"Then let's begin."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
The content of their match this time was sound-based genjutsu.
A few days earlier, Kurenai had used her accumulated merits to exchange for a sound-based genjutsu from the rear. When Kiyohara casually asked if he could take a look, she handed it over without hesitation.
In other words, Kiyohara obtained a sound-based genjutsu without paying anything at all.
If this genjutsu were combined with Wind Release, it could spread much farther.
"Anyway, you learn quickly, so just treat it as previewing in advance."
That was what Kurenai had said at the time, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Kiyohara scanned it once with his Sharingan and memorized the entire content.
This sound-based genjutsu was called Demonic Illusion: Wind Whisper Bewildering Sound. By vibrating the vocal cords and infusing Yin Release chakra, it emitted sound waves capable of interfering with the opponent's nervous system.
It did not rely on vision, so the Sharingan provided no direct enhancement. That was also the reason Kurenai felt confident.
"Are you ready?"
Kurenai took a deep breath and formed a simple hand seal.
"I'm ready."
Kiyohara mirrored her stance.
The two of them opened their mouths almost at the same time.
A strange sound emerged from Kurenai's lips, like a melodious song.
The sound was not harsh, yet it seemed to pierce through the eardrums and act directly on the brain.
Immediately after, Kurenai also released a Wind Release technique to accelerate the spread of the sound.
Kiyohara also produced a sound, but his tone was deeper.
The two sound waves met and collided in midair, producing a dizzying resonance.
From the perspective of Rin and Kakashi, the two simply stood still, making strange noises.
But within the world of genjutsu, the battle had already begun.
In Kurenai's vision, Kiyohara's body suddenly stiffened.
His eyes became vacant. Although his mouth was still producing sound, his movements had turned mechanical and rigid.
"Success!"
Kurenai felt a surge of joy.
She carefully stopped her own sound, and the sound waves emitted by Kiyohara weakened accordingly.
After confirming that he had indeed fallen into the genjutsu, Kurenai began to walk toward him step by step.
Under the sunlight, Kiyohara's face appeared especially clear.
When Kurenai reached him, she realized she had to tilt her head slightly upward to meet his gaze. Without noticing, Kiyohara had already grown more than half a head taller than her.
She raised her right hand and gently pinched his nose between her index finger and thumb.
"Let's see how you act smug now."
Kurenai muttered softly, unable to stop the corners of her lips from lifting.
However, in the next moment, Kiyohara's voice suddenly sounded beside her ear, so close it felt like a whisper right next to her.
"When did you start having the illusion that I hadn't used genjutsu?"
Kurenai's entire body froze.
She suddenly realized that the hand pinching Kiyohara's nose had no sense of touch.
No, more precisely, her own hand could not move at all.
She looked down and saw that her body was completely frozen in place, while Kiyohara stood before her, gently pinching the tip of her nose with his fingers.
"H-how is this possible?"
Kurenai's eyes widened.
Kiyohara released his hand and smiled. "Genjutsu can actually be considered Yin Release ninjutsu. In the end, its principle is the application of Yin Release chakra. My understanding of Yin Release chakra is clearly a bit higher than yours."
As he spoke, Kurenai felt the genjutsu binding her body gradually dissipate.
She moved her fingers and found that she could indeed move again.
"Yo-you only learned it for three days!"
Kurenai was both embarrassed and annoyed, her cheeks flushed red.
She had originally thought she could win this time, or at least make Kiyohara stumble a little. Instead, she ended up being toyed with.
"There's no helping it. I'm a genius."
Kiyohara spread his hands.
"Hmph!"
Kurenai turned her head away, but quickly turned back again and asked seriously,
"Where did I do poorly?"
Seeing her earnest desire to learn, Kiyohara also put away his playful attitude and said seriously, "Your chakra control is very precise, and the intensity of your sound waves is sufficient. But you are too eager for quick success. Genjutsu is not about whose sound is louder, but about who can more subtly infiltrate the opponent's perception. You should create cover first, and hide the real attack in the second or third wave."
Kurenai listened carefully, nodding thoughtfully.
At the side of the field, Rin softly said to Kakashi, "Kurenai has improved very quickly. If I were to compete with her in genjutsu, I probably wouldn't last ten seconds."
