Chapter 6: Crisis Approaching
In the waters of the Land of Water, on a ship that was sailing, the monk Jigen stood by the ship's railing.
After a long and arduous journey, he had finally approached the aura of the Otsutsuki. However, at the same time, Jigen's body was becoming increasingly overwhelmed, on the verge of collapse.
At this time, Isshiki's injuries were still very severe. Unlike what was described in some unremembered content where the "Karma" had evolved through the natural energy of the "vessel," most of the time Isshiki's consciousness was dormant, trying to heal his injuries. Only the monk named Jigen, who had been assimilated into his puppet, was active in the ninja world based on instinct.
After sensing Kiyoshi's aura, Isshiki could no longer tolerate Jigen's weak body. He decided to find Kiyoshi and use Kiyoshi's body to complete his reincarnation and resurrection.
Time returns to the present.
Kiyoshi, who had just awakened his past life's memories, had no idea that a deadly crisis had already arrived.
"Father, can you tell me about the Hidden Mist Village and the Kaguya clan?" Kiyoshi asked Genji after returning home. Although he had some memories of the Naruto world from his previous life, he really lacked understanding of the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village.
"Mist Village and Kaguya, that's a really long story."
"The Kaguya clan is a prestigious bloodline clan that has been passed down in the ninja world for thousands of years. During the Warring States period, we lived in the Land of Fire. At that time, we could rival clans like the Senju and Uchiha. But in the late Warring States period, two monsters appeared, who were later called the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and the Demon of the Ninja World, Madara Uchiha. The most ridiculous thing is that these two supreme powerhouses actually shook hands and made peace in the end. Our clans, who didn't want to ally with the Senju and Uchiha, were successively driven out of the Land of Fire."
"Under the military threat of Madara Uchiha, we were driven towards the sea. Helpless, we went to the Land of Water to settle down. At that time, the strongest ninja of the Kaguya clan was the Great Elder, who had just reached the clan head level, which is now called the Kage level. Even in the Land of Water, he could only lead the clan to protect themselves. Later, under the coordination of Lord Byakuren, who was the First Mizukage, we joined forces with the Yuki clan, who possessed the Ice Release, and the Hōzuki clan, who had secret Water Release techniques, and together we established the Hidden Mist Village."
"Because the Kaguya clan is a clan that values martial power and is full of the spirit of combat, the clan members have violent tempers and often clashed with other ninjas in the Hidden Mist Village. Therefore, not long after jointly establishing the village, we moved out of the Hidden Mist Village and lived nearby. But there were still many clan members serving within the Hidden Mist Village. Although Father was young at the time, his strength was among the best in the village, so after the death of the First Mizukage, Lord Byakuren, he became a member of the Second Mizukage, Lord Gengetsu's, guard."
"In Mist Village Year 12, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, was confirmed dead. The Land of Fire and Konoha, which had lost their strongest person and possessed the most fertile land, became hot commodities, and a great war that swept across the entire ninja world broke out."
"The four major ninja villages – Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure – joined forces to attack Konohagakure in the Land of Fire. But unexpectedly, even after losing the God of Shinobi, Konoha's strength still dominated the ninja world. Helpless, the four countries had no choice but to cease fighting and form an alliance with Konoha after their defeat."
"After more than a year of recuperation, the four Kage unanimously sought revenge, and the great war broke out again. The Raikage chose to attack Konoha first. After being defeated, he chose to ally with Konoha again. But unexpectedly, during the alliance ceremony in Kumogakure, Ginkaku and Kinkaku of the Cloud Village launched a rebellion and actually killed the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage!"
"Mist and Rock saw an opportunity and simultaneously attacked Konoha. However, a dramatic scene occurred. Mist and Rock began fighting each other over the ownership of Konoha's spoils of war."
"The Second Mizukage, Lord Gengetsu, led the Shadow Guard and Anbu in an elite squad to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Earth. Father was already the captain of the Shadow Guard at that time. Who knew that the information had been leaked? We were ambushed by the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, at the border of the Land of Earth. The Mizukage and the Tsuchikage fought fiercely, and in the end, they both perished. Our Shadow Guard also suffered heavy losses. In the end, only Father and seven other Anbu members returned to the village heavily injured."
"The one who inherited the title of Mizukage was Lord Haku, who had served as the guard of the First Mizukage, Lord Byakuren. Lord Haku came from the Yuki clan and possessed a Kekkei Genkai called Ice Release. If Father's injuries could have healed, he should have been able to continue serving as the captain of Lord Haku's Shadow Guard."
"Your mother should have told you about what happened later. Father's recovery after his serious injuries was not perfect. His strength declined, and he lost most of his influence within the clan. In the three years that followed, he was even repeatedly suppressed by your uncle after he took the throne."
"In Mist Village Year 19, not long after you were born, the Sixth Elder, who was your grandfather, disappeared during a mission. Our lineage lost its pillar before you could grow up. At that time, my elder brother, who had already firmly secured the position of clan head, suddenly launched an attack, uniting most of the elders in the clan to expel our family!" Recalling the events of eight years ago and the death of his wife five years ago, Genji's eyes turned red, filled with tears.
"The reason they used was so ridiculous. They actually said that you, who inherited the bloodline of me and Yukiko, my son, had horns on your forehead and that your bloodline had mutated. At first, I also thought there was indeed a problem with your bloodline. After all, in the thousand years of our Kaguya clan's inheritance, no one had ever grown horns on their forehead. But now that you have awakened the Shikotsumyaku, it's clear that they were just looking for any excuse to suppress us!"
What Genji didn't expect was that Kiyoshi's bloodline had indeed mutated, but it was an extremely rare, benign atavism. The horns on his forehead were the mark of the Otsutsuki from whom the Kaguya clan's bloodline originated.
"We are now being watched here. That hateful Kaguya Musashi actually sent two Jōnin to watch over a half-crippled man like me," Genji said resentfully. "Father's current strength can only hold his own against one of them. Against both, he might not last even a minute. Only when your strength improves to the level of a Jōnin, with the enhancement of the Shikotsumyaku, should the two of us be able to escape from here."
"So many years have passed, and Kaguya Musashi has also awakened the Shikotsumyaku. With the resources he has as the clan head, he is very likely to have already reached the Kage level. Father has no hope left. The matter of revenge can only rely on you!" Genji sighed deeply.
After listening to Genji's story, Kiyoshi finally had a basic understanding of the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village, and he also learned in detail about the internal struggles of the Kaguya clan.
"Leave it to me, Father. I will work hard to train and avenge our family one day!" Kiyoshi replied firmly.
After returning to his room, Kiyoshi's mind was still churning like waves. The suffering his family had endured was too much, so much that it was hard to bear.
It took a long time for Kiyoshi to gradually calm down. He sat down cross-legged and began to refine his Chakra.
The physical energy and spiritual energy produced by the 130 trillion cells in his body continuously mixed, and Kiyoshi's Chakra reserves were slowly increasing until they reached a certain limit.
At the end of Mist Village Year 27, Kiyoshi's Chakra reserves officially reached the level of a Jōnin.