"Konoha brat," Ao sneered, holding his bent sword. "Your methods are surprising. But this is as far as you go."
He swept his gaze over the two Hyūga jonin.
With their Byakugan disabled, they were flailing. The Gentle Fist relies on pinpoint precision; without X-ray vision, it's just fancy palm strikes.
Ao moved.
A leaf drifted between them.
Swish.
The leaf was sliced in half by the air pressure of his charge.
CLANG!
Sparks flew.
Ao's physical strength was immense. Kiyohara's wrist went numb.
But he didn't retreat. He used the Swordsman Spirit's technique—redirecting force through his core. He twisted the blade, sliding Ao's weapon aside and slashing at the wrist.
Ao dodged.
Clink! Clang! Clink!
They danced in the fog. Lightning flared on Kiyohara's blade, meeting water-enhanced steel.
'He's strong,' Kiyohara analyzed. 'He has Jonin-level chakra and stamina. I can't drag this out.'
Ao separated, his left hand weaving signs one-handed.
"Water Release: Water Hail!"
Puff-puff-puff!
High-pressure water bullets erupted like machine-gun fire, covering the area.
"Let me handle this," the Young Kiyohara spirit urged. "I want to kill him."
"Alright," Kiyohara agreed. "You take the Right Arm (Sword). I'll take the Left Arm (Ninjutsu)."
Kiyohara's right arm moved with the fluid grace of a master swordsman. The blade spun, deflecting every water bullet with minimal effort.
Meanwhile, his left hand moved stiffly, weaving signs one-handed.
Ao's single eye widened.
'What?!'
The boy was parrying a barrage of water bullets perfectly while simultaneously weaving signs with his off-hand? That required split-brain processing.
Ram. Snake. Tiger.
Kiyohara puffed his cheeks.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
BOOM!
A point-blank gale erupted from his mouth.
It shattered Ao's follow-up Water Spear, turning it into a harmless mist.
Ao stumbled back, his rhythm broken.
'Has he been practicing since the womb?' Ao wondered, horrified.
Kiyohara seemed to know his moves before he made them. It was like fighting a ghost from his own future.
Slash.
A thin red line appeared on Ao's cheek.
Blood trickled down.
"Damn it!" Ao cursed.
He signaled for backup. Mist Chunin swarmed in to cover him.
Kakashi saw the opening.
Ao was pinned down by Kiyohara. The command structure was stressed.
'Now.'
"Cover me," Kakashi whispered to Genma and Kurenai. "I'm going to find the jammer."
He vanished into the fog, heading toward the faint chakra distortion he had sensed earlier.
Mountain Graveyard.
Beneath the Gedo Statue, Madara Uchiha opened his eyes.
Through the White Zetsu network, he watched the battle.
"This brat... Kiyohara," Madara mused. "His progress is unnatural. Does he have a teacher?"
He glanced deeper into the cave.
Obito was doing push-ups. Sweat poured off his pale, scarred body.
"998... 999... 1000!"
Madara smiled thinly.
Since Zetsu mentioned Kiyohara and Rin "studying" together, Obito's rehabilitation speed had tripled.
The fear of being replaced. The jealousy of a handsome rival.
'The source of Uchiha power is the Heart,' Madara noted. 'Specifically, the loss of it.'
"Kiyohara is a useful tool," Madara decided. "He is the whip that drives Obito."
He tapped the armrest of his wooden throne.
"The timeline can be advanced. It is time to prepare the Three-Tails."
The stage was set. The actors were in place.
Now, the tragedy could begin.
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