"Little brat from the Leaf... your tricks are impressive, but this is the end of the line."
Ao stood, gripping his slightly curved ninja blade, eyes sweeping across the two Hyuga clan members nearby. With their Byakugan neutralized, their Gentle Fist techniques were nearly crippled—after all, most of those techniques relied on chakra pathway vision to reach full effectiveness.
Without further words, the leaves rustled—and when a single leaf floated to the ground…
Ao moved.
And so did Kiyohara.
Their blades clashed mid-air—the gust from their strike blowing the falling leaf off course.
Clang!
A sharp metallic screech echoed, sending sparks flying.
Ao's raw strength sent shockwaves through Kiyohara's wrist, but thanks to his precise coordination and trained deflection technique, he absorbed the impact and countered—blade sliding down to strike at Ao's wrist.
Ao narrowly dodged.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the thick fog, the two exchanged a flurry of lightning-fast swordplay, neither gaining clear advantage.
Kiyohara infused Lightning chakra into his blade, causing crackling arcs with every swing.
Ao, however, leveraged his experience and instinct, parrying with precise reactions and delivering sharp counters.
For now, it was a stalemate—but Kiyohara knew better.
'Prolonged fighting favors Ao.'
Not only did Ao possess more chakra and better stamina, he hadn't even unleashed his real Water Release jutsu.
And sure enough—during their next clash, just as they parted by inches—
Ao moved his left hand. One-handed hand seals!
"Water Style: Water Pellet Barrage!"
Bababababa!
Countless high-pressure water bullets erupted from Ao's flank like a sudden monsoon.
"Let me take over."
Future Kiyohara, brimming with vengeance, finally couldn't hold back.
"Alright."
Kiyohara relaxed partial control. His right arm—entrusted to his future self.
His left arm—still his own, maintaining awareness and coordination.
'This strike… carries twenty years of swordsmanship!'
Let's see if Ao—still young and reckless—could handle that!
To Ao's surprise, Kiyohara suddenly began swatting down the water bullets one by one with expert blade movements—each strike perfectly timed.
And then—
Clap... clap…
Kiyohara's left hand started forming one-handed seals—sloppy and awkward, but determined.
'How the hell is he doing this?'
Ao frowned. This kid hadn't shown any aptitude for one-handed jutsu before—now he was dual-wielding mind and body?
He was becoming dangerous.
'Can't let this drag on.'
Ao had three missions:
-Train the genius Terumi Mei.
-Steal a Byakugan.
-Eliminate enemy geniuses—before they bloom.
He wouldn't let another Minato Namikaze rise from nowhere.
"Die!"
Ao moved to end it. Formed another jutsu mid-motion—his chakra converged into a giant water spear.
But Kiyohara had finished his own seal. Despite his slow forming, he knew the technique by heart—passed down from the rogue Kiyohara.
He puffed up his chest.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Boom!
The wind didn't destroy the spear, but disrupted its path—sending it scattering into a violent downpour instead of a lethal strike.
A draw—one jutsu negated another.
The two were equally matched—for now.
All around them, other ninja gradually cleared the area, subconsciously acknowledging this was no longer an ordinary skirmish—it was a duel.
"What the hell? This brat fights like he's trained in swordsmanship since the womb!"
Ao gritted his teeth.
'He's just a Chūnin?!'
Kiyohara fought with such ease—such confidence—it felt like Ao was up against someone who had known him for years.
And he was.
Slash!
A fine line of blood ran down Ao's cheek—he'd been nicked. Cleanly.
"Focus."
He ordered backup to keep the others occupied while he concentrated on this fight.
Meanwhile—
'Now!'
Kakashi saw the opportunity: Ao was fully distracted.
Now was the time to find and eliminate the Red Eye wielder—the one suppressing the Byakugan!
He turned to Shiranui Genma and Yūhi Kurenai:
"Cover me. I'm going to locate the source of the jamming."
And then he vanished into the fog.
Elsewhere—deep underground beneath the Mountain Graveyard…
The enormous Gedo Statue loomed in silence.
Uchiha Madara sat in a massive wooden chair beneath its shadow, eyes closed—yet still seeing everything.
Through White Zetsu, he watched the battlefield unfold.
"Oh?"
He opened his eyes.
He had been observing the clash between Konoha and the Hidden Mist, planning his next steps.
But now… Kiyohara's duel with Ao caught his attention.
"This child… he's progressing quickly. Already trading blows with a Mist swordsman?"
He had kept tabs on everyone associated with Obito—especially Kiyohara, Kakashi, and Rin.
"He's not an Uchiha… pity."
Still, Kiyohara's brilliance was real.
And back in the cave…
Obito continued his recovery training—grunting, pushing, building strength.
Bandages peeled back to reveal his newly grown artificial arm—white, raw, and patchworked with Hashirama cells.
"So it's because of him…"
Madara whispered.
Because Kiyohara shone so brightly near Rin, Obito felt threatened, scared to lose her, driven to improve.
"Yes… as expected. An Uchiha's power comes from the heart."
Madara smirked, fingers tapping the armrest.
Everything was falling into place.
"It's time…"
He turned toward the darkness beyond the cave.
"Time to begin preparations for the Three-Tails Incident…"
The curtain was rising.
The pieces were in motion.
Let the true plan begin.