TN: Eight Branches Technique is Yamata no Orochi in Japanese.
Sooner or later, Kiyohara would make a trip to Ryuchi Cave.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, the Three Great Sacred Lands represented the strongest native powers on Earth.
At the very least, they had already existed long before the arrival of Otsutsuki Kaguya and Otsutsuki Isshiki.
Later on, however, most of their existence was likely wiped out by the two joining forces before planting the Divine Tree.
In the end, conflict broke out between them over how to divide the fruits of the harvest, leaving only Kaguya behind.
The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku then seized the opportunity to manipulate the Sage of Six Paths brothers into dealing with Kaguya.
There were quite a few beings like the Great Toad Sage. At the very least, the sages behind Shikkotsu Forest and Ryuchi Cave were similar existences.
As for whether there were even more "sages" hidden somewhere, no one knew.
But regardless, this kind of technique, something even the Otsutsuki did not possess, was absolutely something Kiyohara intended to obtain.
Right now, he had already acquired part of it. All that remained was fulfilling the final lingering wish and completely inheriting it.
The next day.
Kiyohara left Konoha and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel to a mountain forest outside the village in order to practice the "Eight Branches Technique."
Although the Eight Branches Technique was only half complete, it could already be used.
What Kiyohara had yet to perfect was how to reduce the technique's side effects on the human body, as well as how the body itself transformed into a serpent.
At first glance, it resembled some advanced form of the Transformation Technique capable of turning into anything.
But the Eight Branches Technique truly possessed additional effects of its own.
"Come. With my guidance, there should not be much problem."
White Snake Kiyohara spoke.
Back when he was alive, he had already been capable of transforming into human form, so he was not unfamiliar with the human body's chakra pathway system.
At this moment, he had possessed Kiyohara's body and was teaching him how to manipulate chakra.
Very quickly, under White Snake Kiyohara's possession, Kiyohara's body began to change.
He had already transplanted White Snake cells and inherited part of White Snake Kiyohara's bloodline. Now, using the Eight Branches Technique felt incomparably smooth.
When Orochimaru used it, he still had to modify his own body and force himself to adapt.
But Kiyohara skipped that entire step directly, drastically improving the efficiency.
The skin on Kiyohara's back bulged outward.
A snake head emerged.
Pale scales covered it, and its eyes remained half closed, not yet fully opened, yet it could already sense the flow of wind and chakra.
Kiyohara could feel that this state was somewhat similar to using Curse Mark State Two.
As long as the chakra supply was cut off, he would revert back to normal.
In essence, it was merely flesh and blood simulated through chakra.
Then came the second snake, the third, the fourth—
Eight serpent necks extended from behind him, and with a bang accompanied by white smoke, his entire body transformed into a gigantic white serpent.
However, Kiyohara's body appeared far larger than Orochimaru's when using the Eight Branches Technique.
From atop the central snake head, Kiyohara observed his current body.
His pupils had become pale golden vertical slits.
Both hands were covered in dense white scales, while his fingernails sharpened into blade-like claws.
The body of Eight Branches Technique.
Kiyohara raised one serpent head and aimed it at a massive boulder deep within the forest, one so large that three people linking arms together could barely encircle it.
Almost instinctively, chakra began gathering.
The snake head opened its mouth, and deep within its throat, white light rapidly condensed.
Boom!
A pale beam of light erupted from the serpent's enormous maw.
The giant rock vanished beneath the white radiance.
The beam pierced through two hundred meters of forest. Everything along its path, tree trunks, shrubs, soil, all of it was vaporized.
Only a charred trench remained, with pale flames still burning along the edges.
Kiyohara withdrew the snake head and tilted it slightly, observing the destruction.
"The power is decent."
Kiyohara remembered that Orochimaru had once used a similar attack in Ultimate Shinobi Storm. Now it seemed this was one of the accompanying abilities of the technique itself.
Just like how Tailed Beasts instinctively knew how to use Tailed Beast Bombs.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
Could this form perhaps be used to bear Dragon Vein chakra?
He lowered his head and looked at his current Eight Branches Technique body.
"Sasuke could use the Complete Body Susanoo to contain the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts."
"So can this body carry the Dragon Vein's chakra?"
Kiyohara murmured.
The advantage of this was that his real body would not suffer direct influence from the chakra.
The more violent the chakra became, the greater the damage it inflicted upon the human body.
If Tailed Beasts did not naturally possess recovery abilities, then Jinchūriki would injure themselves merely by using their power.
When it was only a thin layer of red chakra, there would not yet be any issues. But once it transformed into the deep crimson Tailed Beast chakra that completely enveloped the body, it would begin burning the skin.
