Kiyoshi staggered through Konoha's southern gate, his uniform tattered, one arm cradling Hideo's unconscious body.
The gate guards froze.
"Get the Hokage. Now!"
Within minutes, ANBU escorted Kiyoshi to the hospital, while another team swept toward the forest ruins he'd marked.
The Meeting with Tsunade
Tsunade arrived at the hospital with Shizune, her face unreadable.
Kiyoshi sat on a bed, blood on his sleeves, his expression cold.
"Report," Tsunade said flatly.
Kiyoshi looked up.
"Root's remnants are still active. I found a lab beneath the forest. Experiments on my clan… and others."
He motioned toward Hideo, who lay in a sealed observation chamber.
"He's my brother."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"Biological?"
"Cloned," Kiyoshi replied. "Same bloodline. Same curse."
Proof and Politics
ANBU delivered evidence from the ruins—logs, blood samples, and a chakra-sealed Root crest.
Tsunade reviewed it silently.
"Danzo's cancer never died. Just went underground."
Shizune whispered, "This… will cause an uproar."
"Let it," Tsunade said, steel in her voice. "The Council will answer for turning a blind eye."
She turned back to Kiyoshi.
"You did good. But this makes you a target."
"I already was."
A Village Divided
News spread fast—whispers in the marketplace, tight lips in the mission hall.
"Another Chinoike?"
"Root labs? Still operating?"
"Why didn't the Hokage act sooner?"
Some praised Kiyoshi as brave.
Others called him dangerous.
Children pointed at him in the streets—half in awe, half in fear.
Even other Genin eyed him differently now.
Recovery and Bonds
In the hospital, Hideo slowly stabilized. The medical team kept chakra suppressors on him, just in case.
Kiyoshi sat beside him every night, ignoring the stares through the glass.
In a rare visit, Naruto showed up with Ichiraku ramen and a clumsy smile.
"I heard you punched a blood monster in the face. That's kinda cool."
Kiyoshi smirked for the first time in days.
"Thanks. He's family, though."
Naruto sat beside him.
"I know what it's like. To carry something inside that everyone's afraid of."
Kiyoshi nodded.
"I think… I want to join the Chūnin Exams. Not to prove anything. Just… to keep moving."
Naruto's grin widened.
"Then train hard, Last Chinoike. You're not done yet."
A Warning
That night, as Kiyoshi left the hospital for some air, a kunai clattered at his feet.
Attached was a scroll.
It read:
"The next one won't be a test. You've opened the tomb. Now face the dead."
—Kuroza, Root Purifier
Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed.
He burned the note.
"Let them come."
[End of Chapter 15 ]