A cold glint flashed through Danzo Shimura's lone eye, but it quickly returned to stillness.
"You're overthinking it, Homura." he said flatly.
Since the two had been old friends for years, they always addressed each other by given name.
"I'm only thinking about the village's future. Kiyohara's growth rate is too fast—so fast it's… abnormal. We must ensure that this power is completely under the village's control."
Homura studied him for a moment, then finally sighed.
"Is it because he's an Uchiha?"
"Hmph. Do you take me for someone that narrow-minded?" Danzo denied it immediately.
He wouldn't casually say anything that could harm unity—at least, not on the surface.
"Let's hope so, Danzo. We're all doing this for Konoha, but some methods… should still have restraint."
With that, Homura turned and left.
Danzo remained where he was, watching Homura's back disappear, his cane tapping the ground lightly.
"Restraint?" he murmured, a trace of mockery in his voice. "When the enemy won't show you restraint, your restraint is stupidity."
Inside the conference room, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't leave right away.
He stood by the window, watching the village lights gradually bloom across the night. His pipe had already gone out, yet he still took a reflexive pull.
"Shinnosuke," he called softly.
A figure appeared behind him without a sound—an Anbu wearing an animal mask, tall and upright. The mask hid the face, but the eyes visible through it resembled Hiruzen's by seven parts out of ten.
"Hokage-sama." Sarutobi Shinnosuke dropped to one knee.
He didn't call him "Father," only "Hokage-sama."
On duty, you address the post.
"You heard what was said just now?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes."
"Then go to the front. Use 'inspection' as your cover. Observe Kiyohara up close. Focus on his leadership, his decision-making, his judgment."
Hiruzen turned to face his eldest son.
"Remember—no prejudice. Kiyohara is Konoha's future."
"I understand," Shinnosuke answered in a steady voice.
"And one more thing…" Hiruzen paused, lowering his voice.
"Keep an eye on Danzo's movements."
"Yes."
Shinnosuke vanished again, soundlessly, as if he had never been there.
Hiruzen turned back to the window and let out a deep sigh.
Kiyohara…
The potential this child had shown had already far exceeded what he'd initially expected.
If nurtured properly, he might one day become a top-tier shinobi—perhaps even surpass Minato.
But precisely because of that, he had to be careful.
Konoha had already lost too many geniuses.
White Fang… Dan…
He didn't want Kiyohara to become the next one.
…
At the same time, on another front.
Fugaku Uchiha set down the intelligence scroll in his hand.
On his usually stern face, a rare, complicated expression surfaced.
"Father?"
A childish voice came from the entrance.
Itachi Uchiha walked in holding tea, set the cup gently in front of his father.
Only five years old, yet his composure already far outstripped his age.
"You look troubled."
Fugaku stared at his prematurely wise son in silence for a moment, then finally slid the intel scroll across to him.
He wanted Itachi to take Kiyohara as a benchmark.
"Read it."
Itachi picked up the scroll and unfolded it.
The further he read, the more surprise rose in the black eyes so like his father's.
"Kiyohara… captured Suna's Scorch Release shinobi Pakura alive?"
"Yes."
Fugaku raised his tea—but didn't drink. He simply let the steam rise, blurring his vision.
"The latest battle report from the Kikyo Pass front. Kiyohara took Pakura alive."
He paused, then added, "According to eyewitness accounts, that Fire Release he used at the end is likely a brand-new technique—and its learning difficulty is at least A-rank, possibly S-rank."
Shock spread across Itachi's small face.
A-rank or S-rank were classifications of learning difficulty—but generally, the harder a technique was to learn, the greater its power.
Techniques that were difficult and weak didn't get made; no one bothered doing that kind of thankless work.
So Kiyohara's Fire Release had to represent a completely new line of thinking.
Even though Itachi was still young, he was born Uchiha—his understanding of Fire Release surpassed most kids his age by a wide margin.
And yet a clan member raised outside the Uchiha had developed a Fire Release with temperatures many Uchiha jōnin couldn't even approach—excluding only a rare few who could push B-rank fire techniques to near S-rank destructive levels.
"A shinobi who didn't even grow up in the Uchiha—yet his Fire Release surpasses most of the clan. If word gets out, the old fossils in the clan will make some very funny faces."
Fugaku's tone carried a touch of sarcasm, but beneath it lay something deeper—heavy concern.
Kiyohara's growth was too fast.
