Later, they accepted the First Raikage A's idea and ceded the land of Cloud Thunder Gorge to him, thus establishing the Hidden Cloud Village.
To be able to adapt to such a harsh environment, live there for generations, and have a name passed down, one must possess a unique physical talent.
And the physical body is an external manifestation of Yang Release.
Kiyoshi deduced that his "Yang attribute" might come from the Yotsuki clan.
A stronger physical talent means more life force, and therefore a stronger self-healing ability.
However, it probably couldn't compare to the vitality of the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
When it was almost time, and confirming that no one was watching, Kiyoshi stretched, pretending to go to the toilet.
Closing the door, Kiyoshi pulled out a piece of paper.
It was a very ordinary small piece of paper, about the size of two fingernails.
On the front, in very small black characters, it read: "Yotsuki Kiyoshi, no matter what, you are a member of our Hidden Cloud Village. The Hidden Cloud Village will always open its doors to you."
Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow.
The note was written in ordinary characters, not the coded language of ninjas.
He couldn't understand complex codes; he hadn't even finished ninja academy.
It was probably a deliberate design choice by the Hidden Cloud Village, taking this into consideration.
He flipped the note over.
It was an address—an ordinary shop.
"The location of a Hidden Cloud spy..."
Kiyoshi tore the note to shreds and scattered them in the toilet.
The writing gradually faded upon contact with water, eventually disappearing completely.
Kiyoshi expressionlessly flushed the toilet, and the shredded paper was swept into the drainpipe. The Hidden Cloud
Village probably regretted missing out on an Uchiha.
But since he was already in Konoha, they had to resort to such subtle methods.
This Konoha wasn't the future Konoha where the Hidden Cloud Village would dare to directly abduct the Hyuga princess; this was a weakened Konoha.
At that time, Konoha's White Fang had committed suicide years earlier, the Fourth Hokage was dead, the Sannin had fled, and Konoha, having just emerged from the Nine-Tails' rampage a few years prior, had not yet recovered.
In contrast, Kumogakure was thriving and naturally dared to use forceful methods,forcing Konoha to elect a new head of the Hyuga clan.
Without his twin brother Hizashi, it would have been Hiashi who died.
The address on the back of the note was actually Kumogakure's way of showing sincerity.
Kiyoshi could report this spy site to Konoha at any time and receive a reward.
He could also do the opposite, using this route to demand benefits from Kumogakure, or even return to Kumogakure.
However, returning to Kumogakure was the last resort, and Kiyoshi would not choose it unless absolutely necessary.
Going to Kumogakure would mean he would be the only survivor, losing his "freedom" and being constantly monitored and controlled.
Kiyoshi didn't believe they wouldn't conduct research on him.
The research might not be a biopsy; it would likely involve extracting a portion of his blood and cells within safe limits, fattening them up, and then extracting more, in a cycle.
And they might very well use him as a stud, constantly breeding him.
In that case, Kiyoshi would be completely drained in a few years.
Kiyoshi was interested in women.
However, he disliked this forceful attitude, treating him like an animal.
Moreover, Kumogakure would never give him a chance to grow stronger, risking him escaping their control; they would only use him as a breeding machine.
Then they would focus on raising Kiyoshi's offspring, brainwashing them, and making them serve Kumogakure.
In Konoha, even with the crisis of the Night of the Clan's Extermination, Kiyoshi still had the opportunity to learn ninjutsu and continue to grow stronger.
Everything in the world already had a price tag in the shadows.
To gain something, you had to bear the corresponding price.
Life is a process of constant choices.
Staying in Konoha and Kumogakure each had their advantages and disadvantages; at least for now, Konoha was safer, and he had more time to grow stronger.
"Kiyoshi, are you home?"
While Kiyoshi was pondering how to get some benefits from Kumogakure, a familiar voice came from outside.
It was Mikoto.
Kiyoshi knew it was the Root organization's investigation.
He put down the book of characters he was memorizing, went to the kitchen, washed his face with water, and tried to look clean and tidy.
He breathed on the mirror to make sure there was no odor, then Kiyoshi, wearing wooden clogs, went to open the door.
The Uchiha clan had a separate area within Konoha, inhabited only by members of the Uchiha clan.
Kiyoshi was assigned a somewhat dilapidated house, its only advantage being its spaciousness.
"Lady Mikoto,"
Kiyoshi said respectfully, seemingly somewhat afraid of Mikoto.
Mikoto was a Jonin, while he was merely a student at the Ninja Academy.
Even though Kiyoshi had lived two lives, he couldn't appear unnaturally calm for his age.
Sometimes, feigning weakness was the best disguise.
"Kiyoshi, you don't need to be so respectful to me,"Mikoto shook her head and chuckled.
Was she really that scary, judging from Kiyoshi's timid demeanor?
Kiyoshi lowered his head, his short black hair obscuring his expression, making it impossible for Mikoto to see his features.
"I told you last time, just call me 'older sister.'"
"Alright, Mikoto-neechan,"
Kiyoshi called out.
Mikoto nodded and gestured to introduce another figure dressed as a medical ninja behind her.
This medical ninja's voluptuous figure was completely at odds with her pitiful expression. Her plump body was downright vulgar…
"This is Yakushi Nonou, the captain of the medical team."
"Hello, I'm Yakushi Nonou."
Yakushi Nonou smiled.
"I've come to check if there's anything wrong with your eyes."
"Thank you for your trouble, Lady Nonou."
Kiyoshi led the two inside.
Soon, Mikoto and Yakushi Nonou were sitting at a low table on the tatami mats.
Kiyoshi went into the kitchen, stood on a stool, retrieved a tea bag, boiled water, and brewed two cups of tea.
Yakushi Nonou watched Kiyoshi's thin figure busily working, a feeling of pity rising in her heart.
Perhaps it was because of the excessive "self-destruction" training she had undergone in Root, the bloodshed she had witnessed, and the darkness hidden beneath the surface of glamour.
She began to like these innocent children.
Flawless, like pieces of jade of different colors.
"Please have some tea."
Two more cups of tea appeared on the table, and Kiyoshi sat on the other side.
"Thank you."
Kiyoshi's tea was all very cheap and inexpensive; Mikoto, out of politeness, took a few sips.
Pharmacist Nonou picked up a teacup and looked at Kiyoshi.
Pity aside, business had to be done.
Her emerald green eyes behind round glasses carefully observed every change in Kiyoshi's facial expressions, and she began to ask Kiyoshi questions that seemed completely unrelated to the diagnosis.
Kiyoshi answered them one by one.
Nonou asked very subtly, probing whether Kiyoshi was a spy, even using some special ninjutsu to increase the pressure on Kiyoshi.
Mikoto remained silent, looking at the ceiling reflected on the surface of the tea.
The ceiling was covered with old wooden planks, looking somewhat rotten, and moths were resting near the incandescent light bulb.
Just as Mikoto was distracted, suddenly, a black spider silently crawled over and bit a moth with its ferocious, sharp mandibles.
Mikoto snapped out of her daze and stared intently at the spot, only to discover that the moth was already surrounded by barely perceptible spiderwebs.
"How oblivious,"
Mikoto muttered softly.
Turning around, she saw that Yakushi Nonou had finished her conversation with Kiyoshi and was using some instruments to examine Kiyoshi's eyes.
(End of Chapter)