Even though the Curse Mark is basically a high-end knockoff of senjutsu, it still carries the power to boost someone severalfold.
How big the boost is varies from person to person.
At the end of the day, the Curse Mark already touches natural energy.
And natural energy is practically the "base code" of the shinobi world.
Kiyohara thought to himself.
He could use the Curse Mark as an entry point to start interacting with natural energy.
So if, in the future, he followed Tsunade to Shikkotsu Forest to train senjutsu, it would be like he'd already laid down the foundation.
Or maybe, someday, one of his futures wouldn't even be human—something like a "Snake Sage Kiyohara," "Slug Kiyohara," or "Toad Kiyohara" from the Three Great Sage Regions. Who knew?
"The strongest part of the Curse Mark is that it's passive, isn't it?" Kiyohara spoke inside his mind.
Anbu Kiyohara's spirit floated out. He nodded and said,
"Right. Because of that, I wanted to train Sage Mode too… but I never succeeded."
The reason was simple: Sage Mode had a major flaw—its startup time was too long.
You had to slowly absorb natural energy, then balance it with your internal spiritual energy and physical energy.
If you made a mistake at any point, you failed.
In the end, Naruto had to solve it with Shadow Clones—leave one clone gathering senjutsu chakra ahead of time, then summon it over when needed, dispel it, and instantly absorb the "senjutsu chakra" stored inside, entering Sage Mode on the spot.
Or you had Senju Hashirama—one of the few explicitly stated in the databooks to be able to enter Sage Mode instantly.
"Now that I'm Tsunade's student, I do have a chance to train senjutsu at Shikkotsu Forest," Kiyohara said slowly. "I just don't know whether Hashirama's instant Sage Mode was his personal ability… or something special about Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode."
"No idea," Anbu Kiyohara shook his head.
In his future, he hadn't apprenticed under Tsunade. He took the Chūnin Exams right after graduating, became a chūnin, and then worked in Anbu nonstop.
Kiyohara pushed the thought aside. No matter what, he needed to complete the wishes first.
With a bit of effort, these two wishes weren't impossible to finish quickly.
As for Oyashiro En—aside from the public identity of "weapons merchant," Kiyohara also knew he was the CEO of Kusabi Real Estate, and a collector of kekkei genkai.
In other words, the man loved collecting bloodlines, which meant he would have heavy demand on the black market.
And Kiyohara could use the black market—plus canon intel—to reverse-track the man's location.
Blood, huh… Kiyohara rubbed his chin.
The Ketsuryūgan was scary because of genjutsu and its blood-medium techniques.
Genjutsu probably wouldn't do much against Kiyohara's Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Between his mental energy being several times that of ordinary people and his strong Yin affinity, the Ketsuryūgan wasn't even in the same league.
Those traits would only make Kiyohara's Sharingan stronger.
So that left blood-manipulation techniques.
"I can ask around later," Kiyohara decided.
While traveling on missions with Tsunade, he'd stop by the nearest black market and gather info.
He could also sell off some ninja tools he still hadn't had time to unload.
Soon, the night passed.
In the morning, Kiyohara used Lightning Release to blast some fish out of the stream beneath a nearby waterfall.
He'd considered fishing—he could've night-fished while on watch—but he didn't have a rod.
So he chose the method that never came up empty: blow the fish up with Lightning Release.
He collected the floating fish and made breakfast.
Tsunade ate a few bites and praised him repeatedly.
Then the team hit the road again.
The scenery changed once more. The waterfalls and forests of the Land of Waterfalls gradually fell behind, replaced by an endless grassland.
The grass grew so tall it could reach an adult's waist. When the wind swept through, waves of green rolled like an emerald ocean.
"We're near the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass now," Tsunade said, looking at the map.
"We have Konoha spies in the Land of Grass. If we head over, there should be someone to meet us."
She pointed at a marker on the map.
"We should arrive by evening."
They continued onward.
Traveling across grassland was actually harder than moving through forests—snakes, traps, even enemies could be hidden in the grass.
Tsunade led the way, Kiyohara took the rear, with Shizune and Kurenai in the middle.
While moving, Kiyohara's brows suddenly knit.
He sensed chakra fluctuations.
He spread his Yang Release chakra outward, scanning the surroundings.
Sure enough—several chakra signatures.
"Ambush."
Kiyohara rose straight into the air, flying up by combining Magnet Release and Steel Release.
His Sharingan, like an eight-times scope, swept the area.
Three tomoe rotated slowly in his eyes, and chakra flow became crystal clear in his vision.
The Sharingan couldn't see through solid obstacles, but with Kiyohara's eyesight, even the tiniest crack was enough to catch something.
A moment later, he found them.
"Two jōnin, three chūnin."
