At this moment, Tsunade had clearly already finished handling all matters related to the base.
Her gambling addiction surged up uncontrollably.
She rubbed her fingers together, feeling an unbearable itch in her hands. Yet when she reached into her wallet, she found it so flat it could starve a mouse to death.
Just as she was feeling irritated, the corner of her eye caught sight of Kiyohara squatting in a corner, counting money like a little hamster.
Looking at that bulging money pouch, Tsunade's eyes instantly lit up, and she immediately walked over.
She cleared her throat and said, "Ahem, kid, are you counting your mission rewards?"
Kiyohara stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and answered honestly, "Lady Tsunade, this is iron sand I collected using Magnet Release and just sold."
"Magnet Release?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, and the light in her eyes grew even brighter.
That's right.
Magnet Release could control iron sand.
Which meant this kid was basically a walking iron sand miner.
In the long run, wouldn't that mean he had a stable "source of funds"?
She coughed forcefully a couple more times, trying to make herself look more reliable. As she bent forward slightly, the snow-capped mountains before her formed a gorge as deep as an abyss.
Leaning closer to Kiyohara, Tsunade spoke in a tone that screamed "you're making a huge profit here," negotiating with him, "So—look, I'm a bit tight on money lately and need some cash to get by. How about you lend me some? Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back!"
Kiyohara looked at Tsunade's face—beautiful, yet clearly marked by a gambling craving in full flare-up—along with her disaster-level luck at gambling and questionable credit. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Lady Tsunade, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I'm afraid this money would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog, gone for good."
"Huh?"
At those words, a vein instantly popped on Tsunade's forehead. She was clearly enraged by the phrase "throwing a meat bun at a dog."
She extended a slender finger and flicked Kiyohara squarely on the forehead without ceremony.
Although she didn't use much strength, Kiyohara still felt a slight sting.
"So this is Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannins,"
Steel Release Kiyohara's spirit form appeared.
He had been born in Iwagakure and hadn't seen Tsunade many times.
"I remember the first time I saw Tsunade, I was almost punched to death by her. Steel Release doesn't protect against internal injuries," Steel Release Kiyohara said.
"Sounds normal. After all, you were an Iwa Nin," Kiyohara replied in his mind.
For the sake of protecting the village, Tsunade was someone who would step forward at critical moments.
"Do you think I, Tsunade, am the kind of person who borrows money and doesn't repay it? How about this—if you lend me the money, I won't take advantage of you for nothing. I'll make time to personally guide you for one full day."
"During that day, you can ask me anything about your techniques or training. How about it? This is an opportunity others couldn't get even if they begged."
Tsunade had no idea that Kiyohara was currently conversing with Steel Release Kiyohara and continued speaking.
Training for a whole day under one of the Three Legendary Shinobi—and being able to ask questions freely?
Kiyohara's heart stirred.
This condition was extremely tempting to any genin, and even to chunin or jonin.
Tsunade's attainments in fine chakra control, taijutsu, and even medical ninjutsu were all at the pinnacle. Even receiving just a sentence or two of her guidance would be immensely beneficial.
Although lending money carried risks, this "tuition fee" might well be worth it.
Kiyohara pretended to ponder for a moment. Under Tsunade's expectant gaze, he finally spoke, "Training under Lady Tsunade and being able to consult you—this condition really tempts me. However—"
His tone shifted as he shook the money pouch in his hand.
"Next time, for sure. For this money, I'd like to keep a portion of it first, just in case of emergencies. If Lady Tsunade urgently needs money, I can lend you some after I collect and sell more iron sand next time."
Kiyohara's plan was to whet Tsunade's appetite first and keep this "consultation channel" open.
As for the remaining money, he planned to buy some good armor first.
Once he had surplus funds, he would then lend some to Tsunade.
When Tsunade heard this, although she was a bit disappointed that she couldn't get the money immediately, the words "next time for sure" were undoubtedly good news.
She looked at Kiyohara's resolute eyes and knew this kid was sharp, so she could only settle for second best. "Alright, alright, it's a deal. Next time you sell your goods, remember to lend me some. Let's leave it at that for now."
After saying that, she seemed to think of something else, and her mood instantly brightened.
Probably feeling reassured about borrowing money next time, she stopped pestering him. Humming an unknown little tune, she turned around and briskly walked away.
Watching Tsunade's retreating figure, Kiyohara shook his head helplessly and carefully put away the money pouch.
He then received word that, because the frontline command needed time to assess intelligence and formulate the next plan, their small team would need to garrison this camp for about a week.
During the garrison period, the shinobis in the camp would not be idle. They would still rotate through routine patrols, guard duty, and reconnaissance of surrounding areas to ensure the camp's safety while gathering any potential enemy intelligence.
During this week, Kiyohara planned to take on some missions.
After completing them, he would immediately exchange his accumulated battle merits for a B-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu.
That way, he would be able to fulfill Steel Release Kiyohara's first unfulfilled will.
And inherit Steel Release!
In Kiyohara's eyes, Steel Release was an exceptionally good ability.
At critical moments, it could absolutely save his life.
After all, most shinobi could be described as—glass cannons.
That day, before Kiyohara could proactively accept any missions, orders were issued from above.
They were to scout the area east of the camp, a range of undulating mountains about thirty kilometers away, to confirm whether there were any signs of activity from Iwagakure or other factions' squads.
"The mission objective is to reconnoiter the northern mountain range ten kilometers outside the camp and see if there are any traces of enemy presence," Kakashi briefly reiterated the mission.
After understanding the key points, the three of them left the camp and disappeared into the dense forest surrounding it.
