"Then come on," Kiyohara said.
This time they were competing in sound-based genjutsu.
A few days ago, Kurenai had cashed in her accumulated war merits to exchange for a sound-type genjutsu scroll. Kiyohara had casually asked if he could take a look, and she handed it over without hesitation.
Basically, Kiyohara paid nothing and freeloaded a sound-based genjutsu.
If this kind of genjutsu were combined with Wind Release, the sound could be carried even farther.
"Besides, you learn fast—just treat it like previewing in advance," Kurenai had said back then, cheeks faintly red.
Kiyohara swept it once with his Sharingan and memorized the whole thing.
The genjutsu was called "Demonic Illusion: Wind-Whispered Confusing Tone". By vibrating the vocal cords and lacing the outgoing sound with Yin Release chakra, it released sound waves that interfered with the target's nervous system.
It didn't take effect through vision, so the Sharingan didn't directly enhance it—this was exactly why Kurenai was so confident.
"Ready?"
Kurenai took a deep breath and formed a simple hand sign.
"Ready."
Kiyohara mirrored her stance.
They opened their mouths almost simultaneously.
A strange sound flowed from Kurenai's throat—like a pleasant song. It wasn't shrill, but it felt as if it pierced the eardrums and struck directly at the brain.
Right after that, Kurenai used a Wind Release technique to accelerate the sound's spread.
Kiyohara also produced sound, but his tone was deeper.
The two waves met and collided in midair, creating a disorienting resonance that made the head spin.
From Rin and Kakashi's point of view, the two of them were simply standing there, making odd sounds.
But in the world of genjutsu, the fight had already begun.
In Kurenai's vision, Kiyohara suddenly stiffened.
His eyes went blank. His mouth still produced sound, but his movements became rigid and mechanical.
It worked!
Kurenai's heart leapt.
She carefully stopped her own voice; Kiyohara's sound waves weakened as well.
After confirming he'd fallen into the illusion, Kurenai stepped forward, walking toward him one step at a time.
In the sunlight, Kiyohara's face looked unusually clear.
When Kurenai reached him, she realized she had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his gaze—without noticing, Kiyohara had grown more than half a head taller than her.
She raised her right hand and gently pinched Kiyohara's nose between her thumb and index finger.
"Let's see you act smug now," she muttered under her breath, her lips curving upward.
But in the next instant, Kiyohara's voice sounded right beside her ear—so close it felt like a whisper.
"When did you start hallucinating that I wasn't using genjutsu?"
Kurenai's whole body went stiff.
She realized her fingers pinching his nose had no sensation at all.
No—more precisely, she couldn't move her own hand.
She looked down. Her body was frozen in place, while Kiyohara stood in front of her, lightly pinching her nose with his fingers.
"H-How is that possible…?"
Kurenai's eyes widened.
Kiyohara released her and smiled.
"Genjutsu can also be seen as Yin Release ninjutsu. In the end, it's all just application of Yin chakra. My understanding of Yin chakra is clearly a bit higher than yours."
As he spoke, the binding illusion around Kurenai gradually loosened.
She flexed her fingers and found she could move again.
"Y-You only learned this three days ago!"
Kurenai was both embarrassed and angry, cheeks flushing red.
She'd thought she could finally win—at least make Kiyohara eat a little humiliation—only to get toyed with instead.
"Can't help it. I'm a genius," Kiyohara spread his hands.
"Hmph!"
Kurenai looked away—then quickly turned back, asking seriously,
"What did I do wrong?"
Seeing how earnestly she wanted feedback, Kiyohara dropped the teasing and said firmly:
"Your chakra control is very precise, and your sound-wave strength is enough. But you were too eager to win. Genjutsu isn't about who's louder—it's about who can invade the opponent's perception more covertly. You should lay cover first, then hide the real attack in the second or third wave."
Kurenai listened carefully, nodding as she thought it through.
