When the very last sealing talisman was removed, Uchiha Hikari's eyelashes trembled ever so slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
Her irises were pitch black.
But only for an instant.
The next moment, they turned a deep crimson.
Three tomoe gradually appeared within her pupils and began to rotate faster and faster.
"Who are you?"
Hikari's eyes were only clouded with confusion for a brief moment before they instantly shifted into combat mode.
She reached into the shinobi pouch at her waist, drew a kunai, and pointed it directly at Kiyohara.
It was obvious that she had been sealed away in the middle of a battle.
Kiyohara simply looked at her without saying a word.
Hikari's gaze fell upon his eyes, and she narrowed hers slightly.
The first thing she noticed was his striking Byakugan.
"Are you a shinobi of the Hyuga Clan?"
Her voice remained icy, but there was now an unmistakable trace of killing intent hidden beneath it.
The instant she finished speaking, her figure disappeared from where she stood.
Kiyohara's eyebrows twitched slightly.
As expected of a living weapon forged for war.
That level of speed had already surpassed the vast majority of the Uchiha in his own era.
Within the clan, probably only Shisui could compete with Hikari in terms of pure speed.
Of course, that comparison excluded Kiyohara himself.
In the blink of an eye, Hikari appeared beside him.
Gripping her kunai tightly, she infused it with a layer of pale blue chakra before thrusting it toward him.
To Kiyohara, however, everything she did was simply too slow.
Hikari's greatest strength had never been taijutsu.
It was her dojutsu abilities.
The next second, Kiyohara's pale white eyes slowly began to change.
The white pupils gradually turned crimson.
Three tomoe emerged.
They spun rapidly before connecting together, transforming into an intricate Mangekyo Sharingan pattern.
"...!!"
Hikari abruptly stopped.
For the first time, bewilderment appeared within her scarlet Sharingan.
"Your eyes... how is this possible?"
The killing intent in her voice disappeared, replaced entirely by confusion.
As a weapon created for war, her primary mission had always been to eliminate every shinobi who was not an Uchiha.
Yet the Hyuga standing before her had suddenly become an Uchiha.
Not only that.
He possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Had she unknowingly fallen under a genjutsu?
Hikari immediately examined the flow of chakra throughout her body.
Everything was perfectly normal.
The three tomoe in her own Sharingan rapidly merged together, forming her Mangekyo Sharingan.
Yet when she looked again, Kiyohara's eyes still remained Mangekyo Sharingan.
That alone proved she had not fallen into a genjutsu.
"A mixed bloodline?"
Hikari cautiously voiced the only explanation she could think of.
"More or less."
Kiyohara finally spoke.
The blood flowing through his body had indeed fused together the inherited bloodlines of future generations of both the Uchiha and the Hyuga.
In terms of ancestry, it could hardly have been purer.
Calling him someone with both Uchiha and Hyuga blood was not exactly wrong.
The only real difference was that his bloodline had been acquired afterward rather than inherited naturally from birth.
Upon hearing his answer, a thoughtful expression appeared on Hikari's delicate face.
It was obvious that throughout her entire life, she had never encountered a person born from both the Uchiha and another great shinobi clan.
Even if mixed bloodlines existed, they would only be with ordinary civilians.
There had never been someone born from two major shinobi clans.
Whether it was the Uchiha or any other clan, such unions were absolutely forbidden.
During the Warring States Period, the only clan that had ever maintained a friendly relationship with the Uchiha was the Hagoromo Clan.
The Hagoromo had once allied themselves with the Uchiha to oppose the Senju Clan and had been one of their closest allies.
"Mixed blood..."
The Mangekyo pattern in Hikari's eyes slowly receded back into three tomoe before fading completely into ordinary black pupils.
No matter what, Kiyohara still carried Uchiha blood.
Moreover, Hikari could keenly sense just how powerful he was.
Far stronger than any Uchiha she had ever met.
Even the Uchiha clan leader of her own era could not compare with him.
Someone possessing such overwhelming strength would undoubtedly be highly respected within the Uchiha.
After all...
She had been the only one treated as nothing more than a weapon of war.
A moment later, Hikari slowly lowered herself onto one knee.
Her long black hair slipped over her shoulders and draped across the cold stone floor of the cave.
"Then... who are you?"
she asked curiously.
"I am Kiyohara, the current Hokage of Konohagakure."
he replied calmly.
"What is Konoha?"
"You can think of it as an organization where countless shinobi gather together. It includes many different shinobi clans, civilian shinobi, and even ordinary people."
Kiyohara explained.
During the Warring States Period, every shinobi belonged to a family clan.
Those clans accepted commissions from feudal lords in order to survive.
Simply put, each clan functioned like its own miniature hidden village composed of people sharing the same surname.
The Uzumaki Clan's Uzushiogakure was perhaps the closest example.