Naruto had already suffered burns in his Four-Tails state.
After hearing Kiyohara's question, White Snake Kiyohara also began thinking deeply.
"...In theory, it should be possible."
After a while, White Snake Kiyohara finally answered.
"The essence of the Eight Branches Technique body is that of a vessel. It converts and releases enormous amounts of chakra. Although Dragon Vein chakra is violent, as long as your sealing techniques are sufficiently advanced, it should work."
He paused briefly.
"But you must think carefully. Dragon Vein chakra is extremely dangerous. Even Tailed Beast chakra cannot cause spacetime distortions, yet Dragon Vein chakra can accomplish that. Once it loses control, no one knows what could happen."
"I see..."
Kiyohara stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Wouldn't Shadow Clones solve that?"
Kiyohara said.
As long as the experiment was controlled carefully enough to avoid the Shadow Clone dispersing, it would be fine.
He could seal the Dragon Vein chakra into the Yin Seal, then activate the Eight Branches Technique whenever he needed to unleash large amounts of power.
Of course, once Kiyohara's real body became strong enough to withstand that force without restraint, there would no longer be any need to use the Eight Branches Technique.
"It demands extremely precise chakra control. But if it's you... it might actually work."
White Snake Kiyohara said.
After all, this version of himself could not be judged like a normal human.
Even he had never seen anyone as absurdly difficult to kill as Kiyohara, someone who had inherited so many futures and still remained alive.
Soon after, White Snake Kiyohara ended the possession and allowed Kiyohara to adapt to the state on his own.
After practicing for some time, Kiyohara finally dispelled the Eight Branches Technique.
Bang.
The pale scales faded away, and his massive body rapidly shrank.
Kiyohara returned to his normal form.
'First, I should finish dealing with the recent matters.'
Kiyohara thought to himself.
On the way back, he continuously used Flying Thunder God to travel at high speed, eventually arriving at the border of the Land of Wind.
Standing before an endless desert that stretched beyond sight, Kiyohara began using Magnet Release to draw gold dust hidden beneath the earth to the surface.
He planned to seal part of the high purity gold dust into sealing scrolls while leaving another portion for everyday use.
This consumed an enormous amount of chakra, but fortunately, Kiyohara possessed vast reserves and could also replenish himself with soldier pills.
As a result, his efficiency was excellent. In a short amount of time, he collected a considerable amount of high purity gold dust.
By noon.
Inside a gold shop in Konoha.
The moment Kiyohara pushed open the door and entered, the attendant's eyes immediately lit up.
It was the kind of gleam that appeared when someone saw the God of Wealth personally arriving.
Because Kiyohara frequently sold gold dust here, he had already become one of their largest customers.
"Lord Kiyohara!"
The attendant hurried forward, his peripheral vision already sweeping toward the sealing scroll hanging at Kiyohara's waist.
"This way, please. Today we received gold leaf pastries specially supplied to the Daimyō's residence, along with newly imported premium tea. You absolutely must try them."
Kiyohara gave a slight nod and sat down inside the VIP room.
Tea and snacks were quickly arranged on the table while the attendant stood respectfully with lowered hands, waiting for Kiyohara's instructions.
As long as one had money, life in Konoha could actually be quite comfortable.
Besides movie theaters, Konoha even had places like drama theaters.
Soon afterward, Kiyohara took out the gold dust he had gathered.
Golden grains rapidly piled into a small mountain, radiating a heavy metallic luster beneath the indoor lights.
The attendant swallowed hard.
"Th-this purity..."
He took a deep breath.
"Lord Kiyohara, this batch of gold dust is worth eight hundred and thirty-six thousand ryō in pure gold value."
"I want cash."
"Yes, yes, of course."
The attendant nodded repeatedly.
A short while later, Kiyohara walked out of the shop.
Very good. Another eight hundred thousand ryō added to his account.
Kiyohara felt that even Rasa would have difficulty replicating this operation.
After all, Rasa's chakra reserves and stamina were not particularly advantageous.
Meanwhile, Kiyohara could have the White Snake possess him to help refine chakra and extend his endurance.
Afterward, Kiyohara planned to purchase some ingredients for tonight's dinner.
But after only a few steps, he spotted a familiar figure.
A pale side profile, golden vertical pupils, and an innate cold aloofness in every movement.
It was Orochimaru.
Beside him stood a young girl wearing fishnet inner clothing beneath a brown coat, looking up at him eagerly.
"Orochimaru-sama..."
Anko's voice carried cautious anticipation as her gaze continuously drifted toward a dango shop on the corner.
The sign above it read:
Special Three-Color Dango · Seasonal Limited Flavor.
