"Kakashi's talent is indeed remarkable, but unfortunately, the Sharingan holds him back. Since he's not from the Uchiha clan, he can never bring out its full potential," Orochimaru commented.
Kiyosuke followed up.
"Because he can't deactivate the Sharingan, his chakra is constantly being drained. If he could turn it on and off at will—or didn't have it at all—Kakashi's strength would be even greater."
Later on, even though Kakashi lost the Sharingan, his strength actually improved further.
It just wasn't as flashy as when he still had it, but his power was unquestionable.
He could use Multi Earth-Style Wall without breaking a sweat, and even wield the upgraded version of Raikiri—Purple Lightning.
"Heh… He's White Fang's son. If he weren't strong, that would be the real surprise," Orochimaru said, bringing up a long-forgotten name.
"White Fang?" Sasuke frowned in confusion.
Kiyosuke explained.
"Hatake Sakumo, known as Konoha's White Fang. He was of the same generation as Orochimaru-sensei, Jiraiya-sama, and Tsunade-sama. Back then, even those three couldn't overshadow his brilliance. Oh, and that ridiculous 'One Thousand Years of Death' technique Kakashi once used—that was created by him."
"That joke of a taijutsu? Back then, Naruto had to wear a steel plate over his rear because of it," Sasuke said, a dark line forming on his face as he remembered.
"I'm the one who told him to do it. Otherwise, Naruto would've been in pain for days."
"Sakumo-san was truly a man of his time. It's just a pity his will was too fragile in the end,"
Orochimaru said with disdain. Such a powerful ninja, yet unable to endure gossip and slander. If you thought about it, Danzo and his lot had a hand in that tragedy.
But now, there was no point in digging into the past. The man was long dead.
"I'm not interested in any of that, and I don't care about Kakashi's situation. Orochimaru, I'm asking you—can you make me stronger? I want to surpass Naruto, even with him training under Jiraiya."
Sasuke's eyes were dead serious.
"No problem," Orochimaru said confidently.
"Although Naruto is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and has Jiraiya guiding him, as an Uchiha, your potential will never be inferior to his. I'll make you stronger. So, Sasuke-kun… will you train under me?"
"No problem. In that case, I'll stay here."
"Good. Oh, by the way, Sasuke-kun, there's another Chūnin Exam next year. Do you want me to send someone to call you?"
"I'm not interested in the Chūnin Exams," Sasuke replied coolly.
"I see…" Kiyosuke rubbed his chin.
"Well, Naruto's away and out of contact, so it looks like both of you won't be able to take the Chūnin Exams. I was actually planning to have only Naruto miss the chance to become a Chūnin."
The second Chūnin Exam wasn't particularly difficult.
If Kiyosuke remembered right, everyone except Naruto—who was away—and Sasuke made Chūnin. Neji even became a Jōnin.
Hearing this, Sasuke suddenly changed his mind.
"I'll go! Make sure to call me!"
"Alright. When the Sound Village gets the notice, just return to Konoha yourself."
Call you? Yeah, right. I'm not running errands for that.
Then why even say it?
Sasuke's face darkened, but he was already used to Kiyosuke's inexplicable personality and said nothing.
Kiyosuke turned to Kimimaro.
"Sensei, should I take this junior of mine back to Konoha and have Tsunade-sama take a look? She might be able to keep him alive."
Kimimaro didn't have long left to live. If Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja alive, examined him, she might not cure him, but she could at least extend his life.
Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then said,
"Alright. Kimimaro, you'll follow Kiyosuke-kun to Konoha and have Tsunade treat you. Listen to his instructions."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kimimaro nodded without hesitation.
He had heard of Tsunade's name—a figure equal to Orochimaru-sama, the strongest among medical ninja.
If even she couldn't cure him, then no one could.
Kimimaro didn't fear death. What pained him was being unable to serve Orochimaru-sama.
If he could be cured, he could still dedicate his body and life to Orochimaru-sama.
Such was the simple devotion of a diehard Orochimaru follower.
Leaving Sasuke with Orochimaru, Kiyosuke felt no worry. He stayed for a bit, then left, trusting that Orochimaru could help Sasuke's power grow rapidly.
At the very least, he would be able to match Naruto.
In some areas, he might even surpass him.
He would also master both chakra shape transformation and nature transformation.
Kiyosuke then took Kimimaro back to Konoha to see Tsunade.
But even Tsunade could do nothing for Kimimaro's illness—she could only ease his pain. It was a terminal condition, a kekkei illness.
A disease born from overusing a kekkei genkai—just like how members of the Uchiha clan who awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, after excessive use, suffer from worsening eyesight and eventually lose their vision.
Like Itachi—overusing the Mangekyō left his body failing, on the brink of death.
But now, thanks to Kiyosuke, unless his life was at stake, Itachi avoided using the Sharingan, leaving his body in far better condition than in the original timeline. He and Kisame continued their undercover work, quietly gathering intelligence on the Akatsuki.
They only used the Sharingan in combat during missions.
Kimimaro had suffered from his kekkei illness since childhood. That was why he hadn't fought alongside his clan, eventually fleeing Kirigakure, where Orochimaru found him.
Tsunade couldn't cure it—only relieve the agony. Even moving was torment for Kimimaro.
Shikotsumyaku, his kekkei genkai, fought using his own bones, but the illness made his whole body ache.
Still, even easing his pain and giving him more time was already a blessing.
He didn't rage at Tsunade for failing to cure him—he was grateful to her. Because of her, he could serve Orochimaru-sama a while longer.
His fanatical devotion to Orochimaru made him forget about life and death, pain and suffering.
Kiyosuke arranged for him to stay in Konoha Hospital for a few days.
Meanwhile, with Naruto and Sasuke away for training, Sakura remained in Konoha. Wanting to catch up to her teammates, she chose to study under Tsunade, becoming her disciple.
But this time, it wasn't just Sakura—Karin joined as well.
The two had exceptional talent in medical ninjutsu, and Tsunade valued them greatly, personally guiding their training.
Life passed in peace.
Until one day… a man in a cloak, long hair draped over his shoulders, wearing an eye patch, arrived in Konoha—alongside someone with pineapple-shaped hair.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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