Power of the Nine Dragons, Ascending to the Steroid Planet

After rummaging for a while, Kiyohara scavenged five shuriken, two kunai, and a map along with a compass.

"This has been encrypted."

Kiyohara stared at the various symbols and markings on the map.

This was also one of the essential skills a ninja had to learn.

If information were simply written plainly on a map, it would be far too easy for enemies to capture it and use it to target them.

"Encrypted, you say?"

Namikaze Minato rubbed his chin.

"Kurenai, you specialize in genjutsu. Why don't you try to interrogate him?"

Namikaze Minato suggested.

It was a pity there were no ninjas from the Yamanaka Clan present.

The secret techniques of the Yamanaka Clan were the most suitable for extracting intelligence, but genjutsu would suffice.

Among those present, only Kurenai Yuhi was a ninja who specialized in genjutsu.

A genjutsu specialist was well-suited for the task of interrogation.

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded.

She formed hand seals and began to cast a genjutsu on the Iwagakure ninja captured by Kakashi.

As the genjutsu took hold, the Iwagakure ninja began to spill some information.

They were merely one small squad among many.

To protect the vital node of Kannabi Bridge, Iwagakure had set up numerous hidden outposts.

Each outpost could keep watch for the others, effectively expanding their range of surveillance.

Once Kannabi Bridge was in danger, the others would immediately rush to provide reinforcements.

No wonder the Iwagakure reinforcements swarmed in right after Kakashi had just finished transplanting the Sharingan and dealing with the first wave of enemies, Kiyohara thought to himself.

In the end, Kakashi had fainted from chakra exhaustion, and it was only because Namikaze Minato arrived to save the day that Kakashi and Nohara Rin managed to survive.

As for why Namikaze Minato was able to arrive just in time to save Kakashi, the reason was simple: Namikaze Minato had given Kakashi a specially crafted kunai.

Using the Flying Thunder God mark on it, Namikaze Minato had been able to rush over.

This actually proved that... Namikaze Minato had known Kakashi and his team's whereabouts from the very beginning.

"By the way, today is your first mission since officially becoming a jonin, Kakashi. This is my gift to you."

Namikaze Minato took off the pack on his back and pulled out a special kunai engraved with the words "Sword of Shinobi Love," which featured a three-pronged design.

"It might be a bit heavy and slightly off-balance, but once you get used to it, you'll find it surprisingly handy. You can take this with you on this mission."

Namikaze Minato placed his index finger on the ring at the base of the handle, demonstrating the special kunai to Kakashi.

He then handed the special kunai to Kakashi.

It's happening, Kiyohara thought.

He had just been thinking about this, and now the scene from the original story was unfolding right before his eyes.

"I have a gift for you too, Kakashi."

Nohara Rin smiled as she took out a specialized medical kit, holding it out to Kakashi with both hands.

This was a medical kit personally prepared by Nohara Rin, with every item improved for ease of use.

"Thank you."

Kakashi then looked at Obito and held out his hand.

The meaning was self-evident; he was clearly asking for Obito's gift.

"Wha... what is that supposed to mean? That hand of yours—I don't have anything I want to give you!"

Obito grumbled noisily.

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively and said:

"Forget it. It probably wouldn't be anything worthwhile anyway; useless things are just a burden."

Upon hearing this, Obito immediately became indignant, boasting that he was an Uchiha and that he would definitely surpass Kakashi in the future.

Kiyohara, meanwhile, rubbed his chin.

It was a pity that Kakashi would never have the chance to return the favor; Obito and Nohara Rin would remain at the level of chunin forever.

Come to think of it, once he returned, he should be promoted to chunin as well.

Should I accept some gifts as well?

Kiyohara pondered this point.

"By the way, when you were promoted to Chunin, did anyone give you gifts?"

Kiyohara asked Renegade Kiyohara.

"I didn't have the leisure time you do; improving my own strength was the only serious business."

Renegade Kiyohara shook his head.

He pursued power above all else, which was why he had defected alongside Orochimaru.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. We are about to enter the territory of the Land of Grass."

Namikaze Minato said.

At the edge of this grassland lay the Mushroom Forest, where ancient trees towered into the sky.

The mushrooms there grew directly on the trees, each one larger than a house.

"We will rest here for a while. I will accompany you today, but I must leave tomorrow."

Namikaze Minato said.

The situation on the front lines was not optimistic, and he had to provide support as soon as possible.

"Yes."

Everyone responded in unison.

After finding a new, concealed spot to rest, Kiyohara began practicing the Detoxification Jutsu and the Hemostasis Jutsu.

The Hemostasis Jutsu was simple; it was essentially just suturing.

First, one used surgical thread to stitch the skin wound, then channeled chakra into the wound during combat to prevent it from tearing open due to strenuous movement.

The other, Detoxification Jutsu, was slightly more difficult, requiring the use of chakra to isolate toxins from the blood.

Generally, one would use two liquids of different densities poured into a cup for this training.

Kiyohara used coffee and milk.

To facilitate the march, the amount Kiyohara carried was very small.

After mixing the coffee and milk in the cup, Kiyohara began to control the liquid inside with his chakra.

Hoo...

The liquid swirled continuously, giving an inexplicable sense of plasmolysis.

Renegade Kiyohara stood behind him, watching his practice.

Kiyohara had obtained both of these jutsus from Tsunade, which was quite a bargain.

"Eh, Kiyohara, you know medical ninjutsu too?"

Nohara Rin, who was resting, turned her head and saw Kiyohara's movements.

"Yeah, I just started learning."

Kiyohara nodded.

Nohara Rin was a medical ninja, which meant she had already mastered these techniques long ago.

"Kiyohara-kun, if you do it this way, you should be able to do it faster..."

Seeing this, Nohara Rin walked over to Kiyohara and shared the tricks of the trade with him.

Kiyohara listened intently, making adjustments from time to time according to her advice.

After taking the forbidden drug, his chakra reserves had doubled from their original baseline.

Therefore, his chakra situation had eased somewhat, so using a portion for training was of no consequence.

If only I could get my hands on a few more types of forbidden drugs.

Kiyohara thought to himself.

Infinite stacking of forbidden drugs was obviously impossible, but by taking a variety of them, reaching a level of chakra comparable to a Kage or an elite Jonin was likely achievable.

According to Renegade Kiyohara, there were several other types of these forbidden drugs that could fully unleash the body's potential while having minimal side effects.

Sasuke was likely using that very same regimen.

The only pity was that Renegade Kiyohara didn't know the formulas; he hadn't been high-ranking enough in the organization.

This reminded Kiyohara of the fitness world from his past life, where bad news would circulate from time to time.

Going straight for the "Nine Dragons Body Refining," ascending to the steroid planet.

If you wanted to build a muscular physique, you had to take drugs.

Coming to the ninja world, the logic was actually the same.

The most legendary "drug-taker" in the ninja world was Yakushi Kabuto, who chugged bags upon bags of various forbidden drugs and even injected Orochimaru's cells into himself, mastering Orochimaru's power.