"The spiritual change is… in the left eye."
Kiyoshi could feel a power gestating inside, just a hair's breadth away from sprouting.
He quickly began to direct the chakra in his body along the chakra pathways recorded in Lightning Release: Iron Skin.
Invisible currents of electricity spread throughout Kiyoshi's body.
"Haa…"
Kiyoshi exhaled.
This ninjutsu, being only D-rank, had a minimal effect on his current body.
After a while, it probably won't help him make any progress at all. He needs to acquire more and better ninjutsu.
"Kiyoshi."
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
Kiyoshi called out, "Coming."
Then, he crossed the dilapidated courtyard and opened the door.
"Mikoto-nee, what brings you here?" Kiyoshi asked.
Mikoto's black hair was draped over her back, a stark contrast to the clearly defined lines of his muscles.
Mikoto said, "Kiyoshi, this is this month's allowance."
Mikoto had a cloth bag slung over her shoulder. She pulled out a stack of paper money, printed with the Konoha emblem.
"Kiyoshi, you're…"
Just as Mikoto was about to hand the money to Kiyoshi, she was stunned to discover that Kiyoshi was currently shirtless.
Such firm and aesthetically pleasing muscles were a first for Mikoto, causing her to take a second look.
Fugaku had been injured on the battlefield, and Mikoto had seen him shirtless. He wasn't as well-proportioned and handsome as Kiyoshi.
Could this be the Yotsuki Clan's natural talent?
The shape of muscles is largely innate, like how some people can't align their abdominal muscles no matter how much they exercise.
Some people even have eight-pack abs, while others can only have six.
Mikoto finally understood why Tsunade had said that Kiyoshi was suited to be a taijutsu ninja.
Kiyoshi said, "Sorry, Mikoto-nee, I was just training and was too hasty. I forgot to put on a shirt."
"Ah, it's nothing, you're just a kid." Mikoto quickly shook her head.
Why was she bothering with a child?
She handed the money to Kiyoshi, telling him to be frugal and not waste it.
"Got it, Mikoto-nee." Kiyoshi nodded.
This money was essentially his living expenses.
Kiyoshi's daily expenses came from this, partly from Konoha's subsidy and partly from the Uchiha clan's internal subsidy.
It was enough for an ordinary person's life, but a bit tight for a ninja.
"I've made plans with Fugaku so I have to go. I'll come see you next time."
Mikoto waved goodbye.
Kiyoshi responded politely, and only closed the door when Mikoto's shadow was out of his sight.
"It's about the same as before. I still need to make more money as soon as possible."
Kiyoshi counted how many ryo these bills amounted to, and then carefully stored them.
He could squeeze some money out of Kurenai, but that wasn't a long-term solution.
Buying an ordinary katana was already the limit.
He and Kakashi had sparred once last time, and his blade had been chipped, needing maintenance.
When doing missions on the battlefield, there will be no rest time for Kiyoshi to send away his weapon for maintenance.
'It looks like a chakra blade made of special metal is the only choice.' Kiyoshi thought to himself.
A chakra blade can absorb the user's chakra.
With it, chakra transmission has extremely low resistance.
Possessing such a weapon would allow him to do the same thing with half the effort.
Then, Kiyoshi took out the scroll recording Lightning Release: Lightning Finger, which he hadn't practiced since the first time he had gotten his hands on it.
He wanted to deepen his understanding of Lightning Release ninjutsu.
So, he decided to resume training Lightning Release: Lightning Finger.
…
"Mikoto, you're here."
Fugaku was covered in sweat, taking off his green ninja jacket.
He had just been training. As a ninja, the most important thing is to hone oneself, otherwise one will regress.
"Did you give Kiyoshi the allowance already?" Fugaku asked casually.
"I gave it to him."
Mikoto nodded, suddenly noticing a hole in Fugaku's upper body armor, which looked like a fish net.
Most ninjas wear a type of armor resembling a fish net, this is called chainmail.
"There's a hole in your clothes."
Mikoto pointed to the spot.
Fugaku followed Mikoto's gaze and saw a two-centimeter-sized hole, revealing his skin underneath.
Fugaku said, "It must have been burned by fire when I was practicing Fire Release just now."
Fugaku boldly took off his shirt, revealing his muscular upper body.
Fugaku asked, "What's wrong, Mikoto?"
Fugaku saw that Mikoto was staring at his body and assumed that she was embarrassed.
"No, it's nothing."
Mikoto's delicate face flickered slightly.
Upon reconfirmation, she realized that Fugaku's figure was indeed not as aesthetically pleasing as Kiyoshi's.
'I wonder how Kiyoshi trained to get a body like that at such a young age.' Mikoto thought to herself.
Although Fugaku looked taller than Kiyoshi, his overall proportions weren't that great.
"Is that so?"
Fugaku smiled, taking out a new set of chainmail and putting it on.
He was somewhat confident in his figure. After all, he had been through so much on the battlefield for so many years, experiencing numerous hardships.
"The gathering is about to start, let's go." Fugaku said.
"Okay."
Mikoto nodded.
The gathering that occurs every so often is a place that Uchihas have to go to after becoming ninjas.
The upper part of the Naka Shrine is where matters are discussed during the day.
The non-ninja Uchiha clansmen are also allowed to go there.
But the secret room below is where the Uchihas hold internal meetings to maintain secrecy.
Ordinary Uchihas are not qualified to enter or even know about it.
…
Hatake Residence
The evening sun hung slanted in the sky, and Kakashi, as usual, quickly returned home after finishing his training.
When Kakashi opened the door, he noticed that the air was filled with an indescribable sense of oppression, as well as a fishy and foul smell.
He frowned, took off his shoes, and said, "Father, I'm home."
However, he didn't get any answer from the house.
Kakashi's heart sank slightly as he walked towards his father's room.
Since being accused by his rescued comrade on the street, his father had never left the house again.
As he passed through the living room, he noticed several yellowed letters placed on the coffee table that his father usually used for guests.
They were densely filled with writing. The ink on it was not yet completely dry.
Kakashi glanced at them and noticed words like "regret" and "dereliction of duty" among the writing.
The words conveyed a strong sense of despair.
"Father?"
Kakashi felt uneasy and ran as he pushed open the door.
The scene inside struck Kakashi like a thunderbolt out of the blue.
Sakumo was lying on a tatami mat, and a sharp short sword was stabbed into his chest.
Blood had already stained his clothes red and even seeped into the texture of the tatami mat.
The bright red liquid had congealed into dark marks, emitting a suffocating, rusty smell.
Kakashi just stood there motionlessly.
His eyes widened, as if his brain could not process the scene before him for a moment.
"Why…"
Kakashi finally squeezed out a hoarse voice, staggering towards Sakumo's body and kneeling on the ground.
Kakashi's hand trembled as he gently touched his father's cold hand, only to feel his already stiff skin.
The grief of losing his father, the anger towards the rules, the self-blame and helplessness surged into his heart, almost drowning him.
***
55 Advanced Chapters on
patreon.com/alex_1000