"If you want to learn, there might be a way in the future." After teasing her for a while, Kiyoshi suddenly said.
The three traditional Sage Mode and the cursed seals all carried risks, but the latter could be continuously improved.
For example, Anko's defective cursed seal of heaven became a more complete and improved cursed seal of heaven when it was applied to Sasuke.
Kiyoshi's research on Sage Mode would sooner or later surpass Orochimaru's, because no matter how much Orochimaru researched, he never truly grasped the power of Sage Mode. Only someone like Kiyoshi, who had experienced it firsthand, could research it more deeply. By then, he might even be able to place a cursed seal on Kurenai. This would give Kiyoshi another method of self-preservation.
Theoretically, as long as the cursed seal and his living cells still existed, he could resurrect from the cursed seal. Orochimaru resurrected in this way at the end of the series.
As for whether the person who resurrected would be his original self or a clone, the answer was quite clear.
The cursed seal on Anko was a product implanted before Orochimaru defected from Konoha. If it were a clone, it would be him from that period. However, after Orochimaru resurrected, he still needed to retrieve his hands. This indicated it was his original self.
Of course, Kiyoshi didn't want to resurrect himself in this way unless absolutely necessary, considering it merely a fallback.
...
After leaving a portion of the ninjas, the other ninjas began to retreat to their original strongholds.
While Kiyoshi and Kurenai chatted, he saw Nobuhiko's two dark, empty eye sockets, and Ginka's haggard face.
Kiyoshi's lips curved into a smile.
In the original story, Kirigakure only obtained one Byakugan, but under the butterfly effect, it became two. This meant Ginka would be more susceptible to pressure and easier for him to manipulate.
"Kiyoshi?"
Kurenai noticed Kiyoshi suddenly smiling.
"Nothing, we should go."
"Okay."
Kurenai nodded, not thinking much of it, and quickly followed Kiyoshi.
After completing the mission, Kiyoshi and his group embarked on their journey back. They were divided into three batches, and Kiyoshi happened to be in the first batch of ninjas returning to the village. They traveled back from the southern border of the Land of Fire.
The Land of Fire was still in chaos, and Kiyoshi saw many refugees. These refugees, without guarantors and with unknown backgrounds, naturally couldn't go to Konoha or other large towns. They could only wander from small village to small village, eventually encountering bandits, and then wandering again.
"Sigh." Tekka sighed.
This was the reality of the world today. Even some Uchiha clan members who weren't ninja and went out for business easily encountered danger.
"There seems to be an orphanage ahead."
During their journey, they went to a town for supplies. Through conversations with the villagers, the group learned that there was a well-known orphanage nearby. It housed many orphans, and the orphanage director was a retired ninja, so no short-sighted bandits dared to raid it. It was said that they had recently taken in Konoha ninjas, helping to treat them with medical ninjutsu in exchange for money.
Upon hearing this news, Kiyoshi immediately realized what stage the orphanage's storyline had reached.
Danzo had begun to put pressure on the orphanage. Nono, desperate for money, even exposed her past as a ninja and began to use medical ninjutsu to earn a living. She also taught the children basic Chakra extraction methods and rudimentary medical ninjutsu, barely allowing them to assist Nono.
"Let's go, we can take a look. We might even meet some Konoha comrades." Kiyoshi offered this suggestion to the others, finding an excuse.
"Okay."
Everyone had witnessed Kiyoshi's strength on the battlefield, implicitly placing him in a position of authority. His words carried an inexplicable power that made people want to believe him.
Yakumi suddenly shook his head inwardly. For a moment, he had the urge to obey Kiyoshi, to obey this child he had picked up from the Land of Lightning.
"If there are Konoha comrades there, there should also be a place to accommodate us, which is better than resting in town." Yakumi said.
Ninja were mercenaries, or one could say elites, and their numbers were in no way comparable to ordinary soldiers. Therefore, even Konoha couldn't have a thorough understanding of every part of the vast Land of Fire. This inevitably involved infiltration by enemy ninjas.
Konoha was no different, also sending ninjas to infiltrate other countries. After a simple resupply, the group headed towards the orphanage.
— — —
At the tent area next to the orphanage.
Crude large tents stood on the dim dirt, with wails echoing inside. Every half meter, a faded square bedsheet was casually spread out, on which lay ninjas with varying degrees of injury, densely occupying the entire space. A casual glance revealed a dense expanse of people lying down.
Buzz…
Inside the tent were intermittent pale green lights, a sign of medical ninjutsu being used.
Orochimaru looked at the child treating him and thought of someone.
Orochimaru, who prided himself on being a genius, also felt a bit overshadowed by the brilliance of that other genius.
Kiyoshi!
It was hard to imagine what heights he would reach in the future, what achievements he would attain.
"Just a moment, it'll be done soon." Kabuto looked up and said.
"This amount of time is within a reasonable range." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse.
His voice naturally possessed a husky magnetism.
"Kabuto, can you still hold on?"
Nono looked at Kabuto, whose face was pale and whose forehead was beaded with sweat, her tone filled with a bit of worry. "Why don't you go rest for a while?"
"It's alright, director."
Kabuto immediately straightened up, showing a determined smile. "I can keep going."
Looking at the children's efforts, Nono sighed.
How could she want these young children to work?
Now the village had no money, the country had no money, and her small orphanage naturally had no money either. Many orphans needed food, drink, clothes, and education, they couldn't be illiterate. These expenses combined amounted to a huge monthly outlay. The money Kiyoshi gave her had long been used up.
Recently, prices, which had been stable, began to rise. The villagers all said there were bandits, but Nono could smell something unusual.
As the former top agent of root's intelligence division, she was very familiar with these methods.
Danzo.
Nono vaguely realized that this man was behind it. Danzo was a person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Konoha was short on people.
As Nono pondered, Urushi, beside her, couldn't help but complain to Kabuto, "Even though we're so busy, the money is pitifully small."
He glanced around, seeing many of his companions already panting with exhaustion, yet still gritting their teeth, persisting in performing jutsu or moving the injured.
The numerous ninjas, with various injuries, were like heavy mountains pressing on the children's shoulders.
"Even for the sake of the orphanage, this is too much." He muttered softly.
"The director said that to gain something, one must pay something. Even a small amount of money is still money, and how much flour can it buy?" Kabuto quoted Nono's words.
Urushi could only nod. He was just complaining a bit, everyone saw how hard the director worked for them all. They wished they could share more of the burden with their kind and gentle director.
***
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