"It has both the Buddha statue's attack speed and strength, plus Susanoo's defense. There's a certain beauty to those numbers."
Standing atop the Buddha statue's head, Kiyohara stroked his chin.
The Book of Formations recorded this technique in detail. Essentially, it put all of its weight into its fists and unleashed a thousand strikes.
With weight and speed combined, it directly shattered the Susanoo armor Madara Uchiha had wrapped around the Nine-Tails.
If Susanoo chakra were added onto it, perhaps it could unleash another thousand strikes after that.
In the entire shinobi world, how many people could take this move head-on?
"Hmm…"
Kiyohara thought about it and realized that anyone who could withstand it could no longer really be considered human.
In Shippuden, it was alien Ōtsutsuki. In Boruto, it was all kinds of modified humans fused with Ōtsutsuki genes.
Before he knew it, Kiyohara's power had far surpassed the Kage level.
As for the higher Six Paths level, Kiyohara had no reference point.
Because he had never fought anyone at that level.
Those who reached that level were either stat monsters or mechanic monsters.
Or they had both stats and mechanics…
"But the chakra consumption is too high."
Kiyohara felt there was still room to improve this method.
After all, even the reincarnated Senju Hashirama could not use this technique.
The reason was simple: the chakra cost was too high.
Impure World Reincarnation relied heavily on the precision of the body. The higher the quality, the easier it was to reproduce the dead person's living strength, or even surpass it.
Of course, its advantage was immortality plus massively improved chakra recovery speed.
That was an enhancement for other ninja, but for Senju Hashirama, it was purely a nerf.
When he was alive, he already had passive seal-less healing and naturally enormous chakra reserves. After being reincarnated, his maximum chakra capacity had actually been cut down.
And that missing portion was what decided that Hashirama could not use his full power.
Clearly, although Senju Hashirama could fight evenly against reincarnated Madara, he could not use this technique.
This kind of consumption was still within a manageable range for Kiyohara, but in battle, continuously burning such a massive amount of chakra for a long time would affect the efficiency of his other ninjutsu.
"It can be used as a trump card."
After thinking for a moment, Kiyohara continued practicing Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands.
...
Elsewhere.
Konan had brought Samui to her new residence.
She glanced at Samui.
Along the way, Samui had attracted quite a lot of attention.
Short blond hair, a cold and beautiful face, an astonishing figure, and a distinctly exotic charm.
Konan could understand why Samui was so popular. Even she herself was watched by some Konoha ninja.
That forced Konan to put on her mask. She did not like being looked at that way.
Most of the time, she only removed the Anbu mask Kiyohara had given her when she was in front of him.
As for when she was with Akatsuki, she was one of the organization's original elders, and no one dared stare too much.
"Hungry?"
Konan noticed Samui was spacing out and asked.
"No, no."
Samui quickly shook her head.
She had only been thinking about where she and Kumogakure would go from here.
"Mm."
Konan responded lightly.
Although Konan knew Kiyohara had placed a cursed seal on Samui, making her safety factor very high, she still felt Kiyohara was being too bold.
What if Samui decided to risk her life and leak Konoha's intelligence to Kumogakure?
Then Konan suddenly thought of something else.
Kiyohara had become famous during the Third Great Ninja War. Even back then, there had already been a lot of intelligence about him, and now there was even more.
Some things could not be made up for through information, even if one knew the details.
"We're here."
Konan pointed at an ordinary residence ahead.
"You'll stay here for the next few days."
Konan stood at the door.
"If you need anything, come find me."
"Thank you."
Samui said.
Konan looked at her, nodded, then turned and left.
...
Akatsuki base.
Kakuzu stood inside a secret room deep within the base. The stitches on his right shoulder were slowly healing.
Black tendrils filled the wound, slowly writhing like black snakes.
Kakuzu controlled those black tendrils and placed the last White Zetsu heart into his body.
Click.
The black tendrils closed his chest bone, muscles covered it, and skin healed over.
The entire process took only a few breaths.
Kakuzu moved his right shoulder and could feel that the new heart was beating powerfully, pumping warm energy into his chakra pathway system.
