"I lost again."
Uchiha Shisui spoke suddenly and sheathed his blade.
At first it had only been his palm that was numb—now his whole arm felt tingly. Really, Kiyohara was Tsunade's student. That kind of strength was ridiculous.
When your raw power is that high, it gives you a huge edge in both taijutsu and swordplay. And if Kiyohara actually leaned into kenjutsu, Shisui knew his swordsmanship wouldn't be inferior to Shisui's.
"Your rate of improvement… it's insane," Shisui said, then gave a bitter smile. "And you barely even used Magnet Release. You've got that Magnet Release technique that can rip the air apart—crazy fast. That's what makes you truly dangerous. I know you still weren't anywhere near your limit."
The Sharingan in Kiyohara's eyes slowly faded back to ordinary black.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle really wasn't as fast as Magnet Release: Iron Sand Bullets. But if Shisui failed to react in time, Kiyohara would be killing him—so Kiyohara had no intention of using that move here.
He shook his head. "You've improved a lot too. I just happened to improve a little more."
Shisui sighed, but his eyes quickly brightened again. "Then I need to work even harder. At this rate I won't even be able to see your back. Sparring with you always makes me realize how many weaknesses I still have."
Kiyohara smiled and glanced at the Itachi under the tree, who still looked dazed.
"Itachi—did you catch anything?"
Itachi snapped back, inhaled sharply, nodded hard… then slowly shook his head.
"Kiyohara-senpai, Shisui-nii… you were too fast. There are a lot of details I still couldn't understand."
"Watching isn't enough." Shisui adjusted his breathing and turned to Itachi. "Itachi, come on—let's spar too. You need to feel the gap to move forward."
"Okay, Shisui-nii." Itachi immediately straightened up, walked into the field, faced Shisui, and raised a textbook opening stance.
But what happened next made Itachi freeze again.
The spar began. Itachi focused to the limit, eyes locked on Shisui's movements. He attacked first—
And Shisui's reactions were noticeably faster than usual.
"Too slow." Shisui's voice seemed to come from where he'd been standing, but his body was already at Itachi's side, a hand-blade lightly chopping down on the wrist holding Itachi's kunai.
Itachi's wrist went numb; the kunai nearly slipped.
He hurriedly retreated and began forming seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A small fireball shot out.
Shisui didn't even form a single seal. He just slid sideways and let the fireball pass, then closed the distance and lightly tapped two fingers against Itachi's ribs.
"Ugh!" Itachi grunted—his chakra flow hiccuped, and his body stiffened.
Shisui's hand was already on his shoulder.
"That's enough. We'll stop here." Shisui released him.
The whole exchange had been just two or three moves—only a few seconds.
Itachi stood there stiffly, stunned.
It's over?
That's it?
When he sparred with Shisui normally, he still lost, but he could last ten or twenty exchanges—sometimes he could even force Shisui to get a little serious.
So why today…?
He looked up at Shisui and saw Shisui still looked tense.
"Ah… sorry, Itachi." Shisui seemed to realize it then. He rubbed his forehead and gave an apologetic smile. "I'm still keyed up from fighting Kiyohara. I didn't rein myself in… I went too hard. Are you okay?"
So that was it.
Itachi understood instantly.
During their usual practice, Shisui had been deliberately controlling speed and power—guiding him, feeding him moves.
But today, after a fight on Kiyohara's level, Shisui's body and reflexes were still tuned to that high-performance "channel," and he'd unconsciously fought closer to real combat.
And that… was probably Shisui's true baseline—no, maybe not even all of it.
Then what about Kiyohara?
The shock hit Itachi like a wave.
He had always believed his own "capacity" was unique. He'd told himself Shisui and Kiyohara were only stronger because they were older.
But now he was thinking:
When I reach their age… will I really be stronger than them?
Itachi looked toward Kiyohara watching from the side. Kiyohara's expression was calm, as if that fierce duel had been nothing more than a warm-up.
This was the person who could suppress Shisui—who could push Shisui into a higher level without meaning to…
If heaven already gave birth to me, Uchiha Itachi… why did it also give birth to Kiyohara-senpai?
The thought flashed through him, bringing a sting of embarrassment.
Only now did he realize how much of a frog in a well he'd been.
