"Hmph, Asuma, I told you—Kiyohara would win."
Kurenai turned her head and spoke to Sarutobi Asuma behind her.
Asuma's face clearly couldn't hold it anymore.
Those Uchiha had talked themselves up like they were invincible—
And they still lost to Kiyohara?
Losing was one thing.
But losing and making him look stupid in front of the girl he liked?
He felt like he was about to spiral.
"Bloodline limits really are something," Genma muttered. For once, he wasn't even chewing senbon—he'd given his mouth a rare day off.
"But Kiyohara was already strong before he showed a bloodline," Kurenai said.
Genma choked on the point.
Thinking about it, he honestly couldn't refute it.
Kiyohara had always been excellent—Magnet Release just made him even nastier.
While they talked, Shizune stood a bit farther back, Tonton in her arms. Her eyes couldn't hide her astonishment.
Fast, sharp battlefield awareness, strong adaptability… no wonder Tsunade-sama has taken interest in him, she thought, raising her evaluation of Kiyohara again.
With the spar over, Shizune quietly turned and slipped into the night, carrying Tonton back toward Tsunade's tent.
The moment she entered, a heavy scent of alcohol hit her.
Tsunade sat casually by a low table, cheeks flushed, eyes slightly unfocused—she'd clearly been drinking.
Empty bottles were scattered nearby, and she still held a cup of strong liquor.
"Oh, Shizune. You're back?" Tsunade lazily lifted her eyelids.
"Well? That brat didn't get beaten too badly, did he? The Uchiha's Sharingan isn't easy to deal with."
Truthfully, Tsunade hadn't thought Kiyohara's odds were that high.
Shizune walked over and gently set Tonton down.
"Tsunade-sama, you were right. Kiyohara… won."
"He won?" Tsunade's hand paused midair with the cup.
"You mean he beat Uchiha Shisui?"
Tsunade was confused.
She'd deliberately "guessed backwards" and picked Kiyohara—yet he still won?
"Yes," Shizune nodded firmly, then summarized the fight and the result: Shisui himself had admitted he was slightly behind.
Tsunade stared for a beat, then tipped her head back and drained the rest of the liquor in one go, exhaling a hot, boozy breath.
"Tch. Didn't expect that brat to actually have the skill… I said it offhand and he really won?"
She smacked her lips, looking like she didn't know what to do with herself.
"If only I could transfer half that luck to the gambling table…"
"…" Shizune didn't even know how to respond.
Tsunade's debts were already monstrous. Shizune couldn't understand why Tsunade still wanted to gamble.
Or why she believed she could gamble her way out of debt—and then quit forever.
"Tsunade-sama… please gamble less," Shizune pleaded again.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Tsunade waved her off.
Then she rubbed her still-throbbing forehead, irritation creeping into her voice.
"Suna's been pushing harder lately. Their poison is a pain—lots of shinobi are getting hit.
To analyze and improve the antidote further, we need more precise equipment. That can only be done back in the village… or at a deeper rear-line laboratory."
She fell into thought, tapping the table with her finger.
Getting to the lab would require an escort.
Given her current state and status, moving alone risked stumbling into enemies.
The odds were low—Land of Fire's interior was relatively safer—but "low odds" wasn't "zero." This was insurance.
And the escort should be small—one or two people. Too many would draw attention.
Watching Tsunade think, Shizune offered a suggestion at the right moment:
"If you need guards, Tsunade-sama, Kakashi and Kiyohara might be good choices. Kakashi is the White Fang's son, and Kiyohara's Body Flicker is fast—his reactions are very sharp. He performed extremely well tonight."
"Kiyohara? That kid?" Tsunade almost snapped back automatically.
A mere chūnin—what use would he be?
But the words caught in her throat.
Chūnin was only a title.
Someone who could fight Uchiha talent to a standstill, force Sharingan activation, and still have the opponent concede "slightly behind" wasn't a "normal chūnin."
That was at least jōnin-level ability.
She leaned back, her full chest rising and falling with her breathing, scanning through available personnel in her head.
Defense specialists?
Trackers?
But in pure speed and on-the-spot adaptation… she really couldn't think of many better than Kiyohara in this camp.
That kid's growth rate was genuinely shocking.
Tsunade had to admit it.
