Seeing this, Yakushi Nono nodded slightly and gently pressed her hands in the air above the wound of a shinobi who had been accidentally injured by an explosion. A faint, pale-green halo of chakra emerged from her palms.
Kiyohara, meanwhile, could clearly see the flow paths of chakra inside Yakushi Nono's body, converging along specific meridian routes and gathering in her hands.
The pale green glow enveloped the wounded area, stimulating the cells to accelerate their division and repair.
"Vitality…"
Kiyohara watched this scene closely.
In essence, the pale-green medical chakra used in medical ninjutsu was a form of Yang Release chakra.
Just as the ocular power of the Sharingan could also be considered a special type of chakra produced by Yin Release.
According to the databooks, the Sage of Six Paths' second son, Asura, inherited his father's power of Yang Release.
Later, this Yang Release power was passed down through Asura's descendants, the Senju clan. Naturally, the Uzumaki clan, also descendants of Asura, inherited this trait as well, possessing extremely powerful physical vitality.
Therefore, if a Senju clan shinobi were to learn medical ninjutsu, they would achieve twice the results with half the effort.
Of course, corresponding to this, the Uchiha clan inherited the power of Yin Release, like Indra.
The Sharingan was the representative embodiment of Yin Release.
'I wonder what level of vitality is required to reach No-Seal Healing,' Kiyohara thought, stroking his chin.
Tsunade was a top-tier medical shinobi. She had exhausted countless efforts to create a medical combat system centered around the "Yin Seal" combined with "Creation Rebirth," allowing her to fight while healing.
Yet this was merely the passive ability "No-Seal Healing" of Senju Hashirama.
TN: I don't know what No-Seal Healing is.
When Madara saw Tsunade, he even openly mocked her for being inferior to Hashirama.
What Kiyohara was pondering was what kind of physical energy he would need to reach such a level.
If he could stack several versions of a Senju Kiyohara and inherit them, what degree of physical vitality would he possess?
How many times greater was Hashirama Senju's vitality compared to that of an ordinary Senju?
Kiyohara suspected that the so-called Wood Release might actually be related to vitality itself.
The nature formula for Wood Release was "Water" + "Earth."
However, the curious thing was that Lava Release was also formed by "Water" + "Earth."
The chakra natures used were exactly the same, yet the resulting effects were worlds apart.
"Perhaps Wood Release also needs vitality added into the mix?"
As his Sharingan continued to record Yakushi Nono's movements and chakra flow, Kiyohara simultaneously pondered these questions.
One defining feature of Wood Release was the ability to "transform chakra into a source of life, rapidly generating forests."
And coincidentally, Hashirama possessed unimaginably vast vitality.
Regarding this point, Kiyohara guessed that it was likely due to the integration of part of his life force or, in other words, Yang Release—that such a transformation occurred.
Otherwise, why would the same chakra natures produce completely different results?
Moreover, once Yang Release or Yin Release was added, even single-nature chakra would change in character.
For example, Kumogakure's C used Lightning Release genjutsu, and Madara's "Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch" was Lightning Release chakra infused with Yin Release.
"Have you learned it?"
Yakushi Nono's voice suddenly interrupted Kiyohara's thoughts.
"Yes, more or less,"
Kiyohara nodded slightly, suppressing all of his questions for the time being.
Once his vitality increased in the future, he could test these theories one by one.
"Then you give it a try,"
she said.
"Seeing clearly and being able to use it are two different things. Especially with medical ninjutsu, you need a lot of practice to develop proper hand control."
Nono knew about the Sharingan's copying ability, so she asked Kiyohara to use the ninjutsu she had just performed.
"Alright."
A corresponding pale green glow appeared in Kiyohara's hands.
The technique Yakushi Nono had used just now was a C-rank medical ninjutsu: "Muscle Regeneration Technique."
It allowed muscles to regenerate rapidly.
This was because certain parts of the human body had weak musculature and insufficient blood supply, making recovery extremely slow.
The shinbone at the front of the lower leg, for instance, was covered by very little soft tissue, making it particularly difficult to heal once injured.
"Uh…"
The patient with the injured lower leg looked at Yakushi Nono, then at Kiyohara.
Although the Sharingan was famous, letting a novice treat him right away…
Wasn't that a bit too careless?
Others might not care, but this was his leg!
"Don't be afraid,"
Nono comforted the patient.
"If something goes wrong during treatment, I can always heal it back."