That was the unique vitality of White Zetsu cells. After fusing with Hashirama cells, the effect became even better.
"How does it feel?"
A figure walked out from the shadows.
Kakuzu turned his head.
Obito stood at the door of the secret room, his tiger-striped mask covering his entire face, revealing only that crimson Sharingan.
"Madara, very good."
Kakuzu nodded.
He raised his right hand, feeling the chakra flow that was now smoother than before.
"A White Zetsu's heart is far stronger than an ordinary ninja's heart. The efficiency of chakra refinement is also higher."
"If I face Kiyohara again, even if I still can't beat him, I definitely won't be as pathetic as last time."
"That's good."
Obito stopped in front of Kakuzu.
"Next, we need more manpower."
Kakuzu raised a brow.
"You mean…"
"Recruit more comrades."
Obito turned around, the Sharingan behind his mask narrowing slightly.
"Kiyohara's power has already exceeded our expectations. With our current battle strength alone, we are not enough to oppose Konoha. We need more people."
"At this stage, we really should accumulate more strength."
Kakuzu felt Obito made sense.
"It's just that Kiyohara seems to get stronger every time he appears. The Nine-Tails was easily suppressed by him, and I heard Danzo was also killed by him. If we give him a few more years…"
"I know."
Obito spoke lightly.
"So I will accelerate things."
Obito said.
Since relying on his own strength alone made it difficult to fight Kiyohara, he would rope in more people, create more so-called bonds, and let that group attack Kiyohara.
"Adapt to those hearts as soon as possible."
Obito vanished.
Kakuzu touched his own chest.
Although he had been suppressed by Kiyohara's strength, he was still very curious.
What exactly would Kiyohara's heart taste like?
...
Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
Kiyohara walked out of a tailor shop, carrying a paper box tied with thin hemp cord.
When Kiyohara returned home, Tsunade was sitting on the living room sofa.
She had not tied up her hair today. Her golden hair fell loose over her shoulders, a few strands hanging down in front of her chest.
On the coffee table in front of her was a deck of cards. The cards were face down, neatly stacked in several piles.
She held one card in her hand, brows slightly furrowed, as if thinking about something.
"Teacher."
Kiyohara changed shoes at the entrance and walked into the living room.
"Still reviewing the game?"
Kiyohara asked.
Sometimes, when Tsunade lost too badly, she would carefully review why she had lost.
Then, when she was full of confidence and felt she would not suffer the same loss twice, she would welcome the same loss for a second time.
Sometimes it was a small mistake on her own part. Sometimes it was bad gambling luck. All kinds of coincidences added together, causing Tsunade to lose nine out of ten times.
"Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
Tsunade parted her rosy lips.
She had heard this phrase from Kiyohara.
After hearing it, she had remembered it ever since.
Tsunade felt that phrase suited her quite well.
Then Tsunade's gaze fell on the paper box in Kiyohara's hand.
"What is that?"
"A qipao."
Kiyohara placed the paper box on the coffee table and untied the hemp cord.
"We agreed last time. Once I finished building the casino, I would give Teacher a qipao, and then Teacher would wear it for me to see."
Tsunade raised a brow.
She set down the card in her hand, took the paper box, and opened the lid.
Inside was a folded green qipao.
The fabric was silk, shining with a delicate luster beneath the light.
The collar was the classic stand-up style, and the frog buttons extended from the collar all the way to the underarm. The workmanship was exquisite.
Tsunade picked the qipao up from the box and unfolded it.
The waistline was well fitted. The hem tightened from around the calf, and the side slit was very high, almost reaching the top of the thigh.
Just holding it in her hand, one could imagine the fabric opening and closing as she walked.
"You brat, why did you pick this style?"
"Only this style can bring out Teacher's beauty."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"Hmph, smooth-talker."
Although she sounded dismissive, her fingers couldn't help touching the qipao. Kiyohara's words made her heartbeat inexplicably quicken.
It was laughable, really. She had lived this long and had never worn such a close-fitting, vivid outfit before.
"Try it on and see if it fits. I think it suits you very well."
