Some people had experience.Some had bloodlines.And others… stacked talents.
"I only received two 'Last Will scrolls.' I had just reached jōnin-level strength, but died carelessly in a paper bomb trap."
"I see…"
Kiyohara quietly mulled over it.So this "Last Will" functioned as a temporal anchor.If he died, would he also be packed up as a relic and sent to another version of himself?
He was starting to understand why his rogue-nin self had been so helpful from the beginning.
Even a future version of yourself needed a solid reason to cooperate.
It was all about mutual benefit.The guy just wanted his final wishes fulfilled.
Realizing that, Kiyohara's heart began to race.
If merging with one version of himself could double his talent… what if there were two? Or three? Or more?
Theoretically, if he kept stacking them…He could one day punch an Ōtsutsuki to death with three hits.Sir, I am now a native of the ninja world.
After all, even the Eight Gates only granted dozens of times more strength after opening the final Gate of Death.
"So, what's your wish?"
"Hmm… Two things. First one's simple—go do what you want."
That surprised Kiyohara.
"What I want to do?"
He froze for a moment.
Of course he wanted power. The kind of strength that made survival a guarantee.
And once he had power, he could do more than survive—he could soar.
"First, I want to get stronger. Second, I wanna go grab some ramen at Ichiraku."
Honestly, Kiyohara wouldn't mind hitting the pier for some fries, either. Life had its joys.
"Ichiraku, huh? It has been a while."
The rogue Kiyohara's voice held a trace of nostalgia.
In truth, he just wanted to observe his younger self. See what had mattered to him back then.
He'd lived a life like a shounen protagonist…
As a rogue-nin, he had no legitimate way to accept missions.
Since the bounty was for life, unless he chose to live as a nobody forever, gaining strength meant diving deeper into the underworld.
He was once so badly wounded during a pursuit that he nearly had to sell his own blood.
"You were a jōnin and couldn't even get ramen?"
Kiyohara asked, confused.
"It doesn't taste the same, you know? After I became a rogue-nin, I couldn't even set foot in Konoha."
The phantom shook his head.
Konoha was crawling with hidden powerhouses. A civilian-born jōnin like him couldn't just stroll in and out anymore.
"I get it…"
Kiyohara nodded.
A deluxe Ichiraku bowl cost just a few dozen ryō. Practically nothing.
"What's your second wish?"
He glanced at the phantom again—it seemed dimmer than before. How much time did he have left?
"Become a chūnin. A legitimate one."
The phantom replied.
He looked at Kiyohara and shook his head faintly.
"I wanted to say 'jōnin,' but clearly I won't last that long to see you become one. I'm not really a soul. I'm more like an echo—a recorded message. Once time runs out, I vanish."
Otherwise, he would've tried to find a vessel and attempt resurrection.
Not becoming a jōnin…Defecting…It remained a scar in his heart.
He had the strength of a jōnin, but never the rank.
"Alright."
Sensing the clock ticking, Kiyohara made his way to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Uncle Teuchi! One deluxe bowl—every topping you've got!"
"Yo, Kiyohara! Back so early today?"
Teuchi greeted him with a grin while busying himself behind the counter.
Kiyohara was one of the kids he'd watched grow up. The boy had lost his parents young but managed to stay strong, learning to live independently from a young age.
"What can I say, I was craving your ramen, Uncle."
Kiyohara smiled.When the bowl arrived, he gave a cheerful "I'm digging in!" and promptly tore into it.
The rogue-nin's phantom floated out of the urn again, hovering silently as it watched Kiyohara eat—watching the street, the sun, the life he once had.
In this state, only Kiyohara could see him, so no unnecessary panic was caused.
Soon, Kiyohara finished the noodles—and drained the broth in one gulp.
The broth was the essence of the meal!
As he completed the first wish, a glowing orb detached from the phantom and sank into Kiyohara's chest.
Immediately, he felt part of the rogue-nin's power merge with him.
That had to be… talent.
He suddenly felt a far deeper understanding of Wind Release and Lightning Release.Things he once struggled to grasp now clicked into place.
It was like solving elementary school problems after studying high school math—effortless.
And along with that… came a jutsu.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Kiyohara had never learned it before, but the knowledge of how to form the jutsu flooded into his mind, causing a momentary throbbing sensation.
"Uncle Teuchi, here's the money."
He left the cash and rushed home to his run-down place in the southern side of town.
There, he began to form the Dog–Horse–Bird hand seals, guiding chakra through his network.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
In the next moment, the air he exhaled surged forward with Wind Chakra.A sudden gale erupted, slamming a small courtyard boulder into the wall with a bang—nearly punching a hole in it.
"This power…"
Kiyohara felt the chakra drain inside him and nodded with satisfaction.
Ninjutsu damage scaled with both chakra reserves and comprehension.A skilled shinobi using Great Breakthrough could blow down half a forest.
"It just takes a lot of chakra…"
He exhaled.For civilian-born ninja, low chakra capacity was a hurdle no one could avoid.
Still, as the light from the rogue Kiyohara fused into him, he sensed both physical and spiritual energy increasing.
Which meant… more chakra.
"Looks like you inherited some of my talent… and a jutsu."
The phantom spoke.
This Kiyohara was lucky. The two scrolls he had received only contained a pair of E-rank jutsu and nothing else.
"What's your chakra nature?"
Kiyohara asked.
After all, with infinite futures, their affinities might not match.
"Wind and Lightning."
"Same here."
Kiyohara nodded.That meant their paths weren't too far apart after all.
Might as well ask for more info about the future.Chakra nature was one of those basics that rarely changed—and who knows what new jutsu he might pick up?
"But to become a chūnin, I'll need to survive the Kannabi Bridge mission…"
He rubbed his chin.
That… might be a problem.
"Don't worry. I'll step in when it counts."
The phantom explained.
He could possess Kiyohara for a short time and fight in his place—though it would accelerate his own dispersal.
"You can do that?"