Kiyohara's group moved through the mountain forest. The area they were scouting was roughly in the northern part of the Land of Fire.
The journey went smoothly, with no further encounters with summoned beasts, wandering shinobis, or rogue shinobi.
During wartime, wandering shinobi and rogue shinobi often ambushed other shinobi or attacked civilians to reap profits.
"Kiyohara, how's the taming of your summoned beast going?" Rin asked curiously along the way.
"In a few more days, I should be able to grind down her wildness," Kiyohara replied.
That process was essentially falconry training; from time to time, he would drag the invisible chameleon out and beat it up.
Over time, this planted an unshakable impression in the chameleon's mind—that Kiyohara was absolutely unbeatable.
"That's how taming wild summoned beasts works," Kakashi suddenly spoke.
He said that his eight ninja hounds were obtained from the Inuzuka clan.
Coupled with the fact that he personally raised them, it wasn't nearly as troublesome as Kiyohara's situation.
Hearing this, Kiyohara shook his head. Dogs from the Inuzuka clan were not something just anyone could obtain.
Kakashi once had a father whose reputation surpassed even the Three Sannin—Kiyohara did not.
Meanwhile, somewhere else, a shinobi opened his eyes.
Upon closer inspection, one would see that he had six arms, dark skin, and resembled a spider.
Small spiders rapidly climbed onto his body, whispering intelligence into his ears.
"A Konoha squad, huh… I wonder how much they'd sell for to other countries if captured,"
Hibiki curled his lips into a ferocious grin.
Shinobi, whether alive or dead, were always valuable.
From the information conveyed by the small spiders, it was one jonin and two chunin.
In shinobi combat, the advantage of a preemptive ambush was immense.
He was far stronger than an average jonin. If he struck first, wiping out this squad would be no problem.
Up to now, two jonin had already died at his hands—one from Iwa, and the other—from Konoha.
…
In the mountain forest.
Kiyohara noticed spider webs woven among some of the large trees, and the number of spiders on the ground seemed to be increasing.
However, the ninja hounds Kakashi had dispatched did not give any warning response.
Steel Release Kiyohara then floated out from behind Kiyohara.
Unlike Magnet Release Kiyohara or Rogue Shinobi Kiyohara, he didn't need to physically float out.
He simply stood there quietly and sensed the movements outside.
"There's a shinobi approaching rapidly from two kilometers to the left."
Hearing this, Kiyohara's gaze sharpened.
Approaching rapidly, yet without them detecting any movement?
"Your sensory abilities are this good?" Kiyohara asked.
Not all shinobi possessed sensory capabilities.
They could roughly be categorized into visual-type perception, tactile perception, auditory perception, and chakra-based perception.
Among them, chakra-based perception was the most common choice for ordinary shinobi.
According to the principles recorded in the Book of Formations, shinobi capable of active perception generally shared a common trait—that of possessing Yang Release.
Yamanaka Ino, Namikaze Minato, Senju Tobirama, and others all possessed Yang Release.
In other words, Yang Release influenced sensory ability. The stronger it was, the more outstanding the perception.
"My Steel Release is a fusion of Earth and Yang," Steel Release Kiyohara explained.
After adding Yang Release to Earth Release, it caused changes in the body, allowing it to harden to a level even stronger than steel.
"No wonder," Kiyohara said, finally understanding Steel Release Kiyohara's abilities.
At the same time, anticipation rose in his heart.
Once he completed the first unfulfilled will and inherited Steel Release, he would inevitably also inherit Steel Release Kiyohara's Earth and Yang Release talents.
By then, his own sensory abilities would be greatly enhanced. He would no longer need to rely on the speed of the Body Flicker Technique and visual observation to scout information.
And even without relying on his future self during the transition period, Kiyohara would be able to act far more cautiously through his own perception.
From relying on his future self and pretending to be a sensory shinobi—
To becoming a true sensory shinobi!
"They're here," Steel Release Kiyohara spoke again.
Kiyohara formed hand seals with both hands and released a Lightning Release technique.
Lightning Release: Earth Walk!
Crackle!
Electric arcs raced along the ground, suddenly emitting a series of sharp cracking sounds, as if something were being scorched en masse.
Kiyohara's actions caused Kakashi and Rin's expressions to shift from confusion to vigilance.
There had to be enemies approaching!
Sure enough, countless small spiders crawled out from bushes, tree trunks, and the grass on the ground.
Among them stood a six-armed shinobi, positioned atop the largest spider, staring at Kiyohara and the others.
"What is—this thing?" Rin's beautiful face turned somewhat pale.
As a girl, she really detested such disgusting creatures.
Kakashi's expression remained unchanged as Chidori bloomed in his hand and he charged forward.
In an instant, he wiped out a cluster of small spiders.
Watching from the rear, Kiyohara couldn't help but shake his head.
Why did he feel that ever since Kakashi learned Chidori, his "purity" had increased?
Ambushed? Chidori.
Head-on combat? Chidori.
He had completely become the shape of "Chidori."
Of course, Kiyohara knew that in the future Kakashi would become Konoha's Number One Technician, known as Copy Shinobi Kakashi, copying thousands of jutsu.
As for how many he could actually use—well, that was another question.
Hiss!
Hibiki puffed out his cheeks and spat out white spider silk.
Then, like a spider spinning a web, his six arms danced nonstop, spreading the spider silk into a massive net and flinging it outward.
Rin failed to dodge in time and had one arm ensnared by the spider web, pinned tightly to a tree.
(End of Chapter)
TN: I thought this was Kidomaru from the Sound Five but later changed it to Hibiki an oc. I'm not really sure about it since its only a one Chinese character difference.