The terrain of the Land of Rain was mostly hills and swamps, and with the constant gloom and rainfall, tracking wasn't easy.
But Orochimaru had his own methods.
After traveling for about two hours, Orochimaru suddenly stopped.
He stuck out his tongue—unnaturally long and forked—and let it tremble slightly in the air.
"Tongue Signal."
Orochimaru closed his eyes.
"I can sense fine particles in the air through my tongue and infer certain information. This is a technique I developed over the past few days."
Then he continued, "Three kilometers ahead, there are traces of fighting. The blood scent is very fresh—no more than six hours old."
With that, and his own sensing, Orochimaru opened his eyes.
"It should be up ahead."
The four of them sped up.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a ravaged stretch of woodland.
Three wagons lay wrecked in the mud. The iron-plated compartments had been torn open by brute force, and the cargo inside had been completely looted.
Six bodies lay on the ground—caravan guards—killed brutally. Some had their chests punched clean through. Others had their necks crushed.
Kiyohara crouched to inspect the wounds.
The edges were clean. The attacker seemed to have used some kind of sharp implement.
"Look here." Kurenai pointed at a string of footprints in the mud.
"They're deep. That means the guy's heavy—or carrying something heavy."
"The metal ore he stole," Genma said, immediately getting it.
"He won't have gone far with that."
Orochimaru used Tongue Signal again. A moment later, he pointed northeast.
"That way. About five kilometers from us… he's stopped. Either resting, or absorbing metal."
Kiyohara tightened his grip on the hilt.
At last. The target.
And he felt like his luck was holding.
The vow required him to defeat another Steel Release user with Steel Release.
That shouldn't be hard.
Steel Release was similar to Earth Release: Earth Spear, and Orochimaru didn't have Byakugan—he couldn't see chakra flow inside Kiyohara's body.
With Orochimaru, Kurenai, and Genma backing him up, Kiyohara figured this vow was practically guaranteed.
This mission should let him complete the vow—and grow stronger.
"This is the plan," Orochimaru said.
"Kiyohara, you're the main attacker. I want to observe the clash between Magnet Release and Steel Release. Kurenai, disrupt him with genjutsu. Genma, cover the perimeter—don't let him escape. I'll… supervise."
It was clearly arranged to test the squad and observe Kiyohara.
Otherwise, Orochimaru could likely capture the target by himself.
But if he did that, everyone else would just stand there watching.
Orochimaru was never stingy with instruction when it came to subordinates.
Kiyohara nodded.
"Understood."
They moved again—this time even more covertly.
The heavy rain became perfect cover: it swallowed footfalls, and the curtains of water blurred vision.
An hour later, they found him.
A temporary camp built into a shallow recess in the cliff face.
The fire had been extinguished, but the embers were still warm.
A man sat cross-legged beneath the rock wall. Several chunks of ore—each glinting with metallic sheen—were piled beside him.
Karōrō: around thirty, short hair, and a vicious scar that ran from his brow down to his jaw on the right side of his face.
His upper body was bare, muscular. In the dim light, his skin reflected an unnatural metallic luster.
He had both hands pressed to a chunk of ore, and the ore was visibly losing its shine—the metal within was being drawn into his body.
Kiyohara signaled. Kurenai and Genma split off to either side.
Orochimaru quietly stepped back and hid behind a large tree, golden slit pupils fixed on the battlefield.
Kiyohara took a slow breath and stepped out of concealment.
The sound of footsteps alerted Karōrō.
He snapped his eyes open and stared at Kiyohara.
"Konoha shinobi?"
Karōrō rose, nearly 1.9 meters tall, muscles swelling with motion.
"The Rain caravan hired you to catch me?"
Even with Amegakure ruling the Land of Rain, civilians could still commission missions from Konoha.
Anyone in any country could hire another country's hidden village for help.
That was why the Chūnin Exams were always such a big deal: to build international prestige, secure more commissions, and keep the village running.
"I'm just interested in your ability," Kiyohara said, his right hand settling on the hilt.
"Interested?"
Karōrō sneered as his skin began to glow with metallic sheen.
"I came here to make some extra money. If you're looking for trouble, then pay with your life to satisfy that 'interest'!"
He moved.