Tsunade bit her lower lip. Looking at Kiyohara's expectant gaze, she ultimately did not refuse. Holding the wooden box, she stood and walked somewhat awkwardly toward the bedroom.
"Wait here. I'll try it on."
"Do you want me to help you?"
Kiyohara asked.
"Dream on, brat."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Kiyohara and quickly walked into the bedroom.
Kiyohara sat down on the sofa, his gaze falling on the cards on the coffee table.
Even the random hand Tsunade had drawn at home was terrible…
Kiyohara stopped looking at the cards. Perhaps because Tsunade had not closed the door completely, he could hear the faint rustling of her changing clothes.
Before long, there was also the sound of Tsunade stepping on the floor as she turned in front of the mirror.
Kiyohara did not deliberately listen.
But with his current sensory ability, sensing such things had practically become passive, unless he actively sealed part of his own power.
"I really don't know what brats nowadays are thinking all day."
Upstairs, Tsunade had already taken off her clothes.
Inside the bedroom, where she was alone, her body was exposed.
Although she was full-figured, there was not the slightest bit of excess fat around Tsunade's waist or abdomen. Her thighs were round and shapely, and there was not even a scar on her body.
She picked up the qipao and somewhat clumsily put it on.
Tsunade had almost never worn this type of clothing before, so she dressed rather slowly.
Once she had it on, the green qipao clung to her skin, outlining her proud curves. The stand-up collar was slightly distorted by her full chest.
Tsunade walked to the mirror and looked at herself. Her cheeks instantly flushed.
She had never seen herself like this before—bright, alluring, shedding her usual strength and carefree boldness, gaining a few shades of feminine softness.
After a while, the bedroom door opened.
"How is it?"
Tsunade bit her lip and slowly walked out of the bedroom. Her steps were a little stiff. Her hands instinctively covered her chest, and her eyes avoided Kiyohara's gaze.
Kiyohara sat on the sofa. The instant his eyes landed on Tsunade, he couldn't help widening them, and his breathing quickened slightly.
The green qipao perfectly outlined Tsunade's full figure. The slit on the side opened and closed with her steps, revealing her smooth, fair thigh.
"It looks very good. Even more suitable than I imagined."
Kiyohara said sincerely.
"Is that so?"
Tsunade smiled smugly and slightly lifted her chin, clearly very satisfied with Kiyohara's reaction.
"My figure can still hold its own even now."
She walked to the sofa and sat beside him.
The qipao's hem shifted slightly with her movement, revealing more of her thigh.
She pressed her legs together and sat slightly sideways, one hand still covering her chest.
Kiyohara's gaze lingered on her for a while before moving away.
"Teacher, do you want to go to a hot spring in a few days?"
He asked.
Tsunade turned and looked at him.
"A hot spring?"
"Mm."
Kiyohara nodded.
"In a few days, I'll book out the whole place. No one will disturb us."
Tsunade frowned slightly, then shook her head.
"No. It has to be after I finish playing cards."
Her tone was very serious, as if she were talking about something extremely important.
Kiyohara laughed.
"Then I'll play with Teacher."
Tsunade's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Good."
Tsunade nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
"Then after we finish playing, we'll go to the hot spring."
She leaned back against the sofa, her body tilting slightly backward.
Because of that motion, the qipao's collar opened a little wider, and the gaps between the frog buttons grew slightly larger.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening came from the entrance.
Shizune pushed the door open and walked in, holding Tonton in her arms.
Today, she wore a dark-gray kimono, and her short hair had become long.
Because Kiyohara had casually said that Shizune might look better with long hair, Shizune had decided to try it.
She had worn short hair since childhood and had never tried long hair.
If long hair did not look good, she could just cut it again.
"Tsunade-sama, I'm back…"
Shizune stopped halfway through her sentence, her gaze inevitably falling on Tsunade.
Tonton poked its head out from her arms, blinked its round eyes, and let out a few oinks.
"So beautiful…"
Shizune's voice carried amazement.
"Tsunade-sama, you're too beautiful!"
Tsunade smiled proudly and raised a hand to flick her golden hair over her shoulder.