Sharingan, Magnet Release, and now this level of Fire Release…
Too many alarming factors were gathering in one young man.
More importantly, his relationship with the Uchiha was ambiguous.
Not an enemy… but not truly a clansman either.
Blood ties could be strong—or paper-thin.
In the end, they needed emotion, and bonds, to hold them together.
"If one day…" Fugaku looked at Itachi. "If one day Kiyohara and the Uchiha end up on opposite sides, what would you do?"
He said it calmly.
The hawks led by Uchiha Setsuna had coup ambitions deep in their bones—wanting to reclaim what they called Uchiha glory.
Support for a coup was small right now, but it wasn't impossible for that momentum to grow in the future.
Unless he became Hokage himself—then it would all be settled.
Itachi froze.
He wasn't yet a formal shinobi, so he had no access to the Uchiha's secret meetings—he didn't know some in the clan were plotting a coup.
He lifted his head and met his father's unfathomable eyes, unsure how to answer.
Silence stretched in the tent.
At last, Fugaku waved his hand.
"Go. Train."
"Yes, Father."
Itachi left.
Fugaku shook his head.
So Kiyohara really was putting pressure on him—enough that he'd tried to extract an answer from a five-year-old.
He didn't want to admit it.
But he could feel it: Kiyohara's talent… might even surpass his own son's.
…
The next morning, Kiyohara was summoned to Tsunade's tent.
When he stepped inside, Tsunade was already ready.
She'd changed into sharp combat gear, golden hair tied in a high ponytail, looking far more awake.
"Sit." She pointed to the chair opposite.
Kiyohara sat, noticing a worn, old scroll on the table.
The material looked aged, edges frayed, but the sealing formulae on it were still crisp.
"Kiyohara, you've been with me a while now." Tsunade got straight to it. "I've been watching you. Your talent, your temperament, your understanding of medical ninjutsu… and your chakra control precision."
She picked up the scroll and pushed it toward him.
"I think you're qualified to learn this."
Kiyohara's eyes fell on the scroll.
He hadn't even opened it, but he already knew what it was.
The Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Boruto-era lore said it was an ancient technique dating back to the Sage of Six Paths' era.
That would explain why the scroll looked so old—maybe even a relic from the Warring States period.
Kiyohara couldn't help wondering how Tsunade obtained it.
Fukasaku and Shima could reach Konoha from Mount Myōboku; Katsuyu likely had a method too.
Maybe Katsuyu retrieved it for Tsunade and she summoned her to receive it.
"Sensei… is this the Strength of a Hundred Seal?"
"Correct. You guessed right." Tsunade nodded.
"This technique…"
"Don't get emotional yet." Tsunade cut him off. "It's extremely hard to learn. First, you need talent in sealing—otherwise you'll never learn it. Second, you need insane chakra control, or you'll mess up during the long process of storing chakra. And finally…"
She paused and looked at him seriously.
"Usually, the bigger your chakra pool, the more you benefit. Because you need to hit a minimum threshold before the 'Byakugō' mark appears. And I don't even know how much chakra you can ultimately store. With your current chakra… if you truly master this seal and spend one or two years accumulating it, the power you can release at a critical moment—honestly, even I can't estimate it."
Kiyohara accepted the scroll with both hands; it felt slightly heavy.
"I'll study it seriously, Sensei."
One to two years—Sakura took three years in canon before her mark manifested.
Tsunade saying one or two years for him was definitely praise.
And Shizune had stored chakra for over ten years without ever forming the mark.
This technique had a high entry barrier.
But with the "Willbook" system Kiyohara had, he doubted it would take that long.
A few months might be enough—and if some future version of him came with tailed-beast-tier reserves, it would be trivial.
"Work hard." Tsunade smiled—then her expression tightened. "Also, there's something I want your opinion on."
She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice.
"About Rin. The Three-Tails inside her is always a hidden risk. She's stable for now, but if this war escalates… there's no guarantee something won't happen."
Kiyohara's mind stirred.
If Tsunade was asking, it meant she was thinking through contingencies—and it aligned with his own plan.
"I think we can try letting Rin gradually learn to handle that power. If we only leak a little chakra from the seal, I can hold her with genjutsu."
"Same as my thought." Tsunade said. "I'll have Karin accompany it."
She'd already heard Kiyohara's Sharingan had evolved to three tomoe during this battle. That alone implied strong genjutsu ability—and with an Uzumaki supervising, it was safer.
