"Rescue Obito?"
Kiyohara shook his head internally. 'You have to ask Madara Uchiha if he agrees to that.'
Madara chose Obito precisely because he saw the extreme selfishness beneath the boy's kind exterior. In the Ninja World, tragedy is inevitable. Even without Madara, Obito was a powder keg waiting for a match. The old ghost just provided the lighter fluid.
"Minato-sensei," Kiyohara approached the Yellow Flash, who was staring at the campfire. "After the bridge is destroyed tomorrow... will my merits be enough for a Chunin promotion?"
"Yes," Minato nodded seriously. "It will be more than enough."
This mission was S-rank in difficulty. Kiyohara had performed above and beyond the call of duty. Logically and emotionally, he deserved the vest.
"That's great."
Kiyohara nodded.
Becoming a Chunin meant a pay raise, access to B-rank missions, and social status.
Might Duy had kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into oblivion, yet he died a Genin, mocked by the village until the very end. Rank mattered.
But for Kiyohara, the real prize was internal.
'Did you hear that?' he projected his thought to the urn. 'I'm getting promoted. Can you advance me some abilities now?'
"Talk to me when you actually get the vest, kid," the Missing-nin grumbled.
"Also," the spirit added, his tone shifting. "Once a Dying Wish is set, it can't be modified. I tried to change the terms to include Jonin promotion, but the contract is locked."
"Can't modify it..." Kiyohara stroked his chin.
That meant future "Books of Last Words" were strict contracts. If a future self made a stupid wish like "Eat the world's best ramen," Kiyohara would be forced to become a gourmet hunter just to unlock the power. He needed to be careful.
"Fine. Tomorrow we finish this."
Kiyohara pulled out a scroll he had looted from Taiseki.
Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole.
This jutsu turned the ground into a liquid medium, allowing the user to swim through rock and soil. It was the ultimate escape tool.
'I don't have Earth Nature affinity,' Kiyohara noted. 'But that doesn't mean I can't learn it.'
Innate affinity just meant efficiency.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Shikamaru (a Shadow user) taught the entire Allied Shinobi Forces a basic Earth Wall jutsu to block the Ten-Tails. Thousands of ninja used it, regardless of their nature.
The difference was cost.
For an Earth-user, it cost 10 chakra. For Kiyohara, it would cost 50.
'Inefficient,' Kiyohara concluded, tucking the scroll away. 'But better than being crushed by a rock.'
The Next Day.
Kakashi's condition had stabilized under Rin's care.
The group moved out at first light.
They reached Kannabi Bridge without incident. The massacre of the reinforcement squad yesterday meant the sector was wide open.
"This is it."
Minato looked up at the massive structure. It spanned a deep gorge, wide enough for supply caravans to cross two-abreast. It was the artery of the Iwagakure war machine.
"Plant the charges."
Kiyohara opened Kakashi's pack. It was filled with Explosive Tags.
He began slapping them onto the support pillars and the underside of the arch.
'War burns money,' Kiyohara thought, wincing as he stuck another tag to the stone.
A single tag cost about 300 Ryō. There were easily two hundred tags here. That was 60,000 Ryō going up in smoke.
He resisted the urge to pocket a few. Minato was watching.
"Clear!"
The team retreated to the tree line.
Minato, Kakashi, Rin, and Kiyohara formed the Snake seal simultaneously.
"Katsu!"
BOOM!
A deafening roar shattered the silence of the forest.
Flames erupted along the span of the bridge. The massive stone pillars cracked, groaned, and then gave way.
With a sound like thunder, the Kannabi Bridge collapsed into the river below, sending up a massive cloud of dust and spray.
"Mission Complete."
Kiyohara took one last look at the ruin.
This blow would cripple Iwa's logistics, forcing them to the negotiating table. But the war wouldn't end today. It would drag on until the Five Nations bled themselves dry.
That Night.
A Konoha outpost on the border.
The exhausted squad was welcomed by the garrison.
Minato walked into the command tent.
Sitting there, reading a scroll by candlelight, was a pale man with long black hair and purple markings around his eyes.
"Heh... Minato," Orochimaru smiled, his voice raspy and serpentine. "This mission was exceptionally well done."
Minato bowed respectfully. "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru scanned the report.
"Only one casualty? An Uchiha..."
His yellow eyes narrowed with interest. "And Kakashi Hatake successfully transplanted the Sharingan? Fascinating. Most non-Uchiha bodies reject the eye immediately due to the chakra drain."
"It seems compatibility varies," Minato said shortly. He didn't like Orochimaru discussing his students like lab rats.
"I heard there was also a civilian boy who performed outstandingly?" Orochimaru asked, his tongue flicking over his lip.
Kakashi performing well was expected; he was the White Fang's son.
But this Kiyohara... a nobody who held off a Tokubetsu Jonin and a squad of Chunin single-handedly?
"Yes," Minato confirmed. "Kiyohara's performance was exemplary. I have already submitted his recommendation for Chunin promotion."
"I see..."
"I have to check on my team. Excuse me, Lord Orochimaru."
Minato bowed and left the tent.
As Jiraiya's student, Minato was technically Orochimaru's "martial nephew." He respected the Sannin's rank, but the man's aura always unsettled him.
"Go ahead," Orochimaru waved a hand dismissively.
When the flap closed, Orochimaru set down the scroll.
He stared at the candle flame.
'A civilian boy with sensory talents and combat instincts surpassing a Jonin...'
It reminded him of himself.
Among the Sannin, Orochimaru was the only true "civilian." Tsunade was Senju royalty. Jiraiya was a nobody, yes, but he had the backing of Mount Myōboku and a clan heirloom scroll.
Orochimaru had clawed his way to the top through sheer genius and forbidden knowledge.
"Kiyohara..."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"I should keep an eye on him."
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