"When I was young, I was Konoha's most beautiful flower."
As she spoke, her body turned slightly, and the slit of the qipao shifted open, revealing a smooth section of thigh.
"Teacher is beautiful now too."
Kiyohara said.
Tsunade's movement paused.
She glared at Kiyohara.
For some reason, when Kiyohara said things like that in private, Tsunade didn't feel much.
But when he said them in front of Shizune, Tsunade felt a strange sense of guilt.
Because she felt like an old cow eating tender grass, and she did not know how Shizune would look at her.
Shizune's gaze moved back and forth between them, and her face showed an expression that said, "I think I understand something."
"Tsunade-sama, where did this qipao come from?"
Shizune walked to the coffee table and sat on another sofa.
"Kiyohara gave it to me."
Tsunade said casually.
Shizune gave an "oh," drawing the sound out a little.
She secretly glanced at Kiyohara, then at Tsunade.
Tsunade clearly noticed Shizune's expression. She cleared her throat, sat up straight, and prepared to display the dignity of a teacher.
"Kiyohara."
Tsunade took the initiative to change the subject.
"How is your training with Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands going?"
"It's all right. I can already maintain its form stably."
"What does 'all right' mean?"
Tsunade frowned.
"How many arms can you release?"
"Not many. About a thousand."
Listening to Kiyohara's rather Versailles-style answer, Tsunade thought to herself that Kiyohara really was the most suitable successor to her grandfather's Wood Release.
She remembered that being able to release a thousand arms with this technique meant one could use it properly.
After all, if an ordinary jōnin were asked to condense that many arms with chakra, they probably would not be able to form many at all.
She paused, then added,
"But that makes sense. If you couldn't do what Grandpa could do back then, that would be strange."
She stood, and the hem of the qipao gently swayed with her movement.
"I'm going to change clothes."
She walked toward the bedroom.
"This outfit is fine to wear around you, but wearing it outside would be too embarrassing."
At the bedroom door, she turned back and looked at Kiyohara.
"Don't forget. You're coming to the casino with me tonight."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Okay."
The bedroom door closed.
Shizune sat on the sofa, holding Tonton in her arms, her gaze moving back and forth between Kiyohara and the tightly shut bedroom door.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing. She only lowered her head and gently stroked Tonton's back.
Tonton let out comfortable oinks, its round eyes narrowing into slits.
Shizune hugged Tonton tightly and decided to pretend she knew nothing.
...
The next day.
Konoha Hospital.
When Kiyohara pushed open the door to the experimental area, Nohara Rin and Yakushi Nono were standing in front of an experiment table, talking quietly about something.
The table was covered with glassware. The most conspicuous things were several large culture tanks in the corner.
Inside the transparent glass tanks, white tissue masses floated slowly in pale-green culture fluid.
The shapes of those tissue masses were very irregular. Some resembled muscle fibers, some resembled plant roots, and some even had structures similar to wooden branches covering their surfaces.
White Zetsu limbs.
Hearing the door, Nohara Rin raised her head.
Today, she was wearing a white lab coat, her long brown hair tied into a low ponytail with a hair tie.
"Kiyohara-kun."
The moment she saw Kiyohara, a smile appeared on her face.
Yakushi Nono also raised her head and pushed the glasses on the bridge of her nose.
She was wearing a white lab coat too, though underneath it, she still wore her black nun's outfit.
At that moment, Yakushi Nono was holding a test tube containing pale-green liquid.
"Hokage-sama."
Yakushi Nono said.
Kiyohara walked to the experiment table, his gaze landing on the culture tanks.
"How is the experiment progressing?"
Nohara Rin picked up a record sheet from the table and flipped through several pages.
"At present, we're trying to weaken the power of the Hashirama cells."
She paused and pointed at the white tissue masses inside the culture tanks.
"The owners of these white limbs—you said they're called White Zetsu—their cells do indeed contain components of Hashirama cells."
Nohara Rin said.
Originally, Rin had not known that these white limbs came from people called White Zetsu, nor had she known they contained so-called Hashirama cells.
