As a veteran of the Second Great Ninja War,
Hiruzen Sarutobi possessed a keen sense for conflict.
And at a time like this—
The importance of the Uchiha became even more apparent.
Unlike other clans,
The Uchiha, in war…
Might grow stronger the more they fought.
After a moment of thought,
Hiruzen flipped back to Uchiha Kiyoshi's evaluation sheet.
Picking up a pen,
He wrote four words:
"Key Observation Target."
Originally,
He had intended to select someone from the Uchiha
To serve as a bridge to ease tensions with the clan.
And place that person under Minato's guidance.
But now—
It seemed he could add another candidate.
Kiyoshi,
Who had only recently arrived,
Would likely be more receptive to the Will of Fire
Than other members of the Uchiha.
Evening.
Asuma returned home,
Clearly in a bad mood.
Just thinking about how he had embarrassed himself in front of Kurenai—
Made him feel like the sky had fallen.
The tough-guy image he had carefully built…
Was probably completely ruined.
"No… I have to prove myself in front of Red!"
Asuma clenched his fists.
Losing in genjutsu—
He accepted that.
He had underestimated Kiyoshi.
Even without the Sharingan,
His genjutsu was terrifying.
So next—
He would rely on what he was best at.
Asuma glanced at the trench-knife-like ninja tools in his room.
They were forged from a mix of chakra metal and ordinary metal.
In the future,
He planned to replace them entirely with chakra metal,
Creating weapons unique to himself.
"Chakra flow… there's no way I'll lose to you in this."
Asuma thought to himself.
To be safe,
He even planned to undergo more special training.
And when the time came—
He would challenge Kiyoshi in taijutsu!
Konoha Streets, 7 PM.
It had rained again the previous night.
An autumn rain.
Kiyoshi exhaled lightly,
His breath faintly visible in the cold air.
That rain—
Had been the last of autumn.
Winter had arrived.
On both sides of the street,
Yellow leaves drifted down in the chilly wind.
Some time had passed since he defeated Asuma
And obtained the new trait.
"I'll take this… and this."
Kiyoshi pointed at some ingredients,
And the shop owner quickly packed them for him.
Living alone,
He handled everything himself—
Cooking, cleaning, laundry.
"Useless. You can't even buy the right dessert."
A harsh voice suddenly rang out.
Followed by a crisp slap.
It drew the attention of nearby pedestrians.
Kiyoshi turned toward the sound.
It was someone he had met once at Training Ground Three—
Hyuga Natsu.
At this moment,
She stood there with her head lowered.
Her dark green hair covered her pale eyes,
Her body trembling slightly.
"Yes… Lady Ginka."
Natsu responded respectfully to the noblewoman in front of her.
Even under her heavy robes,
The woman's figure was elegant and refined.
"Don't forget to bring it back. And get fresh squid sushi as well."
Hyuga Ginka ordered arrogantly.
Recently,
A uniquely flavored sushi shop had caught her interest.
Other places didn't offer anything like it.
When she turned her head,
The curious passersby quickly averted their gazes.
No one dared meet her eyes.
She was a member of the Hyuga main family.
The Hyuga clan—
One of Konoha's two great dojutsu clans—
Had a strict hierarchy.
Main family and branch family.
There was no need to guess—
The one being slapped was from the branch family.
The pedestrians tightened their clothes and walked away.
This was an internal Hyuga matter.
Better not get involved.
But Kiyoshi—
Continued watching.
"Will the Gentle Fist… drop a trait?"
He thought to himself.
He was deeply interested in the Hyuga clan's abilities.
Take his Chakra Flow · Fire Release for example—
It could be applied to weapons.
But applying it to the body…
Was far beyond his current level.
Even jonin couldn't do it freely.
At most,
They could release chakra from their hands or feet.
Using other parts of the body
Was extremely difficult.
And maintaining chakra flow across the body
Placed immense strain on chakra points,
Causing intense pain.
Only the Hyuga—
Could release chakra freely from all tenketsu across their bodies.
Techniques like Eight Trigrams: Rotation
Were perfect examples of this.
"…Squid sushi…"
Natsu glanced at the darkening sky.
Night was approaching.
But that sushi shop—
Didn't open at night.
How was she supposed to explain this to Lady Ginka?
"Having trouble?"
Kiyoshi's voice sounded beside her.
"…Kiyoshi?"
Natsu only raised her head after confirming Ginka had left.
She wasn't very familiar with him.
"Are you trying to buy squid sushi?"
Kiyoshi asked.
"…Yes."
Though confused by his sudden approach,
She nodded.
"Come on. I'll take you there."
Kiyoshi waved casually,
A faint smile on his face.
"…But that shop should be closed by now."
Natsu sighed softly,
A trace of worry in her eyes.
Once she returned to the clan,
She would likely be scolded again.
Lady Ginka hated excuses.
"I'm a regular there."
Kiyoshi replied calmly.
In truth,
The people at that shop would rather have him visit every day—
Even return with him to Kumogakure.
"Let's go."
He took a few steps forward,
Signaling her to follow.
Natsu hesitated for a moment—
Then followed.
Whether he was telling the truth or not,
She had to check.
The two walked together,
Soon arriving at the sushi shop.
Inside,
The staff were preparing to close.
Seeing customers arrive,
They initially intended to ask them to come back tomorrow.
But as they approached—
They recognized Kiyoshi.
Their expressions changed instantly.
They warmly welcomed both him and Natsu,
Asking what they would like.
Kiyoshi glanced at the receptionist.
It wasn't Samui.
But another person he had seen in the hidden room.
"I'd like a serving of squid sushi."
Kiyoshi said.
"You're a valued customer. We'll prepare it right away."
The receptionist, Yukiya Yasukawa,
Led them into a private room.
"I prefer somewhere quiet."
Kiyoshi added before he left.
The implication was clear—
He didn't want to be watched.
"Rest assured, our rooms are fully soundproof."
Yasukawa smiled and closed the door,
Then returned to report to Samado.
"So don't disturb him."
After hearing that Kiyoshi had brought a girl,
Samado agreed immediately.
At that age,
It was normal to be curious about the opposite sex.
He understood.
This spy location had already been exposed to Kiyoshi—
He had no intention of risking his life to offend him.
At least—
Not here.
— End of Chapter —