Chapter 2: I'll Step In at the Critical Moment
Some possibilities were experience, some were bloodline, and others were even stacked talents!
"I only received two Last Wills as well. I had just reached jōnin-level strength when I got careless, stepped into an explosive tag trap, and died."
"So that's how it is…"
Kiyohara silently reasoned that the Last Will was essentially a temporal anchor.
If he died, would he also be packaged as a relic and sent to another version of himself from a different possibility?
Now he understood why Rogue Ninja Kiyohara had been so enthusiastic about explaining everything right from the start.
Even cooperation between a future self and a present self had to follow the rules of interest exchange.
In the end, he simply wanted Kiyohara to fulfill his last wishes.
Realizing this, Kiyohara's heart began to pound with excitement.
If just one future version of himself could double his talent, then what about two? Three? Or even more?
In theory, through continuous stacking, he could eventually punch the Ōtsutsuki clan to pieces with three blows—Sir, I'm officially a shinobi of the ninja world now.
After all, even the Eight Inner Gates technique, upon opening the Gate of Death, was only said to grant dozens of times the power of a Kage.
The only thing Kiyohara didn't know was whether there would be any loss in this inherited power—after all, these were all versions of himself who had already died.
Presumably, the more powerful the future version was compared to him, the greater the strength he could inherit.
"So, what's your last wish?"
"Hmm… There are two. The first one's very simple—go do what you want to do right now."
Contrary to Kiyohara's expectations, Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's request was surprisingly simple.
"What do I want to do?"
Kiyohara froze.
Of course, what he wanted most was to grow stronger— to gain superhuman power so he could survive.
And once he had superhuman power, he could also be a superhero.
"First, obviously getting stronger. Second, right now I really want to go eat at Ichiraku Ramen."
Kiyohara said that sometimes grabbing some fries at the docks was also a pleasure.
"Ichiraku Ramen… now that you mention it, I haven't eaten there in a long time."
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara spoke with a trace of nostalgia.
What he truly wanted was to see what his younger self had been thinking back then.
After growing up, he also lived a life like a novel's protagonist.
Unfortunately, his script had been written by Yu Hua.
Rogue ninja had no legitimate way to take missions.
Because the bounty system was lifelong, unless one was willing to live as an ordinary person forever, the only way to grow stronger was to remain entangled with the ninja world.
When he had once been gravely injured by a pursuit squad—so badly that he could barely use chakra—he had even considered selling his blood.
"You were a jōnin and still couldn't afford ramen?"
Kiyohara asked, puzzled.
"The taste is different, you get it? Once I became a rogue ninja, I couldn't even step through Konoha's gates."
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara shook his head.
Konoha was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers—hardly a place a civilian jōnin like him could enter and leave at will.
"I see…"
Kiyohara nodded.
A bowl of Ichiraku ramen only costs a few dozen ryō—nothing expensive.
"Then what's your second wish?"
Kiyohara looked at Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's spirit and felt that it was noticeably dimmer than when it had first appeared. He had no idea how much longer it could last.
"Become a chūnin. The legal kind."
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara said.
He glanced at Kiyohara and couldn't help but shake his head.
"I originally wanted to say jōnin, but obviously I can't hold on for that long. I'm not even a soul right now—more like a piece of recorded information that will dissipate once time runs out."
Otherwise, he might have even tried to find a vessel, just to see if he could continue living.
Failing to become a jōnin and eventually defecting had always been a lingering pain in his heart.
Now, he only had jōnin-level strength, but no jōnin title.
"Alright."
Sensing the urgency of time, Kiyohara hurried straight to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Uncle Teuchi! One deluxe ramen—load it up with every topping!"
"Yo, Kiyohara, you're back pretty early today?"
Teuchi smiled as he spoke, his hands already busy preparing the ramen.
He had watched Kiyohara grow up. The kid had lost his parents early, but he was resilient—able to take care of himself at such a young age.
"I've been craving your ramen, Uncle Teuchi."
Kiyohara grinned. When the ramen was served, he said a quick Itadakimasu and dug in enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's spirit floated out of the urn, hovering quietly in the air—watching Kiyohara eat, and watching the surrounding scenery.
In his current state, only Kiyohara could see him, so there was no risk of drawing attention.
Soon, Kiyohara finished the noodles and even drained the broth in one go.
When it came to ramen, the soup was the soul.
After completing the first wish, Kiyohara saw a glowing orb float out from Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's body and merge into his own.
He immediately felt that a part of Rogue Ninja Kiyohara had fused with him.
That was… talent.
Kiyohara sensed a deeper affinity with Wind Style and Lightning Style. Many things he hadn't understood before suddenly became clear.
Like a high school graduate doing elementary school problems—practically foolproof.
Along with that came a ninjutsu.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Kiyohara had never learned this Wind Style Jutsu before, but now a surge of knowledge about Wind Style: Great Breakthrough flooded into his mind, leaving it swollen and buzzing.
"Uncle Teuchi, here's the money."
After setting the payment on the counter, Kiyohara hurried back to his old, rundown house on the outskirts of Konoha.
He formed the hand seals—Dog → Horse → Rooster—guiding chakra through his internal network.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
In the next instant, the breath he exhaled was infused with Wind Style chakra, instantly turning into a violent gale that blasted a small stone stool across the yard. It slammed into the courtyard wall with a bang, nearly leaving a crater.
"This power…"
Feeling the sharp drop in his chakra reserves, Kiyohara was nonetheless very satisfied.
The destructive force of a ninjutsu increased with chakra quantity and one's understanding of the technique. A skilled ninja could use Wind Style: Great Breakthrough to flatten entire groves of trees.
"It's just a bit too chakra-intensive."
Kiyohara let out a breath.
For a civilian ninja, low chakra reserves were an unavoidable hurdle.
However, as the light from Rogue Ninja Kiyohara merged into him, Kiyohara felt his spiritual energy rise slightly as well—resulting in an overall increase in chakra.
"Looks like you inherited part of my talent, along with one ninjutsu."
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara said.
This version of him was quite lucky. The two wills he himself had received only granted two E-rank techniques—nothing else.
"What are your chakra natures?"
Kiyohara asked.
The future held infinite possibilities, and he wasn't sure whether another version of himself would share the same affinities.
"Wind and Lightning."
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara replied.
"Same here—Wind and Lightning."
Kiyohara nodded. It seemed that this future version wasn't too far removed from his current self.
He could ask more about the future—basic things like chakra affinities were unlikely to change. Maybe there were even more ninjutsu to learn.
"If it's just becoming a chūnin, then I'll have to complete the Kannabi Bridge mission…"
Kiyohara rubbed his chin.
That was no small challenge.
"Don't worry. I'll step in at the critical moment."
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara said.
He explained that he could temporarily possess Kiyohara to fight on his behalf, though doing so would accelerate his dissipation.
"…You can do that too?"
—
End of Chapter