By evening, Kiyoshi had finally gained basic mastery of the Genjutsu scroll.
"You have acquired the Trait: [Pure Genjutsu Scholar (White)]."
[Trait: Pure Genjutsu Scholar (White)]
[Requirement Achieved: Learn 1 pure Genjutsu technique.]
[Progress: 1%.]
[Effect: Your Genjutsu foundation is solid. All Genjutsu used are enhanced by 5% on top of the original base.]
[Note: Can be further advanced.]
"Pure Genjutsu?" Kiyoshi was momentarily stunned.
He had been focusing on the Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique
It seemed that his previous Lightning Release: Flash Bang used Lightning Release as a medium and was not considered a Genjutsu driven solely by Yin Release chakra.
"I need to quickly increase the Trait progress to 100%." Kiyoshi decided.
Only by reaching 100% and being marked as "Completed" could the subsequent Trait advancement path be revealed.
He had a feeling that upon completion, it should be able to merge with the previously obtained Genjutsu Trait to form a Green Trait.
This would satisfy all the conditions, allowing him to merge into a Blue Trait!
***
The next day.
Kiyoshi looked at the Trait panel's progress, which had reached 75%.
He wondered if the Sharingan would also receive a boost due to this Trait, given that the description stated that all Genjutsu used would be enhanced by 5%.
"Hey!" Kiyoshi, who was buying groceries in the street, heard someone call out to him.
When he turned around, he saw a girl with short purple hair calling him.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Kiyoshi asked the short-haired girl.
"You bumped my dango." Anko Mitarashi said, pointing to the dango that had fallen off the skewer.
Kiyoshi looked down and saw a red dango on the ground that someone had stepped on.
"You were walking too fast." Kiyoshi said flatly.
Anko Mitarashi was walking too fast and dropped her dango on the ground. Whose fault was that?
"Well, you were walking too slowly."
"…" Kiyoshi thought about it. It was true that he had suddenly stopped because he was deep in thought.
He stared at the shorter girl, pondered for a moment, and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
"I can pay you back. What is your name?"
"I am Anko Mitarashi!" Anko Mitarashi patted her flat chest, declaring loudly.
It was obvious that she had a very cheerful personality.
Compared to Kurenai, who was bold but still ladylike, Anko Mitarashi seemed much more wild.
"Hurry up and pay for my three-color dango! I have something important to do and need to head to the Uchiha compound soon!" Anko Mitarashi urged.
Anko Mitarashi was delighted that Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had asked her to deliver a message.
He was a prominent figure in the village, rarely seen normally.
"Why are you going to the Uchiha compound?" Kiyoshi frowned slightly.
Since when did Orochimaru get involved with the Uchiha?
"I'm looking for a guy named Kiyoshi Uchiha! Lord Orochimaru told me to bring him back." Anko Mitarashi said, then shook her head.
"Stop changing the subject! Hurry up and pay for my dango."
"I am Kiyoshi Uchiha." Kiyoshi's heart stirred. He knew that the seed he had planted in Orochimaru's mind long ago had blossomed.
The fact that Orochimaru would take in Kabuto showed that he desperately needed an excellent assistant, and he was extending an invitation because of this.
It was impossible for Orochimaru not to extend an olive branch to someone as talented as himself.
"You are… Kiyoshi Uchiha?" Anko Mitarashi was taken aback.
She hadn't expected the person she randomly bumped into to be Kiyoshi Uchiha.
She rubbed her eyelids, her brown eyes observing Kiyoshi.
Sure enough, she spotted the Uchiha clan crest on Kiyoshi.
"Then let's go to see Lord Orochimaru, and you can pay for my three-color dango on the way." Anko Mitarashi was still fixated on her dango.
"You should eat less." Kiyoshi shook his head.
Anko Mitarashi was one of the few female ninjas whose body shape changed dramatically, perhaps due to her lack of discipline, becoming stout in middle age.
Calling her Anko Potato would be more fitting then.
"Hey, are you trying to get out of paying me?" Anko Mitarashi raised an eyebrow.
"What if we delay Lord Orochimaru's business?" Kiyoshi brought up Orochimaru.
Upon hearing Orochimaru, Anko Mitarashi's craving for three-color dango immediately lessened significantly.
"Fine." She nodded, looking dejected.
The two walked ahead and arrived at a very ordinary-looking building after half an hour.
Opening the door, a faint, cold, and pungent medicinal smell permeated the air.
Under the dim lighting, the room contained many jars and bottles, as well as biological specimens and various experimental equipment.
"Heh heh, it's been a while, Kiyoshi." Sitting in the innermost part of the room was a pale-skinned man. He held a test tube in his hand, the liquid within glowing faintly green under the light.
"It has been a while, Lord Orochimaru." Kiyoshi nodded.
Inside his sleeve, the white snake coiled around his arm seemed to sense something, becoming restless.
Kiyoshi reached his other hand into his sleeve and gently soothed the white snake.
Although the pre-defection Orochimaru was much safer than the future one, Orochimaru was, after all, a person who would do anything for the sake of pursuing truth through research.
To gain the power of the Snake and develop a series of snake-based Ninjutsu, he had experimented on countless snakes.
It was perfectly normal for the white snake to smell the lingering scent of its kin.
"You acquired a Summoning Beast, Kiyoshi-kun." Orochimaru looked up at Kiyoshi, his golden vertical pupils shifting to Kiyoshi's left sleeve.
"That's right, Lord Orochimaru." Kiyoshi lifted his sleeve, revealing the white snake inside. Its white scales appeared even paler under the lab lights.
"Such a rare Summoning Beast. Kiyoshi-kun managed to obtain it." Orochimaru smiled, his eyes showing surprise.
He found that this young man might be surprisingly compatible with him.
Kiyoshi had anticipated Orochimaru's expression.
Orochimaru, whose name contained the character for snake (Orochi), was not only a researcher but also an ardent fanatic of snakes.
Eventually, he even transformed his body into a half-human, half-snake form.
"Huh, your Summoning Beast looks like the snake skin Lord Orochimaru collects." Anko Mitarashi exclaimed in surprise.
She had led Kiyoshi the entire way but hadn't noticed that Kiyoshi was hiding a white snake on his arm.
"That is an amulet." Orochimaru explained to Anko.
"Kiyoshi-kun is truly lucky to acquire such a thing. Did Nonō give you the Summoning Beast?"
"Yes, Nonō-sensei gave it to me."
Since both Orochimaru and Nonō Yakushi were involved with the Root organization, it was normal for them to share some information.
"Heh heh, I see. Let's talk about the other matter. I asked you here because I want to know your plans for the future. After becoming a Chunin, your world will become much broader."
***
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