Half a month passed.
The expansion project of Konoha had already been completely finished.
The first batch of students had already enrolled in the Shinobi Academy, while the selection examinations for the expanded Anbu forces had also entered their second round.
Everything was progressing in an orderly manner according to the plans Kiyohara had announced at the high-level meeting.
During this half month, Kiyohara had handed all of his official duties over to Shikaku and Tsunade to handle on his behalf. He himself had plunged headfirst into the research lab.
Kiyohara stared at the crystal sphere in his hand.
This is much stronger than the one Obito used in the original story.
Kiyohara thought to himself.
In the original story, Obito had been able to activate Limited Tsukuyomi with the chakra of six or seven Tailed Beasts.
However, the crystal sphere Kiyohara held in his hands now had not only incorporated his own enormous chakra reserves, but also the complete chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts.
With this much power, after activating Limited Tsukuyomi, a large amount of energy would still remain inside the crystal sphere. It would be more than enough for him to activate the technique again within the world of Limited Tsukuyomi and return to the real world.
"It is about time to begin."
Kiyohara took a deep breath. He held the crystal sphere in front of his chest with both hands and began forming hand seals.
A crack appeared at the center of the crystal sphere.
Then the crack widened.
It grew larger and larger until, in the end, it transformed into a black vortex about the size of a fist.
A tremendous force of attraction came from within the vortex. It was not acting on his physical body, but directly on his chakra.
Kiyohara could feel the chakra inside his body being frantically drawn into the vortex. At the same time, the chakra within the crystal sphere was also being consumed at an astonishing rate.
The two forces converged at the center of the vortex, tearing the spatial rift wider and wider.
White light swallowed everything.
For an instant, Kiyohara felt as though his body had lost all weight. He was being pulled in every direction at the same time.
However, with Kiyohara's formidable physical constitution, this did not affect him in the slightest.
The sensation lasted for roughly a few breaths.
Then the white light gradually began to fade.
The sensation beneath his feet returned.
Solid earth.
Kiyohara opened his eyes.
He was standing in the middle of a dense forest. Beneath his feet was a well-trodden dirt road, while towering trees grew on both sides. Their enormous crowns blocked out the sky, and only a few strands of sunlight managed to slip through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled patches of light across the road.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
The crystal sphere was still resting in the palm of his left hand.
The radiance covering its surface was somewhat dimmer than before, but the chakra within was still slowly circulating. This indicated that a considerable amount of chakra remained.
Kiyohara carefully sensed the amount of chakra stored inside the crystal sphere.
Approximately fifty percent had been consumed.
In other words, he could still use the remaining chakra to activate Limited Tsukuyomi once more and return to the real world.
Furthermore, the chakra within Kiyohara's own body could gradually recover over time. Once it had recovered, he could inject it back into the crystal sphere.
As long as this crystal sphere did not break, Kiyohara essentially possessed a key that allowed him to travel back and forth between the two worlds.
Kiyohara flipped his hand and put the crystal sphere away inside his clothes.
He then moved his limbs and carefully sensed the condition of his body.
"Very good."
Kiyohara looked around before releasing the spirit of Uzumaki Kiyohara.
The translucent spirit emerged from Kiyohara's body, spun once in midair, and then stopped in front of him.
Compared to when he had first been released half a month ago, Uzumaki Kiyohara's spiritual form was slightly dimmer.
The moment he emerged, Uzumaki Kiyohara began looking around in every direction.
"No way."
Uzumaki Kiyohara looked puzzled.
"We really came here? You actually used that technique to open Limited Tsukuyomi? This really is that world?"
He floated over to a tree beside the road. His spiritual hand passed straight through the trunk, but he did not care. He simply wanted to confirm whether the tree was actually real.
"Kiyohara, I admit that I underestimated your strength a little before. You really are quite fast."
He paused for a moment before breaking into a grin.
"So I guess you have completed my first will."
Kiyohara quietly listened until he had finished speaking. Then he opened his mouth and asked:
Suddenly, a ball of light emerged from Uzumaki Kiyohara's body.
Kiyohara immediately felt a warm force surge through his body.
The bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan!
"Now you have the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. It is not one hundred percent pure, but it is still genuine Uzumaki blood. The most famous traits of our Uzumaki Clan are our enormous chakra reserves and incredible vitality. You were already ridiculously powerful to begin with. Now that you have the enhancement provided by the Uzumaki bloodline as well, I cannot even imagine how much your chakra reserves will increase."
Kiyohara closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes taking place within his body.
The capacity of his chakra network had indeed expanded.
His total chakra reserves had also increased noticeably. At his current level, an increase in chakra was no longer capable of multiplying his reserves several times over the way it could for lower-level shinobi, but the enhancement brought by the Uzumaki bloodline was still considerable.
More importantly, the Uzumaki Clan's knowledge of fuinjutsu techniques was gradually merging into his memories.
Kiyohara opened his eyes and raised his right hand.
With a thought, the chakra within his body automatically changed its nature.
