At eight that night, Kiyohara went to the Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine as promised.
The shrine was tucked away in a remote part of the woods. Other than Uchiha shinobi, no outsiders ever came here.
And even if they did, the Uchiha would drive them away.
Because this was a sacred hall the Uchiha clan used for worship.
Kiyohara glanced around.
Even though it sat deep in the forest, there was still a stone torii gate nearby, along with a stone-paved path.
The Uchiha clan's secret gathering…
That phrase crossed his mind.
Beneath the seventh tatami mat from the far right side of the main hall was the entrance to the Uchiha clan's secret meeting chamber.
Kiyohara looked around and noticed there weren't many Uchiha still outside.
He guessed most of them had already gone in.
After watching one Uchiha descend into the underground chamber, Kiyohara followed. The staircase spiraled downward into darkness.
It was a long staircase, winding deeper and deeper, with a candle fixed to the wall every few steps on either side.
The flickering light stretched his shadow out long behind him.
At last, the stairs came to an end.
A wooden door stood in front of him.
Kiyohara reached out and pushed it open.
In that instant, countless scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness.
One pair, two pairs, ten pairs, twenty pairs…
A dense sea of Sharingan stared at him from every direction.
It was an underground chamber.
The room wasn't large. Its walls were rough stone, and braziers provided the light.
The members of the Uchiha clan sat kneeling in different corners of the room.
If you looked carefully, you could tell their seating order had meaning. Genin sat at the back, chunin in the middle, jonin at the front.
As for Uchiha Fugaku, he sat alone at the very front, facing the rest of the clan.
There were old men and young men alike. Some wore the clan's traditional Uchiha robes, while others wore Konoha's flak jackets. But without exception, every single one of them had that same scarlet glow in their eyes.
Three tomoe, two tomoe, one tomoe…
Those tomoe turned slowly in the dim light, like countless eyes blinking all at once.
Kiyohara stood in the doorway, bathed in all those gazes.
He spotted familiar faces too—Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Shisui.
Then Kiyohara's own eyes lit up crimson as well.
The Sharingan.
Invisible ocular pressure spread outward.
In an instant, many of the gazes fixed on him withdrew.
The power in Kiyohara's eyes was like an oil lamp suddenly raised to face the blazing sun.
All those appraising looks froze at once.
More and more Uchiha instinctively looked away.
Seeing this, Fugaku slowly rose to his feet.
Even he had been startled by that pressure.
Was that really the ocular power of a mere three-tomoe Sharingan?
No. Impossible.
Fugaku's mind raced.
He had seen countless three-tomoe Sharingan. He himself had once gone through that stage, and he knew exactly where the limits of a three-tomoe Sharingan lay.
But Kiyohara's eye power had clearly surpassed that limit.
Could it be… he had already stepped into that realm?
The Mangekyo Sharingan?
And yet there were still only three tomoe in those eyes.
Could Kiyohara, like himself, be hiding a Mangekyo Sharingan?
Fugaku suppressed the shock in his heart and raised a hand, signaling the clan not to act rashly.
"Kiyohara."
Fugaku's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Welcome to the Uchiha gathering."
Kiyohara gave a slight nod in response.
He stepped into the chamber. The eyes followed him as he moved, but no one dared look at him with that same appraising gaze anymore.
Kiyohara walked to the front and stopped before Fugaku.
"Sit."
Fugaku gestured to the place beside him.
That seat was in the very front row. The ones allowed to sit there were either elders like Uchiha Setsuna or trusted retainers like Uchiha Yashiro.
Kiyohara didn't hesitate. He sat down openly.
The atmosphere in the chamber became a little strange.
Because those eyes had already proven his right to be there.
Within the Uchiha clan, strength was everything.
"How impressive, Kiyohara-kun."
At that moment, even Shisui was wondering whether Kiyohara had reached the same realm as him.
"This guy got stronger again."
Tekka had also become a jonin now, so he was seated beside Shisui.
"Yeah."
Shisui nodded.
