Kiyohara raised his right hand.
The Tenseigan Chakra Mode instantly activated, and brilliant emerald-green chakra flames enveloped his entire body.
With a casual downward press of his hand, an invisible repulsive force descended from above, forcibly pinning the enormous body of the White Snake Sage against the stone throne.
The stone throne could not withstand the tremendous force. Countless cracks immediately spread across its surface from the center.
The White Snake Sage let out an enraged hiss. Her snake tail thrashed wildly, sweeping through several stalactite pillars hanging from the cavern walls and breaking them apart.
The broken pillars crashed onto the ground and shattered into countless small pieces of stone.
Yet no matter how violently she struggled, the force pressing down upon her remained completely unmoved.
Unfortunately, Kiyohara's strength had long since reached a level entirely different from that of the White Snake Sage.
Kiyohara withdrew his hand and placed both hands behind his back.
"From this moment onward, Tagitsuhime will succeed the White Snake Sage and become the master of Ryuchi Cave."
The White Snake Sage lay sprawled across the shattered stone throne, her vertical pupils filled with unwillingness.
The scales on her body still retained the painful sensation left behind by the crushing repulsive force.
Finally, Kiyohara extended a sealing technique toward her, covering her body with the intricate patterns of a seal and sealing her away.
"Oh?"
Kiyohara suddenly noticed that a small white snake had already escaped at high speed.
He immediately understood.
It was a technique similar to Orochimaru's ability to shed his body and escape, essentially a method of abandoning his current body in order to survive.
"Perhaps I can see whether Mount Myoboku will show any unusual movements."
After thinking about it, Kiyohara decided not to pursue the little white snake.
The green chakra flames surrounding his body gradually faded away. He turned around and walked down the stone steps.
Tagitsuhime followed behind him, the hem of her white robe brushing lightly against the fine fragments of stone scattered across the steps.
Her eyes were lowered, and her expression was difficult to make out in the darkness.
This time, Tagitsuhime had truly experienced the feeling of how one's choices could matter more than one's efforts.
Deep within the passageways of the cave dwelling, the faint glow of luminescent moss spilled down from both sides of the rocky walls.
Tagorihime was standing at the end of the passage, waiting for them. A small portion of the sleeves of her dark blue robe had been dampened by droplets of water falling from the ceiling of the cave.
When she saw Kiyohara and Tagitsuhime walking toward her one after the other, she stepped to the side and revealed the spacious stone chamber behind her.
Tagorihime still had no idea what had happened. She had only sensed an enormous fluctuation of chakra, which had then disappeared in a very short period of time.
She could never have imagined that Kiyohara had already dealt with the White Snake Sage.
Kiyohara looked toward Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
Each of them had a snake coiled in front of them.
The snake in front of Naruto was completely scarlet, with black diamond-shaped patterns covering its scales.
Its body was even thicker than Naruto himself. Its triangular head was held high, while its crimson forked tongue flickered rapidly in the air.
Naruto was not afraid in the slightest. Instead, he reached out to touch its scales. When the snake gently brushed his wrist with its tail, Naruto only grinned even more happily.
The snake in front of Sasuke was completely black. It was slightly smaller than Naruto's snake, but its body was much longer, leaner, and more streamlined.
Hinata stood at the very back.
The snake in front of her was pink.
Its pale pink scales overlapped one another like layers of cherry blossom petals, covering its entire body, while a faint silver border surrounded the edges of each scale.
It was smaller than both Naruto's and Sasuke's snakes, with a body only about as thick as Hinata's arm. It was coiled on a patch of soft moss in the corner of the stone chamber, its head tilted slightly to one side.
Hinata extended one finger and gently touched its scales.
The pink snake did not retreat. Instead, it moved its head slightly closer, making it easier for her to touch it.
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
It seemed that Tagorihime had quite a good eye when it came to choosing their contracted summons.
At present, all three snakes were still relatively young.
However, summoned beasts grew very quickly. In only a few years, they would become enormous creatures.
Seeing this, Kiyohara took out three blank contract scrolls.
"Have you all made your choices?"
He crouched down and spread the scrolls across the ground.
"Yes!"
Naruto was the first to raise his hand. He pointed toward the red snake in front of him.
"I want this one! Its tail was really strong when it hit me just now. It must be really good at fighting!"
"Crude."
Sasuke snorted through his nose.
"I choose this black one. Its speed and reactions are faster than those of the other snakes."
Hinata walked over to Kiyohara's side and crouched down.
She extended her hand, allowing the pink snake to crawl along her wrist and wind itself around her forearm like a pale pink bracelet.
"Sensei, I want this one."
