"B!"
The Fourth Raikage's shout rang out from behind the Eight-Tails.
"Fall back!"
He knew this couldn't continue.
He had already achieved what he came for, and he hadn't brought a large force—only a handpicked elite unit.
If the fight dragged on until Konoha regrouped and counterattacked, they would likely take even greater losses.
"Full retreat!"
At the order, the Kumogakure shinobi began pulling back.
Killer B reverted to human form, his wounds rapidly healing under the influence of tailed beast chakra.
But his eyes stayed fixed on Kiyohara.
That guy…
What kind of monster was he?
When Kumogakure's shinobi retreated, they left behind the battlefield littered with corpses and wounded.
Kiyohara then closed the Seventh Gate as well.
For him, the burden of the Seventh Gate wasn't especially severe. It mostly just consumed a great deal of chakra.
If Might Guy used it, though, it would leave hidden damage that needed time to heal.
That was because the essence of the technique was overclocking the body—forcing it to bear a far heavier load than normal in exchange for power.
"We won!"
"Long live Captain Kiyohara!"
"Long live Konoha!"
Kakashi sheathed his short blade and walked over to Kiyohara.
Might Guy stumbled over next, covered in injuries, having also deactivated the Eight Gates.
"Kiyohara!"
He grabbed Kiyohara by the hand.
"That move just now… what was it?!"
Guy was incredibly interested in Kiyohara's technique.
"What kind of taijutsu was that?! I've never seen anything like it!"
Kiyohara looked at him.
"Eight Gods Air Strike. It's a technique I developed myself."
The techniques within the Eight Gates kept evolving over time too.
For example, Night Guy was very likely something Might Guy developed on his own.
When Might Duy used the Eight Gates, what he produced was only a blood-red tiger, something more like an enhanced version of Daytime Tiger.
Hearing Kiyohara's answer, Guy first let out a sigh, then his fighting spirit rose again.
"My youth… still has a long way to go…"
Rin Nohara ran over and stopped in front of Kiyohara, looking him up and down.
"Kiyohara-kun, you're not hurt, are you?"
There was obvious worry in her voice, and his reflection was visible in her brown eyes.
Kiyohara reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head.
"I'm fine."
Rin's face turned slightly red.
She lowered her head and didn't pull away.
Kurenai, standing not far away, frowned slightly when she saw that.
She quickly walked over and quietly positioned herself in front of Kiyohara.
Even though she and Rin were close friends, when it came to Kiyohara, Kurenai still felt a possessive streak.
Rin noticed Kurenai's subtle reaction too, but she didn't understand why Kurenai was acting like that.
She still had no idea that Kurenai and Kiyohara had already crossed that line, putting Kurenai far ahead of her.
"You should rest for a bit, Kiyohara. The Eight Gates puts a huge strain on the body."
Kurenai said.
"I'm alright."
Kiyohara shook his head.
With the Yotsuki bloodline, the White Snake bloodline, and the others inside him, his cellular healing ability had long since surpassed that of ordinary people.
And that was without him actively using medical ninjutsu.
At this rate, it wasn't impossible that one day he might master Hashirama Senju's unique "healing without hand seals."
In fact, Kiyohara already had some of that effect—just nowhere near Hashirama's absurd level.
"Clean up the battlefield."
Kiyohara ordered.
A nearby shinobi acknowledged the command and immediately set to work.
Kiyohara was the commander here, so naturally he had the authority to direct the others.
After that, he issued a few more orders—tightening the nearby security, then sending out two squads to shadow Kumogakure's retreat in case they tried to loop back and strike again.
"I'm going to check on Sensei."
Once everything had been arranged, Kiyohara said to Kurenai, Rin, and the others.
…
On Kirigakure's front.
Karatachi Yagura sat alone in his tent, a document spread out before him, but his gaze had not settled on the page for a long time.
The dull ache coming from where his left eye had been made it impossible for him to focus.
He raised a hand and instinctively touched the hollow beneath the bandages.
The wound had already healed, but the agony of having his eye gouged out, along with the image of those scarlet eyes, had been burned deep into his memory.
That masked man…
Yagura lowered his hand, his eyes dark.
Ever since Kiyohara's attack, he had become abnormally sensitive to any sudden disturbance.
Then the air warped slightly.
Yagura reacted on instinct, entering a fighting stance at once, his right hand already moving for the weapon at his waist.
