"?"
Samui froze, a look of confusion flowing in her eyes.
What was Kiyoshi Yotsuki talking about?
That he would turn against the Hidden Cloud because of her.
Had she done anything like that?
"This is not the place to talk," Kiyoshi said.
Samui had no choice but to suppress the confusion in her heart and led Kiyoshi to a private room on the second floor of the sushi shop.
Only she and Kiyoshi were in the room.
"Kiyoshi, what do you mean by that?" Samui asked, her voice tinged with wariness.
She had always heard that the Uchiha clan was extreme in behavior, twisted in thought, and their actions were often abnormal.
Could it be that Kiyoshi had inherited this trait after returning to the Uchiha?
"I heard everything you two said on the third floor that day," Kiyoshi suddenly dropped a bombshell, yet his tone was as relaxed as if he were discussing the weather.
Samui's pupils contracted slightly:
"...What?"
That day, she had personally watched Kiyoshi walk far away, and they had only spoken to Samatodo when they were sure no one was around.
Could a Sharingan with only one awakened eye possess such formidable insight?
Samui stared at Kiyoshi in front of her.
He was clearly just a brat who had only recently enrolled in the Ninja Academy and had fortunately awakened the Uchiha clan's Bloodline.
Kiyoshi didn't answer, merely raising his eyebrows slightly and making a few silent mouth movements.
It was exactly what she had said that day: "Kiyoshi Yotsuki probably doesn't want to return to the Hidden Cloud."
"So what? I was just speaking casually."
"Your casual remark, however, broke my heart. I was originally planning to return to the Hidden Cloud, but I never expected someone to speak about me like that behind my back. Doesn't that question the status of the Uchiha clan and the Hidden Cloud in my heart?" Kiyoshi said.
"!"
Samui's face immediately turned a shade paler.
Kiyoshi's words were far-fetched.
Far-fetched to the point of being an overreaction.
But no matter how far-fetched they were.
She had indeed spoken those words.
Even if she was certain that Kiyoshi wasn't too concerned about the Hidden Cloud, she absolutely shouldn't have said that.
Some matters carry no weight until they are put on a scale, but once on the scale, they can weigh a ton.
If the higher-ups learned that, even if it was only a 1% possibility, she was the reason Kiyoshi wouldn't return, she would suffer severe consequences.
Samui could endure these consequences for herself.
But she also had a younger brother, Atsui, who would certainly be affected.
This was Samui's only remaining family member.
"Regardless, I was born in the Land of Lightning, and you should be the person sent by the Hidden Cloud to recruit me. Yet, you have no trust in me. If I truly returned to the Hidden Cloud, wouldn't everyone secretly call me a Hidden Leaf spy? How could I possibly dare to go back then?"
"I hope Samatodo won't mind this matter, after all, he's very confident that I will return to the Hidden Cloud," Kiyoshi said leisurely, sounding sincere.
He was leveraging Samui's concern for her family.
In both the manga and anime, Samui had a younger brother named Atsui.
He knew his Bloodline was very valuable to the Hidden Cloud, but not so valuable that it was above everything else.
For example, the value of the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Tailed Beasts in the Hidden Cloud Village far surpassed the value of ten Kiyoshis.
However, compared to Samui and her family, Kiyoshi's value was undoubtedly higher.
The air suddenly fell silent.
"...What do you want?" Samui asked, biting her lower lip after a few breaths passed.
Kiyoshi finally smiled upon hearing this.
A spy from the Hidden Cloud, indeed.
She caught on quickly.
"My demand is not high," Kiyoshi continued, his voice low enough only for the two of them to hear.
"Give me one more ninjutsu scroll. I want a Taijutsu ninjutsu that can strengthen the body. The rank, D-rank is fine." Kiyoshi stated his demand.
He gazed at Samui.
Samui was a head taller than he was now, forcing Kiyoshi to look up at her.
Thus, Kiyoshi's face was covered by two patches of black shadow under the light.
"...D-rank?"
A look of relief flashed in Samui's blue eyes. She crossed her arms, seemingly supporting her precarious, full curves.
It was only a D-rank ninjutsu.
Samui knew that if Kiyoshi had pushed a bit more that day, Samatodo might have given Kiyoshi a few more D-rank ninjutsu.
These techniques, meant for Genin-level learning, could not cause any major trouble.
Many ninjas with clan backgrounds receive more additional training within their families.
Only civilian ninjas rely solely on E-rank ninjutsu during their time at the Ninja Academy.
"Alright." Samui agreed to Kiyoshi's request.
She pulled back her long gloves. There was a bundle of white bandages on her wrist guard.
Untying the bandages revealed several small sealing scrolls.
*Bang*
Samui opened a sealing scroll and took out a pale yellow scroll, tossing it to Kiyoshi.
"This is a Lightning Release Taijutsu ninjutsu. It can activate muscle cells. It's called [Lightning Release: Iron Armor]."
He didn't rush to open the scroll, but placed it in his embrace, his gaze returning to Samui.
Samui's face was full of exotic charm, with a high nose and striking features that gave her a sculpted appearance.
Then there was her plump physique and her full, high thighs. Just standing there, a subtle fragrance wafted toward him.
Her figure was quite remarkable.
Kiyoshi's brain was faintly secreting a special chakra.
For the Uchiha clan to awaken the Sharingan, "pain" was not the only path.
In fact, it was more about stimulating the spirit—the kind of stimulation that completely overwhelms one's emotions and makes the brain tremble.
Intense emotional fluctuations are needed to prompt the brain to secrete special chakra.
Even the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan doesn't necessarily require "the death of the closest person."
For example, when Sasuke killed Itachi, he did not immediately awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It only happened after Obito told him the truth and explained Itachi's series of actions.
The realization that Itachi's image and the meaning he had insisted upon all along were a "misunderstanding" was the catalyst for Sasuke's awakening.
Similarly, Sarada awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan because no one, including her own father, believed in her.
And Kiyoshi didn't necessarily have to rely on "pain," "shock," "protection," or "guilt."
He also experienced emotional fluctuations when tasting "beautiful things."
"Beautiful things" referred to people like... Samui.
Perhaps it was Kiyoshi's undisguised scrutiny that caused Samui to slightly furrow her brow.
"Isn't this enough to show the sincerity of the Hidden Cloud? Return to the Hidden Cloud, and A-rank or even S-rank ninjutsu will not be impossible."
"Thank you, Miss Samui," Kiyoshi said calmly, withdrawing his gaze. "It seems the Hidden Cloud truly is sincere."
Kiyoshi left the second half of his thought unsaid.
That was, only enough sincerity for today.
How could one D-rank ninjutsu satisfy Kiyoshi?
The reason he chose a Taijutsu ninjutsu was simply to strengthen his body as quickly as possible.
And given his current capabilities, he could only learn D-rank ninjutsu at most. Any higher, and the time and effort wasted would be disproportionate to the gain.
***
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