"You've been asleep for over a hundred years. It's only natural that all of this feels confusing."
Kiyohara said.
"Over a hundred years? You're lying."
The moment Hikari heard that, disbelief filled her eyes.
"I have no reason to deceive you."
Kiyohara shook his head.
"If you don't believe me, come outside with me in a little while. You'll understand once you see the world for yourself."
Hearing those words, Hikari slowly raised her head.
For the first time, something other than confusion appeared within those dark eyes.
She resembled a bird that had completely lost its direction, unable to determine where it should fly next.
"...Very well."
After thinking silently for nearly a full minute, she finally answered.
"My mission has not yet been completed."
"I will eliminate the Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Clan as quickly as possible to make up for my failure."
She stood and began walking toward the cave entrance.
Her memories were still frozen at the moment she had been sealed away.
Even after awakening in this new era, she was unable to immediately escape the inertia of her old way of thinking.
In her mind, the war was still ongoing.
She still needed to fight those two clans.
"Your mission is already over."
Kiyohara stopped her.
"What do you mean?"
"The war between those clans ended decades ago."
Kiyohara looked at her.
"The Uchiha Clan, the Senju Clan, and the Sarutobi Clan are no longer enemies. They reconciled long ago. The Warring States Period has already ended. This is now the era of the hidden villages."
The amount of information packed into those few sentences was overwhelming.
For a moment, Hikari simply could not process it.
The blood feud that had lasted for generations...
Had simply ended?
Seeing the look on her face, Kiyohara sighed inwardly.
Only after the Shinobi Academy was established did shinobi begin receiving systematic education.
Before that, shinobi simply needed to fight.
Not everyone had the opportunity to become educated.
Someone like Hikari probably possessed even less formal learning than most.
Judging by her age, she was old enough to be Kiyohara's great-great-grandmother.
Among the women Kiyohara knew, perhaps only the Three Snake Princesses could compare with her in age.
Even Tsunade would practically count as a little girl in front of Hikari.
"So... are you the current leader of the Uchiha Clan?"
Hikari asked.
Although she still found it incredibly difficult to accept that she had awakened over a century into the future, no other explanation seemed possible anymore.
After all, during the Warring States Period, someone as overwhelmingly powerful as Kiyohara could never have appeared out of nowhere.
"Somewhat."
Kiyohara nodded.
In the era of the hidden villages, every clan head ultimately answered to the Hokage.
In a sense, he was the indirect leader of the Uchiha Clan.
If Kiyohara decided to become clan head himself, very few members would actually oppose him.
At most, loyal supporters of Fugaku, people like Uchiha Yashiro, might object.
"So you can consider yourself free now."
Kiyohara shook his head.
"There's no need to keep thinking about missions anymore."
"...Free..."
When Hikari heard that word, her first reaction was unfamiliarity.
Ever since she had been turned into a weapon of war, she had carried deep resentment within her heart.
She had simply buried those emotions beneath endless obedience.
And now...
Suddenly...
She was free?
An overwhelming sense of emptiness flooded her.
It was not because she enjoyed being used as a weapon.
Rather, she had no idea what she was supposed to do anymore.
If everything Kiyohara said was true...
Then she had truly arrived more than a century into the future.
Everything she had once known...
Everyone she had once known...
Had already disappeared without a trace.
"If you have nowhere else to go..."
Kiyohara said quietly.
"You can stay with me."
That had been his true purpose in coming here.
He had originally come for Uchiha Hikari's Mangekyo ability, Yachihoko.
(TN: Yachihoko is a powerful Genjutsu, and works by erasing the memories of any individual it targets, creating puppets that Nanashi is able to manipulate.)
No.
He had come for Uchiha Hikari herself.
The uniqueness of that ocular technique was something no other dojutsu could rival.
Besides, Kiyohara was also genuinely curious.
Hikari possessed only an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan.
So why could she use it so freely?
Kiyohara himself could endure the burden because his physique was extraordinarily special.
His Yang Release chakra was exceptionally abundant, allowing him to use a normal Mangekyo Sharingan without suffering much strain.
But Hikari's parents had both been pure-blooded Uchiha.
She was not Indra's reincarnation either.
So why was she so different?
The only explanation Kiyohara could think of was that the uniqueness lay within Hikari's Mangekyo ability itself.
"What is your name?"
he suddenly asked.
"I already know mine, but I still don't know yours."
"I don't need a name."
Hikari's voice remained just as cold as before.
"You may simply call me... Nanashi." (TN: Meaning anonymous or without a name.)
Having spent so many years treated as an emotionless weapon of war, much of Hikari's humanity had gradually faded away.
"But people should have names."
Kiyohara deliberately feigned confusion.
"Do you truly not have one?"
He did not mind Hikari's cold attitude in the slightest.
