There was simply no helping it. Kiyohara's current Susanoo was no longer at the rib cage stage or even the half body stage.
Trying to imitate Danzo by holding a kunai coated with Wind Release: Vacuum Blade and then charging forward to stab a Susanoo was nothing more than a ridiculous fantasy.
Kiyohara estimated that his Complete Body Susanoo could completely repel Danzo through sheer force alone.
Once the amount of chakra reached a certain threshold, the resulting changes would no longer be quantitative. They would become qualitative.
Looking across the battlefield that had already been reduced to utter ruin, Kiyohara finally withdrew the gigantic chakra sword.
Like Madara's blade, his own sword was capable of releasing enormous waves of chakra that resembled sword energy.
At the same time, Kiyohara realized that he could also coat the blade with different forms of chakra. Sage Chakra, Yang Release Chakra, and countless other chakra attributes could all be infused into it, allowing every slash to produce entirely different kinds of damage.
"Let's see just how much larger it can become."
Kiyohara continued squeezing every last bit of potential from the cells within his body, refining even more chakra.
The golden giant, resembling a divine war god descended from heaven, continued expanding.
One hundred and fifty meters.
One hundred and eighty meters.
Finally...
It reached two hundred meters in height.
Yet even then, that still was not the limit.
Kiyohara could clearly sense that if he continued pouring more chakra into it, Susanoo would continue growing larger, while its enormous sword would become even sharper and more terrifying.
The only problem was that the burden would increase exponentially.
At the end of the day, he still possessed only a Mangekyo Sharingan.
Although Asura's chakra had greatly amplified his ocular power far beyond that of an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan while simultaneously reducing its consumption...
And although his Yin Release Chakra Mode could further decrease the chakra expenditure required by his eye techniques, lowering the cost of using his Mangekyo abilities to an astonishingly small level...
This still was not the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Every activation of a Mangekyo dojutsu...
Every second spent maintaining Susanoo...
The invisible seal upon his vision would tighten a little more, slowly sealing away the light until complete blindness eventually arrived.
This was precisely why the Uchiha Clan was also known as a cursed clan.
Only eternity could shatter that curse.
'Perfect timing. Sasuke should be born soon. I can extract some of his cells.'
Kiyohara thought to himself.
Once Sasuke was born, he would begin researching the Indra Chakra contained within him.
At the same time, he would also start conducting experiments to clone Sharingan eyes.
His plan was to clone his own Sharingan and attempt to transplant the clones back into himself.
Perhaps that would successfully evolve them into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Perhaps it would fail.
Either way, the cloned Sharingan would become a reserve supply.
As long as he possessed spare eyes, he would no longer have to worry about permanently going blind.
Given his current condition, even if he used Susanoo every single day, his eyesight could probably endure for several decades.
And several years would be more than enough time for him to discover another solution.
After all, Indra himself had never suffered from this so called curse.
His bloodline purity had simply been far too high.
If Kiyohara continued strengthening the bloodline limits within his body and fused more and more powerful kekkei genkai together, perhaps he could simply break through this curse by force.
After pondering quietly for a while, Kiyohara dismissed those thoughts and dispersed his Complete Body Susanoo.
The enormous golden chakra surrounding him slowly dissolved into countless streams of light before disappearing into the air.
His body gently descended back onto the mountaintop.
He cast one final glance at the mountain peaks that had all been sliced flat before raising his right hand and forming a hand seal.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
Space distorted.
His figure instantly vanished.
...
The Senju residence.
By the time Kiyohara appeared inside his own room, the evening sun had already begun to set.
Just as he was preparing to head upstairs, he suddenly sensed a familiar chakra signature.
"Konan?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a figure emerged from the shadows outside the window.
Konan was still dressed in her ANBU uniform.
She had already removed her mask, revealing her cold and elegant face.
Standing beside the window, the orange glow of the setting sun streamed in from behind her, outlining the graceful curves of her slender figure.
"Kiyohara."
She spoke softly.
Kiyohara looked at her.
"It's already this late. Is something wrong?"
Konan remained silent for a few moments before lowering her head slightly.