Off to the side, Rin spoke softly to Kakashi:
"Kurenai's improving really fast. If I tried to match her in genjutsu, I probably wouldn't last ten seconds."
Kakashi gave a low "Mm," his visible eye fixed on Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara learns everything at a ridiculous pace, but…"
He paused.
"If Kurenai didn't always compare herself to Kiyohara, she'd already be far ahead of everyone her age."
That was true.
The genjutsu Kurenai was using would already be considered top-tier among most ninja.
Her problem wasn't that she was weak—her problem was that she kept comparing herself to a monster like Kiyohara.
Kurenai only had one life and one body—she could only put in one person's worth of effort.
Kiyohara could stack the efforts of multiple "future selves."
Training continued for another hour.
Under Kiyohara's guidance, Kurenai adjusted her casting rhythm and the results improved dramatically.
Rin joined in, using Water Release for combination drills.
Kakashi focused on fine control of Lightning Release. Kiyohara suggested he keep extending Chidori's shape transformations to develop more flexible variants.
After several more hours, they finally ended training and headed back toward camp.
On the way, Kiyohara deliberately slowed his pace and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Kakashi.
"How'd it go with Might Guy?" Kiyohara asked.
Kakashi looked like he'd 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 his green jumpsuit—at least for missions that don't require stealth."
Kakashi's tone held a trace of helplessness.
"Second, he wants at least one day every week where he can have a 'youthful showdown' with me."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Fine. Agree to both. I'll file the Anbu uniform request—he'll get it in a few days. As for the showdown… you handle it yourself."
Kakashi sighed, as if already seeing his future being haunted by a green whirlwind.
They reached a fork in the path. Kiyohara was about to head back to his own tent when a sharp, urgent whistle cut through the air in the distance—
A border alarm.
Almost at the same time, a figure flickered in front of them in a Body Flicker—one of tonight's sentries.
"Captain Kiyohara! Kakashi!"
The Anbu ninja's voice was urgent.
"Three kilometers west of camp, a Sand team attacked a patrol squad. We need immediate support!"
Kiyohara's gaze sharpened.
"Numbers?"
"Enemy is about fifteen. Our patrol squad was six. They sent a distress signal, but it cut off thirty seconds ago."
A cut-off signal meant the situation was critical—or already…
"Kurenai, Rin, Kakashi—come with me."
Kiyohara issued orders instantly.
"Yes!"
All three answered together.
Kiyohara shot off first. Kurenai and Rin followed close behind.
They tore through the woods at high speed.
Two minutes later, they arrived.
The scene made Kurenai suck in a breath.
Six Konoha ninja lay in pools of blood—four already dead, two barely clinging to life.
More than ten Sand ninja were quickly stripping the bodies of their gear pouches and intelligence scrolls, moving with practiced efficiency.
"Three jōnin, eight chūnin, four genin."
Kiyohara identified the enemy distribution immediately.
"Kurenai—use genjutsu to disrupt the front line. Rin—prep medical ninjutsu; move in to save them on my signal. I'll take point."
"Understood."
Kurenai took a steadying breath and formed seals.
This time she didn't rush. Following the rhythm Kiyohara had just taught her, she released a smooth, controlled first wave of sound.
The "Wind-Whispered Confusing Tone" song echoed through the trees.
The front Sand ninja clearly stuttered in their movements.
Sound-based genjutsu had the advantage of wide range and being hard to defend against—even if someone covered their ears, the vibrations could still travel through bone.
Four Sand chūnin immediately fell into confusion, staring blankly in place.
Kiyohara seized the opening and refined Magnet Release chakra.
The gourd at his waist trembled.
Black sand-iron surged out, rapidly condensing midair into spindle-shaped bullets.
"Magnet Release: Electromagnetic Bullets."
He raised his right hand, palm up.
The bullets hovered half a meter above his palm and began spinning at high speed.
Blue arcs crackled and coiled around each bullet with a sizzling hiss.
