Chapter 48: Clone Combat
Afternoon.
Kiyoshi strolled around the capital of the Land of Fire, taking in the sights and sounds that marked the stark difference from the ninja village of Konoha.
"Time to train my taijutsu again."
Back at the inn, Kiyoshi noticed Tsunade and Shizune had not yet returned.
Full of energy, his chakra fully restored, he had no intention of resting.
Instead, he activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan once more, immediately using his ability, Onamuchi, to enter the Netherworld space.
"Wood Clone Jutsu!"
With a surge of chakra, two figures emerged from Kiyoshi's body, swiftly forming into lifelike wood clones before him. His eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.
"From this moment, both of you attack me with all your taijutsu power—don't hold back."
He wasn't in any rush to master every jutsu at once. Those could come gradually.
With his natural talent, he was confident he'd learn them in time. But taijutsu, too, was not something he could afford to neglect. He wanted well-rounded development.
He couldn't forget how in the original anime, Might Guy unleashed the Eight Gates, producing such powerful blows that they distorted even space itself.
That scene had shocked him to the core. The sheer strength of taijutsu could not be ignored.
Yes, Might Guy could only reach that level by risking his life, determined to burn his very life force to its limit.
But this only proved one thing: if his body and life force were strong enough, he might reach that power without the Eight Gates.
With his Perfect Yang Release, his life force was exceptionally strong, his recovery ability extraordinary, and his physique far beyond the ordinary, giving him the potential to make this a reality.
Kiyoshi believed that, as long as he persevered in growing his body and pushing his limits, one day he could achieve, if not surpass, the taijutsu prowess of Might Guy even without the Eight Gates open.
Ordinary physical training could not be overlooked—it required accumulation over time to yield results. But only intense combat could truly temper one's taijutsu.
No opponent? Then create one.
Two wood clones with a third of his chakra each were, in terms of taijutsu, strong enough to apply significant pressure on him.
No one knew him better than he did himself.
His wood clones, sharing his mind and combat techniques, were practically indistinguishable from him.
Only by pushing himself into desperate straits could he truly break his limits and attain a new level of power.
"Pardon us, main body."
"Now, hitting yourself—that's ruthless."
The two wood clones exchanged wry comments but instantly activated their Sharingan, charging at Kiyoshi without holding back.
The first clone lunged forward, fist glowing with chakra-enhanced strength, aiming a mighty punch at Kiyoshi. The power made his hair stand on end.
With the enhanced dynamic vision of the Sharingan, Kiyoshi anticipated the clone's rapid movements and reacted instantly, jerking his head aside to dodge, while bringing his knee up to block the sweeping kick of the second clone.
In the next moment, he launched a brutal elbow strike at the first clone.
But with both clones possessing the Sharingan and taijutsu almost equal to his own, suppressing them was not so simple.
"Bang!"
The first clone blocked Kiyoshi's elbow, retaliating with a right hook to his abdomen, which he could not dodge while fending off the second clone's attack.
Kiyoshi's eyes widened as the punch knocked him back, blood spurting from his mouth as he shot across the ground.
"Bang!"
Crossing his arms just in time, he barely managed to block a powerful kick.
Even with the force partially deflected, his arms tingled from the clone's monstrous strength. The sheer force dragged him a good ten meters across the ground.
"It seems… I still have a long way to go."
With a determined look, Kiyoshi steadied himself and charged again, healing quickly thanks to his astonishing recovery rate.
"Come on, again!"
"Bang… bang…"
"This is still not enough! Come on, again!"
"Bang, bang… bang, bang…"
"Aaaargh!"
In the Netherworld space, sounds of battle and Kiyoshi's grunts of pain reverberated continuously.
The fight was brutal and relentless, leaving him battered and bruised.
Time and again, he was knocked down, only to get back up each time, covered in blood yet unyielding, gritting his teeth and facing his two wood clones.
To grow himself as much as possible, Kiyoshi held nothing back, allowing both Sharingan and chakra-enhanced strength in the fight.
With his monstrous healing ability and the medical ninjutsu he'd learned from Tsunade, he had no fear of fatal injuries.
He even suppressed his Wood-Wood Fruit's Logia powers to fully engage in taijutsu, intending to strengthen his basic combat skills.
Sure, he could've simply followed Tsunade's guidance, steadily growing day by day. But to Kiyoshi, this was far from enough.
After all, his true enemies were not the Hokage, not the Root, not even the Akatsuki organization.
His enemies were Uchiha Madara, Otsutsuki Kaguya, and beyond them, powerful figures like Otsutsuki Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Isshiki.
And possibly, he would one day face the incomparably mysterious Otsutsuki god, Shibai, who seemed to exist on a plane beyond even other Otsutsuki.
Saving the world had nothing to do with him. His only desire was to use his talents and hard work to surpass even the legendary Otsutsuki god, so that he and the ones he loved could live freely. This was Kiyoshi's true ambition.
Now that he had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and could use Onamuchi to enter the Netherworld, he was no longer limited by his physical age.
For years, he had kept a low profile in the village, quietly building his strength. Here, he could finally unleash himself without restraint.
For Kiyoshi, this was only the beginning.
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