The moment Kiyohara raised his right hand, his palm aimed straight at the incoming repulsive force.
The Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly in his eyes.
Amenominakanushi!
An invisible force of repulsion burst out.
The two powers collided in midair!
Boom!
It was as if two unseen masses had slammed violently into each other.
Konan couldn't see it clearly, but she could see the repulsive force stirring up dust and smoke.
From a distance, it looked like two clouds of mist were locked in a power struggle.
The entire clearing trembled in that instant!
A moment later, the shockwave swept outward in all directions. Trees standing too close were torn out by the roots, dirt were hurled into the sky, and cracks spread across the ground from the point of impact!
And yet Kiyohara didn't move an inch.
He stood there firmly, not retreating even half a step.
The repulsive force simply dispersed into nothing in front of him.
The Deva Path frowned slightly.
"…Interesting."
Behind it, Nagato was no longer sure what to make of the situation.
What was going on?
Kiyohara could actually neutralize Shinra Tensei?
Wasn't that supposed to be an ability unique to the Rinnegan?
This was the first time Nagato had ever seen someone use a technique similar to his own.
At that thought, he increased the rate at which he extracted chakra from every cell in his body.
A sharp pain slowly began to fill him.
Nagato frowned.
As expected, he had used his power too much recently.
Besides consolidating control over the Land of Rain, he had also been meeting with members of Akatsuki, traveling to other countries, and recruiting capable people.
That was one of the major reasons he and Yahiko had fallen into such a serious disagreement.
Once he had extracted enough chakra, Nagato pushed even more power into Shinra Tensei.
Shinra Tensei!
An even stronger wave of repulsive force spread from his palm.
This time, the strength of that force had increased several times over!
It struck at Kiyohara like an invisible giant hammer!
Kiyohara still stood where he was.
He didn't use Amenominakanushi again.
He had only wanted to see what would happen when one ocular technique met another. Until he fully overcame the Mangekyō's limitations, he wasn't going to use it too many times.
"Uchiha Flame Formation!"
Kiyohara raised his right hand and pressed it to the ground.
Boom!
A crimson line of chakra-fire rushed from his fingertips and raced across the ground, drawing a massive circular pattern in the blink of an eye!
A fiery red barrier rose from the earth.
It took the shape of a giant cylindrical wall made entirely of blazing flames, dozens of meters high, surrounding Kiyohara completely.
Fire flowed across its surface, and the air itself warped under the intense heat.
Shinra Tensei's repulsive force slammed into that wall of fire!
Boom!
The entire barrier shook violently!
Flames exploded outward in every direction, and cracks spread across the surface like glass on the verge of shattering.
The instant those cracks appeared, Kiyohara poured even more chakra into it.
The fractures began to heal, and the flames gathered themselves again.
Within only a few breaths, the barrier had completely restored itself.
It stood there firmly, blocking the repulsive force that could have flattened everything in its path.
The Deva Path narrowed its eyes slightly.
The force of Shinra Tensei increased again!
The fiery barrier trembled even more violently, and cracks began spreading faster.
But Kiyohara's chakra continued pouring in without pause.
The cracks healed just as quickly as the barrier broke apart.
The two sides reached a stalemate.
Fire and repulsive force clashed violently above the clearing, eventually producing visible rings of shockwaves.
Nagato brought both hands together and coughed up blood.
"Nagato, enough!"
Seeing that, Konan immediately tried to stop him.
"Your body—"
Nagato ignored her as he controlled the Deva Path. His real body was gasping heavily for breath.
Sweat poured off him like rain.
But he didn't stop.
He wanted to know.
He wanted to know just how strong Kiyohara really was now.
Then Nagato coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"Cough!"
A mist of blood burst into the air, staining the wheelchair's armrest red.
Because his chakra was interrupted, the Deva Path's movements froze at once.
The repulsive force in the air vanished without a trace.
"Nagato!"
Konan instantly appeared at his side.
"Don't keep fighting,"
she urged.
Nagato wiped the blood from himself.
Then he looked toward Kiyohara in the distance.
With a wave of his hand, Kiyohara dispelled the crimson barrier.