It was only during research that they discovered some cells inside these flesh tissues showed exaggerated vitality and invasive ability.
Later, Kiyohara told them those were Hashirama cells.
Kiyohara had told them that the owners of these white limbs were called White Zetsu and possessed the power of Hashirama cells.
At the time, Rin had cried out in surprise, thinking the First Hokage's grave had been robbed.
Kiyohara explained that these were products born after someone collected cells from injuries the First Hokage had suffered in past battles.
Moreover, Konoha had also attempted Wood Release experiments in the past, and a portion of Hashirama's cells had indeed already been collected.
"We tried directly transplanting White Zetsu cells into experimental animals."
Yakushi Nono picked up the explanation.
"The results were not good. Although White Zetsu cells are less invasive than pure Hashirama cells, they have already been assimilated by Hashirama cells, and they are still too strong for ordinary cells.
"Within three days of transplantation, the experimental animals' cells eventually entered a state somewhere between plant and animal."
She pointed to several cages covered by white cloth in the corner of the experiment table.
Beneath the cloth, some irregular silhouettes could faintly be seen.
"So we're trying to further weaken the White Zetsu cells."
Nohara Rin said.
"If we can reduce their invasiveness to a range ordinary cells can withstand, it may be possible to achieve safe transplantation and accomplish limb regeneration."
At this point, Rin was very excited.
If they could achieve this, who knew how many people they could help?
Kiyohara nodded.
He looked at Rin and noticed faint dark circles under her eyes. Clearly, she had not slept well last night.
"You worked hard."
Kiyohara walked over and rubbed Rin's head.
Rin smiled.
"It's not hard. These experimental records are very valuable. If we succeed, they will be a great help to Konoha's medical field."
Kiyohara stayed in the experimental area for a while, carefully examining several experimental records. Then he clapped his hands.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Konan appeared before Kiyohara.
"Go notify Shisui. Tell him to come to Konoha Hospital."
Kiyohara said.
Konan nodded, then melted back into the shadows and disappeared.
Nohara Rin looked in the direction Konan had vanished and blinked.
"Kiyohara-kun, why are you looking for Shisui?"
"To give the Uchiha clan a chance to become stronger. Also, they make very good subjects for collecting experimental data, because their tolerance is higher than that of ordinary people."
Kiyohara said.
Nohara Rin and Yakushi Nono exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
Before long, the door to the experimental area opened again.
Uchiha Shisui walked in.
"Hokage-sama."
He stood in front of Kiyohara and bowed slightly.
Kiyohara looked at him and spoke directly.
"Shisui, the Uchiha clan has an opportunity to grow stronger. Voluntary transplantation of weakened White Zetsu cells—that is, derivatives of Hashirama cells—may increase ocular power and chakra reserves."
Uchiha Shisui's eyes widened slightly.
"Hashirama cells…?"
"Yes."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Of course, there are risks. Although we have weakened them, rejection may still occur after transplantation. But I can guarantee that with me here, no one will die."
"I understand. I'll bring this news back to the clan and let the clan members choose for themselves."
Uchiha Shisui nodded.
...
Uchiha district.
When Uchiha Shisui returned to the clan compound, the sky had already darkened.
He walked through the main street toward the Uchiha clan's meeting hall.
Along the way, he encountered several clan members. Some greeted him, and he only nodded slightly without stopping.
There were already several people seated inside the meeting hall.
Uchiha Fugaku sat in the main seat, and on the low table by his hand sat a cup of completely cold tea.
Aside from Naka Shrine, this was the place the Uchiha clan liked to use for meetings.
The secret room at Naka Shrine was only visited by the Uchiha clan every so often.
Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi sat on either side, quietly discussing something.
Hearing footsteps, the three raised their heads at the same time.
"Shisui."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at him.
"Coming this late—what is it?"
Uchiha Shisui repeated Kiyohara's words exactly as they had been said.
"Is that true?"
Uchiha Tekka was doubtful.
"Kiyohara won't deceive us."
Uchiha Shisui nodded.
