The Little Time Remaining

Seeing this, Obito hurriedly took off his track jacket and jumped into the water with a splash.

"Idiot, I told you to stand on the water, not dive into it."

Kakashi's words were as sharp as ever.

"Hey, you're the idiot, Kakashi! It's too hot. Can't I cool off first?"

Obito poked his head out of the water, his orange goggles covered in droplets.

"Is that so?"

Kakashi's tone remained unchanged.

"Don't underestimate me."

Watching Kakashi and Obito bicker, Rin Nohara let out a giggle.

"All right, all right. Stop arguing, everyone."

Whenever this happened, Rin Nohara would step in to smooth things over.

Kiyoshi had no interest in joining their horseplay and focused on his training.

As he had said before, the only people who could ever truly enter Obito's heart were Kakashi and Rin Nohara.

Witnessing the girl he secretly loved being killed by his friend, Obito had, in that instant, come to hate everyone with the utmost intensity. He hated Minato Namikaze for being the fastest in the Shinobi World yet not being there. He hated Kakashi, that genius, for failing to protect Rin. He hated the Hidden Mist for abducting her.

That was the fundamental reason Obito resolved to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan and bring an end to the shinobi system. It was the extreme manifestation of his hatred.

Even Minato and Kushina, who had treated him so well, were people he could kill without hesitation.

"Rin Nohara might be worth getting closer to."

Kiyoshi considered it.

Rin Nohara's talent was quite good.

Given enough time, she might even become a trump card Kiyoshi could use to restrain Obito.

After all, Kamui had the best record among Mangekyo Dojutsu.

Its performance was far superior to Amaterasu, which could not kill anyone.

Approaching Obito was even riskier than approaching Kumogakure.

Kumogakure at least had a history of infiltration. For example, Kushina had been abducted all the way to the national border before anyone discovered it.

That was one of the factors Kiyoshi had considered when making contact.

As for Obito, who knew whether Madara had sent White Zetsu with fully developed infiltration abilities into Konoha to monitor him?

There was a very high chance that Obito would fall into darkness.

Any extra measure of security was always a good thing.

Gradually, the golden gauze of daylight fell away, replaced by a night sky strewn with stars.

Night had arrived.

The glow of distant streetlamps shone over the water, making its surface shimmer.

Training Ground Three was also near the center of the village, so it was not far away.

Obito's grandmother came to take him home, while Rin Nohara had her own parents pick her up.

They had both informed their families of their whereabouts beforehand.

A man wearing a green shinobi flak jacket and sporting the same white hair as Kakashi walked over.

"Kakashi, it's time to go home."

"Yes, Father."

Kakashi nodded and followed the man.

At this point, Kiyoshi was the only one left, still training by the river.

Hatake Sakumo rubbed Kakashi's head and led him home. After walking for a while, he turned back toward Kiyoshi and asked,

"Is that Kiyoshi Uchiha, the one who came from the Land of Lightning?"

Hatake Sakumo said.

The Uchiha Clan's recent recovery of a new clansman from outside had caused quite a stir.

There was no other reason for it. This was the first known case of Konoha shinobi clan bloodlines leaking outside the village!

The Hyuga Clan, another clan renowned for its Dojutsu just like the Uchiha Clan, had never had a single Byakugan leak out.

Nor had weaker clans such as the Yamanaka Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Akimichi Clan, and Nara Clan experienced anything like it.

This had drawn a great deal of attention to Kiyoshi Uchiha.

Most people wondered whether someone from the Land of Lightning, who had not received a Konoha education as a child, could successfully inherit the Will of Fire.

"That's Kiyoshi Uchiha."

Kakashi answered, turning back as well. Kiyoshi was already far away now, and all he could see was a silhouette training there.

"He looks like a resolute child."

Hatake Sakumo's keen insight saw more than that.

Kiyoshi could now barely keep his feet on the water's surface, though they still sank halfway down, with the current covering the tops of his feet.

How long had it even been since Kiyoshi enrolled?

"It seems Kiyoshi Uchiha will become a worthy opponent for you in the future. He may even become stronger than Might Duy's son."

Hatake Sakumo spoke seriously.

Aside from the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, Kiyoshi was said to possess the Yagura Clan's talents as well.

There were only two possible outcomes when shinobi clans intermarried.

First, the child could become stronger than an ordinary pureblood, inheriting the talents of both bloodlines.

Second, the bloodlines could interfere with one another, leaving the child unable to inherit either and becoming an ordinary person.

Of the two, the second outcome was especially likely.

That was why shinobi clans of different surnames rarely intermarried.

Kiyoshi Uchiha was probably... the former.

Such rapid learning and physical endurance were not something the Uchiha Clan could achieve.

Hatake Sakumo glanced at Kakashi's forehead, which was covered in sweat.

Clearly, even his son, praised as a genius, could not endure such prolonged training.

"Father is right."

Kakashi agreed.

When his father had said that Might Guy would become a worthy opponent, Kakashi had felt nothing in particular.

But seeing Kiyoshi's steady footing and rapid progress, he found himself somewhat in agreement.

If Kiyoshi had not been a transfer student and had advanced at the same pace as the rest of them, how strong would he be?

Kakashi did not know the answer.

But he thought that Kiyoshi Uchiha might one day be celebrated as a genius too.

Father and son walked farther and farther away.

Only after they had completely left did Kiyoshi look in the direction they had gone.

"Konoha White Fang, Hatake Sakumo..."

Before long, he would fail a mission, succumb to the constant condemnation of the villagers, and commit suicide at home.

"Time is running out."

Kiyoshi thought to himself.

Hatake Sakumo's mission count during his lifetime had been recorded in the databook.

He had completed a terrifying twenty-seven S-rank missions and one hundred twenty-three A-rank missions alone.

That meant Hatake Sakumo was already a seasoned shinobi who had witnessed countless partings in life and death.

And shinobi naturally could not avoid the darkness of espionage and assassination.

His hands were surely stained with blood.

Yet he had died by suicide.

Kakashi had been the first to discover his body after his death. The father he admired most had killed himself like a coward, leaving him with an indelible psychological scar.

Perhaps only Konoha White Fang himself knew why he had taken his own life.

But it was very likely inseparable from politics.

When Minato Namikaze introduced Kakashi's father to Obito, he had said, "I heard even the legendary Sannin feared him."

As for the specific circumstances, different people would see them differently.

All Kiyoshi could do was become stronger as quickly as possible.

Even someone like Hatake Sakumo had met such an end.

Let alone him, a "person from the Land of Lightning," a "member of the Yagura Clan," an "Uchiha."

That string of labels had long since made his position increasingly delicate.

Shimura Danzō or others had most likely set their sights on him long ago.

The only solution was to strengthen himself quickly.

Turning back, Kiyoshi continued his training.

It was still early. Nightlife on Konoha's bustling streets had only just begun.

He still had time to train.

Trait: Water Walker (White).

Requirement: Walk across the water with both feet as if on solid ground.

Progress: 25%.

Effect: In special terrain, your Chakra control becomes more proficient. Your Chakra "endurance" is 5% greater than normal on top of its original foundation.

Note: Can be advanced later.