"Try drinking it."
Trusting Kiyohara, Kurenai twisted off the cap.
Gulp, gulp, gulp—
She downed it in one go.
Almost immediately, she felt a warm current spread through her body, and then noticed her chakra recovery speed seemed to have improved too.
A flicker of amazement flashed in her eyes.
What Kiyohara said… was actually true.
After waiting quietly for a moment, Kurenai ran to the backyard and casually used a genjutsu, burning a bit of chakra.
Then she felt it—her chakra really was recovering faster.
"Kiyohara…"
For a moment, she didn't even know what to say.
She was simply… grateful.
…
After leaving the Yuhi residence, Kiyohara headed straight for the village gate rendezvous point.
Kakashi was already there, leaning against the Konoha gate.
"Two minutes late," Kakashi said.
"I went to deliver a gift," Kiyohara replied.
"Yeah?" Kakashi gave a small nod.
Then the two of them quickly set off.
Once outside the village, they moved through the forest at a moderate pace—fast enough to respond to surprises, but not so fast that they'd burn themselves out.
The first day passed quietly.
By evening, they made camp beside a small stream.
Kakashi handled the fire and water with practiced ease, while Kiyohara set up warning traps.
As the night deepened, the campfire crackled, lighting their faces in orange.
"How's your Chidori training?" Kiyohara asked suddenly.
Kakashi tossed another branch into the fire; sparks danced. "Lately I've been trying to develop more shape transformations. The standard thrust is powerful, but it's limited in range and flexibility."
"Any results?"
Kakashi nodded, stood, and walked to the open clearing.
His hands formed seals quickly. Lightning flickered around him.
"Chidori Stream."
As the words left his mouth, blue electricity flowed from his body like water, spreading in a one-meter radius.
Lightning snapped in the air with that piercing birdlike screech.
Kiyohara's Sharingan opened silently, tomoe turning as it recorded every detail—Kakashi's chakra flow, seal sequence, and the precise changes in shape control.
This was an A-rank Lightning Release technique.
In canon, it was Sasuke's creation—but here, Kakashi had developed it first.
It was essentially "counter armor": anything that got close would be shocked by arcing electricity. In a set radius, enemies became targets automatically, and against multiple foes it doubled as solid defense and area control.
"Good concept," Kiyohara said. "Strong defensive and control value. How'd you think of it?"
Kakashi dispersed the lightning, breathing a little heavier. Maintaining a technique like this took serious chakra.
"Watching you use powerful Lightning Release all the time," Kakashi admitted. "That pressure pushed me into a breakthrough."
"So that's it…" Kiyohara mused.
Kakashi was the type who grew under pressure. Unlike Sasuke, he needed that weight on his shoulders—when things got too comfortable, he drifted. In the future, after losing the Sharingan, he'd develop Purple Lightning.
If Kakashi stayed under high pressure from the start, he'd probably advance even faster.
"I developed one too," Kiyohara said.
After seeing Kakashi's Chidori Stream, he decided to show his own progress.
Chidori Spear.
Kiyohara stood where Kakashi had been, raised his right hand, and condensed Lightning chakra into his palm.
But unlike Kakashi's Chidori, Kiyohara's lightning was denser, tighter—its buzzing whine sharper.
The lightning extended outward like a blue laser lance.
Thk—
A distant tree trunk was pierced clean through.
"I call it Chidori Spear," Kiyohara said.
With a flick of his wrist, he sliced through the trunk along the same line, then continued the motion—cutting into a nearby boulder as well.
Even with the char marks from lightning, the cut surfaces were smooth and clean.
Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly.
"That power…"
"By changing the lightning's shape, you extend the range," Kiyohara explained as he dispersed the chakra. "It's not as destructive as the original Chidori, but it reaches much farther—and it's safer for the user."
"Your Chidori Stream leans defense and control. My Chidori Spear focuses long-range kills."
Kakashi was silent for a while, then gave a bitter smile.
"Sometimes I feel like… I invented this technique, but you always find uses I never thought of."
He sighed. "It's like I'm always living in your shadow."
Kiyohara only smiled.
Of course he wasn't going to tell Kakashi these were techniques Kakashi would create in the future—Kiyohara was just bringing them forward.
That was still a kind of "win."