Blindingly fast—his foot stamped a crater into the ground as he shot toward Kiyohara like a cannonball.
Kiyohara didn't take the hit head-on. He shifted aside and began forming seals.
"Magnet Release…!"
Black sand-iron poured from his thermos, shaping into countless fine needles that shot toward Karōrō.
Karōrō didn't dodge. He let them strike him.
Clink-clink-clink-clink!
A dense barrage of metallic impacts.
Sparks flew where the sand-iron needles struck—but none pierced. His skin was fully hardened, far tougher than ordinary steel.
"You can use Magnet Release too? Too bad… it's useless!"
Karōrō laughed and swung a punch at Kiyohara's face.
Kiyohara raised his blade to block.
Steel met steel—an ear-splitting scrape.
A massive force surged through the weapon. Kiyohara was driven back three steps, his grip tingling.
Strong.
This Iwa shinobi wasn't just a Steel Release user—his taijutsu foundation was no joke.
Kiyohara analyzed quickly.
Karōrō pressed the advantage, throwing punch after punch.
There was no finesse—just brute weight. A graze injured. A clean hit killed.
Kiyohara used speed to circle and wear him down, using sand-iron as harassment.
He could have activated Magnet Release: Magnetic Field Rotation to boost speed and power even further.
But he wanted to observe how another person used Steel Release—so he could develop it better later.
"That's all you've got?"
Karōrō taunted, smashing his fist into the ground and sending dirt and rock flying.
"Magnet Release isn't anything special!"
Kiyohara didn't answer.
Steel Release's weakness was simple: maintaining the hardening continuously drained chakra.
Karōrō had been fighting for a while already; his chakra had to be falling.
And it looked like he'd fought earlier too—meaning he wasn't fully recovered even before this started.
"Kurenai!"
Kiyohara called.
Kurenai, already prepared, formed seals.
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"
Karōrō's movement stuttered—his eyes briefly clouded, less than a second of hesitation.
For Kiyohara, that was enough.
He lunged, blade driving straight toward Karōrō's right eye.
As a fellow hardening-type user, Kiyohara knew the eyes couldn't be hardened.
Karōrō jolted awake and threw up his right arm to block.
But that was a feint.
Kiyohara's seals were already complete.
In that one-second opening, he'd finished the hand signs and channeled chakra to release the technique.
His seal speed was far faster than it used to be.
"Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!"
Current surged from the earth and climbed Karōrō's legs.
Steel conducted electricity—Karōrō's full-body metalization made Lightning Release especially effective.
He screamed as his body locked up for an instant.
Now.
Kiyohara abandoned the blade and clapped his hands together.
Black sand-iron roared out of the thermos, forming chainlike restraints that wrapped Karōrō layer after layer.
"Trying to bind me?"
Karōrō bellowed, muscles bulging. The sand-iron chains squealed under strain.
He heaved. The bindings began to crack.
But Kiyohara was already moving into the next step.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear!"
Spikes of stone erupted from below, stabbing upward at Karōrō.
Karōrō had to divert attention—he shattered the stone spears with metalized legs.
That brief distraction let the sand-iron tighten again.
"Not done yet."
Kiyohara inhaled.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gale exploded—not to strike Karōrō directly, but to whip the sand-iron into a violent storm.
The particles spun into a compact vortex around Karōrō, fully enclosing him.
Inside, countless grains slammed and shaved at him at high speed.
Metallic screeches blended into one continuous shriek; sparks flickered within the cyclone.
Karōrō's cries were swallowed by the wind.
He could withstand single impacts.
But sustained abrasion at this scale burned chakra at an absurd rate.
Where his chakra failed to cover, cracks began to open—thin red lines of blood.
"Aaaagh!"
Karōrō forced out his remaining chakra, making his metallic sheen flare brightly.
He ripped the sand-iron vortex apart—but emerged covered in hairline fractures, blood streaking down.
Panting, he locked onto Kiyohara.
He charged again—slower now.
From behind, Orochimaru watched without blinking, eyes narrowing with interest.
Kiyohara didn't dodge this time.
He planted his feet and formed seals; black sheen spread over his palms and chest.
Earth Release: Earth Spear.
And then, beneath it, he layered another hardening on top—
Steel Release.