Kakashi also gave a soft acknowledgment, his visible eye fixed on Kiyohara. "Kiyohara learns everything ridiculously fast, but…"
He paused before continuing, "If Kurenai didn't always compare herself to him, she would already be far ahead of others her age."
That statement was indeed correct.
The genjutsu Kurenai displayed now was already outstanding among other shinobi.
Her problem was not that she was weak, but that she constantly compared herself to a monster like Kiyohara.
There was only one Kurenai, capable of putting in onefold effort.
But Kiyohara could rely on different versions of himself to stack multiple layers of effort.
Training continued for another hour.
Under Kiyohara's guidance, Kurenai adjusted her casting rhythm, and the results improved significantly.
Rin also joined in, using Water Release for combination training.
Kakashi mainly practiced the fine control of Lightning Release. Kiyohara suggested that he try extending the form transformation of Chidori further, developing more flexible variations.
Only after several hours did the group end their training and head back toward the camp.
On the way, Kiyohara deliberately slowed his pace and walked side by side with Kakashi.
"How did it go with Guy?"
Kakashi seemed to have expected the question.
"He said he's willing to join, but he has two conditions."
"Oh?"
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
"First, he wants to keep wearing that green jumpsuit, at least when carrying out missions that don't require stealth."
Kakashi's tone carried a hint of helplessness as he spoke.
"Second, he hopes to have at least one youthful duel with me every week."
Kiyohara nodded slightly. "That's fine. Agree to both. I'll submit the request for the ANBU uniform, and it should arrive in a few days. As for the duels, handle that yourself."
Kakashi sighed, as if he could already foresee his future being entangled by a green whirlwind.
When the two reached a fork in the path, Kiyohara was about to return to his tent when a sharp whistle suddenly sounded in the distance.
It was a border alarm.
Almost simultaneously, a figure appeared in front of them in a flicker, a shinobi on duty that night.
"Captain Kiyohara, Kakashi!"
The ANBU shinobi spoke urgently.
"A Suna squad has attacked a patrol team three kilometers west of the camp. Immediate support is required!"
Kiyohara's eyes sharpened. "Numbers?"
"Approximately fifteen enemies. Our patrol had six members. They sent out a distress signal, but it was cut off thirty seconds ago."
A cut-off signal meant the situation was critical, or even worse.
"Kurenai, Rin, Kakashi, come with me."
Kiyohara issued orders swiftly.
"Yes!"
The three responded in unison.
Kiyohara rushed forward first, with Kurenai and Rin following closely behind.
The group moved rapidly through the forest.
Two minutes later, they arrived at the scene.
The sight before them made Kurenai inhale sharply.
Six Konoha shinobi lay in pools of blood. Four had already stopped breathing, while the remaining two were barely clinging to life.
More than ten Sand shinobi were swiftly looting shinobi tool pouches and intelligence scrolls from the bodies, their movements practiced and efficient.
"Three jonin, eight chunin, four genin."
Kiyohara instantly assessed the enemy's strength distribution.
"Kurenai, use genjutsu to disrupt the front line. Rin, prepare medical ninjutsu and wait for my signal before rescuing them. I'll handle the main assault."
"Understood."
Kurenai took a deep breath and formed hand seals.
This time, she did not rush. Following Kiyohara's earlier guidance, she first released a steady stream of sound waves.
The song of Wind Whisper Bewildering Sound echoed through the forest.
The movements of the Sand shinobi at the front clearly faltered.
The advantage of sound-based genjutsu was its wide range and difficulty to defend against. Even if one covered their ears, the vibrations could still be transmitted through the bones.
Four chunin-level Sand shinobi immediately fell into confusion, their eyes dull as they stood frozen in place.
Seeing this, Kiyohara immediately refined Magnet Release chakra.
The gourd at his waist trembled.
Black iron sand surged out, rapidly condensing in the air into spindle-shaped projectiles.
"Magnet Release: Electromagnetic Bullet."
Kiyohara raised his right hand, palm facing upward.
The iron sand projectiles hovered half a meter above his palm and began to spin at high speed.
Blue arcs of electricity danced and coiled across their surfaces, emitting sharp crackling sounds.
Six electromagnetic bullets transformed into six streaks of blue-black light, instantly tearing through the air.
Piercing sounds rang out one after another.
The four Sand chunin who had fallen into the genjutsu did not even have time to react before their chests were completely penetrated.