"Let's learn from each other," Kiyohara said. "I'll learn your Chidori Stream too."
He closed his eyes, recalled every copied detail, and formed seals.
Lightning flared again—similar, but not identical.
Kiyohara's Chidori Stream spread wider, reaching three meters. The lightning density was higher, the crackling harsher and more aggressive.
Kakashi felt the violent Lightning chakra in the air and was genuinely shaken.
Kiyohara didn't just learn it instantly—he optimized it.
Kiyohara sensed the flow of chakra in his body.
After stacking Lightning talent multiple times, his control over Lightning nature had reached a very high level. And in raw chakra reserves, he outclassed Kakashi by several times—so naturally the scale was different.
Then Kiyohara pushed it further.
His Chidori Stream expanded to five meters.
If he refined it again, he'd be converting a close-range technique into something that bordered on mid-range denial.
"The output rhythm can still be tuned," Kiyohara analyzed while maintaining the technique. "If I spike output here, I can expand the range while keeping the core zone lethal."
Kakashi felt numb with envy.
It wasn't that he didn't want to add more chakra—he just couldn't.
In the end, Kakashi and Kiyohara discussed Chidori variants late into the night, testing ideas and trading improvements as the campfire and lightning flickered on and off.
…
At the same time—deep inside Konoha's Root headquarters.
Shimura Danzō sat behind a broad desk, right hand on his cane, left hand flipping through the latest chūnin selection roster.
Normally, chūnin were eligible for Anbu—and therefore Root as well.
A talented chūnin, after special training, could quickly reach jōnin level. That step required a sharp eye: who could go further, and who would plateau?
The dim light hid half of Danzō's face in shadow.
Names and profiles slid past on the page, but his gaze stayed cold.
"Mediocre. Mediocre. Still mediocre," he murmured, closing the roster and tossing it aside.
In his eyes, these so-called "geniuses" weren't worth much.
Only one person truly interested him—
Kiyohara.
The young shinobi who kept racking up achievements on the battlefield. Sharingan. Magnet Release. Student of Tsunade. And now—already in Anbu.
That kind of talent and potential was exactly what Root needed.
"A shame Hiruzen got to him first," Danzō said quietly, tapping the desk.
He remembered asking the Third Hokage to transfer Kiyohara into Root—only to be refused with "Kiyohara is Anbu, and Tsunade won't allow it."
"Tsunade… Hmph."
A shadow crossed Danzō's eyes. One of the Sannin was, indeed, troublesome.
But what angered him more was Hiruzen's softness.
"Hiruzen… you're still too weak."
"Always talking about the Will of Fire. About trust and comrades."
His voice turned colder. "In this cruel world, only power and methods are real."
He rose and walked to the window.
Outside lay Root's dark corridor, where masked operatives passed in silence.
"Wasting Kiyohara in Anbu is a mistake. Only in Root—under my guidance—can he reach maximum value."
Danzō gripped his cane.
"Sharingan… and possibly other bloodline traits. If I can obtain him, Root benefits immensely."
But reality was reality: Kiyohara was Anbu now, and clearly under the Hokage faction's protection. Forcing the issue would only cause open conflict.
Danzō returned to the desk, opened a hidden compartment, and took out an encrypted scroll.
It contained information on Yakushi Nono.
A former Root operative—codename Walking Shrine Maiden—with exceptionally high intelligence-gathering and medical ability.
Root currently had no better spy than her.
After leaving Root, she'd taken the name Yakushi Nono and ran an orphanage in Konoha.
"Even if you left the organization… you're still a useful piece," Danzō said, a thin smile forming.
He pressed a bell under the desk.
A moment later, the office door opened soundlessly. A ninja in a black hood entered and knelt on one knee.
"Danzō-sama."
"Tatsuma. I have a mission for you."
Danzō handed the scroll to Aburame Tatsuma.
"Go to the orphanage. Find Yakushi Nono. Tell her Iwagakure may be preparing a large-scale offensive, and order her to infiltrate Iwa to gather intelligence."
Even though Iwa had lost momentum, there was still the question of alliances. If Iwa surrendered first, Konoha's advantage would become decisive.
Tatsuma accepted the scroll.
"If she refuses?"