He was very curious. If clan members who had not yet awakened the Sharingan transplanted these cells, would they be able to awaken it?
In the Uchiha clan, those who awakened the Sharingan had always been a minority.
If they could increase the number of Sharingan, the Uchiha clan would enter an even more prosperous era.
"Fine. Then I'll participate."
While the other Uchiha were still watching, Uchiha Tekka was the first to raise his hand.
Beside him, Uchiha Inabi frowned and looked at him.
"You're not afraid something might happen?"
Uchiha Tekka shook his head, his face carrying an expression of complete certainty.
"If Kiyohara is letting Uchiha serve as volunteers, he must have already made thorough preparations. His medical ninjutsu is among the best in Konoha. Even if something really happens, there's nothing to fear."
"And if transplantation succeeds, ocular power increases, and chakra reserves grow, where else are we supposed to find such a good thing?"
Uchiha Tekka was afraid that if they missed this chance, there would not be another.
If some Konoha ninja had come over to tell them this, they would suspect the other party had ulterior motives.
But Kiyohara was an Uchiha.
As the saying went, when villagers meet villagers, their eyes fill with tears.
Uchiha people did not deceive Uchiha people.
Uchiha Inabi was silent for a while, then also raised his hand.
"That makes sense. Count me in."
Shisui looked at them and nodded, then turned his gaze to Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku did not immediately state his position.
He picked up the cold tea from the low table and took a sip, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Fugaku-sama?"
Uchiha Shisui asked tentatively.
Uchiha Fugaku set down the teacup.
"You can try it first. There should not be any problem."
"Since Kiyohara dares to bring it up, that means he has confidence in its safety."
Uchiha Fugaku said lightly.
"Moreover, the Uchiha clan truly needs to become stronger. On the night of the Nine-Tails incident, you saw it too. In the face of power on that level, an ordinary Sharingan is useless."
He paused, his gaze falling on Shisui.
"Your Mangekyō and Kiyohara's Mangekyō are both powers of the Uchiha clan. But if transplanting Hashirama cells can bring more clan members closer to that level, then for the Uchiha, it is a good thing."
As they spoke, Uchiha Itachi leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, listening to the conversation from inside.
Uchiha Izumi stood beside him, holding a bamboo skewer from three-color dango.
Crumbs still clung to the skewer, clearly showing she had just finished eating.
"Izumi, are you going to try it?"
Uchiha Itachi asked quietly.
Uchiha Izumi bit her lower lip and hesitated for a while.
"I'll watch for now."
She turned her head and looked at the tightly shut wooden door of the meeting hall.
"Did Shisui-nii say anything about side effects?"
Uchiha Izumi had only just arrived and had not heard the earlier discussion.
Uchiha Itachi thought about it.
"He said the transplanted area might have a different skin color."
Uchiha Izumi's expression stiffened.
She lowered her head and looked at the fair back of her hand. After imagining that hand becoming a different color, she shook her head hard.
"Then I'm not going."
Uchiha Izumi refused.
Uchiha Itachi looked at her, somewhat surprised.
"You're giving up just like that?"
"Of course."
Uchiha Izumi said as if it were obvious.
"What if I become ugly? How would Kiyohara-sensei look at me?"
As she said this, her cheeks flushed slightly and she lowered her head.
"…"
Become ugly…
Uchiha Itachi lowered his head and looked at his own hand.
If it was only a different skin color, then to him, that did not seem like much of a problem.
Should he try transplanting them too?
Uchiha Itachi fell into thought.
...
That night.
Kiyohara's figure appeared in a barren mountain area on the border of the Land of Fire.
The moon was very round, illuminating the entire mountain range clearly.
Kiyohara stood atop a mountain peak, the night wind moving his hair and the edges of his clothes.
In his hand was a scroll. Its paper had already yellowed, and the edges were worn, clearly showing its age.
Warring States Sealing History.
It recorded sealing formulas used between major ninja clans during the Warring States era, as well as the sealed locations.
Kiyohara had come here for Uchiha Hikari.
"It should be around here."
Kiyohara thought.
He had obtained this scroll a long time ago, but because he had feared he could not control the Uchiha power inside, he had never acted recklessly.
