Thirty million ryō was already the best price Uchiha Kiyo expected.
Sure enough, prices were high during the war.
It seemed that the situation might be even more inflated than he initially thought.
Taking the thirty-six million ryō handed over by the other party, Uchiha Kiyo cleared out the store.
After strolling around the black market again and getting a rough idea of its layout, Uchiha Kiyo decided to leave.
Coming out of the black market, Uchiha Kiyo pondered his next move.
"It's time to find a more permanent place to live. Constantly renting rooms is inconvenient and expensive."
Staying at an inn limited his ability to train. Any significant movement could disturb others, or worse, expose his presence. Since leaving Konoha, Uchiha Kiyo had yet to properly engage in research or training.
If he was going to establish a base, it needed to be as secluded as possible. The last thing he wanted was interruptions during his experiments—or worse, unwanted attention. Some of his research could get loud, even explosive, and secrecy was paramount.
Running away was always an option, but the goal was to find a long-term residence, somewhere he could build a proper base.
A remote, uninhabited area would be ideal. It needed to be far from the conflicts of the ninja world, difficult for others to locate, and free from unnecessary disturbances.
After putting some distance between himself and the black market, Uchiha Kiyo stopped and pulled out a map of the ninja world, analyzing possible locations.
"Hmm?"
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Perfect timing. I need a body to create a new clone."
Pretending not to have noticed the presence tailing him, Uchiha Kiyo continued scanning the map, as if contemplating his route. He then deliberately turned toward a nearby riverbank.
Upon reaching the river, he leaped into the water.
A startled cry erupted from the tall grass behind him.
"Damn it! He noticed! Move!"
Three figures burst from their hiding spots, attempting to flee.
"Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"
The moment they hit the water, the water prisons Kiyo had prepared beforehand activated, trapping them instantly.
Uchiha Kiyo had no intention of allowing a drawn-out fight. He needed to keep things quiet.
Using the Water Movement Technique, he moved through the water effortlessly. Unlike the Earth Movement Technique, which was more limited underground, water barely hindered his speed.
Reaching the water prisons, Uchiha Kiyo formed a swirling waterspout in his hand and drove it toward his trapped enemies.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!" ×2
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Two of the three were critically injured instantly, while the third barely managed to resist.
"Hmm? B-rank ninjutsu?"
Uchiha Kiyo had assumed they were just wandering rogue ninja, but possessing an advanced defensive technique like Earth Wall suggested otherwise.
Though Earth Wall was common, it was still a B-rank technique—valuable enough that only well-established groups or ninja from the villages could afford it.
But in water, Earth Release was severely disadvantaged. A mere Earth Wall wouldn't be enough to stop the spiraling waterspout Kiyo had crafted.
The opposing ninja, an Earth Release user, was clearly struggling.
"What were you thinking? You specialize in Earth Release, yet you willingly followed me into the water?"
The enemy, a shinobi named Tushi, cursed his luck.
He had bribed an appraiser at the black market, paying for information on high-value transactions. When he learned about Uchiha Kiyo's thirty-million ryō deal, he assumed his target was a weak but wealthy civilian.
Tushi never suspected he was dealing with a skilled shinobi.
Worse, his own choice of secondary chakra nature—Fire Release—was practically useless in water.
Uchiha Kiyo remained focused. A battle was no place for distractions.
Tushi, now completely trapped, could do nothing. Earth Release techniques were powerful against Water Release in theory, but in an underwater setting, their effectiveness plummeted.
Kiyo condensed another waterspout, this time infusing it with Wind Release chakra. Though his mastery of Wind Release was still in its early stages, it added just enough cutting power to ensure his attacks penetrated.
Tushi barely held on, his Earth Walls crumbling one after another. Each clash left him bleeding from fresh wounds. His seals became sloppier, his jutsu slower.
Then, his hands faltered.
Uchiha Kiyo's waterspout struck true.
The force sent Tushi crashing against the inner wall of the water prison, his body battered and limp.
Kiyo seized the opportunity. A glowing green chakra scalpel formed in his hand.
A few precise strikes severed multiple chakra pathways, rendering Tushi unable to mold chakra properly.
Finally, Kiyo delivered a clean strike to the heart. Tushi's body stilled.
The chakra scalpel was a recent addition to Kiyo's skillset. While developing his Shadow Clone: Death Resurrection technique, he had sought to diversify his abilities. The scalpel was a practical alternative to kunai, allowing him to disable enemies with surgical precision while keeping their bodies intact.
It was much cleaner. And preserving the body was important.
Sealing Tushi's corpse away, Kiyo activated his movement jutsu and swiftly left the scene, traveling ten kilometers downstream before emerging from the water.
Once safely on land, he pulled out his ninja world map again.
"Secrecy is key. My base needs to be completely hidden from the world's conflicts."
He started eliminating locations.
"The Five Great Nations are out. Any country bordering the Land of Fire is too risky. The Land of Wind's deserts are inhospitable. The islands east of the Land of Water? No, too many trade routes. Unstable weather? That rules out a few more spots…"
He paused.
A secluded area caught his eye.
A region of sea between the Land of Tea, the Land of the Rainbow, and the southeastern coast of the Land of Fire.
It was close to Fire Country but had been largely ignored since the destruction of Uzushio.
More importantly, the islands near the Land of the Rainbow were relatively unknown.
"A private island… that could work."
Of course, it had to be small and uninhabited. If it were on the map, someone had already claimed it.
He'd have to search for one himself.
"An entire island to myself…"
If he couldn't find one, the Land of Snow was an alternative.
"But the environment there is harsh. I'm looking for a home, not self-imposed suffering."
Before setting off, Kiyo decided to create a new clone. Having a clone stationed elsewhere would save him from unnecessary backtracking.
Releasing Tushi's body, Kiyo took stock of his belongings.
Ninja pouches often had security seals to prevent tampering. Most people would sell them rather than risk triggering a self-destruct mechanism.
But Kiyo was no amateur.
To his surprise, he found three scrolls inside.
The first contained Earth Wall—expected.
The second and third, however, intrigued him.
"Rock Hiding Technique and Earth Core Manipulation?"
Both were advanced techniques from Iwagakure.
Rock Hiding allowed the user to meld seamlessly into stone, moving undetected.
Earth Core Manipulation controlled the terrain, raising or lowering the ground at will.
Kiyo had developed similar techniques independently, but having official versions would refine his abilities further.
"Who was this guy?"
Stealing village-exclusive techniques and escaping made Tushi a rogue Iwa-nin. But why resort to petty robbery?
Flipping through Tushi's notebook, Kiyo skimmed the contents.
"So he betrayed Iwagakure, stole their techniques, and fled."
One thing puzzled him.
"Where's his forehead protector?"
Most rogue ninja wore a scratched headband, marking their defiance.
But Tushi had none.
"Only high-level missing-nin openly wear theirs. The weaker ones hide their status."
Satisfied with his findings, Kiyo wasted no time.
After treating the corpse's wounds, he began the process of creating a new clone.
"If you were an Iwa-nin before, then I'll assign you to the Land of Earth. Since you've already stolen from your village once, another heist shouldn't be a problem."
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