By combining the Flying Thunder God Technique with a "flash bomb" capable of releasing a blinding yellow electric light, one could throw a Flying Thunder God marked kunai during battle and use the flash bomb's effect to defeat the enemy.
But Kiyohara did not need to rely on flash bombs.
Aside from the Flying Thunder God Technique itself, he already possessed acceleration abilities of his own.
Even after teleporting, his speed would still remain extremely fast.
Kiyohara's Sharingan dynamic vision was also sufficient for him to clearly see through an opponent's movements and avoid mistakes.
Theoretically speaking, he was even more suited to this technique than Minato.
"Not bad."
Kiyohara's figure flashed twice consecutively across the training ground. The first time, he appeared beside a wooden post twenty meters away. The second time, he instantly returned to his original spot.
The interval between the two movements was so short that ordinary shinobi could not even catch a residual afterimage.
"Still, once there are too many Flying Thunder God coordinates, accurately sensing them becomes difficult."
Kiyohara frowned slightly.
This was currently the greatest obstacle in his training of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It required reflexes and spatial perception far beyond those of ordinary people.
He possessed the reflex speed.
But his spatial perception was not particularly outstanding.
Kiyohara closed his eyes and slowly spread out his chakra.
Within his perception, the coordinates of the Flying Thunder God kunai scattered around the training ground were as clear as fireflies glowing in darkness.
However, as the distance increased, the clarity of the perception rapidly declined.
"At the moment, my effective sensing radius is around five kilometers. Beyond that range, I can still vaguely sense the existence of the coordinates, but I can't precisely lock onto them for teleportation."
That was already progress unimaginable to ordinary shinobi.
After all, he had obtained the Flying Thunder God Technique less than a month ago.
But Kiyohara was still unsatisfied.
He knew that Minato could sense and teleport to Flying Thunder God coordinates across the entirety of the Land of Fire.
Perhaps even beyond the Land of Fire itself.
After all, Minato had once directly transferred one of Madara's Truth Seeking Balls onto the Hokage Rock of Konoha.
Of course, doing that required an enormous amount of chakra.
"I'll take it step by step."
Kiyohara opened his eyes and was just about to continue practicing when he suddenly heard a familiar set of footsteps.
"Kiyohara!"
Kurenai came jogging over.
"I heard you're going to Suna?"
"Yeah. We leave in three days."
Kiyohara nodded.
"What's wrong?"
Kurenai bit her lower lip and softly said, "I... I'm a little worried. The situation over there in Sunagakure is complicated right now, and you're also a thorn in Kirigakure's side..."
"Don't worry."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"If I can kill the Third Mizukage, then naturally I have the ability to protect myself. Besides, I'll be going with Sensei this time. Nothing will happen."
Even so, Kurenai's brows remained slightly furrowed.
As if remembering something, she took out a small delicate sachet from her shinobi pouch and handed it to him.
"This... I made this charm myself. I heard the sandstorms over in Suna are severe, so I put some calming medicinal herbs inside the sachet. It can..."
Before she could finish speaking, her face had already turned completely red.
Kiyohara accepted the sachet.
It was pale red in color, and the stitching looked somewhat inexperienced. It was obvious Kurenai had embroidered it herself.
"Thank you."
Kiyohara carefully tucked the sachet into his clothes.
"I'll carry it with me."
Kurenai's face grew even redder. Lowering her head, she unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers.
"Then... then you have to come back quickly..."
"I know."
Looking at Kurenai in this state, warmth welled up inside Kiyohara's heart.
He reached out and gently rubbed her hair.
"While I'm away, train properly. When I come back, I'm going to check the progress of that sound based genjutsu of yours."
"Mhm!"
Kurenai nodded vigorously.
After chatting for a little longer, Kurenai finally left reluctantly.
Kiyohara watched her departing figure and was just preparing to continue his training when another voice came from the side.
"Kiyohara-kun."
Rin had somehow also arrived at the training ground.
"Rin, you came to see me off too?"
Kiyohara's expression became rather strange.
Quite a lot of people had come to see him off today.
"I suppose so."
Rin walked over to him.
