"Kiyoshi, be careful!" Katsuyu warned.
"Understood, Lady Katsuyu," Kiyoshi replied with a polite honorific.
Despite her humble and gentle demeanor toward everyone, she was the Katsuyu Sage of Shikkotsu Forestāa being of immense power and high status. It was highly probable she belonged to the same era as the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage.
Unlike snakes or toads, the slugs in Shikkotsu Forest were all clones of the original Katsuyu Sage. Aside from her, the only other famous slug was Saiken, the Six-Tails.
"He's coming."
Katsuyu spoke, injecting her chakra into Kiyoshi. He felt a refreshing, cool sensation surge through his body.
*Thump!*
He raised his arm, blocking the strike of the Third Raikage's four fingers. Those fingers were wrapped in violent electric arcs, emitting sharp, crackling pops.
"[Lightning Style Chakra Mode]... To have reached such a level of mastery at your age, you're already comparable to my son," the Third Raikage remarked in disbelief.
However, his hands didn't stop. Kiyoshi and the Third Raikage moved like two streaks of rapid lightning, dancing and interlacing. Every clash produced air bursts and brilliant sparks. It was impossible to tell if the sparks came from Kiyoshi's blade or the Raikage's steel-like skin!
As time passed, the two exchanged over three hundred blows in a single minute. Throughout the fight, the Raikage's admiration for Kiyoshi grew stronger. His hand shifted from four fingers to three, with signs of reducing further.
"Your physical talent is excellent; you've perfectly inherited the Yotsuki bloodline. You belong to our Hidden Cloud," the Third Raikage said, extending a hand as if inviting him.
Kiyoshi took a slight breath, his consumed chakra recovering rapidly. The Katsuyu clone on his shoulder, having delivered its last bit of chakra, vanished in a puff of smoke. Being a small clone, the amount of chakra it could carry was limited.
Size dictated the maximum chakra capacity for these summoned beasts, which was why they usually grew to such gargantuan proportions.
"Come back from the Hidden Leaf. With your talent, you will be highly valued by the village," the Third Raikage said calmly.
Both stopped fighting at that moment. Gray fog and sand still blanketed the area; they could only sense each other's chakra fluctuations.
*Rumble!*
The collapse of the mountain terrain hadn't stopped. Kiyoshi could occasionally hear the noisy shouts of the Stone ninjas above, sometimes mixed with Tsunade calling his name. He knew he couldn't stay here long.
If those Stone ninjas engaged Tsunade, they would eventually discover her hemophobia. Kiyoshi didn't want Tsunade to die here; she was the best medical ninja and would be very useful in the future.
"Third Raikage, the Leaf has given me much. May I ask what you can offer me?" Kiyoshi spoke, responding to the proposal.
"You copied the Land of Lightning's Nintaijutsu in a mere moment. That means your body is perfectly suited for these techniques. The Hidden Cloud's library of ninjutsu will be open to you."
The Third Raikage opened his arms. He was known as a hot-tempered brute to most, but as a Kage, he was a deep thinker. It was just that, most of the time, absolute strength solved every problem.
"I've finally managed to integrate into the Leaf. If I return to the Cloud, wouldn't I just be ostracized again?" Kiyoshi spoke, sounding moved but then shaking his head as if recalling something.
The Raikage couldn't see Kiyoshi's face, but he judged his movements based on the tone of his voice and the subtle shifts of dust in the air. He sensed Kiyoshi's... hesitation.
The Third Raikage grinned. "Don't worry. Once I return, I will personally clear the air for you. Your being taken to the Leaf was just bad luckārunning into Leaf ninjas. And in terms of relations, you are actually a distant nephew of the previous Raikage."
His tone grew heavier. If Kiyoshi hadn't lived in such a remote place, allowing those Uchiha to get to him first, things wouldn't be this troublesome. Every time he thought of it, the Raikage felt the frustration of having his treasure stolen.
Given his age, Kiyoshi was ready to "sow seeds." How much new vitality could he contribute to the next generation of the Cloud? A combination of the Sharingan's insight and the Yotsuki clan's neural reflexes... it would be a race born for battle! Even without awakening the Sharingan, they'd have the powerful Yotsuki physique as a baseline.
"But..."
