An hour later, Kiyohara escorted Izumi back home. By then, she was so exhausted that she could barely stand.
Izumi's mother thanked him over and over again, but the girl herself had already fallen asleep on Kiyohara's back. A contented smile still lingered across her delicate face, as if she had drifted into a wonderful dream.
Kiyohara gently handed her over to her mother before turning around and disappearing into the moonlit night.
As Izumi's mother carried her inside, the sleepy girl slowly opened her eyes just a crack.
She looked at the white figure gradually fading beneath the silver moonlight, and an indescribable warmth spread through her heart. It felt as though a tiny flame had been lit deep inside her chest, quietly burning with gentle heat.
She could clearly feel Kiyohara's concern for her.
The innocent young girl silently made a promise to herself.
She would train diligently.
She would achieve excellent results.
She would make her sensei proud.
...
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
More than a year went by.
During that year, Konoha flourished more than ever under Kiyohara's leadership.
The military base in the Land of Lightning had long since been completed. The border of the Land of Fire was firmly under Konoha's control, and among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, none dared to casually challenge the authority of the Fourth Hokage.
Even the legendary Sannin, whose names were once renowned throughout the shinobi world, each stepped onto completely different paths over the course of that year.
At noon one day, after Kiyohara had just finished reviewing a cooperation proposal sent from Suna, Hiruzen appeared at the office entrance.
The former Hokage's back looked even more bent than before. After walking inside, his Adam's apple bobbed twice before he finally forced out an expression filled with pain.
"Kiyohara... Orochimaru... has defected."
Kiyohara raised his eyes.
He was not surprised at all.
Just as in the anime, Hiruzen had pieced together enough clues to discover Orochimaru's secret laboratory. Yet in the end, unable to sever the bond between master and disciple, he could only watch helplessly as his once most beloved student fled Konoha.
He simply could not bring himself to kill Orochimaru.
To Hiruzen, the relationship between teacher and student outweighed even the laws of the village.
It was precisely here that one could see Hiruzen's greatest weakness.
Even after personally witnessing a laboratory filled with grotesque human experiments and countless hanging corpses, he still allowed Orochimaru to escape.
Danzo becoming Konoha's darkness had never been possible without Hiruzen's indulgence.
"I see."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
Orochimaru's defection had always been inevitable.
Or rather, with a mind as brilliant as Orochimaru's, how could he possibly fail to erase every trace of his activities?
The only reasonable explanation was that Orochimaru himself no longer wished to remain in the village.
After all, staying in Konoha meant he could never freely conduct the dark experiments he desired.
"What would the Third Hokage like me to do?"
Kiyohara asked.
"Handle it according to the rules."
Hiruzen seemed to have aged several more years in an instant.
Originally, with Konoha prospering day after day, he had been looking forward to quietly enjoying his retirement.
Instead, his lifelong reputation had been tarnished. His greatest disciple had committed an act so utterly unforgivable.
"Konan."
Kiyohara called.
Almost instantly, a cold and elegant woman with short blue hair appeared silently beside him.
"Classify Orochimaru as an S-rank missing-nin. Issue a nationwide bounty and send only two ANBU squads to search for him."
"Orochimaru is extremely cautious. If he dared to defect, then he certainly prepared an escape route long ago. Launching a full-scale pursuit would only create unnecessary casualties."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
In truth, whether or not a bounty was issued made little difference.
No ordinary shinobi could hope to capture an S-rank missing-nin.
Nor did Kiyohara intend to hunt Orochimaru down with all his strength while he remained within the Land of Fire.
The curtain of the Akatsuki was about to rise.
Obito.
Kakuzu.
Sasori.
Those shadows hidden in the dark all required someone to keep an eye on them.
Orochimaru was the perfect candidate.
He held no obsession with political power.
His insane desire for immortality would drive him to perform every forbidden experiment imaginable.
All Kiyohara needed to do was quietly harvest the results of Orochimaru's research from behind the scenes.
Kiyohara also knew that Orochimaru had already begun making contact with Shinno.
In fact, he had deliberately allowed it to happen.
He genuinely hoped Orochimaru would create something extraordinary.
After all, in the anime, Orochimaru's perfected artificial human technology had eventually produced Mitsuki, a being born naturally capable of entering Sage Mode.
After joining forces with someone as talented as Shinno, there would undoubtedly be even more remarkable projects.
A snake raised in the wild was far more useful than one locked inside a cage.
"Proceed with the bounty notice as usual."
Hiruzen let out another heavy sigh.
"It was I who taught such a disciple. This is my failure."
"You needn't blame yourself, Lord Third."
Kiyohara stood and walked toward the window, quietly gazing down at the bustling streets of Konoha below.