Kiyohara-kun really did surprise him every single time.
"I called everyone here tonight because there's something I want to say."
Fugaku's gaze swept over the clan members in the chamber.
"I'm sure all of you have heard by now. The Third Hokage will step down when the war ends, and the Fourth will be chosen from the candidates."
Low murmurs rose through the room.
Fugaku raised a hand, and the whispers gradually died away.
"This is the opportunity the Uchiha clan has waited a very long time for."
"Since the founding of the village, the Uchiha have never produced a Hokage—not because we lacked ability, but because we've always been shut out from the core of power."
As he spoke, his eyes fell on Kiyohara.
"But now, things are different."
"This war is also an opportunity for the Uchiha clan."
That was how Fugaku saw it.
After all, during the Second Great Ninja War, the Uchiha had not particularly distinguished themselves.
The most famous figures from that war had been the Legendary Sannin.
But this time, the Uchiha were in a much better position.
Even Fugaku himself had earned a reputation as "Wicked Eye Fugaku."
Those scarlet eyes of his were enough to make outsiders wary.
"So if you have a vote, you can cast it for me."
The moment Fugaku finished speaking, a group led by Yashiro immediately started shouting in support.
"I'm definitely backing Captain Fugaku!"
"Captain Fugaku becoming Hokage is only natural!"
"Protect the glory of the Uchiha!"
But most of the Uchiha present agreed with the idea anyway. After all, Fugaku was their clan head.
"Hmph. The village higher-ups still discriminate against the Uchiha. You're getting ahead of yourself."
Uchiha Setsuna said coldly.
Back then, he had chosen rebellion precisely because he had seen no future for the Uchiha within the existing system.
The Uchiha had been one of the two great founding clans of the village, yet one family passed the Hokage mantle from generation to generation, while the other was pushed far away from Konoha's real power.
Managing the prison and maintaining village order sounded nice, but in reality, much of what the Military Police dealt with was thankless drudgery.
Old men and old women arguing over market stall space, customers screaming at each other over a few ryo, petty neighborhood disputes.
And when they actually arrested criminals to keep the peace, they got blamed for being too violent.
Sometimes they would subdue a criminal immediately and restrain both hands on the spot, only for nearby villagers to complain that the treatment was too cruel.
At times, many members of the Konoha Military Police wanted to ask who exactly the criminal was supposed to be.
"But Kiyohara is favored by the current Hokage."
Fugaku shook his head.
It was precisely because Kiyohara existed that Fugaku now dared to imagine things he had never dared imagine before.
If Kiyohara was favored by Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't that mean the Konoha leadership was willing to ease tensions with the Uchiha further?
Then maybe, just maybe, the Uchiha really could produce a Hokage.
"That's a special case. Just like Kagami was."
Setsuna said.
He had known Uchiha Kagami too. In their younger days, they had even gone on missions together.
But examples like that were far too rare.
"If we don't try, how will we know?"
Fugaku frowned.
An old hardliner like Setsuna could no longer be changed.
Given Setsuna's seniority and standing, there were many times when Fugaku couldn't say much to him.
"Hmph. Then let you young ones give it a try."
Setsuna shook his head.
He didn't mind letting Fugaku try.
Only after hope turned into despair would the Uchiha be easier to lead back toward revival.
In the past, these gatherings had often included discussion of a possible armed coup. That had originally been his doing.
As for Fugaku, he kept wavering back and forth—supporting it one moment and opposing it the next—to the point that Setsuna no longer felt he could read him.
Once Setsuna stopped arguing, Fugaku seized the opportunity and continued speaking to the rest of the clan.
"Besides voting for me, all of you can also vote for Kiyohara."
The moment those words fell, every gaze in the chamber turned to Kiyohara.
Kiyohara's expression remained calm.
He knew exactly what Fugaku was doing—pulling him in, making a statement, and establishing his position within the clan.
"Kiyohara."
Fugaku continued,
"No matter which of us becomes Hokage, it will represent hope for the Uchiha clan."
