"I'm leaving first, Kiyoshi."
Mikoto waved her hand.
She still needed to conduct some research nearby to make the information more complete, so she could report it to Fugaku.
"Okay."
Kiyoshi watched Mikoto leave, and only closed the door after her figure completely disappeared.
Returning to the inner room, Kiyoshi picked up the genjutsu scroll and began to study it. By the evening, Kiyoshi had finally grasped the basics.
"You have triggered the Trait: [Pure Genjutsu Scholar (White)]."
[Pure Genjutsu Scholar (White)]
[Requirements: Learn 1 pure Genjutsu technique.]
[Progress: 1%]
[Effect: Your genjutsu foundation is solid, enhancing any genjutsu you use by 5%.]
[Note: Can be upgraded.]
"Pure genjutsu?"
Kiyoshi was stunned.
It seemed that the previous Lightning Release: Flash Pillar didn't count as a genjutsu technique driven solely by Yin chakra.
'First, I need to bring the trait progress to 100%.' Kiyoshi thought to himself.
Only when it reaches 100% and shows as completed will the next upgrade route be displayed.
He had a feeling that after completion, it should be able to merge with the previously obtained [Apprentice Genjutsu Ninja (White)] to upgrade into a green trait.
This way, all the conditions would be met, and he could merge a blue trait.
...
The next day
Kiyoshi looked at the progress on the trait panel, which had reached 75%.
He wondered if, with this trait, he would also receive a bonus when using the Sharingan.
After all, it said that any genjutsu used would be enhanced by 5%.
"Hey!"
Kiyoshi, who was on the street buying groceries, heard someone call him.
When he turned around, he noticed that a girl with short purple hair was calling him.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
Kiyoshi asked the short-haired girl in front of him.
"You bumped into my dango."
Anko said, pointing to the dango that had fallen from the wooden skewer.
Kiyoshi looked down, and there was a flattened red dango on the ground.
"You were walking too fast." Kiyoshi said calmly.
Anko had walked too fast, causing the dango to fall on the ground.
Whose fault was that?
"Who told you to walk so slowly?"
"..."
Kiyoshi thought for a moment, and realized that it seemed that he was indeed thinking about something and had suddenly stopped.
He stared at the girl who was shorter than him, pondered for a moment, and suddenly felt that she looked familiar.
Kiyoshi said, "I can compensate you, what's your name?"
"I am Mitarashi Anko!"
Anko patted her flat chest and said loudly.
It could be seen that her personality was very optimistic.
Compared to Kurenai, who had a ladylike demeanor within her boldness, Anko seemed much more savage.
"Quickly compensate me for my dango, I still have important business at the Uchiha clan later!" Anko said.
The great Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had actually asked her to pass on a message, which had surprised Anko.
Orochimaru was a big figure who was usually hard to see in the village.
"What are you going to the Uchiha clan for?"
Kiyoshi frowned slightly.
When did Orochimaru get involved with the Uchiha clan?
Anko said, "I am looking for a guy named Uchiha Kiyoshi. Orochimaru-sama asked me to bring him back."
Anko then shook her head and said, "Stop changing the subject, quickly compensate me for my dango."
"I am Uchiha Kiyoshi."
Kiyoshi's heart moved, knowing that the seed he had left in Orochimaru's heart in the past had blossomed.
Judging from Orochimaru's willingness to take in Kabuto, he lacked an excellent assistant and had extended an invitation for this purpose.
And with such an excellent talent like himself, Orochimaru couldn't possibly not extend an invitation.
"You are… Uchiha Kiyoshi?"
Anko was stunned.
She hadn't expected the person she had randomly encountered to be the very Kiyoshi she was looking for.
She rubbed her eyelids, and her brown eyes observed Kiyoshi.
Sure enough, she found the Uchiha clan crest on Kiyoshi's clothes.
Anko said, "Then let's go, accompany me to see Orochimaru-sama, and compensate me for the dango on the way."
Anko still couldn't forget the dango.
"Eat a little less."
Kiyoshi shook his head.
Anko was one of the few female ninjas whose figure had deformed.
Perhaps it was because she was slacking off. In her middle ages, a good-looking beauty became obese.
"Hey, do you not want to compensate me?" Anko raised an eyebrow and asked.
"What if you delay Orochimaru-sama's business?"
Kiyoshi brought up Orochimaru.
After hearing Orochimaru, Anko's desire for dango immediately decreased a lot.
"Alright."
She nodded sullenly.
The two walked in front, and it took half an hour to reach a seemingly ordinary building.
Opening the door, a faint smell of medicine permeated the air, cold and pungent.
In the dim light, there were many bottles and jars, as well as many biological specimens and various experimental equipment.
"Heh heh, long time no see, Kiyoshi-kun."
In the innermost part, sat a pale-skinned man.
He was holding a test tube in his hand, the liquid glowing with a faint green light under the light.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru-sama." Kiyoshi nodded.
In his sleeve, the white snake wrapped around his arm seemed to sense something and was a little restless.
Kiyoshi reached out another hand into his sleeve and gently comforted the white snake.
Orochimaru had not yet defected, and standing in front of him was much safer than doing so with the future Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru was, after all, someone who would do anything for the sake of research.
In order to obtain the power of "Snake" and develop a series of snake-based ninjutsu, who knows how many experiments he had done on snakes.
It was quite normal for his white snake to smell the scent left by its own kind.
"Did you raise a summoning beast, Kiyoshi-kun?"
Orochimaru looked up at Kiyoshi, his golden vertical pupils turning to the sleeve of Kiyoshi's left hand.
"That's right, Orochimaru-sama."
Kiyoshi lifted his sleeve, revealing the white snake inside, its white scales appearing even whiter under the laboratory lights.
"Such a rare summoning beast."
Orochimaru smiled, with surprise in his eyes.
He found that this young man might have an unexpectedly good affinity with him.
Kiyoshi's expression was within Orochimaru's expectations.
Not only did Orochimaru's name have snake in it, but he himself was a researcher and fanatic of snakes.
Later on, he even transformed his body into a half-human, half-snake.
"Huh, your summoning beast looks like the snakeskin that Orochimaru-sama collects."
Anko exclaimed in surprise.
She, who had been with Kiyoshi the whole time, hadn't even noticed that Kiyoshi was hiding a white snake in his sleeves.
Orochimaru clarified, "It's a charm."
Orochimaru said, "Kiyoshi-kun is really lucky to get this, did Nono give you the summoning beast?"
Kiyoshi said, "Yes, it was given by Nono-sensei."
Orochimaru and Nono were both working in the Root, so it was normal for them to know some information about each other.
"Heh heh, so that's how it is. Let's talk about another thing."
"I asked you to come here because I want to know your future plans. After becoming a Chunin, your world will be even wider."