After Hiruzen departed, Kiyohara summoned Yugao.
"Have the ANBU confiscate every laboratory registered under Orochimaru's name. Categorize all research data and deliver it to Konoha Hospital for evaluation."
"Understood."
Yugao bowed respectfully before leaving.
The office door quietly closed behind her.
'The Gozu Tennoproject is nearly complete as well.'
(TN: I reverted the Ox-Headed Heavenly King back to Gozu Tenno because it was actually never called that in the anime and it was just a literal English translation in the wiki.)
Kiyohara thought to himself.
Over the past year, every surviving Root shinobi had been thoroughly brainwashed and reorganized under his command.
Shigaraki Tanuki in particular had even received additional manpower from Kiyohara.
Research regarding that space-time secret technique had progressed exceptionally smoothly.
However...
Akakaku Kiyohara had become much fainter.
Another matter surfaced in Kiyohara's mind.
There remained one final last will he had yet to fulfill.
The fragment of Akakaku Kiyohara's soul could only continue existing inside the urn, preserving itself like a device operating in an extreme power-saving mode.
According to Kiyohara's estimation, it would dissipate completely in another six months.
This had also given him a clearer understanding of the maximum lifespan of spiritual entities.
It wasn't that he had no intention of fulfilling the remaining last will.
Rather, he wanted to make more thorough preparations first.
Traveling to the moon essentially meant entering the Otsutsuki Clan's home territory.
In a one-on-one fight, Kiyohara feared no one.
But if they invoked the power of the Giant Tenseigan...
Then everything would become uncertain.
The sheer destructive force capable of annihilating every main family member of the lunar Otsutsuki with a single attack was genuinely terrifying.
Just as Kiyohara was preparing to head over and undergo another experiment...
A sudden stabbing pain erupted from deep within his eye sockets.
Immediately afterward came a strange sensation.
A sensation filled with life.
Filled with movement.
It was like a seed buried deep beneath the soil that, after countless years of slumber, finally pushed open its shell for the very first time and cautiously extended a tender root.
As that tiny root touched the surrounding earth, it brought with it the exhilarating pulse of newly awakened life.
Kiyohara slowly raised a hand and touched his eyelids.
Even through the thin skin, he could feel that his eyeballs were noticeably warmer than usual, as though something deep within them were slowly burning.
"Has all this continuous fusion finally begun affecting my eyes?"
His figure instantly disappeared.
The next moment, he had already returned to his own room.
Picking up a mirror, he looked carefully at his reflection.
His pitch-black eyes changed uncontrollably into the Byakugan.
Yet they did not possess the Byakugan's completely pure white appearance.
Instead, beneath the pale white surface flowed a faint layer of blue.
That blue rhythmically pulsed.
It expanded.
It contracted.
Like the beating of a living heart.
Fetal movement.
That phrase immediately appeared in Kiyohara's mind.
He knew the process by which the Byakugan evolved into the Tenseigan.
He also knew that before the Tenseigan truly awakened, there existed a unique stage known as the fetal movement period.
Just as a child develops within its mother's womb, the Tenseigan also required a period of gestation before its complete awakening.
The eye power slowly accumulated within the deepest layers of the eye.
Like ocean tides.
Surging.
Receding.
Surging once again.
Repeating endlessly until the eye was completely transformed into the Tenseigan.
If another Hyuga clan member experienced these symptoms, they would probably believe they had developed some terrible bloodline disease and panic as they rushed to seek treatment from a medical shinobi.
Perhaps such cases had truly occurred somewhere throughout the Hyuga Clan's long history.
Some exceptionally gifted clansman might have awakened a trace of ancient Otsutsuki blood.
Their Byakugan may have begun emitting a faint blue glow.
Yet it was mistaken for a disease.
Treated as an illness.
And ultimately lost the opportunity to awaken the Tenseigan forever.
Perhaps the legendary Heavenly Shinobi spoken of within the Hyuga Clan had originated from exactly such a case.
Or perhaps...
Nothing like that had ever happened at all.
After all, among the Otsutsuki who lived upon the moon, only Otsutsuki Toneri had completely reverted to his ancestral bloodline.
As for Kiyohara...
He estimated that over the past year of continuous fusion, the cells throughout his body had gradually undergone subtle transformations.
The powers originating from different bloodlines had merged together inside him.
Eventually, they nurtured the first signs of a qualitative evolution.
"So... it's blue."
Kiyohara murmured inwardly.
The Tenseigan possessed three known colors.
Blue.
Gold.
Purple.
The rhythmic movement deep inside his eyes continued for roughly ten minutes before gradually calming.
The blue radiance faded from the surface of his irises, slowly retreating into the depths of his pupils.
Kiyohara blinked several times.