"Did Kiyohara-kun forget about helping me ask regarding Water Release medical ninjutsu?"
Only then did Kiyohara realize that he really had forgotten about it.
"I'll ask for you during this trip."
Kiyohara replied.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Kiyohara-kun."
Rin smiled softly.
After that, she discussed medical ninjutsu with Kiyohara for a while longer.
Once Rin left, Kiyohara had intended to resume training again, but then Kakashi came looking for him as well.
"Unless it's something urgent, wait until later."
After leaving behind that sentence, Kiyohara immediately departed.
He planned to train at home instead. There were simply too many people at Training Ground Three today.
Only a somewhat bewildered Kakashi remained standing there.
The night before departure, at Tsunade's house.
Kiyohara was organizing his luggage, categorizing essential shinobi tools and medicines before sealing them into storage scrolls.
"Kiyohara!"
Tsunade's voice rang out from downstairs, unable to conceal her excitement.
Kiyohara walked downstairs and saw Tsunade sprawled over the low table in the living room, with a huge shinobi world map spread open before her.
On the map, Suna and the major towns of the Land of Wind had all been circled in red ink.
"Look, look."
Tsunade pointed at the map.
"From Konoha to Suna, we'll pass through the Land of Rivers before entering the Land of Wind. Along the way, we'll pass at least three towns with large casinos!"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became.
"There's the casino on Tanzaku Street in the Land of Rivers, the Sand City gambling hall near the border of the Land of Wind, and the casino inside Sunagakure itself. I've wanted to visit them for a long time."
Kiyohara: "..."
He knew it.
Tsunade definitely had some public funded vacation plans in mind.
"Sensei, we're a diplomatic delegation, not a casino sightseeing tour."
Kiyohara said.
"I know, I know."
Tsunade waved dismissively.
"But what's wrong with stopping by for a little fun along the way? It won't delay any important business."
She leaned closer to Kiyohara and lowered her voice.
"And think about it. If you leave Flying Thunder God kunai near every casino, wouldn't we be able to gamble wherever we want in the future?"
"Today we're on Tanzaku Street, tomorrow we can instantly arrive at Sand City, and the day after that maybe we'll already be in the Land of Hot Water..."
Kiyohara fell silent for a moment.
So this was Tsunade's real objective.
"Sensei, the farther the Flying Thunder God distance, the more chakra it consumes. Unless my proficiency with the technique improves considerably, my current level is still far from enough."
Kiyohara explained.
He had only obtained the Flying Thunder God Technique recently.
Furthermore, he lacked any prior experience training in space time ninjutsu, forcing him to figure everything out by himself.
Even so, with his overwhelming talent stacking together, his progress remained astonishingly fast despite the self study.
"I'm not asking you to work for free. If I win money, I'll give you thirty percent... no, forty percent!"
Kiyohara genuinely felt that Tsunade always possessed an inexplicable confidence whenever it came to gambling.
Where exactly did that confidence come from?
The next morning.
The gates of Konoha.
The diplomatic delegation stood fully prepared for departure.
Aside from Kiyohara and Tsunade, there were also four chuunin responsible for documents and diplomatic etiquette, along with two tokubetsu jounin serving as guards.
Hiruzen personally came to see them off.
"Tsunade, Kiyohara, this mission carries great importance."
Hiruzen's expression was solemn.
"Not only must you facilitate the peace negotiations, but you must also demonstrate Konoha's sincerity and strength. Remember, you represent all of Konoha."
"Understood."
Tsunade nodded seriously.
Kiyohara also gave a slight nod.
"Travel safely."
Hiruzen patted Kiyohara's shoulder.
"I believe you'll handle this well."
Tsunade walked at the very front. She turned back to glance at Konoha, a smile appearing on her lips.
"Alright, let's go!"
At the same time.
Deep within the Mountains' Graveyard.
Beneath the lowered head of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Madara sat upon a wooden seat, his withered body connected to life sustaining tubes.
A subtle ripple distorted the surrounding space, and Obito stepped out while wearing his spiral patterned tiger stripe mask.
"Madara."
Obito's voice echoed from beneath the mask.
