Three years passed.
Kioshi, Itachi, and Emi were now all strong chunin of Konoha, each going their separate ways after promotion. Itachi quit the military and transferred to Anbu, becoming a guard and secret operative. Emi went on to perform tracking and defense missions. And Kioshi was now a well-known healer and trading hire.
People paid and came from all around to receive Kioshi's services. The ability to carry heavy and perishable goods quickly and without damage was valued. Kioshi was also learning anatomy creation, which was a skill that rivaled Tsunade.
He was the sannin's unknown and unofficial student. They had never met before, but once Kioshi's healer sensei had taught him everything she knew, the Hokage had allowed Kioshi access to the slug princess notes.
Anatomy creation was the ability to make tissues, bones, and organs by fusing and combining existing elements using chakra. This was true creation, not transformation. Any clone or replication technique would only be temporary.
True creation was done manually. It took enormous amounts of research and precision to accomplish. There were no seals to aid. To do it, you had to learn how to extract and tell the differences between elements, and then you needed to learn to construct those elements correctly.
Anatomy creation had to be split into multiple sessions over time if the injury was severe. It took a great deal of time and energy. Luckily, Kioshi had a large supply of chakra, so this made things easier. Tsunade's notes also helped. They described different ways to be more efficient.
Kioshi's success also came from his ability to feel and study anatomy intimately with spiritual chakra. He was also very good at memorizing images.
The advantages, however, didn't mean that the learning process was fast. It took constant study and practice every day.
The results were worth it though. Kioshi could now heal scars and repair many bones and organs. He was well on his way to learning the entire body. The rare ability helped a lot of people. The number of patients was overwhelming.
Time needed to be spent in other places, so Kioshi charged high prices and kept a set schedule. When he wasn't working at the hospital, Kioshi would go on trading missions, socialize, relax, or train in combat. Due to the money he earned, he also owned a comfortable private apartment that he spent time in.
The decision to move happened about a year ago when Akio started getting romantic with a woman. The man had moved on to other things, and Kioshi could take care of himself. Being a ninja, Kioshi had the responsibilities of an adult anyway. A caretaker hadn't been required for some time.
Despite being busy, Team 2 made an effort to stay in touch. Itachi was the person Kioshi interacted with the most. Right now Kioshi was headed toward one such get-together, walking towards an agreed-upon place in the forest.
"Purple Skunk!" Shisui Uchiha exclaimed brightly after Kioshi stepped into view. Shisui was Itachi's good friend and would often join their meetings. He was now Kioshi's friend as well, the teenager making up ridiculous nicknames for the both of them. Kioshi had stopped dying his hair a while back. Within his black hair were now two natural purple strips. Apparently, this made him look like a colorful version of the black and white animal.
Kioshi had also stopped wearing sunglasses. Iwa had listed the accessory and his Dojutsu in their bingo book, so they did little good. He didn't like the covering anyway. Without the tinted lenses, Kioshi could now look people eye to eye and didn't have to worry about the item falling off in battle. It also made it much easier to see in the dark.
Exposing his features also had another upside. For the past three years, Kioshi had been hiring espionage ninjas to search for his mother. Now that he knew she hadn't been killed by the Iwa ninja, there was a good chance she was still alive. Nothing had come to light so far. With his name and appearance out there, however, maybe she would find him instead. Only time would tell.
"Purple skunk, you look tired," Shisui said to Kioshi's dazed eye rub. Kioshi's mental, spiritual, and physical chakra was drained constantly every day from healing. Today had been a particularly long session.
"Do you want me to train Sasuke tonight?" Itachi asked with concern. "You shouldn't stress yourself."
Kioshi and Itachi had recently become Sasuke's unofficial teachers in the ninja arts. The six-year-old had a strong desire to learn and become formidable like his older brother. He had begged for training, and Kioshi had been the one to acquiesce, offering one hour of instruction each night when he was in the village. Itachi, either feeling jealous, guilty or worried about Kioshi's health suggested that they trade off the task every other day. Today was Kioshi's day as sensei.
Kioshi waved his hand dismissively. "I'm fine." He actually looked forward to seeing the eager young boy. It was heartwarming, and instruction took little energy.
Itachi was hesitant when they first started the schedule. He'd tried to persuade Kioshi to cut down on teaching, but Kioshi argued that strength could end up saving Sasuke's life someday. Yes, life as a prodigy was hard. It brought attention and pressure from family and the village. It might also cause the small boy to enter ninja service sooner. But the world was cruel. Being the second heir of the Uchiha Clan made Sasuke a target either way. It should be up to the boy to choose what kind of life to lead.
Itachi had reluctantly agreed.
"So how is Sharingan training going?" Kioshi asked. Itachi had awakened his Dojutsu on an Anbu mission two years ago. A third tomoe had recently developed, which was a great achievement.
"It is going well," Itachi said. "Shisui is helping me master it."
"I guess this means you'll really kick my butt the next time we duel," Kioshi smiled wearily.
Itachi was a high A-rank ninja, nearing the threshold of becoming superclass. Kioshi was also this rank, but it was in healing. Time spent at the hospital had caused him to fall behind in combat.
Shisui smirked. "Don't worry Kioshi. You'll beat him one day." Kioshi and Shisui could often take Itachi down together, but only Shisui had managed to beat the heir alone in a while. Itachi had already started to surpass Kioshi before the Chunin Exams. The gap had only grown since then, and now with his Sharingan awakened, Itachi's reaction speed and hard-to-break genjutsu were almost impossible to overcome.