An aching fatigue spread from deep within his eyes, resembling the exhaustion that came after reading documents continuously for several days and nights.
Yet despite the fatigue, the depth and clarity of his vision had increased by more than an entire level.
So this was the effect of the Tenseigan's fetal movement stage?
It had not even fully awakened.
This was merely the beginning of its gestation.
Yet his vision had already reached such astonishing heights.
If the Tenseigan truly awakened...
What kind of transformation would that bring?
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze before looking back out the window.
"I wonder whether awakening the Rinnegan also requires a similar adaptation period."
He found himself genuinely curious.
After all, Madara had taken decades after transplanting Hashirama's cells before finally awakening the Rinnegan.
Whether those decades had included a gradual adaptation process had never been explained.
As for Sasuke...
His Rinnegan had been directly bestowed upon him by the Sage of Six Paths, skipping every intermediate stage altogether.
Kiyohara's situation resembled neither of them.
"It probably won't be much longer."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
…..
Meanwhile, on the Moon.
Hidden within its interior was an entirely different world from the barren wasteland covering its surface.
Blue skies stretched overhead.
White clouds drifted peacefully through the air.
There was even a sun.
That radiant sun floated directly beneath the enormous dome at the center of the sky, illuminating the entire underground world as brightly as daytime on Earth.
Its light fell upon rolling mountains.
Upon winding rivers.
Upon endless forests.
Casting shadows no different from those found on Earth.
An elderly man hurried out from the moon's interior and arrived upon its desolate surface.
Even on the surface stood several castles protected by powerful barriers.
Beyond those castles floated an enormous island.
Its underside formed an inverted cone of solid rock.
The surface was covered in moss and winding vines, making it resemble an upside-down mountain that someone had ripped from the earth and suspended in midair.
Above it stretched a vast, flat plateau.
At the center of the plateau stood a towering stone mountain.
Carved into its face was the solemn visage of Otsutsuki Hamura.
"Has something changed within Hamura's Shrine?"
The old man hurried toward it.
His eyes remained tightly shut.
His eyelids had sunken deeply inward, clearly revealing that there were no eyeballs remaining within his sockets.
His appearance was unbelievably aged.
His skin was cracked like the dried bed of a long-forgotten river, covered in countless fine wrinkles.
Yet despite his frail appearance, his speed remained astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived inside Hamura's Shrine.
Within the shrine floated an enormous golden sphere.
Its diameter measured roughly twenty meters.
The entire sphere radiated dazzling golden light.
But anyone who approached more closely would discover that inside the golden sphere...
Countless white eyes drifted endlessly through its interior.
This was the greatest masterpiece ever created by the branch family of the Otsutsuki who resided upon the moon.
"Hamura's Tenseigan!"
The descendants of Otsutsuki Hamura had gradually divided into two major factions over the countless years that followed.
The Main Family.
And the Branch Family.
In order to defeat the Main Family, every member of the Branch Family willingly offered up their own Byakugan. All of those eyes were fused together, creating the purple Tenseigan.
During that great battle...
The Branch Family emerged victorious.
Afterward, they gathered every Byakugan belonging to the fallen members of the Main Family.
Every single eye was collected.
Every single eye was fused together once again.
The result was the golden form of the Tenseigan.
The elderly man who had arrived here quietly sensed the presence of the Golden Tenseigan.
He remembered it clearly.
The last time the Golden Tenseigan had shown such an abnormal reaction...
...was the day Toneri had been born.
He slowly raised his head.
With the empty sockets that had long since lost their eyeballs, he "looked" toward the Tenseigan.
"Why... has the Golden Tenseigan reacted?"
No matter how much the old man thought about it, he found it impossible to understand.
There had been no newborn children within the clan.
Then why would something like this happen?
"Could it be... that there is still someone from the Main Family capable of resonating with this eye?"
That was the only explanation he could think of.
The Golden Tenseigan had been created by fusing together every Byakugan belonging to both the Main and Branch Families.
The source of its power was none other than the bloodline of their ancestor, Hamura.
Only someone who likewise possessed Hamura's bloodline could naturally resonate with it.
Toneri was one such person.
And if another person capable of doing the same existed...
No.
Impossible.
The Great Elder slowly shook his head.
His long white hair dragged across the ground as he moved.
The Main Family had already been completely exterminated.
Since no survivors remained...
Then who else could possibly resonate with the Golden Tenseigan?
The Hyuga Clan?
Those descendants who had remained on Earth instead of following Ancestor Hamura to the moon?
The Great Elder frowned even more deeply.
The purity of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan had become far too diluted.
A thousand years of reproduction had continuously thinned Hamura's bloodline within them until it had become so faint that it could almost be ignored.
With bloodline purity at that level...
