There was no helping it—Kiyohara's current Perfect Susanoo was no longer at the ribcage stage or the half-body stage.
Something like Danzō taking a kunai, coating it with Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, and then trying to stab Susanoo was pure nonsense.
Kiyohara estimated that his Perfect Susanoo could easily send Shimura Danzō flying back from the rebound alone.
Once the amount of chakra reached a certain level, the resulting effect became a qualitative leap.
Looking at the devastated land before him, Kiyohara finally withdrew the giant chakra sword.
Much like Uchiha Madara's blade, Kiyohara's sword could also release chakra slashes similar to sword energy.
At the same time, he felt he could also coat it with different kinds of chakra—senjutsu chakra, Yang Release chakra, and so on—to inflict different kinds of damage.
"Let's first see how much bigger it can get."
Kiyohara began pushing his cells further, refining even more chakra.
The golden giant that looked like a war god continued growing.
In the end, it reached a height of two hundred meters.
But that still was not the limit.
Kiyohara could feel that if he kept pouring in more chakra, Susanoo could become even larger, and the sword even sharper.
But the burden would also increase exponentially.
At the end of the day, he still only had the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Although Asura's chakra made his ocular power far exceed that of an ordinary Mangekyō, and reduced the consumption by a great deal—
—and Yin Release Chakra Mode further reduced the cost of dōjutsu, bringing the strain down to a very low level—
—it still was not the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Every time he used a dōjutsu, every second he maintained Susanoo, an invisible seal tightened a little more, until all light would eventually be sealed away.
That was why the Uchiha clan was also called the cursed clan.
Only eternity could break that curse.
"Sasuke is about to be born. I can collect some cells then," Kiyohara thought.
After Sasuke was born, Kiyohara planned to begin researching the Indra chakra within him.
At the same time, he would begin experiments on cloning the Sharingan, reproducing his own eyes to see whether they could be transplanted back into himself.
Maybe it would succeed and evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Maybe it wouldn't.
But no matter what, cloned Sharingan could serve as reserves, meaning Kiyohara would no longer face the risk of blindness.
With his current condition, even if he used Susanoo every day, he could still last for decades.
And a few years would be enough for him to find a solution.
At the root of it all, Indra himself had never truly suffered from this so-called curse, because the purity of his bloodline had been too high.
If Kiyohara continued strengthening the kekkei genkai within himself, perhaps by fusing more and more bloodlines, he might directly shatter the curse altogether.
After thinking for a moment, Kiyohara reined in his thoughts and dismissed the Perfect Susanoo.
Golden chakra slowly dissipated from around him.
He landed back on the mountaintop, gave the flattened peaks around him one last glance, then raised his right hand and formed a seal.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
Space twisted, and his figure vanished.
......
At Tsunade's house.
By the time Kiyohara appeared in his living room, it was already evening.
He was just about to head upstairs when he suddenly sensed a familiar chakra.
"Konan?"
The moment the words left his mouth, a figure emerged from the shadow outside the window.
Konan was still wearing that Anbu uniform, but she had already removed her mask, revealing her cool, composed face.
She stood by the window, the light of dusk shining from behind her and outlining her slender figure.
"Kiyohara," Konan said.
Kiyohara looked at her.
"It's pretty late. Something up?"
Konan fell silent for a moment, then lowered her head slightly.
"I want to go back for a while."
Kiyohara's brows twitched slightly.
"Back to the Land of Rain?"
"Mm."
Konan nodded.
"There are some things on Nagato's side that need to be handled… and I also need to check on Yahiko."
She had received a message from the Akatsuki and needed to return.
"Go ahead."
Kiyohara nodded.
Konan didn't explain in detail, but Kiyohara already understood.
The internal divisions within Akatsuki were probably more serious than she was letting on.
Then Kiyohara took out a Flying Thunder God kunai from his ninja pouch.
Its handle bore his unique Flying Thunder God formula.
He handed it to Konan.
"Take this."
Konan accepted the kunai and lowered her eyes to look at the black ninja tool.
