Kiyohara turned off the faucet, quickly wiped the water from his body with a towel, and changed into a clean set of shinobi clothes.
When he opened the door, he immediately paused—because right outside the courtyard gate stood none other than Kurenai, and leaning casually against the doorframe beside her was Genma, a senbon needle dangling from the corner of his lips.
"Kurenai, Genma, what are you two doing here?"
Kiyohara blinked in surprise.
Kurenai fluttered her signature crimson eyes and replied,
"We heard you're participating in the Chūnin Selection today. Genma and I had some free time, so we figured we'd drop by and see just how many tricks you've been hiding."
Genma shifted the senbon to the other side of his mouth and muttered vaguely,
"Yeah, to see whether you've been secretly grinding behind everyone's back."
"Then let's go together. We shouldn't be late."
The three of them walked toward the examination grounds.
Along the way, more and more people filled the streets—many of them shinobi or officials heading toward the same destination.
Taking advantage of the walk, Kiyohara started conversing with the missing-nin Kiyohara in his mind.
"About the 'Last Will System…"
"You mentioned before that when you were alive, you also received last wills from other 'possible versions' of yourself, right?"
"Yeah."
The missing-nin Kiyohara answered.
"The first time happened when I was escorting some documents for Orochimaru. Another village suddenly attacked, and I escaped badly injured. Right then, a message appeared in my consciousness."
His tone carried a distant recollection.
"The future version I encountered belonged to some cult worshipping an evil god—let's call him 'Cultist Kiyohara.' His only final wish was to experience deep, excruciating pain once.
So I… inflicted it on myself to fulfill his wish. Unfortunately, he didn't have any real abilities. All I got was some increase in spiritual energy."
The missing-nin Kiyohara continued slowly,
"So that's how it was."
Kiyohara nodded internally and asked,
"Then does that mean I might someday receive a last will from a future version of myself who possesses a kekkei genkai?"
This was a question he cared about deeply.
If the "Last Will System" anchored itself to the existence known as "Kiyohara" across all possibilities, then theoretically, any Kiyohara born with special talents or bloodline abilities could become a source of power for him.
The missing-nin Kiyohara remained silent for a moment, as if searching through memories. After a while, he finally spoke:
"In theory… it's possible. But even I never fully understood the mechanism. Based on my experience, the two last wills I received were about a month apart. Whether there's a pattern behind it, I don't know.
It could happen again quickly… or maybe not for a very long time. After the second one, I never got a third—because I died before fulfilling the second will."
"I see. So only one 'Last Will' can exist at a time."
Kiyohara stroked his chin.
The missing-nin Kiyohara nodded slightly and continued,
"Probably. And even if you receive one, the inheritance is random. It might be combat experience, insight into a chakra nature, or simply part of their chakra reserves. Back then, I mostly inherited fragmented techniques from that version of me in his dying moments."
"As for kekkei genkai…"
His tone wavered with uncertainty.
"I never encountered a future version with a kekkei genkai, so I can't say for sure. Even if one does exist, whether its abilities can be inherited through a Last Will or how much, remains unknown."
Kiyohara silently digested the information.
It seemed that while the "Last Will System" was miraculous, it was far from an omnipotent wish-granting system.
It resembled more a treasure chest that opened at random—what you got depended entirely on luck.
For now, however, the inheritance he had already received from the missing-nin Kiyohara was more than enough to keep him busy for a long time, and it was undoubtedly a tremendous aid.
Otherwise, without him, his name might have been etched onto Konoha's memorial stone after Kannabi Bridge, with Kakashi visiting his grave.
"I understand."
Kiyohara nodded lightly.
No matter what, this knowledge and experience from "future selves" was priceless.
"After I finish fulfilling your wish… what will happen to you?"
Kiyohara asked an important question.
"From what I've observed, my consciousness will vanish, sinking into the urn. Eventually, even the urn itself will fade away until nothing remains,"
The missing-nin Kiyohara replied.
""Already, the urns in your mind are gone. Whether there's a way to slow it, I don't know."
Faced with his counterpart's endless "I don't know," Kiyohara could only plan to study the matter himself.
After all, the missing-nin Kiyohara hadn't lived long after receiving his Last Will System. He never had a chance to explore its secrets thoroughly.
'I can't die that early. At least let me live until Boruto.'
Kiyohara thought to himself.
To reach that era would mean experiencing all the great turning points of the shinobi world.
Of course, if he could avoid death entirely, he would. He had no desire to become the "grandfather" of another timeline's self.
"After I fulfill your final wish, let's wait a month and see whether a new 'Last Will' appears."
As Kiyohara's thoughts drifted, he lifted his gaze to the large building ahead.
The missing-nin Kiyohara had already retreated back into the urn. He always hid inside when not needed, conserving energy.
In that state, he couldn't see or hear anything in the outside world—not even Kiyohara's thoughts—unless Kiyohara intentionally knocked on the urn mentally.
"Up ahead is the Chūnin Selection site. Lots of people today."
Kurenai observed casually.
She had been here last year—and successfully passed to become a Chūnin.
"Is that so."
Kiyohara nodded.
Thankfully, this was during the Third Great Ninja War, so the process wasn't like Naruto's era, where candidates were forced into fixed three-man teams.
Otherwise, Kakashi wouldn't have been able to become a Jōnin alone.
"Brings back memories."
Genma removed the senbon from his mouth. His second uncle was one of the proctors here.
Every time Genma showed up chewing something, he'd get scolded and hung up for discipline—accused of having "no proper posture."
"What's there to reminisce about?"
Kurenai shook her head.
Ahead stood the temporary building designated as the Chūnin Exam venue.
Because the village was at war, the procedures had been simplified.
Written tests and team-based missions were cancelled—candidates would be assessed solely through live combat matches evaluating their overall capabilities.
Any genin recommended to participate had either made impressive achievements on the battlefield or were recognized by their Jōnin captain as possessing Chūnin-level skill.
"Let's head in."
Kiyohara said.
Inside, over a dozen genin had already gathered.
The atmosphere was tense.
After all—everyone here was a competitor.
Positions were limited.
For someone to rise, someone else had to fall.
With stakes like that, no one expected things to feel friendly.
"Genma and I will go to the spectator area."
Kurenai's soft voice rang out gently.
"Go on. Make sure to bring me something to eat later. Since you'll be watching my performance, you won't mind paying a little 'ticket fee,' right?"
Kiyohara smiled lightly.
He didn't want to spend his own money, after all.
"What do you want?"
Kurenai asked.
"Hmm… three bags of chips, two bottles of mochi red-bean soup, and if possible, three dango skewers."
Kurenai's eyes instantly widened.
How shameless.
What is this—
Are you here to restock your pantry or what!?
(End of Chapter)