"Sasuke, are we really just going to ignore Kiyosuke-san?"
Naruto, running after Sasuke through the underground base, couldn't help but ask.
"Worried about him? Don't be ridiculous. The only thing we need to do now is get out of Orochimaru's hideout. Aside from that, nothing else matters."
Sasuke moved swiftly through the base's winding passages. He knew the place inside and out—every trap, every corner. To him, it was no different from running through his own home.
Leading everyone outside, Kakashi said,
"We can leave now. The rest… we'll leave to Kiyosuke."
The matter between him and Orochimaru was something only they could resolve. No one else could interfere.
A clash between teacher and student should be left to the teacher and student themselves.
...
Meanwhile, inside the underground training chamber—
Kiyosuke and Orochimaru slowly began circling each other, steps synchronized, revolving around an invisible center point.
"Kiyosuke, how long has it been since you became my disciple?" Orochimaru asked with a thin smile.
"More than twenty years… I've lost count of the exact number. Do you still remember?"
"Twenty-four years, to be precise. Almost twenty-five now." Orochimaru chuckled softly. "Back then, you were just a child—terrified of me at first. But once you got used to me, you lost all restraint. As long as you didn't touch my bottom line, there was nothing you wouldn't dare to do."
"You never said no."
"That's true. Your body has always been my greatest curiosity. And yet, despite all my research, I never succeeded. Not even with the Hōzuki clan, who shared a similar trait, could I replicate your ability. That alone proves it's possible, Kiyosuke-kun. And yet… you never revealed the source. From the very beginning, you kept it from me."
For Orochimaru, who could dissect the secrets of the Hōzuki clan with ease, Kiyosuke's mystery was unshakable proof. The only explanation was that Kiyosuke himself had deliberately hidden it.
"Because I knew you'd target me. Orochimaru-sensei, I understood how twisted you were from the very first moment I met you. Terrifying, yes… though your relentless pursuit of truth is admirable in its own way. But I had no intention of letting my body become a vessel for your soul."
Kiyosuke had always known of Orochimaru's obsession with him. That was why he kept his distance. Only later, when Orochimaru turned his sights to Itachi and Sasuke, did Kiyosuke finally breathe a sigh of relief.
His feelings toward Orochimaru were complicated—respect, admiration, fear, disgust… and even the faintest trace of kinship. After all, this man had been his teacher for over two decades.
"I see…" Orochimaru paused, then let out a low laugh. "And now, you intend to do to me what I once tried against the Third Hokage? Raise your blade against your own master? Yes… good. Sever your weakness and grow stronger. Of course, that is—if you can kill me. I will have Sasuke-kun! His body is the key to unlocking the door to true knowledge!"
"You'll never have him! He and Naruto are the future of this world!"
Flames surged around Kiyosuke's body. Both men stopped circling and came to a standstill.
"It seems… you've made up your mind."
"Yes. Farewell, Sensei. And farewell… to my cowardice."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
They spoke in unison, weaving the same seals. It was, fittingly, the very first ninjutsu Orochimaru had ever taught Kiyosuke.
Identical numbers of clones charged headlong at each other, colliding without the slightest hesitation.
The room exploded into chaos. Smoke billowed, clones tore into one another, and the battlefield became a haze of violence.
Meanwhile, the real Orochimaru and Kiyosuke stood their ground, hands flashing through seals.
"Wind Style: Gale Cutter!"
"Wind Style: Gale Cutter!"
Invisible blades of wind clashed midair, bursting apart with detonations that carved deep trenches into the ground.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
A towering dragon of water roared into existence, crashing against Orochimaru's water barrier with a deafening impact before shattering into a thousand droplets.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Both men broke into a sprint at the same instant, their footsteps pounding in unison as they launched into close-quarters combat.
Much of Kiyosuke's taijutsu had been taught by Orochimaru, and he in turn had long studied Orochimaru's movements. Every strike and counterstrike was read, predicted, and mirrored. It was as though the battle had been rehearsed countless times.
Neither could gain the upper hand.
Annoyed, Orochimaru's neck suddenly extended, his jaws opening wide as he lunged to bite.
Kiyosuke caught his head mid-strike and squeezed.
Crack!
Orochimaru's skull shattered in his grip.
Kiyosuke twirled a kunai deftly in his hand, tightened his grip, and thrust down.
But Orochimaru's body writhed like a snake. From his mouth burst an arm, then a figure, shedding the old husk like useless skin. A long serpent tail vanished into the darkness as the discarded body crumpled into nothing.
The flames lit the chamber once more, revealing Orochimaru in his serpentine form—human upper body, but with both legs replaced by a coiling snake's tail. Kiyosuke narrowed his eyes. This man had long since abandoned his humanity.
Condensed fire coalesced in Kiyosuke's palm, forming a blazing longsword.
"Tricks like that mean nothing to me."
"True enough," Orochimaru hissed. "In that case, Kiyosuke-kun… I'll prepare some more interesting opponents for you. Summoning Jutsu: Edo Tensei!"
He slammed his palms together.
Before him, two coffins slowly rose from the ground.
On one lid was the number "3."
On the other, the number "8."
Kiyosuke's eyes narrowed, his body tensing.
Bang! Bang!
The coffins burst open.
"What the hell—!"
Kiyosuke's face twisted in shock.
"You actually summoned him… and that guy too…"
Two figures stepped out.
The first was none other than the man who had forged Kiyosuke's reputation—the Third Mizukage.
The second was a shinobi of Kumogakure. Half-green, half-white hair spilled down his back. A jagged, dark-blue tattoo, shaped like fangs, stretched across the right side of his face from temple to jaw. His skin was the deep shade unique to Kumogakure's people. A massive blade rested on his back. His presence was overwhelming—yet strangely hollow.
Blue B.
The former jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, Gyūki. Mentor to Killer Bee, and cousin to the Fourth Raikage, A.
He had died years ago, betrayed by Orochimaru, which caused Gyūki to go on a rampage.
The Third Mizukage was already bad enough. But for Orochimaru to summon Blue B as well—
"You really are my teacher to the very end…" Kiyosuke muttered darkly. "Then let's relive those old days of master and disciple, shall we?"
"Nothing would please me more."