At the same time, in Konoha, inside the Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen stood before the window, an urgent report from the front lines clenched in his hand, the ember of his pipe flickering on and off between his lips.
Just moments ago, a meeting had already been held in the conference room.
The main topic of discussion was the sudden change that had occurred along the border of the Land of Grass.
As for how to deal with the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, the matter had to be handled with extreme caution.
After careful deliberation, they ultimately decided to first have the Sealing Team temporarily reinforce the seal on Nohara Rin.
After that, she would be brought back to Konoha, where Kushina would personally use the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques to strengthen it once more.
As the only surviving Uzumaki clanswoman in Konoha, Kushina's sealing abilities were clearly superior to those of others.
Not to mention that she also possessed abilities that could only be used by those who inherited the Uzumaki bloodline, such as the "Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Once the primary matters were settled, the remaining topic turned to Kiyohara's Sharingan.
"The Sharingan…"
He murmured softly to himself, exhaling a ring of smoke.
Hiruzen was no stranger to Kiyohara.
This young man was exceptionally talented, steady of temperament, and had stood out among his peers.
After graduating, he had grown rapidly during the Shinobi World War, and more recently had even revealed the Magnet Release bloodline limit, earning him a place on the list of individuals under close observation.
Hiruzen's original plan had been to cultivate Kiyohara into an elite member of the Hokage's ANBU squad—a young shinobi with a clean background, outstanding talent, and orthodox education in the Will of Fire, precisely the kind of fresh blood ANBU needed.
He had even drafted the transfer order already, waiting only for Kiyohara to return from the front lines before formally recruiting him.
But now, the appearance of the Sharingan had disrupted everything.
"So… Uchiha blood, huh…"
Hiruzen walked back to his desk and took Kiyohara's file out of the drawer.
Both parents: ordinary shinobi, killed in action during a mission.
The file was clean—too clean.
There were two possible explanations.
The first was that Kiyohara's parents were indeed members of the Uchiha clan, but for certain reasons had concealed their identities and operated under the guise of ordinary shinobi.
The second was that Kiyohara's bloodline traced back to a much earlier ancestor—perhaps during the Uchiha clan's migrations and dispersals, some clan members had been scattered outside, married outsiders, and after several generations, the bloodline had only now coincidentally reawakened in Kiyohara's generation.
Either way, it meant that Kiyohara had an unbreakable blood connection to the Uchiha clan.
And because of this, even if ANBU were sent to investigate, there would be nowhere to start.
Before the village was founded, who knew what the situation had been like?
Each major clan had fought on its own, until the concept of the "village" emerged, allowing clans and civilians alike to band together for mutual survival.
"This is troublesome…"
Hiruzen rubbed his temples.
The relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village had always been delicate.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha had jointly founded Konoha, but Madara's defection and the Battle at the Valley of the End had planted the seeds of suspicion between the two clans.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, established the Konoha Military Police Force and placed it entirely under Uchiha control. On the surface, this seemed like granting authority, but in reality it isolated the Uchiha from the village's core decision-making circle.
By the time of Hiruzen's generation, the rift between the Uchiha and the village had only deepened.
The power of the police force was continuously diluted, and the Uchiha clan's political standing within the village became increasingly marginalized.
Voices from radical factions within the clan grew louder, calling for "the restoration of Uchiha glory," and conflicts between the Police Force and ANBU occurred from time to time.
As Hokage, Hiruzen understood very well how important the Uchiha clan's formidable combat strength was to Konoha.
The Sharingan was a terrifying force on the battlefield, and the proportion of jonin within the Uchiha clan far exceeded that of other clans.
But at the same time, he was wary of Uchiha power.
And the Uchiha clan truly was capable of rebellion.
After Madara defected, he had attempted several times to invade Konoha, only to be suppressed by Hashirama.
Another well-known hawkish figure, Setsuna Uchiha, was also a representative example. Believing himself to have inherited Madara's will, he had advocated reclaiming clan sovereignty through force as early as the Second Hokage's era, secretly inciting rebellion.
In the end, Setsuna Uchiha was captured by ANBU members dispatched by the Second Hokage and imprisoned, only being released in recent years.
Thus, even Hiruzen found these lingering political issues deeply headache-inducing.
"If only there were a bridge…"
Hiruzen's gaze returned to Kiyohara's name.
This young man possessed Uchiha bloodline, yet had grown up entirely within Konoha's system, receiving the most orthodox education in the Will of Fire.
