"Came to see you, and also to talk about the mission."
Kiyohara lifted the paper bag in his hand.
"You haven't eaten yet, right? I bought some food."
"Come in, then."
Kurenai stepped aside to let him in, the corners of her lips rising unconsciously.
The Yūhi family's living room wasn't large, but it felt warm and cozy.
"Father went to the Hokage Building for a meeting. He won't be back until tonight."
As she spoke, Kurenai took the paper bag from him.
"Sit down. I'll make some tea."
Kiyohara sat by the low table, his gaze sweeping over the room.
That cat that could do backflips was lying lazily on the floor.
Kiyohara raised a brow.
Honestly, he had always found it pretty incredible that Kurenai's cat could do backflips.
After all, it wasn't a summon beast. Even Tonton was basically a ninja pig and could travel alongside shinobi by leaping off tree trunks.
But this cat was just an ordinary cat, and yet it could still do backflips.
Kurenai soon returned with a tea tray.
She knelt across from him and began pouring tea, her sleeve slipping down to reveal a section of her fair forearm.
"You mentioned the mission… is it a new one?"
She slid a teacup in front of him.
"Yeah, to the border of the Land of Hot Water."
Kiyohara nodded.
"But this time, I'm planning to handle it alone."
Kurenai blinked.
"You're doing it alone? But…"
"I'm a jonin now. I don't need teammates."
Kiyohara said it simply.
In theory, he could already be assigned a fresh batch of newly graduated genin from the Ninja Academy and become their jonin leader.
"…All right."
The thought that she might not see him for several days made Kurenai lower her eyes a little.
"Oh, right. Have you been tired lately? Back in the Land of Rivers, you never really got any proper rest, did you?"
As if suddenly remembering something, Kurenai looked up at him.
"I've been fine."
Kiyohara nodded.
After inheriting part of Yotsuki Kiyohara's bloodline, his life force had increased a lot.
It was fair to say he had even more energy than before—far more lively and vigorous.
"Really?"
Kurenai looked at him suspiciously.
Back in the Land of Rivers, Kiyohara had been training, operating on patients, and leading patrols all at once.
From Kurenai's point of view, he had practically been spinning like a top.
"Really."
Kiyohara nodded again.
Kurenai bit her lower lip.
"I don't care. Even if you're not tired, you still have to try it. I recently learned a little massage technique from Rin."
Kiyohara raised a brow.
"You learned that too?"
"I-I just picked it up casually."
Kurenai's face grew even redder.
"But Rin said my technique was actually pretty good… if you don't mind…"
Seeing how she looked both hopeful and shy, Kiyohara felt a small warmth in his chest.
He really hadn't relaxed in a long time. From the Land of Rivers battlefield, to killing the Third Mizukage, to rushing back to Konoha, his nerves had stayed tight the whole time.
Sometimes, letting himself relax a little wasn't a bad thing.
After all, compared to the weak version of himself from when the war had first begun, he was much stronger now.
"Sure."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Kurenai."
Kurenai's eyes lit up.
"Then lie down. Um… lie here."
She pointed to the space in front of her.
Kiyohara did as she said and lay down on the floor with his head facing her.
The wooden floor was a little hard, but there was a soft mat spread over it.
Kurenai knelt beside him, took a deep breath, and gently placed her hands at his temples.
Her fingers were slightly cool, but soft.
"Is this pressure okay?"
she asked softly.
"Yeah, it's good."
Once she got that reassurance, Kurenai relaxed a little.
Her fingers moved slowly from his temples to his forehead, pressing gently along his brow bones, then across the center of his face and down to his cheeks… every pressure point was exactly right.
Kiyohara closed his eyes.
He could smell the faint fragrance on Kurenai, mixed with the natural scent unique to a young woman.
Her breathing was light. Every now and then, a few damp strands of hair slipped down and brushed against his cheek, ticklish and soft.
"Kiyohara…"
Kurenai suddenly spoke in a quiet voice.
"Yeah?"
"Um… you can rest your head on my lap."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"That way it'll be easier for me to work on your shoulders."
Kiyohara opened his eyes and met her evasive gaze.
Her face was completely red now, even the tips of her ears tinged pink.
Kiyohara turned slightly and rested his head gently on Kurenai's closed-together thighs.
