Aburame Tatsuma stared at Kiyohara.
His eyes were full of venom—but even more than that, a profound sense of powerlessness.
This man… had grown to the point where even Tatsuma couldn't easily "handle" him anymore.
He had to report to Danzō-sama immediately.
"Retreat!"
Tatsuma barked the order to the surrounding Root members. His own body dissolved into a swarm of insects once more, fleeing deeper into the base.
The moment the commander ran, morale collapsed. The remaining Root operatives scattered in panic.
Kiyohara didn't pursue. His main goal was to rescue Kabuto, not wipe out Root.
He returned to Kabuto's side.
"Can you still walk?"
Kabuto nodded. His face was pale, but he was steady.
"Stay close. We're leaving."
Kiyohara led Kabuto toward the exit—while casually looting along the way. If he saw something good, he took it.
He quickly realized Danzō's budget was enormous.
No wonder he was Orochimaru's biggest sponsor. Even the training gear was stocked to the brim.
So Kiyohara "confiscated" it—righteously, of course.
He made a killing.
Thanks for the free gear, Danzō!
Kiyohara kept stuffing equipment into sealing scrolls. The scrolls that had been half-empty slowly filled up.
They ran into a few interception groups on the way, but Kiyohara handled them easily.
His style was almost always one strike, one kill—no room for the enemy to respond.
Kabuto followed behind, staring at Kiyohara's back as he fought, stunned.
So this is what a real shinobi is…?
Those ferocious Root ninja looked helpless in front of him—like children.
"Wait."
Kiyohara suddenly stopped.
"What is it?"
"There are others."
His Sharingan swept the area.
"It's not just us. There are other kids being held here."
He changed direction, heading toward several dense clusters of chakra signatures he'd sensed.
A few minutes later, they reached a section that looked like a prison.
More than a dozen children were locked in iron cages—ages ranging from seven or eight to twelve or thirteen.
Most of them had vacant eyes. They'd clearly undergone partial brainwashing.
When they saw Kiyohara and Kabuto, some recoiled in terror, while others didn't react at all.
"These are…?" Kabuto stared in shock.
Kiyohara swung his blade and cut through the locks.
"Everyone out. Follow me."
The children hesitated, but under Kiyohara's pressure, they filed out one by one. He counted—fifteen. With Kabuto, sixteen.
"Two lines. Stay behind me. If anything happens, don't run."
Kiyohara led them toward the exit.
They were intercepted twice more by Root ninja, but the groups were small—Kiyohara erased them quickly.
Twenty minutes later, they finally reached the exit.
Kiyohara formed seals and opened the hidden door. Sunlight spilled in.
"We're out!" one child cried excitedly.
Kiyohara signaled for silence and checked outside first.
After confirming there was no ambush, he led them out of Root's base.
Once it was safe, he guided the children through back roads toward the orphanage.
…
While Kiyohara was rescuing them, Root Headquarters received an emergency report.
"What?!"
Danzō shot to his feet, slamming his cane into the ground.
"Kiyohara broke into Base Three, rescued Yakushi Kabuto, and released all the reserve trainees?!"
The Root ninja kneeling before him trembled.
"Y-yes… Tatsuma-sama returned badly injured. Seventeen guards were killed or wounded. All trainees were taken."
Danzō's face turned grim to the point of terror.
Cold light flickered in his lone eye; veins bulged on the hand gripping his cane.
"Good. Very good…"
His voice rasped.
"Kiyohara… you really dare…"
The office fell silent, with only Danzō's heavy breathing. After a long moment, he forced himself calm.
"Dispatch teams immediately."
"First: clean up Base Three and destroy all sensitive materials. Second: spread word that it was an illegal human experimentation site discovered and destroyed by Anbu. Third: everyone involved today—memory seal. No one is to leak anything about the base's true function."
"Yes!"
His subordinates rushed out.
Danzō sat back down, eyes closed, calculating how to minimize the damage.
Base Three mattered, but it wasn't Root's core. The losses were tolerable.
The real problem was that Kiyohara had taken the children.
Worse—Kiyohara had acted with legitimate cover.
If it blew up and reached Hiruzen, Danzō would be the one at fault.
"Danzō… you taught yourself a fine subordinate, Hiruzen."
He ground his teeth.
Just then, the office door opened. A figure slipped in without a sound.
Black hair, pale skin, golden slit pupils—Orochimaru.