"Sensei, I'll handle it," Kiyohara said.
"No." Tsunade shook her head.
"Let Kurenai and Shizune try. They've improved a lot lately—they need real combat."
If Kiyohara fought, everyone would just die.
Tsunade wanted to train Shizune and Kurenai.
Kurenai's eyes lit up. "I can do it?"
"Be careful," Tsunade said. "Open with genjutsu and follow up with attacks. Kiyohara, you hold the line."
Kiyohara nodded and stepped back half a pace to give Kurenai room.
Tsunade moved off to the side too—she couldn't stand the sight of blood.
Kiyohara descended and quietly called out positions to Kurenai, telling her exactly where the enemies were.
Kurenai took a deep breath and began forming seals.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
An invisible wave of genjutsu spread out.
In a distant shrub, a Taki-nin chūnin suddenly went rigid.
In his vision, the bushes began to writhe, transforming into thick roots that wrapped around him and pinned him tight. It was only an illusion, but the realism overwhelmed his senses and froze him in place.
"Now!" Kurenai barked, forming seals again.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A razor-sharp blast of air erupted from her mouth and struck the immobilized chūnin.
Pffft!
Blood splashed against a crumbling wall.
Approval flickered in Kiyohara's eyes.
"Nice improvement. Your transition from genjutsu to ninjutsu was smooth."
Kurenai smiled—but the next second, her face tightened.
The others had noticed.
From the third building on the west side, a Taki jōnin charged out and formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A roaring dragon of water surged toward Kurenai.
"Ninja Art: Poison Mist!"
Shizune exhaled a cloud of purple poison.
It spread fast, blocking the Water Dragon's path.
Ssssss.
The poison mist was highly corrosive—and it rolled straight toward the Taki jōnin.
He had no choice but to blow it away with Wind Release, then rush forward.
Shizune's heart jumped.
She hadn't expected his hand seals to be that fast.
But he was already in front of her, kunai thrusting for her throat.
That's when Kiyohara moved.
A red flash crossed his eyes—Sharingan genjutsu pinned the jōnin in place.
He also used Wind Release to disperse the Water Dragon.
"Now, Shizune," Kiyohara said.
Hearing his voice, Shizune snapped out of it and nodded.
Like Rin, her primary role was medical ninja.
But she was also skilled with toxins and mechanisms.
She raised her right hand, flicked up her sleeve, and the guard at her wrist popped open—revealing a row of tiny holes beneath.
Shhk-shhk-shhk!
Dozens of poisoned needles fired out.
The Taki jōnin's face changed—he tried to dodge, but Kiyohara hit him with another round of Sharingan genjutsu.
"Ghk!"
He groaned as numbness spread from the punctures—the needles carried neurotoxin.
And it wasn't over.
Shizune quickly exhaled again, purple poison enveloping him.
He tried to hold his breath, but the mist corroded on contact with skin.
He screamed. Large patches of purple ulceration bloomed across his body.
He collapsed, spasmed, and soon went still.
At the same time, two more Taki chūnin sprang up from a well, flanking Kiyohara from left and right.
Kiyohara didn't even look at them—he simply drew his blade.
Konoha-style Swordsmanship!
A flash of steel.
The chūnin on the left gained a thin line of blood across his throat. He clutched his neck and fell to his knees, disbelief filling his eyes.
The one on the right tried to retreat—but Kiyohara's figure was suddenly behind him, blade driven backward into his heart.
Two seconds. Two chūnin. Both dead.
The last remaining Taki jōnin burst from behind a tree to the east and went pale at the sight.
Kiyohara had deliberately left him for last.
"Damn it—who are you people?!" the jōnin demanded, sweat pouring down.
He'd been tailing them, hoping to find a chance to pick scraps.
"What do you think?" Kiyohara stared at him.
This time, Tsunade had them travel without Konoha forehead protectors.
Sometimes enemies misjudged who they were.
If they'd known Tsunade was here from the start, they would've turned and run.
"Damn it—Water Release… Water Dragon Technique!"
The jōnin formed seals and unleashed another water dragon.
Taki's Water Release looked bigger and more vicious than Konoha's traditional styles.
That snarling water dragon charged straight at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara formed Fire seals and spat a flame torrent dozens of meters long.
The water dragon evaporated in the inferno.
Seeing an opening, the jōnin turned and ran.
"Running?" Kiyohara's wrist flicked.
His blade left his hand like a bullet, driven by raw strength.
Whoosh!
Steam churned in the shockwave—then the jōnin was pinned to the ground.
"AAAH!"
Kiyohara strode up, placed a hand on his shoulder, and used Curse Binding Technique, locking him in place so he couldn't move.
The fight was over.