Maybe Kiyohara and Shisui were just as strong at the same age—only they'd chosen to stay low-key.
"Alright," Kiyohara said. "That's enough training for today."
Time was about right—he still had to go collect his Anbu gear.
He waved goodbye to Shisui and Itachi.
And he noticed Itachi didn't look so good.
But it made sense. At the end of the day, Itachi was arrogant—always talking about "capacity," acting like his ideals could sit above the entire clan. And he'd never really interacted with ordinary Uchiha civilians who weren't shinobi.
Seeing someone far stronger than him would absolutely make him question everything.
If he couldn't even handle that, then all his "talent" would be a joke.
And it wasn't just Kiyohara's effort—this was the effort of multiple future Kiyoharas stacked together.
" Itachi, what's wrong?" After Kiyohara left, Shisui noticed Itachi's expression.
"It's nothing." Itachi shook his head.
He was just thinking maybe it was time to raise his training volume again.
…
By the time Kiyohara got home, it was already 12:30 PM.
He quickly rinsed off sweat and dust and changed into a clean, dark-blue casual shinobi outfit.
In front of the mirror, he checked his condition carefully. His features were sharper than a few months ago, and the last traces of childishness had faded from his eyes.
The two-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated in the reflection.
He decided he would reveal the three-tomoe soon.
Once he entered Anbu and received his next mission, it would be the perfect timing.
As for the excuse—easy.
"Protecting comrades," and so on. It even made him sound like he had the purest Will of Fire imaginable.
No one understood the Will of Fire better than Kiyohara.
He packed his ninja pouch, tucked away the sealing scroll Kushina gave him, and checked the clock: 1:40 PM.
Time to go.
Anbu—short for "Special Assassination and Tactical Squad"—was the Hokage's personal elite unit.
Members usually wore animal masks and used code names, carrying out the most dangerous and most secret missions.
Joining Anbu meant stepping into Konoha's power core—and stepping away from life under the sun.
That said, Anbu did allow retirement, and most people who climbed into higher leadership roles had Anbu service on their record.
Only someone as… uniquely intense as Might Guy had been repeatedly rejected by both Hiruzen and Danzo—strong enough, but still unable to enter Anbu or Root.
Kiyohara crossed Konoha's shopping streets and headed for the Hokage building in the village center.
He entered through the front lobby, showed his orders to the on-duty chūnin, and was guided to the entrance for the underground level.
It was an unremarkable iron door set into the wall on the side of the lobby—easy to miss unless you were looking for it.
Two masked Anbu stood guard. Even at rest, their chakra pressure was clearly jōnin-level.
"Identification," the left Anbu said.
"Kiyohara. Reporting in." Kiyohara handed over his orders.
The Anbu checked the Hokage seal and Anbu-specific cipher, then used some kind of technique to verify authenticity.
The whole process took about a minute. Both guards stayed on high alert the entire time.
"Clear." The Anbu returned the paper and opened the iron door. "Straight to the end. Third door on the left. Supply desk."
"Thank you."
Kiyohara stepped into the corridor beyond.
The lighting was dim. The walls were raw stone. The air carried a faint mix of disinfectant and iron.
Iron doors lined both sides—no labels, only numbers.
He could sense sealing formulas embedded into the walls—likely soundproofing and anti-surveillance barriers.
Every ten meters or so, a tiny viewing hole was hidden in the ceiling corners, carefully disguised.
He reached the end, turned left, and stopped at the third door. He knocked.
"Enter," a hoarse voice replied.
Inside was a small room—about twenty square meters. Three walls were lined with shelves filled with neatly arranged equipment:
Masks. Uniforms. Tools. Scrolls. Swords.
A long table sat in the center. Behind it was an Anbu in a tanuki mask, head down, organizing paperwork.
"Orders," the tanuki Anbu said without looking up.
Kiyohara handed them over again.
This time the check was faster. The tanuki Anbu glanced once, then pulled out a sealing scroll from under the table and released it.
Pop.
A full set of Anbu gear appeared on the tabletop.
"Standard kit. Two Anbu uniforms. One animal mask. One standard tool pouch: two kunai, ten shuriken, three wire spools…" The tanuki Anbu rattled it off like they'd done this a thousand times.
