Boom!
The Two-Tails spat a blue fireball straight at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara blurred, slipping aside and letting the blue flame streak past.
Even from here, I can feel how hot that fire is… he thought.
Among the Nine Tailed Beasts, the Two-Tails was arguably the most "special." It was like it had been sculpted out of flame itself—those blue fires were far hotter than ordinary Fire Release.
But Yugito won't be able to hold this for long.
As he evaded the Two-Tails' attacks, Kiyohara kept thinking.
If you hadn't truly reconciled with a tailed beast, its chakra was corrosive. When Naruto reached six tails, his skin had already been burned and eroded away in patches.
Right now, Yugito's whole body was probably trapped in a cycle of corrosion and regeneration.
A rampaging tailed beast and a tailed beast under a Jinchūriki's control were two completely different things.
This state felt more like a chakra riot than Matatabi fully "piloting" the body.
In the shinobi world, "perfect Jinchūriki" were extremely rare.
Across decades, only a handful had appeared. Setting aside Naruto—who hadn't even come into the world yet—and the Three-Tails already sealed inside Rin (and Yagura, who at the moment didn't even have a tailed beast),
There were really only four who could be called "perfect Jinchūriki."
Killer B was one.
Shukaku's Jinchūriki, Bunkichi (locked up in Suna's prison), counted as another.
The last two weren't even Jinchūriki in the usual sense—they were people so overwhelmingly strong that the tailed beasts simply didn't dare act up:
Uchiha Madara, and Senju Hashirama.
As for Yugito right now… she was still too green.
Even in the future, after harsh training, she might be able to draw on more of the Two-Tails' chakra—but she and Matatabi wouldn't be truly in sync. No resonance. No shared will.
Which meant…
An opportunity.
A thought flashed through Kiyohara's mind.
He glanced at Yugito—still wedged into the cliff face, wrapped in dark-red chakra. A tailed-beast rampage didn't mean the Jinchūriki was dead. If it was suppressed in time, Yugito could still be saved.
But suppression took time—and carried risks.
Kumo would have to divert manpower to deal with the rampaging Two-Tails.
That created the perfect window for Konoha to retreat.
As for Samui…
Kiyohara's gaze shifted to the blond girl slumped in the corner of the cave.
She was staring blankly at the Two-Tails' full form.
He'd already wrung enough information out of her.
Bringing her back as a prisoner wasn't that meaningful.
Samui's biggest value was simply that she was Killer B's disciple.
Letting her return to Kumogakure meant that the next time Kiyohara ran into her, he could use the Sharingan again—squeeze out fresh jutsu or intel.
In that cave, he'd already extracted three new techniques.
One of them was even a Kumo-only Lightning Release genjutsu, like Lightning Release: Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar.
Kiyohara looked back toward the Two-Tails.
Matatabi lowered its head and opened its massive jaws.
Black and dark-blue chakra gathered inside its mouth, compressing and rotating into a dense sphere.
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
Yin and Yang chakra mixed at a 2:8 ratio, compressed into an ultra-high-density orb.
Kiyohara made the call instantly—his feet lifted off the ground and he shot into the sky.
Almost at the exact moment he rose, the Two-Tails didn't aim at him.
It held the half-formed Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth… then spat it out fast.
Kiyohara had anticipated it and dodged early.
The Tailed Beast Bomb kept flying—and slammed into a mountain peak a full kilometer away.
A thunderous roar followed.
Then a blinding white flash, bright enough to leave you temporarily seeing nothing, lit the entire valley like noon.
The sound was so huge that even the battlefield ten kilometers away could hear it clearly.
A shockwave expanded in a ring from the impact point.
Everything in its path was erased.
Trees ripped out by the roots. Rocks ground to dust. The earth flipped over like a rug.
The struck mountain lost its entire upper half. What remained was laced with fractures, ready to collapse.
Dust and debris surged upward, forming a towering mushroom cloud that climbed slowly into the sky.
Kiyohara hovered hundreds of meters above, staring down.
So this was the power of a tailed beast…
Without flight, he couldn't have dodged that strike.
And if it had hit him head-on, even Steel Release plus Earth Spear's double hardening probably wouldn't have held.
The Two-Tails roared in rage at the miss.