"Danzō. Your base got cleaned out?"
Orochimaru's voice dripped with amusement.
Danzō shot him a cold look.
"You're happy?"
"Of course not."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"I'm just curious who had the nerve."
"Kiyohara. Tsunade's student. Also your… assistant."
A flicker of surprise crossed Orochimaru's eyes.
"Oh? That interesting little brat did this?"
"Don't play dumb."
Danzō's gaze cut toward him.
"Ohoho… I'm stating facts."
Orochimaru moved to the window, looking out into the dim corridor.
"But honestly… Kiyohara-kun's growth rate exceeded my expectations. Taking down a Root training base alone, crushing Aburame Tatsuma… That's not something an ordinary jōnin can do."
"What are you implying?" Danzō said sharply.
"Nothing."
Orochimaru turned back, lips curling into a meaningful smile.
"Just that if you try to force someone like that into your hands… you may get the opposite result. Kiyohara-kun isn't the type to bow easily."
Danzō fell silent. His anger cooled into ice.
He knew Orochimaru was right.
Kiyohara's strength and decisiveness proved he wasn't someone you could casually squeeze into obedience.
Pressure would only trigger fiercer resistance.
But to let it go?
Impossible.
Danzō didn't swallow losses.
"How's Tatsuma?" Danzō asked.
"Severely wounded, but alive," Orochimaru replied. "His hive was destroyed. It'll take a long time to recover. As for Base Three… the auxiliaries took heavy losses, the survivors' morale collapsed. It's basically gone now."
Danzō tapped his desk, weighing options.
Kiyohara's move had hit two key points:
First, he acted under the banner of "Anbu investigating missing orphans"—clean and official.
Second, he took all the orphans—meaning he held the witnesses.
If this escalated to Hiruzen, Danzō wouldn't be "punished" severely, but exposure of secret bases and illegal detention of children would stain his reputation.
And more importantly—Kiyohara's last line:
"Next time I come, I won't be so polite."
What did that mean?
A threat? A warning?
Danzō realized he might have been underestimating the boy all along.
Kiyohara wasn't just powerful—he was meticulous, and knew how to use rules and circumstance to protect himself.
Someone like that—if he couldn't be controlled—had to be eliminated early.
"Tch."
Danzō's brow knotted.
The Uchiha were a naturally evil clan, and an arrogant one too.
Most Uchiha didn't play the "schemes" game.
They were too rigid—easy to snap. Few were as slippery and roundabout as Kiyohara.
Was he trying to shield the orphanage?
"What about Nono?" Orochimaru asked, seeing Danzō's sour expression.
"Drop it for now," Danzō said at last.
Sending Yakushi Nono to Iwagakure had only been an extra layer of insurance.
Iwa was already visibly failing—barely hanging on.
Once they folded, Konoha could demand concessions as the victor and rebuild its strength.
And Danzō could feel it—when this war ended, it would be time to choose the Fourth Hokage.
Hiruzen had sat on the seat long enough—longer than the First and Second combined.
"How's the Sharingan research?" Danzō asked.
Orochimaru was working on a technique to implant more Sharingan into an arm.
That way, the Sharingan wouldn't be limited to the eyes.
After all, you only had two eye sockets.
If you could implant Sharingan elsewhere, you could stack as many as you wanted.
"Most people can't bear the Sharingan's burden," Orochimaru chuckled.
Even Kakashi—gifted as he was—suffered heavily from just one transplanted Sharingan.
If Kakashi got another, even a jōnin's chakra wouldn't sustain it.
Unless he kept both eyes covered all day—otherwise using them would double the drain.
And now Danzō wanted an arm that could carry many.
"But I've found that the First's cells can balance the Sharingan," Orochimaru reported.
It made him suspect some link between the Uchiha and the Senju—though what exactly, he still needed to study.
"Any surviving test subjects?" Danzō asked.
If Senju and Uchiha could fuse, it would essentially be dual bloodlines—because the First's cells carried the power of Wood Release.
So far, only "Kinoe" had survived transplantation.
Others lost control and sprouted trees.
In Konoha, the only person Danzō had seen who truly held two bloodlines without collapsing was Kiyohara.
"I found a promising subject," Orochimaru said flatly. "His name is Shin. He should give us good data."
Shin was a rare body type that rejected no cells.