Her voice was still soft and delicate, but there was no longer any of the nervousness she had displayed when she first arrived at Ryuchi Cave. Instead, there was a faint trace of excitement in her eyes.
"She's very obedient, and she's very pretty."
Kiyohara reached out and gently touched the top of the pink snake's head as it rested on Hinata's arm.
The pink snake's vertical pupils narrowed slightly, and it made an extremely faint hissing sound, as though Kiyohara had scratched it in exactly the right spot.
"Then sign the contracts."
Kiyohara took three small knives from his shinobi pouch and handed one to each of the three children.
"Write your names on the contract scrolls, then press your thumb beside your name and leave a blood seal."
"The blood seal is the bond of the summoning contract. Once you have established it, you can use the Summoning Technique to call your summoned beast whenever you want."
Naruto took the small knife and immediately drew it across his thumb without hesitation.
The cut was slightly deeper than necessary, and more blood welled up than he had expected, but he did not even frown.
He pressed his thumb firmly against the scroll, leaving behind a round blood imprint. Then, using the finger stained with blood, he crookedly wrote the characters of his name, Namikaze Naruto, beside it.
(TN: Was Uzumaki in the raws but I changed it to Namikaze since Minato is alive. Might change it back though if it's really important.)
His wound then began healing rapidly as well.
Did Minato teach Naruto how to control the Nine-Tails' power?
Kiyohara noticed this small detail.
Such recovery ability was clearly an effect brought about by the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Sasuke was much more careful than Naruto.
He lightly drew the tip of the knife across his thumb, barely breaking the skin and squeezing out a small bead of blood.
He neatly signed his name, Uchiha Sasuke, onto the scroll and then pressed his bloodied thumb beside it.
Hinata bit her lower lip.
The fingers holding the small knife trembled slightly.
She was not afraid of the pain. She was simply afraid that she might do something poorly and disappoint Kiyohara-sensei.
Hinata took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She gently drew the blade across her thumb, then pressed the bead of blood onto the scroll.
Afterward, she held the pen with her other hand and carefully wrote her name beside the blood seal.
Her handwriting was more beautiful than either Naruto's or Sasuke's.
Kiyohara rolled the scrolls back up and tucked them into his sleeve.
Then he stood up and brushed the bits of stone dust from his sleeves.
"Tagitsuhime."
Tagitsuhime stepped forward from his side.
"As for Ryuchi Cave, Tagorihime will remain here temporarily. You will return to Konoha with me first. There are still matters that need to be discussed later."
Tagitsuhime nodded slightly, her vertical pupils sweeping toward the corner of the stone chamber.
Tagorihime stepped forward and bowed slightly to Tagitsuhime before turning toward Kiyohara.
"Rest assured, Lord Kiyohara. I will take good care of everything here at Ryuchi Cave."
Kiyohara nodded and formed a series of hand seals.
The next moment, Kiyohara, Tagitsuhime, and the three children all vanished from the stone chamber of Ryuchi Cave.
…
Konoha.
The midday sunlight poured down from directly overhead.
People came and went along the main street, and the temperature in the air was considerably higher than inside Ryuchi Cave. Several people who had just emerged from the cold and gloomy cavern were immediately enveloped by the warmth of the sunlight.
Naruto stretched lazily, while the red snake coiled around his shoulders and curiously examined the unfamiliar streets around them.
Kiyohara first escorted Hinata back to the Hyuga residence.
Hinata's mother was waiting at the entrance.
When she saw Kiyohara walking toward her from the corner of the street while holding Hinata's hand, she also noticed the small pink snake coiled around her daughter's arm.
Her eyes widened slightly, but she quickly revealed a gentle smile. She bowed and welcomed both Kiyohara and Hinata inside.
Then came Sasuke.
Mikoto was hanging clothes in the courtyard when she heard the knock at the door. She wiped her hands on her apron before going to open it.
Naruto was the last one to be taken home.
When Kushina opened the door, the red snake was curled up on top of Naruto's head, taking a nap.
Without saying a word, she grabbed Naruto by the ear and dragged him inside. Then she waved toward Kiyohara.
Her long red hair swayed briefly beside the doorframe before the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
Kiyohara walked back along the streets of Konoha.
Several children who had just finished classes at the Shinobi Academy ran past him, chattering excitedly about the shuriken examination they had taken that day.
Tagitsuhime followed half a step behind him.
Her plain white robe had already been replaced with a set of light cyan-colored casual clothing through the Transformation Technique.
Her vertical pupils had also changed into ordinary black eyes. Only upon closer inspection could one notice that her pupils would contract into long, narrow ovals when exposed to light.
