Through continuous and repeated use, Kiyoshi had obtained a new blue Trait.
It was named [Soaring the Skies (Blue)].
This was the advancement of the previous [Flying Bird (Green)] Trait. Its effects were quite impressive: not only did it increase his affinity with "Natural Energy" by 40% on its original basis, but it also granted him the ability of Airflow Perception. He could keenly sense various air currents within a certain range, making his flight even more effective.
With this, the 20% affinity from [Flying Bird (Green)] plus the 40% from [Soaring the Skies (Blue)] gave him a total of 60% affinity. According to the patterns Kiyoshi had observed, Trait bonuses were calculated based on his base stats, and percentages were additive.
Whether higher-tier Traits beyond Purple would change this remained to be seen; he would have to explore that himself.
Kiyoshi had a hunch: if a Golden Trait existed after Purple, it would likely bring about earth-shattering changes.
Immediately upon returning to the Hidden Leaf, Kiyoshi and Tsunade went to report their situation. Guren, meanwhile, was taken by specialized ninjas for investigation and screening. Kiyoshi had gone through this process before.
Perhaps due to his Trait panel, no ninjutsu could probe his true inner thoughts. The authorities simply assumed his mental resilience was a result of his dual bloodline and used traditional psychological interrogation—which was why Nono had tested him back then. When he first arrived, he wasn't a spy and hadn't met Samui yet, so he had passed all checks with ease.
...
Hokage Building.
"Is it possible the Third Raikage has died?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grim. This Great Ninja War was proving to be exceptionally perilous. Only a short while into the conflict, and they were already facing the potential death of a Kage. It was foreseeable that the war between the Great Nations would only intensify.
At this stage, it wasn't something that could be stopped just because someone wanted it to. Hatred would drive the conflict forward, turning it into a relentless meat grinder.
"You've done well, Kiyoshi." Hiruzen composed himself and looked at Kiyoshi and Tsunade. In this war, the Leaf could not remain a bystander. Fortunately, there were new ninjas like these, burning their "Will of Fire" to protect the "King" of the village.
Hiruzen summoned an Anbu member, who presented a massive scroll with the four large characters for "Scroll of Seals" written on it.
"Sensei, you're certainly being generous today," Tsunade remarked, raising an eyebrow. She had almost called him "old man," but remembering the formal setting, she used his proper title. She hadn't expected Hiruzen to let Kiyoshi look at the Scroll of Seals—a supreme treasure for any ninja.
Of course, it was a double-edged sword; if Kiyoshi became obsessed with the power of forbidden jutsu, he would inevitably face their backlash.
"Tsunade, I will fairly reward every hardworking ninja," Hiruzen said, taking a puff from his pipe and gesturing for Kiyoshi to choose a jutsu.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Kiyoshi replied. His dark eyes scanned the table of contents. He knew powerful techniques like [Reanimated Soul (Edo Tensei)] or [Eight Branches Technique] would never be handed to him. Besides, many forbidden jutsu were still in their prototype stages and were only perfected later by Orochimaru.
[Four Symbols Seal], [Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags], [Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu]... A dizzying series of techniques flashed past his eyes.
The [Four Symbols Seal] could seal powerful enemies or demons inside the body, but it was somewhat useless to Kiyoshi. Only Tailed Beasts were worth sealing, and those positions were all filled; there were only nine in the entire world.
[Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags] was powerful enough, but it was meant to be paired with [Edo Tensei] or Shadow Clones, otherwise the user risked being blown up by their own trap. The [Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu] was Naruto's signature move, capable of shortening training time to a terrifying degree, but Kiyoshi didn't choose it.
His gaze searched further down the list until it stopped at one specific technique.
[Flying Thunder God Jutsu]!
The original series never explicitly stated it was in the Scroll of Seals, but here it was. Kiyoshi wasn't surprised; he had anticipated this. While it seemed like just a high-difficulty space-time ninjutsu, it technically fell under the category of a forbidden jutsu because any technique that risked the user's life qualified.
The [Flying Thunder God] allowed the user or objects in contact with their chakra to teleport instantaneously. However... the more powerful the target, the more chakra it consumed.