If Danzō grafted Shin's arm, it might stabilize Senju and Uchiha power—and allow multiple Sharingan implants.
"Hmph. It better," Danzō said. "And don't forget where your funding comes from."
Even this snake needed constant reminding.
…
By evening, Kiyohara returned to the orphanage with the children.
When they appeared at the gate, Yakushi Nono—waiting anxiously in the yard—almost couldn't believe her eyes.
"Kabuto… Misaki… you—"
She realized Kiyohara hadn't just brought Kabuto back—he'd brought back the missing kids too.
"Dean, we're back!"
"That big brother saved us!"
"That place was terrifying…"
The children talked over each other—crying, laughing, chaos everywhere.
But many of them were orphans Danzō had collected from elsewhere; they could only watch stiffly, unsure.
Nono looked up at Kiyohara.
The blood on him had dried. His clothes were torn, but there didn't seem to be any injuries.
"Kiyohara-kun…"
Nono stood and bowed deeply.
"Thank you… truly. I don't know how to repay you…"
"I'm just keeping my promise," Kiyohara said, shaking his head.
"These kids are shaken. They need comfort. Also, Kakashi and I will stay here a few more days. I don't think they'll come again."
Kiyohara didn't see Kakashi nearby—probably out patrolling.
The shanty camp near the orphanage was gone too; likely the Kikyo Mountain front had shifted elsewhere, and the refugees moved with it.
"Is… is that really okay?" Hope flickered in Nono's eyes.
"I'll do what I can," Kiyohara nodded. "As for our agreement… talk after you've settled the children."
"I understand," Nono nodded hard. "I'll keep my promise. Whatever medical support you need, whatever research help—you'll have my full effort."
Kiyohara gave a small nod, then looked at Kabuto.
The boy was surrounded by other children now—finally smiling.
Noticing Kiyohara's gaze, Kabuto ran over.
"Senpai… thank you," Kabuto said earnestly.
"I… I want to become strong like you. I want to protect the Dean and everyone."
His eyes were firm.
After this, Kabuto had learned it in his bones: only power could protect the Dean, the orphanage, and the others.
"You want to become a shinobi?" Kiyohara asked.
Becoming a shinobi was a double-edged sword.
Ordinary people wanted the strength… but feared the cost.
Once you became a shinobi—even as a medic—battlefields could still claim you.
"I… I do. I want power to protect everyone," Kabuto said, meeting Kiyohara's eyes.
Behind them, Nono sighed softly.
Maybe some people could wash their hands clean and never be dragged back in.
But someone like her—too deep in the game—even after years of "retirement," waves still reached her shore.
She understood now.
Danzō would never stop.
In that case, cooperating with Kiyohara at least came with Konoha's protection.
This was internal faction warfare.
Kiyohara was Anbu—Hokage-line.
The orphanage would have to choose a side.
And a young man like this… Nono hadn't seen many even back when she was still active.
Maybe the only comparable "civilian genius" was Namikaze Minato.
Perhaps Kiyohara could become that, too.
Maybe… he could become Hokage.
Nono watched quietly.
"I can teach the basics of chakra extraction," Kiyohara said. "If any of you want to become shinobi, come to Konoha. I'll recommend you."
That would brand them with his mark.
And he needed loyal subordinates.
He said "Konoha shinobi," but even within Konoha, loyalties differed.
Root were Konoha shinobi. The Police Force were Konoha shinobi.
How many truly loyal to Hiruzen? That was another question.
What Kiyohara wanted were shinobi loyal only to him.
If he told them to act, they acted—no hesitation.
Even if it meant becoming sacrifices for him.
Orphans were the easiest to shape.
And Kabuto—smart as he was—could be controlled through Nono. If he held her, Kabuto would work.
"Dean Nono—this is my sponsorship," Kiyohara said, handing her a sealing scroll packed with money, along with a basic chakra training method and his contact information… even his home address.
If something happened, she could contact him directly.
The chakra extraction method was knowledge even civilians could access.
Before the academy accepted kids, they tested whether they could extract chakra and use basic techniques.
Gai once couldn't—and almost failed to enroll.
It wasn't even a D- or E-rank jutsu. It barely counted as a jutsu at all.
It was just a control test.
If you couldn't extract and control chakra, becoming shinobi was basically impossible.
Even taijutsu types like Gai and Lee still needed chakra control—without chakra, you couldn't drive the Eight Gates.