Kioshi worried that falling behind due to the split focus would come back to bite him. He had many enemies. But if he truly wanted to bring peace to the world, then it would need to be done with something more than force. Violence only begat more violence, and the last thing he wanted to do was control people by fear. Many had tried this in history, and it had never worked. Fear was nonlasting. Victims would seek to tear down their oppressor at the first opportunity.
This was one of the reasons why he continued to heal and to do trade missions, despite having enough money to live comfortably at the moment. The aid he gave built positive relations and set an example of what a ninja could be. Strength would always be needed. There would always be people who would be out for themselves. But perhaps he could lessen the need by building bridges and being a light in the darkness, persuading others to do the same.
Healing would also be able to repair his own body if something happened. He'd started to intently study his Dojutsus biological aspects along with other body parts for reconstruction, just in case someone attacked and managed to cripple him. Dojutsus were very complex, having layers of pathways within them like layered seals, but progress was steadily moving forward.
He also made sure to spend at least two days a week training in combat. He could beat most A-rank ninjas now, the extremely talented being the only exception.
"Should we go?" Itachi asked, getting off the subject. He wasn't one to brag or become too confident, though it was obvious to all of them that Kioshi had a lot of work ahead to make victory possible.
Kioshi and Shisui nodded.
The group headed out into the village. This was a casual meeting, one where they would simply go eat and talk. The lack of combat was one of the reasons why Kioshi hadn't rescheduled any of his appointments. He'd be able to participate on low energy.
While walking to a restaurant, a commotion off in a side street caused the boys to stop. Two ninjas were currently yelling at each other, one military, and one Konoha police.
Unfortunately, this sight was nothing new. Konoha police consisted solely of Uchiha members. It was a unique ninja branch, being a mix between Anbu and Military. Tensions between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of the village were high. The fact that police duties often crossed over with two other ninja fields also caused contention.
"Leave the woman alone! You Uchiha are a plague!"
"Shut up! I have orders to collect!"
The military ninja scoffed. "Well, you don't need to be so harsh about it! Show me the papers! You are probably here to extort the woman. Going to hide away some of the tax for your own now, huh?"
"How dare you! You are interfering with police business!"
"Mam, I can escort you to the payment office if you like. You don't need to deal with this trash. He obviously does not know how to act professionally."
"Y-yes. Thank you, sir. I think that would be wise," a middle-aged woman stuttered, uncomfortable and relieved.
"Fine!" the Uchiha snapped, throwing his hands up. "Do what you want! It will only waste both your time." The Konoha police member then stormed off.
Itachi visibly slumped, the weight of his clan resting heavily on him at the interaction.
"Don't worry," Shisui comforted, resting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Time will make things better."
"Time has only made things worse," Itachi said grimly, continuing down the street.
Kioshi frowned as he followed. Itachi wasn't wrong. If things continued their course, contentions would soon lead to bloodshed.
"There has to be a way to fix it…" Shisui murmured softly.
Kioshi sighed. If only there was a simple solution. Uchihas had been held in suspicion for almost an entire century due to Madara's betrayal. The nine-tailed fox attack had made things worse. Not only had it killed the Fourth Hokage, someone who was making moves to repair relations, but there were rumors that the fox had been controlled by one possessing the Sharingan.
The clan's affiliation was further insinuated by their absence during the attack. The truth was that Danzo had ordered the Uchihas not to interfere due to the man's lack of trust. The clan had wanted to help, but that fact wasn't publicized. Because of this, the Uchihas were believed to be cowards and traitors which caused a lot of hurt and anger on both sides.
Kioshi could try to convince people otherwise, but Danzo would counteract any positive enforcement. Constant propaganda was spread through the streets every day, all negative and through design. The village advisor hated the Uchihas. He also wanted their eyes. The man would do everything in his power to lead the clan to extermination.
Maybe if Kioshi, Shisui, and Itachi worked together, they could assassinate the parasite. It seemed like the only way out of this. Kioshi could pose as a seer…someone who had dreams of the past, present, and future… If Danzo had started implating eyes into his arm, this would be proof of his crimes.
But it was too risky. Danzo was strong, and he always had multiple guards with him. And such an action would be traitorous if not approved beforehand. He trusted Itachi and Shisui, but Hiruzen…? Knowledge of certain things would make him an even bigger target. He also didn't know if the Hokage would believe him. Danzo was the man's friend and had a high standing in the village. Hiruzen wouldn't be quick to disrespect and confront him.
The best thing to do was to find solid proof of treachery, something that didn't require a "seers" word. Exposure and convincing aside, it was unwise to rely solely on a TV show. Things had already changed due to his presence, and the anime had proved to be vague and false on some points. He also hadn't paid that close attention to it to know the extent of Danzo's experiments at this point. He knew that a few eyes were implanted before the massacre, but not the exact timing. And simply having a Hashirama celled arm would not be enough. Renewing a dead bloodline was not illegal. The accomplishment might even be awarded.
It would be safer to find things out traditionally. After this, he could eliminate Danzo. Then he could rebond the village.
Was it possible?
Kioshi, Itachi, and Shisui sat down at a restaurant table and began to talk about missions and family. Despite the varying subjects, the Uchiha Clan's problems were in the back of all their minds.
What would the future hold?