For a moment, both of them paused in a subtle, delicate way.
The back of Kiyohara's head sank into a soft warmth.
Kurenai's thighs were more supple than they looked. From this angle, his line of sight happened to face the small inward curve of her abdomen as she sat.
Her skirt was slightly taut from her posture, outlining a flat yet soft line, and above that was the faint rise and fall of her chest.
Kurenai's whole body visibly stiffened for a second, and even her breathing grew lighter.
"I-I'll keep going, then…"
she murmured.
The massage moved from his forehead to his scalp.
As Kurenai's fingertips pressed into the pressure points on his head, it brought just the right amount of pleasant soreness.
She had clearly learned the real thing from Rin.
"Is the pressure okay?"
she asked again softly.
"It's fine."
Kiyohara kept his eyes closed.
"You could be my personal massage therapist from now on."
"What are you even saying?!"
Flustered, Kurenai lightly smacked his forehead, then immediately realized how intimate the gesture was and froze with her hand suspended in midair.
"Wh-who wants to be your personal…"
She paused, then suddenly seemed to think of something. Her fingers unconsciously caught a strand of his hair.
"You… how do you know what good massage feels like? Did you go to those… those pleasure districts with Jiraiya-sama or something?"
Kiyohara opened one eye and looked right at Kurenai's slightly furrowed expression.
Her cheeks were still red, but there was unmistakable jealousy in her eyes.
She pressed her lips together and looked at him with the seriousness of someone interrogating a suspect.
"Of course not."
Kiyohara chuckled and closed his eye again.
"I never go near places like that."
And it was true. What did those places outside have that could compare to the safety of home?
Jiraiya really did live recklessly.
After all, there was more than one way to get yourself into trouble.
Sometimes, just getting involved at all was enough.
"Hmph…"
Only then did Kurenai's brows relax, and the corners of her lips quietly lifted.
She continued massaging the top of his head, her fingers weaving through his hair.
"As if you'd dare."
Time slipped by quietly.
Kurenai noticed that Kiyohara's breathing had gradually become steady.
She lowered her head and looked at him. His eyes were closed, his eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them, the corners of his mouth relaxed into a soft line.
He looked like he had fallen asleep.
Her hands automatically gentled even more, as though she were afraid to disturb a good dream.
Looking at his face so close to her, Kurenai's heartbeat once again sped up against her will.
After hesitating, she bit her lip and slowly bent down.
Then she pressed a kiss to Kiyohara's forehead.
Just as she was about to pull back, she met a pair of eyes that had suddenly opened.
"Y-you were pretending to sleep!"
Kurenai almost jerked upright like a startled rabbit, her whole face so red it looked ready to drip blood.
"Just woke up."
Kiyohara's voice carried the lazy tone of someone newly awake, along with completely undisguised teasing.
"Too bad you only kissed my forehead."
"You're still talking!"
Mortified, Kurenai reached out to cover his mouth, but Kiyohara lightly caught her wrist.
He sat up, though his head was still resting in her lap, only now from a position where he looked up at her.
That angle only made Kurenai panic more. She could clearly see her own reflection in his eyes, and that faint smile of his that made her heart race.
"Next time, you can be bolder."
Kiyohara released her hand and stood up on his own.
He was basically saying he could handle a lot more than that.
Kurenai was still frozen where she sat. By the time she came back to herself, he had already straightened his clothes.
"You… you're leaving already?"
"Yeah. I still need to talk to Sensei about the mission."
Kiyohara walked to the door, then looked back at her.
"Thanks for the massage. It felt great."
He paused, then added:
"Personal."
Click. The door shut.
Kurenai sat there blankly for a long while, then finally buried her burning face in her hands.
"Idiot…"
…
By the time Kiyohara returned to Tsunade's house, the sky was already nearing dusk.
Tsunade was sitting in the living room, looking bored as she ate fruit. When she heard the door open, she looked up.
"What mission did you take?"
"Escort and negotiation at the border of the Land of Hot Water."
Kiyohara handed over the scroll.
"A-rank. Might involve Kumogakure people."
Tsunade gave it a quick look, one brow lifting.
"You're going alone?"
"It'll be more efficient."
Kiyohara replied.
"And this time, the main goal is reconnaissance. There's no need to bring a squad."