"Thank you, Kiyohara-kun," Nono said sincerely.
Compared to Danzō, Kiyohara's terms were outrageously generous.
Having once served under Danzō, she knew how black his heart was.
The man was the very definition of "the darkness of shinobi."
Over the next few days, Kiyohara and Kakashi stayed at the orphanage.
Root never came again. The "bandits" vanished too.
After that, Kiyohara and Kakashi returned to Konoha.
…
Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, smoke curling from his pipe.
Kiyohara and Kakashi stood before him, having just finished their report.
"So… Kiyohara found the hidden base and rescued the detained orphans?" Hiruzen asked slowly, his gaze lingering on Kiyohara.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kiyohara replied, expression calm. Then, indirectly, he mentioned that he had seen some "familiar" shinobi.
"They were well trained. Once they realized things were exposed, they fled immediately. I only had time to save the children."
Kakashi stood to the side, listening.
He hadn't gone inside, so only Kiyohara knew what really happened.
Hiruzen drew from his pipe and fell into thought.
He understood what Kiyohara was implying.
Kiyohara had seen Konoha shinobi.
Meaning it was likely tied to Konoha.
But Hiruzen had never ordered such a thing.
So the answer was obvious.
It was probably his old friend's doing.
As for how many Root members Kiyohara killed… Hiruzen didn't consider that important.
Those auxiliaries shouldn't have existed in the first place.
Danzō privately building armed forces had already crossed Hiruzen's line.
"You did well," Hiruzen said at last.
"Those children will stay at the orphanage. I'll increase patrols in that area. And as for the secret training base… I'll personally look into it."
He paused and looked at Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara, you performed well, but you also revealed something. Your way of doing things… is too aggressive. Mind your limits next time."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kiyohara bowed respectfully.
But Hiruzen could tell the boy hadn't truly taken it to heart.
Still… that might not be entirely bad.
Konoha needed a sharp blade—someone willing to break rules.
As long as the blade's handle was still in Hiruzen's hand.
"Go rest," Hiruzen waved them off. "Submit the written report tomorrow."
Kiyohara and Kakashi saluted and left.
By the time they stepped outside, night had fully fallen.
Konoha's streets glowed with lantern light. People hurried by. Peaceful—on the surface.
"You've got guts," Kakashi said suddenly.
"You went in alone. If you hadn't told me afterward, I wouldn't have known there were that many people inside."
"I was just carrying out the mission," Kiyohara said.
Kakashi glanced at him and shook his head.
"Whatever. It's done."
After a pause, Kakashi asked:
"Among the kids… there was a boy with glasses. You seemed especially concerned about him."
"Yakushi Kabuto," Kiyohara replied.
"He's a genius. If he's raised properly, he'll become an outstanding medical ninja."
"I see…" Kakashi said noncommittally.
He thought of his father, Hatake Sakumo.
Besides "Konoha's White Fang," Sakumo had another nickname: "Keen Eye."
Rumor said his "keen eye" could see through a person's potential.
Kakashi had grown up hearing his father judge other shinobi.
He'd even said Might Guy would one day become Kakashi's rival.
Kakashi hadn't believed it—until he saw how terrifying Guy's father, Might Duy, truly was.
Because both father and son trained the Eight Gates.
Maybe… Kiyohara had a similar "eye" for people.
Kakashi kept that thought to himself.
They split at the crossroads and went home.
Walking alone through the night streets, Kiyohara replayed the mission in his mind.
Overall, he'd achieved everything:
He rescued Kabuto and the orphans.
He hit Root hard.
He warned Danzō.
And he secured a partnership with Yakushi Nono.
The only downside was… he'd revealed more of his strength than he'd planned.
But it didn't matter.
Sometimes, showing your fangs was exactly what made the snakes in the shadows hesitate.
Back home, Kiyohara washed up, changed into clean clothes, and sat cross-legged to train.
He'd intended to reveal his three-tomoe Sharingan in that fight…
But Tatsuma was too weak.
There wasn't even time to use it before everything collapsed.
Still, Kiyohara suspected a bigger war wave was coming soon.
The disappearance of the shanty camp near the orphanage was a clue.
Sunagakure might launch a stronger strike against Konoha.
They faced the same pressures—just with slightly less weight than Konoha bore.
He needed to reduce pressure on either Konoha or Kirigakure first…
Only then would he have enough free hands to move elsewhere.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!