Hearing the lingering doubt in Kiyoshi's voice, the Third Raikage said, "The Stone ninjas will surround this place soon. How about this? I'll give you these."
The Third Raikage began to recite the secrets and training methods of several Lightning Style techniques. He spoke quickly, stopping after just a few minutes.
"These are some of the Lightning techniques I know. You should have heard of the Black Lightning that only I can use."
This was his original creation. No one else in the village could learn it, making it the perfect show of sincerity. By speaking quickly, he assumed the amount Kiyoshi could remember would be limitedājust enough to give him a taste of how exquisite Cloud ninjutsu was.
"I've heard of it."
Kiyoshi felt a surge of joy and surprise. He thought the Raikage would try to take him by force, but the man actually had the brains to use recruitment tactics. Truly, one should never treat others as fools.
Kiyoshi's mind replayed every bit of knowledge he had just heard. Every time the Sharingan evolved, the ocular power fed back into the body. The brain was part of that feedback. With the dual enhancement of the Sharingan and his Traits, Kiyoshi easily memorized the words.
[You have realized the Trait: [Photographic Memory (Blue)]
[Trait: Photographic Memory (Blue)]
[Requirement: Memorize more than 3,000 words at once.]
[Progress: (Completed).]
[Effect: Your brain has reached a qualitative change; your subconscious will remember everything you wish to remember. You have become someone with a photographic memory. Anything you see once will be clearly etched in your mind.
Your 'Intelligence' stat is increased by 40% on its original basis.]
[Note: This can be further upgraded later.]
'My physical foundation is getting better, making it easier to trigger Traits,' Kiyoshi thought. This was effectively hyperthymesia, but without the suffering of being forced to remember things he didn't want to.
"Then let's agree to meet next week in the Land of Grass... right here. I hope to see you then," the Raikage stated a location. The subtext was clear: if he didn't show up, more aggressive measures would be taken. In the chaos of war, any ninja could be sent to the front lines, making it easy to kidnap someone.
"No problem," Kiyoshi agreed.
The Raikage was just trying to intimidate him. Unfortunately, this place would become the Raikage's grave. The future meeting was a moot point.
Seeing Kiyoshi agree so readily, the Raikage relaxed slightly. He wanted to test him further, but the environment didn't allow it. Stone ninjas had already infiltrated the area. The gray fog and dust were thinning under the sweep of Wind Style.
"They're here!" a Stone ninja shouted.
*Squelch!*
The Third Raikage's hand-blade cleaved the ninja apart, scattering blood and meat. However, Stone ninjas from other directions began to pour in. They used Earth Style to reinforce the mountain walls, preventing further collapse.
Earth Style: Moving Earth Core!
Multiple Stone ninjas formed hand signs simultaneously. This jutsu could raise or lower terrain; with enough ninjas, they could literally move mountains.
The sunken mountain structure began to rise. The earth groaned heavily again. Kiyoshi felt his position ascending.
"Both of you stay here!"
Once the terrain had risen to a certain point, Kitsuchi joined his hands. Several elite Jonin beside him did the same.
Earth Style: Mountain Sandwich Technique!
This was Kitsuchi's most powerful jutsu. It created two massive earthen hemispheres to crush the target. Legend said the creator of this move once used it to stop a Tailed Beast. Now, they didn't even need to expend chakra to create earth; they just pulled the surrounding mountain walls together.
The walls began to close in rapidly. The observant Stone ninjas had already evacuated, leaving behind a few as bait.
"Kiyoshi, get up here!"
The commotion caught Tsunade's attention. She stood atop the massive Katsuyu, black markings appearing on her face. She had activated the Strength of a Hundred Seal, releasing her stored chakra.
"Hurry!" she urged.
The jutsu was clearly intended to bury Kiyoshi and the Raikage alive. No ninja could survive the weight of a mountain.
"Too late," Kitsuchi smiled. If he achieved the feat of killing the Third Raikage, his father would finally see him in a new light.
The Leaf had the "Will of Fire," but the Stone had its own spirit: the "Will of Stone," symbolizing steadfastness and unyielding strength.
*Rumble!*
The Third Raikage's figure was like a bolt of lightning, running up the mountain walls and using them as leverage. Unfortunately, the ninjas above had preparedāthe "lids" of stone were slamming shut.
***
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