"That's it?"
Orochimaru looked at Kiyosuke with narrowed eyes.
"That's all. These are all the abilities I've developed so far," Kiyosuke replied.
"That's not much. You could develop a lot more techniques. But you're still young—there's plenty of time." Orochimaru's voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"Ah, okay..."
"I just thought of a move. Your elementalization—does it allow you to regenerate even if your entire body is blown to pieces?"
What kind of move are you thinking of?
That sounds terrifying!
Kiyosuke said, "Yes, but it takes a huge amount of chakra to regenerate my body."
"Perfect. Once you have more chakra in the future, gather a large amount of it on your body's surface, get close to the enemy, and self-detonate."
Kiyosuke: "..."
No wonder he's Orochimaru—he came up with something I never could have imagined.
"Of course, that should only be used as a last resort. You can try it out one day, but for now, focus on refining your chakra. Build a solid foundation," Orochimaru advised. He might not be the best teacher, but when it came to discovering someone's potential, he was second to none.
"Oh... okay."
Kiyosuke answered half-heartedly, but Orochimaru didn't mind.
"What grade are you in?"
"Second year. I'll graduate next year."
Konoha's Ninja Academy ran on a three-year system during the war. When their class enrolled, the war hadn't completely ended, so the old system was still in place. It was meant to quickly replenish the losses from the battlefield.
"I see. Keep studying. From now on, come see me after school every day. Also, I'll teach you a new jutsu. Pay attention. This one is called the Shadow Clone Technique. It's a B-rank jutsu, but it's fairly easy. First, form the Ram seal, then properly distribute your chakra..."
Orochimaru's instruction was patient and detailed. Anytime Kiyosuke didn't understand something, he answered right away.
Poof!
A clone appeared next to him—it looked exactly like him, but limp and lifeless, flopping to the ground.
Clearly a failure.
"You didn't distribute your chakra properly. Try this... then this... and finally this," Orochimaru corrected him.
Under Orochimaru's guidance, Kiyosuke adjusted the chakra flow again—and this time, the Shadow Clone was successfully formed.
"Looks like you've got some talent after all. Keep coming back. Here, take this little guy. You can use it to contact me if needed." A small white snake slithered out from Orochimaru's sleeve, its scarlet tongue flickering as it faced Kiyosuke.
"Can I get something else?"
"No. I only have snakes."
Before he could refuse, Orochimaru stuffed the white snake into his hands. It coiled itself around his wrist like a living snake bracelet—its scales were slick and cold, but surprisingly comfortable.
"Alright then, Orochimaru-sama. What does it eat?"
"Mice, sparrows... eggs will do too. Off you go now—I've got experiments to run." Orochimaru waved him off like he was getting rid of a nuisance.
"Use it and toss it away," Kiyosuke muttered as he left.
Orochimaru returned to his lab and resumed studying the secrets of Kiyosuke's body. After several days of sleepless experimentation, all he could confirm was that the boy had an unusual physique. Nothing more.
Did I take the wrong approach in my research?
The thirst for knowledge is endless—but for now, he had no new leads.
After a short rest, he made his way to the Hokage Tower and reported everything to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At this point in time, Orochimaru was still loyal to Konoha. Once his initial curiosity had been satisfied, he felt it was only right to report such findings. After all, they'd made a promise—Kiyosuke's abilities were to be used openly. If he didn't report it, it would go against the agreement, and that wasn't how Orochimaru did things.
A promise made must be fulfilled.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was taken aback.
"You're saying Asuma's classmate possesses a unique kekkei genkai?"
"Yes. His name is Asakawa Kiyosuke. His ability resembles the Hydrification Technique of the Hozuki Clan from Kirigakure, but it's fundamentally different."
Orochimaru gave a brief explanation. Hiruzen stood up and said,
"Go pull up the Asakawa clan's records."
After Konoha was founded, many clans donated their family records. Most of them documented Warring States-era history, clan abilities, and common jutsu. They were a valuable source of information during Konoha's early days and wartime.
Even now, they remained useful.
The two searched through the records for quite a while, but all they found was that the Asakawa clan specialized in Fire Release. There was no mention of any special kekkei genkai. And compared to the Uchiha or Sarutobi clans, even their Fire Release wasn't worth much.
When they joined Konoha, they were a tiny clan with only a few members. After two ninja world wars, only Kiyosuke remained—the sole survivor.
"Could it be that the clan declined so long ago that the records no longer mention their kekkei genkai?" Orochimaru speculated. "There's no way a kid could have created a kekkei genkai on his own."
You can't just create a kekkei genkai by being talented.
Take my own teacher for example—he possesses all five chakra natures and has mastered their transformations, but he still hasn't developed his own unique kekkei genkai. The talent and technical requirements are far too high.
And while Kiyosuke is gifted, he's not that kind of prodigy—the kind who could create an entirely new kekkei genkai.
That's why Orochimaru concluded that this was an inherited trait—a unique kekkei genkai passed down from Kiyosuke's ancestors. Over time, as the clan declined, fewer members awakened the ability, and eventually they became a minor clan within Konoha.
Just like the Kurama Clan in the village now—they were once a prestigious family rivaling the Uchiha in power. But after successive wars depleted their numbers, more and more children were born without the clan's bloodline ability. They declined and lost their former glory.
"Looks like that's what happened. His parents died, and the emotional trauma might've triggered the awakening of a bloodline that hadn't appeared in generations. If we nurture him properly, Konoha might gain a new kekkei genkai clan in the future."
Sarutobi Hiruzen could clearly see Kiyosuke's potential value to the village. After all, even in Konoha, kekkei genkai users were rare.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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