"I want to go back."
A faint change appeared in Kiyohara's expression.
"Back to the Land of Rain?"
"Mhm."
Konan nodded.
"There are some matters on Nagato's side that need to be dealt with. I also need to check on Yahiko."
As she spoke, her tone remained calm.
She had received a message from the Akatsuki.
She needed to return.
"Go."
Kiyohara nodded.
Although Konan had not gone into detail, he already understood.
The internal divisions within the Akatsuki were probably far more serious than she had implied.
He then reached into his shinobi pouch and took out a special Flying Thunder God kunai.
The handle of the weapon was engraved with his unique Flying Thunder God seal.
Kiyohara handed it to Konan.
"Take this."
Konan accepted the kunai and lowered her gaze toward the black weapon.
"This is..."
"A Flying Thunder God kunai."
Kiyohara answered calmly.
"If anything happens, inject chakra into it. I'll immediately sense it, and then I'll use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport directly to your location."
Konan looked up at him in surprise.
Throughout this period, she had remained at Kiyohara's side under the identity of an ANBU operative.
Those experiences had changed many of her previous opinions.
Kiyohara was nowhere near as terrible as she had once imagined.
The only thing she found somewhat unsatisfactory was the number of women surrounding him.
It almost felt as though he had connections with countless women.
Sometimes Konan even found herself wondering whether she, too, might simply be another target on Kiyohara's list.
"I understand."
She carefully slipped the Flying Thunder God kunai into her sleeve.
"I'll leave tomorrow."
"Alright."
Kiyohara made no attempt to stop her.
After all, he had already collected Nagato's cells.
He had also learned a great deal from Konan's Paper Release techniques.
Whether she stayed or returned now no longer made much difference.
"When will you be back?"
Konan gently shook her head.
"Once everything is taken care of... probably two or three months."
Kiyohara nodded.
The two chatted for a little while longer before he told Konan to get some rest.
Black Zetsu and Obito probably couldn't remain patient any longer.
Kiyohara guessed that those two had been constantly whispering into Nagato's ear, gradually brainwashing him.
Unfortunately, Nagato possessed the same kind of stubborn personality as Obito.
Once they suffered a devastating setback, they would become obsessed with forcing the entire world to accept their own beliefs and ideals.
"I wonder what Black Zetsu thinks of me."
Kiyohara found himself genuinely curious.
After all, Black Zetsu possessed the ability to locate reincarnations.
That ability was precisely why he had been able to secretly manipulate conflicts from the shadows for a thousand years without ever being discovered by the Sage of Six Paths.
Now that Asura's chakra existed within Kiyohara's body...
Would Black Zetsu be shocked by that?
...
Half a month later.
Kiyohara stood upon the rooftop of the Hokage Tower.
Below the rooftop, an endless sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see.
Everywhere one looked, there were crowds.
The shinobi of Konoha all wore their forehead protectors with pride, while members of the various great clans were dressed in their own traditional attire.
Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder, raising their heads toward the figure standing atop the Hokage Tower.
"So many people."
Kiyohara looked down at the crowd beneath him.
Of course, this was nowhere near the entire population of Konoha.
If every single resident had gathered here, there would never have been enough room to fit them all.
"There really are a lot of people."
Kakashi could not help commenting.
Still wearing his ANBU mask, he stood behind Kiyohara as one of the guards assigned to protect him.
Standing beside Kakashi was another masked ANBU.
Might Guy.
"This is what youth is all about!"
Guy declared excitedly.
To personally witness the birth of a new Hokage was surely one of the greatest symbols of youth imaginable.
"Where are Rin and the others?"
Kiyohara turned toward Kakashi and casually asked.
"They should all be down there."
Kakashi scanned the massive crowd below.
After searching for a while, he finally spotted Rin.
She was standing together with Kurenai and Shizune.
The three girls were chatting happily with Anko about something.
"I see."
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
He had not actually spread out his chakra to search for everyone.
He had merely asked the question in passing.
Today, Kiyohara was dressed in the white ceremonial Hokage robe.
Flame patterns were embroidered elegantly along its edges.
