On a distant mountain, Danzo panted heavily, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Danzo-sama?!"
"I'm fine."
Danzo took a few deep breaths, his gaze fixed on Kakashi and the others in the distance, his face etched with disbelief.
Namikaze Minato was one thing.
That kid had shown extraordinary talent ever since he started training under Jiraiya. Over the past decade, he had continuously improved, accumulating strength until it reached a qualitative leap—that was understandable.
But Ryōhō Kyohiko…
If he had already mastered the Flying Thunder God, it meant he had achieved in less than a year what had taken Minato years to accomplish.
"A genius."
And more than that—
This kid wasn't just a brute who relied on strength alone.
That final punch defied Kyohiko's usual combat style. If not for confirming his identity, Danzo might have suspected it was Tsunade in disguise.
That strike…
If it had landed on his real body, followed by relentless chakra bombardment, combined with the Flying Thunder God and Minato's support…
He would have been pummeled to death without a chance to counter.
Those two don't make mistakes!
"In other words, if I'm caught in close combat by both Kyohiko and Minato, victory is impossible. The best outcome would be escaping alive."
Danzo clenched his teeth.
Now he understood why the Third Kazekage and Rasa had lost to Kyohiko and Minato's team.
They were just too strong!
"My current forces aren't enough…"
"I need more allies!"
"The Iburi clan is a lost cause. Their ability must have a critical flaw—otherwise, they wouldn't have hesitated to use their smoke transformation even in a life-or-death situation."
"Another ninja clan… The Fūma clan, perhaps?"
Danzo fell deep into thought.
A short while later, several figures arrived.
"Danzo-sama, our losses… seem significant."
Takekage murmured cautiously.
Danzo waved a hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter. This was merely a test—to recognize the gap and understand our shortcomings."
"Yes!"
"Send someone to treat the wounded, then withdraw to the base."
Danzo could sense the returning members.
Some had made it back, but many were missing—most notably, Kazuma.
Unfortunately, Kazuma hadn't returned.
But then again—
Against Kyohiko and Minato's team, if Kazuma had returned, Danzo would have been suspicious. He'd have wondered if Kazuma had been marked with a Flying Thunder God formula.
In that case, Kazuma would have been dead anyway.
"Danzo-sama… Could Kazuma have leaked our secrets?"
"It doesn't matter. He knew nothing of importance."
[Under your leadership, the kekkei genkai clan "Iburi Clan" has joined Konoha.]
[Konoha's influence continues to grow!]
[Reward: Secret Technique – Smoke Transformation (Beginner)]
Smoke Transformation?
Since when was this a secret technique?
Kyohiko was puzzled but quickly began absorbing the memories while keeping pace with the group.
After a while, he grasped the essence of this technique.
In simple terms, it allowed chakra to achieve smoke-nature transformation, but at the beginner level, it could only generate and reshape smoke.
Unlike the Iburi clan, he couldn't apply it to his own body.
Likely a limitation of not possessing the actual kekkei genkai.
But that might not be a bad thing.
If he were like the Iburi clan, the ability would be nearly useless in combat. The question was whether he could help improve their version.
Kyohiko pondered, sensing a flicker of inspiration—but it remained just out of reach.
He felt…
"Maybe it's missing a core?"
Suddenly, he thought of Chibaku Tensei.
The most crucial part of Chibaku Tensei was its central core—once formed, it exerted gravitational force, pulling in all surrounding matter.
Could the same principle apply to smoke transformation?
At the very least, it might mitigate the weakness.
Besides, in the original timeline, Orochimaru must have used a similar method—
Cursed Seals?
Or something akin to them.
Kyohiko's thoughts gradually clarified—
Forget how Orochimaru originally did it. He would proceed with his own approach.
And—
Even if just for mastering Smoke Transformation, he needed to continue his research.
"Kyohiko, what's been on your mind this whole time?"
Once they entered Konoha's borders, Minato finally caught up, speaking in a hushed tone.
From the end of the battle until now, Kyohiko had been distracted.
This was unusual for him.
Minato frowned. "You're not planning to assassinate Danzo right away, are you?"
"Not at all. Danzo contributed during the war. His ideology just clashes with ours. Assassinating him outright would raise too many eyebrows—both in Konoha and with the Daimyō."
Danzo wasn't some genin.
At his level, very few in the world could kill him.
"Sooner or later, Danzo won't be content just being a guardian ninja. The current Daimyō seems rational—he knows how to maintain balance with Konoha."
Kyohiko lowered his voice.
"But Yoshi Enji, his successor… There will be conflict."
Yoshi Enji?
Minato recalled the young man's face.
Indeed.
Compared to the current Daimyō, Enji was more ambitious—and far more reckless.
He understood Kyohiko's point.
The village-nation system had been tested for decades. It wouldn't change overnight. The current situation was just the Daimyō's way of disciplining his son.
Once Enji was humbled, he'd realize Konoha's true strength—no amount of guardian ninja like Danzo could overturn the system.
But Danzo wasn't one to surrender easily. Sooner or later, a clash was inevitable.
"What about the Iburi clan? Their ability seems to have major flaws."
"If it didn't, they wouldn't have been hiding in caves all this time."
Kyohiko smirked.
Then, with a flick of his fingers, chakra condensed—forming a cloud of smoke.
Minato's eyes widened.
You—?!
He stared at the smoke, deep in thought.
Smoke transformation?
No… Not quite.
This wasn't the same.
Upon closer inspection, Minato realized Kyohiko's flesh hadn't transformed—only his chakra had taken on a smoke-like form.
"Smoke is formless—easily scattered by wind. But if anchored to a central point, it won't disperse as easily."
Kyohiko demonstrated.
