Under the support of the Yin Seal, Tsunade's skin was extremely well maintained. Even from this distance, no flaw could be seen.
"What is it for, then?"
Kiyohara asked curiously.
Even though he had already learned the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques and possessed the ability to read minds, he did not usually use that ability.
After all, the person whose mind was being read would more or less sense something.
Tsunade's gaze lingered on Kiyohara's face for a moment before moving away.
"The casino."
Tsunade was direct.
She stared straight at Kiyohara.
"You promised me a casino before. How is the progress?"
"…"
Kiyohara had almost forgotten that Tsunade was a gambling addict.
The two things that could make Tsunade care the most were gambling and good alcohol.
Mm, sometimes she also liked fresh young meat.
"It should be soon."
Kiyohara said.
The casino happened to be not far from the barrier. Some construction materials had been destroyed and needed to be delivered again.
Hearing Kiyohara's answer, Tsunade frowned.
"How long has it been? Don't you know how to build houses with Wood Release?
"Last night, you rebuilt all the buildings inside the barrier in such a short time. How much effort could one casino possibly take you?"
As Tsunade spoke, she leaned even farther forward.
The collar of her pale-green robe opened wider, revealing more fair skin.
Her golden hair fell from her shoulders, a few strands landing on the desk, the ends curling slightly.
From this angle, Kiyohara could clearly see her long fingers braced against the desk.
More importantly, in this posture, her light-blue pants clung to the full curves of her legs, tightening around the round line of her hips.
Kiyohara was taller than Tsunade. Even while sitting, he had a clear view.
"I can use Wood Release to speed things up."
Kiyohara looked twice before nodding.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Tsunade straightened and folded her arms under her chest.
"Hurry up and do it."
"Teacher is in such a rush?"
"Of course I'm in a rush."
Tsunade snorted.
"I've been busy with hospital work lately. Do you know how much my casino visits have dropped?"
At that point, Tsunade's cheeks puffed up slightly in irritation.
This side of Tsunade was truly rare.
Kiyohara realized that Tsunade was becoming more and more relaxed around him.
From a psychological perspective, it meant she had fully accepted him.
If she still treated Kiyohara purely as a junior, she would still carry some airs around him.
"Can't you do it?"
Tsunade asked again.
"Of course I can."
Kiyohara nodded.
Just as Tsunade's face lit up, Kiyohara changed the subject and said,
"But Teacher has to satisfy one condition of mine too."
"What is it?"
"I'll give Teacher a qipao. I want to see how it looks."
Kiyohara thought of Tsunade's wandering-hero outfit from the Naruto mobile game. It really did look valiant and dashing.
And clothes like qipao were especially good at outlining the figure.
Just from how Hinata looked in a qipao, it was clear that if Tsunade wore one, the effect would only be even more exaggerated.
"Why are you buying me a qipao?"
"A small gesture of filial respect from a student to his teacher."
Kiyohara said.
Hearing this reason, Tsunade still felt something was strange.
Because she knew perfectly well that this brat Kiyohara had other intentions toward her.
After thinking about it, Tsunade agreed to his request.
In any case, it was just changing clothes.
And since Kiyohara was paying, if she didn't want it, she could resell it to Shizune and make a little money back.
"Fine. Then this counts as your request."
Tsunade said.
"No. One matter is one matter."
Kiyohara rejected her firmly.
"Fine, stingy brat."
Tsunade curled her lips and muttered.
She had promised Kiyohara that if he learned Wood Release, she would grant one of his requests—one wish.
"All right. I'll go use Wood Release to speed it up today."
Seeing Tsunade agree so readily, Kiyohara also decided to finish building the casino sooner.
After saying that, Kiyohara leaned toward Tsunade's face.
"You…"
Before Tsunade could finish, Kiyohara had already leaned in.
He kissed her rosy lips lightly.
"You rebellious… student!"
Tsunade's voice carried anger, and a clear blush appeared on her cheeks.
"There are still many ninja outside!"
Tsunade lowered her voice, her amber eyes filled with embarrassment and irritation.
