Opening one of the scrolls revealed ten puppets inside.
However, they looked like Sasori's earliest experimental works and far less agile than the three puppets he had detonated earlier.
What was recorded at the very end of the scroll was… "The Regeneration Core Technique."
Upon seeing this technique, Kiyohara finally showed a hint of surprise.
In a certain sense, this was indeed a technique that could grant a person a much longer lifespan.
Eternal life might be out of reach, but longevity was absolutely achievable.
Unlike flesh and blood, which would inevitably age, puppet components could be replaced at will once damaged.
One could say that this was where Sasori's true main body actually resided.
Kiyohara casually glanced at the description and discovered that this "core" consisted of the heart, the brain, and part of the nervous system.
All other organs could be replaced with mechanical components.
This was because the heart housed the largest meridian network in the human body and was also the core location for chakra conversion and transformation.
Kakuzu's ability to seize others' chakra naruto relied precisely on stealing the corresponding hearts.
"He got away, huh."
Kurenai walked over as she spoke, dispersing the lingering smoke with a wave of her hand.
By that time, Kiyohara had already packed everything away.
He had only skimmed through the materials briefly, without spending much time on them.
Genma walked over as well, his expression not looking particularly good.
Yakushi Nono had already gone to check on Kabuto's condition.
Fortunately, Kabuto had not been affected during the earlier battle.
"Is it really okay to let him escape like that?" someone asked.
"It doesn't look like he'll just let things go."
Kurenai looked worriedly in the direction where Sasori had disappeared.
"With our current condition, pursuing him would be too risky," Kiyohara analyzed calmly.
"Puppet masters are best at setting traps. Charging after him recklessly would very likely land us in one."
"Kiyohara is right."
With her extensive experience in espionage, Yakushi Nono had naturally seen all kinds of darkness in the shinobi world.
Puppet masters who relied on poison—how upright could they really be?
Reckless pursuit would indeed be extremely dangerous.
"Let's head back first," Kiyohara said.
The three of them brought the children back to the orphanage.
When they returned, the plump nun and the bespectacled male caretaker visibly relaxed upon seeing them safe and sound.
But upon noticing that they had brought back an injured child, they immediately sprang into action, preparing hot water, clean clothes, and food.
"How about calling you Kabuto?"
Yakushi Nono said gently as she looked at the gradually recovering Kabuto, whose eyes no longer looked as hollow as before.
At that moment, another child wearing a hat placed a samurai helmet onto Kabuto's head.
"Kabuto…"
Kabuto looked at Yakushi Nono's smile, then at the group of children around him who were about the same age.
He slowly nodded.
...
Over the next few days, more Konoha shinobi were deployed around the orphanage.
Clearly, the incident involving Sasori's attack had been reported, and Konoha's higher-ups had taken the threat posed by this Sunagakure missing-nin seriously.
Kiyohara and the other two continued their guard mission, but no further attacks occurred.
Sasori seemed to have truly withdrawn for the time being; even the tiny puppet scorpions lurking in the forest vanished.
Finally, the day arrived to hand over the mission.
The replacement shinobi squad arrived on time.
After transferring guard duties, Kiyohara and the others set off to return to the Kikyo Mountain front.
Before leaving, Nono sought out Kiyohara alone.
"This is for you."
She handed him a sealed small scroll.
"Inside are some medical ninjutsu insights I've made, as well as antidote formulas for various toxins. Sasori's poison was quite special, I spent some time fully analyzing it. These materials should be useful to you."
Kiyohara accepted the scroll and nodded solemnly.
"Thank you."
Although he already had Sasori's notes, the way geniuses thought was often difficult for others to follow, and many parts of Sasori's writings were extremely concise.
With Yakushi Nono's notes, things would be much clearer.
"The one who should be thanking someone is me."
Nono adjusted her glasses, a gentle, almost saintly smile appearing on her face.
"You saved my children and you saved Kabuto as well."
She paused, then said softly:
"If you ever need help in the future, you're welcome to come find me. At the very least, I can offer some assistance in medical matters."
Kiyohara nodded.
"I'll remember that."
...
Leaving the orphanage behind, the three of them quickly headed toward Kikyo Mountain.
