After saying that, he didn't look at the two of them again and turned to head back into the house.
Kurenai let out a long breath, patted her chest, then looked at Kiyohara with eyes full of delight.
"Kiyohara… I didn't realize you were this good!"
She'd always thought his swordsmanship was strong, but she'd never imagined he could go toe-to-toe with her father like that.
"Not bad," Kiyohara said with a small nod.
It had only been sparring.
Shinku's real strengths were swordsmanship and genjutsu—if he truly fought, he'd weave them together, alternating seamlessly.
He might even do what Maruboshi Kosuke's Konoha Style: Willow did—use the weapon as a medium for genjutsu.
Likewise, Kiyohara hadn't used Magnet Release acceleration or borrowed the magnetic field's force. Both sides had held back.
"My father is usually really strict," Kurenai said seriously.
Since Shinku hadn't said anything afterward, it meant Kiyohara had been acknowledged.
"Is that so?" Kiyohara nodded again.
Seeing Kurenai's cheeks flushed pink, he had the weird feeling he'd just met a future father-in-law.
In a few years, she'd grow into the mature "onee-san" image he remembered.
The thought made him… a little excited.
But before that, he still had to deal with the Rin problem.
If Obito didn't fall to the dark side successfully, Kiyohara suspected Uchiha Madara would target Kakashi next—maybe even Obito's grandmother—then work outward to the people closest to Obito.
He had no intention of becoming raw material for Obito's downfall.
After leaving Kurenai's house, Kiyohara went to visit Orochimaru as well.
Orochimaru had said he wanted him to get used to the lab environment.
When Kiyohara arrived, he found a different set of instruments again.
All kinds of precision equipment, incubation tanks, and scroll racks took up most of the space.
Now he understood why Orochimaru, despite disliking Danzō, still held his nose and did some of his requests—he needed Danzō's funding.
Task rewards alone probably couldn't even cover this lab's daily expenses.
Money. Pure and simple.
Even someone as strong as Orochimaru couldn't "tank" the cost of research.
Some equipment sets cost millions—sometimes tens of millions—of ryō.
No matter the world, research always burned money like nothing else.
"Heh heh… Kiyohara-kun, for now you just need to familiarize yourself with these," Orochimaru said, gesturing at the instruments.
"Also, there's something you should know. Your original jōnin squad leader died a while ago, so I applied to Sarutobi-sensei—temporarily, I'll be your team's acting jōnin instructor. The transfer notice should reach you tomorrow."
Orochimaru becoming their squad leader?
Kiyohara honestly hadn't seen that coming.
After their original leader died in some battle post–Kannabi Bridge, they'd been carried under Minato for a time, and usually operated alongside Rin and Kakashi's group.
"Then, Orochimaru-sama… where are we headed for our next mission?" Kiyohara asked.
"Where do you want to go, Kiyohara-kun?" Orochimaru countered.
"I've heard Iwa has been very active at the border. If we press harder, maybe we can finish the war against them," Kiyohara said.
"Heh… that will depend on what Sensei assigns," Orochimaru licked his lips.
In peacetime, shinobi could sometimes accept or refuse missions.
In wartime, most missions were mandatory.
"I understand, Orochimaru-sama." Kiyohara nodded.
"Good. Until then, get a basic grasp of this environment." Orochimaru pointed around at the equipment.
"Basic operation, sample-handling protocols… it'll help our future work, and your personal growth."
Over the next few hours, under Orochimaru's guidance, Kiyohara learned how to operate a chakra-analysis device, how to process potentially bioactive samples under strict procedures, and how to read basic charts and data.
...
Land of Water, Kirigakure—secret meeting room.
The room was dim, lit only by a few oil lamps.
Around the long table sat several powerful figures of the Mist.
At the head sat an elderly man with white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and sharp eyes—Mizukage's advisor, Genji.
His fingers tapped the tabletop slowly, the sound unusually clear in the silence.
"The Six-Tails jinchūriki lost control," said the head of the Hōzuki clan.
"As expected… it was too early to deploy a tailed beast as a battlefield asset."
"Hmph. If we don't deploy them, we can't gain an advantage against Konoha. Uzushio and the coastline are our best winnings," a brown-haired shinobi stood and argued.
Someone beside him offered a different view.
"Kasuke, have you considered how long our supply line is? The territory we took can't support us at all—it's barren land."
Biwa Jūzō gave a cold laugh.
The Land of Water sat off the mainland, far across the sea.
That distance was both blessing and curse.
Blessing: the war's flames never truly reached the Land of Water's homeland.
Curse: it weakened their grip on the mainland.
"Jūzō has a point. Konoha simply hasn't had the bandwidth to go all-in against us, and our friction with Sunagakure keeps rising too."
"And when we fought Konoha on the front, we've also noticed more and more of their prodigies lately. Uchiha Shisui, White Fang's son Kakashi… and now this shinobi called Kiyohara, with Magnet Release and who knows what else. That's Konoha's depth."
The room filled with murmurs.
Genji didn't seem interested in that argument.
His focus was on the Third Mizukage.
He raised his hand, cutting Kasuke off, irritation on his face.
"Konoha's little geniuses… perhaps they'll be a threat someday. But right now, they aren't worth dwelling on."
Below him sat the rising stars—Karatachi Yagura among them—plus veteran jōnin and clan representatives. These were Genji's core people.