From start to finish: less than a minute.
Five Taki shinobi—four dead, one captured.
Kiyohara crouched in front of the prisoner.
"Who sent you? Why were you ambushing here?"
The jōnin clenched his jaw and refused.
So Kiyohara gave him the "Samui treatment."
"AAAAA—!"
A small-country shinobi's willpower was flimsy.
Kiyohara casually simulated lightning torture with genjutsu and shattered his mental defenses, then used his ocular power to influence his nerves and interrogate him.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
He broke.
"It—It was the village head! He said Konoha shinobi have been active around here lately, told us to eliminate all outsiders!"
"Village head?" Kiyohara frowned.
"You're Taki shinobi?"
"N-no… we're missing-nin. Taki has bounties on us. We fled here and the village head took us in. We didn't slash our forehead protectors so we could disguise ourselves."
"Who's the village head?"
"Oyashiro En… he wears sunglasses."
Oyashiro En?
Kiyohara's heart stirred.
Right—based on canon, the man was deeply interested in kekkei genkai.
In Sasuke Shinden—which takes place after the Fourth War—Sasuke has an Eternal Mangekyō in his right eye and a six-tomoe Rinnegan in his left.
And yet Oyashiro En still dared to target Sasuke, even threatening his eyes to his face.
Luckily for him, that was the post-Naruto "smoothed out" Sasuke.
If it were younger Sasuke, even a dog would get hit with Amaterasu—Oyashiro En wouldn't even know how he died.
With rumors of an Uzumaki descendant, of course he'd come sniffing around.
Just like Orochimaru had once used kekkei genkai as bait to draw him out.
"Where is he?" Kiyohara pressed.
"N-north of the village… an underground base. We meet through the black market…"
The jōnin stammered out the black market's location—a deserted mine on the Land of Grass border.
On the surface it looked like a gathering place for wandering shinobi.
In reality, it was the region's largest underground hub for intel and supplies.
"Why were you lying in ambush here?"
"T-to… capture people…"
He shook as he spoke.
"The village head wants to collect kekkei genkai, so we often grab shinobi and take them back."
"We heard there were traces of an Uzumaki around here, so we came… and we happened to see you. We thought we could make some extra money…"
He trailed off.
The rest was obvious: before they could act, Kiyohara found them first, and Kurenai seized the initiative.
"Did you find the Uzumaki?" Kiyohara asked.
"N-no… only some traces… we think Grass ninja captured her…"
"How do you get into that black market?"
"Y-you need a passphrase… changes every three days… today's passphrase is…"
Kiyohara nodded. He'd gotten what he needed.
He stood and glanced toward Tsunade.
She had her back turned, arms folded—clearly not wanting to see what came next.
Kiyohara pulled his blade from the jōnin's back.
A flash of steel.
Blood spattered the grass, quickly soaking into the soil.
Kiyohara flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it.
These people were basically traffickers. He had no reason to show mercy.
In canon, the shinobi Oyashiro En captured were penned like dogs and fed like livestock.
Sometimes, when he got bored—if he'd collected too many of the same bloodline—he'd force one to kill the others.
"Sensei."
Kiyohara walked to Tsunade.
"I got answers. They say Grass ninja took her. There's a black market nearby—we might be able to buy more detailed intel. I want to go."
Tsunade turned back, still a little pale, but steady again.
"How long?"
"Two hours at most. It's less than five kilometers from here."
"Be careful," Tsunade warned.
Konoha's intel team had already checked some locations, but more preparation never hurt.
"The black market's a mess. Don't expose your identity. We'll wait three kilometers east, in that low grove."
"Understood."
Kiyohara turned—and with a few quick bounds, vanished into the grass.
…
The abandoned mine lay at the bottom of a barren valley.
The entrance was hidden behind thick vines—without intel, you'd never find it.
Kiyohara stopped outside and changed his look. He pulled a dark gray cloak from his gear, covered his lower face with a cloth.
At the entrance, he lowered his voice and spoke the passphrase.
A middle-aged man's voice answered from within, granting him entry.
A section of wall slid open into a narrow gap.
Kiyohara slipped inside and walked down a cramped passage about fifty meters.
Then the space opened up.
A huge underground chamber—about half a soccer field in size.
Rough stalls had been carved into the rock walls, lit by oil lamps and glowstone.
The air was a blend of smoke, alcohol, blood, and an assortment of strange, unplaceable odors.
Dozens of shinobi and drifters in mixed attire were scattered around—some trading, some drinking, some simply watching coldly.
Kiyohara blended in.
First, he found a few stalls that bought ninja tools and sold off the spoils he'd accumulated over the past months in batches—black market prices were good.
Afterward, with a heavy coin pouch, he headed to the information brokers' area.