Tsunade was silent for a moment, then tossed the scroll back to him.
"Do what you want. Just remember to come back early."
"I know, Sensei."
The next morning, Kiyohara packed light and left Konoha.
The Land of Hot Water was famous for its hot springs and sat between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, with merchant caravans from the major nations passing through often.
The target he was assigned to escort this time was the head of a merchant caravan—
an intelligent-looking middle-aged man who visibly relaxed the moment he saw Kiyohara.
Clearly, the young jonin Konoha had sent was famous enough to intimidate any potential enemies.
The escort itself went smoothly.
The caravan made its way along the mountain roads and reached the border town of the Land of Hot Water five days later.
Goods were handed over, contracts were signed… everything followed the usual process.
But Kiyohara's real objective wasn't any of that.
That night, he changed into dark civilian clothes and slipped quietly out of the inn.
The border of the Land of Hot Water was a common area of activity for Kumogakure ninja. It was close to the Land of Lightning and a major trade route, so it was only natural that Kumogakure would have an intelligence network there.
Kiyohara used the most direct method possible.
Sharingan genjutsu.
He moved through the town, specifically seeking out targets whose chakra signatures were noticeably stronger than ordinary civilians.
Drunkards in taverns, travelers staying at inns, even beggars on the streets—so long as he confirmed they were Kumogakure operatives in disguise, one look was enough to drag them into an illusionary space.
"Where is Darui?"
"I-I don't know…"
"What about Samui?"
"She… she and Darui-sama went to the northern outpost last week…"
After interrogating more than ten Kumogakure ninja, Kiyohara finally got a solid answer.
Twenty li north, there was a secret Kumogakure outpost hidden in the mountains.
Samui and Darui were stationed there on a short-term assignment.
That also explained why Kiyohara hadn't seen Darui on the front lines. So he had been here in the Land of Hot Water all along.
"Looks like I really do have a connection with Samui."
Kiyohara shook his head.
The neighboring country of the Land of Hot Water was the Land of Frost, close to the Land of Lightning, and the nation had strong waterway networks and regular ships to the Land of Water.
So it seemed Samui had been reassigned here.
…
Late that night, using his ability to fly, Kiyohara reached the outskirts of the outpost.
It was a wooden structure built into the mountainside, hidden inside a recess in the cliff wall.
A simple alert barrier had been set up around the outside, but to Kiyohara, it might as well not have existed.
He simply walked straight through the front entrance.
The Kumogakure ninja inside reacted to the sudden appearance of a stranger by drawing their blades.
But when they clearly saw the crimson Sharingan slowly turning in the dim light, every movement froze.
Sharingan Genjutsu.
Six chunin stood there like puppets, their eyes blank.
Kiyohara walked down the corridor and pushed open the innermost door.
Inside, Darui was seated at a table, studying a map.
Hearing the door open, he looked up.
Their eyes met.
Darui's pupils contracted.
Almost instinctively, he leapt backward, drawing the long blade from behind him with his right hand while his left had already formed half a seal.
"Konoha's… Kiyohara!"
His voice was full of shock.
"What are you doing here?"
Kiyohara didn't answer. He simply looked Darui over.
Darui looked exactly like a typical Kumogakure shinobi—dark skin, short white hair, and still very young at this point.
"Darui."
For a moment, what unsettled Darui more than anything was the fact that Kiyohara knew his name.
Kumogakure's naming style was actually pretty amusing.
Samui meant "cold."
Her younger brother Atsui meant "hot."
Omoi meant "heavy."
Karui—the name of Killer B's other disciple—meant "light."
And Darui's name meant "lazy."
"So Samui isn't here. Looks like it's only you."
Kiyohara said.
"You…"
Darui badly wanted to ask how Kiyohara knew that.
But when he saw the Sharingan in Kiyohara's eyes, he understood immediately.
Kiyohara must have used Sharingan genjutsu to get information out of someone.
"What exactly do you want?"
"If you want to live—"
Kiyohara slowly drew the sword at his waist.
"Then attack me."
Darui froze.
The statement was too absurd.
Kiyohara's record of killing the Third Mizukage had already spread throughout the shinobi world. Darui knew perfectly well that he was no match.
"What are you trying to do?"
Darui tightened his grip on the hilt as Lightning Release chakra began to move through his body.