Along the way, traces of the war were everywhere—burned villages, abandoned farmland, hastily erected refugee tents. But compared to the most intense period of the conflict, things were already much better.
The frontline between Konoha and Suna was relatively stable now. Both sides were conserving strength, preparing for the next round of offensives.
Eventually, they arrived at Konoha's main camp at Kikyo Mountain.
The mission report was submitted smoothly.
When Nara Enchū heard the words "encountered Sasori of the Red Sand," he was visibly stunned. He asked in detail about the battle and made a special note of the intelligence regarding Sasori's possession of the Third Kazekage puppet.
"This information is extremely important," Enchū said solemnly.
He looked at Kiyohara.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly—reputation was indeed not unfounded. Kiyohara's strength was truly impressive.
No one knew by what means Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage and turned him into a puppet, but the fact that Kiyohara had managed to defeat him spoke volumes about his ability.
"Suna has been searching for the whereabouts of the Third Kazekage. If they find out he was killed by one of their own shinobi… it could affect the course of the war."
Kiyohara nodded in understanding.
In shinobi warfare, the value of intelligence sometimes surpassed that of tens of thousands of troops.
After the report was completed, they were granted permission to return to Konoha.
That meant they could rest until the next mission.
"Finally, we can go home!"
Kurenai couldn't hide her excitement.
Genma twirled the senbon in his mouth, a hint of relief flashing through his eyes.
"Yeah… it's been a long time since I've been back."
Although he hadn't participated in the battle against Sasori, the half-month-long guard mission had still left Genma utterly exhausted.
Kiyohara, however, was thinking about other matters.
After returning to the village, there were several things he needed to do.
First, to organize Sasori's research materials and see if there was anything worth learning from or guarding against.
Second, to continue developing combined applications of Magnet Release and Lightning Release.
Third… to try to fulfill the second last will.
A four-year-old Itachi, no matter how one looked at it was definitely not someone he could lose to.
What Kiyohara needed was merely a trigger.
This time, upon returning to the village, he planned to find a way.
Early the next morning, the three of them set off back toward Konoha.
By evening, the gates of Konoha came into view.
Two gate guards were on duty.
Seeing the three of them, one waved in greeting.
"Yo, back from the front lines? You've worked hard!"
"Senior Nakamura, you're still on gate duty, huh?"
Genma replied familiarly.
"What can you do? Old bones like us are only good for guarding the gate these days."
The shinobi called Nakamura laughed, then grew serious.
"Go on in. Get some good rest, the war isn't over yet. Only by keeping your strength up can you keep fighting."
Passing through the gates, the familiar streets unfolded before them.
Even during wartime, most shops were still open, and pedestrians moved about the streets as usual.
After all, Konoha could be said to be the safest place in the Land of Fire.
Even now, with the war ongoing, none of the Five Great Villages had seen fighting reach inside their hidden villages.
"I'll head home first."
Kurenai waved goodbye.
"Mm. Get some good rest," Kiyohara replied with a nod.
Genma also said, "See you around," before heading off toward his own home.
Kiyohara didn't go home right away. He first bought some daily necessities along the commercial street.
Just as he walked out of a bookstore, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.
"Kiyohara?"
He turned around and saw that silver-haired, masked figure.
Hatake Kakashi.
He looked a bit more mature than the last time they had met, slightly taller as well, but those perpetually lifeless eyes and lazy demeanor were unchanged.
The only difference was that he was holding several books in his hands.
Titles like How a Shinobi Should Die and Methods of Getting Along with Teammates.
"Kakashi," Kiyohara greeted with a nod.
"When did you get back?" he asked.
"The day before yesterday."
Kakashi had one hand in his pocket, the other holding the books.
"The mission ended, so we've got a few days of rest. What about you? Just back from Kikyo Mountain?"
"Just arrived today."
The two walked side by side down the street.
After a brief silence, Kakashi suddenly spoke.
"I heard you performed exceptionally well on the front lines."
Kiyohara was slightly surprised.
He truly had not expected that this time he would once again make a name for himself.
"You've heard about it too?"
"Mm. Minato-sensei mentioned it," Kakashi replied calmly.
He glanced at him and added, "He said you're the one who's improved the fastest among this year's group."
"It was just luck," Kiyohara answered lightly.
