After giving his final assessment, Shinku stopped looking at the two teenagers, turned his back, and walked silently back into the house.
Kurenai let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. She patted her chest, then looked at Kiyohara with ruby eyes full of joy. "Kiyohara! I didn't expect you to be so terrifyingly powerful!"
Kurenai used to think that Kiyohara's swordsmanship was very strong for their age group, but she never, in her wildest dreams, imagined that his foundational Kenjutsu could fight her veteran father to a standstill.
"It was alright," Kiyohara nodded slightly, his breathing returning to normal.
This was merely a spar. Shinku specialized in the seamless fusion of Kenjutsu and Genjutsu; in a real, lethal battle, the veteran would certainly use them interchangeably. He might even use his blade's reflection as an optical medium for a visual illusion, similar to the Konoha-Style: Willow technique created by Kosuke Maruboshi.
Similarly, Kiyohara hadn't used his magnetic field to accelerate his strikes, nor had he activated Steel Release; both men had held back their true killing power.
"Father is usually an incredibly strict, serious person," Kurenai said to Kiyohara earnestly. "Since he didn't criticize you or yell at me... his silence means he recognized your strength."
"Is that so?" Kiyohara nodded slightly.
Looking at Kurenai's blushing face, he suddenly felt as if he had just survived meeting a strict future father-in-law. In a few more years, Kurenai would perfectly match the mature, lethal kunoichi image from his memories of the original timeline.
Thinking of this, Kiyohara felt a rare bit of anticipation.
Of course, before he could entertain any slice-of-life thoughts, he had to find a way to resolve the impending catastrophe involving Rin Nohara.
If Madara's psychological torture plan failed and Obito didn't successfully descend into darkness, Kiyohara estimated that the ghost of the Uchiha would simply switch targets. Madara might target Kakashi, or even Obito's elderly grandmother, before finally turning to torture anyone tangentially familiar with the boy.
Kiyohara absolutely did not want to become collateral damage in Madara's scheme to break a teenager's sanity.
After politely excusing himself from the Yuhi compound, Kiyohara headed directly to visit Orochimaru's central laboratory.
Orochimaru had specifically ordered him to report in and familiarize himself with the working environment before their next deployment.
Upon unlocking the secure subterranean facility, Kiyohara was greeted by a massive array of advanced experimental equipment.
All sorts of high-end precision instruments, massive glass culture tanks, and classified scroll racks occupied the vast majority of the cavernous space.
He finally understood a core piece of canon lore: why Orochimaru, despite his absolute intellectual contempt for a political thug like Danzo Shimura, would hold his nose and work for Root.
Orochimaru desperately needed Danzo's black-budget financial support.
Relying solely on official S-Rank mission payouts, it would likely be impossible to even maintain the daily electrical and chemical consumption of this massive laboratory. There was no deep, ideological reason. It was all simply about cold, hard cash.
Even for an elite Sannin as powerful as Orochimaru, his personal wealth couldn't withstand the astronomical drain of unrestricted genetic research. Some single sets of centrifuges and chakra-analyzers could cost several million—or even tens of millions—of Ryo.
No matter which universe one inhabited, cutting-edge scientific research was always the most obscenely expensive endeavor.
"Heh heh... Kiyohara-kun. For now, you just need to get used to the sensory input of these things," Orochimaru hissed smoothly, pointing at the bubbling culture tanks.
"Also, I have some administrative news for you. Your original squad leader died in action months ago. Therefore, I formally applied to Sarutobi-sensei to permanently serve as your team's instructor Jonin. The transfer notice should be officially processed by tomorrow," Orochimaru said calmly.
Orochimaru became our squad leader?!
Kiyohara was genuinely surprised; he really hadn't expected this bureaucratic development.
After all, ever since their original squad leader was killed in action shortly after the Kannabi Bridge incident, Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Genma had been temporarily led by Minato Namikaze. Usually, they simply carried out joint deployments alongside Kakashi and Rin's squad.
"Then... Orochimaru-sama, where will our next deployment be?" Kiyohara asked.
"Where does Kiyohara-kun want to go?" Orochimaru asked back, his golden eyes gleaming.