It should have been absolutely impossible to trigger a resonance with the Golden Tenseigan.
Unless...
Someone within the Hyuga Clan had awakened a power far beyond what their bloodline should have been capable of producing.
But how could that possibly happen?
Just then...
Footsteps echoed from the entrance of the temple.
Several elderly men, all with their eyes tightly shut and equally aged appearances, walked in one after another through the stone corridor.
Their attire resembled that of the Great Elder.
Their eye sockets were likewise deeply sunken, each having long since surrendered their own eyes.
Walking at the front was the Second Elder.
His body was tall and broad-shouldered.
Although old, traces of the powerful physique he had possessed in his youth could still be seen.
His pace was noticeably faster than the others.
Each heavy step struck the stone floor with barely restrained fury.
Behind him came the Third Elder.
Unlike the Second Elder, he was thin and slightly hunched, his frame appearing almost frail.
The remaining elders quietly followed behind them.
"What happened? Why has the Tenseigan become active?"
The Second Elder's booming voice carried obvious impatience.
His sensory abilities were equally extraordinary.
The moment he entered the hall, he immediately detected the unusual fluctuations radiating from the Golden Tenseigan.
Its golden light had already spilled beyond the temple itself.
It seeped through the cracks of the stone doors, painting even the corridors outside with a faint golden glow.
"Could an enemy have infiltrated?"
The Third Elder's voice carried a trace of solemn concern.
The Golden Tenseigan was the Branch Family's final and strongest trump card.
It would never react without reason.
The Great Elder slowly raised one hand, signaling everyone to remain silent.
"No."
"There are no enemies."
His aged voice slowly echoed through the temple.
"This is the eye's own natural response."
With his other hand, he pointed toward the Golden Tenseigan.
Immediately, every elder focused their perception upon it.
Within their sensory awareness, the Golden Tenseigan was releasing a brilliance unlike anything they had ever witnessed.
The light was not merely shining outward.
Instead, it surged upward like blazing flames.
Golden radiance erupted from its summit, staining the skies above the surrounding region with magnificent gold.
Even more astonishing...
Every Byakugan floating within the Tenseigan had simultaneously turned in exactly the same direction.
Toward Earth.
Silence filled the temple.
For a very long time, no one spoke.
The elders' perceptions intertwined as each attempted to read more information from the Tenseigan's abnormal reaction.
Unfortunately...
Its resonance was far too vague.
It was simply responding instinctively to something.
"Damn it."
The Second Elder was the first to shatter the silence.
"It has to be those people from the lower world again."
Many years ago...
Their responsibilities had extended beyond simply guarding the Golden Tenseigan.
They had also guarded the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Yet one day...
Without warning...
The Demonic Statue had disappeared right before their eyes.
They searched every corner of the moon.
They even dispatched clan members to Earth in search of it.
But they never found any trace of the Demonic Statue.
The gigantic statue had vanished as though it had never existed.
It disappeared completely from their perception.
Back then, the Second Elder had advocated launching a massive expedition to Earth and turning the entire world upside down until it was found.
The Great Elder had rejected that proposal.
Following the devastating civil war, too few members of the clan remained alive.
They simply could not afford such a large-scale expedition.
All they could do was strengthen the moon's seals.
Reduce all contact with the lower world.
And silently wait for the Child of Prophecy to appear.
Yet now...
Another abnormal phenomenon connected to the lower world had appeared.
"It is time for us to visit the world below."
The Great Elder let out a weary sigh.
Every elder immediately turned their perception toward him.
The Great Elder slowly withdrew his awareness from the Golden Tenseigan.
"I've heard that the Hyuga Clan's leader in the lower world has recently had children."
"The purity of their Byakugan should be fairly good."
The Third Elder's brows twitched slightly.
He immediately understood the Great Elder's intention.
"It is also time to begin searching for a suitable wife for Toneri."
Toneri...
Was the Child of Prophecy they had chosen.
From birth, that child had inherited an almost complete reversion to Ancestor Hamura's bloodline.
His bloodline purity was extraordinarily high.
Among every member of the Branch Family born over the past several centuries, none had ever come closer to their ancestor.
According to Hamura's final teachings...
The world created by Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, was a failure.
The shinobis living upon Earth were the true culprits responsible for destroying peace.
Only by creating an entirely new world could genuine peace finally be achieved.
As Toneri's future wife...
She likewise needed to possess an exceptionally pure Byakugan.
Only then could Hamura's bloodline continue into that new world.
Unfortunately...
No suitable women remained within the Branch Family.
Most of them had sacrificed their Byakugan during the civil war, permanently losing their sight.
The few women who still retained their eyes possessed bloodlines that were far too impure.
Therefore...
Their only option was to turn their attention toward Earth.
