Chapter 3: Cutting Yourself—Can That Really Be Called Harvesting Chives?
Kiyohara's eyes lit up, and everything suddenly clicked into place.
Having a jōnin step in at a critical moment could very well mean the difference between life and death!
"Then let's make the most of the time we have."
Kiyohara returned to his room. Under Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's puzzled gaze, he brought out a blank scroll and a brush.
"What are you planning to do? Studying hard right now—are you trying to see if a 'top student' version of your future will appear?"
"No. That would be way too troublesome," Kiyohara replied seriously.
"I only inherited one of your ninjutsu. Even if you teach me the others one-on-one, I won't be able to learn much. But if we record them, I can study them anytime."
In other words, every time a future version of himself appeared, he would record all the ninjutsu that version knew.
Over time, this would naturally accumulate into a massive ninjutsu archive.
If he didn't do it this way, how could he maximize his gains?
Cutting others—that was harvesting chives.
Cutting yourself—could that really be called harvesting chives?
It was like cheating on an exam. Everyone was cheating—he just happened to be copying answers from his own brain.
"..."
The weathered face of Rogue Ninja Kiyohara showed a trace of surprise.
His past self… seemed a little capitalist.
After giving it some thought, Rogue Ninja Kiyohara still wrote everything down.
After all, it was his past self. Helping him out was only natural.
But just after Rogue Ninja Kiyohara finished orally explaining another ninjutsu, he suddenly froze.
"What's wrong?"
Kiyohara thought Rogue Ninja Kiyohara might need more time to recall things.
"Someone's coming."
Even as a spirit, he still possessed the sharp perception of a jōnin.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to survive in the ninja world until middle age before dying.
Hearing this, Kiyohara set down the recorded scroll and quickly tidied up the table.
"Kiyohara!"
Sure enough, someone called out to him from outside shortly after.
Kiyohara went to open the door—and saw a beautiful woman standing there.
Those crimson eyes gleamed like rubies.
It was Yūhi Kurenai.
"Kurenai."
Kiyohara greeted her.
Yūhi Kurenai was his teammate. Their other teammate was Shiranui Genma.
The three of them belonged to the same team.
"These are the Food Pills you asked me to buy."
Kurenai handed him a small pouch.
"Thanks for the trouble, Kurenai."
Kiyohara accepted it.
"How are your other preparations coming along?"
Kurenai asked.
In a few days, they would be heading out with Minato's team to carry out a top-secret mission.
The secrecy was so strict that even now, they didn't know the mission's contents—only that it involved Kannabi Bridge.
Were they going there to gather intelligence? Or to launch an attack?
Only on the day of departure would the jōnin leading the team reveal the details.
"Pretty much done."
Kiyohara nodded.
There wasn't much he needed to bring.
As long as he took Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's urn with him, that would be enough.
At critical moments, his future self would be his lifeline.
"I really hope this war can end soon…"
Kurenai, still in her teens, wore a neat ninja outfit. A trace of worry lingered between her brows.
The endless wars were like dark clouds hanging over everyone's hearts.
Being a ninja was already a high-risk profession—war only made it worse.
"It won't last much longer."
Kiyohara said calmly.
At its core, any war was collective violence—using force and weapons to achieve political, economic, or social goals.
The ninja wars were no exception.
It was nothing more than the nations believing they were ready again after recovering from the wounds of the Second Great Ninja War.
But this time, every country would lose.
Konoha would lose countless ninja—so many that even children would be sent to the battlefield.
Kumogakure would lose the Third Raikage, their greatest pride.
Kirigakure's Three-Tails would perish together with Nohara Rin.
Iwagakure and Sunagakure would also be left hollowed out, suffering severe generational gaps.
If even the Five Great Nations ended up like this, the smaller countries would be far worse—the most tragic example being the Land of Rain, infiltrated until it resembled a sieve.
"Won't last long… how long is that?"
Kurenai pressed.
"A few years, maybe. Once there's no one left to fight, the war ends, doesn't it?"
It sounded like a dark joke—but it was the truth.
"Then wouldn't all our comrades die?"
Kurenai found Kiyohara's words terrifying.
"I think we should be worrying about ourselves first."
Kiyohara shook his head.
"But Minato-sama is there too. Nothing should happen, right?"
Like many others, Kurenai trusted Namikaze Minato's reputation too deeply, believing everything was guaranteed.
"Anyone can die on the battlefield. Don't let your guard down, Kurenai."
Kiyohara reminded her.
After all, even Sasuke's six-tomoe Rinnegan could be stabbed blind by a single kunai.
In the ninja world, no one dared claim they were immortal.
"Alright."
Kurenai nodded.
"Then I'll be going."
With that, she turned and left.
Kiyohara silently watched her retreating figure.
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's spirit had been observing their entire exchange.
When sealed inside the urn, he lacked the five senses and couldn't perceive the outside world.
But once he floated out, it was no different from having a soul.
"How's your genjutsu?"
Kiyohara suddenly asked.
He had noticed that Rogue Ninja Kiyohara only provided ninjutsu.
"Terrible."
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara answered bluntly.
"Makes sense."
Kiyohara thought it over. Unless a future version like "Kurama Kiyohara" or "Uchiha Kiyohara" appeared, his genjutsu proficiency was never going to be impressive.
This cursed world interpreted bloodline supremacy in every possible way.
"Let's continue."
After Kurenai left, Kiyohara took out the brush and paper again, having Rogue Ninja Kiyohara continue teaching him ninjutsu.
This was the only viable path.
Without strength, he couldn't earn battle merits.
Without merits, he couldn't obtain new ninjutsu.
Konoha had long since locked civilian ninja into a dead loop.
…
For several days in a row, Kiyohara stayed home practicing ninjutsu.
Through testing, he discovered that his speed in practicing Wind Style Ninjutsu and Lightning Style Ninjutsu had indeed increased dramatically. His comprehension was now worlds apart from before.
So this was what stacking felt like?
He loved it.
In the courtyard, Kiyohara formed the Boar and Dragon hand seals, then brought his palms together and slammed them forward.
He gathered Wind Style chakra in his palm and compressed the wind pressure.
Whoosh!
A semi-transparent blade of fierce wind shot out from his hand and slammed into a tree stump, carving deep marks into it.
"Haa…"
Kiyohara started panting again.
There was no helping it. Even Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's chakra reserves, when you got down to it, weren't that impressive.
If Kakashi—an elite jōnin—were used as the standard, Rogue Ninja Kiyohara, who had only recently reached ordinary jōnin-level strength, clearly fell short.
And Kiyohara himself was still just a genin.
Even with the fusion boosting his chakra somewhat, he still felt… a bit kidney-deficient.
"A ninja's battle is a battle of chakra."
Kiyohara stroked his chin.
Before fulfilling Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's second wish, he would need to be extremely frugal with his chakra usage.
The next day.
While Kiyohara was still training, he was summoned by Namikaze Minato.
When he arrived, he found Obito, Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and the others already present.
—
End of Chapter