More than a year had passed, bringing them into Konoha Year 37.
The war between the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rain had raged on for over half a year. As Amegakure was gradually worn down, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind finally turned on each other. Meanwhile, the Land of Earth engaged in smaller skirmishes, keeping its primary forces focused on countering the Land of Lightning.
The conflict between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire remained a series of small-scale battles. Until the Land of Rain was completely broken, neither side would escalate into an all-out war.
Over the past year, several large-scale battles had occurred, each involving the two great nations against the Land of Rain. The entire country had become a battlefield, plunging civilians into unimaginable suffering. The Land of Rain's economy had collapsed to less than a tenth of what it had been before the war. Trade routes from the Land of Iron had been severed, cutting off vital supplies.
A decisive battle was on the horizon.
---
Ever since Nawaki Senju's death, Uchiha Kiyo had remained quiet, focusing solely on his training between missions.
With the deaths of two team members, the Third Squad had been disbanded and restructured with newly graduated shinobi. However, Uchiha Kiyo refused to join another team, insisting on working alone.
Ordinarily, such a request would have been denied, but with Orochimaru's influence, the village reluctantly made an exception. Given his medical expertise and combat abilities, Uchiha Kiyo was capable of completing missions alone at a quality equal to or greater than standard three-man teams. After several successful missions, the village no longer opposed his arrangement.
The awakening of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan had affected him, but he remained stable. His mind was mature, his principles unshaken. However, he had become more single-minded in his pursuit of revenge, altering his long-term plans accordingly.
Over the past year, Uchiha Kiyo's strength had surged. With the addition of his Sharingan, he was among the most powerful jōnin-level shinobi. In some aspects, he even reached the level of an elite jōnin. However, true elite jōnin typically mastered a particular specialty to its peak. Kiyo had yet to reach such a level in any one field, making him a highly capable but well-rounded jōnin.
---
Name: Uchiha Kiyo
Chakra: 8500 cal / 8500 cal
Nature Transformations:
Fire Release: Burning (Intermediate), High Temperature (Primary), Corrosion (Entry)
Earth Release: Hardening (Intermediate), Density (Intermediate), Fluidity (Primary)
Water Release: Flowing (Intermediate), Moisturizing (Primary)
Yin Release & Yang Release
Ninjutsu:
Water Release: Water Manipulation Technique; Water Dragon Bullet, Water Wall
Ninja Tool Forging Technique (Abbreviated)
Genjutsu:
B-rank: Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death
Most C-rank Genjutsu
Secret Techniques:
Yang Nourishment Technique (Includes Proto-Internal Energy & Body Forging)
Instant Body Replacement Technique
Spiritual Perception
Other:
Sealing Techniques: Five Elements Seal, Gravity Barrier 3.0, Fire Sealing Technique
---
Kiyo had made significant progress in nature transformations, particularly in offense and defense, with most reaching the intermediate level—the highest he could currently achieve. His Moisturizing Water Release proved especially beneficial for enhancing his cultivation techniques, so he focused on refining it.
However, his two greatest achievements were the prototype of internal energy and perfecting his Instant Body Technique.
Uchiha Kiyo had merged internal and external body strengthening techniques into a unified system, calling it Yang Nourishment Technique. This method balanced movement and stillness, allowing for substantial improvements in physical conditioning. His chakra reserves had doubled in just one year—partly due to life-or-death experiences, but primarily because of this technique.
Yet, his greatest breakthrough was with the Instant Body Replacement Technique.
Over multiple iterations, he refined the sealing formula used for the technique, achieving near perfection. This not only made activation more fluid but also enhanced his perception ability. The technique's chakra consumption was reduced by one-third, allowing for more frequent use.
Previously, Uchiha Kiyo could execute only five 500-meter replacements in a battle before exhausting himself. Now, he could do so six or seven times. However, the real breakthrough was in long-distance teleportation.
Through relentless training, he had developed an instinctual sensitivity to space perception, significantly decreasing the chakra cost required for detection.
To facilitate the technique, Uchiha Kiyo crafted specialized kunai with pre-sealed chakra:
50-cal kunai: Allowed for replacements within 200 meters, with potential extensions to 500 meters at higher chakra costs.
100-cal kunai: Enabled replacements up to 1,000 meters, though it required substantial chakra expenditure.
With these enhancements, Uchiha Kiyo considered his Instant Body Technique complete. Regardless of the situation, he now had a near-guaranteed escape option.
---
After a year of silent preparation, Kiyo was ready to act.
Danzo was still out of reach for now, but that did not mean he would remain passive. He had vowed that day to make Root suffer, and he meant it.
Over the past year, whenever Uchiha Kiyo encountered Root operatives, he eliminated them on sight—as long as no other Konoha ninja were present. He even went out of his way to hunt Root squads.
So far, he had taken down over a dozen Root teams, killing five jōnin-level operatives in the process.
This loss was severe for Danzo.
However, there were still three specific Root operatives who had been present during the attack on the Third Squad—those responsible for Sarutobi Shuo's death. Despite his efforts, Kiyo had never encountered them again.
Had they been silenced? Or reassigned?
Given the precision of Root's interception that day, Kiyo suspected they were spies embedded within Sunagakure's forces.
It was likely that every Root ninja involved in that mission was an infiltrator.
---
Now, after more than a year, Uchiha Kiyo was done waiting.
It was time to act.
For too long, he had remained in the shadows, focused solely on training and research. That phase was over.
He would no longer sit idly by.
Danzo would suffer.
And Root would bleed.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 55+ CHAPTERS
patreon.com/HACKDWORLD