Toward that branch of Hamura's descendants who had remained behind.
The Hyuga Clan.
"That makes sense."
The Second Elder's anger subsided somewhat as he nodded.
Although hot-tempered...
He was not foolish.
Finding Toneri a suitable wife truly was the most urgent matter.
Toneri needed descendants.
Pureblood descendants required a mother with equally pure blood.
"But..."
The Third Elder raised the most critical question.
"What if the Tenseigan continues reacting?"
The Golden Tenseigan would never resonate without reason.
The birth of another Hyuga child was nowhere near enough to provoke such an enormous reaction.
If every Hyuga birth triggered resonance...
Then the Golden Tenseigan would have been reacting nonstop throughout the past several hundred years.
Something else...
Had to be causing this.
The Great Elder remained silent for a while.
His perception once again settled upon the Golden Tenseigan, carefully observing the direction in which every Byakugan pupil was facing.
He observed it for a very long time.
So long that even the other elders gradually began growing impatient.
Only then did he slowly speak.
"If anything else happens..."
"Notify me immediately."
"I will now consult the ancient records."
The Great Elder slowly stood.
Wrapped beneath his robes, his body appeared incredibly thin.
He resembled nothing more than a withered tree branch draped in white cloth.
"Dismissed."
His voice echoed throughout the temple.
Then he turned around and slowly walked toward a passageway hidden deep within the shrine.
That passage led to the ancient archives of the Moon's Branch Family.
There...
Every scroll.
Every stone tablet.
Every historical record preserved since the era of Ancestor Hamura was stored.
Within those archives lay the complete thousand-year history of the lunar Branch Family.
Along with every piece of knowledge they had inherited from their ancestor.
His footsteps gradually faded away...
Until they were swallowed entirely by the darkness of the corridor.
The temple once again fell silent.
Only the elders remained.
Along with the Golden Tenseigan...
Still steadily pulsing.
The Second Elder stared toward the direction in which the Great Elder had disappeared.
His brows remained tightly furrowed.
"Hmph."
"If you ask me..."
"We should simply wipe out the lower world."
The murderous intent within his voice was completely undisguised.
His massive fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"Why go through all this unnecessary trouble waiting for Toneri?"
"We already possess Hamura's Tenseigan."
In his understanding...
The Golden Tenseigan possessed enough power to annihilate the Main Family.
If it could accomplish that...
Destroying the insignificant shinobis of the lower world should be even easier.
The Third Elder slowly turned his head.
His empty eye sockets faced the Second Elder.
He remained silent for several moments before gently shaking his head.
"You don't understand."
His voice carried unmistakable caution.
"The lower world..."
"Hides many secrets."
"How special could it possibly be?"
The Second Elder let out a contemptuous snort.
In his eyes...
The lower world was nothing more than a failed creation.
A failed world built by the Sage of Six Paths.
Its people were ignorant.
Greedy.
Violent.
They would wage wars lasting thousands of years over nothing more than a small patch of land.
Their Byakugan bloodline had become pitifully diluted.
Their strength was insignificant.
Many of them could not even accurately remember their own history.
What was there to fear from such a world?
The Third Elder did not answer immediately.
His perception drifted away from the Second Elder.
"Have you forgotten..."
"...why our ancestor came to the moon in the first place?"
His voice became even quieter.
The Second Elder's body trembled slightly.
Why had their ancestor come to the moon?
It had not been to establish a new world.
Nor to expand territory.
Nor because the moon possessed some extraordinary resource.
It was because...
This was where Otsutsuki Kaguya had been sealed.
However...
A thousand years had passed.
During all that time, Kaguya's seal had never shown even the slightest sign of weakening.
Gradually...
Guarding the seal became nothing more than an empty ritual.
It became merely another passage recorded within ancient texts.
Something that seemed completely unrelated to their daily lives.
Instead...
The elders devoted far more attention to the endless conflict between the Main Family and the Branch Family.
"Do not forget."
"When our ancestor and the Sage of Six Paths were alive..."
"They too received guidance from the lower world."
The Third Elder slowly shook his head.
He knew that the Earth contained the Sacred Lands.
Within those sacred places lived sages who had survived for far longer than even their ancestor.
Compared to them...
The Moon's Branch Family was merely one branch descended from Hamura.
Their roots...
Ultimately...
Still originated from Earth.
"Then..."
"Do the ancient records mention what causes the Tenseigan to resonate on its own?"
The Second Elder changed the subject.
His tone had become noticeably calmer.
The Third Elder slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
"But since the Great Elder has gone to search..."
"He will certainly find the answer."
...
Training Ground Three.
Kiyohara had gathered all of his current disciples for another training session.
Every so often, he personally evaluated their progress to see how much each of them had improved.
