konoha."
Kurama Yakumo and Shion also nodded.
The five formed a squad and vanished into the deep sea fog.
Kiyohara watched their backs disappear into the mist. Mei stood beside him, her brows slightly furrowed.
"You're really comfortable letting them go? There could be jōnin in the patrol teams around here."
"I already know the exact location. I can sense them."
Kiyohara said.
If any real danger appeared, he could immediately rush over with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
…
"Found him."
After entering the village, Uchiha Itachi discovered signs of breathing in an abandoned house on the west side of the village.
"Let's go."
Uchiha Izumi was just about to jump down from the roof when Uchiha Itachi reached out and stopped her.
"There are enemies."
Before his words had fully fallen, the fog at the alley entrance was torn open by figures.
Four Kirigakure ninja surrounded them from three directions. The one leading them was a jōnin with half his face wrapped in bandages, revealing only one gloomy eye.
Behind him were three chūnin.
"Foreign ninja."
The bandaged jōnin's gaze swept across the children's faces, then paused on the Konoha forehead protector around Izumi's neck.
"Konoha? You've got some nerve coming into the Land of Water."
Guren was the first to step forward. She put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin high.
"We're here to find someone. Move!"
The bandaged jōnin sneered and waved his hand.
"Take them down. Leave one alive for questioning."
The three chūnin attacked at once.
Water Release techniques condensed in the sea fog, forming several water blades that sliced through the air toward them.
Uchiha Itachi threw his shuriken. The shuriken struck the water blades, splashing them apart in midair.
"Shuriken skills like that…"
The bandaged jōnin was slightly surprised.
"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Blade!"
Guren formed seals. Pink crystal condensed in her palm, forming a translucent crystal blade.
She kicked off the ground and charged forward, bringing the crystal blade down toward the chūnin at the front.
That chūnin quickly raised his kunai to block. The instant the crystal blade struck the kunai, pink crystal began spreading along the kunai's edge. In the blink of an eye, the kunai was encased in a pink crystal column.
The chūnin let go in shock and retreated. Guren seized the moment and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying into a snowdrift beside the road.
"Crystal Release?!"
The bandaged jōnin frowned.
"Another kekkei genkai…"
He was just about to act personally when his vision suddenly blurred.
The surrounding fog began to spin, and the outline of the world gradually melted away.
A massive cherry blossom tree appeared out of nowhere before him. Beneath it stood a long-dead comrade, staring at him with empty eye sockets.
"A genjutsu… when?"
The bandaged jōnin's pupils shrank.
These genin had actually trapped him in a genjutsu without him noticing?
Not far away, the one controlling him was Kurama Yakumo.
The Kurama clan's "Five Senses Control" could turn illusion into reality and deprive a target of their senses.
If the number of people in their clan capable of awakening their kekkei genkai had not gradually dwindled, then with that bloodline alone, they could have continued to maintain their status as one of Konoha's great clans.
"I'm having trouble holding it."
Kurama Yakumo said.
Although her body had improved greatly under Kiyohara's care, her chakra reserves were still a weakness compared to the others.
However, she had abundant Yin Release chakra, which could make up for this when casting genjutsu.
But maintaining it for too long placed a certain strain on her body.
"Good."
This was the exact moment Uchiha Itachi had been waiting for.
He reached into his ninja pouch with his right hand and drew out eight shuriken between his fingers.
Whoosh!
Eight shuriken flew out at once.
The shuriken split in midair. Eight became sixteen, and sixteen became thirty-two.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
This was a technique Kiyohara had taught Uchiha Itachi. He could now use it with practiced ease.
The sky filled with shuriken, bypassing Guren and Yakumo as they shot straight toward the four Kirigakure ninja.
The sound of blades piercing flesh rang out in rapid succession. The four ninja were covered in shuriken, and all of them fell at the same time, losing the ability to move.
Dark red blood spread across the snow. The bandaged jōnin knelt on the ground, shuriken embedded in his knees preventing him from standing. He braced himself against the ground with his remaining hand.
He stared in terror at these genin who looked no more than children.
Guren patted the crystal dust off her hands, glanced back at Yakumo, and grinned.
"Not bad teamwork, huh?"
Kurama Yakumo lowered her hands from the seal and gently exhaled. Her face was a little pale from excessive chakra consumption, but she still curved her lips and gave Guren a gentle smile.
On the high ground behind them, Kiyohara opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Mei stood beside him. She could not sense that far.
But judging from Kiyohara's expression, she guessed that those genin were probably doing quite well.
Just as Mei expected, Shion used sealing arts to bind the injured Kirigakure ninja, while the others inspected the battlefield and confirmed there were no remaining enemies.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from the direction of Kirigakure.