"And if I become Hokage in the future, I'll make sure you're given a position worthy of your talent."
Kiyohara's mouth twitched slightly.
His expression nearly broke for a moment, and he almost laughed.
The ink wasn't even dry on the idea yet, and Fugaku was already handing out promises?
He really did love celebrating at halftime.
But Kiyohara didn't show it. He simply nodded faintly.
"Thank you, Fugaku-sama."
Fugaku nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, tonight's gathering is over. Dismissed."
The clan members all rose and filed out through the doorway.
Just as Kiyohara was about to walk over and talk to Shisui, Fugaku stopped him.
"Kiyohara, stay a moment."
Kiyohara halted.
Seeing that Fugaku had business with him, Tekka and Shisui left first.
Before long, only Fugaku and Kiyohara remained in the chamber.
"Come with me."
Only then did Fugaku lead him back out.
They returned to the Uchiha compound, and Fugaku brought him into a room.
He walked to a wall deeper inside and pressed his hand against a certain spot.
Rumble.
The wall slowly slid open, revealing another hidden passage.
"This is…"
"The Uchiha clan vault."
Fugaku went in first.
"I know you enjoy studying ninjutsu. The clan vault contains a number of techniques passed down through generations of Uchiha. You can choose one."
Kiyohara followed him.
The passage was short, ending in a stone chamber.
The chamber wasn't large. Slots had been carved into the stone walls, each holding scrolls, old books, or mysterious implements whose purpose wasn't immediately obvious.
Fugaku stood in the middle of the chamber and turned around.
"Take your pick."
Kiyohara's eyes swept slowly over the scrolls.
Then his gaze stopped on one in particular.
"Izanami."
he said.
Fugaku's brows moved slightly.
"You know this jutsu?"
Kiyohara didn't deny it.
"I've heard of it."
The Uchiha clan had never truly been a single united block. They had once fallen into internal conflict before.
The abuse of the forbidden technique Izanagi had turned many Uchiha into monsters on the battlefield, fighting their own kin until it was practically brain matter everywhere.
In the end, it had taken a female Uchiha named Uchiha Naori to stop the pointless bloodshed by creating Izanami.
"Are you sure you want this one?"
Fugaku asked.
"I'm sure."
The only thing Kiyohara had obtained from his Uchiha future self was Izanagi. He had never gotten Izanami.
Fugaku walked deeper into the chamber and took a scroll from one of the recesses.
It was old, the edges worn, but it had been preserved with great care.
He returned and handed the scroll to Kiyohara.
"Izanami. One of the Uchiha's forbidden techniques."
Then his expression grew more serious, and he added a warning.
"The conditions for activating this technique are extremely strict. And once it's used, the caster permanently loses the sight in one eye."
For a Sharingan user, that was an enormous price.
Every ability granted by that eye would be lost forever.
Kiyohara took the scroll.
"I know."
Of course, he had no intention of using his own eyes to activate it. He had a reserve of Sharingan stored away already, so it wasn't as though he lacked material.
Fugaku looked at him as if he wanted to say more.
In the end, he only nodded.
He trusted Kiyohara not to misuse it.
"If you understand that, then I won't say any more."
Then he added,
"If there isn't anything else you want, choose one more technique."
Fugaku felt that picking Izanami barely counted as a choice at all.
Unless someone was facing a true life-or-death crisis, there was basically no reason to ever use that forbidden art.
Hearing that, Kiyohara could tell Fugaku was really going all in to draw him in.
So he put the scroll away and let his gaze settle on another corner of the chamber.
"This one…"
He pointed to a scroll against the wall.
Uchiha Flame Formation.
Fugaku followed his line of sight and raised a brow.
"You want to learn that too?"
"Yes."
Fugaku walked over, took down the scroll, and handed it to Kiyohara.
"Take it."
"These are all handwritten copies now. The originals are stored elsewhere."
"Thank you."
The Uchiha clan had always done quite a bit of research into sealing and barrier techniques as well.
Uchiha Flame Formation was one of them.
