#77 - When did Qingsi become so strong?
Whether it's reincarnation chakra or other speculations,
all of this is Kiyoshi's deduction. The specifics will require constant experimentation and exploration in the future.
"To awaken the Rinnegan, I need to gather these two types of chakra."
Kiyoshi pondered slightly. With his extreme speed, he had already returned to the place he had just left.
Sarutobi Asuma was covered in cuts and bruises, apparently having taken several hits to protect Yuhi Kurenai.
Yuhi Kurenai had no visible injuries, but her face showed exhaustion, clearly from overuse of genjutsu.
"!"
Maki turned his head abruptly, discovering Kiyoshi had appeared behind him unnoticed.
If Kiyoshi could appear here, it meant that Yekura... had lost!
"I need to punish those who dare to harm Kurenai."
Kiyoshi resolutely drew his sword, the fiery trail slicing through the air.
Maki's expression under the white mask changed drastically, and he quickly gathered chakra to form hand seals.
He could sense that Kiyoshi was different from before.
Those dark eyes were like captivating abysses.
He didn't dare to look again, fearing he would fall under a genjutsu.
Just as Kiyoshi's ninja blade was about to strike, Maki's fingertips emitted chakra like sharp blades, accompanied by a gust of wind attacking Kiyoshi.
"No one can stop the formless wind blades!"
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Maki's eyes as he watched Kiyoshi's sword.
The invisible wind blade quickly slashed over.
Wind Style: Wind Blade!
"The chakra you scattered in the air is as obvious as fireflies in the night."
A touch of scarlet appeared in Kiyoshi's eyes, then he slightly adjusted his position, dodging the wind blade.
The momentum of the sword in his hand did not diminish as he slashed down at Maki.
Crack!
The ninja sword struck the thick ninja vest, but the attached flames increased the temperature, allowing Kiyoshi to cut through it like a hot knife through butter.
Maki rolled a few times on the ground in a sorry state, saying:
"Run!"
Maki's figure flashed as he quickly threw out a scroll, attempting to seize a chance of survival, and then fled into the distance.
Seeing Maki defeated in one move, Hokitaro's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly ran away in a panic.
"The 'Earth Scroll,' not bad luck."
Kiyoshi caught the scroll Maki threw into the air.
There was no point in pursuing him at this time.
If Kiyoshi wanted to meet them, he would definitely meet them.
Because the finish line was the tower in the very center, and they had to pass through there to pass the second exam.
"Hey, Kiyoshi, what do you mean by 'I need to punish those who dare to harm Kurenai'?"
Sarutobi Asuma saw Hokitaro, who was fighting him, run away and immediately spoke.
He hadn't even said such a boastful line in front of Kurenai.
No, he should have said it at the very beginning!
Sarutobi Asuma's mood at this time was one of regretting not having enough knowledge when he needed it.
If only he had learned more cultural knowledge, otherwise he wouldn't be able to come up with a single sentence for a long time.
"...Huff"
Yuhi Kurenai bent down, still cute even when panting, her lips exhaling some heat.
After a while, she stood up and said:
"Kiyoshi is also protecting his teammates, protecting us, otherwise it would have been difficult just now."
Yuhi Kurenai's red eyes looked at Kiyoshi.
Curious about how Kiyoshi defeated Yekura and came here, and still had the strength to defeat Maki.
Hearing this, Sarutobi Asuma also reacted.
When did Kiyoshi pull so far ahead of him without him realizing it?
Had their strength already diverged this much?
Sarutobi Asuma clenched his fist.
Indeed, only the strong are qualified to say words of protecting Kurenai.
Someone like him would be considered bragging even if he said it.
Sarutobi Asuma had never felt such urgency as he did at this moment. He wanted to improve his strength, he wanted to cultivate hard!
Only then could he protect his dearest Kurenai!
Kiyoshi saw Sarutobi Asuma lower his head for no reason and clench his hands, ignoring him.
He said to Yuhi Kurenai:
"The scroll Maki left behind is enough for us to complete the requirements."
Kiyoshi waved the scroll.
"Great, are we going to hand in the scroll now?"
Yuhi Kurenai asked.
"No hurry. There must be people with such ideas lying in wait for teams that have obtained scrolls, and then jumping out to attack."
"That makes sense."
Yuhi Kurenai nodded.
Kiyoshi was right. If they were ambushed halfway, it would be uncomfortable.
It's better to let other teams test the waters first. Anyway, there are still four days left. They completed it in one day, so there's no rush at all.
Kiyoshi handed the newly obtained "Earth Scroll" to Yuhi Kurenai for safekeeping.
As for worrying about being attacked, Kiyoshi was just making excuses.
His purpose had not been fully achieved, so there was no need to leave like this.
There was still the matter of Hyuga Natsu that had not been resolved.
Kiyoshi wanted to further contact her, so as to get in touch with the Hyuga clan, giving him a reason to have contact.
Everything starts with such small beginnings.
Kiyoshi was a patient person.
"By the way, why were they so ruthless? Aren't we allies!"
Sarutobi Asuma didn't ponder for long, and the severe pain on his body interrupted his thoughts.
Konoha and Sunagakure are allies!
"Asuma, the meaning of an alliance is to be broken."
Kiyoshi threw a strip of bandage to Sarutobi Asuma.
He got a lot of these things in the hospital.
Yakushi Nonou was worried about him getting hurt and gave Kiyoshi many good things.
Kiyoshi felt that this was the treatment of a top disciple.
The first disciple he took always had different treatment, not to mention Yakushi Nonou, a truly loving woman who could be called a "saint."
"What do you mean?"
Sarutobi Asuma did not understand the meaning of Kiyoshi's words.
Kiyoshi began to fill in their history, saying:
"When the Five Kage were first born, Sunagakure and Konohagakure made a secret agreement to obtain fertile land and survive."
After that, Sunagakure, located in the south, had always coveted the more fertile land in Konohagakure in the north.
The reason why Gaara and Temari met Naruto and Shikamaru of Konoha in the future was also arranged in this strategy.
This statement may make people feel that Sunagakure is unilaterally invading Konoha, but the world of ninjas is not so simple, not black and white.
Konoha, where Kiyoshi and the others were located, also carried out various disturbances against Sunagakure.
Over the years, although the two villages maintained an alliance on the surface, the atmosphere between them had always been tense.
"So that's what an alliance is..."
Sarutobi Asuma was exposed to the dark side of the ninja world for the first time. Konoha, which he was so proud of, was actually the same, and he couldn't help but feel disillusioned.
"No, Konoha is also for everyone, to resist Sunagakure who coveted the land, that's why they interfere."
Soon, Sarutobi Asuma, deeply affected by the Will of Fire, automatically whitewashed Konoha.
Seeing this, Kiyoshi shook his head slightly.
Why is Amegakure, sandwiched between three great powers, so chaotic?
Isn't it because the forces of various countries have infiltrated, all wanting to control Amegakure, but it has become a battleground and war buffer zone between great powers.
Even Konoha ninjas tacitly fought in Amegakure, rather than in the territory of the Land of Fire.