The rotating Mangekyō pattern in his eyes faded back into three tomoe, then finally returned to ordinary black pupils.
"Let's stop here… for today."
Nagato had the Animal Path cancel the summonings.
The hellhounds still fighting Tagitsuhime suddenly turned into puffs of white smoke and disappeared.
"So the summoning was released?"
Tagitsuhime also returned to human form. Looking into the distance, she saw that Kiyohara and the Pains had stopped fighting.
Seeing that, she headed back toward him.
A moment later, that graceful figure appeared once more at Kiyohara's side.
"Thanks for that, Tagitsuhime,"
Kiyohara said.
She glanced at him.
"It was nothing. I haven't stretched my body like that in a long time."
"Just don't use me as hired muscle next time."
Tagitsuhime shook her head.
"The White Snake Sage wants to know when you're coming to Ryūchi Cave."
She parted her red lips slightly as she spoke.
"I'll make time to go,"
Kiyohara said. He really had been busy lately.
Once she got that answer, Tagitsuhime didn't linger.
After saying goodbye to Kiyohara, she vanished into a puff of white smoke and returned to Ryūchi Cave.
"Then Konan can leave with me for now,"
Kiyohara said, looking at Nagato.
Nagato nodded and told Konan to stay safe.
A few days later.
Near Kikyo Mountain in the Land of Fire.
Kiyohara stopped walking and looked at the building hidden among the trees in the distance.
An orphanage.
Guren stood beside him, tilting her head up as she looked at the unfamiliar building.
"Lord Kiyohara…"
she asked softly.
"What is this place?"
Kiyohara lowered his gaze to her.
"An orphanage,"
he said.
"Am I going to live here from now on?"
Guren asked, confused.
Thinking about it carefully, she supposed she really was an orphan.
"No. You're coming back to Konoha. I just have business here first,"
Kiyohara explained.
At Guren's age, she was already old enough for the Ninja Academy.
The reason he had come here was because he wanted to see Nonō Yakushi.
Kiyohara reached out and ruffled her little head.
"Come on."
The group headed toward the orphanage.
Konan curiously looked around at everything.
As soon as they reached the entrance, a small figure came running out of the yard.
"Lord Kiyohara!"
Kabuto Yakushi immediately greeted him the moment he saw him.
He still wore his round glasses, with a smile on his face.
Kabuto stopped in front of Kiyohara and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Kiyohara, you're here!"
Kiyohara gave a slight nod.
"How have things been lately?"
"Very well!"
Kabuto nodded eagerly.
"The Dean has taught me a lot, and I've also been researching a few things on my own…"
As he spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted to the people behind Kiyohara.
The girl holding Nohara Rin's hand.
Blue hair, a thin face, and a trace of wariness in what had once been empty eyes.
Kabuto blinked.
"She is…?"
"Guren,"
Kiyohara said flatly.
Kabuto nodded and gave Guren a friendly smile.
"Hello, I'm Kabuto Yakushi."
Guren only looked at him in silence.
Her eyes were still guarded.
Kabuto's smile stiffened slightly.
He didn't know why, but the moment he saw this girl, an uncomfortable feeling rose up inside him.
As if the two of them were just naturally incompatible.
He shook his head and forced the strange thought aside.
"The Dean is inside."
He stepped aside.
"I'll show you in."
Kiyohara nodded and walked into the yard.
He had noticed the tension between Guren and Kabuto too.
Even in the original story, the two of them had never gotten along. If not for Orochimaru, they would have started fighting ages ago.
But with Kiyohara keeping them in line now, nothing would happen.
Inside the orphanage, the children were playing in the yard.
The moment they saw Kiyohara walk in, they all stopped what they were doing and waved.
"Lord Kiyohara!"
"Lord Kiyohara is here!"
"Hello, Lord Kiyohara!"
Kiyohara nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
The children's attention quickly shifted to Guren and Konan behind him.
All those eyes landing on her at once made Guren shrink uneasily behind Rin.
Rin tightened her grip on her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Don't be afraid."
"They're all very kind."
Guren nodded, but didn't step out from behind her.
Just then, a figure came out of the building.
Nonō Yakushi.
She was wearing that thick black nun's habit.