By extending chakra through the five fingers and transforming it into scorching flame that entered the ground, the user could create a barrier that combined offense and defense in one.
Its hardness was such that even a tailed beast couldn't break through it quickly, and during the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Obito used it, the flames on its surface were enough to burn the Eight-Tails.
Kiyohara accepted the scroll and tucked it away.
"No need to thank me. The stronger you become, the better it is for the Uchiha."
Fugaku paused, his gaze settling on Kiyohara's face.
He wanted badly to ask whether Kiyohara had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
But in the end, he kept it to himself.
"Come on. I'll have someone escort you out."
By the time Kiyohara left the Uchiha district, it was already ten o'clock at night.
As he walked back toward Tsunade's house, Fugaku's last words still echoed in his mind.
When he returned, the house was pitch-dark.
Kiyohara quieted his steps, went upstairs, and entered his room.
The moment he shut the door, a half-transparent spirit rose out of his body.
Hyuga Kiyohara.
Those pale white eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
"My past self."
His voice sounded directly inside Kiyohara's mind.
"When are we going to Kiri?"
Kiyohara sat down on the bed.
"Sometime this month."
"How long do we wait?"
"I'll gather information first. Once I know exactly where Karatachi Yagura is, I'll leave."
Hyuga Kiyohara fell silent for a moment.
"Don't forget my final wish."
"Relax."
Kiyohara lay down.
Hyuga Kiyohara had stayed quiet for quite a while now. His spirit body had grown fainter and fainter. Other than when Kiyohara actively asked him about Gentle Fist, he mostly remained in the urn.
Of course, whenever Kiyohara was doing that sort of thing, he had carefully sealed off the space in his mind.
Meaning Hyuga Kiyohara couldn't climb out of the urn and peek at anything.
Two days later, the Forest of Death.
This was a primitive woodland on the outskirts of Konoha, filled with towering trees that blocked out the sky.
Since dangerous beasts often roamed there, very few people came in under normal circumstances.
Aside from the Third Training Ground that Kiyohara used frequently, the Forest of Death was another kind of training field.
Konoha had more than forty such training grounds in total, each with different environments.
Even the Chunin Exams would draw from those locations.
Kiyohara stood in a clearing.
He raised his right hand and condensed chakra at his fingertips.
Then he pressed them to the ground.
A crimson thread of chakra flowed from his fingertips into the earth, racing across the soil and forming a red ring.
The ground trembled.
In the next moment, a huge crimson barrier rose from the ground with Kiyohara at its center.
The barrier was a dome, made entirely of blazing flame.
Flames flowed across its surface, and the air around it wavered from the intense heat.
Kiyohara stood in the center of the barrier and felt its scorching power.
Uchiha Flame Formation.
He wrapped chakra around his hand and lightly touched the inner surface of the barrier.
He could feel its hardness.
It was like compressing an entire volcano into the shell of an egg.
"Not bad."
He withdrew his hand.
This technique really was good.
With a thought, the barrier slowly dispersed, turning into sparks that sank back into the ground.
Just as he was about to continue practicing, he heard footsteps approaching through the woods.
He turned.
Rin Nohara was walking out from between the trees.
She was wearing that familiar white medical uniform, with brown hair falling over her shoulders and exposing a stretch of pale neck when she moved.
There was a notebook in her hand, and a curious look on her face.
"Kiyohara-kun?"
She came a little closer, her eyes falling on the patch of ground at his feet that had been scorched by flame.
"Were you practicing barrier techniques?"
"Yeah."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Uchiha Flame Formation. I just learned it."
"So impressive…"
Rin sighed.
Then she crouched down and reached out as if to touch the blackened marks, only pulling her hand back at the last second.
"Is it still hot?"
"Not anymore."
Kiyohara said.
If Rin had touched it while the barrier was actually active, she definitely would have ended up with burns.
"The fire's already gone."
Only then did Rin feel safe enough to touch the ground.
"It goes so deep…"
She looked up at Kiyohara.
~~~
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