After being provoked, Pakura's Byakugan awakened—but when she didn't use the power, her eyes remained blue.
This was completely different from other Hyuga clan members, whose Byakugan was active constantly.
Pakura gasped in deep, heavy breaths, realizing just how precious even free air could feel.
"You… what are you doing?"
Her voice trembled with a hint of fear.
Kiyoshi had leaned close to her neck, taking a handful of her hair and inhaling.
Instinctively, she began to mold chakra, attempting to push him away.
Crackle!
Electric arcs sparked across Kiyoshi's fingers, running along her neck and spreading throughout her body.
"Ugh!"
Pakura groaned. The chakra she had just gathered was immediately disrupted, scattering across her meridians.
Paralyzed by the current, her body went limp, toes curling instinctively.
"Why did you ignore my warning?"
Kiyoshi asked. His eyes pulsed with a steady heat.
He had no intention of mercy.
During their fight, Pakura had lunged directly for his eyes. One slip, and she would lose her vision—or her life.
To show mercy to an enemy would be cruelty to oneself.
"You… you'll kill me then, I won't reveal any Sunagakure secrets,"
Pakura said firmly through clenched teeth, despite the throbbing pain in her abdomen and the electric numbness.
She was a ninja of Sunagakure; she would never yield to Kiyoshi.
"Do you think you can retain secrets under the Sharingan's genjutsu?"
Kiyoshi said calmly.
"You… what do you want?"
Pakura fell silent.
Indeed. She was paralyzed, unable to use any ninjutsu, not even to end her own life.
The Uchiha Sharingan could compel her to speak, while the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques could reveal everything about her.
Bloodline limits were objective facts—they did not bend to willpower.
At that point, her defiance meant nothing.
"Hmm… let's test how Scorch Release affects the human body. I wonder if every part is heat-resistant."
Looking down at Pakura, her once proud gaze now lowered in regret, Kiyoshi's Sharingan eyes rippled with a strange fascination.
Crackle!
Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting shadows across his face, giving his smile a slightly sinister edge.
...
Drip.
A dewdrop fell from the leaves, splashing on the damp soil below.
Kiyoshi flicked his hand, wiping off the water, and walked away without looking back.
"You've unlocked a new trait: [Ruthless Fire Extinguisher (White)]."
A translucent panel appeared before him.
[Trait: Ruthless Fire Extinguisher (White)]
[Requirement: Extinguish Pakura's arrogance.]
[Progress: Completed.]
[Effect: Increases the power of your fire-natured chakra by 10%.]
[Note: Can continue to evolve.]
[Evolution Path 1: Merge with "Battlefield Rose (White)" and "Ruthless Iron Hand (White)" to evolve into "Burning Heart (Green)"]
Kiyoshi could feel a brief scorching sensation across his meridians. The mechanical female voice of the trait panel softly announced the evolution path, but he didn't explore it further.
He closed it, then called out to Pakura:
"There's no one else nearby, but I suggest you get up quickly."
With that, he stopped lingering, leaping onto thick tree trunks and using the branches to move swiftly toward Kurenai.
Slow and steady progress maintained a stable flow of ocular power and allowed his trait panel to refresh.
Scorch Release users were extremely rare in the ninja world.
Kiyoshi couldn't simply let Pakura die. Humiliating her was just step one; he intended to deepen the engagement gradually.
This was a subtle "PUA" tactic.
While moving at high speed, he could see a new tomoe forming in his left eye—it was the two-tomoe Sharingan!
The black tomoe spun slowly, reflecting the forest leaves, soil, and insects, as if his crimson gaze could encompass everything.
He could feel a heat spreading from his left eye through his body, flowing steadily.
Each Sharingan evolution represented a qualitative leap.
The two-tomoe Sharingan outperformed the single-tomoe in all aspects—dynamic vision, perception, and genjutsu.
"I've grown stronger again."
Kiyoshi wasted no chakra, accelerating his pace. His chakra limit continued to expand.
His mind was clearer than ever. He could sense subtle changes in his meridian system.
He had a hunch: if he used Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique again, the fireball might increase in size by roughly 10%.
With continued trait development, one day, a single fireball might surpass even the Heavenly Tremor Star!
"But… my situation is somewhat different."
His right eye had not evolved; it remained a single-tomoe Sharingan.
Yet the ocular power in his left eye clearly reflected the full capacity of a two-tomoe Sharingan.
It was instinctive—like an Uchiha awakening the Mangekyo and immediately knowing the technique name.
"Does this mean my ocular power could be double that of other Uchiha—or even more?"
Kiyoshi thought.
His condition was similar to Uchiha Madara or Sasuke, reincarnations of Indra.
Innately stronger than ordinary Uchiha; he was not meant to be weak.
Even top-tier Uchiha like Inaho, despite a three-tomoe Sharingan, were defeated by the young Itachi—one versus three.
This was a fundamental, innate difference.
Even if Kiyoshi slacked off, his natural talent would continue to feed him—success would follow.
Many factors contributed to his uniqueness: perhaps the dual lives he had lived, his exceptional soul, the vitality of the Yotsuki clan, or changes from the trait panel.
Most likely, all these factors combined to make Kiyoshi unparalleled.
After all, Madara and Sasuke had extra chakra from Indra, but once it was gone, could they maintain such growth?
After Hashirama's death, Madara merely activated his Rinnegan and stagnated.
Sasuke, after the Fourth Ninja War and reconciling with Naruto, often appeared fatigued in Boruto, even using basic Uchiha wrestling moves.
(End of Chapter)