"They don't dare come in casually."
"That still isn't okay!"
Tsunade's voice became even lower.
"What if someone sees? Where am I supposed to put this old face of mine?"
Tsunade remembered the last time in the Yamanaka clan's flower shop. Kiyohara had been just as hateful then.
She realized that this unruly student of hers really liked teasing her.
Kiyohara looked at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Teacher's face isn't old."
Tsunade froze.
Then her face grew even redder.
"S-stop sweet-talking me!"
She turned her face away, not daring to look into his eyes.
Although Kiyohara often said things like this, Tsunade still fell for it every time.
For a woman her age, such words naturally never got old.
"Hurry up and handle the casino!"
Kiyohara stood.
In a few days, Kiyohara planned to find a reason to take Tsunade to a hot spring.
As for some delightful developments happening during the hot spring trip, that would surely be reasonable.
He still had one wish unused.
"Okay."
The next moment, Kiyohara's figure disappeared from where he stood.
Only Tsunade was left in the office.
She stood in place, her golden hair somewhat disheveled. A few strands fell beside her cheeks, swaying gently with her hurried breathing.
She raised a hand and touched her own lips.
Then she suddenly shook her head and patted her cheeks hard.
"Tsunade, what are you thinking!"
She scolded herself in a low voice.
"He's your student!"
But the blush on her cheeks refused to fade no matter what.
Kiyohara had already grown used to touching and teasing her. If one day he made a further request, could she really refuse?
Tsunade felt that was an unknown.
…
At the same time.
Konohagakure, underground laboratory.
Orochimaru stood before the experiment table, holding a test tube and dripping some kind of pale-green liquid into it.
The table was covered with all kinds of glassware—petri dishes, beakers, test tubes, droppers—each containing liquids of different colors.
Click.
The door opened.
Mitarashi Anko walked in.
Today, she wore a dark-gray ninja vest. Her purple hair was casually tied behind her head with a hair tie, a few strands hanging beside her ears.
There was a bamboo skewer in her mouth, still carrying crumbs from three-color dango.
"Orochimaru-sensei."
She stopped in front of the experiment table.
"Did you hear? Danzo is dead!"
Orochimaru's hand did not stop.
The pale-green liquid continued dripping into the test tube.
One drop, two drops, three drops.
"I heard."
Orochimaru said calmly.
Mitarashi Anko blinked.
"Sensei isn't surprised?"
"Surprised about what?"
Orochimaru put down the test tube, turned around, and looked at her.
Under the cold white light, his golden vertical pupils glowed faintly, making his expression unreadable.
"It was only a matter of time before Kiyohara made a move against Danzo. I expected this long ago."
Mitarashi Anko froze.
"You expected it?"
"Yes."
Orochimaru nodded.
"Someone like Danzo was too greedy. He wanted everything and refused to let anything go. He thought of himself as Konoha's darkness and believed darkness allowed him to do whatever he wanted."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"But he forgot that darkness is only darkness because light has not reached it. Once someone walks in with a lamp, darkness becomes nothing."
Mitarashi Anko tilted her head, half understanding and half not.
Honestly, sometimes she felt Orochimaru always said these literary, philosophical things.
Compared to that sort of thing, Mitarashi Anko preferred matters related to fighting.
"Okay."
Mitarashi Anko nodded.
Then she looked at Orochimaru expectantly.
Orochimaru took a stack of bills from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Go buy three-color dango."
Mitarashi Anko's eyes instantly lit up.
"Really? Thank you, Sensei!"
She took the money and skipped toward the door.
Her footsteps gradually faded.
The door closed behind her.
The laboratory became quiet again.
A figure slowly walked out from the shadows.
Shinnō wore a gray robe, his long black hair falling over his shoulders.
He looked in the direction where Mitarashi Anko had disappeared, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Orochimaru, your student… is she a little…"
He carefully considered how to say it.
Shinnō felt Orochimaru's student seemed somewhat foolish.
Orochimaru smiled.
"That child Anko really isn't very clever."
Orochimaru turned back around and picked up the test tube again.
