Chapter 41: Journey Begins

"Kiyoshi, hurry up!"

At the main gate of Konoha Village, Shizune stood holding Tonton, waving toward Kiyoshi, who had swapped into casual clothes and was carrying a backpack.

Beside him were Kurenai, Tenten, and Ino.

"Finally, we're heading out. The air outside feels so refreshing!" Tsunade stretched, her elegant curves on full display, her beautiful face showing a trace of delight.

If not for ensuring Kiyoshi could leave without worry, she wouldn't have stayed in Konoha for so long. 

Especially after the recent Uchiha events, she had grown increasingly disappointed in the village elders, including the Third Hokage.

"This kid sure is popular with the ladies." Tsunade chuckled as she glanced at Tenten and Ino, who were teary-eyed and reluctant to see Kiyoshi go. 

In her academy days, if there had been someone as handsome and skilled as Kiyoshi, she might have been smitten as well. So, it was no surprise to her that these young girls were.

"Well then, I'm off." Kiyoshi comforted the girls, smiling as he said, "Train well, I'll be checking on your progress when I return." 

He then looked at Kurenai, who had also come to see him off. 

Stepping forward, he hugged her, tilting his face up to meet her gaze, looking beyond her figure to her beautiful face.

"Kurenai-nee, please take care of things at home for me."

Kurenai smiled softly, feeling his attachment as she ruffled his hair. "Take care of yourself, and remember to listen to Lady Tsunade on your travels."

Kiyoshi grinned, nodding. "Got it!"

"Have a safe journey, Kiyoshi." 

"Goodbye, Kiyoshi, we'll be waiting for you to come back." 

"Goodbye!!"

Kiyoshi waved as he left through Konoha's main gate, followed by Tsunade and Shizune. With two adults and a child, the trio headed into the distance.

"Finished saying goodbye to your two girlfriends?" Tsunade teased.

"Not two girlfriends, but three…" Kiyoshi responded smoothly, "Kurenai-nee counts too."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Shizune, standing nearby, looked at him with mild exasperation. 

"Kiyoshi, boys shouldn't be too fickle."

"Oink~~~Oink~~~" Even the small pig in Shizune's arms squealed in agreement.

"That's just not good enough for me," Kiyoshi declared with conviction, crossing his arms. 

"I'm destined to be a Hokage… No, to be the King of the Forest!" For Kiyoshi, the more women by his side, the better. 

With his boundless stamina, he had no need to pick and choose—any number could line up, and he'd still be ready.

"The Hokage, huh? Then you'd better work hard." Shizune laughed, a bit surprised by his ambition. 

She knew how remarkable his talents were, comparable to the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and as a student of the Sannin, just like Minato, he might have a real chance at becoming a Hokage.

"Hokage?" Tsunade halted, her steps slowing as she turned to look at Kiyoshi's young, confident face. 

In a flash, she was reminded of another young boy who wore the Konoha headband and had declared with unshakeable determination.

"Nee-chan, I'll become Hokage like Grandpa and protect everyone."

"You're still far from that goal." Tsunade came back to herself, looking at the eight-year-old Kiyoshi, slightly dazed. 

She quickly suppressed her emotions, turning her face to hide the glistening in her eyes. 

She flicked his forehead, half-scolding, though inside, a flicker of hope arose. 

As she gazed back toward the Konoha gate, which was now barely visible in the distance, she silently thought, Maybe, just maybe, if it's you, Konoha could truly change.

Little did she know, however, that Kiyoshi's ambitions lay elsewhere. 

His plan was not to become the Hokage himself—but to become the man of the Fifth Hokage. 

Otherwise, he'd likely end up on the receiving end of one of her fist-sized lessons.

"Pests?" Kiyoshi noticed something in the forest, his lips curling into a smile. Casually, he raised his right hand to his left forearm and discreetly formed a seal.

"Heh, you can stay there and enjoy running in circles," he muttered to himself.

The trio, master and disciples, continued chatting and laughing as they moved further away, soon disappearing from view.

In the shadows, two Root ninjas who had been secretly tailing them had been moving in circles the whole time, only to realize with a shock that they were caught in a loop. 

Despite the three figures ahead seeming real, they were merely illusions.

"Release!" 

The illusion dissipated, and the figures ahead vanished. One of the Root members cursed under his breath. 

"Damn it, it was a Genjutsu… but when did this happen?"

The second member was equally baffled, unable to pinpoint when exactly they'd fallen for the illusion.

"They've known about us from the start… Quite a terrifying brat."

According to Root's intel, Kiyoshi not only excelled in medical ninjutsu but was highly skilled in Genjutsu, having effortlessly subdued other Root members who had attempted to test him in the past.

"Should we continue?" one of them asked.

"Now that we've been discovered, there's no point," the leader decided after a moment's hesitation. "Otherwise, if that Sannin gets involved, it could get ugly."

"Let's report back to Lord Danzo," he said, his voice low.

With two swift movements, the Root members vanished into the forest, unaware that as soon as they left, a shadowy mask, faintly resembling Kiyoshi's features, emerged on a tree trunk nearby. 

It watched them leave with a cold, impassive stare.

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