Most Uchiha were like this.
Proud.
Reserved.
Cold when meeting strangers.
Yet once they accepted someone, they became surprisingly warm, although they usually expressed that warmth quietly rather than openly.
"...A name..."
Hikari fell into a brief silence as memories long buried resurfaced.
Before the bleak years when she had been transformed into nothing more than a weapon of war...
She really had possessed a name.
Back then...
Her parents had still been alive.
And they had given her a name filled with warmth.
A name filled with light.
"Hikari."
She finally spoke.
"You may call me Hikari."
"Come with me, Hikari."
Kiyohara extended his hand toward her.
"The world outside is no longer the one you remember. I'll take you to Konoha."
"But all I know how to do is carry out missions."
Hikari answered.
"Hmm. Do you have any particular skills?"
"My specialty is killing people."
Hikari looked at Kiyohara with complete seriousness.
"Especially Uzumaki, Senju, and other shinobi like them."
Kiyohara thought about it for a moment.
Perhaps placing Hikari in the Anbu first would be the best option.
To others, the Anbu was a world of flashing blades, shadows, and bloodshed.
But for Hikari, it was the only environment she was familiar with.
It could serve as a transition while she gradually adapted to the modern era.
"Very good. Konoha needs talented people like you."
Kiyohara took a few steps forward and gently took Hikari's hand into his own.
Hikari did not blush.
She simply lowered her head and looked at the hand holding hers.
Kiyohara's palm completely enveloped her slender fingers.
She slowly raised her head.
There was no embarrassment in her dark eyes.
No resistance either.
There was only pure confusion.
"Why are you holding my hand?"
Hikari asked curiously.
"To take you outside."
The instant Kiyohara finished speaking, the scenery around them changed.
The solid, icy rock beneath their feet became soft earth.
A cool night breeze carrying the scent of grass and trees brushed across their faces.
Above them stretched a sky filled with countless stars.
In the distance, brightly illuminated buildings stood side by side, their rooftops forming an endless sea beneath the night.
Konoha.
Hikari stood frozen in place.
Her dark eyes were filled with astonishment.
Within the span of only a few moments, she had already lost count of how many times she had been shocked.
During the Warring States Period, space-time ninjutsu had been unimaginably rare.
The only space-time technique Hikari knew was the Summoning Technique.
A more advanced variation was the Reverse Summoning Technique, along with a handful of secret arts that had long since disappeared into history.
Every one of those techniques had been regarded as a clan's greatest secret.
No major shinobi clan would ever casually display them before outsiders.
"You..."
Hikari turned toward Kiyohara.
She opened her mouth, only to realize she had no idea what she even wanted to ask.
"The times have changed."
Kiyohara released her hand.
He naturally understood why she looked so stunned.
"After the Warring States Period ended, many new ninjutsu were developed."
he explained.
Hikari fell silent.
That was true.
She had been sealed for over a hundred years.
In that amount of time, countless new techniques emerging was perfectly reasonable.
At that moment, a figure silently stepped out from the shadows.
Konan.
She was dressed in an Anbu uniform.
Her hood was pulled low, and a mask completely concealed her face.
Unlike Kiyohara, she had no space-time ninjutsu.
Whenever he left the village, she could only remain behind.
Only after Kiyohara returned would she resume guarding him.
Konan's gaze landed on Hikari and carefully examined her from head to toe.
Long black hair.
Fair skin.
Delicate features.
The uniquely cool and beautiful appearance characteristic of the Uchiha.
Another woman.
Hidden beneath her mask, Konan's brows furrowed slightly.
She had already lost count of how many women Kiyohara had brought back.
"So..."
Konan remarked calmly, a hint of teasing hidden in her tone.
"I didn't know you had this sort of hobby."
Kiyohara turned toward her.
He stepped closer.
So close that Konan could feel the warmth of his breath.
"Jealous?"
he asked.
Konan's heartbeat skipped ever so slightly.
Her body instinctively leaned backward.
She turned her face aside, though her voice remained as calm and cool as ever.
"You're overthinking it."
After a brief pause, she continued.
"I only came here because of our deal."
"To heal Nagato."
"Is that so?"
Kiyohara smiled but did not continue teasing her.
Straightening up, he nodded toward Hikari.
"Help arrange a place for her to stay."
He looked back at Konan.
"For the next few days, you don't need to accompany me."
"Show her around Konoha and help her get familiar with the village."
Konan shifted her gaze back toward Hikari.
Hikari was also quietly observing her.
The two women looked at each other in silence for a moment.
"Where did she come from?"
Konan asked.
Kiyohara thought for a second.
"The mountains."
Konan frowned again.
The mountains.
Some remote, isolated place.
No wonder she was dressed like that.
Hikari was still wearing the same clothes she had on when she had been sealed.
