After dealing with Isobu, Kiyosuke left, leaving behind Karatachi Yagura and Hoshigaki Kisame.
Yagura looked at the now-weakened Isobu and said,
"Kisame, let's transport Isobu back. I'm going to seal it into myself—I will become a Jinchūriki."
Kisame paused, then tried to advise him,
"Yagura-sama, personally, I think it's not a good idea. Isobu's power is overwhelming. Even the Mizukage couldn't fully suppress it. It might not be good for you."
"I know," Yagura replied. "But someone has to become a Jinchūriki. With Asakawa Kiyosuke around, Konoha won't lose. We have to gain power as quickly as possible. The Tailed Beasts are the fastest path to power. Besides, the village needs reform."
"...You mean..."
"Yes. I'm going to become the Mizukage. Kisame, lend me your strength."
Yagura extended his hand toward him.
Kisame laid down Samehada, dropped to one knee, and grinned.
"If that's what you wish, then I, Hoshigaki Kisame of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, will gladly help you blaze that path."
"Kisame, I'm counting on you!"
Kiyosuke returned to Orochimaru's side and immediately noticed the gleam of obsession in his eyes—it was clear he was coveting Sage Mode.
"Orochimaru-sensei, let Mei go back," Kiyosuke said.
Orochimaru licked his lips and chuckled.
"So this is the power of senjutsu... Truly terrifying. Kiyosuke-kun, your strength has leapt forward by more than just a level. And you're still just a child. I look forward to seeing how much stronger you'll become."
He then glanced at Terumi Mei.
"If you like this little girl, you could bring her to Konoha. Just toss her in the basement or something."
Kiyosuke glanced at Mei, then back at Orochimaru.
He had a feeling what Orochimaru meant and what he was thinking were definitely not the same thing.
A basement, huh...
Kinda exciting to imagine...
But it's just a thought.
"Forget it. Let her go back. Mei, we're square."
"...Alright."
Mei's expression was complicated.
Kiyosuke's power had far exceeded her expectations, reaching a level she couldn't even dream of—it made her feel unwilling to accept it.
"Goodbye, Kiyosuke. I hope next time we meet, it won't be on the battlefield."
She turned and left.
Kiyosuke shrugged and chose to leave as well.
Orochimaru spoke,
"Alright, we should go too. With the damage you've done to Isobu, Kirigakure won't start another war with Konoha."
With the destruction Kiyosuke had just wrought, the war between Konoha and Kirigakure was all but over.
That level of power was enough to make Kirigakure fearful. A strike on par with a Tailed Beast, from someone who wasn't even a Jinchūriki—possessing both freedom and overwhelming combat strength.
Kirigakure would have to think long and hard before provoking him again.
They wouldn't get another favor like him stopping a rampaging Tailed Beast.
"Wait... does this mean I technically killed the Third Mizukage?" Kiyosuke suddenly asked.
"Technically, yes," Orochimaru replied. "I'll include that in the report. Kiyosuke-kun, just with this alone—ending the war with Kirigakure—you already have the qualifications to run for Hokage."
His military achievements in the war with both Sunagakure and Kirigakure—especially driving back Isobu and indirectly killing the Third Mizukage—were more than enough to qualify him for candidacy.
Even though the Third Mizukage had been seriously ill and his body was failing, he was still the Mizukage. That title alone meant immense strength.
Defeating him was proof of Kiyosuke's power.
And then there was the fact that he had overpowered a Tailed Beast—a force of nature—with a single devastating strike.
That, too, spoke volumes.
Tailed Beasts were far more troublesome than humans.
The Third Mizukage died without achieving his goal and ended up paving the way for Kiyosuke's rise to fame across the shinobi world.
Kiyosuke laughed.
"Run for Hokage? Nah, not interested. But I bet the rewards for this mission are going to be insane."
He rubbed his hands together as he followed behind Orochimaru.
The Hokage seat wasn't appealing to him.
If he became the Fourth Hokage, he'd probably be stuck in an office every day, buried in paperwork. Unless it was something really major, he wouldn't even be allowed to leave the village.
It'd basically be a prison sentence.
Not the kind of life he wanted.
"Kirigakure probably doesn't have the strength left to fight, but they'll resist where they can. Just leave a team stationed here. I'll stay and hold this area. Kiyosuke, you go back—take your squad and the mission report with you."
Orochimaru said it casually.
"Got it, sensei."
When they got back to camp, Kiyosuke found Kurenai bandaging Shisui's wounds—specifically, his left eye.
A bad feeling hit him instantly.
"What happened?"
Shisui answered honestly.
"I didn't take part in the battle, but I was assigned a patrol mission. I spotted a squad from Kirigakure trying to ambush the camp. I used genjutsu to repel them, but then I was ambushed by someone... covered entirely in black. He ripped out my left eye."
Kiyosuke's expression darkened.
"Someone covered in black?"
"Yeah... his body was like liquid. He appeared out of nowhere. I couldn't sense him at all."
The sudden strike caught him completely off guard.
Losing his left eye forced him to reveal himself and drive off the remaining enemy.
"Black and liquid... I know who it was. Shisui, come with me."
"Understood, senpai."
After Kurenai finished bandaging him, Kiyosuke took Shisui to a quiet, isolated spot. Once he made sure they were alone, he asked seriously,
"Shisui... your Sharingan—has it evolved into the Mangekyō?"
Shisui was startled, but nodded.
"Yes. I awakened it a year ago when my father died in battle. Its ability is an advanced level genjutsu."
He had awakened the Sharingan after his mother passed, and awakened the Mangekyō after his father's death.
If he had a choice, he'd never want these eyes to begin with.
"Senpai, how did you know? Do you know who attacked me?"
"...Yeah. It was Black Zetsu. He's... a very 'devoted' son. I'm guessing he took your eye to control an idiot."
Rin was protected inside Konoha's hospital now, so making Obito go dark was getting harder.
Kakashi and Minato couldn't be killed. Rin couldn't be taken.
So the best option left... was to use Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
They'd control Obito with it, rewriting his subconscious to believe that Rin had already died.
That would give rise to an Obito full of despair and disappointment in the world—ready to destroy it all.
This damn force of historical correction...
Kiyosuke sighed and asked,
"Can you cancel your own ability?"
Only a Mangekyō could truly counter another Mangekyō.
Kotoamatsukami... would have to be used to fight back against itself.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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