The seamstress responsible for creating the robe was an elderly woman who had been making Hokage robes ever since the time of the First Hokage.
Kiyohara remembered that even when the Seventh Hokage, Naruto, officially assumed office in the future, it would still be this same elderly woman who crafted the ceremonial robe.
"It's about to begin."
Kakashi quietly reminded him.
"Mm."
Kiyohara snapped back to reality and adjusted the Hokage hat resting upon his head.
This hat was considered standard equipment for every Kage.
The leaders of each of the Five Great Shinobi Villages all wore nearly identical hats.
The only real differences were the colors and the characters written across the front.
Mitokado Homura stepped forward with a scroll in his hands.
"The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has officially stepped down."
"Following the joint recommendation and approval of the Hokage Advisors, the Fire Daimyo's Court, and the collective vote of Konoha's Jonin, Kiyohara has been selected to become the Fourth Hokage."
After finishing the announcement, Homura closed the scroll and took one step backward.
"Now..."
"I invite the Fourth Hokage to deliver his inaugural address."
Instantly, countless pairs of eyes throughout the entire square focused upon the rooftop.
Kiyohara stepped forward.
Slowly, he walked to the very edge of the wooden platform.
He raised one hand.
Then, with a calm motion, he removed the Hokage hat from his head.
The sunlight immediately illuminated his handsome face.
He looked...
Far too young.
So young that many people seeing him for the very first time instinctively drew a sharp breath.
This...
This was the Fourth Hokage?
The legendary Black Lightning who had slain the Mizukage on the battlefield...
Captured the Raikage alive...
Sealed Tailed Beasts...
Suppressed Moryo...
The legendary shinobi whose achievements had shaken all Five Great Nations?
Many villagers who had only heard Kiyohara's name before now stood on tiptoe, trying to catch a better look at the young man standing atop the Hokage Tower.
Kiyohara swept his gaze across the crowd.
Almost immediately, he spotted Tsunade.
She stood in the very front row with her arms folded across her chest.
"My fellow villagers."
Kiyohara finally began speaking.
"It is my honor to stand before you today."
"It has now been more than fifty years since the founding of Konoha."
"Over those fifty years, we have experienced war."
"We have also enjoyed peace."
"We have lost precious companions."
"And we have welcomed countless new lives."
"The First Hokage founded Konoha."
"The Second Hokage established its institutions."
"The Third Hokage protected this village for many years."
"And now..."
"The baton has been passed into my hands."
"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire shall continue to burn without end."
Kiyohara delivered the kind of ceremonial speech that perfectly embodied the Will of Fire.
Within Konoha, where the Will of Fire had been passed down from one generation to another, those words resonated deeply in everyone's hearts.
The instant he finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted throughout the plaza.
"Lord Fourth!"
"Hokage-sama!"
"Long live Hokage-sama!"
Countless people raised both hands high into the air.
Every face overflowed with excitement, admiration, and respect.
Among the crowd, Itachi stared upward at the figure standing atop the rooftop.
Kiyohara-sensei...
Had become Hokage.
His small fists unconsciously clenched tightly.
One day...
He wanted to become someone just like his teacher.
Standing beside him, Izumi was already so overwhelmed with excitement that she could not even speak.
She simply continued clapping with all her strength.
Her tiny palms gradually turned bright red from applauding so enthusiastically.
Far behind the cheering crowd...
Beneath the shade of a towering tree...
Minato leaned comfortably against the trunk with his arms crossed.
His eyes remained fixed upon the white figure standing proudly atop the Hokage Tower.
Standing beside him was Kushina.
"Minato."
Kushina suddenly broke the silence.
"Hm?"
"Are you... disappointed?"
Minato was slightly stunned.
A moment later, he smiled.
"A little."
He slowly shook his head.
Failing to become Hokage inevitably left behind a trace of regret.
"But..."
"I'm happier than anything."
Kushina turned toward him.
"Happier?"
"What are you happy about?"
Minato continued looking toward the rooftop.
"I'm happy that Konoha has someone like him as Hokage."