Kiyohara entered the Hokage's office and sat down in the Hokage's chair.
Tagitsuhime stopped in front of the desk and folded her hands together in front of herself.
"From now on, all matters concerning the deployment and arrangements of Ryuchi Cave will follow Lord Kiyohara's orders."
She took the initiative to make her position clear.
"Come here."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
Tagitsuhime's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Then she walked around the desk and approached Kiyohara's side.
Kiyohara raised his hand and grasped her slender wrist. With a gentle pull, he drew her into his arms.
Tagitsuhime lost her balance and fell onto Kiyohara's lap.
The hem of her clothing spread slightly, revealing a small section of her lower leg covered by black stockings.
Kiyohara wrapped one arm around her waist. His other hand slowly followed the curve of her waist downward before finally resting against the side of her hip, where he gave it a gentle pat.
The sensation beneath his palm was firm and elastic. Her flesh trembled slightly through the fabric beneath his touch.
Her body temperature is somewhat lower than that of an ordinary human.
Kiyohara silently observed the sensation.
He could feel the faint coolness that differed from normal human body temperature.
As cold-blooded creatures, snakes had body temperatures that changed according to their surroundings. Ryuchi Cave was cold and gloomy all year round, so it was only natural for Tagitsuhime's body to carry a trace of that chill as well.
"It certainly has its own charm."
Kiyohara spoke.
A faint blush appeared on Tagitsuhime's cheeks.
She turned her head away, deliberately shifting her face to the side. Her dark green hair slipped from her shoulder, revealing a section of her fair and slender neck.
"Lord Kiyohara said there was an important matter to discuss."
Tagitsuhime asked.
"Naturally, it is an important matter."
Kiyohara leaned back against the chair. With his other hand, he picked up a blank sealing scroll from the desk and unfolded it across the space in front of them.
"I intend to develop a type of sealing scroll capable of storing natural energy. I will need your cooperation."
Fuinjutsu techniques had an extremely wide range of applications throughout the shinobi world. In theory, almost anything could be sealed.
If a space-time barrier was incorporated into the technique, the scroll could even possess the ability to store objects.
Although natural energy was more difficult to control than ordinary chakra, it was fundamentally still a form of energy, meaning that it could also be sealed.
Kiyohara continued, "Therefore, I will need you to take me to the place where natural energy is the most concentrated."
Tagitsuhime withdrew her gaze from the window and tried her best to focus her attention on Kiyohara's words.
"No problem."
Kiyohara's fingers came to rest on the scroll.
He leaned against the back of the chair, one arm still around her slender waist while his other hand rested against her thigh covered by black stockings, but his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
Over on the Akatsuki's side, Obito and Orochimaru were currently mass-producing reanimated shinobi.
Kiyohara also knew that they were making use of the Zero-Tails' chakra.
The Zero-Tails' dark chakra combined with the infinite regeneration ability of an Impure World Reincarnation body could indeed allow them to rapidly accumulate a considerable amount of combat power within a short period of time.
But that was merely an accumulation in quantity, not a qualitative leap.
What truly concerned him was Otsutsuki Isshiki.
The remains of Otsutsuki Shibai that he possessed were currently the most uncertain variable within Kiyohara's intelligence network.
Before making his move, he needed more cards to play.
And the Natural Energy Storage Scroll was one of those cards.
A shinobi's chakra had a limit, and even Senjutsu chakra had a limit.
However, if he could carry dozens of scrolls containing highly concentrated Natural Energy with him and extract and replenish it at any time during battle, it would essentially be equivalent to having a chakra bar that could be replenished whenever necessary.
Of course, this was only meant for emergencies.
Kiyohara mainly used these scrolls for research.
While Kiyohara was lost in thought, Tagitsuhime's entire body had been warmed by his touch.
More precisely, her naturally cool body temperature had gradually risen until it was close to that of an ordinary human.
Her cheeks were no longer covered by a faint blush. Instead, there were now obvious traces of redness.
Her dark green vertical pupils had become slightly unfocused because of the sensations, while her eyelashes trembled continuously.
She bit her lower lip, doing her best not to make any strange sounds.
Kiyohara lowered his head and looked at her delicate appearance. The scene reminded him of the mist-filled bathroom he had once shared with Tsunade, and he suddenly felt that Shizune must have had thoughts much like these back then.
Although Tagitsuhime was not human in the traditional sense, the body of a transformed snake sage possessed its own unique charm.
Her body temperature was lower than that of a human, yet her skin felt even more delicate.
He patted the side of Tagitsuhime's hip.
"Sit properly."
Tagitsuhime blinked somewhat blankly, still unable to completely recover from her dazed state.