Patient: "..."
"Then I'll give it a try."
Kiyohara's talent in Yang Release chakra was quite good, and the green glow he produced was noticeably denser.
When Kiyohara's chakra covered the wound, the patient's lower leg began to visibly recover at a steady pace.
"Your talent really is excellent,"
Nono nodded in approval.
Even among the Uchiha clan's copying abilities, there were differences in level.
Not everyone could learn a ninjutsu just by seeing it once.
This still depended on individual aptitude; sometimes the gap between people was larger than that between humans and dogs.
"It's thanks to your teaching, Headmistress,"
Kiyohara smiled slightly.
Good, another medical ninjutsu was now in the bag.
He would be studying here for the next few days and would likely learn several more medical ninjutsu.
That way, if he or his companions were injured, they would have some security.
The patient also looked at his healed lower leg, his anxious heart finally settling.
Thankfully, Kiyohara actually knew what he was doing and really did heal him.
"Kiyohara, you learn so fast!"
Kurenai widened her eyes.
Didn't that mean Kiyohara might also learn genjutsu just as quickly?
He had already been fast before; now that he had the Sharingan, just how fast would he become? Kurenai didn't even dare to imagine it.
Would she never have a chance to surpass Kiyohara?
"Perhaps,"
Kiyohara replied noncommittally, reaching out to pat the somewhat dejected Kurenai on the head.
In the shinobi world, the power of bloodlines was simply the ultimate answer.
"The Sharingan truly lives up to its reputation,"
Nono smiled.
She then began treating the next patient.
Even the "Mystical Palm" couldn't universally cure all injuries.
Thus, various medical ninjutsu targeting specific symptoms had come into existence.
While Nono was healing, Kiyohara suddenly asked,
"Headmistress, aside from medical ninjutsu, can you also compound medicines? I mean… antidotes."
Although he had gained some methods of poisoning and detoxification from those Sand shinobi,
those required long-term accumulation and fine-tuning of various toxins. Against poisons used by true experts, a novice like Kiyohara couldn't hope to compete.
After all, textbook knowledge was usually far behind real-world practice.
Who knew how many years old the versions of poisons used by those Sand shinobi were?
Five years ago? Ten years ago? Or newly developed this very year?
"As for that… yes, I can,"
Nono nodded.
She understood why Kiyohara was asking.
The puppet masters among that group of Sand shinobi had all coated their blades with poison.
Back when she was in ROOT, the poisons she had come into contact with, prepared, and used were probably more than what most Sand puppet masters would see in a lifetime.
From instant blood-sealing lethal toxins, to slow-acting poisons that only took effect after months; from neurotoxins to corrosive internal poisons… toxins were one of the most efficient tools in espionage.
Medicine and poison were two sides of the same coin, and Yakushi Nono was equally skilled in both detoxification and poisoning.
"Alright, I'll give it to you in a few days. The toxins on those enemies' weapons yesterday gave me some inspiration,"
Nono said.
When Kiyohara was cleaning up the battlefield, she had asked to take a look at the enemy weapons.
After all, the area around Kikyo Mountain saw the most Sand shinobi activity.
She had also seen many poisoned shinobi among the wounded here.
But after studying the weapons, Nono discovered that the toxins on them were all very novel.
They seemed to have come from the hands of a true poison master.
In all her past experiences, Nono had never known of such a figure.
Yet the poisoning techniques vaguely resembled those of Sunagakure's genius puppet master, Chiyo.
But this were clearly superior, like an optimized version.
"Suna's commonly used puppet poisons are mostly derived from venomous scorpions and sand snakes unique to the Land of Wind desert, as well as several drought-resistant poisonous herbs. Their characteristics are strong toxicity and fast onset, often with obvious smells and bright colors, making them easy to detect."
"But yesterday's poison was different, so I'll need a few more days,"
Nono smiled.
Otherwise, she could have compounded it in a single afternoon.
Her shinobi skills might have dulled, but in this area, she hadn't fallen behind much.
"Then I'll trouble you, Headmistress,"
Kiyohara said.
…
After that, Kiyohara continued learning more medical ninjutsu from Yakushi Nono.
Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, several more days went by.
On this day, just as dawn was breaking, Kiyohara and Kurenai were heading to the orphanage together for breakfast when Yakushi Nono came looking for Kiyohara.
She pushed up her round-framed glasses and handed him a leather pouch.