"Kiyohara-kun."
She walked over to him, her gaze landing on Guren and Konan behind him.
"These are…?"
Nonō had no particular interest in the grown-up Konan. The one she cared about was Guren, who looked about the same age as Kabuto.
"Her name is Guren,"
Kiyohara said.
Nonō crouched down so she was eye level with Guren.
"Hello, Guren."
Her voice was gentle.
"My name is Nonō Yakushi. I'm the Dean here. From now on, you can call me Dean Nonō."
Guren looked at her without saying anything.
But the wariness in her eyes gradually eased a little.
Nonō didn't mind. She simply smiled, then stood again and looked at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara gave her a brief explanation of Guren's situation, and only then did Nonō fully understand.
Truthfully, Guren's case wasn't unusual here. Many of the children in the orphanage had been taken in under similar circumstances.
Kabuto was one of them too.
His village had also been destroyed, and he himself had lost his memory.
That was why Nonō had been the one to give Kabuto his name.
Kiyohara reached into his clothes and pulled out a sealing scroll, handing it to Nonō.
"This is the research budget for the next while."
Nonō accepted the scroll and opened it. Inside were thick stacks of banknotes.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"This… this much?"
"Use it for now,"
Kiyohara said calmly.
"If it's not enough, come back to me."
Nonō looked at him as if she wanted to say something.
In the end, she only nodded.
"I understand."
That night.
In one of the orphanage rooms, Guren sat alone on the edge of the bed.
She had already bathed and changed into clean sleepwear.
Her hair was still damp, hanging loose over her shoulders and soaking the collar.
There was a dazed look on her small face.
Everything that had happened recently felt like a dream.
A clean house. Soft bedding. Hot meals. People smiling kindly at her…
She lowered her head and looked at her hands.
They were no longer filthy, no longer covered in wounds.
Now they were pale and clean.
She slowly clenched her fist.
The door opened.
Kiyohara walked in.
Guren looked up at him.
"Lord Kiyohara…"
Kiyohara walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Do you know how to refine chakra?"
Guren froze for a moment, then shook her head.
"No."
Kiyohara nodded.
"I'll teach you."
He raised a hand and pointed toward his own heart.
"The largest chakra pathway system is here, so if you train in elemental techniques in the future, your chakra will need to pass through here for conversion."
Then he began explaining to Guren how chakra was refined.
He pressed one finger lightly against her abdomen.
"This is the easiest place to begin refining chakra,"
he said.
Guren seemed to understand a little.
Then Kiyohara added,
"Close your eyes and feel it."
Guren obediently closed her eyes.
She could feel the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of her sleepwear, forming a warm point against her stomach.
Then that point began to heat up.
And finally, something started to flow out from there!
It was a kind of power she had never felt before.
It moved along some path inside her body, spreading through every limb and bone.
Guren opened her eyes.
Almost instinctively, she lifted a hand.
In the center of her palm, a pink crystal was slowly taking shape.
The crystal was perfectly clear, sparkling with tiny points of light, its edges sharp and beautiful, like a blooming crystal flower.
Crystal Release.
Guren stared blankly at the flower, her eyes full of disbelief.
She could not believe she had made it herself.
"This is…"
"Crystal Release,"
Kiyohara said from beside her.
He stroked his chin.
Even he hadn't expected Guren to unconsciously use Crystal Release the very first time she refined chakra.
That only confirmed it—her natural talent for Crystal Release was genuinely excellent.
It made Kiyohara think of Haku from the Land of Water, and he found himself wondering whether one day he should bring Haku over too.
After all, Haku was also an Ice Release prodigy. Letting someone like that keep wandering around with Momochi Zabuza would be a waste.
"What is Crystal Release?"
Guren looked from the pink crystal in her hand back to Kiyohara.
"It's your kekkei genkai."
Guren looked up at him.
"Kekkei genkai…"
The term still sounded unfamiliar to her.
Seeing that, Kiyohara explained that it was a very rare kind of power possessed by only a small number of shinobi.
He took the crystal flower from her and held it under the lamp to examine it.
Light passed through the crystal, casting colorful reflections across the wall.
"Train well. It'll become your strongest weapon."