"The cracks on Nagato's side have already grown large enough. Yahiko's naive ideals are becoming increasingly powerless against the cruel reality of the Land of Rain."
"Nagato has already begun questioning whether only by making the world experience the same pain can they force out the so called understanding they speak of. Black Zetsu's contribution in all of this has been indispensable."
Madara slowly opened his eyes.
"Pain is the catalyst for understanding, and also the source of power. Very good. Let the seed continue growing within the cracks."
Madara nodded slowly.
This development was inevitable.
After all, the Land of Rain had already been infiltrated by every nation to the point it resembled a sieve.
Even Hanzo of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure, could not solve that problem. That was why they had chosen to isolate the nation and implement a closed off policy.
And just how many members did the Akatsuki organization actually have?
There was no way they could govern every corner of the Land of Rain.
The moment they began recruiting too many new members, the purity of the organization would inevitably decline, allowing spies and opportunists to slip inside.
"Now then, you've already heard about the things that little brat Kiyohara has been doing over in Konoha recently, haven't you?"
Obito's expression stiffened.
Even through the mask, Madara could still sense the surge of emotion that abruptly rose from within him before being forcibly suppressed.
"Yeah, I heard."
Obito's voice became noticeably colder.
"He killed that decrepit old Third Mizukage, learned a few tricks from Tsunade, and got lucky. In front of true power, all of that is nothing more than cheap parlor tricks."
"Parlor tricks?"
Madara chuckled softly.
"To kill the Kage of an entire village head on at such an age, regardless of whether that Kage had already declined, is something that can never be summarized with the words 'parlor tricks.'"
"Not to mention, the bloodline abilities on his body are becoming more and more interesting. The Sharingan, Magnet Release, Storm Release, and perhaps even more."
Obito suddenly raised his head. Behind the eyehole of the mask, the Sharingan appeared instantly, its three tomoe spinning rapidly.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Madara? Are you comparing him to me? An Uchiha who cannot even awaken the Mangekyo, no matter how much potential he has, is still trash in the end!"
Obito spoke with the sharp overreaction of someone whose nerves had been struck.
Why was Kiyohara somehow involved no matter where the conversation went?
Madara quietly observed the unusually agitated Obito.
"The awakening of the Mangekyo is not purely determined by talent or age. No matter when it awakens, it would not be surprising."
"Obito, sometimes you should observe Kiyohara more and learn from him. That, too, would benefit the smooth advancement of the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"Don't mention him."
Obito clenched his fist tightly.
At this moment, the two words he least wanted to hear were Kiyohara's name.
That damned bastard had stolen Rin's attention away from him.
Obito vaguely remembered that a long time ago, the two of them had possessed roughly equal strength.
Although he had ranked first, Kiyohara had not been much worse.
But ever since graduation, or more accurately, ever since the Kannabi Bridge incident, Kiyohara had risen uncontrollably.
He had participated in several major wars one after another and established tremendous military achievements.
There was even hope for him to compete for the position of Hokage.
Seeing someone standing so close to the dream he himself once desired made Obito feel dazzled.
He simply could not understand it.
Why had things developed to this point?
Was this not supposed to be his story?
Why had he fallen into such circumstances while Kiyohara stood bathed in brilliance?
And even Rin's concern...
That was right.
Because this world itself was false.
Only in such a fake world could Kiyohara steal opportunities like this.
As Obito's mentality gradually cracked apart, his logic finally completed its own twisted cycle.
Instead of wavering, he became even more determined to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"Stop comparing me to that pitiful fool brainwashed by Konoha's Will of Fire. I'll walk my own path."
Obito stopped speaking further and turned toward the side of the cave.
The reason he had come here was to retrieve the sacred treasure of the Uchiha Clan, the Uchiha Gunbai.
It was something Madara had taken with him when he left the Uchiha Clan years ago.
Now that Obito had come to retrieve it, it was naturally for the sake of future operations.
After finding the Uchiha Gunbai, Obito lifted it up. The heavy war fan felt almost weightless in his hand.
Carrying the Uchiha Gunbai, Obito activated Kamui once again. His figure twisted into a vortex before vanishing completely.