They all quieted, watching him carefully.
Mist politics differed from Konoha: the Mizukage was usually the village's strongest shinobi.
But major decisions still needed the elder council—and Genji, as the oldest elder, held power equal to the Mizukage's.
"Genji-sama… what are you saying?" asked an elite Hōzuki jōnin.
"The Third Mizukage…" Genji said hoarsely, "…is growing weaker."
He continued, "In the past half-year he often stares off alone, delays village business, makes mistakes. Most importantly… he still hasn't clearly named a successor."
Genji paused, then his eyes sharpened.
"All signs point to one possibility…"
"His strength is fading—perhaps because something is wrong with him. For example… his lifespan is nearing its end."
The more Genji thought about it, the more plausible it felt.
His aged body trembled.
Finally… finally he's going to die. That man.
A figure flashed in his memory: crimson eyes that could command the Nine-Tails; a colossal blue warrior.
A shadow from the Warring States era.
Many believed that man died fighting Hashirama Senju.
But Genji had a different answer.
That man was still active in the shadows of the shinobi world.
His "eyes" were everywhere.
"That man?" Hōzuki Mangetsu asked, confused.
They all knew there was a spy problem—and that Genji feared a certain man so much he wouldn't even say his name.
"Yes… that man," Genji murmured.
His gaze swept the room, excitement suppressed for far too long.
"Mangetsu. I want your clan to continue monitoring the Third Mizukage's every move—especially any contact with the outside world. And it must be discreet."
Mangetsu nodded.
He was the youngest in the room, and also the most promising—likely to become the next Seven Swordsmen, perhaps even surpass the previous generation.
Genji went on.
"From scattered intelligence: the Third Mizukage seems to have secretly sent out a unit carrying the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, intending to execute some kind of sabotage against Konoha."
"We don't know the details, but… if that man is truly nearing death, then whatever the plan is, its importance drops sharply."
Mist's real opportunity, in Genji's eyes, was escaping that man's shadow and reclaiming true autonomy.
His voice shook with barely contained hope.
"Watch closely. Wait patiently. The moment that man's power truly fades… will be the day Kirigakure sets things right and steps back into the light."
...
The next day.
Orochimaru gathered Kiyohara's squad again and presented three missions to choose from.
Kiyohara suspected this was a perk of Orochimaru's authority.
A normal jōnin probably wouldn't have the freedom to "pick."
"I still hold other duties, so even as a temporary leader, we'll only do one mission," Orochimaru said, producing three scrolls.
Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Genma stood before him.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kiyohara nodded.
Orochimaru was busy like Minato—supporting battlefields or commanding—rarely with free time unless the front calmed down.
"Kiyohara, which one do you want?" Kurenai asked curiously.
She and Genma were honestly shocked Orochimaru would be their acting leader—both suspected it was because of Kiyohara's performance on the battlefield.
"Let's read them first," Kiyohara said, opening the scrolls so all three could look.
All three missions were in the Land of Rain.
1. Garrison mission: Hold the Rain border for one week.
Rank: C (may escalate to B)
2. Escort mission: Protect a merchant caravan into Rain border territory.
Possible Iwa attacks.
Rank: B
3. Information exchange with Amegakure shinobi: Officially "sharing intel," realistically mutual probing and deterrence.
Rank: B
"Orochimaru-sama… aren't these missions a bit too hard?" Kiyohara frowned. They were all B-rank except the garrison.
"Heh heh… Kiyohara-kun, do you not realize you're about to become a jōnin?" Orochimaru said lightly.
"Kiyohara's becoming jōnin?!" Genma froze.
What the heck—other people worry their buddy will get a bigger house. Kiyohara was skipping straight to the mansion.
"Yikes… you're pretty capable, huh, Kiyohara." Genma even took the senbon out of his mouth.
"But… Kiyohara only became chūnin recently, didn't he?" Kurenai was stunned too.
His promotion speed was absurd.
Normally the ladder was: academy student → genin → chūnin → special jōnin → jōnin.
Each step required a record—missions, evaluation, selection.
And jōnin was basically the peak of shinobi rank.
Above that was either Hokage, Anbu, or senior leadership roles.
"Someone as outstanding as Kiyohara-kun can be granted exceptions," Orochimaru smiled.
After chūnin exams, special jōnin and jōnin were chosen by selection—criteria set by the village's top brass.
"Orochimaru-sama, how soon will my official paperwork arrive?" Kiyohara asked.
He'd been mentally preparing for it.
With that many kills—including an enemy commander—if it still wasn't enough to promote him, then who would be promoted?
Not everyone chose to stay eternal genin like Might Duy or Maruboshi Kosuke.
"Probably about a week," Orochimaru said. "It takes time to enter everything into the archives. The process is tedious."
"I understand." Kiyohara nodded.
A week meant they probably wouldn't even be in the village long enough—likely they'd finish the mission and receive the paperwork afterward.
The document would certify he was a legally recognized jōnin with full rights.
"Let's pick the mission first," Kiyohara said, pulling out a map and tracing routes with his finger.
"Intel exchange is relatively easy but tedious and can drag on. Garrison is similar. Escorting the caravan…"
He paused.
In Akatsuki Hiden, Konan's flashbacks show Rain is a mess—internal strife, foreign infiltration, and plenty of "Rain collaborators."
So escorting a merchant caravan into that border region… could get ugly fast.
~~~
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