"I heard the intelligence chatter that Iwagakure has been incredibly active on the borders of the Land of Grass recently. If we push a bit harder on that front, perhaps we can break their supply lines and win the war against them entirely," Kiyohara suggested pragmatically.
"Heh heh... for that, we can only wait for the official deployment orders assigned by Sarutobi-sensei," Orochimaru licked his lips.
During peacetime, high-ranking ninja had the political right to choose to accept or refuse specific missions from the dispatch board. But during an active World War, almost all tactical deployments were mandatory drafts.
"I understand, Orochimaru-sama," Kiyohara nodded.
"Very good. Before our next deployment, you must first familiarize yourself with the clinical environment here," Orochimaru pointed a pale finger at the instruments. "Operating the basic chakra analyzers, executing sterile sample processing procedures according to strict biological protocols, and learning how to interpret raw genetic data charts... these will be incredibly helpful for our future work, and your personal, evolutionary growth."
Over the next few hours, under Orochimaru's intense, meticulous guidance, Kiyohara began to learn the foundations of biochemical research.
Land of Water. Hidden Mist Village. Secret Council Chamber.
In the dim, damp room, only a few sputtering oil lamps provided a faint source of illumination.
Around the massive stone table in the center of the chamber sat the most politically powerful figures of the entire Hidden Mist Village.
In the center seat was an old man with thinning white hair and a long beard. His face was withered with extreme age, but his eyes were still terrifyingly sharp: Elder Genji.
At this moment, Genji's bony fingers slowly tapped the stone tabletop, the hollow sound exceptionally clear in the silent room.
"The Six-Tails Jinchuriki has completely lost control and slaughtered our own beachhead," the Patriarch of the Hozuki Clan spoke up, his voice grim. "As I predicted, it was entirely too early to deploy an unstable Tailed Beast onto a foreign battlefield."
"Hmph! If we don't deploy absolute power now, we will never be able to break Konoha's coastal defenses! The current occupation of the Land of Whirlpools and the eastern coastline are our greatest strategic results in a decade!" one of the militant Jonin commanders slammed his fist on the table.
"Terumī Kajusuke, have you bothered to calculate just how absurdly overextended our supply lines currently are?" Biwa Juzo gave a cold, mocking laugh from the shadows. "The territories we've occupied on the mainland can't provide any logistical support at all; the Whirlpool Ruins are barren, toxic wastelands."
The Land of Water is situated entirely away from the elemental continent, across a vast, treacherous ocean. This geography is both its greatest blessing and its greatest curse.
The blessing is that the apocalyptic flames of the mainland Ninja World Wars have never actually reached the Hidden Mist's home islands. The curse is that this isolation leads to the Hidden Mist having incredibly weak, fragile logistical control over any mainland invasions.
"Biwa has a point," another Elder agreed. "Konoha simply hasn't been able to free up their main forces to go to war with us with full, unadulterated force yet. And our naval conflict with Sunagakure is also escalating."
"Furthermore, when we clashed with Konoha's vanguard on the front lines this month, our intelligence division discovered quite a few terrifying prodigies among their ranks," the Hozuki Patriarch noted darkly. "Shisui of the Uchiha Clan. Kakashi, the son of the White Fang. And this time, they even deployed a teenage demon named Kiyohara who possesses a Magnet Release mutation and supersonic speed. There are simply too many geniuses... that is the horrifying foundation of Konoha."
The dim room was filled with panicked, argumentative discussions.
Elder Genji, however, had absolutely no heart to listen to their petty tactical debates. His paranoid focus was entirely consumed by the strange, terrifying behavior of the Third Mizukage.
Genji raised his withered hand, instantly silencing the room. A trace of profound impatience appeared on his aged face. "Enough. They are just some genius brats from Konoha. They might be a massive strategic concern in a decade, but they are not worth mentioning right now."
Below him sat Yagura Karatachi and several other outstanding members of the younger, radical generation, as well as the senior clan representatives. To Genji, these were the people positioned as his loyalist faction.
The political system of the Hidden Mist is fundamentally different from Konoha's dictatorial Hokage system. The Mizukage position is usually only held by the absolute strongest, most lethal ninja in the village.
However, major geopolitical affairs require consultation with the Council of Elders. And Genji was the oldest, most politically entrenched elder, holding a prestigious position with veto power almost equal to the Mizukage.