A dark blue shinobi outfit with a simple design.
The coarse fabric had become frayed around the edges after countless years.
The leather shinobi pouch at her waist bore the embroidered fan crest of the Uchiha Clan.
Altogether, she truly looked like someone who had just walked out of a secluded mountain village completely cut off from the outside world.
Just as Konan found herself wondering why this mysterious girl possessed the Uchiha clan crest, Kiyohara answered her unspoken question.
"She's an Uchiha as well."
Konan studied Hikari more carefully.
Another Uchiha...
Aside from Kiyohara, there were still descendants of the clan living outside?
"Come with me."
Konan said to Hikari.
She turned around and began walking toward another part of the village.
Hikari glanced back at Kiyohara.
He simply nodded reassuringly.
Only then did she step forward and follow Konan.
The two women walked one behind the other until they gradually disappeared into the bustling crowd.
Kiyohara remained where he stood, quietly watching them leave.
Only after they had vanished from sight did he turn and head in another direction.
The next day.
Kiyohara was enjoying some peaceful time alone with Rin.
He had dozed off for a short while before slowly opening his eyes.
His head was resting on something warm and incredibly soft.
It was Rin's lap.
A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted from her body.
He tilted his head upward slightly.
The first thing that entered his view was the pair of soft, rounded curves hidden beneath her clothes.
From this angle, they resembled two connected mountain peaks, completely blocking his view of Rin's face.
All he could see was her brown hair and a few loose strands hanging beside her ears.
Rin's slender fingers gently pressed against his temples.
Her movements were slow and careful as she softly massaged them in small circles.
"Kiyohara-kun... you're awake?"
Her gentle voice came from somewhere behind those two "mountains."
"Mmm."
Kiyohara answered softly.
He made no attempt to move.
The softness beneath the back of his head made him reluctant to leave.
"I didn't even know what time you came home last night."
Rin's fingers slid from his temples to his forehead, tracing the curve of his brow with gentle care.
"I wasn't paying attention to the time."
Kiyohara closed his eyes again.
"I had a few things to take care of."
"I see."
Rin did not ask what those things were.
"Kiyohara-kun..."
Her voice became noticeably softer.
"Are you going away again in a few days?"
"Mmm."
He acknowledged her question.
"I'm taking the Fourth Raikage and the others back to Kumo."
"How long will you be gone?"
"A few days."
He paused briefly.
"It won't take very long."
"This time I plan to bring Sensei with me."
He said it casually, as though mentioning something completely insignificant.
"Lady Tsunade?"
Rin smiled warmly.
"That's wonderful. With Lady Tsunade accompanying you, it'll be much safer."
Naturally, Rin had no idea what Kiyohara's real intentions were.
On the return journey, he planned to conveniently find a hot spring and have a very thorough "conversation" with Tsunade.
There was no chance he would ever tell Rin that.
As far as she was concerned, he was simply taking his teacher along on an official mission.
"You've been working so hard."
Rin said gently.
Her fingers left his face and rested on his shoulder, giving it a light massage.
"Being Hokage really is exhausting."
"You have to run all over the place every single day."
Kiyohara shifted his position slightly.
Even after changing angles, Rin's face was still hidden from view.
He slowly raised one hand.
His fingertips gently touched her chin before carefully guiding it to one side.
The two soft "mountains" shifted aside.
Finally, her lovely face appeared before him.
Rin blinked.
Her warm brown eyes reflected his face.
"What is it?"
she asked softly.
"I wanted to see you."
Kiyohara replied.
A faint blush slowly spread across Rin's cheeks.
She pursed her lips without saying anything.
Her fingers returned to his temples and resumed their gentle massage.
This time, her touch was even lighter than before.
Just then...
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Rin's fingers froze instantly.
She instinctively tried to stand up.
However, Kiyohara gently stopped her with one hand.
"It's fine."
He sat upright and stretched his neck.
Rin quickly straightened herself as well.
She smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes that had formed while supporting him, then neatly folded both hands over her knees, returning to her usual graceful sitting posture.
"Come in."
Kiyohara called.
The door slowly opened.
Shisui walked inside.
Today, he wore a black high-collared robe.
The raised collar covered nearly half his neck, leaving only his Adam's apple visible.
His short black hair had grown slightly longer since the last time they met, with several strands hanging down to cover his eyebrows.
Another person followed behind him.
Uchiha Tekka.
Tekka was also wearing a high-collared outfit today.
His pace was noticeably faster than usual, and there was an excitement on his face that he simply could not hide.
"Hokage-sama."
Shisui stopped in front of Kiyohara and respectfully bowed.
Tekka immediately bowed as well.
"Hokage-sa..."
He only managed a single word before suddenly freezing.
Just a few years ago...
He and Kiyohara had been classmates at the Shinobi Academy.