"Kiyohara is stronger than I am."
"And he's more suitable for this position."
Only then did Minato turn to look at Kushina.
"Besides..."
"This means I'll have much more time to stay by your side."
A faint blush immediately spread across Kushina's cheeks.
"W... who said I wanted you around..."
She lowered her head, gently stroking her noticeably swollen stomach.
Their child...
Would soon be born.
"Minato."
She suddenly spoke again.
"Hm?"
"When the baby is born..."
"You'll protect us, won't you?"
Minato looked into her eyes.
His expression softened with warmth.
"Of course."
He nodded without hesitation.
"I'll ask Kiyohara to arrange additional guards."
"I'll make absolutely certain that both you and our child are safe."
His expression gradually became serious.
Kushina was the Nine Tails' jinchuriki.
During childbirth, the seal imprisoning the Nine Tails would inevitably weaken.
If anyone chose that moment to infiltrate Konoha and attack Kushina...
There was an extremely high chance that the Nine Tails would break free.
Should that happen, Konoha itself would become the battlefield.
Countless casualties would follow.
"That's good."
Kushina gently nodded.
...
Several more days passed in the blink of an eye.
When Konan's figure emerged from the endless curtain of rain, the guards standing outside the Akatsuki hideout barely had enough time to react.
She had already changed out of her ANBU uniform.
Now, she wore the Akatsuki's standard black cloak decorated with crimson clouds. The hood was pulled low over her head, revealing only a small portion of her pale chin and the lip piercing at the corner of her mouth.
"Lady Konan."
The two guards immediately bowed respectfully.
Konan gave a slight nod before pushing open the heavy door and stepping inside the hideout.
Compared to when she had left, the base had become noticeably livelier.
Several unfamiliar faces now occupied both sides of the corridor.
Some leaned casually against the walls while polishing their shinobi tools.
Others stood together in small groups, speaking quietly among themselves.
Without stopping, Konan walked directly toward Nagato.
It did not take long before she found the Deva Path of Pain under Nagato's control.
Spread out across the table before him was a large map.
It was covered with countless markings and symbols, each indicating different locations.
"So you've returned."
The Deva Path slowly raised its head.
Konan walked over, her gaze naturally falling upon the map.
"They are..."
"The new recruits."
The Deva Path replied calmly.
"There are still several others carrying out missions outside."
Konan's brows knitted together slightly as she surveyed the people inside the room.
One particularly large man stood in the corner with his back against the wall.
His skin was a pale bluish color, making him resemble a shark far more than an ordinary human.
Kisame noticed Konan looking in his direction.
He grinned broadly, revealing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth reminiscent of a shark.
"So you're Konan?"
Kisame asked with a smile.
"I've heard quite a bit about you."
"Mm."
Konan answered with a simple nod.
Soon afterward, she also noticed another individual standing nearby.
The man wore a black mask covering the lower half of his face.
"And they are?"
She wanted to know both of their names and their backgrounds.
"Hoshigaki Kisame."
"And Kakuzu."
The Deva Path answered.
"They both joined the Akatsuki during the time you were away."
"I see."
Konan finally understood why neither of them looked familiar.
"I heard you went to Konoha to work for Kiyohara."
Kakuzu suddenly spoke, his tone carrying obvious curiosity.
In his hand was a bounty poster.
Printed on it was none other than Kiyohara's portrait.
"He's very strong."
Fearing that Kakuzu might decide to target Kiyohara, Konan immediately spoke up.
"And at this stage, it would be unwise for the Akatsuki to come into conflict with Konoha."
"I know."
Kakuzu calmly folded the bounty poster before slipping it back inside his clothes.
He had no intention of acting recklessly.
If he failed to assassinate Kiyohara and ended up making an enemy of the Akatsuki as well, he would once again become a wandering missing nin.
That would seriously interfere with his ability to make money.
"I'm not planning to assassinate him."
"I simply want to know..."
"Just how powerful this newly appointed Hokage really is."
"Ever since I lost to the First Hokage, I haven't had another chance to cross hands with Konoha's Hokage."
