After rummaging through the fallen enemies for a while, Kiyohara managed to collect five shuriken, two kunai, and a few other items—a map and a compass.
"The markings on this map are encrypted," Kiyohara observed, studying the strange symbols scattered across it.
This was one of the essential skills all shinobi had to learn.
If one carelessly wrote information openly on a map, the enemy could easily seize it and exploit that intelligence to target them.
"Encrypted, huh…"
Minato murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Kurenai, you're good with genjutsu. Try interrogating him." Minato instructed.
It was unfortunate that they didn't have any members of the Yamanaka Clan right now. The Yamanaka's secret techniques were ideal for extracting information from the enemy. Still—genjutsu would work too.
Among everyone present, only Kurenai was a shinobi specialized in genjutsu.
And genjutsu specialists were naturally suited for extracting intel.
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Kurenai nodded.
She formed hand seals and began using genjutsu on the Iwagakure shinobi Kakashi had captured.
As the illusion invaded his mind, the Iwa-nin gradually revealed bits of information.
They were only one small squad among many.
To protect the crucial Kanna Bridge, Iwagakure had set up numerous hidden outposts.
Each outpost could support the others, expanding their surveillance range.
If Kanna Bridge were ever threatened, the nearby Iwa-nin would immediately rush over to reinforce it.
"No wonder, after Kakashi transplanted the Sharingan and defeated an enemy, the Iwa reinforcements swarmed in," Kiyohara thought to himself.
Kakashi had ultimately fainted due to severe chakra exhaustion. In the end, it was Minato's timely arrival that saved both Kakashi and Rin.
As for why Minato could arrive so precisely—the reason was simple. Minato had given Kakashi a special kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God seal. Using that marker, Minato teleported directly to him.
This also meant… Minato had known Kakashi's whereabouts from beginning to end.
"Oh right, today is your first mission as an official jōnin. This is my gift to you."
Minato removed the pack from his back and pulled out a specially crafted kunai, engraved with the words Sword of Shinobi'sLove with its design resembling a three-pronged blade.
"It's a bit heavy and slightly crooked, but once you get used to it, you'll find it surprisingly comfortable. Take it for this mission."
Minato hooked his index finger through the ring at the base of the kunai's handle, demonstrating its use before handing it to Kakashi.
'It's happening,'
Kiyohara murmured internally.
He had just been thinking about this scene—and then it played out exactly as in the original story.
"I have something for you too, Kakashi."
Rin stepped forward with a smile, holding out a custom medical pouch with both hands.
It was Rin's own specially modified medical kit—improved in every way for ease of use.
"Thank you."
Kakashi accepted it, then looked toward Obito and extended his hand.
The meaning was obvious—he was waiting for Obito's gift.
"W-What do you mean by that? Don't look at me like that. I don't have anything to give you!"
Obito shouted in protest.
Kakashi waved his hand dismissively.
"Forget it. Whatever you'd give would probably be useless anyway."
Obito instantly bristled in outrage, loudly declaring that he was an Uchiha and would definitely surpass Kakashi in the future.
Kiyohara stroked his chin thoughtfully.
What a shame—Kakashi would never get the chance to return the gesture. Obito and Rin would remain forever at the level of chūnin.
Speaking of which, once he got back, he should be promoted to chūnin as well.
Which meant… should he expect gifts too?
The thought crossed Kiyohara's mind.
"By the way, when you became a chūnin, did anyone give you gifts?"
Kiyohara asked the missing-nin Kiyohara.
"I wasn't wasting time on things like that. Improving my strength is what all mattered."
The missing-nin Kiyohara shook his head.
He was the type who pursued power relentlessly—otherwise, he wouldn't have defected with Orochimaru.
"Alright, alright, enough arguing. We're about to enter the Land of Grass."
Minato said.
Beyond the stretch of grassland lay a towering forest of ancient mushroom-trees.
The mushrooms there grew on trunks—each one larger than a house.
"We'll rest here for now. I'll remain with you today, but I have to leave tomorrow."
Minato continued.
The situation at the front lines was deteriorating, and he needed to reinforce them as soon as possible.
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison.
After finding a more hidden place to rest, Kiyohara began practicing Detoxification Jutsu and Hemostasis Jutsu.
Hemostasis was simple—essentially suturing.
One first used thread to stitch wounds closed, and during battle, channeled chakra into the wound to prevent it from tearing open from excessive movement.
The Detoxification Jutsu was somewhat more difficult—it required using chakra to separate toxins from the blood.
Typically, one trained by mixing two liquids of different densities in a cup.
Kiyohara was using coffee and milk.
For convenience during travel, he had brought only small amounts.
After mixing the milk and coffee in a cup, Kiyohara began manipulating the liquid with chakra.
Whoosh…
The mixture spun inside the cup, giving him the strange sensation of cellular separation.
The missing-nin Kiyohara stood behind him, quietly observing his training.
Both techniques came from Tsunade, so Kiyohara had gotten them at quite a bargain.
"Huh? Kiyohara, you know medical ninjutsu?"
Rin, who was resting nearby, turned her head and noticed what he was doing.
"Mm. I only just started learning."
Kiyohara nodded.
Since Rin was a medical shinobi, she had trained all of this before.
"Kiyohara, in that case… you should be able to do it faster like this…"
Rin walked over and explained the key points to him.
Kiyohara listened seriously, adjusting his technique according to her guidance.
After taking the enhancement drug, his total chakra reserves had doubled.
With his chakra situation greatly improved, he could spare some for training.
'If only I could get more types of those forbidden chakra enhancing drugs …'
Kiyohara thought.
Infinite stacking was impossible, of course. But by taking multiple types, raising his chakra to the level of a kage or elite jōnin was probably achievable.
According to the missing-nin Kiyohara, there were several more kinds of enhancers—capable of fully drawing out one's latent potential with minimal side effects.
That was probably the same combination Sasuke used.
Unfortunately, the missing-nin Kiyohara did not know the formulas. He hadn't been close enough to Orochimaru's inner circle.
This reminded Kiyohara of the fitness world in his previous life, where tragic news often surfaced.
Directly training with "Nine Dragon Power," ascending to the "Steroid Planet."
If you wanted dense, sculpted muscles—you had to get on the juice.
In the shinobi world, the principle was the same.
The most legendary "drug user" was Kabuto Yakushi. He consumed bag after bag of forbidden medicine, even infused Orochimaru's cells into himself, ultimately mastering Orochimaru's power.
(End of Chapter)