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After completing the transaction, Uchiha Kiyo took the initiative to separate from Orochimaru.
Absorbing the memories from his clone, he quickly familiarized himself with the surrounding terrain and located a secluded cave.
After setting up a barrier to isolate his presence, he used the Body Flicker Technique to leave Konoha.
Five minutes after Uchiha Kiyo disappeared, Orochimaru arrived at the cave. He glanced around at the empty space, puzzled by Uchiha Kiyo's sudden disappearance.
However, upon recalling the isolation barrier placed at the cave's entrance, Orochimaru's expression shifted.
"With Kiyo's level of skill, it's not surprising that he's developed such a technique. If he can create such an effective barrier, simplifying it further would be well within his capabilities.
This is a well-crafted barrier. Even with my perception, I couldn't detect when he left."
Though his search yielded nothing, Orochimaru wasn't disappointed.
Testing Uchiha Kiyo had merely been a passing whim, and from what he observed, his student had improved tremendously over the past two years.
Not only had he reached a level comparable to his own, but he had also gained a wealth of new techniques.
A sudden thought crossed Orochimaru's mind.
"With Kiyo's strength and his ability to conceal himself, doesn't that make Danzo a potential target?"
He quickly dismissed the idea.
Whatever happened to Danzo had nothing to do with him.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kiyo left Konoha and headed toward his designated location.
Retrieving the Myojin Gate scroll that Orochimaru had given him, he carefully examined it once more, sighing in relief.
Although he had skimmed through it during their trade, he hadn't scrutinized it completely, not wanting to give Orochimaru the impression that he distrusted him.
Now, having confirmed that there were no issues with the scroll, Uchiha Kiyo turned westward.
He wasn't concerned about Orochimaru leaking information about him.
It had been two years since he had faked his death, and Orochimaru had never exposed his existence to the outside world. That was enough proof that Orochimaru had no intention of getting involved in this matter.
Of course, things could change if they became enemies in the future.
That was why Uchiha Kiyo had no plans to become hostile toward Orochimaru anytime soon.
Besides, he had no reason to. Orochimaru possessed nearly all of Konoha's forbidden techniques, making him an invaluable resource.
"I need to focus on improving my strength as soon as possible," he thought to himself.
Although he had reached a level where he could hold his own in the ninja world, he knew that the future would be far more dangerous.
His current strength had reached a bottleneck.
Surpassing the Kage level and reaching the Super Kage level was no easy feat—unless he succeeded in his method of returning to the innate state.
"At this point, the only way to achieve rapid progress is by awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Uchiha Kiyo's gaze darkened as he contemplated his Sharingan.
Originally, his plan had been to awaken the Mangekyō only after reaching the Super Kage level. However, reality was far harsher than he had anticipated.
The path to the Super Kage level was too unclear.
To be honest, Uchiha Kiyo himself still hadn't figured out how to surpass the Kage level.
Without a clear direction, breaking through was nearly impossible.
While it was uncertain whether the Mangekyō Sharingan was on par with the Kage level, history suggested that it might be.
After all, Madara Uchiha had achieved Super Kage level combat power while still wielding his Mangekyō.
"Madara might have been an exception, but it's likely that the Mangekyō is at least on par with the Kage level."
With that in mind, Uchiha Kiyo resolved to focus on awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Deep down, he had always looked forward to it.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was incredibly powerful and visually striking.
And if he was lucky enough to awaken a deadly ability—one that could kill with a single glance—it would be a game-changer.
In the end, advancing the Sharingan required a powerful soul.
A stronger soul would make awakening the Mangekyō significantly easier.
This had been one of the reasons why Uchiha Kiyo initially planned to awaken it at the Super Kage level. By then, his soul would have grown immensely, reducing the difficulty of the process.
Now, however, he had changed his mind—partly because of his transformation two years ago.
That transformation had greatly strengthened his soul, perhaps even more than the life-or-death breakthroughs he had experienced before.
Even now, his soul continued to grow stronger.
This gave him confidence that he could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Ugh… Easier said than done."
Awakening the Mangekyō wasn't something that could be done at will.
No matter how perfect his plan seemed, the reality was that the Mangekyō required a powerful emotional trigger.
Over the years, Uchiha Kiyo had formulated several theories about the Sharingan, but he had yet to test them.
His research had stagnated because he had no Sharingan to experiment on.
He wasn't about to sacrifice his own eyes for research.
And stealing the eyes of fellow Uchiha wasn't an option either.
That put him in a frustrating loop—he needed a Sharingan for his research, but he couldn't conduct research without a Sharingan.
His progress had reached a bottleneck.
"Sigh… I'll just take it one step at a time."
For now, he decided to set aside his research on the Sharingan.
If all else failed, he could search the Uchiha Clan's records for reference materials.
Over the past two years, he had rigorously trained his body, significantly enhancing his physical strength. His Shunshin and Tensō Jutsu were now fully perfected.
Thanks to these techniques, he traveled at an astonishing speed.
It took him less than half a day to cross the Land of Fire's borders and reach the Land of Rain.
Upon arrival, he found a cave and began meditating to restore his chakra.
His two Shadow Clones had consumed more than 60% of his chakra. Even though his remaining reserves exceeded ten units, he refused to be careless.
The Land of Rain was a dangerous place.
If he encountered Hanzō the Salamander without being at full power, he'd be in serious trouble.
If anyone could observe the inside of Uchiha Kiyo's body at that moment, they would be shocked.
A vast network of chakra constructs existed within him—miniature models arranged in a specific pattern, channeling green energy toward a central core, where it transformed into chakra.
Over the past two years, Uchiha Kiyo had made this his most important secret technique.
The models inside him weren't simple structures.
Though they appeared small, he had expanded their inner space using sealing techniques similar to those found in storage scrolls.
These structures functioned like a massive factory, refining body energy through multiple stages.
One of them even contained pre-stored food, allowing him to extract body energy without needing to eat.
By studying the human body, he had arranged these models in an optimal formation—maximizing energy conversion while minimizing strain on his body.
Though he still relied on enzymes within his body, he was close to overcoming that dependency entirely.
His long-term goal was to refine natural energy.
However, he had yet to develop the ability to sense it.
Rather than relying on the Three Great Sage Regions, he was attempting to awaken his perception through continuous practice with his energy-refining technique.
Repetitive use would eventually allow him to detect natural energy.
But to achieve that, he needed to remove his reliance on bodily enzymes.
Fortunately, he was on the verge of completing this step.
If he could cultivate Water Release techniques for purification and nourishment, he might be able to replace his body's natural enzymes altogether.
It was a slow process, but he could feel himself making progress.
"The clones in the Land of Rain don't have the Destruction and Recovery technique..."
After recovering, Uchiha Kiyo frowned.
Poor information exchange was a major problem.
He had no idea where his clone was.
And since his long-range communication techniques had a limited range, he had no way of reaching it.
With no response from his clone, he had only one option left.
A full-scale search.
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