It lifted its head, locking its mismatched eyes on Kiyohara in the air, and began forming another Tailed Beast Bomb.
But this time, something went wrong.
Halfway through gathering, the dark-red chakra destabilized.
The sphere's surface rippled violently, like two forces were fighting over control.
The Two-Tails let out a pained howl—its body spasmed.
Beneath the flowing blue flames, a humanoid outline was struggling.
Yugito.
She was trying to seize control again.
"Grrr… no… get… back…!"
Inside Matatabi's howl, Yugito's broken voice bled through in fragments.
Two wills collided inside one body.
The tailed beast wanted full release—total destruction.
The Jinchūriki was desperately suppressing it, clawing her way back to control.
In the end, the Tailed Beast Bomb fired—out of control.
But it missed its intended line.
Instead of flying toward Kiyohara, it veered into the sky and detonated high above, exploding into a brilliant bloom of fire.
Kiyohara watched and knew: now.
Let Kumogakure deal with their own rampaging Two-Tails.
The Raikage and Killer B would reach it soon enough—they'd handle it.
Kiyohara accelerated, and his figure vanished into the endless snowfields.
…
Meanwhile, at the main battlefield.
The Fourth Raikage, A, slammed Orochimaru back with one punch and moved to pursue—
Then he suddenly felt the terrifying chakra eruption in the distance.
He whipped his head toward the valley depths.
A dark-red pillar shot into the sky.
Then came the deafening explosion and the rising mushroom cloud.
"This feeling… the Two-Tails is out of control?!" A's face changed instantly.
As Raikage, he knew their two tailed beasts better than anyone.
That chakra was definitely the Two-Tails—and not in a normal, controlled state.
It was a rampage.
"Yugito's in trouble!" Killer B sensed it too. He stopped pressing Minato, pulled back his blades, and retreated fast.
"Bro—over there!"
"I know!"
A grit his teeth and cast one last glance over the battlefield.
Konoha's side—Minato and Orochimaru were worn, but still dangerous.
Hiashi and Hizashi were injured but still fighting, plus all those Konoha shinobi…
If they kept going, the outcome wasn't guaranteed.
More importantly—if Yugito truly rampaged and no one suppressed it in time, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Finding a suitable vessel for a tailed beast was never easy.
"Retreat!"
A decided instantly and issued the order.
"All Kumogakure shinobi—rally toward the Two-Tails' location! Priority: suppress the tailed-beast rampage!"
Kumo shinobi didn't understand—but they obeyed the Raikage without hesitation.
They disengaged in an organized withdrawal.
Minato and Orochimaru exchanged a look and didn't chase.
They'd felt it too—that violent, chaotic presence was unmistakable.
"Did Kiyohara make the Two-Tails lose control…?" Minato stared into the distance, unable to fully parse it.
Luring away a Jinchūriki and making them rampage…
What exactly had that kid done?
"Heh heh… Kiyohara-kun always has a way of surprising people," Orochimaru said. "Now Kumogakure has to split resources to deal with the rampaging Two-Tails. Our ambush achieved its purpose—stopping Kumo from pushing deeper into the Land of Fire."
Minato nodded. Orochimaru wasn't wrong.
"Objective achieved. Withdraw immediately—return to camp!"
There was no reason to get involved now.
If a Tailed Beast Bomb landed on their side mid-brawl, they'd lose a lot of people.
Even Flying Thunder God couldn't save everyone.
Konoha shinobi responded in unison and began withdrawing.
Hiashi glanced once at the direction of the rampage, then at where Kiyohara had disappeared, emotions churning.
As Hyūga clan head, he wanted his people to produce geniuses—
But the truth was, the Hyūga hadn't produced anyone on Kiyohara's level in a long time.
There were talented main-branch youths, sure… but compared to Kiyohara—
It wasn't even close.
He shook his head, pushed those thoughts down, and led Hizashi and the Hyūga with the retreating force.
"You all go on. I'll check on Kiyohara's side."
Minato spoke quietly.
If something happened to Kiyohara, he'd have no way to face Tsunade.
And Minato didn't want a talent like that dying young.
…
During Kumo's retreat, they hit an unexpected obstacle.
When they reached the valley where the Two-Tails was, they didn't find allies covering them—
They found indiscriminate slaughter.
