"I was delayed a little on the way,"
Kiyohara replied as he quickly walked over to stand beside Rin, Kurenai, and the others.
In a war where the situation changed from moment to moment, gaining even the slightest improvement in strength could mean the difference between life and death.
He turned his head, his gaze falling upon the man standing at the very center.
Orochimaru.
Strictly speaking, Kiyohara had only ever seen Orochimaru from afar before.
Receiving a personal sponsorship of one hundred thousand ryō last time had honestly surprised him.
If he had the surname Uchiha, he would've suspected Orochimaru was planning to stab him—literally—
to pierce his cold, serpentine soul into Kiyohara's body and take over the vessel.
After all, Orochimaru had painstakingly trained Sasuke for three whole years just to steal his body, only to mess up in the end.
Of course, at this point in time, Orochimaru wasn't that deranged yet. For now, he was merely interested in the Sharingan and was still cooperating with Danzō.
Only when Orochimaru encountered his lifelong nemesis, Itachi, would his obsession spiral into complete madness, fixating entirely on the Uchiha clan.
"Everyone, quiet."
Orochimaru stood atop a hastily assembled wooden platform. His golden, slit pupils swept slowly across every shinobi present. An invisible pressure unfurled across the field, and the once-noisy crowd quickly fell silent.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, his commanding presence needed no explanation.
"Everyone is here."
His hoarse voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to every ear.
"Recently, Kirigakure… no longer satisfied with mere border harassment, has begun testing the waters by extending its claws… deeper into the Land of Fire's territory."
His tongue unconsciously brushed across his lips, as though he were anticipating something.
"I believe you all understand how dire the current situation is," he continued, "but the village needs us."
He wasn't wrong. Every great nation was engaged in chaotic warfare, and the Land of Fire—fertile and prosperous had naturally become the juiciest prey on the battlefield.
Konoha held a slight upper hand only in the war against Iwagakure.
Everywhere else, they were still being invaded by Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure.
Because of this, Konoha's manpower was approaching its limits.
The war had entered an era of attrition—each fallen shinobi was irreplaceable.
The output of the Academy simply couldn't keep up with the monthly casualties.
"To prepare for the possibility of a large-scale invasion, we must establish a naval defensive line. You all…"
His gaze swept over them once more.
"…will be assigned to different sectors."
A wave of tense murmuring rose from below.
The shadow of war thickened.
Unbothered by the restlessness, Orochimaru picked up a scroll and began announcing assignments.
When the list reached his own squad, Kiyohara sharpened his focus.
"For the listed squads, your mission is to head to the ruins of Uzushiogakure and establish a forward observation post. You will scout Kirigakure's movements and, when necessary, engage in initial interception."
The ruins of Uzushiogakure?
Kiyohara's heart stirred.
That had once been the homeland of the Uzumaki clan, now nothing more than shattered ruins. Its location was critical, facing directly toward the Land of Water—no wonder they needed a forward outpost there.
But it also meant the danger was significantly higher.
"Kiyohara, have you ever been to the ruins of Uzushiogakure?"
Kurenai asked curiously.
"No. I've never been there."
He shook his head.
The ruins were not on the mainland but on a massive island several dozen miles off the coast.
Though classified as a "small nation" like the Land of Waves, its land area was dozens of times larger.
"I've never been there either…" Rin whispered softly.
While they were whispering, Orochimaru finished the roster and dismissed the gathering. The crowd began to disperse.
But just as Kiyohara was about to leave—
"Kiyohara, stay. Come to my tent."
All at once, countless gazes snapped toward him.
Kurenai, who had been about to walk away, halted in surprise. Her crimson eyes filled with confusion.
Even Kakashi's dead-fish eyes opened slightly as he looked toward Kiyohara—clearly wondering why he had caught the attention of one of the Legendary Sannin.
Kiyohara's thoughts raced, though he maintained an outward calm. He answered respectfully and followed Orochimaru toward the central tent.
Not far away, Genma, a senbon clamped between his lips, clicked his tongue as he watched Kiyohara being escorted by ANBU.
"This guy… is he really going to climb the ranks and make a name for himself?"
Genma felt strangely conflicted.
He had once been worried that Kiyohara's lack of strength would get him killed.
Now that his teamate seemed to have caught the eye of the higher-ups… he was suddenly afraid the gap between them would grow too wide.
As the saying went:
You worry when your brother suffers… but you also worry when your brother suddenly starts driving a luxury car.
…
Inside the Tent, the lighting was dim, illuminated only by a few flickering oil lamps.
Orochimaru sat in the central seat, fingers interlocked beneath his chin as he stared at Kiyohara with those golden serpentine eyes, full of curious interest.
"Lord Orochimaru,"
Kiyohara greeted respectfully.
"Heh heh…"
Orochimaru let out a low laugh.
"Kiyohara-kun, no need to be nervous. I'm simply… curious about your exceptional performance."
He spoke calmly.
A careful review of Kiyohara's profile revealed that his sensory perception surpassed that of ordinary shinobi, and he was proficient in both Wind Release and Lightning Release. Judging from his recent displays, even his kenjutsu was quite impressive.
With this level of ability, killing the jonin Mist-nin Ao was entirely plausible.
"I heard that you've spent most of your mission income—and even my sponsorship on purchasing and repairing your shinobi tools. You even… have some outstanding loans with the village?"
Kiyohara's heart skipped a beat.
As expected, nothing about him was hidden from someone at Orochimaru's level.
He steadied himself and answered frankly:
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. Better equipment means a higher chance of survival. For a shinobi… what truly matters is staying alive."
He didn't spout any clichés about protecting Konoha or upholding the Will of Fire.
He provided the simplest, most practical reason—one that could not be argued against.
When people die, they stay dead.
And Kiyohara highly doubted Orochimaru had even a shred of the so-called Will of Fire.
Most people were probably nothing more than experimental buns in his eyes.
And who would ever care how many buns they've eaten?
"Interesting. A very pragmatic thought."
Orochimaru was clearly intrigued by how different Kiyohara's mindset was from that of ordinary shinobis.
He had asked this exact question to many others.
Their answers were always "for the Hokage" or "for the village."
In wartime, faith became stronger, thinking became narrower, and people reduced themselves to tools.
To Orochimaru, such thinking was nothing but brainwashing.
To him, everything in the world was like a windmill— only interesting when moved by the wind.
And now, he was intrigued by the mindset of this civilian-born shinobi..
"Then tell me, Kiyohara-kun… what do you live for?"
Orochimaru's gaze bore straight into him.
It was a question he himself had been exploring for years.
"To live… is to witness more wonders, and to grasp more truths,"
Kiyohara answered with utmost seriousness.
Orochimaru liked hearing such things, so naturally Kiyohara catered to him.
Just like a worker complimenting a boss's terrible calligraphy—no matter how awful it looked, you still had to praise it as bold, elegant, and profound.
For Kiyohara, living meant gaining access to more futures… more urns… and becoming stronger.
He mentally calculated the time it would take to reach the ruins of Uzushiogakure—about a little more than a week with the logistics load they'd carry.
And once they arrived, if he survived another week on the front line…
He would unlock another future.
Another step toward strength.
(End of Chapter)