Qingyuan nodded.
He had little to bring.
Just the urn containing Renegade Qingyuan’s ashes would do.
When the critical moment came, he would have to rely on his future self to save his life.
“I really wish the war would stop.”
Kurenai Yuhi, a girl in her teens, wore crisp, practical ninja gear, a trace of sorrow between her brows.
This unending war was like dark clouds hanging over everyone’s hearts.
Being a ninja was already a high-risk profession; with war added to the mix, it was truly disaster piled on disaster.
“It won’t last much longer.”
Qingyuan said.
The essence of any war was collective violence, using force and weapons to achieve political, economic, or social ends.
The Ninja World War was no exception.
It was simply that, after recovering from the wounds of the Second Ninja World War, the nations once again felt ready to fight.
Only this time, every nation would be a loser.
Konoha would lose a massive number of ninjas, to the point that even children only a few years old would have to go to the battlefield.
Kumogakure would lose their proud Third Raikage.
Kirigakure’s Three-Tails would die alongside Rin Nohara.
Iwagakure and Sunagakure would likewise be left with depleted ninja forces and too few successors to fill the gaps.
If even the Five Great Nations were in such a state, the smaller nations were in an even more miserable position—the clearest example being the Land of Rain, infiltrated until it was full of holes.
“How long is ‘not much longer’?”
Kurenai pressed on.
“Just a few more years, I’d say. Fight until there’s no one left, and the war stops, doesn’t it?”
It was a somewhat hellish joke, but that was the truth of it.
“Then won’t all our comrades be dead by then?”
Kurenai felt that Qingyuan’s way of putting it was far too frightening.
“I think we should worry about ourselves.”
Qingyuan shook his head.
“Lord Minato is here too, isn’t he? It should be fine.”
At this point, Kurenai, like everyone else, trusted Minato Namikaze’s reputation too much, believing success was all but guaranteed.
“Anyone can die on the battlefield. Don’t let your guard down, Kurenai.”
Qingyuan warned her.
Hadn’t even Sasuke’s Six-Tomoe Rinnegan been put out by a single kunai?
In the ninja world, no one could claim they would not die.
“All right.”
Kurenai nodded.
“Then I’ll be going.”
With that, Kurenai left.
Qingyuan quietly watched her retreating figure.
Renegade Qingyuan’s spirit, meanwhile, continued watching the exchange between Qingyuan and Kurenai.
While he was inside the urn, he had no five senses and could not perceive anything happening in the outside world.
But if he floated out, he could perceive things like a soul.
“How good are you at genjutsu?”
Qingyuan turned and asked.
He had noticed that everything Renegade Qingyuan had given him consisted of ninjutsu.
“Terrible.”
Renegade Qingyuan answered.
“Figures.”
Qingyuan thought it over carefully.
Unless a “Kurama Qingyuan” or an “Uchiha Qingyuan” appeared in the future, his genjutsu really could not be expected to amount to much.
This damn world—every aspect of it was an expression of bloodline theory!
“Let’s continue.”
After Kurenai left, Qingyuan took out paper and pen again and had Renegade Qingyuan teach him ninjutsu.
After all, this was the only way.
Without strength, he could not earn war merits; without war merits, he could not obtain new ninjutsu.
Konoha had long since locked ordinary ninjas into a vicious cycle.
…
For several days, Qingyuan trained in ninjutsu at home.
After testing, he found that his training in Wind Release and Lightning Release ninjutsu had indeed sped up considerably, and his comprehension was worlds apart from before.
So this was what stacking felt like?
I love it!
Now, in the courtyard, Qingyuan formed the Wu and Dragon hand seals, then brought his palms together and struck them hard.
He gathered Wind Release chakra in his palms, then began compressing the wind pressure.
Whoosh!
A semitransparent blast of fierce wind flew from Qingyuan’s palm and struck the wooden post, leaving a deep mark.
“Hah…”
Qingyuan began panting again.
There was no helping it.
Even Renegade Qingyuan’s chakra reserves, to put it bluntly, did not even amount to one Kakashi.
If the chakra reserves of an elite jōnin like Kakashi were the standard, then Renegade Qingyuan, who had only recently attained ordinary jōnin strength, certainly could not measure up.
And the current Qingyuan was only a genin.
Even though fusion had increased his chakra reserves somewhat compared with before, his kidneys were still a little deficient.
“A ninja’s battle is a battle of chakra.”
Qingyuan stroked his chin.
Until he fulfilled Renegade Qingyuan’s second dying wish, he would have to budget his chakra with extreme care.
The next day.
Qingyuan, still in the middle of training, was summoned by Minato Namikaze.
When he arrived, he found Obito, Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and the others already there.
Chapter 4: The Power of a Jōnin, Kid!
“I called you all here because I’m the main person in charge of this mission.”
Once Minato Namikaze and the others had assembled, he spoke.
“Your original jōnin leader has gone to carry out another mission, so the three of you are temporarily attached to my command.”
Minato Namikaze looked at Qingyuan, Kurenai, and Shiranui Genma.
“Yes, Lord Minato.”
Shiranui Genma nodded.
With Minato Namikaze as their jōnin leader, this mission might turn out to be unexpectedly easy.
While the others looked as though they were off on a spring outing, Qingyuan did not dare let his guard down.
In this lineup, only Minato Namikaze and Kakashi, who was about to become a jōnin, were truly strong.
Everyone else was a chūnin.
Qingyuan was the only genin.
In the past, he had wanted to delay undertaking dangerous missions for as long as possible, so he had never taken the Chunin Selection Exam.
Now Konoha was facing a severe manpower shortage.
Let alone an old-hand genin like Qingyuan—even fresh graduates straight out of the Ninja Academy had to go to war.
This mission was called reinforcements, but they would more likely be handling miscellaneous tasks—in other words, drawing the enemy’s attention.
The main objective was to blow up the bridge.
With more people, they could confuse the enemy and buy precious time for the people actually setting the explosives.
“To get a clearer understanding of your abilities, I’d like to put you through a test.”
Minato Namikaze said.