After coming into close contact with Kurama Yakumo, Kiyohara could sense a very pure Yin Release chakra within her.
He remembered that, in the original story, Kurama Yakumo could even use the power of her mind to create a monster named Ido.
That monster was also Yakumo's inner demon.
But this was the first time Kiyohara had seen someone create a Yin Release construct through pure spiritual energy alone.
"Hokage-sama."
Kurama Yakumo lowered her head and bowed slightly.
Kiyohara walked up to her and asked,
"What are you painting?"
"A tree," Kurama Yakumo said.
"I know it's a tree."
Kiyohara nodded.
"I'm asking whether you're painting the tree in front of you, or the tree inside your heart."
Kurama Yakumo's brows furrowed slightly, as if the question had stumped her.
She lowered her head and looked at the gray, gloomy tree on the paper. Then she raised her head and looked at the golden ginkgo tree in front of her.
"They're different," Kurama Yakumo said.
"How?"
"The color. I can't paint that color."
Kiyohara stood up and walked to the easel, lowering his head to look at the painting.
Her technique was very good. The composition and use of light and shadow were both mature, far beyond what someone her age should have been capable of.
But the entire painting lacked one thing: vitality.
To put it simply, the filter was too gloomy. It looked lifeless.
Kurama Yakumo's father, Kurama Murakumo, glanced at his daughter's painting and sighed.
That painting style was, in truth, a reflection of his daughter's gloomy inner world.
His daughter's talent for genjutsu was truly extraordinary. The entire clan saw her as the hope of their revival.
And yet fate had played a cruel joke.
With such a weak body, she could not even complete the most basic physical training required of a ninja. Her path to becoming a ninja had been cut off from the start.
In a ninja village, if one could not become a ninja, then even a heaven-defying talent for genjutsu was useless.
Even he found that gap hard to accept.
And his young daughter was the one living through it.
"Is it because you can't become a ninja that you can't paint it?"
Kiyohara asked.
Kurama Yakumo's mental resilience was actually fairly ordinary. The birth of Ido had been the result of her unwillingness, despair, and other negative emotions erupting.
That had even led her to accidentally kill her parents, causing a tragedy.
"Something like that."
When asked this question, Kurama Yakumo's pale little face showed bitterness.
She truly wanted to become a ninja, but she had absolutely no talent in that direction.
"But that's just my wishful thinking. I'll never be able to become a ninja in this lifetime."
Kurama Yakumo shook her head.
"Even painting makes me tired. I've never traveled far, let alone gone outside to perform missions like a ninja has to."
Kurama Yakumo believed that even if she did become a ninja, she might become the first ninja in history to die from exhaustion while traveling.
"That isn't impossible to solve."
Kiyohara looked at Kurama Yakumo.
"!"
Hearing Kiyohara's words, little Kurama Yakumo immediately showed shock.
Could there really be a way to solve her predicament?
Yūhi Kurenai also looked at Kiyohara suspiciously.
She hadn't heard Kiyohara mention any good solution before.
Then she suddenly remembered Kiyohara's identity.
Kiyohara was Tsunade's prized student.
Kurama Yakumo had been to Konoha Hospital many times, but all those visits had been fruitless.
This was a congenital illness. Like a bloodline disease, it was very difficult to treat.
But if it was Kiyohara, perhaps he really could do it.
"Hokage-sama, do you really have a way…?"
Kurama Murakumo's eyes widened sharply, and his mouth fell open.
His voice trembled slightly, as if he wasn't sure whether he had heard correctly.
"Yes."
Kiyohara nodded.
"If you are willing."
"We are!"
Kurama Murakumo blurted it out almost instantly. Then he realized he had overreacted, cleared his throat, and tried to make his voice sound steadier.
Very soon, Kurama Murakumo seemed to remember something and sighed.
"We are deeply grateful for Hokage-sama's kindness, but Yakumo's body has already been examined by many doctors."
"This illness… perhaps truly cannot be cured."
They had gone to Tsunade before as well, but Tsunade had not performed surgery for a long time and at most only guided her subordinates.
And since it had been wartime before, time had been even tighter.