Back then, he had simply called him "Kiyohara."
Never once had he addressed him as "Hokage."
But now...
Kiyohara sat before him.
He himself stood respectfully below.
What a tragedy.
Tekka still remembered challenging Kiyohara to spar several years ago.
Now...
An enormous wall stood between them.
"...Hokage-sama."
Kiyohara looked at Tekka.
"There's no need to be so formal."
He stood up and walked directly toward him.
"Have you made up your mind?"
"I have."
Tekkka nodded firmly, the tension on his face already replaced by excitement.
"I am willing to undergo the Hashirama Cell transplant."
Kiyohara nodded.
"I'll personally perform this operation."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"Go back and make your preparations. The surgery will be this afternoon in the operating room at Konoha Hospital."
"Yes, sir!"
Tekkka's voice became loud and energetic once again.
He turned around and strode toward the door. Just as he reached it, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Kiyohara.
His mouth opened slightly, as though he wanted to say something.
In the end, however, he simply nodded, pushed open the door, and walked out.
Shisui also gave Kiyohara a slight bow before turning to follow Tekkka.
The door closed behind them.
Silence returned to the room.
Rin stood up and walked over to Kiyohara's side.
"Kiyohara-kun, do you need me to assist with the operation?"
she asked.
Kiyohara turned to look at her.
"Sure."
Rin smiled.
She was about to say something when she suddenly noticed Kiyohara's gaze lingering on her neck.
Her face instantly flushed crimson.
"Kiyohara-kun..."
Instinctively, she raised a hand to cover her neck and took half a step backward.
But Kiyohara had already moved closer.
She could feel his warm breath brushing gently against the skin of her neck with every exhale.
In that instant, the air seemed to become scorching hot, as though something were quietly burning across the surface of her skin.
Kiyohara slipped an arm around her slender waist, his palm resting against her back.
Then his hand slowly slid downward.
Rin's entire body tensed.
She bit her lower lip, arched her neck, and let out a muffled whimper that she desperately tried to suppress.
Her fingers clutched tightly at Kiyohara's sleeve until her knuckles turned white.
Only after a long while did the rapid rise and fall of her chest gradually calm.
Her heavy breathing slowly softened, like the sea after the tide had receded, still carrying gentle ripples across its surface.
"Should I postpone the operation until tomorrow?"
Kiyohara held her gently, allowing her to lean against his chest and rest.
He lowered his head.
A soft touch brushed against his neck.
It was Rin's lips.
She rested them lightly against his neck, her lips parting ever so slightly, as though she wanted to say something, yet also as though she wanted to bite him.
Kiyohara could easily imagine what she looked like at that moment.
Her face was completely red, her brown eyes glistening with moisture. Too embarrassed to put her feelings into words, she could only express her protest in this quiet way.
"No, Kiyohara-kun."
Her voice came out muffled against his neck.
"We should prepare for the operation as soon as possible."
The corners of Kiyohara's lips curved upward.
Knowing how shy Rin was, he held back his laughter.
At noon.
When Kiyohara walked out of Konoha Hospital, the sun was blazing overhead.
Rin had already gone back to rest.
She needed to recover her energy before the afternoon surgery.
Standing at the hospital entrance, Kiyohara slowly closed his eyes.
His sensory ability spread outward like an invisible web, expanding from his body until it covered the entirety of Konoha.
The streets.
The buildings.
The crowds.
The Shinobi Academy.
The Hokage Tower.
The training grounds.
Every single chakra signature appeared vividly within his perception.
Very quickly, he found the people he was looking for.
Two chakra signatures.
One ahead of the other.
They were moving leisurely along the commercial district on the southern side of the village.
Kiyohara opened his eyes.
The next instant, his figure vanished from where he stood.
The southern commercial district of Konoha.
This was one of the busiest places in the village.
Shops lined both sides of the street.
Dango shops.
Fruit stalls.
Shinobi tool stores.
Flower shops.
Fabric stores.
One signboard stood beside another without a gap between them.
It was lunchtime, and the streets were crowded with people.
Shinobis hurried along with purposeful strides while merchants loudly called out to attract customers.
Konan walked in front.
Today, she was not wearing her ANBU uniform.
Instead, she had changed into casual clothing.
Her short blue hair was pinned up neatly with a hairpin, exposing the smooth white curve of her neck.
Even so, the animal mask still covered most of her face.
Hikari followed behind her.
She was still wearing the dark blue shinobi outfit she had on when she first awakened from the seal.
After spending the previous evening becoming familiar with this strange new world, Hikari had finally begun to accept all these dazzling sights around her.
Her gaze stopped at a roadside stall.
It was a taiyaki stand.
More than a dozen fish-shaped pastries were arranged neatly on the hot iron griddle.
Their golden brown crusts crackled softly as steam drifted upward.
