Below were the square earthen blocks formed by the Moving Earth Core; to the left and right were the mountain walls rapidly clamping shut. The path above was being sealed off bit by bit.
It was a picture of a dead end.
'It's time to leave this place,' Kiyoshi thought.
The gains from this trip were far better than he had expected. With the Lightning Style ninjutsu he had just acquired, it should be enough to complete the progress for his [Lightning Style Jonin (Purple)] Trait. To escape this place, he had to push his speed to the absolute limit.
Without delay, Kiyoshi kicked off the ground, leaving a web of cracks behind as he leaped upward. A skilled ninja can release chakra from any point on their body. Possessing the [Lightning Style Chakra Mode], Kiyoshi began to vent even more Lightning chakra from every chakra point across his entire body.
The Lightning chakra coiled around him like silver serpents, and the high-speed, spiraling current wove a precision electromagnetic net across his skin.
Electricity can generate magnetism. Furthermore, when a current is strong enough, it can generate a vertical lift within a magnetic field. This was basic physics—knowledge every student had learned. Kiyoshi was no exception.
Now that his chakra control met the requirements, the countless hypotheses in his mind could finally be tested through experimentation.
First second: Kiyoshi glowed with intense thunder, resembling a burning orb of lightning.
Second second: A rhythmic vibration pulsed through the air. Upon closer inspection, one could see the dust motes aligning in a specific direction under the pull of magnetic force. Sunlight filtered through the remaining gaps in the closing stone "lid," making the arcs dancing on Kiyoshi and the surrounding dust appear ethereal and kaleidoscopic. The light and shadow around him trembled and overlapped, creating afterimages.
Third second: Kiyoshi shot out like a shooting star. His form solidified, the afterimages vanishing. This was because the surrounding dust could no longer keep up with his speed; it was discarded before the magnetism could even pull it in!
'Is that kid not going to make it out?,' the Third Raikage wondered.
Even with his own speed, it was a bit of a stretch. At his current pace, he estimated he would escape at the exact moment the trap snapped shut. But Kiyoshi... it was a gamble.
First, the boy lacked combat experience. Second, his [Lightning Style Chakra Mode] was inferior to his own; after all, the Raikage had spent a lifetime tempering it, an area Kiyoshi couldn't master in such a short time.
If he made it out and Kiyoshi didn't, it wouldn't be worth losing a precious Yotsuki bloodline. If the worst happened, he would just have to dig out the boy's Sharingan after he died. Perhaps if another member of the Yotsuki clan transplanted it, the side effects wouldn't be so severe.
Thinking this, the Third Raikage couldn't help but glance back down. That single look left him in utter shock. Kiyoshi, who had been below him, leaped up and overtook him in the blink of an eye. Then, he zipped through the closing gap in the stone lid above.
Once outside, Kiyoshi caught Tsunade in his arms and flew even higher into the sky.
"Sss..."
The lightning on Kiyoshi's body dissipated, replaced by bursts of white steam rising from his skin. This was his muscles tearing under the strain of the current. Between the rapid healing and the tearing, white smoke hissed continuously.
"Release Lady Katsuyu's summoning," Kiyoshi said, gritting his teeth against the pain. This move was still in its prototype stage and needed further refinement. If Minato Namikaze's body had attempted this, his muscles would likely have shredded under the violent arcs, causing permanent damage to his meridian system.
"...Alright," Tsunade nodded. She was also stunned by Kiyoshi's speed. Instinctively, she allowed herself to be held by him as they soared into the high altitude.
After dismissing Katsuyu, a pale green light appeared in Tsunade's hands. She placed them on Kiyoshi's chest, using her medical ninjutsu to heal his body. Upon contact, she immediately felt his robust strength and vitality.
Tsunade had seen strong men before. Jiraiya, for instance, was a rare example of a tall and powerful ninja in the Leaf. Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall with a burly frame, he was much larger than most.
But Jiraiya's muscles weren't... aesthetically pleasing like Kiyoshi's. That was the only word Tsunade could find for it. Beneath his clothes, every muscle contour was in the perfect place. A physique like this could win bodybuilding competitions in the larger cities of the Land of Fire.
"What's wrong?" Kiyoshi looked down at Tsunade. He was currently holding her in a bridal carry.
"It's nothing," Tsunade replied, her face reddening slightly. After a moment of internal musing, she quickly adjusted her mindset. She wasn't a shallow woman.
Seeing her expression, Kiyoshi seemed to have an epiphany. If he remembered correctly, even at seventy years old during the Boruto era, Tsunade remained a virgin despite her youthful appearance.
Dan Kato had died before they could truly be together. Her only real intimate contact had been during the Fourth Shinobi World War, when Danzo's soul entered her mental world and kissed her forehead. In this current timeline, none of that had happened yet.
While he mused, the white snake in his sleeve flicked its tongue, licking at his wounds.