"Madara, Obito's determination seems to have grown even firmer."
Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows and spoke.
"Indeed. I could feel the strengthening of his ocular power."
Madara replied calmly.
The Sharingan was the power of the heart, and the strength of the body would rapidly synchronize with that spiritual power.
In other words, the greater the emotional stimulation, the more the ocular power would fluctuate and the easier it would become stronger.
Listening to the conversation between Black Zetsu and Madara, White Zetsu could only feel that human emotions were truly strange.
He remembered that Obito hated Kiyohara because of Rin Nohara.
So did that mean the greener the metaphorical hat on one's head became, the stronger one got?
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The endless dunes of the Land of Wind stretched like golden waves as far as the eye could see.
Tsunade walked at the front of the group. The cloak shielding her from the yellow sand fluttered loudly in the scorching wind as she occasionally raised a hand to wipe away the sweat on her forehead.
Kiyohara walked beside her.
Compared to Tsunade's somewhat irritated expression, his face remained much calmer.
Perhaps due to the influence of his Fire Release talent, Kiyohara's heat resistance was also exceptionally strong.
The high temperature of the desert was still well within his acceptable range.
Suddenly, the spiritual form of White Snake Kiyohara appeared behind him.
"Hiss... my other self, there are people here."
White Snake Kiyohara flicked his tongue.
Even in human form, his tongue remained narrow and snake like.
Kiyohara froze for a moment before immediately spreading out his perception.
Sure enough, there really were people there.
If not for White Snake Kiyohara's perception abilities, then unless Kiyohara entered Sage Mode, he would have found it extremely difficult to detect them.
Seeing this, Kiyohara estimated that the White Snake spirit still retained some of the sensory abilities it had possessed while alive.
After all, the greatest strength of the Ryuchi Cave Sage Arts lay precisely in perception, and White Snake Kiyohara had originally been a snake rather than a human.
"To the northwest, approximately five kilometers away, there are traces of faint residual moisture and... the smell of blood. Although most of it has been buried by the sand, it can't escape my senses."
"It's the trail left behind by those water playing fools from Kiri."
White Snake Kiyohara continued supplying information.
He informed Kiyohara that the Mist shinobi were stationed nearby deliberately rather than merely passing through.
Kiyohara's heart stirred slightly.
Mist shinobi appearing deep within the Land of Wind?
He did not alert anyone. Instead, while passing by a giant weathered rock riddled with holes from years of erosion, he used the brief moment his body was concealed to insert a Flying Thunder God kunai into the shaded side of the stone with his right index finger.
After finishing all of that, he quickened his pace and caught back up with Tsunade.
...
Suna.
The clusters of buildings made from wind eroded rock glowed with a dark reddish brown hue beneath the setting sun, blending together with the endless yellow sands.
By the time the diplomatic delegation arrived, the receiving shinobi sent by Rasa had already been waiting at the village entrance.
The moment Kiyohara stepped through Sunagakure's gates, a petite figure blocked his path.
It was a young Suna girl who looked only around ten years old, yet her immature face carried a stubbornness completely mismatched with her age.
On her back was a cloth wrapped scroll even taller than she was.
She was none other than Pakura's disciple, Maki.
"Konoha's... Kiyohara!"
Maki's voice trembled with emotion as she raised her head to glare at him, her eyes slightly red.
"You still dare to come to Suna!"
The atmosphere instantly froze.
The accompanying Konoha shinobi subconsciously placed their hands on their shinobi pouches.
Tsunade merely raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms without immediately speaking.
Kiyohara lowered his head and looked at the girl who only reached his chest, his face devoid of expression.
Maki had been beaten by Kiyohara before and even imprisoned in a prisoner camp, so conflict between the two naturally existed.
"I have come representing Konoha to discuss important matters between our villages."
Kiyohara said calmly.
"Representing Konoha?"
Maki gritted her teeth, her voice trembling.
"Haven't you already harmed my sensei enough?"
"Isn't your teacher doing perfectly fine now?"
Kiyohara replied.
"Hmph!"
