Right after that, under Swordsman Kiyohara's control, Kiyohara's body moved and the borrowed ninja sword seemed to come alive.
It was no longer a clumsy chopping motion—it turned into a rapid, flowing offensive.
The Mist swordsman's fierce assault was instantly broken. He was forced back on the defensive, desperately swinging his greatsword to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The dense clash of steel echoed through the fog as the two figures traded speed for speed, blades flashing so fast that Kakashi and the others could barely follow.
"Hmph, so you've got a bit of skill—so what?" Suinosame started to sneer.
Schk!
Swordsman Kiyohara seized that opening mid-sentence. Suinosame choked on a scream, his greatsword flying from his hand. He clutched at the thin line of blood opening on his throat, trying to speak—
But with a pierced windpipe, all he could produce was a broken, ragged wheeze.
He toppled with a dull thud.
"Villains die from talking too much," Kiyohara thought as he slipped back into control of his own body.
He slowly lowered the blade, feeling a wave of weakness roll through him.
Being possessed by Swordsman Kiyohara burned stamina like crazy.
He glanced at the dead Mist swordsman.
"Even basic swordsmanship is that strong, huh…"
He had felt it clearly. Swordsman Kiyohara had been using nothing but the most fundamental forms.
"How come I've never seen you use anything like that before?" Genma asked, baffled.
As the three Mist shinobi died, the dense white fog around them gradually faded.
"Because I didn't have money to buy a sword before," Kiyohara answered casually.
He crouched down and started confidently looting the corpse, adding without looking up:
"Whoever gets the kill gets the loot. No objections, right?"
Genma opened his mouth, then said nothing.
Kurenai suddenly remembered Kiyohara's loans and understood why he was so… enthusiastic about looting.
Kakashi watched silently as Kiyohara stripped the Mist swordsman of anything valuable: the clearly expensive greatsword, assorted tools, and cash.
"Take it. You can have my share too," Kakashi said flatly.
Honestly, he didn't need the money.
Kiyohara could tell he didn't care. The guy was practically dripping in high-end gear.
Rich mutt, he grumbled internally. Must be nice having a dad more legendary than the Sannin.
In short order, he'd collected fifty or sixty thousand ryō in cash, a stack of exploding tags, and useful tools. He lined the greatsword up beside the two Mist blades he'd looted earlier.
He did a quick mental tally.
Cash plus what the tags will fetch… that's close to 150,000 ryō. This greatsword… quality's excellent; on the black market it'd probably go for over 300,000. Add my previous savings…
His heart started pounding.
Enough.
Definitely enough.
More than enough to forge a ninja sword—maybe with some left over.
Carefully, he sealed everything into a scroll.
Now he finally had all the money he needed to fulfill Swordsman Kiyohara's second wish: forging a sword of his own.
That alone would boost his strength again. After completing the first wish—revenge—he might even become a true sword prodigy.
Swordsman Kiyohara had mastered an S-rank sword technique; his talent in that field was undeniable.
"Once I get the sword made, my power's going to jump again," Kiyohara thought.
Which made sense.
Other people needed years of training under masters or near-death experiences to improve.
That method was slow and dangerous; years of bad mechanics could wreck your body or twist it out of shape.
But he could just pour future experience directly into his brain.
And all of that experience was tested, corrected technique—earned by future versions of himself. All he had to do was follow the right answer sheet.
Safe and efficient.
The difference was obvious.
"Let's move," Kakashi said when Kiyohara finished packing up.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Kakashi felt like Kiyohara was in a very good mood.
Was it the money?
He shook his head and dropped the thought.
Kiyohara shouldered his gear and followed. The squad continued the escort.
The rest of the journey was much calmer; they reached the next outpost without incident and delivered the supplies.
"This time we really have you and Kakashi to thank," Rin said.
She felt like she'd barely contributed.
"Not true. Without you at our backs, how would we have the nerve to fight up front?" Kiyohara said with a smile.
He was in a good mood.
"Eh?" Rin blinked.
She'd expected him to say something like "we're all comrades," but instead he'd acknowledged her strength.
"It's because we have an excellent medical ninja like you that we can fight without hesitation," he added.
"Really…" Rin murmured.
It was the first time she'd heard it put that way.
Obito always complimented her looks. Kakashi only focused on completing the mission.
Only Kiyohara noticed her ability and talent.
He wasn't shallow or dull.
Thinking that, she looked up at him again.
His features were sharply defined, his face strikingly handsome—enough to stand out even among the Uchiha.
"Thank you," she said, smiling brightly.
"I'm only stating the truth," Kiyohara replied.
Rin was easily on par with—or stronger than—Haruno Sakura in terms of talent. She already knew A-rank Mystical Palm Technique, something Sakura only learned under Tsunade, one of the strongest medics ever.
Rin had gotten there with none of those resources.
If she hadn't died so young, who knew what heights she might have reached.
"By the way, when you have time, could you teach me some medical ninjutsu too?" Kiyohara asked.
On the road, he'd learned from Swordsman Kiyohara that his chakra nature included both Yin and Yang.
With Yang, he could attempt medical ninjutsu.
He could stockpile techniques now; once he fused with Swordsman Kiyohara, he'd be able to use them immediately.
"Mm. Come by my tent tonight," Rin said after thinking a moment.
They still had to head back to their original base, and only after that would she have time.
"Then I'll trouble you, Rin," Kiyohara said.
Perfect. Once they got back, he could figure out how to liquidate his haul.
There was a small town near the outpost with Konoha shinobi stationed there—a wartime relay hub.
Kiyohara planned to sell everything there, then commission his sword.
It shouldn't take long—he figured a smith could forge it in a day.
This world was fairly modern, and chakra made many things easier; forging ninja weapons was fast.
"Tomorrow, then…" Kiyohara thought.
By tomorrow night, everything should be ready.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!