The fully rampaging Two-Tails was being partially suppressed by Yugito, but it hadn't regained sanity.
It was still half-rampaging—hostile to anything that came near.
"ROAR!"
One swipe.
Three Kumo shinobi who couldn't dodge in time were smashed into pulp.
"Yugito-sama! It's us!"
Someone tried to call out.
The answer was a searing wave of blue flame.
"AAAH!"
The shinobi was swallowed whole—burned into charcoal.
"Scatter! Everyone, scatter!"
The Fourth Raikage roared. Lightning surged over his body as he became a blue bolt and charged the Two-Tails.
"B! With me!"
"Got it—yo~!"
Killer B followed, seven blades drawn again.
Brother and brother flanked the beast, trying to buy Yugito time to reclaim control.
Other Kumo shinobi tried to approach from the sides, but quickly realized the Two-Tails' attack range was too wide—and it didn't distinguish friend from foe.
Chaos spread through their ranks.
"Get the sealing unit here—now!"
A fought while watching the carnage, fury boiling in his chest.
But this wasn't the time to vent.
They had to suppress the Two-Tails fast, or the casualties would keep climbing.
And all of this…
Was because of that Konoha brat.
The Fourth Raikage's mind replayed Kiyohara's face—
The black-haired, red-eyed young shinobi who flew with Magnet Release and vanished into the horizon with Samui.
"Kiyohara…"
A ground the name out between his teeth.
He remembered it.
That kid had drawn Yugito away, triggered a Two-Tails rampage, forced Kumogakure to retreat, and caused massive losses.
If he was allowed to grow…
A had a bad feeling.
One day, that kid might become Kumogakure's greatest threat.
…
Konoha's front-line camp.
Medical shinobi hurried between tents, treating the wounded.
Logistics counted supplies, replacing what had been spent.
Sentinels patrolled the perimeter, wary of pursuit.
Kurenai and Rin sat on a rock at the edge of camp, both visibly restless.
"Kiyohara… he won't be hurt, right?"
Kurenai looked toward the valley again and again, worry in her eyes.
"He'll be fine. Minato-sensei went to find him," Rin said softly, but her hands unconsciously clenched.
"Kiyohara-kun is strong enough to lure a Jinchūriki away. He'll come back safely."
Even so, their worry didn't fade.
Drawing off a Jinchūriki was an extremely dangerous task.
And it had been so long—plus they'd heard the distant explosions.
They could imagine how brutal the fight had been.
Kakashi leaned against a tree nearby, eyes closed as if resting—
But the occasional flicker of his Sharingan gave him away.
He was worried too.
"Kiyohara… don't you dare die."
Just then, a commotion erupted at the camp's edge.
"What is that?"
"Up there—something's in the sky!"
"Enemy attack?!"
Kurenai, Rin, and Kakashi all looked up.
A black speck approached slowly from the distant sky.
As it drew closer, its outline sharpened.
A human figure.
Black hair whipping in the wind.
His flak vest was torn in places, but it didn't hide his handsome features.
"It's Kiyohara!"
Kurenai cried out, relief bursting through her voice.
Rin nodded quickly.
Kakashi exhaled, the corners of his mouth lifting.
Kiyohara descended and landed in the open area at the center of camp.
Aside from torn clothes and a slightly pale face, he looked fine.
Shinobi around him stared.
A flying technique…
In the shinobi world, people who could fly were vanishingly rare.
And now they'd seen it with their own eyes—a Konoha shinobi who could fly?
Shock. Awe. Confusion. Admiration.
It spread like ripples through the camp.
"H-Hell… what the hell is going on up there… cough cough…"
Asuma was leaning against the camp fence, trying his first cigarette.
He'd been under crushing pressure lately, and he'd heard some shinobi say this helped.
He'd just lit it, sneaking a pull—
Then saw Kiyohara drop from the sky and immediately choked, coughing nonstop.
Kurenai ran straight to Kiyohara.
Rin wanted to go too—but seeing Kurenai reach him first, she stopped.
She bit her lip lightly, watching the two of them, her thoughts unclear.
"Kiyohara—are you hurt?"
Kurenai asked.
Kiyohara shook his head.