"This is…"
"A Flying Thunder God kunai," Kiyohara said flatly.
"If anything happens, pour chakra into it. I'll be able to sense it, and then I'll come straight to you with the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Konan looked up at him, a little surprised.
During this period, she had been staying by Kiyohara's side in the identity of an Anbu member.
That experience had changed many of her views. Kiyohara was not nearly as bad as she had imagined.
The only part that wasn't so great was that there seemed to be too many women around him, and he gave off the feeling that he had complicated ties with quite a few of them.
Sometimes Konan even wondered whether she herself might also be one of the names on Kiyohara's list of targets.
"I understand."
She carefully tucked the kunai into her sleeve.
"I'll leave tomorrow."
"All right."
Kiyohara didn't stop her.
In any case, he had already collected Nagato's cells and learned quite a lot of Konan's Paper Release techniques, so it no longer mattered if she returned now.
"Then when will you be back?"
"Once I finish dealing with everything, probably in two or three months," Konan said, shaking her head.
Seeing that, Kiyohara exchanged a few more words with her before letting her go rest.
'Black Zetsu and Obito probably can't sit still anymore.'
Kiyohara guessed those two were constantly influencing Nagato's thinking.
And Nagato, deep down, was the same kind of stubborn person as Obito. Once he suffered some major setback, he would obsessively try to force the whole world to accept his will.
"I wonder what Black Zetsu thinks of me."
Kiyohara was genuinely curious.
After all, Black Zetsu had the ability to locate reincarnations, which was how he had stirred up conflict from the shadows for a thousand years without even the Sage of Six Paths noticing.
Now that Kiyohara had Asura's chakra inside him, would Black Zetsu be shocked?
...…
Half a month later.
Kiyohara stood on the rooftop of the Hokage building.
Below him was a sea of people.
The shinobi of Konoha all wore their forehead protectors, while members of the major clans wore their traditional clothing.
Everyone had their heads tilted upward, looking toward the figure on the rooftop.
"There really are a lot of people," Kiyohara said as he looked down.
Of course, this wasn't all of Konoha. Otherwise there would never have been enough room.
"There really are," Kakashi commented dryly.
He wore a mask, standing there as Anbu to guard Kiyohara.
Beside him was Maito Gai, also masked.
"This is the true meaning of youth!" Gai said excitedly.
To witness the birth of a new Hokage—wasn't that the greatest medal youth could ask for?
"Where are Rin and the others?" Kiyohara turned and asked Kakashi.
"Probably somewhere down there," Kakashi said, scanning the crowd below.
After searching for a while, he finally spotted Nohara Rin.
Rin was together with Kurenai Yūhi and Shizune, apparently talking about something with Anko Mitarashi.
"I see."
Kiyohara gave a slight nod.
He hadn't actually tried sensing the people below. He was just asking casually.
Today, Kiyohara wore the white Hokage robe, its edges embroidered with flame patterns.
The tailor who had made the ceremonial robe was an old woman who had been making them ever since the First Hokage's era.
Kiyohara remembered that even when the Seventh Hokage Naruto took office, it had still been made by that same old woman.
"It's starting," Kakashi reminded him.
"Yeah."
Kiyohara came back to himself and adjusted the Hokage hat on his head.
That thing was basically standard equipment for every Kage. The leaders of all Five Great Ninja Villages wore similar hats; only the color and the writing differed.
"The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has stepped down. By the joint recommendation of the Hokage advisors, the Fire Daimyō's residence, and the collective vote of Konoha's jōnin, Kiyohara has been selected as the Fourth Hokage."
Mitokado Homura closed the scroll and stepped back.
"Now, please welcome the Fourth Hokage to deliver his address."
On the square below, countless eyes focused on the rooftop at the same time.
Kiyohara stepped forward and walked to the edge of the platform.
He raised a hand and slowly removed his hat.
His handsome face was revealed in the sunlight.
That face was far too young.
So young that many people seeing him for the first time could not help sucking in a breath.
This was the Fourth Hokage?