If Kiyohara could identify with the village's ideals, and at the same time be accepted by the Uchiha clan…
Then perhaps he could become a link between the village and the Uchiha.
A key figure with influence within the Uchiha clan while remaining loyal to the village—someone who could ease tensions on both sides, or even guide the Uchiha clan back into Konoha's collective.
This would be far more sophisticated than simple suppression or confrontation.
His old friend, Kagami Uchiha, had once been such a person.
It was just a pity that he had died young.
Hiruzen knocked the ash from his pipe and made his decision.
He summoned ANBU.
"Transmit the order to the Land of Grass front lines. Have Kiyohara's squad return together with Kakashi's squad. They are to be escorted back by ANBU personally."
"Yes."
The ANBU vanished in a flash.
Hiruzen sat back down in his chair and looked out the window at the Hokage Rock.
In the entire Hokage's office, the only sound was the soft tapping of his pipe as he smoked.
...
At the same time, within the Uchiha clan compound.
The clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, sat in his room, holding a briefing that had been delivered directly from the Hokage's office.
The contents of the report were largely identical to what Hiruzen had seen, with particular emphasis placed on the information that Kiyohara had awakened the Sharingan.
Fugaku's expression remained as serious as ever, his brows knitting slightly.
"Kiyohara… that kid with the Magnet Release bloodline?"
He muttered softly.
Fugaku had heard of Kiyohara before.
Recently, he had been active on the battlefield, displaying the rare Magnet Release kekkei genkai, and seemed poised to be cultivated as a key asset by the village.
Now, however, Fugaku had learned that the boy also possessed Uchiha blood.
"This is troublesome."
Fugaku set the briefing aside and rubbed his temples.
The Sharingan was merely a weapon. To the Uchiha, Kiyohara was just an outsider holding that weapon.
In essence, he was not much different from Kakashi except that one could turn the Sharingan off, and the other could not.
But they could not simply leave Kiyohara outside either.
If the bloodline continued to flow outward, wouldn't that mean eventually creating a brand-new Uchiha clan?
Just thinking about it, Fugaku knew that the clan would argue endlessly over Kiyohara's issue.
Some clan members would accept him, others would reject him—opinions would certainly vary.
Even more troublesome was Kiyohara's own attitude.
He was already over ten years old, with his own values and sense of identity firmly formed.
He had grown up within Konoha's system, would he truly feel any sense of belonging toward the Uchiha clan?
Fugaku stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the backyard where a child was practicing shuriken techniques.
His eldest son, Itachi, was four years old this year and had already displayed astonishing talent.
Originally, Fugaku had planned to take Itachi to the battlefield this year to experience the real world of shinobi.
He believed that only in this way could his son's talents truly be brought out.
But now, Kiyohara's matter had disrupted those plans.
He needed to deal with this suddenly emerged clansman first.
"Fugaku?"
His wife, Mikoto Uchiha, entered the tatami room carrying tea. Seeing her husband's grave expression, she asked softly.
"News from the Hokage."
Fugaku handed the briefing to Mikoto.
This matter would soon be announced within the clan anyway, so there was no need to hide it.
Mikoto skimmed through it quickly, her pupils contracting slightly.
"The Sharingan… this child…"
"The clan will know about it very soon,"
Fugaku said quietly.
"…At that point, there'll be another round of arguments. And on top of that, what this Kiyohara himself is thinking is still an unknown."
Mikoto set the tea down on the table and said gently, "No matter what, the appearance of the Sharingan is an established fact. The clan should take the initiative to approach him and understand his thoughts. If he's willing to return, the clan should welcome him. If he isn't… then at the very least, we should establish a good relationship with him."
She paused for a moment, then added, "After all, he seems to be quite close to Orochimaru. Becoming hostile toward him wouldn't benefit the clan in any way."
Fugaku nodded. Mikoto's thoughts aligned with his own.
As the clan head, he had to balance the opinions of the various factions within the clan, while also taking into account the relationship between the clan and the village.
Kiyohara was a delicate turning point.
Handled well, it might improve the Uchiha clan's position within the village.
Handled poorly, it could intensify existing conflicts.
"Oh, right."
Mikoto suddenly remembered something.
"You mentioned before that you wanted to take Itachi to the front lines…"
"We'll postpone it for now,"
Fugaku said decisively.
He looked toward the courtyard, where his young son was practicing shuriken throwing.
Mikoto visibly let out a sigh of relief.
Itachi's talent was extraordinary, and his mind far more mature than his age, but he was still only four years old.
