Later, they came to agree with the idea proposed by the First Raikage, A. The land of Unraikyo Valley was granted to him, and from that moment, Kumogakure Village was established.
A clan that could survive for generations in such a harsh environment—and still preserve its surname—must possess a unique physical talent.
And the physical body itself was a manifestation of Yang Release.
Kiyoshi speculated that his Yang attribute likely came from the Yotsuki Clan.
The stronger the body, the greater the vitality it contained. Naturally, that also meant stronger regenerative abilities.
Of course, it probably still couldn't compare with the extraordinary vitality of the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
After waiting a while and confirming that no one was watching, Kiyoshi stretched lazily and pretended to head to the bathroom.
Once inside, he locked the door and took out the note.
It was a small, ordinary piece of paper—roughly the size of two fingernails.
On the front, in tiny black letters, it read:
"Yotsuki Kiyoshi, no matter what happens, you are still a part of Kumogakure. The Hidden Cloud Village will always leave its doors open for you."
Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow.
The message was written in plain text rather than the encrypted codes normally used by ninjas.
Of course, he probably wouldn't understand complicated codes anyway.
After all, he hadn't even finished the Ninja Academy yet.
Kumogakure had probably taken that into consideration.
He flipped the note over.
There was an address written there—a normal shop somewhere in the village.
"Kumogakure's spy location…"
Kiyoshi tore the note into pieces and threw them into the toilet.
As soon as the fragments touched the water, the ink began to dissolve until the words completely disappeared.
Expressionless, Kiyoshi pressed the flush handle.
With the rushing sound of water, the shredded paper disappeared into the pipes.
Kumogakure had likely realized they had lost a potential Uchiha, and now regretted it deeply.
But since he was already in Konoha, they could only use subtle methods like this.
The current Konoha was not the same weakened village that would later allow Kumogakure to kidnap the Hyuga princess.
That had been a time when Konoha was already in decline.
By then, Sakumo Hatake—the White Fang—had died for years, the Fourth Hokage had fallen, the Sannin had left the village, and Konoha had only recently survived the Nine-Tails attack.
Compared to that weakened Konoha, Kumogakure had been flourishing, which gave them the confidence to act aggressively.
They had even forced Konoha to sacrifice a member of the Hyuga clan's leadership.
If Hizashi, the younger twin brother, hadn't taken his place, the one who died would have been Hiashi himself.
The address on that note was actually Kumogakure's gesture of sincerity.
Kiyoshi had two choices.
He could report the spy location to Konoha and receive a reward.
Or he could secretly use it as a channel to obtain benefits from Kumogakure—or even return there.
But returning to Kumogakure was the last option, one he wouldn't consider unless absolutely necessary.
If he went there, he would be their only surviving Yotsuki descendant.
That meant losing his freedom.
He would be monitored constantly.
Kiyoshi had no doubt they would conduct research on him.
Not necessarily dissecting him—but they would probably extract blood and cells within safe limits, over and over again.
They might even treat him like a breeding tool, forcing him to produce descendants repeatedly.
Within just a few years, his body would be completely drained.
Kiyoshi was interested in women.
But he had no interest in being treated like livestock.
And Kumogakure would never allow him to grow strong enough to escape their control.
Instead, they would simply raise the children born from him and brainwash them into serving the village.
In Konoha, although the future Uchiha Massacre remained a looming threat, he still had the opportunity to study ninjutsu and grow stronger.
Everything in this world had a price.
If you wanted something, you had to accept the cost.
Life was nothing more than a series of choices.
Staying in Konoha or returning to Kumogakure both had advantages and disadvantages.
But at least for now, Konoha was safer—and it gave him time to become stronger.
"Kiyoshi, are you home?"
Just as Kiyoshi was thinking about how to extract some benefits from Kumogakure, a familiar voice called from outside.
It was Mikoto.
Kiyoshi immediately understood.
This must be Root's investigation.
He set aside the book he had been memorizing, went to the kitchen, and washed his face to make himself look clean.
After checking in the mirror to ensure he didn't smell unpleasant, he slipped on his wooden sandals and went to open the door.
The Uchiha district occupied its own independent area within Konoha, where only members of the Uchiha clan lived.
Kiyoshi had also been assigned a somewhat old house.
Its only advantage was that it was spacious.
"Mikoto-sama," Kiyoshi said respectfully, appearing slightly nervous.
Mikoto was a Jonin, while he was merely a Ninja Academy student.
Even though Kiyoshi had lived two lifetimes, he couldn't behave with calmness that didn't match his age.
Sometimes, appearing weak was the best disguise.
"You don't need to be so formal with me, Kiyoshi," Mikoto said with a gentle smile.
Was she really that scary?
Seeing how timid he looked made her feel a bit amused.
Kiyoshi lowered his head slightly, his short black hair hiding his expression.
"I told you before," Mikoto continued.
"Just call me big sister."
"Alright… Mikoto-nee," Kiyoshi said.
Mikoto nodded and introduced the woman standing behind her.
Her outfit clearly belonged to a medical ninja, yet her figure contrasted sharply with the compassionate expression on her face.
Her mature and full figure could almost be described as… overwhelming.
"This is Yakushi Nono, captain of the Medical Corps."
"Hello," Yakushi Nono said with a warm smile.
"I'm here to check whether there's anything wrong with your eyes."
"Thank you for the trouble, Nono-sama," Kiyoshi replied.
He led the two of them inside.
Soon, Mikoto and Nono were seated at a low table on the tatami floor.
Kiyoshi went to the kitchen, stood on a small stool, took out a bag of cheap tea leaves, and prepared two cups of hot tea.
Watching the thin boy busily working, Nono couldn't help but feel a trace of pity.
Perhaps it was because of the many "erase yourself" training sessions she had undergone in Root… and the bloodshed she had witnessed behind the bright surface of the village.
She had grown fond of innocent children like this.
They were like pieces of unpolished jade, each with a different color.
"Please have some tea," Kiyoshi said as he placed the cups on the table and sat down.
"Thank you."
The tea was clearly cheap, but Mikoto politely took a sip.
Nono lifted her cup and looked at Kiyoshi.
Pity was one thing—but work was work.
Behind her round glasses, her green eyes carefully observed every change in Kiyoshi's expression.
She began asking him questions that seemed completely unrelated to any medical examination.
Kiyoshi answered them one by one.
Her questions were subtle, probing from different angles to determine whether Kiyoshi might be a spy.
She even used a special ninjutsu to increase the psychological pressure he felt while facing her.
Mikoto remained silent beside them, staring at the reflection of the ceiling in her tea.
The wooden boards above were old and worn.
A moth fluttered lazily near the light bulb.
As Mikoto watched absentmindedly, a black spider suddenly crawled forward and seized the moth with its sharp jaws.
When she looked closer, she realized the moth had been surrounded by nearly invisible spiderwebs the entire time.
"How dull," Mikoto murmured softly.
When she looked back, Yakushi Nono had already finished questioning Kiyoshi and was examining his eyes with several medical instruments.