The sweet aroma of red bean filling mixed with the fragrance of freshly baked batter, drifting through the air with the breeze.
Hikari stood there motionless, staring at the taiyaki.
Konan walked several more steps before noticing that the person behind her had stopped following.
She turned around.
Hikari was still looking at the taiyaki.
Behind the mask, one of Konan's eyebrows twitched slightly.
She walked back, took some money from her pocket, and handed it to the vendor.
"Two."
The vendor quickly packed two taiyaki into a paper bag and handed them over.
Konan accepted the bag and gave one of them to Hikari.
Hikari lowered her head and looked at the paper bag in her hands.
The warmth seeped through the paper into her palms.
She picked up the taiyaki and took a bite.
The crust was crisp.
The filling was soft and smooth.
The sweetness of the red bean paste melted across her tongue.
Hikari's eyes widened ever so slightly.
She said nothing.
She simply took another bite.
Then another.
She ate with complete concentration.
Although her expression remained unchanged, both of her cheeks gradually puffed out from the food inside her mouth.
She looked like a squirrel tasting nuts for the first time, creating an unexpectedly adorable contrast with her usually emotionless face.
"You've never eaten these before?"
Konan asked.
After swallowing the food in her mouth, Hikari shook her head.
"No."
Her voice remained calm.
"I've only eaten compressed military rations before."
"I see."
Konan nodded slightly.
Compressed shinobi rations were usually high in calories, packed with nutrition, and easy to preserve.
Their only flaw was that they tasted like chewing wax.
Looking at Hikari's puffed cheeks, Konan suddenly understood why Kiyohara had insisted on bringing her out of the mountain.
A moment later, she noticed that Hikari kept glancing back toward the taiyaki stall.
Without saying anything, Konan bought several more for her.
By the time they were finished, Hikari had eaten seven of them altogether.
Just then, a familiar figure emerged from the crowd.
Kiyohara walked over to the two of them.
"How are you adjusting?"
he asked as he looked at Hikari.
Hikari stuffed the last bite of taiyaki into her mouth, chewed slowly, and swallowed it.
Konan briefly explained the situation to Kiyohara.
Even Kiyohara had not expected Hikari to enjoy taiyaki this much.
"You won't need to eat compressed rations anymore."
He looked at her steadily.
"You also won't have to live as a weapon of war anymore. As long as you follow my orders, you can live like everyone else during the rest of your time."
Hikari froze.
She slowly raised her head.
Her black eyes reflected Kiyohara's face.
Follow orders.
Live a normal life.
Hearing those two ideas together felt indescribably unfamiliar to her.
Back in the Warring States Era, only the first half had ever existed.
Obey orders.
Carry out missions.
Return to the underground cell.
Wait for the next command.
The cycle repeated endlessly.
There was no end to it.
As for what a normal life even meant, she had never thought about it.
No one had ever asked whether she wanted one.
Yet now, Kiyohara had added the second half to that sentence.
"...Mm."
Not knowing how to respond, she simply nodded.
Looking at her reaction, Kiyohara understood everything.
It was not because he possessed extraordinary charm or because Hikari accepted him unusually quickly.
It was because she had been deprived of affection for far too long.
Ever since childhood, she had been raised as nothing more than a weapon for war.
Her parents had died young.
Her clansmen had treated her as a tool.
Her enemies had regarded her as a monster.
Throughout her life, she had received almost no kindness that did not come with an ulterior motive.
Someone like her was the easiest to win over.
A little warmth was enough to light up her entire world.
Kiyohara did not continue the topic.
"You two keep looking around."
He said to Konan before turning around and walking back the way he had come.
Konan watched his back disappear into the crowd.
Then she turned to Hikari.
Hikari was still standing there with her head lowered, quietly looking at the now empty paper bag in her hands.
"Come on,"
Konan said.
"There's a dango shop further ahead."
Hikari raised her head and silently followed after her.
That afternoon.
Konoha Hospital.
Operating room.
The shadowless surgical lamps hung from the ceiling, their cold white light illuminating every corner of the room without leaving a single shadow.
Rin had already arrived ahead of schedule.
Standing beside the operating table, she carefully checked and counted the surgical instruments.
Beneath her white lab coat, she wore a purple high-neck sweater.
The collar completely covered her neck, reaching all the way up to her jaw.
"Isn't that a little hot?"
Kiyohara's voice came from the doorway.
Rin looked up at him.
"What do you think?"
There was a hint of playful reproach in her voice.
If I didn't wear a turtleneck, how else would I hide those love marks?
Rin really wanted to say exactly that.
Kiyohara smiled faintly and walked over to the other side of the operating table.
"I'll be more careful next time."
"There's going to be a next time?"
Rin glared at him, but the corners of her eyes were filled with gentle charm instead of anger, making the look completely lacking in intimidation.