Kakashi shot him a sideways look. Something flickered briefly in his half-lidded, dead-fish eyes, but it quickly returned to their usual lazy indifference. "Too much modesty becomes arrogance. By the way…"
"Want to spar?"
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
"Sure. When?"
"How about now? The Third Training Ground should be empty."
Kiyohara thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright."
It had indeed been a long time since he had crossed hands with Kakashi. Or rather, ever since returning from the Land of Grass, they had not sparred again.
But now he possessed the Sharingan. It was the perfect opportunity to see whether he could copy it.
…
At the Third Training Ground.
Kakashi walked to the center of the field and turned to face Kiyohara.
"No need to hold back. I want to see how strong you are now."
Kiyohara nodded, placed the items he had just bought at the edge of the field, and stepped forward until he stood ten meters opposite Kakashi.
The two formed the Seal of Opposition.
Almost the instant the seal was completed, Kakashi moved.
His speed was astonishing. In a blink, he crossed the ten-meter gap, his kunai thrusting straight toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara turned his body to avoid the strike. At the same time, magnetic chakra gathered in his right hand manipulating iron sand, which he attached to his shinobi blade, extending its length.
The two weapons collided, sparks bursting outward.
Within mere seconds, they clashed more than a dozen times.
As they sparred, a young girl dressed in a nurse's outfit approached.
She had run into Kurenai and learned that Kiyohara had returned, but when she visited his home, she hadn't found him there.
So she came to the Third Training Ground, where he often trained, hoping to find him and the moment she arrived, she saw him already locked in combat with Kakashi.
"They're both so fast…"
Rin watched the two figures carefully.
It was clear that each of them had grown.
"Do your best!" she called out.
Kakashi turned at the sound of her voice, only then realizing Rin had arrived.
Kiyohara, however, had sensed her presence the very instant she stepped onto the field.
He gave a slight nod and knocked Kakashi's kunai aside.
Kakashi took the momentum to retreat several steps, forming hand seals with one hand.
"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"
Electric current spread from beneath Kakashi's feet, racing across the ground toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara leapt into the air to avoid it, forming seals midair.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared forth.
Seeing flames several times larger than an ordinary fireball rushing toward him, Kakashi's pupils contracted. Clearly, he hadn't expected Kiyohara to complete such a powerful ninjutsu while airborne.
He hastily evaded, barely avoiding the blazing sphere.
"That's a huge amount of power…" Kakashi muttered with a frown.
What on earth had Kiyohara been eating?
Every time they met after a short interval, he seemed like a different person.
Kakashi decided not to hold back any longer.
As he formed hand seals, a sharp, piercing sound began to resonate in his palm.
"Chidori!"
Dazzling lightning condensed in Kakashi's hand, forming a sphere of violently flickering electricity.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
The sound was like a thousand birds shrieking at once.
The lightning illuminated Kakashi's face.
Kiyohara's Sharingan activated instantly.
"Quick… possess me. I'll use the Sharingan to copy it," Kiyohara said.
If Uchiha Kiyohara possessed him, his perception would sharpen even further, allowing him to observe more detail and increase the probability of mastering the technique.
Uchiha Kiyohara nodded without refusing.
In that future of his, he had never learned Chidori.
He was curious about it.
As possession occurred, the phantom image of three tomoe flickered briefly before fading, leaving a single tomoe slowly rotating in his eye, capturing every movement Kakashi made, every minute fluctuation of chakra.
Kiyohara saw it.
The principle of the technique. The nature transformation of chakra. The shaping and control of lightning.
In the next instant, stimulated by lightning chakra, Kakashi himself transformed into a streak of light and shot toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara did not take it head-on.
Repulsive force burst from beneath his feet, and in a flash he dissolved into scattered leaves, disappearing from his original spot and reappearing elsewhere.
Kakashi's strike pierced nothing but a fading afterimage.
He stood there holding Chidori, breathing slightly heavier.
Before Kakashi could react further, Kiyohara spoke.
"The principle is like this, right?"
As he spoke, his hands began forming seals.
The exact same sequence. Not a single deviation.
It was Uchiha Kiyohara controlling his body.
The chakra within flowed precisely through designated pathways.
As the seals completed, that piercing cry of birds echoed once more—this time from Kiyohara's hand.