Kiyohara opened it and saw that inside, separated by small compartments, were slender tubes arranged one by one.
Inside the tubes was a pale green liquid, shimmering with a crystalline glow.
"These are the antidotes you asked me to prepare earlier, Kiyohara-kun. They can counter many of Sunagakure's poisons now," Nono said.
"Thank you very much, Headmistress," Kiyohara replied.
He hadn't expected Yakushi Nono to finish compounding them so quickly.
"However…"
Nono looked at Kiyohara.
"This morning, a woodcutter who came from the eastern hills said that there seems to have been fighting over there. I'm worried that some innocent villagers might have been injured. Could I trouble you to go check it out with me?"
"Yes," Kiyohara nodded.
The value of these antidotes alone was immeasurable; going to take a look wouldn't hurt.
Identifying dangers in advance would also be beneficial for carrying out their mission.
"I'll go too," Kurenai said, quickly straightening her forehead protector.
"If there are wounded, my genjutsu can help calm them down so they can accept treatment."
When anesthetics were unavailable, genjutsu could also serve as a substitute for anesthesia.
Kiyohara nodded.
"Then let's depart. Headmistress Nono, please lead the way."
After that, Kiyohara had Genma stay behind to guard the orphanage, while he, Kurenai, and Yakushi Nono headed toward the eastern forest.
The early morning mountain woods were shrouded in mist, with visibility reduced to less than twenty meters.
The outlines of trees appeared and disappeared in the fog, and occasional bird calls echoed faintly from deeper within, making the silence feel even heavier.
After walking for about half an hour, the scent in the air began to change.
The smell of smoke mixed with a faint trace of blood.
"There's weak breathing about three hundred meters ahead," Kiyohara said, sensing the situation in front of them.
After passing through a patch of shrubs, the sight before them made Kurenai inhale sharply.
What had once been a bustling town had now become a field of ruins.
Buildings had collapsed, and scorch marks were everywhere.
Not only did the town look as if it had been burned to the ground, but the surrounding grassland was the same.
A stark boundary had formed.
Ahead lay gray ruins; behind them, green forest.
"So many people… are dead," Kurenai said, glancing around.
There were many charred, elongated shapes scattered about.
In a situation like this, they could only be… human bodies.
Although it made her feel nauseated, Kurenai had experienced quite a lot by now and didn't show any unnecessary expression.
She subconsciously turned her head to look at Kiyohara, waiting for his next words.
"Let's go take a closer look," Kiyohara said.
The ground ahead was littered with marks left by shuriken and kunai.
It was clear that the battle had ended some time ago.
After the three of them advanced a bit further, amidst the wreckage, a child staggered out from the ruins.
He collapsed under a thick oak tree not far away, leaning weakly against the trunk.
The child had short, pale white hair messily stuck to his forehead.
He wore tattered burlap clothes stained with dirt and dark red blotches.
Those black eyes of his were hollow and unfocused, as if he had suffered some tremendous shock.
"Is… is this child the only one who survived?" Kurenai murmured.
She couldn't imagine what kind of horrific scene this child had witnessed.
Yakushi Nono had already hurried forward.
She crouched in front of the child, her hands glowing with pale green medical chakra as she examined his condition.
"Multiple abrasions, a minor fracture in the left arm, dehydration…"
She muttered softly as she diagnosed him.
"Child, what's your name? Where is your family?"
The child showed no reaction.
His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
Those hollow eyes didn't even focus on Nono's face, continuing instead to stare blankly into the air.
"It could be trauma-induced amnesia," Kiyohara said as he stepped closer to observe.
"After experiencing such a tragedy, the brain may seal off related memories to protect itself."
Kiyohara's gaze rested on the child.
Looking at this familiar scene, he suddenly realized—
This was the future "legendary drug boss," Yakushi Kabuto.
With the body of an ordinary person, he would force his way step by step to the very peak.
In the end, he would even become a so-called "dream fulfiller," resurrecting countless shinobi through Edo Tensei.
But at this moment, he was merely an orphan who didn't even know his own name, with everything destroyed by war.
"Let's take him back to the orphanage first. It's not safe here, and his condition needs further treatment," Nono said.
"Then—"
Kiyohara had just begun to speak when he suddenly stopped.
He sensed something.
Ever since arriving here, Kiyohara had never stopped maintaining his perception.
Now he could sense numerous small entities watching them.