Kiyohara had already reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, turning her entire body around so that she faced him.
The edge of her black stockings pressed against her skin, leaving behind a shallow mark.
Immediately afterward, the two bodies connected.
Tagitsuhime raised her head and suppressed the urge to let out a soft moan.
Although she had lived for several centuries, this was still her first experience of this kind.
She had actually been taken by a human named Kiyohara.
No.
Tagitsuhime shook her head.
Kiyohara should not be considered an ordinary human.
Before long, her vertical pupils had become completely unfocused.
Her body temperature continued to rise within Kiyohara's embrace, changing from cool to warm, and then from warm to burning hot.
While holding her, Kiyohara rested his chin against her shoulder and continued discussing serious matters.
"There are similarities between the regeneration mechanisms of Natural Energy and Tailed Beast chakra. A Tailed Beast will die after its chakra is completely extracted from its Jinchuriki, but after a period of time, it will gather somewhere else and reform its body. The fundamental reason behind this seemingly immortal characteristic is that their chakra possesses the ability to regenerate itself."
Tagitsuhime struggled to concentrate on his words.
Her forehead rested against Kiyohara's shoulder, and her breathing was rapid and shallow. However, as a snake princess who had lived for several centuries, her willpower was far stronger than that of most human shinobi.
"What Master Kiyohara means is..."
"Master Kiyohara?"
Kiyohara glanced at her.
Seeing his reaction, Tagitsuhime immediately corrected herself.
"Master."
"Good."
Kiyohara nodded in satisfaction.
"If we can uncover the secret behind the immortality of Tailed Beast chakra and then apply it to the circulation system of Natural Energy, we may be able to create a completely closed chakra cycle that never runs dry."
At the same time, Kiyohara was thinking about whether humans could also make use of the Tailed Beasts' ability to remain immortal.
If such a cycle could truly be established, then theoretically, there would no longer be any need to rely on an external parasitic reincarnation method such as the Kāma.
The physical body could be destroyed, but it might be possible to reconstruct it through the regenerative mechanism of chakra, just like a Tailed Beast.
However, Kiyohara felt that this was somewhat similar to the "Reverse Life Threefold" from The Outcast.
(TN: The Outcast or Under One Person, a chinese anime.)
If a Tailed Beast took on a human form, it could essentially be regarded as an immortal and indestructible lifeform.
Still, Kiyohara felt that this was only immortality in a narrow sense.
After all, there was still the risk of having one's chakra completely absorbed.
What Kiyohara really wanted to know was why Natural Energy could gather together again and again.
The God Tree was already gone, so why would Natural Energy continue to gather within the bodies of Tailed Beasts that had already died?
Could this have been the work of the Sage of Six Paths?
Kiyohara continued pondering the matter.
Back then, Kaguya had swallowed the "Chakra Fruit" and obtained the power of immortality. However, her immortality was not absolute.
Her physical body had gradually been worn away while she was sealed, and in the end, she could only return by means of Kāma through the body of Six Paths Madara.
Tagitsuhime noticed that Kiyohara had suddenly stopped speaking. She slowly raised her head. Her usually cold and composed face was now flushed from a lack of oxygen.
Her lips parted slightly, revealing the small snake fangs inside.
"Master Kiyohara's ambition..."
Her voice was hoarse.
"It is truly far-reaching."
The moment she finished saying those words, her brows furrowed tightly.
Kiyohara's ambition really was enormous.
"There is one more thing. I am going to place a new curse mark on you to strengthen your power."
Kiyohara looked at Tagitsuhime.
Tagitsuhime did not resist. She did not even ask what kind of curse mark it was. Instead, she simply leaned against Kiyohara's shoulder and completely exposed the back of her neck beneath his fingertips.
A strand of black chakra illuminated Kiyohara's fingertip. The patterns of the curse mark spread outward like vines, extending from his fingertip and sinking into the skin at the back of Tagitsuhime's neck.
This was an enhanced version of the curse mark. It incorporated some of the characteristics of Kiyohara's own cells, allowing it to greatly increase the host's capacity for Senjutsu chakra.
At the same time, it was also a form of absolute control.
Once the curse mark was implanted, it was essentially equivalent to placing Tagitsuhime's life and death directly into Kiyohara's hands.
Unless Tagitsuhime's chakra surpassed Kiyohara's, she would be unable to ignore its control.
But that was practically impossible.
Unless Tagitsuhime somehow became the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails on the spot, she would never be able to escape from Kiyohara's grasp.
"If those other two snake princesses refuse to listen to you, use this to deal with them."
Kiyohara withdrew his finger and gently pressed it against the curse mark on the back of her neck.