Under his chakra control, the smoke held its shape even against wind. Even if parts were blown away, the core remained intact.
While this wasn't true smoke transformation, the principle was similar.
"When did you develop this?!"
Minato's voice was laced with shock.
As ANBU Captain, Kyohiko's schedule was packed—between missions, joint research with Orochimaru, and recent collaborations with the Hyuga.
And now, he'd also created a smoke-based ability?!
Did Kyohiko have more hours in a day than everyone else?!
Or was the gap in their intellect really this vast?
For a moment, Minato questioned his own existence.
Kyohiko dismissed the smoke.
"It's just a rough concept. Far from being a complete technique—it needs refinement."
He wasn't being modest.
At the beginner level, this ability was only useful for making his shadow clones more unpredictable. It was nowhere near secret technique tier.
In Kyohiko's vision, a perfected Smoke Transformation would need to at least approach the level of the Water Transformation Technique.
Minato's eye twitched.
"You're never satisfied, are you? If an average ninja developed something like this in such a short time, it'd already be famous across Konoha."
He paused slightly, his tone tinged with envy: "Kyohiko, do you have some special trick?"
"By utilizing the nature of shadow clones, you can gain more time for training and study. Though it demands high chakra and recovery capabilities—Kushina could definitely learn it, but you..."
Kyohiko glanced at him meaningfully.
Minato, with his average chakra reserves, could hardly hope to match Kyohiko or Kushina in this regard.
Unless...
He resorted to cheat codes!
Kyohiko mused for a moment before saying, "But if you really want to learn, it's not entirely impossible."
"Kyohiko, please!" Minato immediately stopped in his tracks, grabbing Kyohiko's hand with a serious expression. "I want to research and master more jutsu, but there's never enough time!"
"Your chakra reserves are limited. Neither the Yin Seal nor conventional methods suit you. But you do have one advantage—your wife. The tailed beast chakra within her can be harnessed."
Kyohiko lowered his voice.
Minato fell into deep thought.
Tailed beast chakra?
Even if extracted from Kushina's body, that chakra still carried the beast's malice. A single misstep could corrupt the user.
Was this feasible?
After a long silence, Minato's eyes suddenly lit up with realization.
"You mean... sealing techniques?"
"Exactly. The Yin Seal works by storing excess energy in the form of chakra. So, what if we reverse the principle? A sealing technique that releases chakra instead?"
Kyohiko hinted.
In the original timeline, Minato would later devise the Eight Trigrams Seal—a dual-layered Four Symbols Seal that allowed controlled leakage of tailed beast chakra, converting it into usable energy.
But right now, that idea was still just a vague notion in his mind.
"Dual-layered seals?"
"I'm no expert in sealing, but if one seal could release the chakra while another refines it, then yes, it's possible."
Kyohiko nodded.
Minato pondered before adding, "Extracting the tailed beast's chakra is another challenge. Though Kushina could cooperate willingly, the Nine-Tails itself..."
He trailed off, then concluded, "I'll refine the idea back in the village. Then we can discuss it with you and Kushina."
"Any progress on Kushina's end?"
"None."
Minato knew Kyohiko was referring to Kushina's relationship with the Nine-Tails.
Compared to Kumogakure's perfect jinchūriki system, Konoha lagged far behind. Soon, they might face enemy jinchūriki like Nii Yugito or Killer B on the battlefield.
Kushina's sealing prowess was formidable, but mastering the tailed beast's power like them would require years of communication—time they didn't have.
Their conversation soon shifted to the Flying Thunder God Formation.
Though Minato had nearly perfected it, his meticulous nature demanded further refinements before sharing it.
Kyohiko disagreed.
"Why wait? Let's train them on the basics first, then adjust based on real-world performance."
"Fair point."
What should have been a two-hour journey stretched until dusk as they finally reached Konoha's outskirts.
"So this is Konoha..."
A young girl gazed up, her voice a mix of awe and longing.
As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, joining Konoha was a dream for many clans.
Yet gaining entry was no simple feat—even proving their loyalty posed a hurdle.
For the Iburi clan, Konoha's invitation was nothing short of a miracle...
Assuming the village truly intended to help them.
"Sir, where will we live in Konoha?"
Iburi Gotta whispered nervously.
Kakashi hesitated before responding, "One moment."
He approached Kyohiko.
"Captain..."
"Temporary housing in the outskirts. I'll construct dwellings first, then reassess later."
Kyohiko glanced at Minato.
"Handle the paperwork. I'll take them directly to the site."
"Understood."
With a flicker, Minato vanished toward the gates.
Next—
"Fetch Yamato."
"Yes!"
Kakashi disappeared in a shunshin.
Kyohiko turned to Gotta.
"Gotta Clan Head, while Konoha welcomes you, there's one condition."
"Name it."
Gotta's face remained calm, though his fists clenched subtly.
"Land in Konoha is valuable. We can't simply gift you territory. Do you have funds for purchase?"
"..."
Gotta's gaze swept over his clan members before he shook his head helplessly.
They had lived in caves. Money was nonexistent.
"Then I propose this—"
Kyohiko outlined a lease-to-own plan, with staggered payments once the clan established itself.
Gotta's eyes widened.
Such terms were unheard of for a minor clan!
"W-we accept! Thank you, Kyohiko-sama!"
Kyohiko vanished in a Flying Thunder God, reappearing moments later with a land survey map.
Most plots within the village were already claimed. Expansion would require developing the outskirts.
Gotta's finger trembled as it landed on the cheapest, most remote area—a cliffside plot separated from the village by a lake.
It bordered the old training grounds—future territory of the Uchiha, had Kyohiko not intervened to alter that grim fate.
"Then let's begin."