"Am I too heavy?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask. Flying alone and flying with two people were very different concepts.
"Not heavy," Kiyoshi shook his head.
At this moment, Tsunade was fully cradled in his arms. Her curvaceous and graceful figure was on full display, especially "the hearts of the people." They pressed heavily against Kiyoshi.
While it was a bit weighty, it also gave his ocular power a slight boost. Being this close, he could smell a fragrance unique to her—the scent of forest greenery and wood.
'As expected of the Senju of the Forest,'. Kiyoshi thought.
Under the combined healing of the snake, the woman, and his own medical ninjutsu, his body recovered rapidly. A moment later, at Kiyoshi's signal, the white snake dove into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a Food Pill in its mouth for him. After swallowing it, his chakra recovery accelerated.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm going to fly higher."
Kiyoshi looked down. The Third Raikage had just emerged from below, his dark, tower-like body standing tall on the earth. The swarming Stone ninjas were closing in again. Some had even begun forming hand signs directed at them.
There were many long-range Earth Style techniques, such as [Earth Style: Earth Flow Spear], [Earth Style: Earth and Stone Dragon], and [Earth Style: Rock Staff]. At their current altitude, they could still reach him.
Electric arcs flickered beneath Kiyoshi's feet. He made them rotate again, forming a ring of lightning. The resulting magnetic force pushed him even higher. Once they reached a certain altitude, Kiyoshi deactivated the Lightning Style and used Wind Style to surround himself, gliding on the air currents.
The dizzying array of Earth Style techniques from below reached their limit and began falling back to the ground. Some Stone ninjas dazed off, staring at Kiyoshi carrying Tsunade in the sky, nearly getting hit by their own falling jutsu.
"Fools!" Hikari cursed. He was one of the top experts in the Stone Village. Currently, he was working with another unit to harass the Third Raikage and prevent his escape.
"Bring them down!" Kitsuchi shouted, his voice nearly hoarse. He was both shocked and enraged. Shocked that someone other than his father, Onoki, could use flight ninjutsu; enraged that the intelligence might have been leaked!
"Lord Kitsuchi, that is Kiyoshi Uchiha," a ninja who had heard of Kiyoshi among the ten thousand reported.
"Kiyoshi Uchiha, is it." Kitsuchi etched the name deep into his memory.
"It doesn't matter if they escape. The Third Raikage can't fly. Once we take him down, we can return to the village," Tonizuchi said to Kitsuchi.
Kitsuchi's expression softened slightly. He looked at Kiyoshi, who was flying toward the border of the Land of Waterfalls, and turned his head back. "Mahiru, Taishi, Sumashi..."
He called out a series of names, systematically wearing down the Third Raikage. Perhaps because Kiyoshi taking Tsunade away had made them anxious, their methods and intensity were far greater than in the original timeline.
***
Night fell. With his chakra nearly depleted, Kiyoshi landed with Tsunade. Food Pills were only for emergencies; eating too many would have side effects on the meridian system. Although his current physical strength allowed him to consume many times more than an average ninja, he didn't want to push it further. Food Pills did not restore a ninja's mental energy.
"Good work," Tsunade said, hopping down from his arms. She was a straightforward woman. In her eyes, Kiyoshi was a junior, so she wasn't particularly bashful.
"It's nothing," Kiyoshi shook his head. They had glided on high-altitude currents all the way; a few bumps were normal. During those bumps, even with armor, Kiyoshi had managed to "measure the hearts of the people." Jiraiya's eyes were indeed sharp. It was exactly 106.
Unaware of Kiyoshi's thoughts, Tsunade rested for a moment before suggesting they continue. Sweat dampened her forehead, and several strands of blonde hair fell across her face and chest. The two continued their trek, heading toward the Land of Fire from the border of the Land of Waterfalls.
***
Several days later, Kiyoshi and Tsunade arrived in the Land of Fire. However, neither of them leaked any news. There could be spies in the units; such core intelligence could only be delivered to the Hidden Leaf in person.
'The Third Raikage should be dead by now,' Kiyoshi thought. He didn't have many feelings about it. The Cloud needed to be weakened. With the Raikage dead at the hands of the Stone, the Cloud would be in chaos for a while.
'A distant nephew of the Cloud?' Kiyoshi recalled the Raikage's words. Looking at it that way, it wasn't impossible to cultivate some pawns in the Cloud to support him and increase his influence.
If he couldn't become the Hokage in the Leaf, he could always go to the Cloud and play at being the Raikage. With his current strength, he wasn't someone just anyone could manipulate.
"There seems to be conflict in the village ahead," Tsunade said, her brow furrowed. Last time near the orphanage, they saw a village that had already become ruins. This time, while not yet in ruins, it was on fire. If it continued, it would be reduced to ashes.
"Let's go take a look," Tsunade suggested. Kiyoshi had no objection.
***
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