The curse mark became slightly hot before quickly cooling down, leaving only a black pattern on the surface of her skin.
Tagitsuhime's body trembled slightly.
She thought of Ichikishimahime and Tagorihime.
If they learned about the White Snake Sage and discovered that she had become the master of Ryuchi Cave, they would most likely still refuse to submit to her.
But with this curse mark, no matter how unwilling they were, they could only endure it in silence.
At that thought, her vertical pupils, already clouded by a watery haze, instinctively rolled upward, revealing most of the whites of her eyes.
Kiyohara's lofty ambition had touched the deepest part of her heart.
When she lowered her head, she could even see the marks on her abdomen.
A surge of gratitude welled up inside her, causing her usually cold and composed face to twist into an expression that even she herself would hardly have recognized.
"Thank you... Master Kiyohara..."
With that "thank you," the entire afternoon passed.
Outside the window, the sun gradually shifted from noon toward evening. The orange-red sunset dyed the walls of the Hokage's office in a warm golden hue.
Kiyohara looked at Tagitsuhime, who had already collapsed from exhaustion. He raised his hand and refined a gentle stream of Yang Release chakra, pressing it against her forehead.
The Yang Release chakra slowly seeped into her body, gradually waking Tagitsuhime.
"Master, I will take my leave first."
Kiyohara nodded.
Tagitsuhime straightened her clothes, released the summoning technique, and returned to Ryuchi Cave.
Kiyohara rose from the Hokage's chair and walked over to the window. He pushed it open and used Wind Release to disperse the lingering scent.
He looked out at the overlapping rooftops of Konoha. His thoughts moved away from the affairs of Ryuchi Cave and settled on his next target.
The Seven-Tails, Chomei.
Its Jinchuriki was Fuu of Takigakure.
That small shinobi village hidden behind a waterfall was a place he needed to visit.
Several days later, Kiyohara arrived at Taki.
The thunderous roar of waterfalls could be heard everywhere.
Water poured down from towering cliffs, and the mist that splashed into the air formed a faint rainbow beneath the sunlight.
Takigakure was hidden behind this enormous waterfall. The entrance to the village was tightly concealed behind a transparent curtain of falling water, and only those who knew the entrance password could find the path through the water curtain.
Kiyohara did not bother with the usual procedure.
He simply passed straight through the water curtain and entered the village.
The Byakugan-like penetrating vision contained within the Tenseigan allowed Kiyohara to completely ignore such forms of concealment.
Takigakure had been built inside a circular valley. Steep cliffs surrounded the village on every side, with deep green vines crawling across their surfaces.
At the center of the village stood an enormous ancient tree. Its canopy blocked out the sky and covered almost half of the village.
The Hero Water should be there too.
Kiyohara thought to himself.
"Why did you suddenly come here?"
Tsunade asked curiously.
The day before Kiyohara departed, Tsunade had happened to learn about his plans, so she had decided to come along as well.
"To collect the flesh and blood of a Tailed Beast."
Kiyohara answered.
There was no longer any need to hide it.
Of the Nine Tailed Beasts, he had already collected most of them.
"What use is that stuff?"
Tsunade asked curiously.
Even so, she continued walking forward with Kiyohara.
Dozens of houses were scattered beneath the towering ancient tree in an orderly yet somewhat irregular arrangement. Their roofs were covered with dark gray tiles.
Compared with the barren landscape of Suna and the damp atmosphere of Kiri, Taki had something of the feeling of an isolated paradise.
However, Kiyohara knew that this seemingly peaceful little village also possessed one of the rarest powers in the shinobi world, a Tailed Beast.
That alone was enough to show that Takigakure belonged to the first tier of shinobi villages outside the Five Great Nations.
When he landed on the stone bridge directly in front of the village entrance, the sensory barrier surrounding Takigakure had already sounded its alarm.
Several shinobi wearing Takigakure forehead protectors poked their heads out from the watchtowers on both sides. Kunai were gripped tightly in their hands, but none of them dared to approach.
Kiyohara was not wearing the traditional robes of a Hokage, but his face had long since become well known throughout the intelligence networks of the shinobi world.
The famous Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Kiyohara!
No matter how isolated Takigakure was, its shinobi were not so ignorant that they could fail to recognize that face.
About ten minutes later, Takigakure's leader, Shibuki, hurried over.
He was a very young shinobi, and when he saw Kiyohara, his face was filled with nervousness and apprehension.
"Fourth Hokage, Takigakure was unable to welcome you properly. Please forgive us. May I ask what brings the Fourth Hokage to our village?"
Kiyohara got straight to the point.
"The Seven-Tails."
"..."
(End of Chapter)