Was it really a good thing for him to be exposed to the cruelty of the battlefield so early?
Doing so could very likely leave a lifelong shadow, or even lead to psychological distortion.
"Then tonight you'll…"
"I still have matters to handle. The Police Force has a pile of work as well. I won't be eating at home tonight."
Fugaku said.
As the leader of the Uchiha clan, and at the same time the head of Konoha's Military Police Force, Fugaku held two major positions.
Coupled with the current state of war throughout the shinobi world, leaving Mikoto alone at home was unavoidable.
The clan members were all doing their best; he, too, had to show his resolve.
"I'm heading out."
Fugaku gathered his things and left the house.
On the way, he drafted notices to be sent to the clan elders.
Kiyohara's matter would require a clan meeting to discuss.
Before that, he needed to send people to gather more information about Kiyohara, and at the same time prepare a plan to make contact with him.
...
Three days later.
At the border camp of the Land of Grass, by the riverside.
Kiyohara was by the river near the camp, carrying out nature transformation training for Fire nature chakra.
Perhaps because Uchiha Kiyohara's Fire Release talent was exceptionally strong, even though Kiyohara had only inherited part of that aptitude, his progress was still very fast.
He spread his hands, palms facing upward.
The refined chakra circulated through his meridian system, gradually transforming into the scorching nature of Fire Release.
The temperature in his palms slowly rose.
He could see the skin beneath his palms steadily reddening—this was a visible manifestation of fire nature chakra.
"The temperature isn't uniform enough. There's localized overheating."
The spiritual form of Uchiha Kiyohara instructed from the side.
"The key to controlling Fire Release chakra lies in 'stable and continuous' output."
Kiyohara adjusted his breathing, slowed the rate of chakra output, and tried to make the temperature field in his palms more even.
This was the most basic of fundamentals.
Becoming familiar with the characteristics of Fire Release chakra was the foundation for learning ninjutsu in the future.
"Other than Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, what other Fire Release jutsu do you know? Preferably ones outside the Uchiha clan,"
Kiyohara asked.
The spirit of Uchiha Kiyohara nodded.
"There are some. For example, Fire Release: Flame Bullet. It consumes little chakra and is suitable for practice."
He possessed Kiyohara's body, demonstrated the hand seal sequence, then opened his mouth and spat out a fireball about the size of a fist.
The fireball struck the surface of the river, exploding into a cloud of steam.
"This is the most basic Fire Release. Its power is limited, but the difficulty is low. It can be used to familiarize yourself with the route Fire Release chakra takes through the mouth, throat, and lungs."
Kiyohara memorized the hand seals and began to try it himself.
At first, he only spat out a few sparks.
Then, just as a fireball barely formed, it exploded right by his mouth, scalding his lips red. Fortunately, he had a foundation in medical ninjutsu and quickly used chakra to repair the minor burn.
As the number of attempts increased, Kiyohara grew more and more proficient.
When the sun began to tilt westward, Kiyohara finally succeeded in spitting out a stable fireball. Though it was only about the size of an apple, its trajectory was straight, and when it struck the river's surface, it kicked up an impressive splash.
"Not bad. Next, you can practice consecutive firing, as well as adjusting the size and speed of the fireballs,"
Uchiha Kiyohara's spirit commented.
Just as Kiyohara was about to continue practicing, he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
He turned his head and saw Kurenai walking out of the grove upstream by the river. Her hair was still wet, clearly having just been washed upstream.
"Why are you secretly training?"
Kurenai puffed out her cheeks as she walked over and sat down on a flat stone by the river, gathering her wet hair to one side and slowly drying it with a dry cloth.
Watching her struggle a bit to wipe her long hair, Kiyohara suddenly felt a stir in his heart.
"Kurenai, need a hand?"
"Huh?"
Kurenai turned her head, blinking those ruby-like eyes.
Kiyohara walked behind her and extended his hand.
"My Fire Release chakra training just reached the point where I can stably control temperature. I might be able to help you dry your hair."
Kurenai's face flushed slightly.
Letting a boy help dry her hair… that was a bit too intimate.
But seeing Kiyohara's calm expression, she felt she might be overthinking it.
Kiyohara simply wanted to help—and practice chakra control at the same time.
"Th-then I'll trouble you,"
she said softly, handing the dry cloth to Kiyohara.
Kiyohara took the cloth but didn't use it immediately. Instead, he first held his palm above Kurenai's wet hair.
The Sharingan activated, and his perception sharpened.