More ninja were approaching.
"They made too much noise."
Mei frowned and turned to Kiyohara.
"Maybe you should step back for now. I'll deal with them. You're Konoha's Hokage. If people discover you personally infiltrated the Land of Water, things will become very troublesome."
"No need."
Kiyohara lifted his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together. Pale chakra condensed in his hand. The air temperature suddenly dropped, and tiny ice crystals appeared out of nowhere, rapidly spinning around his fingers.
Then he casually waved his hand.
An ice blade formed from frozen breath shot out, dragging a piercing white streak as it flew into the distance.
Wherever the ice blade passed, trees were cut in half, rocks were split apart, and a straight crystalline trench was carved into the ground, stretching hundreds of meters.
The sounds in the distance suddenly died down. Then came a muffled groan, followed by the sound of something heavy falling.
Mei's eyes widened. She personally watched that ice blade pierce through the chest of an elite Kirigakure jōnin charging at the front.
That jōnin did not even have the chance to form a seal. His entire body was carried backward by the impact of the ice blade, and he was pinned to the rock wall behind him along with his companions.
A thin layer of frost formed around the transparent hole in his chest. Even his blood had frozen before it could flow.
Ice Release!
"Why do you know Ice Release?"
Mei turned around and realized she could understand Kiyohara less and less.
But those black eyes showed no extra emotion, and his face bore no resemblance to anyone from the Land of Water.
How could someone from Konoha use Ice Release?
Mei could not figure it out.
That kekkei genkai should belong only to the Yuki clan of the Land of Water.
Kiyohara withdrew his fingers.
"This way, no one will suspect it was the Hokage."
Kiyohara said indifferently.
"Ice Release is a technique I only finished recently. Before, I could only summon cold wind. Recently, I finally managed to condense it into crystals."
Mei opened her mouth.
She suddenly felt that her understanding of this man might have been inaccurate from the very beginning.
It was not that he was not strong enough. Rather, the upper limits she had imagined simply did not exist for Kiyohara.
…
Elsewhere.
After dealing with the enemies, Uchiha Izumi pushed open the door.
The rotting wooden door creaked.
Sunlight from outside spilled through the doorway, landing on a small figure curled up in the corner.
It was a child only a few years old, a little younger than Uchiha Izumi.
His long black hair was filthy and tangled into clumps. His skin was pale, and his cheeks were stained with dried blood and mud. It was impossible to tell whether the blood was his or someone else's.
He wore a thin shirt full of holes. He was so thin that the outline of his ribs beneath his collarbone could be seen.
When he heard the door open, his body instinctively shrank farther inward.
"Don't be afraid. We're here to save you."
Uchiha Izumi said.
Haku did not respond.
"Let's bring him to Teacher first and report back."
Uchiha Itachi carried Haku on his back.
At this point, Haku seemed to have gone too long without proper food. He was weak and did not have the strength to resist.
Before long, the group returned to Kiyohara.
Kiyohara looked at the child on Uchiha Itachi's back and told Itachi to set Haku down.
Then he took some food out of a sealing scroll and gave it to Haku.
Haku raised his head slightly and instinctively accepted the food.
He was already used to malice from others.
He no longer had the energy to distinguish whether Kiyohara bore him any ill will. Right now, he only wanted to eat.
After Haku had eaten for a while and some color returned to his face, Kiyohara finally spoke.
"What's your name?"
Kiyohara asked.
"…Haku."
Haku said.
He realized that, even now, Kiyohara had not looked at him strangely or attacked him.
He was clearly different from those villagers.
"Haku, your power isn't a sin. On the contrary, it's a gift for a ninja."
Kiyohara said.
A kekkei genkai was essentially an extra passive effect or additional skill slot compared to ordinary ninja.
The normal way of thinking would be to nurture such people and increase their numbers.
But Kirigakure was currently not a normal ninja village at all. It was merely Obito's blood bank, so naturally it did not care about much.
"A gift?"
Haku had heard of ninja before, but this was the first time he had heard that his power was supposedly a gift.
"That's right. The others were simply too ignorant."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Seeing a kekkei genkai and killing the person for it—how was that any different from medieval witch hunts?
Power itself had no good or evil. It was only a tool.
And from beginning to end, it was people who decided how tools were used.
"Come with me. I need you, Haku."
Kiyohara extended his hand.
The ninja world was, in truth, a vast bullying society.
Anyone who differed from ordinary people could easily be bullied.
Naruto because of the Nine-Tails. Sakura because of her forehead. Kushina because of her red hair. Hinata because of her Byakugan, and so on.
As a result, almost no one had a normal childhood.
Either their parents died, or they were bullied from a young age.