"Then…" Tsunade said, "I'm leaving it to you. Safety first. Better slow than letting Rin get hurt."
"I understand." Kiyohara answered solemnly, tucking the scroll into his ninja pouch.
"And…" Tsunade added as if remembering something, "You can teach her appropriate techniques. Rin has talent in medical ninjutsu, and her Water Release is decent too—those are good directions. But the core medical secrets—don't pass them on without my permission."
"Of course." Kiyohara smiled. "Your techniques aren't something I'd casually teach anyone."
"Smooth-talker." Tsunade shot him a look, but there was no real anger in it.
"Sensei really is generous." Kiyohara gave a thumbs-up.
Tsunade flicked his forehead.
"Ow." Kiyohara covered it—more acting than pain. He'd learned that if he didn't react, Tsunade sometimes flicked him again.
"You think everyone's like you—learn anything instantly?" Tsunade grumbled. "Even if I made these public, only a few people could learn them. Rin's a good seedling—that's why it matters. It helps Konoha too."
"I understand, Sensei."
"Good. Now go cook me something—I'm hungry." Tsunade waved a hand, shamelessly ordering him around.
…
That night, in a clearing near the edge of camp, Kiyohara, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Rin trained together.
"Kiyohara, I tried some of the Lightning Release ideas you mentioned." Kakashi spoke first.
He created a shadow clone.
Both he and the clone molded Lightning chakra, and with practiced timing, the two streams connected into a chain of electricity between them.
From a distance, it looked like Kakashi and his clone were holding a glowing blue wire.
In the next instant, Kakashi and the clone sprinted—crackling lightning stretching between them and slicing through every tree trunk in their path.
"I'm calling it: Lightning Release: Lightning Transmission," Kakashi said, waving his hand.
"Good." Kiyohara nodded.
And he quietly copied Kakashi's Shadow Clone Technique too.
"Compressing Lightning chakra into a line and cutting at high speed—good concept. It has huge potential. If you compress it further, the cutting power will climb."
Kakashi's usually indifferent face actually showed a faint smile.
"That's what I'm thinking. But right now I can only hold it for about five seconds, and the chakra cost is heavy."
"Take it slow." Kiyohara encouraged him.
And later he'd try to get Kakashi some White Snake Power too, so he wouldn't run out of stamina so fast.
After all, Kiyohara was always "borrowing" Kakashi's techniques.
He found himself thinking, It'd be great if some future version of me came with Jūgo's cells… or White Zetsu's… or even a true 'White Snake Kiyohara.' Anything would be better than Orochimaru's crude, post-hoc extraction.
Kurenai watched from the side and couldn't help speaking up too.
"Kiyohara, I learned a few more Wind Release techniques."
She formed seals and eagerly demonstrated. Streams of wind burst from her mouth, shaking tree branches violently—leaves exploding into the air. One tree even tore up by the roots under the wind pressure.
"How wide is your range?" Kiyohara asked.
"About… ten meters?" Kurenai said uncertainly. "The wider I spread it, the weaker the flow gets."
"That's already very good." Kiyohara nodded. "Your genjutsu talent is high, and your Wind Release still has room to grow. If you combine Wind Release with genjutsu, you might create some unexpected tactics."
"Like what?" Kurenai asked, curious.
"For example: use Wind Release to carry sound farther and expand sound-based genjutsu range. Or use Wind Release to warp visuals and amplify confusion. Or even… if you can fuse genjutsu chakra into the wind itself, you might create an invisible, wide-area genjutsu field."
Kiyohara wasn't just talking nonsense.
When Jiraiya and the elder toads entered Sage Mode together, they could use Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant, spreading genjutsu through song.
Kurenai's eyes lit up.
"That makes sense! I'll try it tomorrow!"
She couldn't help thinking Kiyohara could do everything—discussing Lightning Release with Kakashi, guiding her Wind Release like it was nothing.
Same head, same two eyes—why was the gap so ridiculous?
What she didn't know was that Kiyohara's "memorial hall" had already buried multiple future selves.
They trained for about an hour before Kiyohara noticed Karin had arrived too. He greeted her, then turned to Rin.
"Rin—have you thought about drawing out the power inside you?" he asked directly.
Everyone present knew her situation after the Land of Grass mission, so there was no need to dance around it.
"I've tried," Rin said quietly. "But every time I get near the threshold, a violent emotion surges up. I'm scared to go deeper…"
Kiyohara thought for a moment.