"Genji-sama. What exactly do you mean?" an elite Jonin from the Hozuki Clan asked in a deep, respectful voice.
"The Third Mizukage... is getting older, and his behavior is becoming entirely erratic," Genji spoke slowly, his voice raspy and paranoid. "Over the past six months, he has often been found staring blankly at nothing. His handling of internal village affairs has become increasingly sluggish and contradictory. And most importantly... he has yet to clearly designate his intention for selecting the Fourth Mizukage."
Genji paused, letting the silence hang. "All physiological signs indicate..." A sharp, terrified light flashed in Genji's eyes. "...That man's control is weakening. Perhaps it's because a catastrophic biological problem has arisen with his original body. Such as... his unnaturally long life is finally coming to an end."
The more Genji obsessively thought about this theory, the more mathematically likely it seemed. His aged body couldn't help but begin to tremble all over.
'Finally... he is finally going to die! That monster!' Genji thought wildly, the horrifying figure of a man flashing through his mind.
That man's spinning crimson eyes. His god-like power to single-handedly control the Nine-Tails like a pet. His apocalyptic methods of summoning a massive, blue, ethereal giant that cleaved mountains in half. It was all still terrifyingly vivid in Genji's ancient memory.
That man was a living, breathing shadow that had somehow survived from the bloody Sengoku period. The entire world rumored that the man had died decades ago in his legendary battle against Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End.
But Genji knew the horrifying truth. Genji had another answer.
That man was still alive, operating from the absolute dark side of the Ninja World! His invisible eyes were spread throughout the entire geopolitical landscape!
"That man?" Mangetsu Hozuki asked, somewhat confused, his young face carrying a look of incomprehension.
The younger generation only knew there were highly placed spies operating in the Village, and that Elder Genji was deeply terrified of a certain "ghost." He didn't even dare to speak that man's name aloud, only referring to him with vague, paranoid pronouns.
"That's right. That man," Genji murmured, his voice trembling.
His sharp gaze swept over everyone at the table, carrying a long-suppressed, desperate excitement.
"Mangetsu Hozuki. I want your clan's ANBU to continue secretly monitoring every single move the Third Mizukage makes, especially any covert contact he has with the outside world. Note: it must be flawlessly discreet! If he realizes we are watching..."
Mangetsu nodded seriously and accepted the suicide mission. He was the youngest, most lethal prodigy in the room. He was the genius with the highest odds of being elected to the next generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, destined to surpass his predecessors.
Genji continued his briefing. "According to our scattered counter-intelligence, the Third Mizukage seems to have secretly deployed a black-ops team carrying the Three-Tails Jinchuriki toward the mainland, intending to execute some kind of apocalyptic sabotage plan deep within Konoha."
"The tactical details are entirely unknown to us. But... as long as that man is finally about to die of old age, then no matter what this insane sabotage plan is, its ultimate geopolitical importance will be greatly diminished!"
"Our Hidden Mist's true, only opportunity for survival lies in finally escaping that man's psychological shadow and regaining our true autonomy!"
Genji's voice carried an uncontrollable tremble, born of wild joy and desperate anticipation for the Village's potential escape from a fifty-year nightmare.
"Monitor the Mizukage closely and wait patiently. When that man's ocular power finally, completely dissipates... it will be the day our Hidden Mist sets things right and sees the light of day again!"
The next day. Konoha.
Orochimaru reconvened Kiyohara's newly formed squad and presented three classified mission scrolls to choose from.
Kiyohara guessed that this level of choice must be a direct privilege of having a Sannin as an instructor. If they were led by an ordinary Jonin, command would simply dictate their deployment without input.
"I still hold an incredibly vital logistical post regarding the coastal defense, so as your temporary leader, I can only accompany you on one specific mission to evaluate your teamwork," Orochimaru hissed smoothly, placing the three scrolls on the table.
Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Genma stood at attention before him.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kiyohara nodded.
Orochimaru was just as politically and militarily busy as Minato Namikaze. Most of the time, he had to be responsible for supporting an entire front or commanding a laboratory, with hardly a few days of leisure.
"Kiyohara! Which one do you want to choose?!" Kurenai asked excitedly, leaning over the table.