Maybe bringing him would save a lot of trouble.
Bring two more shinobi on top, and it would be even safer.
"…Alright. I'll think about it," Tsunade said at last, not committing yet.
"Go rest."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Shizune replied and left the tent.
...
At the same time, elsewhere in camp—
In a brightly lit tent, Uchiha Yakumi sat writing with his sharp eyes fixed on the page.
He was a Uchiha veteran and one of Fugaku's trusted hands, responsible for external matters and intelligence collation.
The tent flap lifted.
Tekka stepped in, visibly uneasy.
He'd only just returned with Shisui when a clansman told him Yakumi wanted him.
He couldn't help feeling nervous.
After all, they had "lost" the spar with Kiyohara.
"Yakumi-sama… you called for me?" Tekka asked respectfully.
Yakumi didn't look up. His pen kept scratching across the paper.
"I heard you and Shisui went to spar that shinobi named Kiyohara?"
"Yes," Tekka's heart tightened.
He honestly reported everything: Shisui's admission, Tekka handing over the custom shuriken, and what Kiyohara said afterward.
After listening, Yakumi finally stopped writing and looked up.
"You upheld Uchiha honor and kept your word. Good."
He praised him first—then his tone turned sharp, oppressive.
"But you lost. Doesn't that still damage the Uchiha name?"
Tekka felt a weight press down on him. Sweat appeared on his forehead.
He opened his mouth, wanting to argue that Shisui hadn't fought fully—
But in the end he lowered his head.
"Yes… I failed to consider that."
Yakumi's stern expression softened slightly.
Then he spoke with meaning.
"Still, this Kiyohara… for a non-Uchiha to have that kind of strength at his age, he's a rare talent worth befriending."
He lifted the finished letter and blew gently on the wet ink.
"From now on, interact with him more. Spar, exchange techniques, improve together. Don't be stingy with money or tools—maintain a good relationship. It benefits the clan, and it benefits you."
"Yes, Yakumi-sama," Tekka said quickly.
Inside, he was screaming:
"Don't be stingy? Easy for you to say—it's my money!"
But he didn't dare show it.
Yakumi waved him out.
After Tekka left, the tent returned to silence.
Yakumi sealed the letter carefully, gaze slipping through the tent seam into the deep night outside.
"Third Hokage… is old now. After this war ends, Konoha's leadership will be reshuffled. The Hokage seat… may not be out of reach."
His eyes carried the Uchiha's pride and ambition.
"For Captain Fugaku to take the next step, Uchiha strength alone won't be enough. We need more supporters inside the village—people with potential and influence.
That Magnet Release prodigy is a worthy investment. He may be insignificant now… but who can say what he'll become?"
...
The next morning, the thin fog hadn't fully lifted.
At a quiet clearing near the edge of camp, Kiyohara was already doing his morning training.
Four days remained until the next Willbook.
He wasn't doing high-intensity taijutsu or ninjutsu sparring.
Instead, he sat cross-legged on a flat rock, holding an old scroll.
Unrolled on his lap were detailed notes on fine chakra control and a C-rank medical ninjutsu: Regeneration Technique.
Then he heard soft footsteps approaching.
"Kiyohara?"
A gentle female voice.
He looked up and saw Shizune standing nearby, wearing a polite smile.
"Shizune. Morning," Kiyohara said, putting the scroll away and standing.
He could tell she hadn't come just to chat.
"Morning, Kiyohara," Shizune said, stepping closer.
Her eyes flicked to the medical scroll he'd been reading.
So early, and he was already studying?
Talented and hardworking…?
She quickly explained why she was here.
"Tsunade-sama needs to go to a rear-line laboratory to work on research related to Suna's poison. She needs three escorts on the road. She thinks your speed and adaptability are good, so she wants to ask if you'd take the assignment."
Kiyohara considered for a moment, then nodded.
"No problem. It would be an honor to assist Tsunade-sama."
He also wanted this chance—if he could grow closer to Tsunade, even a few insights about medical ninjutsu from her would be worth it.
Seeing him agree so readily, Shizune's gaze drifted back to the medical scroll and she couldn't help asking:
"How's your study going? That material demands very fine chakra control. A lot of combat-focused shinobi struggle to even get started."