On the way back, he'd actually run into Minato mid-flight.
Minato had been stunned by the flying technique—said he'd wanted to ask back on the battlefield but never had the chance.
After a few words, Minato went to scout the area, and Kiyohara returned alone.
"I'm fine. Chakra's a bit drained, but I'm not injured."
He glanced at them, then at Kakashi approaching.
"The Two-Tails rampaged. Kumo probably won't have the bandwidth to keep pressing our line."
One simple sentence—yet it stunned them all over again.
Lured off a Jinchūriki… and made them rampage…
No one would believe that if they hadn't seen Kiyohara himself standing here.
Just then, a voice came from behind the crowd.
"Move aside, move aside—what are you all doing here? Done with your tasks?"
The crowd parted.
Tsunade walked in, blond ponytail swaying.
As she walked, her slim waist carried an unmistakably heavy burden, and her chest shifted with each step.
She stopped in front of Kiyohara and sized him up.
"Looks like you didn't lose an arm or a leg. Not bad."
She checked him once, then slapped his shoulder—hard enough to make him stumble.
"Good job."
Only four words, but from Tsunade, it was a rare, high praise.
Hearing "good job" from her was worth more than a hundred compliments from anyone else.
Kiyohara steadied himself and smiled.
"Just got lucky."
"Don't give me that."
Tsunade snorted.
"Lure off a Jinchūriki and make them rampage—if that's luck, then everyone in the shinobi world should go buy lottery tickets."
She'd already heard what Kiyohara had done from the returning teams.
As she spoke, Tsunade paused, staring at him—then some thought flickered behind her eyes.
After the war, she'd definitely go gambling again.
And with her luck, debt was inevitable.
When creditors chased her down…
If Kiyohara could fly and carry her away, wouldn't that be convenient?
Of course, she didn't say it—she just mulled it over silently.
"Go to the medical tent and get checked. You look fine, but fights with a Jinchūriki can leave hidden damage. After that, rest. We've got another mission tomorrow."
She waved him off and walked away.
Kiyohara watched her back, then turned to Kurenai, Rin, Kakashi… and the Konoha shinobi watching him with admiration, envy, curiosity.
"Come on. Medical tent first. After that, I'll make dango for you."
"Really?"
Kurenai's eyes lit up.
She'd wanted to taste his cooking for ages.
"Of course."
…
Sun rose, moon fell.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed.
Today was the day the "Willbook" arrived.
Kiyohara stood in the snow, flakes collecting on his shoulders and back.
Crackle!
Blue lightning spread from within him, rapidly covering every inch of his skin.
A visible layer of pale-blue arcs danced across his body.
"These five days helped a lot. If I fight Yugito again with this, it'll be easy."
He raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
He could clearly feel his muscle fibers tighten under lightning stimulation—more resilient, sharper reaction speed.
Too bad it was temporary.
The moment he shut off Lightning Chakra Mode, the huge boost would vanish.
Still, constant stimulation like this strengthened the body over time.
He looked toward a boulder as tall as two people.
Its surface was coated in thick ice, shining in the sun.
He sank his hips, taking the most basic stance.
Boom!
His fist struck the rock.
Crack.
Fine fractures spread from the impact point, deepening and widening—
Rattle rattle!
The entire boulder shattered into fist-sized chunks, the ice layer exploding into glittering shards across the snow.
Kiyohara looked at his fist.
Only faint redness. Not even a broken skin.
"My control's improved a lot."
He nodded, satisfied.
The hardest part of Lightning Chakra Mode wasn't learning it—it was mastering it.
Balancing output and consumption.
Maintaining the boost without damaging your chakra network.
Keeping chakra stable at high speed…
All of it took endless practice.
And for these five days, aside from necessary guard duty, Kiyohara had spent almost all his time on it.
Of course, he hadn't neglected his other jutsu either.
He formed seals—this time lightning seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
A fist-sized blue sphere of electricity formed beside him, tiny arcs dancing on its surface.
It shot out and hit a dead tree thirty meters away.
Szzzt!
Electricity burst, blasting a charred crater into the trunk. The tree caught fire instantly, flames crawling upward.
"Not bad."
Kiyohara evaluated the result.