Kakuzu patiently explained himself to Konan.
"You survived?"
Konan looked genuinely surprised.
"I did."
"I suppose I happened to run fast enough."
Kakuzu answered with complete composure.
To him, there was nothing embarrassing about losing to someone overwhelmingly stronger.
It was no different from the young Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru losing to Hanzo before eventually earning the title of the Legendary Sannin.
Being defeated by a true powerhouse was not shameful.
Escaping alive...
That, too, required skill.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, even Konan found herself acknowledging Kakuzu's capabilities.
Surviving a battle against the God of Shinobi was no small feat.
"Then why did you betray your village?"
Kisame asked with genuine interest.
Anyone capable of surviving against Hashirama could not possibly be weak.
In a village like Takigakure, someone with that level of strength should have enjoyed tremendous status.
"The fools in my village were simply jealous of my talent."
Kakuzu shook his head.
When he had been young, he had been one of Takigakure's elite shinobi.
The village elders personally assigned him the mission of assassinating the First Hokage.
Thus, Kakuzu challenged Hashirama, the man revered throughout the world as the God of Shinobi.
The result...
Was complete defeat.
After returning to the village, instead of acknowledging the impossible nature of the mission, the village leadership attempted to punish him for failing.
That was the moment Kakuzu completely lost his patience.
If he had actually succeeded in assassinating Hashirama...
He could have established an entire Great Shinobi Village himself.
Instead, those fools wanted to punish him.
So he stole the forbidden secret technique that Takigakure treasured above everything else.
Using that technique...
He personally tore out the hearts of every senior official in the village.
"I see."
Kisame nodded.
In that case, Kakuzu's defection actually sounded fairly reasonable.
"What about you?"
Kakuzu asked in return.
"Why did you betray your own village?"
"I grew tired of the Bloody Mist."
"I attempted to assassinate the Land of Water's Daimyo."
"When I failed, I simply left."
Kisame answered casually.
Naturally...
That was a lie.
The real reason he had joined the Akatsuki was because Obito had personally recruited him.
Kisame also believed that the Eye of the Moon Plan was the correct path forward.
"I see."
Kakuzu neither agreed nor disagreed.
He had only asked out of idle curiosity.
Compared to Kisame's past...
He was far more interested in Kiyohara.
"So..."
"Could you introduce me to Kiyohara?"
Kakuzu asked.
He simply wanted to spar with Kiyohara and witness the strength of Konoha's new Hokage firsthand.
Besides that...
He had also heard rumors that Kiyohara possessed tremendous wealth.
While they met, he wanted to casually ask how Kiyohara managed to earn so much money.
Konan looked at him in silence for a few moments.
"I'll ask him for you."
Kakuzu nodded.
He said nothing further.
Konan withdrew her gaze and resumed speaking with the Deva Path.
"Where's Yahiko?"
She walked closer before asking softly.
"He still refuses to accept my proposal."
The worry between Konan's brows deepened.
"I want to see Yahiko."
She spoke without hesitation.
...
At that very moment...
Konoha Hospital.
Kiyohara pushed open the door to his office.
The first thing he noticed was Rin lying asleep on the sofa.
Her legs were curled up slightly, one resting gently atop the other.
The white stockings covering her legs reflected the sunlight with a delicate pearly sheen.
They extended smoothly from her calves upward before disappearing beneath the hem of her doctor's white coat.
Because she was facing the backrest of the sofa, her body was turned slightly away from the room, causing her hips to lift just a little.
With every calm, steady breath she took, her sleeping posture shifted ever so slightly.
"Rin."
Kiyohara called out to her.
She showed no sign of waking.
Her breathing remained slow and even.
Seeing this, Kiyohara reached out and gently patted her through the back of her white coat in an attempt to wake her.
The moment his hand made contact, he could feel the soft cushioning of the fabric beneath his palm.
The material of her stockings stretched subtly as her legs shifted slightly before settling back into place with the natural elasticity of relaxed muscles.
"Mmm..."
Rin's long eyelashes fluttered gently as she let out a sleepy murmur, still only half awake.
(End of Chapter)