Six bullets became six blue-black streaks and tore through the air.
Shhk—shhk—shhk…!
The four Sand chūnin caught in genjutsu didn't even have time to react before their chests were punched through.
Even after piercing them, the sand-iron bullets kept going—embedding deep into tree trunks behind them and blasting bowl-sized holes.
The remaining two bullets went for two Sand jōnin.
One reacted fast and threw up Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.
A slab of earth rose.
But the bullets bored straight through the half-meter wall. Even though they slowed, one still punched a bloody hole through the jōnin's shoulder.
"Argh!"
He screamed and stumbled back, clutching the wound.
The other tried Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to blow the bullet off course—but it didn't deviate. It punched clean through his head.
"Konoha reinforcements—retreat!" the lead Sand jōnin shouted.
But it was already too late.
Rin seized the moment, formed seals, and—
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A high-pressure stream burst from her mouth, smashing two Sand chūnin—just shaking free of genjutsu—flat to the ground.
At the same time, Kakashi appeared on the flank.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Transmission!"
He created a shadow clone; both bodies flared with blinding lightning.
The screech of Chidori rang out.
They dashed left and right at the remaining Sand, lightning stretched between them into a chained arc.
The chain scythed through—three Sand chūnin were cut in half at the waist, blood and organs spilling onto the ground.
The lead Sand jōnin finally got a clear look at Kiyohara's face.
In moonlight, the crimson Sharingan was unmistakable.
"It's Kiyohara!"
His face went pale.
"The bastard who captured Pakura!"
Name and reputation mattered.
Kiyohara's feat of taking Pakura alive had already spread through Suna.
Seeing him in person felt even more oppressive than the rumors.
"Retreat—now!"
The leader lost all will to fight and hurled a line of smoke bombs.
Thick smoke bloomed. The Sand ninja withdrew fast and vanished into the forest.
Kiyohara didn't pursue.
He went to the two dying Konoha ninja; Rin was already doing emergency treatment.
"How is it?"
"One's too far gone—I can only stabilize him for now."
Sweat beaded on Rin's forehead.
"The other can make it, but we have to get him back to camp immediately."
Kiyohara nodded and looked at Kakashi.
"Once Rin stabilizes them, Kakashi, you escort them back."
"Okay." Kakashi nodded.
"Kurenai, you're with me. We'll clean up and collect intel."
Kurenai rolled up her sleeves and started copying Kiyohara's habit—looting and gathering.
As he searched, Kiyohara's thoughts turned to Suna's movements.
He hadn't expected to end up getting the same "treatment" as Minato: enemies seeing his name and immediately choosing to retreat.
At this point, his reputation probably matched canon "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
One step further and he might become a true "Yellow Flash" in his own right.
This raid was likely a probe for intel.
And the moment they recognized him, they pulled out—clearly they knew his strength.
They were also preserving manpower, avoiding pointless losses.
He remembered Suna's canon late-war strategy:
Constant small-scale raids to bleed Konoha down, while searching for a single lethal opening.
Now that Pakura had been captured, Suna leadership would be desperate to recover morale, meaning…
"There'll be a big wave," Kiyohara concluded.
He bent down and found a scroll on a dead Sand jōnin.
After fighting Suna for so long, Kiyohara had learned some of their code.
He decoded it: a simple defense map, recorded in cipher—detailing the routes and timing of three Konoha patrol teams around the camp.
…
That night, Konoha camp held an emergency meeting. The main command tent was brightly lit.
"Based on the intel Kiyohara brought back, Suna started scouting our patrol patterns at least a week ago."
Nara Enchū pointed to the map spread across the table.
"This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment raid. It was a planned test."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin.
"What's their real target? If they wanted chaos, they'd hit the supply line."
"The target may not be only one," Orochimaru's hoarse voice slid in, golden slit eyes sweeping the group.
