Mei Terumi clenched her delicate white hands, vowing in her heart that one day she would catch up to Kiyoshi and force him to look at her as an equal. She wanted him to experience exactly what "what is one thousand minus seven?" felt like.
Would that handsome face of his contort in the same terror she had felt? The mere thought of that contrast—of seeing Kiyoshi pinned beneath her feet in the future—sent a wave of heat coursing through her body.
"Heh... heh... heh..."
Mei Terumi couldn't help but let out a low, dark chuckle. With her emerald eyes and long, reddish-brown wavy hair, she looked more than a little unhinged in that moment.
"Another woman twisted by the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist," Fuguki Suikozan muttered, watching Mei talk with Juzo Biwa. He shook his head slowly.
Much like his subordinate, Kisame Hoshigaki, everyone was being stripped of their humanity under the village's dark policies. This talented junior had apparently followed the same path.
Kisame's distortion was cruelty and coldness, willing to cut down his own comrades for the sake of a mission. So, where did Mei Terumi's distortion lie? Fuguki didn't want the Mist's geniuses to turn into lunatics who couldn't distinguish friend from foe.
"Lord Juzo, do you think the Three-Tails knows what one thousand minus seven equals?" Mei suddenly asked a question that seemed utterly nonsensical to Juzo Biwa.
The Three-Tails wasn't human. Even if it possessed intelligence, that didn't mean it understood human arithmetic.
"That... I wouldn't know," Juzo replied, shaking his head. He was more concerned with stopping the Three-Tails' rampage and getting to a medical ninja. If his severed arm wasn't reattached soon, the tissue would die completely!
***
On the other side, Kiyoshi was preparing to locate Kakashi and send the last of them back. His chakra was heavily depleted, and he swallowed several soldier pills to compensate.
"Good work," Kiyoshi said, stroking the small head of the white snake.
The originally smooth head now sported two small fleshy nubs. After Kiyoshi had placed the snake on the battlefield to absorb the negative emotions of everyone present, the horns had grown slightly larger.
"Give me the refined Moryo power."
Kiyoshi extended the back of his hand, cutting a small slit. He suppressed his chakra flow, allowing his physical body to be at its most vulnerable.
"Sss..."
The white snake opened its crimson mouth, sinking its fangs into the cut. Blood mixed with a purplish-black liquid began to flow through Kiyoshi's veins.
"Not bad."
Kiyoshi nodded. Perhaps because human desires and stray thoughts were far more abundant than those of other creatures, the quality of this Moryo power was exceptionally high.
"Yo, the busy man is finally finished." Ameyuri Ringo walked over from the distance.
"Why stop peeping now?" Kiyoshi turned to look at her. He had known she was there from the moment she arrived. At that time, Rin was already pulling her clothes back into place.
"Hmph. If I recall correctly, that girl's name is Rin Nohara. Nohara..." Ameyuri emphasized the surname. It was a common, civilian name. What made it unusual was seeing an Uchiha and a Nohara "exchanging taijutsu and ninjutsu" out here.
"Are you jealous?"
"Who's jealous!" Ameyuri grumbled. She was well past the age of getting caught up in petty jealousy. This "evil" Kiyoshi Uchiha really loved projecting his own thoughts onto others.
"Is that so?" Kiyoshi gave her a half-smile. He carefully looked her up and down. With her red hair flowing down instead of in those strange twin tails she used to wear, Ameyuri Ringo actually gave off a bit of an Uzumaki vibe.
Of course, that was possible, but the probability was low; red hair existed outside the Uzumaki clan too. Like Gaara—one wouldn't say his name was actually Gaara Uzumaki.
"What are you looking at?" Ameyuri felt uncomfortable under his gaze and bared her shark-like teeth.
"Nothing. I just think you look more like a woman now than you used to," Kiyoshi said.
Currently, Ameyuri was dressed in standard Mist Anbu gear. She had discarded her grey flak jacket during the fight with the Three-Tails, leaving only the tactical suit. The suit acted like black skintight armor, outlining the curves of her figure.
Like a bud about to bloom, she carried a youthful charm. She was significantly older than Kiyoshi, yet her height was so petite that she truly looked like a... lolita. It was a temperament diametrically opposed to that of Mikoto or Kushina.
Kiyoshi didn't dislike it, though. Diversity was healthy.
"Hmph, don't think I'm like the others who can be fooled by your silver tongue." Ameyuri's expression flickered with surprise and awkwardness at his comment. She clenched her fists, asserting she was different, but her voice was much weaker than when they first met.
