"Shameless!"
Naruto roared, fists clenched tightly.
His anger was evident—Uchiha Kiyo's demand was not just bold; it was outright threatening. Even Chiyo, hardened by decades of war and grief, found herself grimacing at his words.
Everyone was focused on the reincarnation technique, but none of them questioned how Uchiha Kiyo had such intricate knowledge of it. No one… except Kakashi.
The Copy Ninja remained silent, his visible eye narrowed as countless thoughts surged through his mind.
The technique of reincarnation is an S-rank secret in Sunagakure. How does this Uchiha know it? Kakashi thought. And the details he knew during the Nine-Tails incident… Back then, he fought Danzo and predicted every move. It's like he had read Danzo's entire playbook.
His gaze shifted subtly, fixating on Uchiha Kiyo's eyes.
A dojutsu? A powerful ocular technique for extracting information?
His mind made connections quickly, the pieces beginning to align.
That would explain everything. And… Kakashi's eye sharpened. His left eye... it's not just any Sharingan.
Kiyo, standing at ease, sensed the sharp gaze on him and turned slightly. He met Kakashi's eye with calm composure.
"A transplanted Sharingan? If your Sharingan were improperly awakened or misaligned, I'd have already crushed it. I'm not afraid of your eyes."
Kakashi's body tensed slightly, pupils shrinking.
He knows my Sharingan isn't native? And he knows the ability?!
Uchiha Kiyo didn't press the issue. His aim wasn't to threaten Kakashi outright, just to provoke him a little. He understood Kakashi's personality—sharp, analytical, and calculating. The goal was to plant thoughts in his mind.
Analyze away, Hatake, Kiyo thought to himself. Even if you deduce I don't have a dojutsu that acquires information, you'll be too uncertain. The mystery will nag you. That's enough.
Turning his thoughts inward, Kiyo focused on his own eyes. His left eye—the Kaleidoscope Sharingan—had completed its healing process. The left eye's ability to manipulate internal time had proven valuable, accelerating recovery and perception speed. As for the Yin-Yang nature of his right eye, its true power was still unknown—but he could feel it, a storm waiting to be unleashed.
Returning to the matter at hand, Kiyo addressed Chiyo directly.
"You've likely heard what happened in Konoha. I've already demonstrated the existence of the reincarnation technique. I'm here in Sunagakure for that. If you refuse... I won't hold back."
It was an open threat.
Naruto could no longer contain himself, his fists trembling as he stepped forward.
"Granny Chiyo! Don't give it to this guy! We've got enough people here—we can stop him!"
"Tsk tsk… Looks like your last experience wasn't enough to humble you," Uchiha Kiyo said, his tone amused but cold. His eyes narrowed as they fell on Naruto.
That look sent a chill down Naruto's spine.
Kakashi, sensing things escalating, immediately pressed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, subtly shaking his head.
"This isn't Konoha's matter," Kakashi whispered. "We can't intervene here."
Chiyo, meanwhile, was weighing her options. Uchiha Kiyo was dangerous. Denying him might provoke destruction, and giving in meant a loss of sacred knowledge. She sighed.
"The Reincarnation Technique can only revive those who have recently died and whose bodies remain intact. Gaara has been dead too long—it's already too late."
Her meaning was clear—Uchiha Kiyo had come too late to make use of it.
But her sigh and tone also meant something else. She was giving in. She was telling Kiyo the truth while also indirectly asking him to adjust his demands. She still wished to salvage some benefit for the village.
"No. Just give me the scroll. I'll learn it. I'm fast with ninjutsu," Kiyo said flatly.
Chiyo sighed again, realizing Kiyo was refusing to negotiate. Wordlessly, she retrieved a scroll from her sleeve and handed it to him.
Without hesitation, Kiyo summoned ten shadow clones.
The scroll, divided into three volumes, was quickly handed out to the clones. Each group of three clones huddled to read and comprehend the scrolls, while one clone—silent and separate—was handed an extra scroll and vanished from the scene.
The surrounding shinobi were caught off guard by his decisiveness.
Does he really think he can learn this technique in an hour?
Still, suspicion gnawed at them. That one clone had disappeared—what if he was summoning reinforcements? Calling allies?
Exactly one hour later, Kiyo stood still as his nine clones vanished into smoke. His eyes remained closed as he absorbed their memories.
Unknown to them, one of Kiyo's experimental clones—Ma Jia—had long been researching reincarnation in secret. He had infiltrated restricted texts and pieced together theories for months. Now, with Chiyo's scroll, Kiyo finally had the missing pieces.
He absorbed the data like a sponge. At the same time, his Kaleidoscope left eye activated, doubling his internal time perception. To everyone else, ten minutes passed. To Uchiha Kiyo, twenty minutes of thought and study had occurred.
The training had gone smoothly. The reincarnation technique was clear to him now.
Outside, Chiyo, Kakashi, and the others noticed him open his eyes.
None of them had attempted a sneak attack while he meditated, even though the opportunity had been present. Something about Kiyo's composed stillness unsettled them—as if they were being tested.
Kakashi's gaze narrowed. He had sensed the Sharingan activate, and its chakra signature felt… stronger than his own.
Just then, a figure in white robes appeared in the distance, pale-skinned and emotionless.
It was a clone—formed from the body of a White Zetsu.
Uchiha Kiyo made a hand seal, channeling his chakra.
Immediately, the tension rose among the group. Kakashi and the others sprang into defensive stances, hands near their weapons.
Chiyo tensed as well, eyes scanning the formation of the seals.
That's not the seal formation of our Reincarnation Technique…!
But after forming the seal, Kiyo simply stood there, doing nothing more. The tension dissolved into confusion.
Chiyo exhaled in disbelief, chuckling awkwardly as she slowly withdrew her puppet.
Under Uchiha Kiyo's command, the White Zetsu clone approached Gaara's body and began performing hand seals.
This time, Chiyo's face changed drastically.
"That's the seal of the Reincarnation Technique!"
Everyone stared in disbelief.
He had learned the technique—mastered it—and now commanded someone else to perform it?
They weren't fools. Everyone understood what was happening. The pale clone was clearly under Uchiha Kiyo's control.
Kakashi's expression darkened.
Information acquisition… learning speed… command over others. Just what kind of abilities do his eyes possess? They're auxiliary-type dojutsu… but their synergy is terrifying.
And that's exactly what Kiyo wanted him to think.
By showcasing three unique abilities, he was planting seeds of doubt—forcing others to guess which ones were tied to his eyes. Or if one eye had dual abilities. It was a smokescreen of misinformation.
The White Zetsu clone performed the seals flawlessly. Not a single mistake. The rhythm and chakra flow were perfect.
Chiyo looked on in disbelief.
How can someone learn such a complex jutsu in one hour? she wondered. Are you even human?
The others, Naruto aside, began reaching the same unsettling conclusion.
If he learns techniques this fast… how many jutsu does he already know? And how many secret techniques from across the villages has he memorized?
The mood in the area grew heavy.
Kiyo, meanwhile, continued to observe in silence, completely focused on sensing the feedback from the clone.
He wanted to feel every detail of the Reincarnation Technique as it was being executed.
The clone continued to form seals. A link began to form between it and Gaara's corpse, chakra flowing into the body as life energy began its transfer.
Gaara's body began to change. Cells flickered with new life, color returning to his face. The transformation was subtle but unmistakable.
Establish the link. Then transfer vitality.
These were the two core steps of the Reincarnation Technique—both extremely difficult. But thanks to his deep study of life force and chakra dynamics, Kiyo had already overcome those hurdles.
Now came the final step—the hardest.
The deepening of the link—bridging the soul and body completely…