Those who could still grow up smiling and uphold their ninja way were ultimately very few.
Haku was the same.
To him, the most important thing was his "value" to someone else.
That was why he had always been so fixated on becoming Momochi Zabuza's tool, treating that as the meaning of his existence and living as Zabuza's right hand.
And Momochi Zabuza, like Kiyohara, had originally only valued Haku's talent.
It was only after spending a long time together that Momochi Zabuza realized he could no longer do without Haku.
"Really?"
Haku was still hesitant.
"Of course."
Kiyohara extended his hand and refined Ice Release chakra.
The Ice Release chakra formed a beautiful ice lotus.
Kiyohara's chakra control had already surpassed Tsunade's.
So such delicate work was effortless for him.
Looking at the ice lotus in Kiyohara's hand, Haku's eyes widened.
Kiyohara had the same ability as him!
In that moment, Haku suddenly felt that he was not alone.
"I'm willing."
Haku nodded.
Seeing this, Kiyohara took out a set of clothes from a sealing scroll.
"Put this on first."
Kiyohara said.
Mei watched Kiyohara openly abduct the Land of Water's precious talent, looking as if she wanted to say something but forced herself to hold it in.
There was nothing she could do. Circumstances were stronger than people.
She still needed Kiyohara's help.
Besides, the nearby Kirigakure ninja had been planning to simply kill Haku and be done with it.
The Kirigakure ninja under the Bloody Mist would not show much mercy.
…
One day later, the group arrived at Kirigakure.
A faint mist shrouded this ninja village built on an island. Waterfalls poured down from the top of cliffs, crashing into the pools below.
Mei walked at the front, leading the way.
Kiyohara followed behind her, calm and composed.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi protected Haku on the left and right. Guren and Kurama Yakumo walked at the rear.
Haku had changed into clean clothes, and his face had been washed clean, revealing delicate, pretty features.
He still was not used to speaking with others and quietly followed in the middle of the group, his eyes carrying a trace of caution.
The people on Kirigakure's streets did not notice Kiyohara's group.
Before entering, they had all used Transformation Techniques to change their appearances.
Mei led Kiyohara and the others to a large estate in the eastern part of the village.
The Hōzuki clan emblem was carved into the stone lanterns in front of the estate.
Then Mei led them into a tunnel. The tunnel led to a secret room.
There were many Kirigakure ninja in the secret room. The moment Kiyohara stepped inside, everyone looked over.
Standing at the front was a tall, slender young man. His silver-white hair fell to his waist, and his narrow eyes coldly sized Kiyohara up.
At his waist hung a specially shaped ninja blade. The blade was broad and heavy, while the handle was wrapped in deep blue cord. It was a replica of one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, Hiramekarei.
Or rather, it was a replacement the Hōzuki clan had made.
"Mei Terumī, are you sure finding outside help is the right choice?"
Hōzuki Mangetsu spoke.
He was somewhat dissatisfied with Mei secretly leaving to seek outside assistance.
After all, how was this any different from gambling?
"The situation is complicated. I need to explain it to all of you first."
"No need."
Hōzuki Mangetsu interrupted her and looked at Kiyohara.
"I don't trust him. Kirigakure's internal affairs don't require Konoha's interference."
The moment Uchiha Izumi heard that, she bristled.
She poked her head out from behind Kiyohara, her peach-blossom eyes wide, hands on her hips, her voice clear.
"What's wrong with you? My teacher came all this way to help. If not for him, who would come to a foggy place like this?"
For once, Guren did not undermine Izumi. She folded her arms and stood beside her.
"Exactly. With your people's level, my teacher could handle you with one hand. You can barely stand and you're still running your mouth."
A younger genin from the Hōzuki clan flushed red and could not help retorting.
"Are you Konoha people always this arrogant? Mangetsu-niisan is the strongest genius of our Hōzuki clan!"
Uchiha Izumi turned to look at him. Her peach-blossom eyes blinked, and her tone was sincere.
"I'm not targeting you specifically. I mean everyone here isn't worth my teacher using two fingers."
The courtyard instantly went silent.
Then the Kirigakure ninja almost all tightened their grips on their weapons. Hōzuki Mangetsu's brows twisted together, and the muscles at the corner of his eyes twitched slightly.
Even if Kiyohara was now called the so-called strongest Hokage, this was too much disrespect toward everyone else.
Kiyohara stood there watching the scene, feeling rather subtle.
In his memory, the Kaguya clan should have been wiped out during the Land of Water's internal turmoil. Yet now, not only were there Hōzuki clan ninja standing in the courtyard, there were also several people wearing Kaguya clan clothing.