"A sickly body needs more than just regular medicine; it needs rehabilitation training," Kiyoshi said, slowly approaching her. Without it, muscles would atrophy, and one's posture would deteriorate. As a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, she constantly faced threats from those eyeing her position. A healthy, strong body was essential.
"Huh? What are you trying to do?" Ameyuri's eyes widened, remembering what had happened in the cave last time.
This evil Uchiha was truly too wicked. Did this guy have no restraint at all? Did moral order mean nothing to him?
"I am not just a ninja, but a physician. My heart is soft, and I cannot bear to see a patient suffer." Kiyoshi pinned Ameyuri against a tree trunk, grabbing her hands and holding them above her head.
If a locksmith opens a client's door in less than a minute, the client thinks it was too easy and that their money was wasted. Therefore, one must stall for time to demonstrate professional difficulty. Helping Kakashi had to appear as difficult as possible. That way, Rin Nohara would feel the maximum amount of gratitude.
"Come now, a patient should not refuse a doctor's proposal."
The evening breeze blew through the trees, sending leaves fluttering into the night.
***
Hidden Leaf Camp.
Rin Nohara checked the clock, waiting anxiously for Kiyoshi and Kakashi to return. Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu waited in silence nearby. All of them had been sent back by Kiyoshi.
"Is your father going to be okay?" Shiranui Genma asked Guy, unable to stand the heavy silence.
"Total muscle strain. Maintaining the [Eight Inner Gates Formation] for so long puts an extreme load on the muscles and organs. Fortunately, his life isn't in danger." Guy's thick eyebrows drooped as he shed "tears of youth."
Even now, if Guy opened the Fifth Gate, his whole body would be in agony. His father, Duy, had kept the Seventh Gate open to protect them. The Seventh Gate was only one step away from the Gate of Death. He couldn't imagine the pain his father had endured.
Silence fell over them again. Everyone was worried about Kiyoshi and Kakashi. Kiyoshi had already been through so many battles and consumed so much chakra; after using the [Flying Thunder God] so many times, it was hard to say how much stamina he had left.
Rin looked at the clock every few minutes, then stared back out into the distance. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, two figures appeared in the camp. Kiyoshi was supporting Kakashi. Kakashi was pale, and the white bandages on his legs were soaked with blood.
"Kiyoshi!"
"Kakashi!"
"It's so good that you're both okay!"
The group rushed forward. Without Kiyoshi, their return wouldn't have been so simple.
"We... we're back?" Kakashi was in a daze. He had been on the verge of fainting from the pain when Kiyoshi suddenly appeared before him and brought him home in the blink of an eye.
"That's right," Kiyoshi nodded, his Uchiha robes slightly disheveled.
"Rin, I'm so glad you're back safely." Kakashi breathed a massive sigh of relief seeing her unharmed. He had kept his promise to Obito.
"You all did a great job." Memura Hayama hurried over with men and patted Kiyoshi on the shoulder. He had heard the summary from Guy and felt a cold sweat.
To think such a terrifying event had occurred right under his nose. If the Three-Tails had truly been unleashed within the village's lines, the loss would have been incalculable.
"Take Kakashi down to rest," Hayama ordered the medical ninja. Of everyone present, Kakashi's injuries were the most severe. The blood-stained bandages looked gruesome, as if his legs were riddled with holes.
"Just lie down, Kakashi." A medical ninja took over from Kiyoshi, helping Kakashi onto a stretcher.
"Kakashi, go and rest." Rin wiped away tears, though whether they were for Kiyoshi's safe return or Kakashi's condition was unclear.
"Yeah," Kakashi nodded weakly. As his body received the feedback from the special chakra, he could feel the transplanted Sharingan draining even more of his strength. It was constantly siphoning his chakra. Usually, it wasn't a problem, but when his reserves were low, it became excruciating.
"Kiyoshi, thank you," Rin said, unable to meet his eyes.
"It was a promise between us, wasn't it?" Kiyoshi's eyes were full of deep meaning.
Rin had indeed "paid" a great deal. The matter with Obito could be put to rest for now. Next were the affairs back in the village—for instance, Mikoto's... ultimate "home," which shouldn't be delayed any longer.
Rin's earlobes turned a deep crimson.
"So Kiyoshi and Rin also have a promise to protect..." Kakashi felt deeply moved, his bond with the two of them growing even stronger. He felt lucky to have such comrades.
"Father, the path I've chosen is the right one." Kakashi's eyes filled with tears, wanting to tell Sakumo Hatake that comrades were more important than the mission. It was just a shame that back then, he had been too young to change anything.