Golden chakra surged from the palm of his hand. It rapidly condensed and stretched outward, transforming into enormous golden chains.
Adamantine Sealing Chains!
This was one of the Uzumaki Clan's most powerful fuinjutsu techniques. It could condense chakra into adamantine chains, and the chains possessed an innate suppressive force against Tailed Beast chakra. Even the complete Nine-Tails would be unable to break free after being bound by them.
Kiyohara waved his hand.
The golden chains shot out from his palm.
They carved a golden trajectory through the air and directly wrapped around a mountain in the distance.
BOOM!
The entire mountain collapsed with a thunderous roar, crashing into the ground and sending a huge cloud of dust and fallen leaves into the air.
Kiyohara withdrew the chains.
"Not bad."
And he had not even used his full strength.
That previous attack had merely been a probing release of the basic form of Adamantine Sealing Chains. He had not injected too much chakra into it.
If he used his full strength, the chains would become several levels more powerful in terms of thickness, length, and constricting force.
Most importantly, the suppressive effect of Adamantine Sealing Chains against Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki was something that other fuinjutsu techniques could not compare with.
If he encountered members of the hostile Ōtsutsuki Clan in the future, this technique might prove useful.
"All right. One of your wills has been fulfilled, and I have obtained the Uzumaki bloodline as well. You can go back and rest now."
Kiyohara raised his right hand and formed a seal, preparing to return Uzumaki Kiyohara to his mental space.
"Wait, wait!"
Uzumaki Kiyohara hurriedly waved his hands and floated half a meter backward.
"I have only been out for a little while, and you already want to lock me back in that dark room? I was bored inside for half a month. It took me all this effort to finally come outside and get some fresh air. Can't you let me stay out a little longer?"
"No."
Kiyohara rejected him without the slightest hesitation before offering a brief explanation.
"I need to inspect the situation in this world first."
Kiyohara said.
"Fine, fine. Back I go."
He sighed, and his spiritual form returned to Kiyohara's mind.
Kiyohara then shot into the sky and headed in the direction of Konoha.
At the same time, as he traveled, Kiyohara continued observing the environment of this world and comparing it with the differences between it and the real world.
The closer he got to Konoha, the more obvious those differences became.
Before long, thanks to Kiyohara's speed, he arrived at the gates of Konoha.
"The level of technological development is probably more than ten years behind."
Kiyohara reached this conclusion inwardly.
This was also in line with his expectations.
In the real world, Kiyohara had been actively pushing technological development forward. As a result, many things that would normally only have appeared during the Boruto era had already emerged ahead of schedule.
This world did not have him.
Naturally, its technological development had progressed more slowly.
Kiyohara walked toward the main entrance of Konoha's outer wall and glanced at the two Chunin standing guard at the gate.
They did not stop him.
In fact, they even gave him a slight nod when he passed by.
A flash of red appeared in Kiyohara's eyes.
Naturally, he had just used his Sharingan to hypnotize the two shinobi guarding the entrance.
Without slowing his footsteps, Kiyohara passed through the gate naturally and entered Konoha Village.
The layout of the streets inside the village bore some similarities to the Konoha of the real world, but there were considerable differences in the details.
The center of Konoha in the real world was occupied by the Hokage Tower and the administrative offices. In this world, however, the inner ring still preserved more of the traditional residential compounds belonging to the various shinobi clans.
When he passed the entrance to the Uchiha Clan's district, he saw the fan-shaped Uchiha crest flags hanging at the gate, still intact and fluttering in the breeze.
Unlike in the real world, the district had not once been abandoned because of the Uchiha Clan massacre.
There were not many people on the streets.
Most of them wore traditional shinobi clothing, while the occasional civilian could be seen carrying a shoulder pole and walking past.
There was none of the bustling prosperity of Konoha in the real world, where traffic and pedestrians filled the streets.
However, there was also none of the tense atmosphere of a village during wartime.
Overall, it felt like an ordinary and peaceful shinobi village that was simply operating according to its usual routine.
Kiyohara was walking along the main street when the voices of two people came from ahead.
A man was leaning against a cherry blossom tree at the side of the street, his arms folded across his chest and his chin slightly raised. A carefree, roguish smile hung at the corners of his mouth.
Uchiha Sasuke.
No.
In this world, he should be called Playboy Sasuke.
Kiyohara's gaze lingered on him for a moment.
Playboy Sasuke's posture was completely different from the Sasuke in the real world.
His stance was relaxed and lazy.
Standing opposite him was this world's Hinata.
Big Sister Hinata.
The moment Kiyohara saw her, he felt that the nickname suited her perfectly.
The Hinata of the real world was always slightly lowering her head, her hands twisting nervously in front of her. Whenever she spoke, her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and her face would turn as red as an apple.
The Big Sister Hinata standing before him completely overturned that image.
She had both hands planted on her hips, her chin raised high, looking every bit like the leader of a gang.
She was also not wearing the loose robes that the Hinata of the real world usually wore.
