Immediately afterward, the youth Kiyohara, still controlling Kiyohara's body, moved. The blade in his hand suddenly seemed to come alive. It was no longer the rigid and mechanical hacking from before, but instead transformed into a flurry of rapid, overwhelming attacks.
The Mist Swordsman's originally fierce offensive was instantly broken apart. Forced onto the defensive, he could only swing his tachi awkwardly in an attempt to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A dense string of blade-on-blade collisions rang out through the thick fog. Two silhouettes clashed at blinding speeds, steel flashing like sparks in the mist. Kakashi and the others nearby watched, their eyes unable to keep up with the speed of the exchange.
"Hmph, so what if you've got a little skill?"
Mizunoshō tried to spit out some harsh taunt.
Shhk!
Suddenly, the youth Kiyohara seized the opening created by his opponent pausing to speak. The Mist shinobi gave a miserable scream, his tachi flying from his hand. Clutching the thin line of blood across his neck, he tried to say something.
But with his throat already pierced, he could only make the wheezing sound of a broken bellows.
Moments later.
Thud!
He collapsed to the ground.
"Villains die from talking too much."
Kiyohara muttered inwardly as he re-took control of his own body.
He slowly sheathed the blade, feeling waves of weakness spreading through his limbs. The youth Kiyohara's possession consumed an enormous amount of stamina.
He glanced at the now-dead Mist swordsman.
"So even basic swordsmanship can be this strong…"
Kiyohara had felt it very clearly. The youth Kiyohara had used nothing more than the most ordinary sword techniques.
"How come you've never used moves like that before?"
Genma asked curiously.
As the three Mist shinobi died, the thick white fog around them gradually began to dissipate.
"Because I didn't have money to buy a sword before."
Kiyohara replied casually.
He crouched and began skillfully "looting the corpse," speaking without even lifting his head:
"Whoever killed them gets the spoils. No objections, right?"
Genma opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
Kurenai suddenly remembered that Kiyohara still had loans to pay. In an instant, she understood why he was so enthusiastic about looting bags.
Kakashi watched silently as Kiyohara stripped the Mist swordsman of everything valuable— including the katana that was clearly worth a fortune, plus various shinobi tools and cash.
"You take it. You can have my share too."
Kakashi said calmly. To be honest, he didn't care about this amount of money at all.
Kiyohara could also tell Kakashi didn't mind. This guy… everything he used was expensive.
What a filthy rich man!
Kiyohara could only complain internally. It's not like he had a father who surpassed even the Three Legendary Sannin.
Before long, he had gathered fifty to sixty thousand ryō in cash, Explosion Tags, and several useful shinobi tools. Finally, he placed the tachi neatly beside the two Mist blades he had taken earlier.
He quickly tallied his harvest.
"The cash plus the money from selling these Explosion Tags should be close to 150,000 ryō… This katana… its quality is superb. On the black market it'd probably sell for over 300,000 ryō. And with what I've saved before…"
Kiyohara's heart began pounding uncontrollably.
Enough.
Absolutely enough!
This was more than enough to forge a custom shinobi blade for himself—and maybe even have extra to spare!
Kiyohara carefully sealed everything away inside his sealing scrolls.
At last, the funds for fulfilling the youth Kiyohara's second wish— forging a shinobi blade of his own— were fully prepared!
With that completed, his strength could once again increase by a significant margin. After fulfilling the first wish of vengeance, Kiyohara might truly become a genius swordsman.
After all, the youth Kiyohara had even mastered S-rank swordsmanship techniques. His talent in this area was undeniable.
'Looks like once the shinobi blade is finished, my strength will jump up another major level.'
Kiyohara thought to himself.
Wasn't this perfectly reasonable?
Other people had to train bitterly for years, seek instruction from famous masters, or rely on life-and-death experiences to grow stronger.
Such traditional methods were dangerous, slow, and if practiced incorrectly over long periods, could cripple the body or twist it unnaturally.
But he could directly receive the future version of himself's experience—instantly!
And all of that experience was painstakingly developed by his future self, guaranteed to be correct. All he needed to do was follow the right answers.
Safe and efficient.
The difference was night and day!
"Let's go."
Once Kiyohara finished packing everything away, Kakashi spoke up.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Kakashi felt that Kiyohara seemed to be in a very good mood.
Was it because he had made money?
Kakashi gave a tiny shake of his head and didn't think about it further.
Kiyohara joined the group, and they continued escorting the supplies.
The rest of the journey was far safer. Nothing noteworthy happened before they reached the new outpost and delivered the goods.
"This time we really owe it to you and Kakashi."
Rin sighed.
She herself had barely been able to help.
"What are you talking about? Without you behind us, how would we have the confidence to fight properly up front?"
Kiyohara replied with a smile.
He truly was in a good mood now.
"Eh?"
Rin hadn't expected Kiyohara to say something like that.
She thought he would give some kind of "we're all comrades" speech, but instead, he acknowledged her strength.
"It's exactly because of excellent medical-nin like you that we can fight so fearlessly."
"Is that so…"
It was the first time Rin had heard something like that.
Before, Obito only ever praised her looks. Kakashi only cared about completing the mission.
Only Kiyohara noticed her abilities— her skills.
He wasn't a shallow or boring man.
Thinking this, Rin lifted her gaze to Kiyohara.
Kiyohara had sharp, defined features—an exceptionally handsome face.
Even among the Uchiha, he would belong to the most outstanding group.
"Thank you."
Rin's delicate face blossomed into a bright smile.
"I'm only speaking the truth."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Rin was a genius on par with or perhaps even superior to Sakura.
You had to understand: Rin already knew the A-rank medical ninjutsu Mystical Palm Technique. Sakura only learned it by becoming Tsunade's disciple, receiving the best training possible.
Rin didn't have any of those resources.
If she hadn't died so young, who knew what heights she might have reached in the future?
"By the way… when you have time, could you teach me some medical ninjutsu too?"
Kiyohara asked.
During the journey, while talking with the youth Kiyohara, he learned that his chakra attributes were Yin and Yang.
With Yang Release, he could attempt medical ninjutsu.
He could collect some medical techniques in advance. If he inherited the youth Kiyohara's talent, he might be able to use them immediately.
"Mm. Come to my tent tonight."
Rin thought for a moment and agreed.
They would be returning to their original outpost soon. Only after finishing their tasks would she have free time.
"Then I'll trouble you, Rin."
Kiyohara nodded.
After returning, he planned to deal with all the loot.
There was a small town near the outpost, with Konoha shinobi stationed there—essentially a transfer point during wartime.
Kiyohara planned to go there, sell everything, and commission the forging of his shinobi blade.
It shouldn't take long. He estimated the blade could be completed in a single day.
After all, this world was technologically advanced, and ninjutsu made everything more efficient. Crafting a shinobi blade should be fast.
"Tomorrow, then…"
Kiyohara estimated that by tomorrow night, everything should be about done.
(End of Chapter)