As time passed, even Kurama Murakumo had given up on that idea.
"That is only true for other people."
Kiyohara shook his head.
"Yakumo, are you willing to become my student?"
Kurama Yakumo froze.
"Hokage-sama… are you serious?"
Kurama Yakumo asked with hope in her voice.
"Of course."
Kiyohara nodded.
"I am the Hokage."
Kurama Yakumo lowered her head and looked at her hands.
"I… I'm willing."
Her voice was somewhat choked.
Kurama Murakumo stood to the side, his mouth open, unable to close it for a long time.
Hokage-sama… wanted to take his daughter as a student?
"Hokage-sama!"
He suddenly dropped to his knees, his knees striking the stone path with a dull thud.
"The Kurama clan… the Kurama clan has no way to repay you…"
His voice trembled, and his eyes reddened.
"From now on, the Kurama clan is willing to serve Hokage-sama with all our strength!"
"Get up."
Kiyohara helped him up with one hand.
"There's no need for that."
He took a glass tube from inside his clothes.
The tube wasn't large. It contained half a tube of pale green liquid, faintly glowing under the sunlight.
"This is?"
Kurama Murakumo stared blankly at the glass tube.
"Medicine for Yakumo."
Kiyohara handed it over.
"It can strengthen her vitality and make up for her body's deficiencies. After drinking it, her face won't be this pale anymore."
Kurama Yakumo accepted the glass tube and lowered her head to look at the liquid inside.
She did not hesitate. She pulled out the stopper, raised her head, and drank it.
The liquid entered her throat. It had been cold at first, but then it began to grow hot.
That heat flowed from her throat to her chest, then surged into every cell in her body.
She could feel her body being filled.
Her pale complexion became rosy at a visible speed.
"It really works…"
Kurama Yakumo raised her hand and looked at her palm.
Her hands were no longer cold. They had warmth now.
She lowered her head and looked at her chest.
Her heart was beating faster than usual, but it was not the weak kind of beating.
It was steadier and stronger.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Kurama Yakumo said gratefully.
Kiyohara reached out and gently rubbed her little head.
"Still calling me Hokage-sama?"
"Teacher."
Kurama Yakumo immediately corrected herself.
"Mm."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Study hard from now on. I'll arrange things for you at the Ninja Academy."
He withdrew his hand and stood.
"As long as it isn't a large amount of taijutsu training, you should be able to handle ordinary daily training. I'll send you medicine regularly to maintain your physical condition."
Kurama Yakumo nodded hard.
"I definitely… definitely won't disappoint you, Teacher!"
Kiyohara smiled and looked at Kurama Murakumo.
"I'll take care of Yakumo."
"Yes, yes!"
Kurama Murakumo nodded repeatedly and bowed again.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Please take care of Yakumo."
His waist bent very low, his forehead nearly touching his knees.
Kurama Yakumo's mother, Kurama Rin, also walked over and stood beside her husband, bowing deeply as well.
"No need for such formality."
Kiyohara raised a hand, signaling for them to straighten.
"Yakumo is my student. Looking after her is only natural."
He turned to Kurama Yakumo.
"I'll find time to teach you ninjutsu later. You must also study properly at the Ninja Academy."
Kurama Yakumo nodded.
"I will."
Her voice was louder than before, as if she were trying hard to prove that she could do it.
"I definitely won't embarrass you, Teacher!"
Kiyohara smiled.
"Good."
He turned and walked back the way he had come.
Yūhi Kurenai followed beside him. After a few steps, she looked back and waved to Kurama Yakumo.
Kurama Yakumo waved back, her small palm moving under the sunlight.
Kurama Yakumo's father and mother stood where they were, watching the two figures gradually walk away.
Only after those two figures disappeared at the end of the stone path did Kurama Yakumo's mother finally lose control. She crouched down, hugged her daughter, and began crying.
"Mom…"
Kurama Yakumo was startled and hurriedly patted her mother's back.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing… Mommy's fine…"
Kurama Yakumo's mother sniffed and raised her head, looking at her daughter's face, which finally had color in it.
"Mommy is just… too happy."
Kurama Yakumo's father stood beside them, raising his head to look at the sky.