A figure stepped out of empty space, wearing a tiger-striped mask and revealing only a single scarlet eye.
"Good reflexes."
Obito's voice came from behind the mask.
Yagura frowned.
What the hell, another Uchiha coming to ambush him?
He realized this masked man's voice was different from the one who had attacked him last time.
But the shared traits were obvious—both wore masks, and both had the Sharingan.
Triggered by sheer reflex, Yagura completed his hand seals in an instant.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A huge water dragon formed out of thin air and roared toward the figure.
But beneath the mask, Obito's visible eye spun with the pattern of the Mangekyō.
He stood there and let the water dragon pass straight through him, smashing apart the wall behind him.
Water sprayed everywhere. Broken stone scattered.
And yet the man was completely unharmed.
As if he simply existed on a different layer of reality.
"Space-time ninjutsu…?"
Yagura's brows drew together as he stared at that impossible sight.
His hands flashed through seals again.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A towering flood erupted from nowhere, ripping apart the tent and sweeping across the surrounding area.
Yagura wanted to see just how long this technique of Obito's could last.
But the figure remained standing exactly where he was.
The water passed right through him and continued crashing backward.
"It's useless."
Obito shook his head.
"Your Water Release can't touch me."
Unless Yagura sustained that level of chakra output for five full minutes, there was no way he could hurt him.
At the exact moment Yagura froze in confusion, Obito cast Mangekyō genjutsu.
Yagura's pupils began to lose focus, and his hands froze mid-motion.
"From now on, you're my pawn."
Yagura's eyes went completely blank.
He stood there like a puppet.
…
At the Graveyard of Mountains.
The huge head of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path hung low, life-support tubes running into that shriveled body.
Uchiha Madara sat on a wooden throne, eyes closed.
Space twisted, and Obito stepped out of it.
Behind him, Yagura followed in a daze, eyes empty, like a marionette.
"Madara."
Obito spoke, a note of satisfaction in his voice.
"The Kirigakure plan can begin now."
Madara slowly opened his eyes.
The scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan flashed red in the darkness.
His gaze fell on Yagura and lingered there for a moment.
Then his brows drew together slightly.
"Idiot. There's already ocular power inside him."
"?"
Obito didn't understand what Madara meant. Why had he suddenly been cursed out? What did he mean by "already has ocular power"?
"There's already Sharingan ocular power inside Karatachi Yagura."
Madara looked at Obito.
"You were one step too late."
Obito froze.
He suddenly whipped his head toward Yagura.
That blank-eyed Mist shinobi suddenly seemed painfully conspicuous to him.
Sharingan ocular power?
Whose?
Obito thought it through carefully, and the answer that surfaced was obvious.
The only person who could have gotten to Yagura without anyone noticing was, almost certainly, Kiyohara—the one with Flying Thunder God.
That guy… had already been here?
"No way."
Rationally, Obito knew the possibility was high.
But emotionally, he rejected it.
He had spent a long time preparing for this plan, from how Yagura would be introduced to the Mist to what policies he would enact under control.
"There's still some residual Rinnegan ocular power left inside me. I can detect foreign chakra inside Yagura. If you use him now, Kiyohara can counter you at any time."
Madara, too, was convinced it had to be Kiyohara.
Obito's fist slowly clenched.
"Can't you erase it?"
"I can."
Madara said flatly.
"But it will take time. Kiyohara's ocular power is strong, and he may have left other contingencies behind."
He paused, those Sharingan eyes fixed on Obito.
"Do you have time?"
Obito fell silent.
He didn't.
The war on the Kumogakure front was about to enter its final decisive phase.
And on Kirigakure's side, if he couldn't seize control now, it would become much harder once the war ended.
"Then I'll use someone else."
Obito's voice turned cold.
"Genji."
The elder of Kirigakure held immense prestige within the village and had tremendous resources and connections.
Controlling him could accomplish the same goal.
As for Yagura…
"I'll keep him under control for now. Once Kiyohara's ocular power is dealt with, I'll use him later."
Madara nodded.
"Go."
Obito turned, took Yagura with him, and vanished into warped space.
The Graveyard of Mountains fell silent again.
Only the occasional low hum of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path remained as it continued transmitting chakra.
Madara sat alone on the wooden throne, the Rinnegan gazing into the endless darkness.
"Kiyohara…"
he murmured the name.
Did he really calculate even this step in advance?