"Use your strongest technique."
Kiyohara said.
"Black Lightning."
Darui's heart shook.
Black Lightning was a secret technique developed by the Third Raikage, and only a very small number of Kumogakure shinobi had ever been taught it.
How did Kiyohara know Darui could use it?
And why did he want to see it?
But there was no time to think about that.
Kiyohara appeared at Darui's left side in an instant, so fast that all he left behind was an afterimage.
Darui gritted his teeth and completed the seal with his left hand.
"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
He had no choice anymore.
Because it was his strongest attack.
Darui didn't dare gamble on whether Kiyohara might show mercy.
Crackle!
Unlike the bright blue of ordinary Lightning Release, the lightning erupting from Darui's palm was pure black.
That black lightning twisted in midair and took the form of a panther made of electricity, lunging at Kiyohara.
At that moment, Kiyohara's Sharingan spun faster.
Everything in his vision slowed down.
He could clearly see every branch of the black lightning, see the path of chakra flowing through Darui's body, and see the unique transformation in its Lightning Release nature—mixed with a certain Yin Release property…
"So that's it. Yin Release chakra is mixed into it."
Kiyohara finally understood why it was black.
Black Lightning could basically be called Yin Lightning.
If Yin Release caused this, then what would happen if Yang Release were mixed in instead?
"Again."
Kiyohara said.
Then he drove a punch into Darui's stomach.
Darui nearly vomited up his breakfast.
His face went pale, and he understood immediately that Kiyohara had no intention of holding back.
He began forming seals again at once.
"Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration!"
This time, it was an area attack.
Black lightning spread outward from Darui in a ring, covering the entire room in an instant.
The wooden walls blackened and carbonized under the corrosive current.
While dodging, Kiyohara continued observing the properties of the Black Lightning.
It was precisely this Yin Release aspect that gave it such strong corrosive power and the ability to leave wounds difficult to heal.
He raised his right hand and spread his fingers.
In his palm, ordinary pale blue Lightning Release chakra began to gather.
But this time, with his copying and analysis, Kiyohara refined a strand of Yin Release chakra and mixed it into the Lightning Release chakra.
It failed.
On the first attempt, the Lightning Release chakra lost control the moment the Yin chakra entered it, exploding in a small spark of electricity in his palm.
Darui saw it clearly, and a storm of disbelief rose in his heart.
This Uchiha… was really trying to imitate Black Lightning?
And after seeing it only once, he was already close to the threshold?
Black Lightning counted as a secret technique, didn't it?
Darui could not understand at all how Kiyohara was able to attempt something like this.
Because no Uchiha in the past had ever done it.
What Darui didn't know was that Kiyohara's Yin Release and Lightning Release talents had both been stacked several times over. They were already terrifyingly high.
He had long since met the requirements to use Black Lightning. He had only lacked the opportunity.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Bind!"
Darui stopped holding back and formed seals with both hands.
Several strands of black lightning burst up from the ground like chains, wrapping toward Kiyohara's limbs.
The essence of this technique was restraint and corrosion. Once caught in it, the black lightning would continuously destroy the target's chakra pathways.
Lightning flashed under Kiyohara's feet as he moved through the gaps between the black chains.
Not long after, Kiyohara raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread.
Crackle.
Black sparks of electricity jumped in his palm for the first time.
They were weak, and unstable—but they were undeniably Black Lightning.
Darui went completely rigid.
His mouth hung open, eyes wide.
Kiyohara ignored his shock.
The black lightning in his palm gradually stabilized and grew, eventually condensing into a black lightning sphere the size of a fist.
Tiny arcs slithered across its surface like snakes.
"So that's how it works."
Kiyohara said softly.
"So this method of mixing Yin Release chakra changes the very nature of Lightning Release… The Third Raikage really was incredible."
As he said that, a spirit Darui couldn't see floated out behind him.
It was Yotsuki Kiyohara.
"The Sharingan really is ridiculous."
Yotsuki Kiyohara shook his head.
If he had possessed the ability to see chakra flowing through other people's bodies, he would have learned Lightning Release techniques much faster too.
He would have mastered Black Lightning long ago.
"But still, you did fulfill all of my lingering wishes."
Yotsuki Kiyohara said.
~~~
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