If Uchiha Hikari copied his dōjutsu, she would be hard to fight.
"I wonder why the Sarutobi clan got involved in this."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Uchiha Hikari's seal had been set jointly by the Senju clan and Sarutobi clan.
If the Senju clan had sealed Uchiha Hikari together with the Uzumaki clan, Kiyohara could understand it.
But he could not imagine what role the Sarutobi clan had played.
"Forget it. Time to start."
Kiyohara closed the scroll and shut his eyes.
The eye shadow of Sage Mode appeared around his eyes. Dark-green chakra flowed over his body, making his robe snap loudly.
Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode.
He opened his eyes. In those vertical pupils carrying three tomoe, the rolling mountain range before him was reflected.
His sensory ability spread outward from his body like an invisible net, covering hundreds of miles.
Mountain peaks, forests, rivers, caves… everything was clearly presented in his perception.
But there was no trace of a seal. There were only some animals and insects in the mountains.
Kiyohara did not sense any Uchiha chakra fluctuation at all.
"As expected, there's a barrier."
Kiyohara's expression did not change.
To prevent the sealed person from being found, the ninja who had sealed her back then had surely made preparations.
A barrier that could hide from his Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode sensing was at least on the level of Uzumaki clan sealing formulas.
Such a barrier could not be found through sensing alone.
Then he would use another method.
Kiyohara clapped his hands together in front of his chest.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands."
In that instant, the earth began to tremble.
Countless thick wooden vines burst from the ground, surging out simultaneously from the mountain peak, the cracks in the mountainside, and the depths of the valley.
Those vines were far thicker than ordinary trees. The thickest required dozens of people to encircle. Rough bark covered their surface, gleaming dimly beneath the moonlight.
The vines gathered beneath Kiyohara's feet, gradually condensing into a massive thousand-armed Buddha statue as large as a mountain.
The Buddha rose from the mountain peak, its height far surpassing the surrounding mountains.
Its face was solemn, its eyes closed, and rich natural energy coiled around its body.
A thousand arms extended from the statue's torso. Each arm was thick and powerful, with fists clenched.
Those arms unfolded layer upon layer behind the Buddha like a peacock spreading its tail, covering half the sky.
Kiyohara stood atop the Buddha's head and continued releasing chakra.
The Mangekyō pattern in his eyes began to rotate.
A layer of golden chakra began spreading from the Buddha's feet, climbing upward along its body.
In the blink of an eye, the entire thousand-armed Buddha was covered in that layer of golden chakra, as if it had put on armor.
Susanoo: Majestic Attire Thousand Hands!
The Buddha's face was wrapped in golden chakra. Its eyes remained closed, but the aura around it had changed completely.
The originally emerald-green natural energy and golden Susanoo chakra intertwined, flowing across the Buddha's surface and dyeing the night sky in a blend of gold and green.
Kiyohara raised his right hand and slowly clenched it.
The Buddha's thousand arms moved at the same time.
Rumble!
A thousand massive fists covered in golden Susanoo chakra smashed toward the surrounding mountains at once.
The mountain peaks were smashed apart like tofu.
Broken stones flew into the air, then were shattered into even finer powder by the following shockwaves.
The thousand arms were like a thousand giant hammers, all crashing down from every direction.
The mountains trembled. The earth groaned.
Those peaks, which had existed for countless years, collapsed one after another beneath the attacks of the Susanoo Great Buddha.
Dust surged into the sky and covered the moonlight.
Broken stones and powder filled the air, turning the entire area gray-white.
Kiyohara stood atop the Buddha's head, his dark eyes already transformed into the Byakugan.
The moment he arrived, Kiyohara had activated the Byakugan.
However, even the Byakugan's telescopic and penetrating vision had not allowed him to find anything.
Otherwise, any Hyūga clan member who happened to pass by might have discovered Uchiha Hikari buried somewhere inside a mountain.
"Still nothing."
Kiyohara scanned the area. The Byakugan's penetrating vision allowed him to see everything clearly through the dust.