Sunlight slipped through gaps in the clouds and fell on his face, warm and gentle.
He let out a long breath, as if the stone that had pressed on his heart all these years had finally been set down.
…
When they came out of the Kurama estate, Yūhi Kurenai walked beside Kiyohara.
"Will that really be okay?"
She turned and looked at Kiyohara.
"Her body… can it hold up?"
"It can."
Kiyohara nodded.
"The medicine can make up for her lack of vitality. As long as she doesn't do heavy taijutsu training, ordinary daily training won't be a problem."
Kiyohara paused.
"And Yakumo's situation is special. What she needs isn't taijutsu, but instruction in Yin Release. That, I can teach."
Kurenai nodded thoughtfully.
"That's good. That child really is talented."
"She is."
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze.
"That's why I took her in."
If Kurama Yakumo's talent had not been good enough, Kiyohara would at most have treated her to gain the Kurama clan's loyalty. He would not have taken her as a student.
"Do you know the Spirit Transformation Technique?"
Kurenai's brows moved slightly.
"Katō Dan's… technique?"
"Yes."
Kiyohara nodded.
"That technique does not require the caster to possess a strong body. It only requires sufficiently powerful spiritual energy. The user can let their spirit leave the body, ignore distance, infiltrate the enemy's consciousness, and even directly take over their body."
He paused, turning his head to look at Kurenai.
"Yakumo's spiritual energy is very strong, so strong that it exceeds what her body can bear. If she can learn the Spirit Transformation Technique, she won't need to engage enemies in close combat at all. She only needs to sit somewhere safe and fight with her spirit."
Kurenai was silent for a while.
"But the Spirit Transformation Technique… wasn't it lost?"
"It wasn't lost."
Kiyohara shook his head.
"Shizune should have it. And it should also be recorded in the Scroll of Seals."
Kurenai froze for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"So now that you're Hokage, you can learn it whenever you want?"
"Not whenever I want."
Kiyohara corrected her.
"I'm qualified to learn it."
Kurenai smiled and shook her head.
"Doesn't that count as using public power for private gain?"
"It's called assigning the right person to the right role."
Kiyohara shook his head.
At a fork in the road, Kurenai stopped.
"I'm going this way."
"Mm."
Kiyohara nodded.
Then Kurenai walked a few steps before looking back.
"Are you coming to my place tonight?"
"Depends."
Kiyohara said.
"I might be a little late."
"All right."
…
The Hokage building.
Kiyohara returned to the Hokage office. An Anbu ninja emerged from the shadows and dropped to one knee.
"Hokage-sama, the itinerary for the Land of Lightning has been arranged. We can depart the day after tomorrow."
Kiyohara sat down in his chair.
"Mm. I understand."
Kiyohara nodded.
They still needed to negotiate with the Hidden Cloud over the captives.
Konoha had indeed dragged this matter out for quite some time.
Just after the Anbu left, there was another knock on the door.
"Come in."
Kiyohara said.
The door opened.
Minato Namikaze walked in, a trace of anxiety on his face.
"Kiyohara."
Minato stopped in front of the desk.
"Kushina might be about to give birth."
Kiyohara's brow moved slightly.
"Isn't her due date still some time away?"
"It's early."
Minato's voice carried a rare nervousness.
Normally, even facing an enemy force alone would not make him nervous.
But when he thought about how he was about to become a father, Minato felt a strange sense of unreality.
At the same time, he was very worried something might happen to Kushina.
After all, she was a tailed beast jinchūriki. This would be the weakest moment of her life.
"Tonight or tomorrow, it might…"
Kiyohara raised a hand and interrupted him.
"I understand. I'll make arrangements."
He paused.
"Minato, go back and stay with Kushina. Don't worry about anything else."
Minato froze for a moment, then bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
He straightened and quickly left the office.
The door closed behind him.
Kiyohara summoned the Anbu ninja who had just left and had him notify the Hidden Cloud that the trip to the Land of Lightning would be temporarily postponed.
"Postponed?"
The Anbu ninja raised his head, confusion in the eyes beneath his mask.
"Mm."
Kiyohara leaned back in his chair.