"But clever people have their uses, and foolish people have theirs. As long as she can run errands, buy things, and clean the laboratory for me, that's enough."
Shinnō was silent for a while before saying,
"Danzo is dead. What do we do about our funding source?"
Orochimaru's hand stopped.
This was indeed a very serious problem.
Now that they had lost their biggest financial backer, Shimura Danzo, it meant they would have to find a way to earn enough funds themselves.
Otherwise, the progress of many experiments would slow, and some projects might even have to be cut.
For Orochimaru, that was unbearable.
Life was already so short. If the pursuit of truth was also this slow, even a hundred years would not be enough for him to learn everything.
"I'll find a way for that."
Orochimaru said.
"Although Kiyohara killed Danzo, he won't reject the experimental data Danzo left behind. I've already arranged people on Konoha Hospital's side.
"As long as Kiyohara nods, that data will continue to receive funding support under the name of medical research."
"And Kiyohara himself is also doing some very interesting research. He has gone farther than I expected. If I can cooperate with him…"
Shinnō's brow furrowed deeper.
"Are you sure he'll cooperate with you?"
Shinnō knew that Orochimaru had touched an absolute taboo: human experimentation.
As far as he knew, Kiyohara did not conduct human experiments.
"I'm not sure."
Orochimaru shook his head.
Kiyohara had never shown any signs of conducting human experiments, which was why Orochimaru had not dared to step forward openly.
"But I have to try."
He turned and looked at the glassware on the experiment table.
"I may not be able to stay in Konoha for too long. I still need to go outside to be truly free."
At this moment, the idea of creating a ninja village had already formed in Orochimaru's heart.
Even if he failed to compete for the Hokage position and could not control the village's resources freely, he could choose to leave the village and establish a new ninja village outside.
When the time came, the ninja of that new village would help him earn money, collect intelligence, conduct experiments, and so on.
…
Over the next day, Shimura Danzo's crimes spread throughout the entire village in less than a day.
First was the Konoha Military Police.
Uchiha Fugaku stood at the entrance of the Military Police building, looking at the notice posted on the wall. His face, which was always stern, was clearly even more serious than usual.
The notice clearly listed Danzo's crimes: live experimentation, infant organs, embezzlement, fleeing in battle.
Each item came with detailed evidence and photographs.
The Uchiha clan members gathered in front of the notice changed from shock, to anger, and then to fear.
Because they discovered that many Uchiha clan members were also listed there.
Shimura Danzo had actually been privately experimenting with Sharingan.
"Danzo… was using infants and Sharingan for experiments?"
"Those missing children… were all taken by him…"
"No wonder every time a clan member's body was found, it was always badly damaged and the Sharingan were missing. No matter how the Military Police investigated, we couldn't find any clues. So he was the one doing it!"
"Damn it. A person like that deserved to die!"
Uchiha Inabi's voice was the loudest. His fists were clenched tight, and his eyes glistened.
A distant relative of his had given birth to a child a few years ago, and the child had disappeared not long after. The Military Police had investigated for a long time but found no clues.
Now he finally knew where that child had gone.
Uchiha Fugaku remained silent for a long time, then turned and walked into the Military Police building.
"Fugaku-sama?"
Uchiha Tekka followed behind him.
"What do you think?"
Uchiha Fugaku stopped but did not turn around.
"Kiyohara… avenged the Uchiha."
He paused.
"Those Sharingan, the Sharingan on Danzo's arm, were all gouged out from Uchiha clan members."
Uchiha Tekka's body trembled.
If he had unfortunately died during the Third Great Ninja War, would he have become one of the Sharingan on Shimura Danzo's arm too?
Or could one of those Sharingan have belonged to someone he knew in the past?
Damn it, just thinking about it was disgusting. Good thing Kiyohara killed Shimura Danzo.
Uchiha Tekka burned with anger. He planned to see whether Konoha would build a grave for Shimura Danzo.
If they did, he would sneak out at night and pour paint all over it.
…
Konoha Hospital.