He paused, gaze stopping on Kiyohara.
"…They're testing patrol response speed, evaluating our reinforcement efficiency, and… confirming the movements and strength of certain key individuals."
The tent fell quiet for a moment.
Enchū spoke again.
"Kiyohara captured Pakura. He's now a priority target for Suna."
Kiyohara nodded.
"I agree. Next, Suna may make a larger move."
The meeting dragged on until near dawn.
Conclusion: increase patrol density and tighten rotation.
As the meeting dispersed, Orochimaru stopped Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara-kun."
Orochimaru wore his signature smile, golden slit pupils fixed on him.
"Orochimaru-sama."
Kiyohara answered.
"No need to be formal."
Orochimaru stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"I've heard you possess a… fascinating ability."
"You mean…?"
"That seal that boosts physical ability."
Orochimaru's tongue slid over his lips.
"I've been researching similar things. Human bodies are too fragile—they need… reinforcement."
Kiyohara understood immediately—news had likely leaked from the Land of Grass incident.
He'd used Curse Mark Stage One against Oyashiro En.
He'd killed only some of the ninja there; some civilians had escaped.
But since Orochimaru didn't ask about the Ketsuryūgan, he probably still didn't know those eyes were now in Kiyohara's hands.
Kiyohara nodded, not denying it.
"Yes. I do have a Curse Mark."
"Kiyohara-kun… can you utilize natural energy?" Orochimaru asked.
Since Kiyohara was Tsunade's student, Orochimaru guessed he'd already been to Shikkotsu Forest—one of the Three Great Sage Regions, rich in natural energy.
If Kiyohara had developed a "Curse Mark" from that, it wasn't impossible.
Orochimaru himself had begun pursuing "Sage Transformation seals" only after visiting Ryūchi Cave.
"I'm not sure," Kiyohara shook his head. "My chakra seems able to absorb a certain amount of natural energy."
His seal was inherited from another future self—already a finished product.
Kiyohara suspected his cells and chakra had already changed.
He wasn't like Orochimaru, who injected it into others—forcing them to suppress it. Once their chakra dipped too low, the seal could spiral out of control.
Kiyohara's seal was integrated—part of him.
"I see…"
Orochimaru licked his lips again.
He found it deeply strange.
He'd researched for so long, yet Kiyohara had quietly stepped into territory Orochimaru still hadn't fully reached.
That "scientific talent" made Orochimaru feel an even sharper sense of regret.
On one hand, Orochimaru loved Kiyohara's brilliance.
On the other hand, he loved Kiyohara's body—a nearly perfect vessel.
Those two desires left Orochimaru in rare conflict.
After all, you couldn't have both the fish and the bear's paw.
"Yes," Kiyohara added, still keeping things vague, "but it's not much. I only get some seal markings showing up."
He hid the existence of Stage Two.
Even Stage One already put him far ahead of Orochimaru.
He was holding Orochimaru's "ten years later" research result in his hands.
Even so, Orochimaru's eyes brightened.
"That's already excellent," he said, staring at Kiyohara like a priceless specimen.
"Kiyohara-kun—care to spar? I want to see your results with my own eyes."
"Fine."
Kiyohara agreed.
Aside from inheriting the Earth Curse Mark passively, he'd also inherited the related knowledge.
Even if Orochimaru questioned him, Kiyohara could answer smoothly.
They went to an open patch outside camp—far from the main tents, where noise wouldn't cause panic.
Orochimaru raised his right hand slowly.
"Then… let's begin."
His arm twisted and stretched. From his sleeve erupted dozens of thick snakes.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
Each snake was as thick as a bowl, eyes cold, fangs dripping venom.
They lunged from multiple directions—some biting, some trying to coil and restrain, others spewing poisonous mist.
This was an enhanced version of Hidden Shadow Snake Limbs: more snakes, more coordinated attacks.
Kiyohara began drawing on the dormant power inside him.
~~~
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