Their collars were embroidered with the Kaguya clan emblem, and they looked full of vitality. Clearly, they had not been wiped out. In fact, they seemed to be living quite well.
This was probably part of the butterfly effect he had created. The movements of the great ninja villages had changed as well, and the Kaguya clan had not suffered as miserably as they had in the original timeline.
Kiyohara's gaze swept across the crowd, then suddenly stopped on a child.
He had white hair falling to his shoulders, two cinnabar-like red marks between his brows, and wore pure white robes. He stood quietly among the Kaguya clan members.
Kiyohara recognized him as Kimimaro.
Kimimaro also looked at Kiyohara curiously.
He had never seen a ninja from another village before, let alone someone who made Hōzuki Mangetsu act as if facing a great enemy.
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze, inwardly feeling it was a pity.
Kimimaro's constitution was outstanding, but his kekkei genkai illness still hung over his head like a blade.
In the ninja world, the stronger the kekkei genkai, the easier it was for the holder to fail to control it and suffer backlash.
For example, the Uchiha clan. The more they used the Mangekyō Sharingan, the more easily they went blind.
In the original timeline, Uchiha Itachi had also suffered from a bloodline disease.
Gekkō Hayate, who possessed Transparency Release, was similarly troubled by this illness.
When Kiyohara withdrew his thoughts, he happened to hear Hōzuki Mangetsu speak.
"Hokage, since you say you're here to help, then show the strength to help."
Hōzuki Mangetsu's right hand moved to the hilt of the ninja blade at his waist, and a layer of water appeared over the surface of his body.
This was the preparatory motion for his Hydrification Technique.
"If you win, I'll have nothing to say. If you lose, please take your people and leave Kirigakure."
Kiyohara did not even raise his eyelids. He casually lifted his right hand and formed a one-handed seal.
Poof.
A shadow clone formed beside him.
"Beat my shadow clone first."
Hōzuki Mangetsu's expression darkened.
He took a deep breath. His whole body abruptly liquefied, turning into a pool of transparent water that surged toward the shadow clone.
Hydrification Technique!
While in a hydrated state, he could ignore all physical attacks. No blade could injure him in his liquid form.
The shadow clone stood in place and raised one finger. A black arc of lightning lit up at the fingertip.
The arc was as thin as a thread, but its color was as dense as ink. It emitted a terrifying Lightning Release chakra fluctuation.
Lightning Release: Azure Thunder.
The black lightning shot out.
The instant Hōzuki Mangetsu's hydrated form was struck by the black lightning, his entire body was forcibly knocked out of liquid form and back into a solid state.
He half-knelt on the ground, fine arcs of electricity still lingering over his body. Every muscle was twitching uncontrollably.
His entire body hurt. The cold Lightning Release in his meridians had disrupted his chakra into chaos, making it impossible to maintain the Hydrification Technique.
"That's it?"
Guren's voice came from behind them, her gleeful tone completely undisguised.
With a soft poof, the shadow clone dispersed into white smoke.
Kiyohara withdrew his finger and did not even bother to comment.
These people truly had no idea what it meant to blunder into the heavens.
But that was normal.
After all, even Naruto and Sasuke, who had saved the world, still had people who dared challenge them without understanding the difference in strength. It could be considered a traditional art of the ninja world: the lower challenging the higher.
He turned his head and swept his gaze over the remaining Kirigakure ninja, who were looking at one another.
"If anyone else is dissatisfied, first defeat my student."
Kiyohara patted Uchiha Itachi on the shoulder.
He could not be bothered to act again. Holding back enough not to kill the other ninja was troublesome in itself.
Seeing this, Mei understood that Kiyohara had held back.
At the same time, anticipation rose in her heart.
From the look of it, with Kiyohara's help, this operation might already be secure.
Hōzuki Mangetsu's expression was ugly.
He had been defeated by a shadow clone using one finger. The other party's main body had not even moved.
But he knew very clearly that this exchange had already shown the gap between them. Kiyohara was not someone he could challenge. He was not even qualified to compare himself to him.
The Kirigakure ninja in the courtyard looked at one another. No one wanted to be the first to step forward, and no one wanted to embarrass themselves.
At that moment, Kimimaro stepped out from the Kaguya clan's group on his own initiative.
He raised his head and looked at Uchiha Itachi, his voice still young.
"I want to challenge your student."
Uchiha Itachi looked at the child before him, who was even shorter than he was, and surprise flashed through his dark eyes.
He had heard somewhat that the Kaguya clan was known as a battle clan.
But Uchiha Itachi did not say much. He only thought that he could not embarrass Kiyohara-sensei. He drew a kunai from his ninja pouch, held it in a reverse grip, and assumed a stance.