"So that's how it is?"
Itachi looked thoughtful, with a face that seemed to say,
"Kiyosuke-sensei, I've attained enlightenment!"
"That's what I'm saying—why is a six-year-old kid worrying about stuff like this, huh? Kids should just act like kids. These deep philosophical questions don't concern you."
Kiyosuke clicked his tongue.
At your age, even Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara were just out skipping stones!
And here you are, already thinking about this kind of stuff?
"I just want to understand."
Itachi lowered his head as he spoke.
"I'm not blaming you. It's just… there's no point in worrying about these things. What you need to focus on right now is studying hard and improving every day."
"Yeah… I understand."
It seemed like something had clicked. Itachi hugged his little brother with a smile, and seeing his brother smile, Sasuke started giggling too.
After bumming another meal at the Uchiha house, Kiyosuke patted his butt and took his leave.
Before long, Naruto would be coming to live with him. Hmm… maybe he'd have Rin take care of him for a while.
With that thought in mind, Kiyosuke left the Uchiha compound. But just before walking away, he glanced around.
It felt like… they were surrounded.
Konoha was still under reconstruction, and several new high-rises had been built around the Uchiha grounds. On the surface, it looked normal. But in truth, the place had already been surrounded.
These buildings were being used for surveillance.
Those old geezers in Konoha still didn't trust the Uchiha.
Still, it was only surveillance—they hadn't gone too far, so he let it slide.
Uchiha Fugaku should really cut down on the number of clan meetings. Holding them too often wasn't doing the clan any favors.
During holidays or if something important happened, once or twice was enough. But if they kept holding them every few days, those old men would definitely start paying attention again.
To them, the Uchiha were still a potential threat to the village—vigilance must never waver.
...
After the mission involving the Jashin cult, Kiyosuke used all the payment he received to buy Explosive Tags.
He stored them all in a cool, dry section of Ryūchi Cave so he could summon them when needed.
Using linked Explosive Tags hurt the wallet more than anything.
Who could understand that kind of pain?
With a sigh, Kiyosuke walked through the street.
Suddenly, someone called from behind.
"Kiyosuke-sensei!"
He turned around and saw it was Anko, whom he hadn't seen in a while.
"What is it?"
"Sensei's been busy lately. Can you go on a mission with me?" Anko asked excitedly.
"Another C-rank?"
"Nope, I'm a Chūnin now! With you around, we can take on a B-rank mission." she said proudly.
"Eh? You already got promoted? When did that happen?"
"Oh come on, weren't you out on a mission for a few days? It was during that time. Seriously, Kiyosuke-sensei, you never pay attention to your cute student!"
Anko puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
Kiyosuke poked her cheek, making her deflate.
"Alright, I can take a B-rank. But tomorrow. I just got back—I need to rest."
"Mm-hmm! Make sure to wake up early. I'll come get you."
With her reliable Kiyosuke-sensei on board, this mission was bound to be a breeze.
Every time she teamed up with him, missions ended in record time—unless it was an escort gig.
Of course, Kiyosuke would never casually take escort missions. They were too much of a hassle.
Employers barked orders like they owned you, and if they were too entitled, Kiyosuke would seriously want to slap them.
Unless… the pay was ridiculous.
...
After a night of rest, Kiyosuke and Anko set off for their mission.
The task was to assassinate a feudal lord of a small country. Because it was a minor nation, it only ranked as B-rank.
The country really was tiny—barely the size of a single city, right next to the Land of Fire.
Rumor had it this feudal lord was related to the Land of Fire's daimyō, which was the only reason the place hadn't been wiped out.
By afternoon, the pair had arrived in the country. The people they saw had sallow faces, dull eyes, and no spark of life or hope for tomorrow.
Anko said,
"This daimyō's tyranny is too much. The people have been suffering, but they're powerless against his men. So a few folks scraped together some money and went to Konoha to hire shinobi to kill him."
Kiyosuke rubbed his chin.
"So we're going through with the assassination?"
"Yeah." Anko nodded.
"Ts—got it. Let's move tonight."
"That fast? Aren't we going to scout the place first? It's an assassination, Kiyosuke-sensei!"
"Yeah, and that's exactly why scouting is pointless. We don't need to sneak in—we're gonna get spotted anyway. Might as well go in loud and kill everyone who sees us. That's the perfect assassination."
Kiyosuke said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Uh… what?" Anko was speechless.
Something definitely felt off about that logic.
But she couldn't argue—it somehow made weird sense.
No wonder he was her teacher. He could do things she'd never dare.
"I'm just messing with you. Don't take it seriously. Even though we're ninja, we can't just kill indiscriminately. No senseless slaughter."
Kiyosuke lowered his voice.
"Tonight, I'll charge in and draw their attention. You go in and take out the target."
"Got it, Kiyosuke-sensei. But won't that guy have a lot of bodyguards?"
Feudal lords always had strong protectors. Like the Land of Fire's daimyō, who had people like Asuma around.
The name of the Twelve Guardian Ninja had already begun to spread. They were dedicated to the daimyō's protection.
Every daimyō had some form of ninja or samurai guarding them.
Smaller countries usually hired samurai since they were cheaper.
And if treated well, samurai were loyal to a fault. They wouldn't betray their master.
So even though the samurai had fallen from prominence, some powers still maintained a few at home for protection.
"I'll take care of them all."
"Alright then… I'll leave it to you, Kiyosuke-sensei."
"Mm."
Kiyosuke nodded.
By late night, when everything was quiet…
They approached the castle.
Anko climbed the wall from the side, sneaking inside.
She'd barely gotten in when she heard an explosion from the front.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she muttered,
"Kiyosuke-sensei's combat style really is that straightforward. No stealth whatsoever."
At the castle gates...
The heavy doors were blown apart as Kiyosuke, face disguised, strode forward.
He called out to the samurai,
"Come at me!"
Chakra surged along the blades of the samurai as they shouted and rushed toward him.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon of water formed beside him and surged forward toward the samurai.
"Aaah!" "Gahh!"
Screams echoed through the air.
Every guard stationed at the gate was taken out by the Water Dragon Bullet.
One by one, they fell to the ground.
Kiyosuke had held back. Most of them had only passed out.
At worst, a few had broken bones.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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