The two of them spent another few minutes discussing the finer details of the operation.
Rin carefully counted every instrument on the surgical tray once again.
Scalpel.
Hemostatic forceps.
Suturing needle.
Chakra conduction probe.
After a while, the door opened.
Uchiha Tekka walked in.
He had already changed into a surgical gown, the loose light blue fabric hanging comfortably over his body.
His complexion was noticeably paler than it had been that morning, and his lips looked slightly dry.
Now that the operation was truly about to begin, it was obvious that he could not completely suppress his nervousness.
"Lie down."
Kiyohara gestured toward the operating table.
Tekka took a deep breath, walked over, and slowly lay down.
The bright white light from the surgical lamp shone directly onto his face, causing him to instinctively narrow his eyes.
Kiyohara raised one hand.
A strand of chakra, as thin as a single hair, extended from his fingertip and pierced into the chakra pathway in Tekka's neck.
Local anesthesia.
Tekka could clearly feel the sensation below his chest gradually disappearing.
It did not hurt.
However, the feeling of losing control over his own body was even more unsettling than pain itself.
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the operating table.
"Relax. You'll be fine."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
Tekka swallowed nervously before nodding.
Kiyohara picked up the scalpel.
Its blade reflected a cold gleam beneath the surgical light.
The location he had chosen was the left side of Tekka's chest, directly above the heart.
This was one of the body's largest chakra network junctions.
Only by implanting the cells into an area with a dense concentration of chakra pathways could enough of the host's ocular power be mobilized quickly enough to suppress the rapid proliferation of the Hashirama Cells.
Furthermore, Madara himself had also performed the transplant in the same location.
The scalpel descended.
A fine incision appeared across the skin.
Rin stood beside Kiyohara with a pair of hemostatic forceps already in her hand.
Her eyes never left the movement of his scalpel, prepared at any moment to stop any bleeding.
Kiyohara's movements remained incredibly steady.
Tekka's chest was gradually opened, revealing the beating heart beneath.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Protected by the ribs, the heart pulsed with powerful strength, each contraction sending blood coursing throughout the body.
Kiyohara set the scalpel down and picked up a pair of forceps from the instrument tray.
Rin also lifted another pair of forceps and carefully picked up a tiny white piece of flesh from the culture container.
White Zetsu tissue.
The fragment was extremely small, barely the size of a fingernail.
Kiyohara accepted it and gently placed it into the incision within Tekka's chest.
Now came the true challenge.
Connecting the chakra network.
The human chakra pathway system was extraordinarily complex.
From the largest chakra nodes all the way down to the smallest cellular mitochondria, every level was interconnected in an intricate hierarchy.
To connect the chakra pathways of foreign cells with those of the host required precision down to the cellular level.
Ordinary shinobi surgeons needed specialized instruments in order to perform such delicate work.
Kiyohara, however, possessed both the Byakugan and the Sharingan.
He had no need for such cumbersome equipment.
Three tomoe emerged within his Sharingan and slowly began to rotate.
Through the Sharingan's vision, Tekka's chakra network became perfectly visible.
Blue chakra flowed throughout his body like countless glowing rivers.
Some channels were thick.
Others were thin.
Main arteries branched into innumerable smaller tributaries, weaving together into an immense three-dimensional web.
Kiyohara began the connection process.
His chakra transformed into countless threads even finer than human hair.
Each thread located a severed chakra pathway within the White Zetsu cells before delicately connecting and securing it to the corresponding pathway in Tekka's body.
The invasive nature of the Hashirama Cells far surpassed that of ordinary cells.
The instant they began merging with Tekka's chakra network, an overwhelming life force erupted from their nuclei.
It surged violently through the newly connected pathways, spreading rapidly throughout his entire body.
The power was simply too immense.
The local anesthesia was overwhelmed almost instantly, its effects completely shattered.
Tekka's eyes flew open.
"AAAHHH!"
A heart wrenching scream burst from his throat.
It was so loud that it resembled the desperate squeal of a pig being slaughtered.
Yet at that very same moment, his eyes underwent a dramatic transformation.
The three tomoe within his Sharingan spun wildly.
Their speed became so great that they were almost impossible to see clearly.
Immense ocular power erupted from his eyes and poured into every chakra pathway throughout his body.
Kiyohara ignored Tekka's screams entirely.
He continued connecting the remaining severed pathways one after another.
"Kiyohara-kun!"
"Almost finished."
Kiyohara answered without even looking up.
Rin bit her lower lip and continued assisting him.
Finally...
The last chakra pathway was successfully connected.
Kiyohara withdrew the countless chakra threads and immediately began suturing the incision.
At the same time, a startling transformation began upon Tekka's chest.
The implanted area had originally been nothing more than a tiny white patch.
Now, however, the surrounding skin began to assimilate.