"...Just one skewer, okay?"
Orochimaru lowered his eyes to look at her.
Out of habit, his fingers moved toward the money pouch at his waist.
Then—
He stopped.
Orochimaru suddenly remembered that his recent expenses had been rather high.
Tomorrow, he still needed to head out on another mission to earn money.
Otherwise, obtaining that batch of equipment would become difficult.
"...Next time."
Orochimaru said.
The anticipation in Anko's eyes deflated little by little like a punctured balloon.
"Oh..."
She lowered her head.
"Okay then."
Anko said softly.
Kiyohara stepped forward to greet them.
"Orochimaru-sama, Anko."
Anko looked up at Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara-kun."
Orochimaru slightly turned his head, his golden vertical pupils sweeping over Kiyohara's somewhat travel worn appearance.
"Just returned from a mission?"
"Not exactly. I just went to sell a few things."
Kiyohara shook his head as he answered.
Then he turned and walked toward the dango shop.
A short while later, he returned carrying two boxes of dango.
Anko stared blankly at the box he handed to her.
Three color dango.
"F-for me?"
Her eyes immediately brightened, but she quickly tried to restrain herself and act more ladylike. Even so, the corners of her lips still curled upward uncontrollably.
"Yeah."
Kiyohara then handed the other box to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama should have some too. I just sold some gold dust."
Orochimaru lowered his gaze.
The box of dango rested quietly in his palm, the three colors neatly arranged.
He reached out and accepted it.
The moment his fingertips touched the wrapping paper, he paused briefly.
"Kiyohara-kun."
He raised his eyes.
"Have your recent missions been going smoothly?"
"Very smoothly."
Kiyohara nodded.
"That's good."
Orochimaru replied.
Meanwhile, Anko had already impatiently taken a bite from the dango.
Sticky strands of glutinous rice stretched between her lips as she puffed out her cheeks, her eyes curving into crescent moons while she mumbled unclearly through the mouthful.
"So goood... Kiyohara, you're really such a nice person..."
Her sparkling eyes looked toward him for a moment before she quickly lowered her head again, pretending to focus seriously on the next piece of dango.
Orochimaru looked at her, then at Kiyohara.
After exchanging a few more casual words, Kiyohara bid them farewell and left.
His figure quickly disappeared into the flow of people around the street corner.
Orochimaru remained standing where he was, the warmth from the box of dango slowly spreading into his palm.
He stared in the direction Kiyohara had disappeared for a very long time without moving.
Suddenly, a trace of self mockery rose within him.
They were both seekers pursuing the truth of ninjutsu.
Kiyohara was even his assistant.
Yet Kiyohara could profit from battlefield spoils, profit from gold dust, use money to buy equipment, buy materials, buy research time, and even casually purchase two boxes of dango for others without caring about the expense.
And what about himself?
He was one of the legendary Sannin, famous throughout the shinobi world, yet at this very moment he was losing sleep over the remaining payment for some research equipment.
He did not possess Magnet Release.
He did not possess a bloodline ability capable of directly extracting wealth from the depths of the earth.
All he had was a laboratory.
All he had were endless research projects that devoured funding without limit.
And all he had was Danzo's increasingly unpleasant face, forcing him to listen to endless lectures about Konoha's greater good every single time he asked for money.
What a rotten world.
Orochimaru felt utterly speechless.
"Let's go."
Orochimaru said.
Anko hurriedly swallowed the last piece of dango and jogged after him.
Inwardly, she thought that it would have been perfect if Kiyohara had also bought some red bean soup. Three color dango was best enjoyed together with that combination.
It was just that Kiyohara probably did not know this.
And Anko felt too embarrassed to ask for anything more.
She decided that after completing a mission next time and receiving payment, she would treat Kiyohara to the proper combination herself.
By evening, at Tsunade's house.
While Kiyohara was taking off his shoes, he heard the familiar slightly lazy voice coming from the living room.
"You're back?"
He walked into the room.
Tsunade was sitting cross legged beside a low table.
Her golden hair draped loosely over her shoulders, and she wore only a sleeveless top beneath a light green outer robe.
Several medical journals were spread across the table, while half a cup of unfinished sake sat nearby.
She had one leg crossed over the other.
The raised foot glimmered with a faint pearly pink sheen beneath the light, its arch graceful and its toes round and neatly arranged.
Yet those brownish golden eyes were not focused on the books at all.
Instead, like a hunting dog catching the scent of prey, they stared directly at the bulging sealing scrolls hanging from Kiyohara's waist.
She leaned closer.
Her nose twitched lightly.
"You..."
She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"You smell especially rich today."
Kiyohara fell silent.
"Sensei, are you a dog?"