In these five days, he hadn't just improved Lightning Chakra Mode—he'd also practiced several Kumo lightning techniques he'd extracted from Samui.
They were mostly C- and D-rank jutsu, but paired with Lightning Chakra Mode, their power jumped noticeably.
More importantly, his understanding of lightning nature transformation deepened.
After training a bit more, Kiyohara exhaled.
He put his gear back on, checked his tools, and headed toward camp.
Training mattered, but not to the point of exhaustion.
The body needed rest. Chakra needed recovery.
Kurenai's birthday was coming up soon, and Kiyohara planned to look around for decent materials to weave her an anklet or bracelet.
…
Back at camp, he learned Tsunade was looking for him again.
So he went to Tsunade's tent.
When he entered, Tsunade stood in front of a map, arms crossed, brows slightly furrowed.
"Sensei."
"You're here."
Tsunade turned and pointed at a location on the map.
"Takigakure—near the border with the Land of Grass. Three days ago, our intel found traces there. Possible activity from Uzumaki descendants."
Kiyohara's heart jumped.
The Uzumaki clan—said to be wiped out.
Of course, from what Kiyohara knew, plenty had survived.
Karin's mother. Nagato. And in the anime, Uzumaki Honoka from the Land of Sea's Summoning Island.
After Uzushiogakure fell, the survivors scattered everywhere under false names.
Konoha had always wanted to find them—especially now.
Village barriers and tailed-beast sealing required stronger fuinjutsu knowledge, and the Uzumaki were masters of it.
"So you want me to check if it's real?" Kiyohara asked.
Tsunade nodded.
Their current front was near the Land of Iron, and the Land of Iron bordered Taki. Taki bordered Grass.
"I'm going too," Tsunade added, then looked at him.
"The Two-Tails seems to have injured the Fourth Raikage. Kumo's been quiet lately. Perfect timing to go take a look."
"I see." Kiyohara nodded. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. I'll take you, Shizune, and… Kurenai. Four-person team."
Tsunade handed him a scroll.
"No problem, Sensei. I'll notify them."
Kiyohara took the scroll and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Tsunade stopped him.
"What is it?" Kiyohara looked back.
"Two rounds. Same rules."
Tsunade pulled dice from her pocket, then a bottle of alcohol, and two cups.
The booze was for her; the other cup was water—if Kiyohara lost, he drank water.
For "fairness," the water cup was clearly much bigger than the alcohol cup.
There was no casino nearby. Tsunade was practically crawling out of her skin.
"…" Kiyohara felt like Tsunade had mastered the art of "drink and gamble under the sky—live one comfortable day at a time."
"Hm? You planning to disobey your teacher?"
Tsunade pretended to be angry, stepped closer, and ruffled his hair.
"Of course not."
Kiyohara looked at Tsunade's refined, beautiful face and slowly shook his head.
Gambling one-on-one with Tsunade?
He could win that with his eyes closed.
…
And sure enough—he was completely right.
Tsunade lost catastrophically.
Kiyohara didn't drink a single mouthful of plain water.
She finished an entire bottle of alcohol—straight into her stomach.
Her lips gleamed with a wet sheen, lines and texture clearly visible.
Kiyohara supported her as she leaned against his arm, her face flushed like a steaming peach.
Drunk, she insisted Kiyohara escort her back.
He had no choice but to agree.
But with Tsunade pressed against his arm as they walked, her pale skin flashed under the moonlight.
And… well.
Kiyohara could only say: "cheese sandwich."
Literally.
In the moonlight, he could even make out faint veins beneath the skin.
By the time he got Tsunade back to her tent, it was fully dark.
He tucked her in, called Shizune to watch over her, and also told her about tomorrow's mission.
"Thanks, Kiyohara."
Shizune looked at the drunken Tsunade and could only sigh.
Kiyohara nodded.
Then he went to find Kurenai and informed her about tomorrow's mission too.
After all that, he checked the time, returned alone to his tent—
And waited for the "Willbook."
Today was the final day.
[Please receive your Willbook and urn. Properly bury the remains and safeguard the belongings.]
A synthetic, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
A new future had arrived.
Kiyohara felt his excitement rise.
What kind of future would it be this time?
Every month, the moment he received the "Willbook" was the moment he looked forward to the most.
~~~
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