The Allied Shinobi Forces were beginning to take shape, and Konoha had started mobilizing as well.
Before soldiers march, provisions must come first. The most urgent matter was to prepare enough soldier pills, followed by shuriken, explosive tags, and other supplies.
The only known enemy was "Uchiha Madara," but no one truly knew how much power he held in his hands.
There was no choice but to prepare for war in every way possible.
After finalizing arrangements, Tsunade had Obito teleport her to Kumogakure, where she sought out the Fourth Raikage to discuss the matter of controlling the Nine-Tails.
Under normal circumstances, the Raikage would have flat-out refused. He would never allow Killer Bee to reveal anything about the Eight-Tails to outsiders. But this was a special time—everyone needed to unite as one, pooling all their strength together. So, in the end, he agreed.
Tsunade returned to Konoha immediately. She was about to look for Naruto when she received shocking news—Naruto had vanished while eating ramen in the village.
That nearly gave her a heart attack.
Only Kiyosuke remained calm.
He said, "If he disappeared suddenly, it's probably because he was reverse-summoned. Don't worry—he'll be back soon. Jiraiya-sama's gone too, isn't he?"
"You're right."
Tsunade's expression softened a little. Indeed, Jiraiya had also disappeared out of nowhere. Putting those two together, it did make sense. For now, that was the most reasonable explanation.
"Before that, I still have some matters to take care of. Tsunade-sama, I'll take my leave first."
"Alright."
Tsunade nodded.
Kiyosuke headed to the Uchiha compound, intending to find Itachi—but he noticed the boy sitting with a young girl, apparently on a date.
He scratched his head. Well, too bad—he'd have to interrupt them.
"Kiyosuke-sama?"
Itachi put down his dango, surprised. "Is there something you need from me?"
"I do. And this is... your girlfriend?"
The girl's face turned bright red, and she lowered her head. Itachi coughed awkwardly.
"Friend... just a friend."
"Ohhh~~"
Kiyosuke dragged out his tone, making the two of them even more embarrassed.
"Oh, right. There's something I need to tell you," Kiyosuke said. "Come with me."
"Alright."
Itachi stood, apologized softly to Uchiha Izumi, and followed Kiyosuke to a quiet, empty spot.
"Kiyosuke-sama, is there a mission?"
"Yes. You know that Orochimaru's still alive, right?"
At the moment, Orochimaru was in a strange state—part of his soul was trapped inside Sasuke, while another fragment lingered within Kabuto. In either case, he could only watch the outside world helplessly, unable to act.
"I know."
Itachi nodded. He had been thinking about how to extract Orochimaru from Sasuke's body for some time but hadn't found a good solution.
"Right. I'm planning to drag Orochimaru out and seal him away."
"How exactly?" Itachi frowned. He wanted a way to remove Orochimaru without harming his brother.
Kiyosuke smiled. "It's simple. As long as Sasuke runs out of chakra, Orochimaru will risk everything to crawl out of the Cursed Seal. That's when we strike."
"I see."
Right now, Sasuke's strength allowed him to suppress Orochimaru completely, preventing him from taking over his body. But once his chakra was depleted—that would be the perfect chance.
Even if it meant risking exposure in Konoha, Orochimaru wouldn't let that opportunity slip by. Such chances only came once.
Kiyosuke knew him too well. That was precisely the kind of gamble Orochimaru would take.
So, all they needed to do was exhaust Sasuke's chakra.
Kiyosuke patted Itachi on the shoulder.
"I'll fight Sasuke myself. You stay close and seal Orochimaru's soul the moment he shows up."
"Understood."
The two nodded, their plan set.
They went to find Sasuke, who was at home studying secret Uchiha techniques with Fugaku. When he saw Kiyosuke, he was surprised.
"Sasuke, come on. Want to do some training?"
Training? That sounded great!
Sasuke's eyes lit up. With Kiyosuke's guidance, he could definitely close the gap between himself and Naruto. Without hesitation, he agreed and followed Kiyosuke out.
They left the village and arrived at a wide lake.
Kiyosuke glanced around, nodded, and said, "This place will do. Let's start here."
"Why not train in Konoha?" Sasuke asked.
"Because if I train you there, Tsunade-sama might kill me for destroying half the village."
He stretched lazily. "This training will only have one focus—real combat."
"Real combat?"
Sasuke's gaze sharpened. His Sharingan flickered to life.
Fighting Kiyosuke wasn't going to be pleasant—but it would be invaluable experience.
A rare chance indeed.
"Alright!" Sasuke nodded, stepping back to create distance.
"You ready? I'll count to three... one!"
Before he could say "two," Kiyosuke shot forward in a blur.
In an instant, he was right in front of Sasuke—and with a thunderous boom, sent him flying.
Sasuke tumbled across the mirror-like surface of the lake before regaining his balance.
"You said you'd count to three!"
"A man only needs to remember one."
Kiyosuke shook his hand lightly.
"There's going to be a war soon—one that will reshape the entire shinobi world. You and Naruto must survive it, Sasuke. This is your trial."
He spoke softly. "If you survive this battle, you'll become the savior of the shinobi world. This is my final test for you. You must live."
Sasuke wiped his face. "In that case... come on!"
His Sharingan spun rapidly, shifting into the Eternal Mangekyō. He stared at Kiyosuke without blinking, analyzing his every move.
Kiyosuke raised his arm—flames ignited along it.
"This technique is..."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as purple, flaming ribs of his Susanoo formed around him.
"Fire Fist!!!"
It was Kiyosuke's signature attack.
A torrent of blazing fire erupted, engulfing Sasuke completely.
Even through Susanoo's defense, the heat was unbearable. It was hard to imagine the sheer power Kiyosuke wielded.
How did anyone survive the Third Great Ninja War back then?
Fear crept into Sasuke's heart as his Susanoo grew, struggling to resist the inferno.
How could his firepower be this strong?!
The flames suddenly vanished—and Kiyosuke was gone.
Where did he go?
Sasuke frowned. The next second, a shadow burst out from the lake behind him.
Kiyosuke wrapped an arm around his neck, locking him in place. The humanoid Susanoo couldn't defend against an attack from below.
"Water Style: Wave Rider Strike!"
Sasuke struggled, lightning surging across his body.
"Chidori Stream!"
The thunder burst outward, piercing through Kiyosuke—who instantly turned into smoke and vanished.
A shadow clone?!
Where's the real one?