"A gambler."
The foot she had crossed proudly swayed back and forth.
"A gambler's nose is even more sensitive to the smell of money than a dog's nose is to bones."
She stretched out her hand.
Five slender pale fingers opened toward him and wiggled slightly.
"How much did you exchange today?"
"A few hundred thousand ryō, I guess."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Tsunade's nose really was sharp.
Today he had exchanged for freshly printed bills that still carried the faint scent of ink, yet Tsunade had still managed to smell it immediately.
"Want to play a few rounds with your teacher?"
Tsunade asked.
Kiyohara paused.
He could actually play by himself.
But if Tsunade insisted, then it was not impossible.
"What are we playing?"
Kiyohara asked.
"How about Old Maid?"
Tsunade replied.
Old Maid was a common card game in Konoha.
One joker was removed from a deck, leaving fifty three cards divided evenly between the players.
The players would take turns drawing one card from the other person's hand.
If the drawn card formed a pair with one already in their own hand, the pair would immediately be discarded.
If it could not form a pair, it remained in the hand.
The lone card that could not form any pair was the ghost card, the losing card.
Whoever still held it at the end lost the game.
"And the wager?"
Tsunade raised her chin proudly.
She waited for Kiyohara to name the stakes while already pulling out the cards.
Kiyohara looked at her.
"Hm. Let me think."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
This was not actually the first time he had played Old Maid with Tsunade.
Sometimes Tsunade would drag him into gambling sessions, and he would accompany her with games like this.
But Tsunade almost always lost.
Sometimes she lost so badly that after running out of money, she would suggest punishment games instead.
Those punishments, however, were relatively simple.
Things like sticking paper strips onto the loser's face.
"How about... one hug?"
Kiyohara suggested.
He was honestly curious what hugging Tsunade from the front would feel like.
Just as Kiyohara expected her to become angry and was already preparing to turn it into a joke, Tsunade instead nodded confidently.
"Hurry up already."
Her voice was crisp and decisive. She was already eager to start winning money.
First round.
Tsunade drew a card from Kiyohara's hand.
"Ah!"
Excitedly, she threw down a pair consisting of the Seven of Spades and the Seven of Hearts.
"A favorable start!"
Kiyohara drew from her hand.
A pair formed.
Discarded.
Second round.
Third round.
Tsunade's hand rapidly shrank while the smile on her face became brighter and brighter.
"Kid, your luck isn't all that impressive after all."
Fourth round.
Tsunade only had two cards left.
Kiyohara had three.
He extended his slender fingers, preparing to draw.
At the same time, he carefully observed Tsunade's subtle facial expressions.
Old Maid was not just about luck.
It was also a contest of who could keep a better poker face.
The moment Kiyohara's hand moved toward the ghost card, Tsunade's eyebrows unconsciously twitched upward slightly.
She immediately forced herself to calm down and pretended to remain composed.
As a result, Kiyohara's hand passed over that card and instead drew the other one.
He inserted the drawn card into his own hand.
Silence.
"H-how is it?"
Tsunade could not resist leaning forward.
Kiyohara raised his eyes.
Slowly, he spread out his hand.
A pair.
Tsunade could only grit her teeth and draw from his hand in return.
But Kiyohara's expression revealed absolutely nothing, forcing Tsunade to rely entirely on luck.
Left with no choice, she shut her eyes and randomly picked one card.
When she opened her eyes and looked at it, it could not form a pair at all.
The ghost card was in her hand.
"First round."
Kiyohara gathered up the discarded cards.
"Sensei lost."
Tsunade stared with wide eyes, unable to say a word for a long time.
She lost already?
Tsunade suddenly felt fortunate that they had not gambled with money.
If they had, she probably would have ended up completely broke again.
"What are you two playing?"
Shizune, who had been washing ingredients in the kitchen, noticed the game happening outside.
She temporarily set down the ingredients in her hands and walked over curiously to ask.
After one glance, she immediately recognized that they were playing Old Maid.
And naturally, she also understood that Tsunade had lost.
Shizune was not surprised in the slightest.
On the contrary, it would have been stranger if Tsunade had actually won.
Especially if Tsunade won big.
Because whenever that happened, something bad usually followed shortly afterward.
"Shizune, do you want to play too?"
Kiyohara asked.
"I'll pass."
Shizune waved her hand.
She still had matters from Konoha Hospital that she had not finished handling, and later she still needed to continue processing documents.
Because Tsunade liked acting as a hands off manager, many responsibilities had ended up being pushed onto Shizune.
"It's almost time for dinner."
Shizune reminded them.
Then she returned to the kitchen and continued busily preparing the meal.
(End of Chapter)