Double the chakra cost… but it meant Kiyohara would now outlast Karōrō.
Steel Release's defense exceeded Earth Spear's—while Earth Spear also enhanced destructive striking power.
Kakuzu used it to smash through reinforced temple gates.
Kiyohara's fist now carried that same heavy, hardened momentum.
Karōrō's punch arrived—full power, straight into Kiyohara's chest.
Bam!
A deep, dull impact.
Kiyohara slid back half a step. His outer clothes tore, exposing the chainmail underneath—
but his skin was untouched. Not even a bruise.
Karōrō's eyes widened. He stared at his fist, then at Kiyohara's chest.
"Impossible… you can use a hardening technique too?"
His shock turned to panic instantly.
If he couldn't take Kiyohara down quickly, it became a war of stamina.
Kiyohara had teammates nearby. Karōrō didn't.
Drag this out, and he'd lose.
He turned to flee—yet Kiyohara was faster.
Leaf Body Flicker activated. Kiyohara appeared behind him.
His right hand formed a blade—fingers hardened to a heavy black metallic point.
He drove the hand-knife into Karōrō's back, piercing through thinning metalization and straight through the heart.
Karōrō froze, looking down at the finger protruding from his chest.
Blood welled, quickly diluted by rain.
"You…"
He tried to speak.
Kiyohara pulled his hand free. Karōrō collapsed, light vanishing from his eyes.
"Ha…"
Kiyohara released Earth Spear and Steel Release.
Layering both had cost him a lot.
But the second vow was complete.
He immediately looked to Steel-Release Kiyohara's spirit.
All along, the spirit had been watching, smiling and nodding.
"Not bad," Steel-Release Kiyohara said, visibly satisfied. "You've improved far faster than I expected."
"It went fine," Kiyohara replied.
This was still something of a "cleanup." Karōrō wasn't in peak condition.
And Kiyohara had teammates, plus Orochimaru overseeing from the rear.
"Your chakra reserves are higher than mine were when I was alive," Steel-Release Kiyohara said, voice faint with awe. "If it's you… Steel Release might truly become famous across the shinobi world one day."
His spirit grew thinner and thinner, then broke into countless points of light.
One larger point sank into the urn inside Kiyohara's mind.
The rest flowed into Kiyohara's body.
Kiyohara could feel the power pouring in—steel, earth, vitality, and hard-earned experience, all being layered into him.
As Kiyohara adapted, Orochimaru stepped out from behind the tree and applauded.
"Splendid."
From Orochimaru's perspective, he couldn't see the spirit—only Kiyohara standing there, breathing hard.
But Kiyohara's combat performance clearly pleased him.
Especially since Kiyohara had used Earth Spear—a notoriously difficult technique even among B-rank earth-style jutsu.
It wasn't exclusive to Iwa; even Takigakure had users.
But Kiyohara was still so young.
Every time Orochimaru looked at Kiyohara's face, he was reminded how unreal that was.
If he compared it to himself at that age… Orochimaru wasn't sure he could have done better.
At this pace, Kiyohara's ceiling was hard to imagine.
Orochimaru was certain of it.
"Kiyohara, what was that jutsu you used?" Kurenai asked, clearly not understanding what she'd just seen.
Suddenly, Orochimaru pivoted and formed seals in an instant.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several venomous snakes burst from his sleeves and lunged at a tree twenty meters away.
Almost simultaneously, a black figure exploded out from behind the tree and threw a punch—
Boom!
The snakes were pulverized by the shockwave, flesh scattering.
The figure landed: a man wearing a cap and a yellow coat.
Orochimaru's eyes flickered with surprise.
"Still daring to show your face… Shinnō."
Orochimaru's voice turned cold.
"Remnants of the Land of the Sky."
Shinnō smiled warmly.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru. Back when Sky fell, you were just a young man following behind the Third Hokage, weren't you?"
"What do you want?" Orochimaru asked.
"Karōrō killed some of my researchers and stole crucial Body Activation data," Shinnō said. "As for you… Orochimaru. My former collaborator. We had fruitful cooperation in research, but Konoha's blood debt to the Land of the Sky cannot be repaid."
He unfastened his medical coat, revealing a powerfully built torso.