The "Black Lightning" who had slain the Mizukage on the battlefield, captured the Raikage, sealed tailed beasts, and suppressed Mōryō?
The legendary shinobi who had shaken all Five Great Nations?
Some of the people who had never seen Kiyohara before stood on tiptoe, trying to get a better look at him.
Kiyohara swept his eyes over the crowd and immediately spotted Tsunade.
Tsunade stood in the very front row with her arms folded.
"Everyone," Kiyohara began.
"It is my honor to stand here."
"Konoha has existed for more than fifty years now."
"In those fifty years, we have gone through war, and we have enjoyed peace. We have lost comrades, and we have welcomed new life."
"The First Hokage founded Konoha. The Second perfected Konoha's systems. The Third protected Konoha for many years."
"And now, that baton has been passed into my hands… Wherever Konoha's leaves dance, the fire will also burn without end."
Kiyohara began speaking in the formal, public style that matched the spirit of the Will of Fire.
In Konoha, where the Will of Fire had been passed down without interruption, words like these struck deep.
The moment he finished, the square erupted in deafening cheers.
"Fourth Hokage!"
"Hokage-sama!"
"Long live Kiyohara-sama!"
Many people threw both hands high into the air, their faces shining with excitement and admiration.
Uchiha Itachi tilted his head up and stared at the figure on the rooftop.
Teacher Kiyohara… had become Hokage.
He clenched his small fists.
One day, he too would become someone like his teacher.
Uchiha Izumi was already so excited she couldn't speak. She simply clapped with all her strength until her little hands turned red.
...
At the back of the crowd, beneath a large tree.
Minato Namikaze leaned against the trunk with his arms folded, watching the figure on the rooftop.
Kushina was beside him.
"Minato," Kushina suddenly said.
"Hm?"
"Are you sad?"
Minato froze for a moment, then smiled.
"A little, maybe."
He shook his head.
There was still some regret in not becoming Hokage.
"But I'm even happier."
Kushina turned to look at him.
"Happier about what?"
"Happier that Konoha has a Hokage like that."
Minato kept his eyes on the white figure atop the roof.
"Kiyohara is stronger than I am. He's more suited to that position than I am."
Then Minato turned and looked at Kushina.
"And this way, I'll have more time to stay with you."
Kushina's face flushed faintly.
"Like I need you around…"
She lowered her head and gently stroked her swollen stomach.
This child would be born very soon.
"Minato," she said suddenly.
"Hm?"
"On the day the baby is born, you'll protect us, right?"
Minato looked at her, his expression turning gentle.
"Of course."
He nodded.
"I'll request guards from Kiyohara. I'll definitely protect you and the child."
His expression grew serious.
Kushina was the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. During childbirth, the seal would also be affected.
If someone used that chance to slip into Konoha and target Kushina, it could very easily trigger the Nine-Tails to break loose.
If that happened, Konoha itself would become the battlefield, and many people would die.
"That's good."
Kushina nodded.
...…
A few more days passed.
By the time Konan's figure emerged from the curtain of rain, the guards at the hideout entrance had barely managed to react.
She had changed out of the Anbu outfit and was now wearing Akatsuki's standard black cloak patterned with red clouds. Her hood was pulled low, revealing only a pale chin and the lip piercing near her mouth.
"Lady Konan."
The two guards bowed at the same time.
Konan gave a slight nod and pushed open the door to the hideout.
It was much livelier inside than when she had left.
There were unfamiliar faces lining the corridor now. Some were leaning against the wall cleaning ninja tools, while others were talking quietly in small groups.
Konan didn't linger. She went straight to find Nagato.
Before long, she found the Deva Path of Pain under Nagato's control.
A map was spread out in front of him, marked with dense clusters of symbols.
"You're back," Deva Path said, looking up.
Konan walked over and lowered her gaze to the map.
"They are…?"
"The new recruits," Deva Path replied.
"There are still some others outside, carrying out missions."
Konan frowned slightly as she looked at the people in the room.
One large man was leaning in the corner. His skin was pale blue, making him look almost like a shark.