"Chidori."
Dazzling lightning gathered in his palm, identical to the technique Kakashi had just used.
Kakashi's eyes widened, and beneath his mask his lips parted slightly.
Though he knew the Sharingan could copy techniques, witnessing the ninjutsu he had painstakingly developed replicated instantly before his eyes was more shocking than he had anticipated.
After all, even with his own three-tomoe Sharingan, he hadn't copied many techniques yet.
And Kiyohara had done it with a single tomoe?
The original truly surpassed his "borrowed" eye, Kakashi thought wryly.
Kiyohara dispersed the lightning in his hand, the birdsong ceasing.
"Your technique is excellent," he said calmly. "But now it's mine."
He reclaimed control of his body and began feeling the Chidori in his palm himself, maintaining its form without letting it dissipate.
"My control over the Sharingan isn't as good as yours, Kiyohara," Kakashi admitted, shaking his head.
Just as Rin was about to speak, another voice rang out before she could.
From the woods opposite them stepped a young boy with a prominent nose.
"Quite lively here."
Kakashi and Kiyohara turned to see him.
Most eye-catching was the short blade on his back—and his bright, piercing eyes.
Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui," Kiyohara greeted.
Kakashi returned to his usual lazy demeanor; he wasn't particularly close to Shisui.
Shisui walked between them, glanced at the marks left by battle, then at the lightning still flickering in Kiyohara's hand.
"I remember that technique being Kakashi's. Kiyohara, you can use it too now?"
"Something like that," Kiyohara replied.
He could even maintain Chidori in one hand while chatting, just like Kakashi.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I just came from the back hills of the Third Training Ground. I've been training there often lately, used to train there with Itachi."
"Itachi?" Kiyohara's heart stirred.
"Didn't he come today?"
"Not today," Shisui shook his head. "Yesterday, Lord Fugaku took him to the front lines, said he should see the true world of shinobi."
Kiyohara frowned slightly.
When Itachi returned, would he already be thinking about the clan and the village?
"Four years old and already on the battlefield? Isn't that too early?" Kakashi couldn't help but comment.
As someone who had lived through war, he understood what that meant for a child.
Shisui sighed. "I think so too. But Lord Fugaku insisted. He said since Itachi has talent, he should adapt to the shinobi world as early as possible. And besides… it is wartime."
The atmosphere grew heavy again. War accelerated everything, even the end of childhood.
Rin walked closer, listening in silence.
"But when Itachi returns, I can arrange for him to meet everyone," Shisui said with a smile. "Kiyohara, Kakashi, you're both outstanding among your peers. If you could guide him, it would be a great experience for him."
Kiyohara felt inwardly delighted.
Guide him?
He had been lacking a proper reason to fulfill that second last will.
And here it was.
Under the pretext of guidance, he could spar with Itachi without seeming like a bully, and with perfect justification.
"Sure," Kiyohara nodded. "When he's back, he can find me anytime."
Kakashi lazily nodded as well. "I don't mind."
"Then it's settled," Shisui said cheerfully. "That child is too lonely. He needs more friends and rivals."
"That's perfect. I happen to like rivals," Kiyohara replied.
If they were rivals, then losing would simply be part of the art of war, wouldn't it?
"By the way, the nurse outfit suits you, Rin."
Kiyohara's gaze drifted briefly over the way the fitted uniform outlined her still youthful, budding figure, before resting on her beautiful face.
The small nurse's cap. The white gloves.
He couldn't help thinking it carried a certain playful charm.
"Y-You… what are you looking at…" Rin stammered, noticing the strange look in his eyes and feeling suddenly self-conscious.
Kakashi, on the other hand, remained utterly composed.
He looked at Kiyohara, then at Rin, and suddenly spoke.
"Kiyohara, you can turn off Chidori. Let's call it a day. I'll head back first."
He waved a hand.
He intended to give Rin and Kiyohara more time together.
After patting Kiyohara on the shoulder, Kakashi left.
"…."
Watching Kakashi's retreating back, Kiyohara couldn't help wondering if Kakashi had picked up the wrong script.
He was probably assuming there was something between him and Rin.
Of course, Kiyohara wouldn't mind if something did happen.
(End of chapter.)