Kiyohara felt that Crystal Release was actually a very powerful kekkei genkai.
It was formed from water- and wind-nature chakra.
Its user could instantly crystallize any enemy or object they touched, and if the crystal shattered, whatever or whoever was trapped inside would shatter along with it.
The biggest weakness of Crystal Release, unfortunately, was sound-based attacks.
If Guren ever fought someone like Kurenai, who also understood sound-based techniques, it would be a very difficult match.
"Can… can I become strong?"
"Strong enough… that no one can bully me anymore?"
Guren asked.
Kiyohara lowered his head and looked at her.
"Of course you can."
He smiled faintly.
Shinobi who used sound-based attacks were rare. At minimum, Guren was headed for jōnin-level strength in the future.
"Get some rest."
Kiyohara stood up and headed for the door.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to train."
Guren nodded.
"Mm!"
Kiyohara pushed the door open and left.
Now Guren was alone in the room again.
She lowered her head and looked at her palm.
The sensation of that crystal flower still seemed to linger there.
She slowly clenched her fist.
"Crystal Release…"
"I'm going to… become stronger."
After taking only a few steps outside, Kiyohara ran into Nonō Yakushi.
She was standing at the corner, as if she had been waiting for him.
"Kiyohara-kun,"
she said softly.
"That child… is very special."
Kiyohara nodded.
"She has the Crystal Release kekkei genkai."
Nonō's eyes widened slightly.
"Crystal Release?"
"Yeah."
Kiyohara looked at her.
"How are the experiments going lately?"
He was asking about the research he had entrusted to Kabuto and Nonō.
"The progress has been very smooth. We cloned another batch of Samehada, and then…"
Nonō began reporting their progress to him.
Kiyohara listened for a while and felt it was moving even faster than he had expected.
Later, on the orphanage rooftop.
After their conversation ended, Kiyohara climbed up to the roof.
The night wind blew past, carrying the fresh scent of the mountains.
He stood there, looking out at the night sky in the distance.
What Kiyohara was thinking about was how to get his hands on The Warring States Sealing History.
It recorded many sealing techniques, so there was no way it would be handed over to him easily.
Unless he became Hokage, or at least someone with major power directly under the Hokage.
"Mm… the final selection should be coming soon,"
Kiyohara thought to himself.
The Hokage candidates had already been named. The choice of the real Hokage should happen very soon.
Kiyohara considered his own chances pretty good.
As far as he was concerned, there was only one true rival in this competition: Minato Namikaze.
As for Orochimaru, he was just there to round out the race.
Kiyohara didn't believe Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely unaware of the things Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura had been doing.
He even knew something about Yamato's existence.
So how could he possibly not know what Orochimaru and Danzo had been doing in secret?
What Hiruzen had failed to realize was that Orochimaru's experiments had gone much further than he imagined. Human experimentation had practically become routine.
As Kiyohara was thinking, he heard soft footsteps behind him.
Turning around, he saw Nohara Rin.
She walked over and stopped at his side.
Then she lifted her head too and looked at the full moon.
"Kiyohara-kun,"
she said softly.
"Mm?"
"What do you think… is on the moon?"
Kiyohara turned his head to look at her.
Moonlight washed over her face, illuminating her delicate features.
That full moon was reflected in her brown eyes.
"Want to know?"
Kiyohara asked.
"I wonder if the moon is really like it is in the myths,"
Rin said, curious.
"If we get the chance, I'll take you up there."
Kiyohara shook his head slightly.
To this day, the passage connecting Earth and the moon still exists.
Anyone who went through it could instantly cross more than three hundred thousand kilometers and reach the moon.
That was the contingency left behind by Hamura Ōtsutsuki.
After all, even the Ōtsutsuki living on the moon couldn't casually cross that kind of distance through ninjutsu or taijutsu alone.
"Hamura Ōtsutsuki's chakra…"
Kiyohara touched the area around his eyes.
If he reached the moon and obtained that chakra, he might be able to begin nurturing the Tenseigan.
Of course, that was still extremely difficult.
"Take me there?"
Rin laughed softly, clearly thinking Kiyohara was only telling a story.
The moon—how could anyone possibly get there?