But Kiyohara was not impatient. If he kept destroying the area, it would definitely be exposed.
Sure enough, after it continued for a while, an abnormality suddenly appeared in Kiyohara's perception.
It was a valley between two mountain peaks, originally completely unremarkable.
But when the Buddha's fists smashed near it, a semi-transparent light film appeared over the surface of the valley's rock wall. Black sealing formulas slowly flowed across it.
Uzumaki clan sealing formulas.
Kiyohara recognized those markings.
"Stop."
He said softly.
The Buddha's thousand arms stopped at the same time, hanging in midair while maintaining their punching posture.
Golden Susanoo chakra flowed over the fists, illuminating the surroundings.
Kiyohara leaped down from the Buddha's head and landed before that valley.
The enormous Susanoo Buddha slowly dissipated behind him.
From close range, the seal became even clearer.
The semi-transparent light film covered the entire rock wall, and black formula patterns flowed across its surface.
Those sealing formulas were extremely complex, spreading outward in spirals. Every ring of the spiral had even smaller sealing formulas nested within it.
A typical Uzumaki clan style, using many layers of nesting.
Kiyohara raised his hand, and a layer of golden chakra appeared in his palm.
He did not rush to break the seal. Instead, he first sensed its structure.
This was a good learning opportunity.
Kiyohara discovered that there were four layers in total.
The outer layer was physical obstruction. The second layer was sensory concealment. The third layer was chakra absorption. The innermost layer was spiritual lockdown.
With four seals stacked together, no wonder it could hide from his perception.
The corner of Kiyohara's mouth lifted.
If it were someone else, they might be helpless against such a seal.
But to him, Uzumaki clan sealing techniques were already familiar beyond familiarity.
Very quickly, Kiyohara began undoing the barrier's seal.
The four layers of sealing were peeled away one by one in moments.
When the final layer faded, the surface of the rock wall began changing.
The semi-transparent film shattered like foam, turning into countless tiny motes of light that dissipated into the air.
The rocks parted to both sides, revealing a deep passage.
The passage was narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass through.
Both sides of the rock wall were covered in sealing formulas, but they had already lost their glow, leaving only dull carved marks.
Seeing this, Kiyohara knew these were traces left by time.
The only sealing technique that could withstand time's erosion, in Kiyohara's view, was probably the Sage of Six Paths' Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.
"Or maybe not."
Kiyohara reconsidered. A thousand years was actually short.
If Kaguya Ōtsutsuki truly did not die, then if she were imprisoned for ten thousand years, a million years, maybe the chakra maintaining the sealing technique would eventually run out, and she would be released after serving her sentence.
Then Kiyohara stepped into the passage.
The walls of the cave were also covered in sealing formulas.
The air inside was very cold and carried a faint musty smell, clearly having had no airflow for a very long time.
At the center of the stone chamber lay a young woman.
Many sealing talismans were attached to her body.
Kiyohara glanced at her. This was Uchiha Hikari.
Uchiha Hikari's eyes were closed, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows over her eyelids.
Her face was delicate, carrying the traditional cool beauty of Uchiha women.
She did not look like someone from a hundred years ago at all, but rather like a passerby who had accidentally fallen asleep here yesterday.
Kiyohara walked up to her, his gaze sweeping over the talismans.
The power of sealing really was formidable.
He sighed inwardly.
In the shinobi world, the most unreasonable power was sealing techniques.
Even someone as powerful as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki could only be sealed. And the trigger for that seal was merely having Naruto and Sasuke touch her at the same time with the Yang Power and Yin Power.
Otherwise, if the endurance battle had continued, the two of them could not have outlasted Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki could use space-time ninjutsu to leave the battlefield at any time, and outside, there were many jinchūriki captured by the Divine Tree. She could replenish chakra through the Divine Tree whenever she wanted.
Even if Naruto and the others chased after her, they would have had to consume enormous chakra to open a spatial passage.
Of course, if things reached that stage, the Sage of Six Paths would definitely have acted.
Kiyohara withdrew his thoughts, raised his hand, and removed the talisman closest to him from Uchiha Hikari's body.