No. Impossible.
Madara shook his head.
Maybe it was just coincidence.
But the number of coincidences was starting to get too high.
…
Elsewhere.
At the Konoha camp.
A long table had been set up, and jonin lined both sides of it.
Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan. Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan. Representatives from the major clans. And Danzo Shimura, who had only just arrived.
Orochimaru leaned against the window, his golden slit pupils sweeping over everyone present.
Minato Namikaze had spread out the newest map, marked with the Kumogakure strongholds and routes that had been identified so far.
"Although Kumogakure launched the surprise attack this time,"
Minato said, pointing to several red marks on the map,
"we were able to use it to see through their real situation. According to the intelligence we gathered, their forces are badly scattered now, and their supply lines are close to collapse."
"If we strike now, our chances are very high."
Fugaku sat in his chair with his arms crossed.
"Minato."
he said.
"You just said the one who held off the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki was Kiyohara?"
Minato nodded.
"That's right. Kiyohara held the Fourth Raikage off by himself, with Lady Tsunade and Kakashi assisting. Together they successfully stopped the enemy's advance."
Fugaku's brows lifted slightly.
He looked across the table at Kiyohara.
The young man sat there perfectly calm, as though listening to something that had nothing to do with him.
Fugaku withdrew his gaze, but inwardly he couldn't help thinking—
One person held off the Fourth Raikage, then forced him back in tandem with Tsunade?
That kind of strength…
Like Minato, Fugaku hadn't personally witnessed the fight. He had only arrived afterward from another sector, so all he had were other people's descriptions.
That young man was even stronger than he had imagined.
Tsunade sat beside Kiyohara, one leg crossed over the other.
"The opportunity's right in front of us. What's there to hesitate about?"
"We hit them with everything we've got."
Tsunade had long since had enough of this war. If it could end sooner, then it should.
The moment she finished speaking, a voice cut in.
"No."
Everyone's gaze turned at once toward the speaker.
Danzo Shimura stood, his single eye cold as he looked across the room.
"Attacking now would be reckless."
He walked to the map and pointed at several marked positions.
"Kumogakure's forces may be scattered, but their main strength is still intact. You've all seen the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki. A rash offensive would only create unnecessary losses."
His voice darkened.
"We should proceed gradually. Wear them down first, then launch a final assault."
The tent fell quiet for a moment.
But it was a very strange kind of quiet.
A lot of shinobi were now looking at him strangely.
Danzo Shimura… saying this?
The same Danzo Shimura who had always advocated aggressive action, who always talked about annihilating the enemy and securing the greatest possible advantage for Konoha, was now recommending patience?
Orochimaru leaned against the window, his golden slit pupils narrowing slightly.
Of course he knew exactly what Danzo was thinking.
If the war ended too quickly, Orochimaru's war record wouldn't be impressive enough.
If the war ended now, then the position of Fourth Hokage…
Orochimaru lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Danzo noticed those strange looks, but his face remained perfectly composed.
Then he turned to Tsunade.
"Tsunade. What do you think?"
Tsunade raised a brow.
"Me?"
She smiled, then casually patted Kiyohara on the shoulder beside her.
"As for my opinion… I'll leave that to my student."
She paused.
"Kiyohara is also one of the commanders on this front. He's leading nearly a thousand shinobi. He's qualified to decide."
Once again, all eyes turned to Kiyohara.
"My opinion is that we attack in one decisive push."
Kiyohara said.
"Kumogakure's surprise attack failed. They took losses, and their morale is bound to suffer. From here, they only have two paths left—retreat, or make a desperate last stand."
"And with the Fourth Raikage's personality, he won't retreat."
"So Kumogakure's next move will definitely be one final gamble."
Danzo's brows tightened as he listened.
This brat…
Kiyohara paid no attention to Danzo's expression and continued.
"Instead of waiting for them to get ready, we should strike first. Eat away at their strongholds step by step, cut off their supply lines, and by the time they realize what's happened, they won't have any route left to fall back on."
"That's reckless ambition for the sake of merit!"
"Reckless ambition?"
Kiyohara looked at him.
"Lord Danzo, I've been here longer than you. Compared to someone who's been sitting safely in the rear, I think I know the state of this battlefield better."
Danzo was momentarily choked.
He drew in a breath and suppressed the anger in his chest.
"I'll have Root support this front."
"Root?"
Kiyohara gave a dismissive little laugh.