"Notify the Hidden Cloud. Tell them Konoha has urgent matters, so the visit will be delayed. The specific time will be announced later."
"Yes."
The Anbu ninja was about to leave.
"Also, tell Kakashi to come see me."
"Yes."
The Anbu ninja's figure vanished into the shadows.
A moment later, the door was knocked on again.
"Come in."
Kakashi pushed open the door and entered.
"Kiyohara."
Kakashi looked curious, not knowing why Kiyohara had suddenly called him over.
Kiyohara looked at him.
"Kushina is about to give birth. You're responsible for security over the next two days."
"Yes."
Kakashi nodded.
"Increase manpower, especially around Kushina."
Kiyohara paused, then emphasized:
"Be especially careful of threats involving space-time ninjutsu."
Kakashi's brow moved slightly.
"You mean…"
"It's just in case."
Kiyohara did not explain.
"Understood."
Kakashi replied.
"By the way, how is your Lightning Release Chakra Mode training going?"
After being improved by the White Snake's power, Kakashi's constitution had strengthened considerably. Aside from sustaining the drain of the Sharingan, he could now develop a technique that covered his whole body.
"I've basically mastered it, but I can't maintain it for long."
Kakashi shook his head.
"But if I combine it with absorbing chakra, I can maintain it for quite a while."
Kakashi said.
Yamaru had greatly improved his endurance.
"Not a bad idea."
Kiyohara nodded.
"If you succeed, your Lightning Release will have stronger penetration than other people's Lightning Release. It will also be more destructive against chakra armor."
He had also had similar ideas before, such as stacking other nature transformations on top of Lightning Release Chakra Mode—like Black Lightning.
"It won't be easy. Take it slow. There's no rush."
After chatting with Kakashi for a while, Kiyohara let him go make preparations.
…
The sun rose and the moon set, and time hurriedly arrived at the third day.
Night.
A full moon hung high in the sky.
Moonlight spilled over Konoha's streets, coating everything in a layer of silver-white light.
Inside the village, all was peaceful.
But outside the village, the atmosphere was completely different.
Kakashi and the others were standing guard at a secret cave outside the village.
To avoid a rampage if the Nine-Tails went out of control, the birth location naturally could not be inside the village.
Kakashi stood on a tree stump, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
The Anbu ninja were scattered throughout the area. Some patrolled in the open, while others hid in the shadows.
Everything was calm.
Too calm.
Kakashi's brows furrowed slightly.
For some reason, he had an ominous feeling.
Just as Kakashi was about to change position, the air in front of him suddenly began to twist.
A figure stepped out of the distorted space.
A tiger-striped mask, a black robe, and only one crimson eye exposed.
Kakashi's pupils contracted violently.
"Enemy—"
Before he could finish speaking, Obito had already moved.
He raised his right hand, and a pitch-black chain shot out from his sleeve so quickly it left only an afterimage, heading straight for Kakashi.
Kakashi dodged sideways while his right hand gripped Yamaru at his waist.
Clang!
The blade collided with the chain, scattering a spray of sparks.
The chain wrapped around the blade and tightened violently.
Kakashi pulled hard, but the chain didn't budge.
Obito twisted his wrist, and the chain loosened from the blade. It curved in midair and lashed toward Kakashi's back.
Kakashi's figure vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, he appeared beside Obito.
Purple lightning wrapped around Yamaru's blade.
Purple Lightning!
He slashed down.
Obito's figure turned illusory.
The blade passed through his body as if through a phantom.
The next moment, Obito's fist was already smashing toward Kakashi.
Bang!
Kakashi raised his arm to block. The armor on his wrist was dented by the impact, and his whole body was sent flying backward. He rolled several times across a rooftop before barely stabilizing himself.
"Enemy attack!"
Kakashi's voice finally rang out.
Anbu ninja surged in from all directions.
"Protect the village!"
"Stay alert!"
"Notify Hokage-sama!"
At the same time, on the other side of the forest.
Might Guy was leading a squad of Anbu ninja on patrol.
Their route had been planned in advance: circle around the nearby area, confirm that there was nothing unusual, then return to reinforce the area near the delivery room.