To be brutally honest, upon learning that Lord Orochimaru himself would be their instructor Jonin, she was completely overwhelmed by the political favor. She and Genma both vaguely guessed it was entirely because of Kiyohara's horrifying performance on the flank.
"Let's evaluate the parameters first," Kiyohara calmly unrolled the scrolls.
The geographical locations of these three missions were all situated deep within the war-torn Land of Rain.
Mission One: A border guard deployment. Required to secure a specific logistical node on the border of the Land of Rain for one week.
Mission Rank: C-Rank (with a high statistical probability of upgrading to B-Rank combat).
Mission Two: A heavy escort detail. Escort a highly valuable Konoha supply caravan deep into the borders of the Land of Rain. High probability of encountering Iwagakure ambush squads.
Mission Rank: B-Rank.
Mission Three: A diplomatic intelligence exchange. Rendezvous and exchange classified intelligence with an official envoy from the Hidden Rain Village. (This was essentially a thinly veiled, high-tension mutual probing and military intimidation tactic).
Mission Rank: B-Rank.
"Orochimaru-sama, isn't the difficulty classification of these missions a bit too high for a standard Chunin squad?" Kiyohara asked, noting they were all B-Rank combat deployments in a hostile, third-party country.
"Heh heh heh... Kiyohara-kun," Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Don't you know that your paperwork is already being processed? You are about to become a Jonin."
"Kiyohara is going to be a Jonin?!" Genma dropped his jaw, stunned on the spot.
Wait! While the rest of us are struggling to pay rent on a standard apartment, Kiyohara is bypassing the housing market and moving straight into a mansion?!
"Damn, Kiyohara. You're quite the monster, aren't you?" Genma took the senbon needle from the corner of his mouth, shaking his head in absolute awe.
"But... hasn't it only been a few months since Kiyohara officially became a Chunin?" Kurenai's beautiful face was also filled with profound surprise.
Kiyohara's political promotion speed was simply breaking all historical precedents.
The normal, grueling ninja promotion process is: Academy Student → Genin → Chunin → Special Jonin → Jonin.
And each of these massive steps is inseparable from an undeniable, documented combat record. Only after completing a massive quota of successful, high-rank missions can the Village administration conduct a brutal selection, physical assessment, and final appointment. A Jonin is the absolute, undisputed pinnacle of standard ninja titles. Going any higher politically would mean becoming the Hokage, or entering the ANBU as a Branch Commander.
"An absolute, undeniable genius like Kiyohara-kun can naturally bypass the bureaucracy as a wartime exception," Orochimaru smiled faintly.
Only the Chunin rank possesses a formalized, standardized exam stage. Once a shinobi reaches the required combat metrics for Special Jonin and Jonin, it can only be achieved through direct political selection. As for exactly how to select and what the classified standards are, the Village High Command has their own specific, ruthless considerations.
"Orochimaru-sama, how long will it take for my official notification document and flak jacket to arrive?" Kiyohara asked pragmatically.
He had already prepared himself mentally for the promotion. If single-handedly slaughtering an elite flanking force and vaporizing an enemy commander wasn't enough tactical merit for a promotion, Kiyohara genuinely didn't know what impossible metric was required.
"It should probably take about a week," Orochimaru calculated. "These things need to be rigorously entered into the central intelligence archives; it's quite a political hassle, and the bureaucracy is particularly tedious."
"I understand," Kiyohara nodded slightly.
If it took a week, they probably wouldn't make it in time before deployment. They wouldn't stay in the Village for a week to wait for it; they would have to finish this deployment in the Rain and come back to collect the official document later. That document would contain his classified qualification certificate, indicating that he was a legal, compliant Jonin possessing all the rightful command authorities of the rank.
"Let's look at the missions first," Kiyohara refocused on the scrolls. He took out a topographical map and began to trace the projected routes with his finger.
"The intelligence exchange mission is relatively simple but politically tense, and might drag on for a long time. The guard mission is the same. Whereas the merchant escort mission..."
Kiyohara paused here, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the canon lore.
In the original story, during Konan's memories of the past, it was brutally evident that the Land of Rain suffered from catastrophic internal strife and constant external invasions. Not only was it a warzone for the Great Nations, but it was also infested with violent, radicalized mercenary factions and "Rain Traitors."
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Give me powerstones.
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