Nohara Rin stood in front of the notice, holding a newly delivered evaluation report on experimental data.
"Rin-senpai?"
A young medical ninja asked carefully.
"Are we really keeping this experimental data?"
Nohara Rin took a deep breath and suppressed the emotions in her heart.
"We keep it."
Her voice was somewhat hoarse, but very firm.
"The experiments themselves were evil, but data is innocent.
"If we can find useful things in this data and use them to save people, then it can be considered… an explanation to those children who died."
The medical ninja nodded.
"I understand."
…
"Danzo… was actually that kind of person…"
"Good thing Hokage-sama discovered it early. Otherwise, who knows how many more children would have suffered…"
"I heard Danzo took people and ran last night. When the Nine-Tails was rampaging in the village, he didn't act at all!"
"What?! Someone like that was worthy of being one of Konoha's leaders?"
"Hokage-sama did the right thing!"
"Yes! He did the right thing!"
Among Konoha's villagers, no one knew who shouted first.
"Long live Hokage-sama!"
Then more and more voices joined in.
…
Hokage building.
"Have someone send this file to the Hidden Cloud."
After building the casino in less than half a day, Kiyohara returned to the Hokage office.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Uzuki Yūgao accepted the scroll Kiyohara handed her.
She looked at Kiyohara and somehow felt that Hokage-sama was a little different from before.
Was his skin fairer?
Had his aura become more otherworldly?
Uzuki Yūgao could not say. It was simply an intuition.
After Uzuki Yūgao withdrew, Kiyohara also prepared to call it a day and go home.
As Hokage, aside from necessary government affairs, he naturally slacked off whenever he could.
He kept the Hokage advisors around because those old fellows were experienced with paperwork and could save him a lot of effort.
Of course, he was also letting newcomers like Yūhi Kurenai familiarize themselves with government affairs.
Once they were familiar with it, Kiyohara planned to remove all the Hokage advisors and replace them with his own people, like Kurenai.
"I wonder whether the Hidden Cloud will accept my proposal."
Kiyohara stroked his chin.
In the scroll he had just given to Uzuki Yūgao, he had imitated a practice from a certain country in his previous life.
That was the establishment of military bases.
In other words, Konoha hegemonism.
Konoha would send some ninja to be stationed there.
According to the Book of Soldiers, the Land of Lightning possessed abundant mineral deposits, hot springs, and maritime shipping resources.
If Kiyohara established a base in the Land of Lightning, he could directly control part of the Land of Lightning's resource extraction and trade routes.
This would provide Konoha with a steady stream of funds, materials, and ninja tool raw resources.
And through this, Kiyohara could also gain access to some of Kumogakure's research on the Chakra Cannon.
Among the Five Great Nations, only the Land of Lightning possessed such technology.
Even Toneri had only sliced the moon in half, not completely shattered it.
But according to descriptions, the Chakra Cannon could shatter the moon. Its power was obvious.
......
A few days passed.
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
Smoke filled the conference room. Kumogakure's higher-ups sat on both sides of the long table, with the official document from Konoha spread out on the tabletop.
After the Fourth Raikage was captured, Kumogakure's power structure had developed a huge vacuum.
Then Darui, the inheritor of Black Lightning, temporarily took over as the Fifth Raikage.
Those old fellows who usually did not even dare breathe loudly in front of the Fourth Raikage A were now like a disturbed wasp nest, arguing endlessly.
"Stationing troops? Why doesn't Kiyohara just say he wants to turn Kumogakure into Konoha's subordinate ninja village?"
A bald, muscular man slammed his palm onto the table, shaking the teacups.
His name was Floi, a representative of Kumogakure's hardliners. Back then, he had gone to war alongside the Third Raikage and A, and his hatred of Konoha was carved into his bones.
"The document says a military cooperation base, not stationing troops."
Dodai, sitting across from him, spoke.
"What's the difference?"
Floi sneered.
"Konoha ninja stepping on the land of the Land of Lightning with kunai in their hands—that is stationing troops. Changing the name doesn't change anything."