Their chakra fluctuations were extremely faint, similar to the puppets from last night.
Beside him, the spiritual form of Uchiha Kiyohara visible only to him, slowly emerged as well.
After scouting ahead for a moment, the semi-transparent figure flickered in and out of the mountain mist, the scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan in its eyes rotating slowly.
"There's something tracking us," Uchiha Kiyohara's voice sounded directly in his mind.
He returned after scouting forward.
"They're puppets… lots of tiny scorpion puppets."
Kiyohara frowned slightly.
"Something's not right," he said suddenly.
Kurenai immediately drew a kunai from her shinobi pouch.
Nono also stopped treating the child and followed Kiyohara's line of sight, looking toward the forest ahead.
"Starting from the three o'clock direction, clockwise," Kiyohara said in a low voice.
"There are seventeen puppet insects in the woods."
He relayed all the information Uchiha Kiyohara had seen.
Before his words had even finished, Kiyohara's hands were already blurring into afterimages.
Multiple shuriken flew from between his fingers, shooting toward different positions in the forest.
Kurenai followed up, throwing kunai attached to steel wire.
A series of sharp cracking sounds rang out from the woods.
Among the branches and leaves, thumb-sized scorpion puppets were pinned one after another, bursting apart into tiny gears and components.
"Is it all clear?" Kurenai asked softly.
"No," Kiyohara said, staring into the deeper shadows of the forest.
"This is just the owner of those eyes arriving."
As soon as the words fell, an eerie clicking sound echoed from the woods.
It sounded like decaying wood rubbing together, or like an arthropod crawling.
The mist was stirred, and a hunched figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Its back bulged high like a camel's hump, its limbs crawling along the ground, truly resembling a humanoid venomous scorpion.
Its face was hidden beneath a puppet mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
'Hiruko…' Kiyohara thought to himself.
This form could only be one of Sasori's works—Hiruko.
That meant the person before them was none other than Sasori of the Red Sand.
Kiyohara had long anticipated that Sasori would come here.
In the original story, Yura was Sasori's spy, one he had planted long ago.
So it was very likely that Sasori himself was nearby as well.
After leaving the Land of Wind, the most likely place for Sasori to go was the Land of Fire.
After all, after poisoning the Third Kazekage to death, he rarely returned to the Land of Wind.
With Sunagakure leaderless, they dispatched large numbers of personnel to search for the missing Third Kazekage. Seeing an opportunity, Kumo declared war.
Thus, the great villages plunged into chaotic conflict.
Although Suna was unwilling to believe that the Third Kazekage was truly dead, they ultimately pushed Rasa forward to stabilize the situation.
"Hehehe… you killed quite a few of my subordinates the day before yesterday,"
Sasori's low voice came from within Hiruko.
He looked at the handsome Kiyohara and couldn't help nodding slightly.
As an art piece, Kiyohara's appearance was certainly acceptable.
All that remained was to see his bloodline limit.
"Who are you?" Kiyohara asked, feigning ignorance.
Kurenai took up a combat stance, while Yakushi Nono slowly retreated with the child, pulling several small bottles of antidote and a kunai from her clothes.
"Since you're about to become part my next collection, I suppose I can tell you, my name is Sasori,"
Sasori said, looking at Kiyohara and the others behind him.
He didn't take any of them seriously.
As for exposing information?
If everyone died, then there would be no information left to expose.
Coincidentally, he was still short of experimental materials—today, he could conveniently take them all together.
"What is your purpose?" Nono couldn't help asking.
The orphanage only housed children who knew nothing. Even most shinobi wouldn't be so deranged as to attack an orphanage.
"Isn't my purpose last night the same as my purpose today?" Sasori replied.
But from beginning to end, his expression and gaze remained ice-cold, as if the people before him were merely raw materials for puppets, not living human beings.
Then Sasori turned his head toward Kiyohara.
"Magnet Release Kiyohara… your performance last night was splendid. That kind of long-range attack combining Magnet Release and Lightning Release, and that unbelievable speed, if I obtained you, I could definitely create the most perfect long-range puppet."
A faint clicking sound came from Hiruko's head joint, as if it were appraising Kiyohara.
Among all the puppets he possessed, none had longer range than Kiyohara.
According to external intelligence reports, Kiyohara's ninjutsu range could reach one or even two kilometers.
And if he turned Kiyohara into a puppet, he could further modify and specialize that capability!
(End of Chapter)