"What can that handful of Root shinobi actually do? Handle civilians?"
Danzo's face turned visibly dark.
Root might not have many people, but every one of them was elite.
And yet in Kiyohara's mouth, they had become "that handful."
Worse, Danzo suspected Kiyohara was implying something—that Root specialized in gathering talented civilian children and turning them into shinobi.
After all, that Root base had been destroyed by Kiyohara.
"You…!"
Danzo raised a shaking finger at him, furious.
"Lord Danzo."
Kiyohara cut him off.
"I'm the commander of this front."
Danzo's hand clenched, the knuckles turning white.
Kiyohara then turned to the others.
"Those who support taking the offensive, raise your hands."
Tsunade was the first to raise hers.
Her hand was pale and slender, held high.
When she saw Danzo's face cycling through shades of green and white, she nearly burst out laughing. But given the setting, she held it back.
Danzo had already noticed, though. His hand only clenched harder.
Fugaku hesitated for a moment, then raised his own.
Whatever else happened, Kiyohara was Uchiha.
Hiashi's eyes moved back and forth between the two of them.
He looked at Kiyohara, then at Danzo.
One was at the height of his power. The other was already fading.
One had just rendered great service on the front lines. The other was standing in the rear pointing fingers.
After a while, Hiashi slowly raised his hand too.
Danzo's roots in Konoha's upper ranks ran deep, that much was true. But Kiyohara was still young.
Young enough that his future held limitless possibilities.
Hiashi thought of the Hyuga clan he was responsible for. At a moment like this, he had to think about where they would stand in the future.
In the end, the Hyuga made their choice.
Kiyohara stood with the Hokage faction behind him. His future was obviously brighter.
Once Hiashi had sorted that out in his mind, he spoke.
"I agree with Kiyohara's view."
Then came the representatives of the major clans. Then the jonin who had been bleeding and fighting on the front lines.
One hand after another rose.
Some because they truly agreed.
Some because they had read the direction of the wind.
And some simply because they had no desire to offend a genius who was at the height of his power.
Danzo remained standing there, staring at all the raised hands.
"Hmph."
He let out a cold laugh.
"You'll regret this, Kiyohara!"
Danzo violently threw open the tent flap and strode out.
The curtain fell shut behind him, cutting off that dark presence.
The tent was quiet for a moment.
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze.
Let Danzo go. Whether he was here or not didn't matter much.
"Let's continue."
Kiyohara said, pointing at the map.
"Next, let's discuss the specific route of the offensive…"
Orochimaru cast one glance at the direction Danzo had disappeared and decided he would listen to the rest of the plan first.
Without Danzo interrupting, the rest of the meeting went very smoothly.
…
By the time the meeting ended, it was already close to midnight.
Kiyohara and Tsunade walked back toward the tent together.
Moonlight poured over the camp, stretching their shadows long across the ground.
Tsunade carried a bottle of alcohol in one hand, taking a swig every few steps.
"That felt great."
She lowered the bottle, smiling.
"You should've seen Danzo's face. Green one second, white the next. Looked like he'd swallowed a fly."
Kiyohara smiled.
"You're in a good mood, Sensei?"
"Of course I am."
Tsunade took another drink.
"That old bastard's been making trouble for me for years. Every time I see him, I want to punch him. Watching him get humiliated today felt even better than winning money."
As she was talking, her steps suddenly wobbled.
Kiyohara reached out and steadied her by the arm.
"Sensei, you've had too much to drink."
"I'm fine."
Tsunade brushed his hand off and stood up straight on her own.
"This is nothing."
She kept walking, though her steps were clearly starting to drift.
Back in the tent, Tsunade plopped down by the low table and set the bottle down with a heavy thump.
"Come on. Drink with me."
Kiyohara sat down across from her.
"I don't drink."
"Boring."
Tsunade clicked her tongue, poured herself another cup, and downed it in one go.
A bit of liquor slid from the corner of her mouth, down her chin, and onto her collar.
She casually wiped it away, then poured another cup.
Kiyohara watched her.
The tent was lit with dim yellow light, throwing soft shadows across her face.
From the alcohol, a faint flush had spread over her cheeks, all the way to her ears and down her neck.
Her golden-brown eyes now carried a slight hazy shine.
She set down the cup, and her full, soft lips still glistened with a trace of liquor, glossy under the lamplight, every fine line visible.
~~~
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