"Then I'll enter your mental space and take a look. Don't worry—Karin and I are here. We won't let anything happen to you."
Rin nodded, trusting him.
"Karin, watch over her." Kiyohara said as Karin stepped closer.
"Go ahead. I'll hold it down." Karin had already molded chakra and could use sealing techniques at any moment.
Kushina's seal was still fresh and strong—so even if tailed-beast chakra leaked, it wouldn't be much.
"Alright." Kiyohara closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his Sharingan was active.
He placed a hand gently on Rin's forehead, chakra flowing into her through the point of contact.
In the next instant, he saw a completely different world.
A place like a cage.
He understood: this was the mental space where a jinchūriki could speak to their tailed beast—the place the beast normally "lived."
Water flowed across the ground.
Kiyohara's appearance sent ripples across the calm surface, spreading outward in rings—
Until they reached a colossal creature ahead: a massive, turtle-shaped beast lying still.
The Three-Tails, Isobu.
Three tails, a body covered in hard, spiked armor.
Its eyes were closed as if sleeping.
But the chakra rolling off it was so enormous it felt suffocating.
So this was… a tailed beast's chakra.
Kiyohara's spirit-self stood on the water and walked toward it.
Each step sent more ripples through the surface.
When he drew close, the giant creature slowly opened its eyes.
"Sharingan…"
Isobu's voice was deep and heavy.
"An Uchiha brat… and you dare enter here."
"Three-Tails. I'm here to negotiate," Kiyohara said.
Isobu stared, and a flash of surprise flickered in its crimson eyes.
"Why is your spiritual energy so massive? You're an anomaly even among humans… and… you've trained in senjutsu? Why do you carry the scent of natural energy?"
"That's not important." Kiyohara met its gaze steadily. "I'm here because I want you to lend a portion of chakra to your jinchūriki."
"Lend?"
Isobu let out a scornful chuckle.
"Humans are always the same. You say 'borrow,' but you mean 'take forever.' I've seen countless like you. Brat—you aren't trustworthy."
"Then what would make you believe me?" Kiyohara asked.
Isobu fell silent for a moment, then said, "You're strong. Young, but your spiritual energy surpasses most humans. Let me test your capacity. If you can defeat me here, I'll consider your proposal."
Isobu didn't want to talk.
In nature, it was simple: the strong rule, the weak submit.
Even if it refused, Kiyohara would probably force the issue—just like the powerful shinobi who had subdued it in the past.
Their only justification had been: "Your power is too great. You must be sealed."
The moment it finished speaking, Isobu's huge body rose.
It opened its mouth and began forming a massive sphere of chakra-water.
Water Release: Water Bullet Technique.
Whoosh—
The chakra water cannon shot toward Kiyohara like artillery.
But Kiyohara moved faster.
Three tomoe spun furiously, and his ocular power surged forward like a tide.
"Temporary Paralysis Technique."
He cast the Sharingan genjutsu.
Itachi had used this to instantly shut Orochimaru down.
Its other name was… "Paralysis."
The instant the genjutsu hit, Isobu froze mid-motion.
For the first time, shock appeared in its crimson eyes.
"This… this isn't the ocular power a three-tomoe should have! Who are you?!"
Kiyohara didn't answer.
He raised his hand—and within the mental space, countless arcs of lightning gathered.
This wasn't the real world. It was a realm of spirit and chakra.
Here, power took shape through imagination and spiritual strength.
And Kiyohara's spiritual strength—after fusing multiple future selves—had long surpassed normal limits.
Like Naruto using Sage Art: Massive Rasengan Barrage against the Nine-Tails inside the mindscape, summoning countless clones and arming each with Sage Art Rasengan.
In reality, Naruto couldn't sustain that much chakra—he'd drop out of Sage Mode after only two Rasenshuriken.
Yet inside the mindscape, he could.
Because here, what mattered most was will, spirit, and chakra.
"Lightning Release: Multiple Chidori," Kiyohara said calmly.
Conveniently, his greatest advantage was exactly that: absurd spiritual power.
Pop—pop—pop—
Dozens of shadow clones appeared—copied from Kakashi earlier.
Every clone held crackling lightning, and the storm poured down like rain.
In the next heartbeat, the entire mental space was swallowed by thunder.
Isobu roared, but under the bombardment of endless lightning, it was pinned to the water-slick ground.
Rumble—
Shockwaves from the blasts and the clash of thunder made the entire mental space tremble.
~~~
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