"The difference is that we can decide how many Kumogakure ninja and how many Konoha ninja are inside that base."
Dodai said.
"Kiyohara wrote it very clearly. Konoha will not send too many ninja. The main force will be provided by Kumogakure."
"That's a delaying tactic."
"He says now that he won't send many. Once the base is built, he can send however many he wants. What will we use to stop him? Our mouths?"
"Then don't let him build it."
"When has Kumogakure ever suffered this kind of humiliation? At worst, we fight Konoha. Gather every ninja. Even if we smash half of the Land of Fire to pieces, we'll rescue the Fourth!"
The ninja nearby immediately echoed him, hands pressing against the swords at their waists.
"Fight? What are you going to fight with?"
Dodai sat to the left of the main seat and slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.
Kiyohara's strength could easily crush every person sitting here.
If they were going to fight, it had to be under the condition that their strength was comparable.
Otherwise, it was no different from sending themselves to die.
Floi opened his mouth but could not speak.
Although he was furious, he had not completely lost his reason.
Kiyohara's strength was indeed too great.
Rashly starting a war might lead to an even more miserable outcome.
"And what if they harm the Fourth Raikage?"
Dodai continued.
Kumogakure was different from Konoha.
The Hokage's authority needed support from the major clans.
But since its founding, Kumogakure had always practiced strongman politics. The Raikage's orders were iron law, almost like a mafia family.
The advantage of such a system was strong unity. The disadvantage was that once something happened to the Raikage, the entire village could easily fall into turmoil.
So according to the rules of each generation of Raikage, they would cultivate the next Raikage in advance, give him the name A, and find a B to form a pair with him.
The secret technique Lariat had developed in this way.
The day news of the Fourth Raikage's capture reached Kumogakure, the entire village was shaken.
In the end, Dodai had stepped forward to stabilize the situation. He was an old subordinate of the Third Raikage, had deep seniority in Kumogakure, and his words carried weight.
"My opinion is to accept Kiyohara's conditions."
Dodai said.
Floi's head snapped up.
"Dodai, you—"
"Let me finish."
Dodai raised a hand and stopped him from erupting.
"What I mean is, accept on the surface."
Dodai stood and walked to the map on the wall.
His finger pointed at the Land of Lightning, then slowly drew a circle outward.
"Kumogakure's technology has progressed quickly these past few years. We only need to keep enduring and developing. Sooner or later, we will surpass Kiyohara."
Dodai's thinking was simple.
Kiyohara was indeed powerful, and Kumogakure did not have a genius like him.
But they could develop technology and use it to catch up to Kiyohara.
"When that time comes, even if Kiyohara personally leads Konoha ninja to our doorstep, we'll have the confidence to face him head-on."
"And by doing this, we can also get back Raikage-sama, as well as the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails jinchūriki."
Floi remained silent for a long time. In the end, he slowly nodded.
"Then… we'll do as you say."
Dodai sat back down, his gaze falling on the document.
His expression was calm, but he was calculating something else in his heart.
Konoha probably really did have ambitions to conquer the Five Great Nations.
Back then, Senju Hashirama had only wanted the Five Nations to govern together and maintain balance.
That was why he distributed the tailed beasts to achieve equilibrium.
But Kiyohara had begun actively breaking that balance.
"Then it's settled."
Dodai stood.
"Reply to Konoha. Kumogakure accepts the conditions. Also, prepare a generous gift to congratulate Kiyohara for repelling the mysterious attacker, sealing the Nine-Tails, and awakening Wood Release."
......
Konohagakure, Hokage building.
Samui stood outside the Hokage office.
She had been in Konoha's prison for too long. Today, someone had suddenly told her she could leave, and for a moment, she felt dazed, as if a lifetime had passed.
The door opened.
Samui walked into the office and saw the person seated behind the desk.
Kiyohara wore the Hokage robe, and his hair was a little longer than the last time they had met.
Samui stopped in front of the desk.
Today, she wore her low-cut outfit with mesh netting. The white fabric clung to her body, outlining the striking fullness of her chest.
