Kumogakure's Recruitment

Later, they came to agree with First Raikage A's idea and ceded the land of Cloud-Lightning Gorge to him. Kumogakure was thus established.

To have adapted to such a harsh environment, lived there for generations, and passed down their surname, they must possess a unique physical gift.

And the physical body was one outward manifestation of Yang Release.

Kiyoshi inferred that his "Yang attribute" might have come from the Yagura Clan.

The stronger one's physical gifts, the more life force one possessed, and naturally, the greater one's regenerative ability would be.

It was simply likely inferior to the abundant vitality of the Senju and Uzumaki Clans.

Once enough time had passed and he had confirmed that no one was watching, Kiyoshi stretched and pretended to be heading to the bathroom.

After closing the door, Kiyoshi took out the note.

It was an ordinary little slip of paper, roughly the size of two fingernails.

On the front, a line of tiny black writing read: "Yotsuki Kiyoshi, no matter what, you are one of us in Kumogakure. Kumogakure's doors will always be open to you."

Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow.

The words on this note were written in ordinary script rather than the encrypted code typically used by shinobi.

He could not understand complicated code anyway. He had not even finished Ninja Academy yet.

Kumogakure had probably taken that into account and done this deliberately.

He turned the note over.

There was an address—a common shop.

"Kumogakure's spy location..."

Kiyoshi tore the note to shreds and scattered it into the toilet.

The instant the paper touched water, the writing gradually faded until it disappeared completely.

Expressionless, Kiyoshi pressed the flush button. Amid the churning water, the scraps were swept into the pipes beneath the toilet.

Kumogakure probably regretted missing out on an Uchiha like him.

But he was already here in Konoha, so Kumogakure could only resort to such covert methods.

The current Konoha was not the future Konoha where Kumogakure would dare to directly abduct the Hyuga Princess. That had been Konoha during its weakened period.

By then, Konoha White Fang had been dead by suicide for years, the Fourth Hokage had died, the Three Sannin had left, and Konoha, having only ended the Nine-Tailed Fox Rampage a few years earlier, had yet to recover its strength.

In comparison, Kumogakure had been flourishing, so it naturally dared to employ forceful methods.

They forced Konoha into handing over the head of the Hyuga Clan.

Had Hizashi not had a twin brother, Hiashi would have been the one to die.

The address on the back of the note was, in fact, Kumogakure's show of sincerity.

Kiyoshi could report this spy location to Konoha at any time and receive a reward.

Or he could do the opposite, using this route to demand benefits from Kumogakure—or even return to Kumogakure.

However, returning to Kumogakure was his last option. Unless he had no other choice, Kiyoshi would not choose it.

If he went to Kumogakure, he would be the sole surviving seedling, which also meant losing his "freedom" and being constantly monitored and controlled.

Kiyoshi did not believe they would refrain from studying him.

Studying him did not necessarily mean dissecting him. They would probably draw a safe amount of his blood and cells, then draw more once he had recovered, repeating the cycle.

And they would very likely treat him as a stud, making him breed endlessly.

If that happened, Kiyoshi's body would be completely drained within a few years.

Kiyoshi was interested in women.

But he did not like such a forceful attitude, being treated like livestock.

Moreover, Kumogakure would never give him the chance to grow stronger and risk escaping its control. They would only use him as a breeding machine.

Then they would focus on raising Kiyoshi's descendants, brainwashing them to devote themselves to Kumogakure.

In Konoha, although there was the danger of the Night of the Massacre, Kiyoshi still had the chance to learn ninjutsu and continue growing stronger.

Everything in this world had long since been assigned a price in the shadows.

To gain something, one had to bear the corresponding cost.

Life was a process of constant choices.

Remaining in either Konoha or Kumogakure had its own advantages and disadvantages. At least at this stage, Konoha was safer and gave him more time to grow stronger.

"Kiyoshi, are you home?"

Just as Kiyoshi was considering how to get some benefits from Kumogakure, a familiar voice came from outside.

It was Mikoto.

Kiyoshi knew this was Root's investigation.

He put down the character book he had been memorizing, went to the kitchen to wash his face, and tried to make himself look clean and tidy.

He breathed toward the mirror and, after confirming there was no odor, put on his wooden clogs and went to open the door.

The Uchiha Compound occupied an independent area within Konoha Village, inhabited only by members of the Uchiha Clan.

Kiyoshi had also been assigned a somewhat dilapidated residence. Its only advantage was that it was spacious.

"Lady Mikoto."

Kiyoshi spoke respectfully, as though he were somewhat afraid of Mikoto.

Mikoto was a jonin, while he was merely a Ninja Academy student.

Even though Kiyoshi had lived two lives already, he could not act with a calmness that did not suit his age.

Sometimes, showing weakness was the best disguise.

"Kiyoshi, you don't need to be so respectful toward me."

Mikoto shook her head and smiled.

Was I really that scary? Look at how timid Kiyoshi was.

Kiyoshi lowered his head, his short black hair concealing his expression and preventing Mikoto from seeing it clearly.

"I told you last time, just call me big sister."

"All right, Sister Mikoto."

Kiyoshi called out.

Mikoto nodded and raised a hand to introduce the other figure behind her, dressed as a Medical Ninja.

The Medical Ninja's curvaceous figure stood in stark contrast to the compassionate expression on her face.

Her voluptuous body was practically indecent...

"This is Yakushi Nonō, captain of the Medical Corps."

"Hello, I'm Yakushi Nonō."

Yakushi Nonō smiled.

"I'm here to see whether there are any problems with your eyes."

"I'll trouble you, Lady Nonou."

Kiyoshi led the two of them inside.

Before long, Mikoto and Yakushi Nonō were seated before a low table on the tatami mats.

Kiyoshi entered the kitchen, stood on a stool to reach a bag of tea, then boiled water and prepared two cups.

Watching Kiyoshi's frail figure bustle about, Yakushi Nonō felt a surge of pity.

Perhaps because she had undergone too much "self-erasure" training in Root, become stained with blood, and seen too much darkness hidden beneath the surface, she had begun to like these innocent children.

They were flawless, like pieces of jade in different colors.

"Please have some tea."

Two cups of tea had appeared on the table, and Kiyoshi sat on the other side.

"Thank you."

Kiyoshi's tea was cheap and low-grade. Out of politeness, Mikoto lightly sipped a few mouthfuls.

Yakushi Nonō picked up her teacup and looked at Kiyoshi.

Pity was pity, but she still had work to do.

Behind her round glasses, her emerald eyes carefully observed every change in Kiyoshi's expression as she began asking questions seemingly unrelated to any diagnosis.

Kiyoshi answered them one by one.

Nonō's questions were subtle, probing from the side to determine whether Kiyoshi was a spy. She even used certain special ninjutsu to increase the pressure Kiyoshi felt in her presence.

Mikoto remained silent beside them, watching the ceiling reflected on the surface of her tea.

The ceiling was covered with old wooden boards that looked somewhat rotten. Moths rested near the incandescent lamp.

Just as Mikoto was lost in thought, a black spider silently crawled past and clamped its vicious, sharp jaws around a moth.

Mikoto came back to herself and stared carefully, only then noticing that the moth was already surrounded by nearly invisible webs.

"So slow."

Mikoto muttered softly.

When she turned back, Yakushi Nonō had already finished speaking with Kiyoshi and was examining his eyes with several instruments.