Even after piercing through their bodies, the iron sand bullets did not lose momentum. They slammed deep into the tree trunks behind them, blasting out bowl-sized holes.
The remaining two projectiles shot toward two Sand jonin.
One of them reacted extremely quickly and immediately used Earth Release: Earth Style Wall to defend.
A wall of earth rose up from the ground.
But the iron sand projectile pierced straight through the half-meter-thick wall. Although its speed slowed slightly, it still left a bloody hole in the man's shoulder.
"Ah!"
The Sand jonin let out a scream, clutching his shoulder as he retreated.
The other attempted to use Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to deflect the projectile's trajectory, but the iron sand bullet continued forward without losing force, directly piercing through his head.
"Konoha reinforcements! Retreat!" the leading Sand jonin shouted.
But it was already too late.
Rin seized the opportunity and formed hand seals. "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A high-pressure stream of water shot from her mouth, knocking down two Sand chunin who had just recovered from the genjutsu and were still in a dazed state.
At the same time, Kakashi's figure appeared at the side of the battlefield.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Transmission!"
He created a shadow clone, and both Kakashis' hands lit up with dazzling lightning.
The chirping sound of Chidori rang out.
The two rushed forward from opposite directions toward the remaining Sand shinobi, the lightning in their hands extending into a chain of electricity.
The chains swept across in a crisscross pattern, cutting three Sand chunin in half at the waist, blood and entrails spilling across the ground.
The scent of blood spread through the air.
The leading Sand jonin finally got a clear look at Kiyohara's face.
Under the moonlight, those scarlet Sharingan eyes were especially striking.
"It's Kiyohara!"
His expression changed drastically.
"The one who captured Lady Pakura alive!"
A person's reputation cast a shadow like a towering tree.
Kiyohara's feat of capturing Pakura alive had already spread throughout Suna.
Now that they were seeing him in person, the pressure he exuded was even greater than the rumors suggested.
"Retreat, retreat immediately!"
The leader no longer had any will to fight and threw out a row of smoke bombs.
Thick smoke billowed, and the Sand shinobi quickly withdrew, disappearing into the depths of the forest.
Kiyohara did not pursue.
He walked over to the two Konoha shinobi who were barely alive. Rin was already performing emergency treatment.
"How is it?"
"One is too severely injured. I can only stabilize him for now."
Fine beads of sweat formed on Rin's forehead.
"The other can still be saved, but we need to send him back to camp immediately."
Kiyohara nodded and looked at Kakashi. "Once Rin stabilizes them, Kakashi, escort them back."
"Alright."
Kakashi nodded.
"Kurenai, come with me to clean up the battlefield and gather intelligence."
Kurenai rolled up her sleeves and began following Kiyohara's example, searching through the fallen for supplies.
As Kiyohara searched, he also pondered Sunagakure's movements.
He had not expected to receive the same treatment as Minato.
By now, his reputation was probably similar to that of "Shisui of the Body Flicker" in the original story.
If he went a step further, he might truly become the "Yellow Flash."
Kiyohara felt that this attack was certainly an attempt by Sunagakure to probe for intelligence.
Moreover, the moment they recognized him, they immediately retreated, clearly aware of his strength.
At the same time, they were preserving their forces and avoiding unnecessary losses.
He recalled Sunagakure's strategy in the later stages of the Third Great Shinobi War.
They constantly used small-scale attacks to wear down Konoha's forces while searching for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Now that Pakura had been captured, Sunagakure's higher-ups were surely eager to restore morale, which meant that—
"There will be a major offensive."
Kiyohara reached a conclusion.
He bent down and retrieved a scroll from the body of a Sand jonin.
Through long-term battles with Sand shinobi, Kiyohara had learned some of their coded language.
The decoded information revealed a simple deployment map, recording in code the routes and schedules of three patrol teams around the Konoha camp.
That night, Konoha's camp held an emergency meeting.
The main tent was brightly lit.
"Based on the intelligence Kiyohara brought back, Sunagakure began scouting our patrol patterns at least a week ago."
Nara Enchu pointed at the deployment map spread across the table.
"This was not a spontaneous attack, but a planned probe."
Jiraiya stroked his chin. "What is their objective? If they wanted to create chaos, they should have targeted a more important supply line."