The mesh was wide, revealing the fair skin beneath.
Her waist was so slender she hardly seemed like a ninja, more like some sheltered noble young lady from the Land of Lightning.
Beneath her belt was an equally fitted short skirt, barely covering the base of her thighs and revealing two long, straight legs.
"You locked me up for so long, then suddenly let me out. What is the meaning of this?"
Samui's voice was cold, but her slightly tense back still revealed her lack of confidence.
She knew very well that she was a prisoner. Whatever Kiyohara wanted to do to her, she had no ability to resist.
Kiyohara leaned back in his chair and looked at her.
"In a few days, I'll be visiting the Land of Lightning."
"I'm letting you out early so you can adapt to the outside air."
Samui was silent for a while before speaking.
"What about A-sama and Yugito-sama?"
"They're still in prison."
"Why only release me?"
"Because you're not a threat."
Kiyohara said calmly.
Compared to the Fourth Raikage and the Two-Tails jinchūriki, she truly posed no threat at all.
An ordinary jōnin was no different from an ant before Kiyohara.
"I understand."
Samui turned and walked toward the door.
"Wait."
Kiyohara stopped her.
"Don't you want to know what conditions I'll propose to Kumogakure?"
Samui frowned.
She was certain Kiyohara must have made outrageous demands.
Kiyohara picked up a document from the desk and handed it to her.
Samui accepted the file and opened it.
The first page was a letter of congratulations from Kumogakure.
The beginning was a long congratulatory passage, congratulating Kiyohara on successfully repelling the mysterious attacker, sealing the Nine-Tails, and awakening Wood Release inherited from the First Hokage's line.
As Samui looked at those words, she felt a kind of absurd unreality.
Kumogakure would actually write a congratulatory letter to Konoha in this tone?
She continued flipping downward.
After the congratulations came concessions involving resources. The Land of Lightning's rare ores, chakra metals, and medicinal materials would be supplied to Konoha at thirty percent below market price, with priority supply for ten years.
Samui frowned.
Every one of these conditions was cutting flesh from Kumogakure.
Then came the third part.
The release of the Fourth Raikage A and the Two-Tails jinchūriki Yugito.
The letter said Kumogakure was willing to hold friendly negotiations with Konoha on the matter and hoped for a solution acceptable to both sides.
Translated plainly: Kiyohara could name his price.
Samui continued reading, then suddenly discovered that there was also an initial proposal for Konoha to establish a Konoha military base in the Land of Lightning.
Site selection, scale, number of stationed troops, command authority…
Samui's gaze fell on the attached list.
It was a list recommended by Kumogakure of ninja suitable for assignment to the joint military force at the base.
Her gaze swept down line by line, then stopped on one name.
Atsui.
Her younger brother.
Samui took a deep breath, closed the file, and placed it back on the desk.
"Can these conditions be changed?"
"Which conditions?"
"…My brother's name."
Kiyohara leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping on the desk.
"That depends on your sincerity, Samui."
Samui's eyelashes trembled.
Sincerity.
After what happened last time, she knew what Kiyohara meant.
Samui picked up the teapot on the desk and walked to Kiyohara's side.
The teapot tilted, and tea flowed from the spout into the cup.
Because she bent over, her chest nearly pressed heavily against the desk.
The white low-cut outfit was pulled downward by gravity, revealing even more fair skin beneath.
The thin lines of the mesh pressed into soft flesh, leaving faint red marks.
"Kiyohara-sama, please have some tea."
Samui's voice lowered, completely different from before.
Kiyohara looked at her and reached out to take the teacup.
After taking a sip, he set the cup back on the desk.
"You misunderstand, Samui. I'm not that kind of person."
Samui froze.
If Kiyohara wasn't that kind of person, then what kind of person was he?
"You have indeed been very dedicated to Kumogakure."
"I still prefer the defiant way you used to act."
Kiyohara pinched Samui's cheek.
Honestly, Samui's type was relatively rare.
Only Samui had that naturally indifferent, restrained face.
That kind of feeling had its own unique charm.
Samui's eyelashes trembled.