Maki snorted angrily.
In the end, she stomped her foot fiercely and left behind a declaration of "I'll definitely defeat you someday!" before turning around and running away.
Only then did Tsunade slowly walk over and pat Kiyohara's shoulder with a teasing grin.
"Tsk tsk, so young, yet you already have quite a few enemies."
Kiyohara simply shook his head without saying anything.
The Kazekage Building.
The meeting room was filled with the faint fragrance of tea.
Rasa sat in the main seat.
Compared to the last time they had met, he appeared far more exhausted, and the dark circles beneath his eyes had become even heavier.
The losses Sunagakure suffered in this war were much greater than what the outside world could see.
"A joint Chunin Exam..."
Rasa considered the proposal put forth by Konoha.
"I can feel Konoha's sincerity. This truly is a good method to ease tensions and display the desire for peace."
He lifted his teacup without drinking from it, first looking toward Tsunade before shifting his gaze to Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara's performance on the battlefield was deeply impressive. The fact that Konoha sent you as part of the delegation alone is enough to demonstrate the level of importance Konoha places on this matter."
"You flatter me, Kazekage-sama."
Kiyohara replied.
"I merely carry out the Hokage's orders. Peace between our two villages aligns with everyone's expectations."
Tsunade smoothly took over the conversation, steering the discussion toward medical cooperation and the details of the peace negotiations.
The talks progressed rather smoothly.
Sunagakure was currently in desperate need of recovery, leaving them with little room to reject the olive branch extended by Konoha.
As the meeting neared its conclusion, Kiyohara brought up another matter.
"Kazekage-sama, I heard that Suna possesses unique research regarding Water Release medical ninjutsu. I happen to have a companion proficient in both Water Release and medical ninjutsu. I wonder if there is any chance we could learn from your village's expertise?"
Rasa glanced at him and pondered for a moment.
"Sunagakure does indeed possess some related techniques and research records. However, specific inheritances require approval from the council of elders. Later, I can arrange for someone to guide you to the archives to examine the publicly available sections."
"Many thanks, Kazekage-sama."
Night fell.
At the guest residence arranged by Sunagakure.
The noise and activity of the daytime had faded away, leaving only the mournful sound of wind scraping across the stone walls of Suna's night.
After estimating that the timing was appropriate, Kiyohara slowly opened his eyes. In the darkness, his pupils faintly glowed crimson.
The next moment, his figure vanished soundlessly from the room.
The instant his feet landed upon the loose scorching sand, Kiyohara immediately felt the piercing chill of the desert night.
The lingering heat from the daytime mixed with the cold nighttime winds, creating an extreme temperature difference.
He swiftly scanned the surroundings, confirmed that nothing unusual was present, then lowered his body and moved stealthily toward the direction White Snake Kiyohara had indicated.
The location was not particularly far within the desert.
Very quickly, he arrived at the area.
Under the moonlight, there were obvious traces of disturbed sand. Several dark red stains had been mostly buried beneath the yellow sand, but they could not escape the perception of the Sharingan.
Kiyohara could even discern extremely subtle footprints.
Someone had clearly passed through here.
"This is the place White Snake mentioned during the day."
Understanding immediately dawned on him.
After lying in wait for some time, he slowly approached the nearby Mist shinobi and sent White Snake Kiyohara's spirit form over to secretly eavesdrop on their conversation.
The result was almost exactly what Kiyohara had guessed.
These Mist shinobi were indeed the pursuers specifically waiting to ambush Pakura.
However, they were not planning to act today.
They were waiting.
Kiyohara did not alert the enemy. Instead, he chose the shaded side of a higher sand dune and used sand along with scattered rock fragments to construct a simple camouflaged shelter, completely concealing himself.
Over the next several days, Kiyohara would come here every night to investigate.
Aside from the raging sandstorms and a few nocturnal scorpions, those days yielded nothing.
Just as Kiyohara began wondering whether events would only proceed according to the original story after he returned to Konoha, a familiar chakra signature finally appeared within his perception.
It was approaching from afar, drawing closer and closer toward this direction.
It was Pakura!
(End of Chapter)