"The objective may not be singular."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice sounded, his golden vertical pupils sweeping across the room.
"They are testing the response speed of our patrols, evaluating our reinforcement efficiency, and at the same time—"
His gaze fell on Kiyohara.
"—confirming the movements and strength of certain key individuals."
The tent fell silent for a moment.
Nara Enchu spoke again, "Kiyohara's capture of Pakura has already made him a primary target of interest for Suna."
Kiyohara nodded. "I think so as well. Sunagakure may launch a larger-scale operation next."
The meeting continued until dawn.
The conclusion was to strengthen patrols in the surrounding area.
As the meeting ended, Orochimaru called out to Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara-kun."
Orochimaru wore his signature smile, his golden vertical pupils fixed on Kiyohara.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Kiyohara responded.
"No need to be so formal."
Orochimaru stepped closer and lowered his voice.
"I have heard that you possess a rather interesting ability."
"You mean?"
"That kind of curse mark that enhances physical abilities."
Orochimaru's tongue slid across his lips.
"I have been researching similar things. The human body is far too fragile. It requires certain enhancements."
Kiyohara immediately understood. News must have leaked from the Land of Grass.
He had used Curse Mark State One against En Oyashiro.
At the time, Kiyohara had only killed some of the shinobi, and a number of civilians had escaped.
However, since Orochimaru did not ask about the Ketsuryugan, it was likely he still did not know it had fallen into Kiyohara's hands.
Kiyohara nodded and did not deny it.
"That's right. I do possess a curse mark."
"Kiyohara-kun, do you also know how to utilize natural energy?"
Orochimaru asked.
Since Kiyohara was Tsunade's disciple, Orochimaru assumed he had likely visited Shikkotsu Forest.
As one of the three great sacred lands, it also contained abundant natural energy.
It was not impossible that Kiyohara had developed a curse mark based on that.
After all, Orochimaru himself only began developing the Sage Transformation Curse Mark after visiting Ryuchi Cave.
"I'm not sure. My chakra seems to be able to absorb a certain amount of natural energy."
Kiyohara shook his head.
His curse mark was inherited from another alternate version of himself. It was already a finished product.
He suspected that both his cells and chakra had undergone some changes.
After all, unlike Orochimaru, who directly injected it into others and required suppression, Kiyohara's curse mark was fully integrated into himself.
For others, once their chakra ran low, the power of the curse mark could easily spiral out of control.
But Kiyohara's curse mark had become part of him.
"I see."
Orochimaru licked the corner of his lips.
He found it quite strange.
Despite researching curse marks for so long, Kiyohara had quietly developed something in a domain he himself had yet to master.
Such scientific talent.
Orochimaru felt even more regret.
On one hand, he appreciated Kiyohara's intelligence.
On the other hand, he also valued Kiyohara's body, which would make an excellent vessel.
These two aspects placed Orochimaru in a rare dilemma.
After all, one could not have both fish and bear's paw.
"That's right, but I can't absorb much. It only manifests as some curse mark patterns."
Kiyohara concealed the existence of State Two.
Even with just Curse Mark State One, he was already far ahead of Orochimaru.
After all, what he had obtained directly was the result of Orochimaru's research more than a decade into the future.
Even so, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
"That is already very impressive."
He stared at Kiyohara as if looking at a precious experimental specimen.
"Kiyohara-kun, would you be interested in sparring? I would like to see your results with my own eyes."
"Alright."
Kiyohara did not refuse.
In addition to passively inheriting the Cursed Seal of Earth, he had also inherited knowledge about it.
Even if Orochimaru questioned him, Kiyohara could respond without flaw.
The two arrived at an open area outside the camp.
It was far from the main camp, so even if there was some commotion, it would not cause panic.
Orochimaru slowly raised his right hand.
"Then let us begin."
His arm suddenly twisted and extended, and dozens of thick pythons shot out from his sleeve.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
Each snake was as thick as a bowl, their pupils gleaming coldly, venom dripping from their fangs.
They lunged toward Kiyohara from different directions. Some opened their jaws to bite, some attempted to coil and restrain him, while others spewed poisonous mist.
This was an enhanced version of the Hidden Shadow Snake technique, not only greater in number but also more coordinated in attack.
Kiyohara mobilized the dormant power within his body.
(End of Chapter)