He controlled the Fire Release chakra, releasing it from the chakra points in his palms.
A wave of heat surged through the air.
The warm current brushed over the wet hair, and the moisture evaporated rapidly.
At the same time, Kiyohara held the cloth in his other hand, gently combing through her hair so the warm air could evenly penetrate every strand.
Kurenai felt a warm sensation coming from behind. Kiyohara's fingers occasionally brushed against the back of her neck, sending a faint, tingling shiver through her.
"You can even use Fire Release like this?"
Kurenai stared in astonishment.
With this level of chakra control, it was no wonder Kiyohara could also use medical ninjutsu.
The chakra control required for medical techniques was far higher than that of ordinary ninjutsu.
Kurenai secretly glanced at Kiyohara through the reflection on the river's surface as he gently worked on her hair.
Her heartbeat unconsciously sped up.
This kind of close contact was uncommon among shinobi.
Even teammates maintained a certain physical distance.
Such intimate hair-touching was practically like a married couple!
Thinking that way actually eased some of her nervousness, but the heat on her cheeks refused to subside.
While Kurenai was feeling flustered, Kiyohara was treating her hair purely as training material.
The amount of chakra he output was very small, so there was no fear of causing any accidents.
Drying hair might look simple, but in reality it placed high demands on temperature uniformity.
If the temperature was too low, drying was slow; too high, and it would damage the hair. Uneven temperature would result in patches that were overly dry or still damp.
He needed to adjust both the intensity and the range of the heat flow.
This was far more difficult than practicing Fire Release on rocks, but the improvement in chakra control was also much greater.
When Kiyohara casually lowered his gaze, he could see Kurenai's fair neck.
Three minutes later, Kurenai's hair was completely dry.
"Mmm… it's dry."
Kiyohara patted Kurenai's head.
"You're touching my head again!"
Kurenai said.
But this time, there was no anger in her expression. Instead, her small face was tinged with red.
"I was just checking whether it was dry."
Kiyohara withdrew his hand and deactivated the Sharingan.
Kurenai touched her hair. It was indeed completely dry, with no sense of scorching or dryness at all.
"Let's head back. It's getting late,"
Kiyohara said, glancing at the sky.
Kurenai nodded, and the two stood up and returned to the camp together.
At the camp, they ran into Rin.
Rin had already been released from isolation. After two days spent reinforcing the seal and confirming that there was no danger, she was allowed to move about normally again.
After all, a Jinchūriki's loss of control was also related to mental state, overly strict confinement could have the opposite effect.
Although Rin's face was still a little pale, her spirits were good.
Seeing Kiyohara and Kurenai walking over together, she greeted them.
She had been isolated for nearly three days and had only come out that morning.
"Kurenai, didn't you go wash your hair? How is it already dry and why is your face still red?"
Rin asked curiously.
The weather was getting cold, and the river water was cold as well.
It was one thing for Kurenai's hair to dry quickly, but why was her face still red?
There weren't any hair dryers in the camp.
Kurenai's heart tightened. Thinking of how Kiyohara had gently rubbed her hair, she grew flustered and said,
"Ah, um… maybe I warmed up from walking, so it dried faster…"
"I see."
Rin nodded in realization.
"Rin, how are you feeling?" Kiyohara asked.
"Much better,"
Rin smiled.
"Thanks to you, Kiyohara. You saved me again."
"We're friends. It's only natural,"
Kiyohara replied.
"It seems like ANBU has arrived,"
Rin pointed ahead.
She had just seen ANBU members earlier.
ANBU always wore masks, making them very easy to recognize.
After she said this, she noticed the ANBU shinobi actually walking toward them.
"You're Kiyohara, Kurenai Yuhi, and Rin Nohara, correct?"
one of the ANBU shinobi said.
"That's us,"
Kiyohara replied.
"The Hokage has ordered us to escort you back."
The ANBU shinobi who spoke was very tall.
Behind him followed three other ANBU shinobi, two of whom were familiar faces to Kiyohara—Uzuki Yūgao and Gekkō Hayate.
Kiyohara remembered that Yugao was a few years younger than Kakashi, and at this time should still be an auxiliary member, not yet officially commissioned.
Kakashi, on the other hand, had entered ANBU with a formal position from the start. Yugao was only regularized later. Kakashi was not only older than her, but also senior in terms of experience, which was why she addressed him as "senpai."
Hayate and Yugao were both kenjutsu-type jonin with special talents, and so were designated as auxiliary members.
(End of Chapter)