During the Fourth War, Minato Namikaze moved a Truth-Seeker Orb from the center of the battlefield to the Hokage Rock and was immediately left panting and unable to move. If not for his Reanimated body, the chakra drain might have killed him. This uncertainty made it high-risk, hence its classification.
"Lord Hokage, I wish to learn the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu]." Kiyoshi pointed to a column on the lower left. If this wasn't available, he had a backup plan.
"Oh? The Flying Thunder God?" Hiruzen was surprised. This was a jutsu no one besides Minato Namikaze had been able to learn. If used carefully, it wouldn't backfire. "Are you sure?"
"I am sure," Kiyoshi answered decisively. Once he mastered this, the world would be his to traverse. Perhaps it would even trigger a space-time-related Trait.
"Kiyoshi, you..." Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder, wanting to stop him, but he had spoken too quickly. The Scroll of Seals wasn't something you got to see every day. If he chose a jutsu suited to him, it would benefit him for a lifetime. But a space-time ninjutsu... in the last few decades, only one Minato Namikaze had appeared.
"Lady Tsunade, please believe in me." Kiyoshi turned his head. He was now a head taller than her. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the "depths of the heart" in the neckline of her armor.
'Just a polite glance,' he told himself, and looked away.
"Well, if it's you, maybe you can try," Tsunade conceded, recalling how he had copied the [Lightning Style Chakra Mode] in such a short time on the battlefield. His talent truly defied common logic.
"Tsunade, sometimes you must have more faith in the younger generation." An Anbu member appeared, kneeling to present a scroll. Hiruzen handed it to Kiyoshi, offered a few words of encouragement, and dismissed them.
Before leaving, Tsunade pressured Hiruzen to rank their mission as S-rank. Hiruzen, citing a lack of village funds, kept it at A-rank.
"That old man!" Tsunade fumed, counting her pay. She had risked a hemophobia attack to scout intelligence, and he gave her this? It was like tossing coins to a beggar.
Suddenly, she turned to look at Kiyoshi, who was calmly hanging the jutsu scroll from his waist. "Ahem... kid—I mean, Kiyoshi, how about lending big sister some money?"
Tsunade shamelessly nudged his arm with her elbow. Kiyoshi could feel the soft pressure of her arm. "Sure." He handed over his entire mission reward. Loans were just another form of "bond," after all. It gave him more reasons to interact with her later.
"You're even more generous than Jiraiya," Tsunade said, her eyes lighting up as if she'd found a new continent. Usually, when she asked Jiraiya for money, he dragged his feet. Kiyoshi hadn't even blinked.
'No wonder he donated so much to the orphanage; he's just not the greedy type.'
she rationalized to herself.
Kiyoshi guessed her thoughts and smiled. Who could blame him when he had a wealthy backer like the Priestess of the Land of Demons? Thinking of her, he realized he needed to find time to visit the Land of Demons. It was remote, far from the Five Great Nations—the perfect place to develop his private power base.
...
Leaf Main Street.
"Kiyoshi recently completed another A-rank mission, and it sounds like it involved something major," Asuma told Kurenai with an air of self-importance. Unfortunately, his father hadn't told him the details, only the rank.
"A-rank?!" Kurenai gasped, covering her mouth. No wonder he had been gone lately. He had completed an A-rank mission without a word. "Aren't we on a team with Kiyoshi? Why did he go alone?"
"No idea," Asuma shrugged. "Oh, and apparently he brought back a girl he wants to adopt."
"Adopt a girl?" Kurenai was stunned. The A-rank mission was shocking enough, but adopting a girl?
"I'm going to go ask him." She took off toward Kiyoshi's house.
"Kurenai, wait for me!" Asuma chased after her.
...
Kiyoshi's House.
"As expected, it's difficult." Kiyoshi set down the jutsu scroll after a brief overview and let out a long breath. Even with his talent, this would take time. Unlike conventional ninjutsu, the [Flying Thunder God] required a specific space-time talent. One needed to perceive spatial coordinates; the jutsu's formula existed solely to mark a location.
'Let's see if I can trigger a Trait first,' Kiyoshi thought. He was going to be busy. Between mastering the Flying Thunder God and the Black Lightning left by the Third Raikage, he needed to upgrade his Lightning Trait to Purple.
***
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