"Remind her who funds that orphanage," Danzō said icily.
"Then tell her Konoha's security has been unstable lately. Thieves are common. And if the children go out alone… accidents may happen."
Tatsuma lowered his head.
"Understood."
"Go. I want her answer within three days."
Tatsuma vanished.
Danzō sat again, tapping the desk.
"Kiyohara… one day, you'll understand where you truly belong."
His eyes held the certainty of someone who expected the world to bend.
…
Two days later, at dusk, Kiyohara and Kakashi reached the mission destination.
By midday, they arrived in the district where the orphanage stood.
From far away, Kiyohara already saw several figures at the orphanage gate.
His Sharingan caught their attire clearly—standard Root uniforms.
"Root?" Kakashi frowned. "What are they doing here?"
"Let's check," Kiyohara said, quickening his pace.
As they got closer, faint voices reached his ears. With his hearing, he could pick up movement from far away—but it was still too indistinct.
To avoid alarming whoever was inside, Kiyohara summoned Anbu Kiyohara's spirit and asked him to take a look.
"Fine. I'll check."
The spirit drifted forward silently.
"?"
Kakashi didn't understand why Kiyohara suddenly stopped. Kakashi couldn't hear anything from here.
All he could sense was a faint, lingering smell of blood.
Kakashi was sure those Root operatives had killed plenty of people.
No wonder Root was even deeper in the shadows than Anbu.
After joining Anbu, Kakashi had learned Root existed.
"Let's wait here," Kiyohara said.
Kakashi, still confused, nodded.
Their mission was to investigate the orphanage attack and missing children. They'd need to question the Dean, then likely set a trap and catch the attackers when they returned.
And since Root was talking to the orphanage staff right now… surely the attackers weren't Root, right?
So Kakashi lost interest in Root's "inspection."
Kiyohara, meanwhile, listened to the spirit's report.
The spirit hovered by a window crack, repeating the conversation line by line.
"...This is for Konoha's security."
Aburame Tatsuma's voice carried pressure.
"Iwagakure has been moving strangely. There's a chance—however small—that they're planning a large-scale offensive and might coordinate with other villages. We need an internal source to prevent being caught off guard."
Across from him sat Yakushi Nono, round glasses, gentle holy aura—hands clasped like a praying nun. Her face was pale.
"Tatsuma… I've already left the shinobi world," Nono said softly. "All I want now is to take care of these children. Give them a home."
"Left?" Tatsuma sneered. "You know better than anyone—some identities can't be shed."
"And do you really think this orphanage survives on its own? What do you think keeps it running?"
Nono fell silent.
"You think treating a few shinobi pays for everything? More orphans arrive every day—what then?"
Tatsuma's dark frames reflected her.
This woman was nothing like who she used to be. Soft. Compassionate.
During wartime, orphans were endless. Nono's orphanage would only grow. The costs would only climb—until the war ended, at least.
"Danzō-sama has always cared about this place."
Tatsuma glanced around the worn but tidy room.
"But if he stops funding it… what happens to these children? Konoha's finances aren't generous. After the war, many welfare institutions will be cut."
"This funding came from an application to the Third Hokage—" Nono began.
Tatsuma cut her off.
"Yes, but even if the money is issued, what then?"
"And lately Konoha security has been poor. Thieves are common. Maybe the funding 'disappears.' And if the children go out alone… what if they meet the wrong people?"
Nono's brows tightened.
She understood Tatsuma's meaning all too well.
She knew Danzō's methods.
Cutting funds would only be the beginning. Next would come "accidents": children vanishing, or bandits mysteriously attacking the orphanage.
Nono was almost certain the missing child from before had already been taken by Root.
"Enough." Nono's voice tightened with disgust.
Right then, the door opened, and Kiyohara stepped inside.
Kakashi saw him move and hurried in behind.
"Busy in here," Kiyohara said.
Tatsuma turned. Behind the mask, his eyes fixed on Kiyohara and Kakashi.
"This has nothing to do with you Anbu."
"And you get to decide that?"
Kiyohara looked straight at him.
Tatsuma raised an eyebrow. No one spoke to Root like this.
"Or do you have the Hokage's written order?" Kiyohara pressed.