"Hokage-sama."
"The final results from this batch of Curse Mark experiments are complete."
The one who spoke was Yakushi Kabuto.
"You've worked hard, Kabuto."
Kiyohara accepted the report and casually flipped through its contents.
He had delegated part of the Curse Mark research to Kabuto and the others.
They had not disappointed him.
Instead...
They had produced meaningful results.
If Kiyohara had attempted to conduct every experiment himself, he simply would not have had enough time.
After all...
His daily life could never consist of conducting experiments twenty-four hours a day, every single day.
Even if he used Shadow Clones, the accumulated mental fatigue would still be transferred back to the original body once the clones were dispelled.
That was why Naruto, despite only being around thirty years old, always looked as though he suffered from chronic exhaustion. Even having a Shadow Clone carry a birthday cake could cause it to burst into smoke from sheer accumulated strain.
"Kabuto-senpai, is this the Curse Mark you were talking about?"
Itachi stepped forward, his dark eyes falling upon the rows of black test tubes.
Kabuto was holding a sterilized tray filled with black glass tubes, each one containing a dark liquid.
"That's right."
Kabuto nodded, adjusting his glasses before patiently explaining.
"This is the weakened version of the Curse Mark that Hokage-sama personally improved. It won't damage the user's foundation. Instead, it compensates for deficiencies in the user's Chakra Nature affinities, increases physical recovery, and expands one's chakra reserves."
"The only drawback is that it cannot enter the Second State, so it cannot provide the overwhelming boost in power that the original version offers."
Kabuto could tell that Uchiha Itachi, much like himself, was an intelligent person.
Completely different from someone like Guren, whom he secretly regarded as a foolish woman.
"A Curse Mark..."
Itachi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Over the past year, quite a few members of the Uchiha Clan had gradually accepted Hashirama Cell transplants.
Most of them were male shinobi willing to sacrifice their appearance in exchange for greater power.
Very few female shinobi were willing to undergo such a procedure.
Now that peace had settled over the shinobi world, the Uchiha's obsession with pursuing strength had naturally diminished.
After all, having the First Hokage's face growing from one's left chest was simply too horrifying.
The Curse Mark, however, was different.
Its markings only appeared while activated.
Normally, there was no visible trace at all.
For female shinobi who cared about their appearance, it was undoubtedly a far better option.
"Sensei!"
A sweet, lively voice suddenly rang out.
Uchiha Izumi skipped happily toward Kiyohara.
Tilting up her pretty face, she smiled so brightly that her peach blossom-shaped eyes curved into crescents. The beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye seemed to sway gently along with her cheerful expression.
Listening to her soft, adorable voice, Kiyohara couldn't help thinking that once Izumi grew up, she would probably captivate countless hearts.
Over the past year, the little girl had matured considerably.
Her already delicate features had become even more beautiful.
Truthfully, every one of Kiyohara's disciples was attractive.
There wasn't a single unattractive child among them.
Yet Izumi stood out the most.
It wasn't that Guren or Shion lacked beauty.
Rather, Izumi possessed a unique combination of aloof elegance and natural charm.
The famed Uchiha genes manifested themselves perfectly in her.
"Sensei! I ranked in the top three of my entire grade in this semester's ninjutsu examination!"
She proudly raised her report card as though presenting a treasured prize, her little face overflowing with excitement.
"Very impressive, Izumi."
Kiyohara smiled and nodded.
"You've improved very quickly. It looks like you haven't neglected your training."
Receiving his praise, Izumi instantly beamed.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
Quietly, she edged a little closer to him before secretly grabbing the corner of his clothes with one small hand.
"Hmph! Hokage-sama, I got first place in taijutsu and fourth place in ninjutsu!"
Seeing Izumi receiving so much attention, Guren was immediately unwilling to lose.
She folded her arms across her chest as she stood nearby.
At the Shinobi Academy, Guren's domineering personality had even earned her the nickname "Queen Guren."
The one thing she hated most was anyone appearing more important than herself in Kiyohara's eyes.
"Well, some people only know how to play around with Crystal Release."
Kabuto casually pushed up his glasses before delivering another merciless remark.
"After all, someone keeps ranking dead last in every theory class. How could they possibly compare to an elite Uchiha student?"
"What did you say?!"
Guren exploded instantly.
Her beautiful face flushed bright red as she clenched her fists, looking ready to charge over and argue with Kabuto.
"Believe it or not, I'll crystallize your glasses!"
"That's enough, Guren."
A gentle voice interrupted.
Kurama Yakumo softly reached out and held Guren's arm.
Thanks to Kiyohara's treatment, her once frail body had long since recovered enough to participate in basic shinobi training.
Her personality was gentle and calm.