The white tissue spread rapidly outward.
The flesh gradually bulged.
Then sank inward.
The shape continued changing until, at last, it formed a human face.
The facial features of Hashirama slowly became visible.
"It's finished."
Kiyohara set down the suturing needle.
He raised one hand.
A layer of green chakra appeared across his palm before he pressed it gently against Tekka's chest.
Warm Yang Release chakra seeped into the wound, dramatically accelerating its healing.
Then Kiyohara released a small burst of chakra.
Tekka's body trembled.
Having fainted from the unbearable pain, he slowly regained consciousness.
"You're finally awake. The surgery was a complete success."
Tekka gasped heavily for breath.
Supporting himself with one hand against the edge of the operating table, he slowly sat upright.
Then he lowered his head.
He saw it.
On the left side of his chest...
There was a face.
The First Hokage's face.
Its eyes remained tightly shut as though asleep.
Tekka's own face instantly turned deathly pale.
Even paler than when he had been losing blood moments earlier.
He was so terrified that he nearly fell right off the operating table.
"Th... th... this..."
His lips trembled uncontrollably.
One shaking finger pointed toward the face growing from his chest.
"What... what is this?"
"A very insignificant price."
Kiyohara answered calmly.
"Now try testing your strength."
Tekka opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But every word became lodged inside his throat.
He took a long, deep breath, forcibly suppressing the horrifying feeling crawling over his skin.
Supporting himself on the operating table, he slowly stood up.
Kiyohara handed him a clean shirt.
Tekka accepted it and quickly put it on.
The shirt completely covered the face growing from his chest.
He rolled his shoulders once before clenching both fists.
Only then did he realize something astonishing.
The amount of chakra within his body had increased dramatically compared to before.
Even more shocking...
He could clearly feel that the power contained within his Sharingan had undergone an enormous leap.
The overwhelming joy brought by such explosive growth in strength instantly washed away the fear and disgust he had felt only moments ago.
"This kind of price..."
He hesitated briefly before accepting reality.
"...is nothing."
After all, no one would ever see the face hidden beneath his clothes.
If sacrificing a little appearance could grant such incredible power, then it was a bargain.
Kiyohara nodded.
"Go back and spend some time getting used to it. If you encounter any problems, come to me immediately."
"Understood!"
Tekka nodded vigorously before striding confidently toward the exit.
The door closed behind him.
Silence once again filled the operating room.
Rin removed her bloodstained surgical gloves and tossed them into the disposal bin.
She slowly let out a deep breath as the tension in her shoulders gradually eased.
"It looks like transplanting Hashirama Cells into members of the Uchiha Clan doesn't present any major problems."
After pausing for a moment, she continued,
"Once we've optimized the procedure a little more, we should be able to begin testing transplants on ordinary people."
Kiyohara nodded.
"When that time comes, many disabled shinobi will be able to receive prosthetic limbs that are virtually indistinguishable from normal arms."
After thinking for a moment, he added,
"It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. As long as they function normally and can conduct chakra smoothly, that's more than enough."
Rin nodded in agreement.
She lowered her head and looked quietly at the pair of hands that had just been stained with blood.
If this project truly succeeded...
How many people could it help?
Kiyohara, however, was thinking about something entirely different.
Could Hashirama Cells and White Zetsu cells be used to clone flesh that possessed neither consciousness nor intelligence?
If so...
Could that flesh serve as nourishment for the God Tree?
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
A Chakra Fruit was practically the ultimate shortcut to power.
With sufficient energy, it could instantly create someone possessing top tier combat strength.
Of course...
The prerequisite was having enough energy.
According to the information recorded in Boruto, the Earth itself was an exceptionally rare case.
The Chakra Fruit produced here was vastly larger than the fruits harvested from most other planets.
"I should collect the Tailed Beasts."
Kiyohara stroked his chin as the idea became clearer.
While imprisoned previously, he had already managed to obtain small amounts of chakra from the Two Tails and the Eight Tails.
The Three Tails was currently sealed inside Rin.
Obtaining samples from the remaining Tailed Beasts would not be particularly difficult either.
He simply needed an appropriate excuse to come into contact with their jinchuriki.
Once he had collected enough chakra...
He could seal it into artificial Tailed Beasts.
In theory, those artificial Tailed Beasts should not only function as containers for Dragon Vein chakra, but should also be capable of serving as vessels for the chakra of the other Tailed Beasts as well.
If that proved true...
He could completely bypass the need for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Would Kaguya still have some hidden contingency plan?
Even if she did...
If Kiyohara carefully controlled the artificial Tailed Beasts from the very beginning, keeping their strength within a predetermined limit...
Then prepared an appropriate fuinjutsu technique in advance...
Would it be possible...
To capture...
Kaguya herself?
(End of Chapter)