She didn't understand what Kiyohara meant.
Was he mocking her?
Kiyohara did not explain.
He beckoned, signaling for her to come closer.
Samui hesitated for a moment, then obeyed.
Kiyohara supported her chest.
Samui's face flushed.
She bit her lower lip and made no sound.
"I can make certain adjustments."
"I will reconsider the scale and number of troops for the military base. Your brother's name can be removed from that list."
To be honest, Kiyohara had not expected Kumogakure to be this proactive.
He had thought the village would harshly refuse and that more maneuvering would be necessary.
But Kiyohara could also guess what they were relying on.
It was nothing more than the Chakra Cannon.
With his stimulation, it might really appear more than ten years ahead of schedule.
A trace of hope flashed through Samui's eyes.
"But."
Kiyohara changed the subject.
"The military base must be established. That is the bottom line. There is no room for negotiation."
The light in Samui's eyes dimmed again.
"However, I can give you a certain degree of authority."
Kiyohara leaned back and looked at her.
"After the military base is established, you will serve as Kumogakure's liaison officer and possess some autonomy. The specific scope of authority can be discussed later."
Samui's brows furrowed slightly.
These sounded like concessions, but she knew Kiyohara would not give her benefits for no reason.
Sure enough, Kiyohara's next sentence came.
"The price is that you must accept a cursed seal engraved on your body by me."
A cursed seal.
Samui's body trembled slightly.
For a person marked with a cursed seal, life and death would be completely in the hands of the caster.
"What if I refuse?"
Samui's blue eyes looked at Kiyohara.
"What do you think?"
Kiyohara asked in return.
Hearing this, Samui bit her lip.
At this moment, she was caught in an intense inner struggle.
Under the pressure of her thoughts, sweat appeared across her body.
Kiyohara raised a brow.
Samui couldn't handle pressure this badly?
After thinking about it, Kiyohara felt it was normal.
Although Samui did not seem to treat Atsui very well in the original story, the two were ultimately siblings.
In Konoha, family bonds were already heavy, and Kumogakure valued them even more.
"How is your consideration going?"
Kiyohara urged.
The sweat made his hand slippery.
"…I agree."
Samui said after hesitating.
Kiyohara looked at her and nodded.
Kiyohara lowered his head and opened his mouth.
Having mastered Ryūchi Cave senjutsu, Kiyohara was also best at injecting natural energy or cursed seal chakra into others through his teeth.
The next moment, Samui's delicate body tensed sharply.
After a row of teeth marks, black chakra began swirling.
Cursed seals placed a great burden on the human body.
Even though Kiyohara had already weakened the side effects of the cursed seal, the recipient would still feel severe pain.
Cold sweat poured from Samui. The intense pain made her let out a muffled groan, and her body went soft as she leaned into Kiyohara's arms.
Before long, black cursed-seal markings extended outward from the center of the bite mark, forming the shape of a black three-tomoe symbol.
What Kiyohara planted in Samui was the Cursed Seal of Earth, the same cursed seal he had once received.
Now that it was applied by the current Kiyohara, its difficulty had been greatly reduced.
Kiyohara released the hand around her waist.
Samui staggered slightly and braced one hand against the edge of the desk to steady herself.
Her breathing was hurried, and her chest rose and fell sharply.
She lowered her head and looked at the black cursed-seal pattern below her collarbone.
Samui couldn't help feeling that Kiyohara had branded her.
Then she began tidying her clothes.
Seeing this, Kiyohara reached toward Samui again.
A warm chakra surged from Kiyohara's palm and seeped into her skin.
It was Yang Release chakra containing Kiyohara's vast vitality.
That chakra traveled through her chakra pathway system, slowly repairing the hidden injuries Samui had accumulated during missions, as well as the stiffness in her neck caused by sleeping too long on the hard prison bed.
"What is this?"
"I helped condition your body a little."
Kiyohara said.
Kumogakure's medical field was inferior to Konoha's, so Samui actually had quite a few hidden injuries.
Samui stared blankly at Kiyohara, her blue eyes full of confusion.