She always managed to soothe Guren's explosive temper with surprising ease.
As a result, the two girls had become especially close friends.
"I know, Yakumo."
Guren snorted before glaring fiercely at Kabuto.
Nevertheless, she obediently lowered her fists.
When she looked toward Kiyohara again, however, her eyes still carried an unmistakable trace of grievance.
Watching the children bicker with one another, Kiyohara raised a hand.
"That's enough."
"Stop arguing."
The group immediately quieted down.
"I gathered everyone here today mainly to test your compatibility with the Curse Mark."
As he spoke, he gestured toward the black test tubes resting on Kabuto's tray.
This was precisely the weakened Yang Release Curse Mark that he had personally improved.
"This Curse Mark is called the Yang Release Curse Mark."
"Once activated, it will compensate for deficiencies in your Yang chakra, improve your talent for medical ninjutsu, and significantly increase your body's recovery ability."
"Within one week, it will fully synchronize with your body."
"It won't leave behind any side effects."
Kiyohara explained calmly.
Its only flaw was that it lacked the Second State.
As a result, the increase in combat power was relatively limited.
"Of course..."
"Whether or not you choose to accept it is entirely your own decision."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Kurama Yakumo stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama..."
"I am willing."
Her body had always been weak.
What she lacked most was the vitality provided by Yang chakra.
For her, this Curse Mark was undoubtedly the greatest gift imaginable.
"Very well."
Kiyohara nodded.
Kabuto immediately stepped forward, respectfully presenting a sterile tray before handing Yakumo one of the test tubes.
Yakumo accepted it without the slightest hesitation.
Tilting her head back, she drank every drop of the dark liquid.
Only moments later, a healthy blush appeared upon her cheeks.
Her formerly pale complexion became noticeably rosier.
"How does it feel?"
Kiyohara asked.
"It's warm."
"It feels like my body is filled with endless strength."
Yakumo quietly experienced the changes occurring within her body.
Next came Izumi.
Picking up one of the tubes, she blinked playfully at Kiyohara.
"Sensei, if I drink this..."
"Will I become as powerful as you?"
Kiyohara smiled and shook his head.
"Whether you'll become as strong as I am depends on your own efforts."
"But at the very least..."
"When you get injured during training in the future, you'll recover much faster."
Izumi nodded.
Without another word, she drank the entire contents of the tube.
Unlike Yakumo, who quietly felt the changes, Izumi immediately waved her fists excitedly as soon as the Curse Mark entered her body.
She could clearly feel chakra surging inside her.
"My chakra increased too!"
Soon afterward, Itachi and Guren each accepted a Curse Mark as well.
Neither hesitated before drinking it.
Only Shion remained quietly standing in the corner.
Her long hair rested gently upon her shoulders.
She was originally a priestess of the Land of Demons, possessing the mysterious power to foresee the future.
Later, Kiyohara had brought her back to Konoha and accepted her as one of his disciples.
Under his guidance, she had also mastered many sealing techniques.
"Shion."
"Aren't you going to try it?"
Kiyohara looked toward her.
"I'll wait until everyone else finishes first."
Shion never liked crowded situations.
She preferred going last.
"Very well."
Kiyohara nodded.
He also had high hopes for her.
The power of a priestess greatly enhanced fuinjutsu techniques.
And fuinjutsu had always been among the strongest abilities available.
Only after everyone else had finished did Shion slowly walk forward.
She picked up a test tube and quietly drank its contents.
Watching every child successfully accept the Curse Mark, Kiyohara nodded in satisfaction.
The reason he had chosen oral administration instead of injecting it through bite marks was because he worried the original method was simply too intense.
Now that everyone had consumed it without experiencing any immediate problems, he finally felt somewhat relieved.
He then reminded them,
"It will take one full week before the Curse Mark completely synchronizes with your bodies."
"During that time, don't forcefully activate it."
"And don't participate in overly intense training."
"I'll come back next week to examine your progress."
"Yes, sensei!"
The children answered together.
After giving them a few additional reminders regarding their training, Kiyohara left the training ground alongside Kabuto.
"Hokage-sama."
Kabuto respectfully asked,
"Do you have any further instructions?"
"The Land of Rice Fields."
"I need you to make a trip there."
Kiyohara spoke slowly.
"Orochimaru is most likely hiding there."
Kabuto's body stiffened slightly.
Almost immediately, he understood what Kiyohara seemed to be implying.
Adjusting his glasses, he lowered his voice.
"Hokage-sama..."
"Do you wish for me to infiltrate Orochimaru's side as a spy?"
"No."
Kiyohara shook his head.
"Orochimaru is far too meticulous."
"He would see through your disguise immediately."
"I'm not sending you there to deal with him."