"Try on mask and uniform now. Confirm fit, then sign for it. If anything's wrong, say so now."
Kiyohara picked up the uniform: a black tight combat suit with a gray vest. The material was tougher than standard shinobi cloth and faintly chakra-conductive.
He changed behind a screen in the corner.
It fit perfectly—like it had been tailored. Not surprising. Anbu could get his measurements easily.
His mask was fox-shaped, marked in black patterns—like a fox lurking in darkness.
And his code name matched the future Anbu Kiyohara's:
Night Fox.
Fully geared, he stepped out.
"Fits," he said; his voice came out slightly muffled through the mask.
The tanuki Anbu nodded and handed him a scroll.
"Anbu basic rules. Memorize tonight. Burn it tomorrow."
Kiyohara took it and turned to leave—
Just as the door opened again.
Another figure walked in, also in Anbu uniform and an animal mask.
But the silver hair and familiar build gave him away instantly.
Kakashi.
They looked at each other. Even through masks, the recognition was immediate.
"Supply pickup?" the tanuki Anbu repeated the routine.
Kakashi nodded and presented his orders.
While Kakashi tried on gear, Kiyohara stepped into the next room.
About ten minutes later, Kakashi came in too.
"Kiyohara." Kakashi removed his mask and greeted him. His mask had cat-like ears, white with red markings—like a cat.
"We both got assigned to Squad Six. Pretty lucky."
Kiyohara gave a small nod.
They were both waiting for their first mission assignment.
Not long after, Anbu Squad Six's leader arrived and gave them their first task:
Investigate an orphanage.
A week earlier, unknown assailants attacked, lightly injuring two staff members and damaging part of the building.
And a child had been kidnapped.
Because this orphanage had received Konoha funding, Anbu was being dispatched to investigate.
Kiyohara immediately realized: Danzo was behind it.
In canon, Danzo used pressure like this to force Yakushi Nono back into the field.
His methods included attacking orphans and siphoning "aid money"—
All done secretly, behind Hiruzen's back.
The mission was set to depart tomorrow.
After the squad leader left, only Kiyohara and Kakashi remained.
"Looks like this is our first mission," Kakashi said.
"Yeah," Kiyohara replied.
But Kiyohara was already thinking about something else.
Yakushi Nono and Kabuto… both were rare talents.
With something like the Ketsuryūgan in his possession, Kiyohara wanted to outsource some research.
Pay Nono to investigate; he'd provide the money.
And Kabuto could be trained too—another valuable technical mind.
A bit of cash to gain two top-tier talents was a bargain.
The condition was simple: deal with Danzo.
For that, Kiyohara already had a solution.
Kill one, kill another.
Root had experts, sure—but someone stronger than Kiyohara? He didn't think so.
Ignoring Orochimaru, elites like Aburame Tatsuma, Yamanaka Fū, and Aburame Torune were all neatly countered by Kiyohara's kit.
Their insects and poisons couldn't pierce his Steel Release plus Earth Spear defense, and Yamanaka Fū's Yin Release secret technique took far longer to activate than a Sharingan glare.
Yamanaka techniques required seals and focus, and could be dodged.
Sharingan genjutsu was instant.
"Let's go," Kiyohara said.
He'd earned plenty back in the Land of Grass. Enough to build a small lab.
As long as he didn't buy expensive instruments, the initial investment wasn't too insane.
A few million ryō—he could afford it.
He'd even paid off his loans.
Recently, he'd considered taking a high-interest loan, too—his personal credit was far better than Tsunade's infamous "black record."
"Okay." Kakashi quickly followed.
They split midway. Kiyohara didn't go home—he headed in another direction, toward Orochimaru's lab.
…
Orochimaru's laboratory always made Kiyohara think of something organic—like the inside of a creature.
Pipes and containers lined the walls; preserved tissues floated in jars.
Workbenches were stacked with instruments and scrolls; some machines hummed softly.
In one corner stood several incubation tanks with shadowy shapes drifting inside.
Orochimaru's shadow clone stood at the central bench, back to the door, peering into a microscope.
"You're here, Kiyohara-kun," Orochimaru said. "I heard you reported to Anbu today. Congratulations."
