Kiyohara leapt down from the tree canopy, still carrying Rin in his arms. Below, Orochimaru stood waiting, flanked by Kakashi and the others who had just regrouped.
"P–Put me down, Kiyohara…"
Rin lowered her head slightly, clearly flustered and embarrassed at still being carried like a princess. Especially with Kakashi watching nearby—what was she supposed to look like in another man's arms?
Kiyohara glanced down at her and couldn't help but chuckle.
'The girls in this world may be shinobi, but they're far more conservative than most women I met in my past life…'
An amusing bit of contrast, really.
"Embarrassed, Rin?"
he said as he gently set her down.
She turned her face away, avoiding his gaze as a blush spread across her cheeks.
"I'm not…"
she quickly denied, brushing a lock of brown hair behind her ear.
Kiyohara noticed her ears and the back of her neck were just as red as her face.
Still, there was no time to dwell on that—
the sounds of battle, jutsu detonations, and dying screams still echoed across the war-torn battlefield.
The enemy hadn't retreated. They were only momentarily held back by Orochimaru's presence.
"Kiyohara, just now… what did you use?"
Kakashi asked while remaining alert.
He was curious. Kiyohara had never shown anything like this before.
He originally thought it was a technique Orochimaru had given Kiyohara—
but judging by Orochimaru's own surprise and inquiry about a bloodline limit, that clearly wasn't the case.
It must be some kind of physical-speed-enhancing Kekkei Genkai…
The shinobi world was vast, filled with strange and rare bloodline limits.
And most of them emerged through mutation.
If they could be passed down stably, they'd eventually form ninja clans—
like the Uchiha, or the Hyūga.
Kiyohara knew he couldn't hide it anymore.
He sheathed his blade and deliberately added some gravity to his expression—
planning to attribute it all to the most convenient scapegoat of all: the "power of bonds."
"I'm not really sure what happened.
I just saw Rin in danger, and… in my panic, I suddenly found myself able to control this iron sand.
Maybe… it's some kind of awakened bloodline ability?"
He made it sound like an accidental, emotion-triggered awakening—
the kind of story that best fits the ideals of the "Will of Fire."
The kind no one would question.
As he spoke, he held out his hand.
Fine grains of black sand began to swirl from the earth and gather in his palm, coalescing into a visible iron-sand mist.
"!"
Rin's eyes widened.
She was still thinking about how she'd treat the wound on her back when she heard Kiyohara say his power had awakened because of her.
Kakashi was silent for a moment.
He thought of Obito…
who had awakened his Sharingan to protect Kakashi.
'Could Kiyohara's power also be born from a desire to protect a comrade?'
His father's story flashed in his mind—
along with Obito's words:
"Those who break the rules are scum… but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."
Could it really be that kind of power?
"Hehehe… how interesting.
This is… Magnet Release, isn't it, Kiyohara-kun?"
Orochimaru's slitted golden eyes gleamed.
He'd seen similar before—Toroi of the Cloud, and Rasa of the Sand.
Both used magnetic power to manipulate iron sand or gold dust.
"Let me create a space for us to talk properly."
He formed hand seals.
Poof. Poof. Poof.
Several shadow clones appeared and spread out—
quickly dealing with the remaining Mist ninja.
Anyone below Orochimaru's level was easily slaughtered by his clones.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were still on route.
After all, this battlefield spanned the size of a whole country.
They had more Mist forces here than expected.
"That burst of speed earlier…
it must've been an instinctive application of magnetic force."
Orochimaru turned back to Kiyohara, intrigued.
After all, Konoha had never produced a Magnet Release user before.
When he'd met Kiyohara at camp earlier, he'd done some investigating.
Third Hokage had confirmed Kiyohara's family had been in the village since its founding.
But maybe Kiyohara's more distant ancestors had lived outside the Land of Fire.
Perhaps the bloodline had only recently mutated or reawakened.
Maybe—just maybe—Kiyohara would be the founder of a Magnet Release Clan in Konoha.
That would make Konoha the third village, after Suna and Kumo, to host Magnet Release.
"Perhaps so, Lord Orochimaru,"
Kiyohara replied with a nod.
He came from a loyal, long-time Konoha family.
His grandfather had been among the first to settle when the village was formed.
Not like the Uchiha—whose political alignment had always been suspect.
Magnet Release wasn't some world-breaking power.
Even Yakumo Kurama could bend reality with her illusions, and no one made a fuss.
"Still… I'm grateful I awakened this ability.
Now I can finally contribute more to the village—and to you, Lord Orochimaru."
Kiyohara said earnestly.
He knew Orochimaru was one of the legendary Sannin.
There was no harm in aligning himself with such a powerful figure.
Especially since Orochimaru, for now, hadn't fully gone dark.
He wouldn't start experimenting on villagers until he'd been pushed out of Konoha—
until he'd lost faith in it.
'Someone like Orochimaru…
if he really wanted to experiment, would he only grab villagers from Konoha?
No—his later cruelty was a form of silent rebellion against Hiruzen Sarutobi.'
"Hehe…
Just having that mindset is enough, Kiyohara-kun."
Orochimaru gave a smile—his vertical pupils never leaving Kiyohara's face.
After a few moments, he reached into his robes and tossed over a scroll.
"There's not much point in keeping you here now.
Join the Hyūga clan's main family for the first wave of evacuees.
That scroll contains my personal orders."
Orochimaru had officially upgraded Kiyohara's value in his mind.
Such a precious specimen—far too valuable to waste.
A living subject is always more useful than a dead one.
"This—Understood, Lord Orochimaru."
Kiyohara's heart surged with joy, but he bowed quickly, masking his expression.
He knew better than to try acting in front of someone like Orochimaru.
Better to keep his face hidden and let the body language speak.
While they spoke, Orochimaru's clones had finished off the remaining 40+ Mist nin.
"That direction—go."
Orochimaru pointed toward the rear.
Continue west and they'd reach the coastline on the far side of the Whirlpool Country.
The Hyūga main family was already heading there.
A boat would be waiting for swift evacuation.
Abandoning the Whirlpool defense line…
preserving Konoha's core forces was the only logical choice.