"We're acting under Danzō-sama's orders—"
"Enough." Kiyohara cut him off. "If someone didn't know better, they'd think Danzō was the Hokage."
Kiyohara had no interest in listening further.
Root operatives might treat Danzō like an uncrowned king, but that didn't mean everyone else had to.
"You—!"
Tatsuma bristled.
Insult him, fine. Insult his family, fine.
But insult Danzō-sama?
No.
"We're here on Anbu orders to investigate the orphanage. We have authority to handle all matters related to it. Right now, we suspect you're obstructing official work."
Kiyohara flicked out the mission scroll bearing Hiruzen's authorization.
Tatsuma saw it. His expression shifted several times.
But he swallowed the retort.
A Root operative couldn't cause trouble for Danzō-sama. And like it or not, the Hokage outranked Danzō.
"Think carefully, Yakushi Nono."
Tatsuma threw one last line over his shoulder. "I'll give you one day. I hope you choose correctly."
Then he left with the other Root operatives.
After they were gone, Kiyohara glanced at Nono.
"Dean Nono… trouble?"
Nono bit her lip, hesitant.
Tatsuma's presence meant she didn't dare say too much.
She had too many weaknesses now.
The atmosphere tightened.
Then the orphanage door cracked open. A few small heads peeked out. A boy with round glasses looked at Nono with worry—Yakushi Kabuto.
Nono exhaled.
"Dean, are you okay?" Kabuto asked.
"I'm fine, Kabuto," Nono forced a smile, then turned to Kiyohara and Kakashi.
She invited them inside.
In the orphanage, Nono brewed tea for them.
The children were told to play outside, but Kiyohara noticed Kabuto lingering by the door—still on guard.
"Those people earlier were…" Kakashi began.
Nono's lips moved, but she only managed a strained smile.
"It's nothing. Just… routine Konoha inspections. Security's been unstable lately. They came to remind us to be careful."
Since she didn't want to speak, Kakashi didn't press.
Anbu discipline taught that knowing too much was often dangerous.
"We're here to investigate the orphanage attack and the missing child," Kiyohara said, taking over. "Can you describe what happened?"
Nono visibly relaxed—the topic finally shifted to something she could speak about openly.
She stood and walked to the window, looking out at the children playing.
"That night… around two in the morning, I heard noises from the storage area and went to check."
"When I arrived, the warehouse door had been forced open. Half our food stores were gone. And my two caretakers were hurt."
Kiyohara nodded slightly—so it was the plump nun and the older male caretaker.
"Did they see the attackers?" Kakashi asked.
Nono shook her head.
"No."
Even though she had already guessed who it was.
"We'll investigate nearby," Kakashi said, standing. "We'll also stay here tonight. If the attackers return, we'll catch them."
"Thank you…" Nono said quietly.
…
As evening fell, Kiyohara and Kakashi set warning traps around the orphanage.
They split patrol duty—Kakashi covered the front yard and main buildings, while Kiyohara watched the woods and warehouse at the rear.
Night deepened.
The orphanage lights went out one by one. The children fell asleep.
Only the Dean's office still glowed, Nono's silhouette bent over paperwork.
Kiyohara paused at the edge of the woods, Sharingan turning slowly in the dark.
His senses spread out—Kakashi was near the front gate.
Inside, the children breathed evenly.
Farther away, nocturnal animals rustled.
Everything seemed normal.
At midnight, Kiyohara moved soundlessly to the Dean's office and tapped the window lightly.
Nono startled, then relaxed when she saw it was him.
She opened the window. Kiyohara slipped inside like a falling leaf, landing without a sound.
"Kiyohara-kun? What is it?" she asked, instinctively glancing toward the door—Kakashi wasn't here.
"About what happened earlier today," Kiyohara said bluntly. "I heard what those Root operatives said."
"You heard it…"
Nono gave a bitter smile, and at the same time felt a chill.
He'd heard that from so far away—despite both her and Tatsuma speaking quietly, and despite her never sensing anyone approach.
"I have a proposal," Kiyohara said.
Nono lifted her eyes to him.
"I can fund the orphanage. Make sure the children have what they need. As for Root possibly attacking again—I'll handle that."
"As an exchange, I need your help."
Kiyohara then laid out his terms and what he wanted from her.
~~~
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