Hoshigaki Kisame noticed Konan's gaze and bared a grin full of shark-like teeth.
"So you're Konan?" Kisame said.
"I've heard a lot about you."
"Mm."
Konan acknowledged him with a faint response.
Then she noticed another man nearby, his face partly hidden behind a dark mask.
"Who are they?" Konan asked, wanting their names and background.
"Kisame Hoshigaki and Kakuzu," Deva Path answered.
"They both joined Akatsuki while you were gone."
"So that's why."
Now Konan understood why she didn't recognize them.
"I heard you went to Konoha to work for Kiyohara?" Kakuzu asked with interest.
In his hand was a bounty sheet, and the portrait printed on it was clearly Kiyohara.
"He's very strong," Konan said, worried Kakuzu might go looking for trouble with him.
"And Akatsuki is in no position to come into conflict with Konoha right now."
"I know."
Kakuzu folded up the bounty notice and tucked it into his clothes.
He had no interest in failing an assassination attempt on Kiyohara, angering Akatsuki, and ending up a wandering missing-nin again.
That would interfere with his ability to make money.
"I'm not planning to assassinate him. I just want to know how strong this new Hokage really is."
"Ever since I lost to the First Hokage, I've never had the chance to cross hands with another Hokage from Konoha."
"You survived that?" Konan asked in surprise.
"I did. I was probably just faster at running away," Kakuzu said calmly.
It was a lot like when Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru lost to Hanzō of the Salamander in their youth and ended up earning the title of the Sannin.
Losing to a truly strong opponent wasn't shameful. Being able to escape was its own kind of skill.
Seeing that, even Konan felt Kakuzu clearly had some ability if he had survived that.
"Then why did you defect?" Kisame asked, interested by Kakuzu's story.
Anyone who could survive the God of Shinobi was no weakling.
In a village like Takigakure, someone like that should have been treated very well.
"The fools in the village were jealous of my talent, that's all," Kakuzu said, shaking his head.
Back when he was young, he had been one of Takigakure's elites and was assigned by the higher-ups to assassinate the First Hokage.
So Kakuzu fought Senju Hashirama, the man known at the time as the God of Shinobi, and lost.
When he returned, the people in the village actually tried to punish him for failing the mission.
That was when Kakuzu completely snapped.
If he had been capable of succeeding in that assassination, he could have founded an entire great ninja village on his own.
So he stole the secret technique the village had treasured and used it to take the hearts of all the village's high-ranking officials.
"So that's how it was."
Kisame felt Kakuzu's reason for defecting made enough sense.
"Then why did you defect?" Kakuzu asked in return.
"I got sick of the Bloody Mist Village. I tried to assassinate the Land of Water's daimyō, failed, and then left," Kisame said.
That, of course, was a lie.
The real reason he had joined Akatsuki was because he had received Obito's invitation.
He also believed the Eye of the Moon Plan was the right path.
"Is that so."
Kakuzu didn't comment one way or the other. He had only asked casually.
What interested him more now was Kiyohara.
"So, could I trouble you to help introduce me to Kiyohara?" Kakuzu asked.
He simply wanted to spar with Kiyohara and witness his strength for himself. On top of that, he had heard Kiyohara was very wealthy, and he also wanted to ask him about how he made money.
Konan looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
"I'll ask him."
Kakuzu nodded and said nothing more.
Konan withdrew her gaze and continued speaking with Deva Path.
"Where's Yahiko?"
She walked closer to Nagato and asked.
"He still refuses to accept my proposal."
Konan's brows drew together more tightly.
"I'm going to see Yahiko," she said.
...
Meanwhile, at Konoha Hospital—
Kiyohara pushed open the office door.
He found Rin Nohara asleep on the sofa.
Her legs were slightly curled, and the lower half of her white coat draped over the couch as she slept.
"Rin."
Kiyohara called her name.
Rin didn't wake. Her breathing remained calm and even.
Seeing that, Kiyohara walked over and gently nudged her awake.
"Mm…"
Rin's eyelashes fluttered, and she gave a sleepy little sound.
~~~