At his level, Anbu information was basically transparent.
"It's just another assignment," Kiyohara said, stepping beside the workbench.
Orochimaru finally looked up. Golden slit pupils turned to Kiyohara, and his lips curled into a knowing smile.
"Anbu isn't just a place that runs missions," he said softly. "It's Konoha's darkest corner… and also the place closest to the truth."
Kiyohara didn't respond. He looked instead at the specimen on the table.
A small patch of skin tissue, its cells dividing with abnormal vigor under the scope.
"What is this?" Kiyohara asked.
At the mention of research, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
"Hehe… you know about natural energy, don't you? So I wondered…" His voice sharpened with excitement. "What if you inject natural energy directly into a human body?"
Whenever Orochimaru had a window to return to the village from the front lines, he came straight back here to research.
Kiyohara instantly understood: Orochimaru was experimenting toward the Curse Mark.
And in this department, Kiyohara was already leagues ahead.
Once he completed his second wish, he'd gain results that took Orochimaru more than a decade of grueling research.
Even the seal Orochimaru planted on Anko before defecting was still a crude prototype—no Stage One, no Stage Two.
Just basic chakra injection and control.
"This is Test Subject Seventy-Three," Orochimaru said, tapping an incubation tank. "I diluted natural energy and mixed it with chakra, then injected it through a specialized mark. Want to guess what happened?"
Kiyohara looked at the white mouse inside.
Its eyes were red, pupils vertical. Tiny scales patterned its skin, and its tail was thicker and longer than normal.
"It developed some snake traits," Kiyohara said.
"Not just traits." Orochimaru's voice trembled with fascination. "Strength, speed, recovery—up over fivefold. It even gained resistance to toxins."
"Of course, the tradeoff is its lifespan dropped to a tenth… and it shows occasional violent instability."
He pressed a button on the console. Pale yellow gas vented into the tank.
The mouse convulsed, the mark on its back flickering. Seconds later, its body swelled, skin split, bones warped—
Pop.
The mouse exploded into a cloud of blood, splattering the tank's inner wall.
Orochimaru didn't blink.
"Stability remains the biggest problem," he said. "Natural energy is too violent. Ordinary bodies can't bear it. I need a stronger vessel… or a better method of control."
Kiyohara understood.
This was the embryo of what later became Orochimaru's Curse Mark system.
Its core was using Jūgo's cellular compatibility as a medium to stabilize natural energy, then distributing it via a seal.
"I see." Kiyohara nodded.
He was here mainly to fulfill his "assistant" duties. Orochimaru rarely returned—this time it just happened he'd come back with a unit, so Kakashi and Rin could be recalled too.
Otherwise, they would've stayed at the front longer before returning for reinforcement checks.
Rin's seal hadn't loosened; this was just precaution.
After finishing work here, Kiyohara obtained another dose of White Snake Power.
He'd already taken it once, so it wouldn't help him anymore.
He grabbed it to give to Kurenai or Rin.
Naturally, he told Orochimaru he wanted it "for research."
Orochimaru didn't refuse—large-scale experimentation was unavoidable if you wanted to refine and optimize.
Kurenai and Rin should both benefit from White Snake Power, Kiyohara thought.
After leaving the lab, he split the White Snake Power into two.
Kiyohara could handle a full dose, but that didn't mean Kurenai or Rin could. So he prepared weakened versions.
This had always been his plan.
Rin, as a medic, would gain a lot—better healing, more vitality, stronger self-recovery, higher survival odds.
Kurenai, even as a genjutsu specialist, would benefit from improved physique and chakra reserves, which would enhance her future potential.
Strengthening allies was strengthening himself.
In the future, Kiyohara couldn't do everything alone.
He wanted a foundation—people he could delegate to.
Efficiency mattered.
Doing everything solo was a waste of time.
Later, he'd see if he could get something for Kakashi too.
But he doubted any of them could withstand the full White Snake Power—only partial reinforcement.
If Kakashi gets it, I hope he develops Purple Lightning early so I can copy it, Kiyohara mused.
Then he remembered something else.
Kurenai's birthday is coming up.
He recalled it was close to Itachi's birthday—Itachi was on the 9th.
Kurenai's was on the 11th of this month.
~~~
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