"I want you to remain in the Land of Rice Fields and quietly search for gifted children."
"Bring them back."
"Raise them as shinobi of Konoha."
Once Orochimaru established Otogakure, he would inevitably gather orphaned children possessing Bloodline Limits from every nation.
Most of those children lived tragic lives.
Yet they possessed extraordinary talent.
Rather than allowing them to follow Orochimaru down a dark path...
It would be far better to bring them into Konoha ahead of time and turn them into the village's own strength.
Kabuto immediately understood Kiyohara's intentions.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"I understand."
"I'll make certain this task is completed successfully."
"Good."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Be careful during your journey."
"If anything happens, contact me immediately."
As he spoke, he handed Kabuto a Flying Thunder God kunai engraved with his teleportation formula.
Kabuto accepted it respectfully with both hands before carefully storing it inside his clothing.
Then he turned around and swiftly departed.
Afterward, Kiyohara returned home.
The moment he pushed open the entrance door, he caught the faint fragrance of sake lingering in the air.
Inside the living room, Tsunade was reclining lazily across the sofa.
Her long golden hair cascaded gracefully over her shoulders.
Now that summer had arrived, she was dressed quite lightly.
She wore a white sleeveless fitted top along with black athletic shorts, revealing her long, fair legs.
Her legs were elegantly crossed.
Her bare feet, painted with bright red nail polish, swayed gently as she relaxed.
Hearing the door open, Tsunade immediately sat upright.
Barefoot, she crossed the cool wooden floor in just a few steps.
Before Kiyohara even had a chance to sit down, she pushed him backward and settled herself comfortably onto his lap.
Her arms naturally wrapped around his neck.
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow before instinctively supporting her slender waist.
Normally, no matter how intimate they became, Tsunade always remained mindful of Shizune's presence.
She would never take the initiative so openly in broad daylight.
"What brought on all this enthusiasm today?"
Kiyohara asked with a smile.
Excitement was written all over Tsunade's face.
Leaning close to his ear, her warm breath brushed against him as she whispered with barely restrained delight.
"Kiyohara..."
"I think..."
"I've finally started showing signs of awakening Wood Release too!"
Looking at her flushed face, Kiyohara wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Even Obito had awakened Wood Release.
Given the influence his own cells had exerted upon Tsunade, how could she possibly fail to awaken it?
Awakening Wood Release itself wasn't particularly difficult.
Even Yamato could perform it. (Kiyohara finally assigned him this name.)
The truly difficult part was reaching the overwhelming level of Hashirama.
Otherwise...
Every one of the hundred thousand White Zetsu could use Wood Release as well.
If that alone were enough, Obito could have conquered the shinobi world during the Fourth Great Shinobi War without any effort.
"So..."
"Sensei is finally about to awaken the First Hokage's Wood Release?"
"What do you mean, 'finally'?"
Tsunade pinched his ear in dissatisfaction, though she clearly wasn't using any strength.
"I'm the First Hokage's own granddaughter."
"In the entire shinobi world, no one possesses purer Senju blood than I do."
"Isn't it perfectly natural that I'd awaken Wood Release?"
She proudly lifted her chin.
During the past year, she had spent nearly every day together with Kiyohara.
His cells had continuously nourished her body and chakra pathways.
The dormant Senju bloodline within her had finally been fully awakened.
With her vitality restored and her chakra reserves greatly increased, learning Wood Release had become a perfectly natural outcome.
Besides...
If someone truly desired it, even transplanting Hashirama Cells alone could potentially grant Wood Release.
Obito himself was living proof.
The influence Kiyohara exerted upon Tsunade was simply much more gradual and subtle.
"Yes, yes."
"My teacher is the most amazing."
Kiyohara smiled in agreement.
His hands naturally slid down along her waist as he supported her more comfortably.
"What about Sage Mode?"
"How's your training progressing?"
At the mention of Sage Mode, Tsunade looked even more pleased.
She lowered her head and gently kissed his lips.
Her soft lips carried the faint sweetness of sake.
Looking into his eyes, she smiled happily.
"Even Lady Katsuyu said it was unbelievable."
"She said I'm the first member of the Senju Clan since Grandpa to successfully master the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest."
"That's excellent."
Kiyohara nodded.
Truthfully, he himself had become somewhat interested in learning the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest.
He had planned to visit someday.
Unfortunately...
His attention had been focused entirely on preparing for his journey to the moon.
"Hehe."
Tsunade giggled happily.
Watching her joyful expression, Kiyohara suddenly felt his heart grow warm.
Unable to resist any longer, he turned the situation around in one smooth motion.
Pressing her gently onto the sofa, he leaned down and kissed her lips.
Tsunade let out a soft muffled sound.
Almost instinctively, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
(End of Chapter)