"Buying info or selling?" an old man asked.
"Buying two," Kiyohara said. "First: the rumored Uzumaki. Second: Oyashiro En."
"First is 100,000 ryō. Second—"
Kiyohara didn't haggle. He counted out bills from the pouch and pushed them over.
The money had belonged to those Taki missing-nin anyway. After expenses, he even came out ahead.
"About the Uzumaki—there's a lot of talk. Hard to say what's true. But she was likely taken by Grass. Probably around here."
The old man scribbled on a map, marking the Grass activity range.
Then he told Kiyohara what he knew about Oyashiro En.
Kiyohara had expected only scraps, but the info was surprisingly detailed.
En was in the neighboring Land of Hot Water—territory the Uchiha had once suppressed.
They no longer lived in the Hell Valley area, but had relocated somewhere else.
Kiyohara thought for a moment and understood.
Of course—Oyashiro En only became truly cunning decades later.
Right now, he was still young.
As Kiyohara turned to leave, the old man called out.
"Wait. Since you bought so much, I'll throw in one more for free."
He pulled a bounty poster from under the table and slid it over.
Kiyohara looked—and saw his own portrait.
His mouth twitched.
And it was labeled 15 million ryō…
About one-third of Sarutobi Asuma's boosted value?
Looks like Kumo really hated him—or certain people were very interested in his publicly known dual bloodlines.
"This bounty's hot in the black market lately," the old man said lazily.
"A lot of people want the money. But I suggest you… don't touch it."
"Why?" Kiyohara asked, feigning curiosity.
"Someone who can solo-kill Toroi and retreat alive from a Two-Tails jinchūriki—what kind of easy mark do you think that is?" The old man narrowed his eyes again.
Kiyohara: "…"
He really wanted to say: Then why hand this to me?
…
Back in the low grove, Tsunade's group was resting.
Kurenai was restless, frequently looking toward where Kiyohara had gone.
Shizune checked their tools.
Tsunade leaned against a tree with her eyes closed.
But Kiyohara knew her sensing still covered a hundred meters around them.
"I'm back."
Kiyohara stepped out from the shadows and removed his disguise.
"Well?" Tsunade opened her eyes.
"Two updates." Kiyohara relayed the intel from the black market.
"We have a rough location, but even the black market isn't sure she's really Uzumaki."
He gave the location.
Tsunade nodded—it matched what Konoha's intel team had said.
"Oh—and Oyashiro En is also after the Uzumaki," Kiyohara added.
"Oyashiro En?" Tsunade frowned.
"That weapons merchant? He's interested in an Uzumaki too?"
Oyashiro En was a famous arms dealer—especially active during wartime.
No one knew he was Chinoike Clan.
"They say he wants to collect her as a 'specimen,'" Kiyohara said.
Hearing that, Tsunade stood.
Her brown-gold eyes swept over Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Shizune.
"If she's confirmed Uzumaki, do your best to persuade her to come with us. If we run into Oyashiro En… Konoha isn't afraid of some merchant."
Tsunade didn't want to see an Uzumaki end up as someone's "collection."
"Yes, Sensei," Kiyohara answered.
He felt relieved.
This was also his chance to complete the wish.
Following the map's markers, they quickly reached a hidden settlement near the Land of Grass border.
Kiyohara used Sharingan genjutsu to hypnotize the Grass guards and slipped in smoothly.
Low earthen huts were scattered around.
The air carried a mix of herbs and faint rot.
Many people were wrapped in filthy bandages stained with dark red blood—less a village, more a gathering place for the wounded.
But it didn't look heavily guarded.
Tsunade frowned, her face turning unpleasant.
Seeing that, Kiyohara said quietly, "Sensei, grab my sleeve and keep your eyes closed as we walk."
Tsunade hesitated, then pinched the edge of Kiyohara's clothing.
The four of them merged into the crowd without drawing attention.
Soon, Kiyohara noticed something off.
The wounded would go into the huts—and not long after, they'd come out healed.
Did Grass have medical nin that advanced?
"Sensei, I'm sensing a chakra signature," Kiyohara said.
He released Yang chakra and felt a fairly large chakra presence nearby.
Tsunade nodded. A hint of seriousness appeared on her refined face.
Looks like they really hadn't come in vain.
They waited outside until dusk.
Then Kiyohara saw several Grass ninja escorting a red-haired woman out.
She looked exhausted.
Karin's mother? Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
But he also noticed there were no bite marks on her body.
So at this point, she was only healing the wounded with chakra—and they hadn't discovered that biting her could heal them.
After all, even among the Uzumaki, that kind of vitality-based healing wasn't something everyone inherited.
Nagato and Naruto hadn't inherited it, either.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!