Instead, she was dressed in a short white combat vest and a pair of dark blue, tight-fitting cropped pants. A Shinobi tool pouch bearing the Hyuga Clan's insignia was tied around her waist.
"Hinata, are you free tonight?"
Playboy Sasuke spoke, his voice carrying an unmistakable flirtatious tone.
As he spoke, he straightened himself from the cherry blossom tree and took a step closer to Big Sister Hinata. His hand naturally extended toward her, seemingly intending to place it on her shoulder.
Big Sister Hinata did not even raise her eyelids.
Her right arm casually crossed in front of her body, palm facing outward, while chakra gathered in her palm and condensed into a thin layer of blue swirling energy.
The moment Playboy Sasuke saw that opening stance, his outstretched hand immediately stopped in midair.
"Hmph."
Big Sister Hinata snorted coldly, her voice filled with obvious disdain.
"If you're feeling restless, go bother someone else. Don't wander around in front of me."
Playboy Sasuke withdrew his hand and shrugged.
The smile on his face hardly changed.
He was just about to say something else when the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of Kiyohara walking toward them from the other side of the street.
His eyes immediately lit up.
He raised his hand and waved toward Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara-sensei, where did you go? Why did you only come back now?"
Kiyohara's footsteps paused slightly.
Sensei?
He calmly continued walking forward while his mind rapidly analyzed the situation.
Playboy Sasuke had called him Kiyohara-sensei.
It seemed that the two of them were also Kiyohara's disciples in this world.
"I went out to take care of something."
Kiyohara gave a vague answer.
Playboy Sasuke looked him up and down before pointing at his clothes.
"Kiyohara-sensei, why aren't you wearing those Uzumaki Clan clothes? Did that brat Naruto ruin them?"
Kiyohara lowered his head and looked at the clothes he was wearing.
When he had crossed over from the real world, he had been wearing his Hokage robes. However, before entering Limited Tsukuyomi, he had considered the need to keep a low profile and changed into an ordinary set of dark-colored shinobi clothes.
It seemed that the Kiyohara of this world normally wore the traditional clothing of the Uzumaki Clan.
That was useful information.
"I changed into something more convenient."
He answered casually while secretly recording another important piece of information in his mind.
Naruto? Shouldn't it be Menma?
Kiyohara thought to himself.
It seemed that this place was somewhat different from the world depicted in the movie as well.
"Hmph. Not everyone is like Sasuke, who spends all day thinking about dressing himself up."
Big Sister Hinata shot Playboy Sasuke a sideways glance, her tone still carrying that domineering authority of a gang leader.
Then she turned her head toward Kiyohara.
The expression on her face instantly changed from disgust to another kind of disgust.
However, this was a familiar kind of displeasure, the sort of complaint a spoiled student might make toward her sensei.
"Master, where have you been all this time without even telling us?"
She strode over with large steps, her long dark blue hair bouncing gently with each movement.
When she reached Kiyohara's side, she unceremoniously reached out and grabbed his arm.
"It has been at least three years since we last saw you!"
Kiyohara was stunned.
Had the Kiyohara of this world really been gone for three years?
Kiyohara then stroked his chin thoughtfully.
What puzzled him even more was whether the Kiyohara of this world had also received the Last Will System.
"No. Probably not."
Kiyohara shook his head.
If that were really the case, what situation would have required him to leave for three years?
Judging from the original story, the upper limit of the world created by Limited Tsukuyomi was also far inferior to that of a normal world. It seemed to be an incomplete or heavily modified version.
Playboy Sasuke stood beneath the cherry blossom tree and watched Big Sister Hinata holding onto Kiyohara's arm without any intention of letting go.
He rolled his eyes.
"Training again. Hinata, all you ever think about is training. You have no idea how to enjoy life."
He pulled a small mirror from his pouch and looked into it while fixing the bangs on the right side of his forehead, making sure that every strand of hair was positioned perfectly.
"There are so many beautiful things in this world. The smiles of pretty girls, the maple leaves in autumn, the cherry blossoms in spring. All of them are far more interesting than sweating stinkily on a training field."
He flipped his hand and put the small mirror back into his shinobi tool pouch.
Then he waved toward Kiyohara and Big Sister Hinata.
"Kiyohara-sensei, I'll be leaving first. There are still a few girls waiting for me."
He turned around and walked away.
His departing figure was remarkably carefree. Combined with his genuinely handsome profile, Kiyohara had to admit that Playboy Sasuke really did have everything necessary to live up to his name.
Big Sister Hinata did not even look at Playboy Sasuke as he left.
All of her attention was focused on Kiyohara.
"Master, don't mind him. That guy spends all day chasing girls. Come on, hurry up and follow me to the training ground. I want you to see how far I've progressed."
"Training cannot be rushed."
Kiyohara said.
"All right, all right. I know. Just hurry up and come over."
She released Kiyohara's arm and turned toward the training ground.
After walking several steps, she looked back again, seemingly checking whether Kiyohara was following her.
Kiyohara stepped forward and followed behind her, keeping a distance of one step between them.
(End of Chapter)