At that moment, not far from Kiyohara's group, two Kirigakure squads crept through the ruins, veiled by the dense sea mist.
One of the squads had an unusual composition: it included Terumī Mei and a youth with a deathly pale complexion, whose fervent eyes burned with madness—Kaguya Masaru of the Kaguya clan.
"Cough… cough cough…"
Masaru suddenly clutched his mouth, suppressing a violent cough. A trace of dark red leaked through his fingers.
He bore the Kaguya clan's iconic white hair and refined features, but his sunken eyes and ragged breath revealed his frail health.
"Masaru, are you okay?"
Mei frowned and asked softly. Even within the infamous "Bloody Mist," she still cherished her comrades.
Masaru waved her off, wiping the blood from his lips with a twisted smile:
"It's nothing, Mei. Just the small price of power."
His gaze turned toward the fog ahead, filled with desire.
"I just want to witness this world's brilliance before my life burns out. I heard you ran into a guy named Kiyohara last time? Even Ao-senpai fell to him?"
He paused, then glanced at Mei with interest.
"I noticed you didn't mention Hatake Kakashi much after returning, but you've brought up Kiyohara several times… He must've made quite an impression. Sounds like a worthy opponent."
His voice was tinged with longing—yearning for a battle that would let him blaze like a comet in his fleeting life.
Mei sighed inwardly. She knew all too well that the stronger the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) within the Kaguya clan, the heavier the Kekkei Disease they suffered.
"Enemy presence ahead. No Byakugan detected."
A Kirigakure sensor had sensed Kiyohara's group approaching. In most ninja engagements, it was the sensory ninja who detected enemies first and guided tactical response.
"Use the Hidden Mist Jutsu," Masaru ordered.
The thick sea mist gave them a terrain advantage. Adding Hidden Mist on top of it would render their opponents nearly blind.
Two Mist-nin stepped forward and formed hand seals, exhaling waves of mist.
Whoosh!
The swirling fog thickened further, becoming almost tangible—vision dropped to near zero.
The sudden disturbance immediately drew attention from Kiyohara's side.
"Damn it, not this again!" said Shiranui Genma, frowning deeply.
The last time they fought Kirigakure in heavy mist, it had been a nightmare.
"This is bad," Kakashi muttered. His Sharingan provided only limited visibility in this density—not nearly as effective as the Byakugan.
As tension mounted, Kiyohara suddenly stepped forward.
"I'll handle this."
He walked into the mist alone, his silhouette thin against the churning fog—but unwavering.
"Kiyohara!"
Rin called out in concern.
Without turning back, he raised his voice:
"My ninja way is to charge forward—always!"
Then he reached into his pouch.
Ever since their last defeat in heavy mist, he'd been thinking of a way to turn the tables.
Even with help from his future self, he knew he couldn't always rely on that.
"Oh? You actually brought that?"
The spirit of Magnet Release Kiyohara hovered nearby, chuckling at what he saw in Kiyohara's pouch.
Within the fog, Kaguya Masaru used his clan's heightened perception to sense Kiyohara's movements. He smirked and said to Mei:
"To stand alone against us in this mist… bold! He's worthy of being my opponent."
His blood burned with excitement.
Mei, however, frowned.
Something didn't feel right.
This Kiyohara didn't strike her as the hot-blooded fool type.
"Masaru… be careful. He might be—"
Before she could finish, Kiyohara made his move!
Contrary to what Masaru expected, he didn't perform powerful ninjutsu or charge in with his blade.
Instead, he pulled out a few dull gray pouches and flung their powdered contents into the fog!
Then, moving quickly, he formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A wide, surging gust erupted from his mouth, sweeping the powder into the mist like a roaring gray dragon!
The powder mixed with the fog, forming a choking, burning cloud—
Quicklime!
"Cough—! My eyes!!"
"Damn it—what is this?!"
"Back off! The powder's caustic—Don't use Water Release!"
The Kirigakure side erupted into chaos. Quicklime, when wet, heats up and becomes highly alkaline—dangerous and painful on contact.
"What the—?"
Masaru's look of admiration froze into disbelief.
He thought he'd be facing a gifted, honorable genius—not a trap-setting scoundrel!
Where was the pride?! Where was the style?!
Mei barely managed to counter with a Water Wall, shielding herself from most of the blast.
But the others weren't so lucky. The scene around her was pure chaos and howling.
This bastard!
On Konoha's side, Kurenai stared wide-eyed.
"Again… he used that move again…"
She remembered when Kiyohara used a similar trick against Iwagakure shinobi.
If Kiyohara were to get a moniker like Namikaze Minato's "Yellow Flash," she thought, he'd definitely be called:
"The Lime Shinobi of Konoha."
Kakashi's expression tightened. Dirty or not, it worked.
"Now! Attack!"
Shiranui Genma grinned, eyes flashing as he looked at Kiyohara's retreating back.
"This kid… really is something!"
Rin breathed a sigh of relief. She believed in Kiyohara—whatever method he used, he always had a reason.
At the mist's edge, Kiyohara stood calmly, listening to the screams and curses echoing within.
To him, ninja weren't about honor or theatrics.
They were assassins—stealthy, deceptive, ruthless.
Obsession with "honorable combat" was outdated and foolish.
Survival—and mission success—was the true measure of a shinobi.
He slowly drew his ninja blade and pulled a cloth mask over his face, much like Kakashi's—only this one covered even his eyes, leaving just two viewing lenses.
The hunt was on.
Time to earn some money.