She did not understand. He had clearly already used a cursed seal to control her life and death, so why expend effort to heal the hidden injuries she had accumulated for years?
"Don't look at me like that."
Kiyohara leaned back in his chair and spoke calmly.
"If not for the positions of our two villages, we might not necessarily have become enemies."
Kiyohara said.
After giving her the stick, naturally he had to offer a sweet date.
Kiyohara had always treated her harshly, yet he actually had this side too.
Samui suddenly felt something subtle.
Someone used to hardship would feel as if they had gained an advantage the moment they suffered even a little less.
Kiyohara looked at her dazed expression and felt a little strange inside.
This couldn't be Stockholm syndrome, right?
He coughed lightly, interrupting her thoughts.
"For the next few days, take a proper walk around Konoha. I've already arranged your residence. Konan will take you there."
Kiyohara clapped his hands.
A figure silently emerged from the shadows.
Konan wore an ANBU uniform. The mask on her face had been removed, revealing that cool, elegant face.
Her gaze swept over Samui, then looked at Kiyohara. Her brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of helplessness flashed through her blue eyes.
She felt that her understanding of Kiyohara's lower limit had been thoroughly refreshed.
Even a female ninja from an enemy country had to be brought under his command in this way.
But for some reason, Konan found Samui unpleasant to look at.
It was all Kiyohara's fault.
"Follow me."
Konan looked at Samui.
Samui returned to herself, bowed slightly toward Kiyohara, then turned and followed Konan toward the office exit.
After leaving the Hokage building, afternoon sunlight spilled over the streets. Konoha's villagers came and went, relaxed smiles on their faces.
A ninja who did not recognize Samui saw her striking appearance and smiled as he greeted her.
Samui instantly returned to her usual cold, aloof older-sister demeanor. She merely swept him with an icy glance and did not even slow her steps, walking straight ahead.
The ninja hit a wall and could only awkwardly rub his nose before turning away.
Konan, walking beside her, looked at her in surprise.
She had seen the embarrassment of that male ninja just now.
Samui's bone-deep coldness was not an act. She truly did not care.
That coldness was completely different from her attitude when facing Kiyohara in the office.
She really was different in front of people and behind closed doors.
Konan withdrew her gaze and said nothing.
......
Three days later, Kiyohara came to the Forest of Death.
Around him were collapsed forests and sunken earth.
These were the traces left behind from Kiyohara's Wood Release training.
Of course, afterward, Kiyohara would use Wood Release and Earth Release ninjutsu to restore the area. That was also a form of training.
Kiyohara inhaled and closed his eyes.
Emerald-green eye shadow appeared around his eyes, and dark-green chakra flowed over his body, making his robe snap loudly.
Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode.
Kiyohara opened his eyes.
In those vertical pupils with three tomoe, the devastated clearing in front of him was reflected.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands."
He clapped his hands together in front of his chest.
This was precisely the technique Kiyohara had been practicing these past few days, the technique he had requested from Tsunade.
In that instant, the earth began to tremble.
Countless thick wooden vines burst from the soil, gradually condensing into a thousand-armed Buddha statue as enormous as a mountain.
The statue's face was solemn, its eyes closed, and its body was surrounded by dense natural energy.
A thousand arms extended from the statue's torso, each one thick and powerful.
"Whew…"
Kiyohara exhaled.
He could finally maintain its form stably.
This technique was indeed enormous. Kiyohara had never released such a large technique before.
Compared to the thousand-armed Buddha, the Perfect Susanoo was simply not worth mentioning.
Then Kiyohara thought of something.
If Susanoo could be wrapped around the Nine-Tails to form the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails, then what if Susanoo were wrapped around the Great Buddha?
"Its defense would improve, and so would its strength."
Kiyohara thought.
The arms of the thousand-armed Buddha were actually quite fragile. If one looked carefully, after Senju Hashirama attacked Uchiha Madara with a thousand arms, most of them had shattered.
If Kiyohara could wrap Susanoo chakra around every single arm, what would happen?