Some come from experience, some from bloodline, and others from stacked talent!
“I only received two ‘Books of Last Words’ myself.
I had just reached Jonin-level strength, and in a moment of carelessness, I stepped into an explosive tag trap and died.”
“I see…”
Kiyohara thought to himself that the “Book of Last Words” seemed to be a temporal anchor point.
If he died, would he also be packaged up as a relic and sent to another possible version of himself?
He also finally understood why the rogue ninja Kiyohara had been so eager to explain things to him from the very start.
Even when a future self cooperates with the present self, there still has to be a relationship of mutual benefit.
All he wanted was for him to fulfill his dying wishes!
At that thought, Kiyohara’s heart began to stir with excitement.
One future self could double his talent.
What about two people, three people, or even more?
Theoretically, through continuous stacking, he could eventually shatter the Otsutsuki with three punches.
Commander, I’m a man of the shinobi world now.
After all, even the “Eight Gates,” after opening the Gate of Death, could only claim to grant dozens of times the power of a Kage.
But Kiyohara didn’t know whether this power would suffer any loss, since they were all future versions of himself who had died.
He estimated that only futures far stronger than his present self would yield greater inherited power.
“So what are your dying wishes?”
“Hmm…
there are two.
The first one is simple—go do what you want to do right now.”
Contrary to Kiyohara’s expectations, the rogue ninja Kiyohara’s request was quite simple.
“What I want to do?”
Kiyohara was taken aback.
Of course, he wanted to grow stronger and gain power beyond that of ordinary men, so that he could survive.
And with superhuman power, he could even go the extra mile.
“First, definitely getting stronger.
Second, right now I want to go get some food at Ichiraku Ramen.”
Kiyohara remarked that sometimes going down to the docks to grab some fries was also a pleasure.
“Ichiraku Ramen, huh…
come to think of it, I haven’t had it in a long time either.”
The rogue ninja Kiyohara’s words carried a hint of melancholy.
The truth was, he wanted to see what the younger version of himself from the past was really thinking.
After growing up, he had lived a life like that of a novel’s protagonist.
Except his script was written by Yu Hua.
The rogue ninja had no legitimate path to take on missions.
Because the bounty on him was for life—unless he was willing to live out his days as an ordinary man, if he wanted to grow stronger, he had to involve himself in the shinobi world.
When he was gravely wounded by the pursuit squad and could barely even use his chakra, he had nearly resorted to selling his blood.
“You’re a Jonin and you can’t get ramen?”
Kiyohara was puzzled.
“It tastes different, you know what I mean?
After I became a rogue ninja, I couldn’t even set foot through Konoha’s gates.”
The rogue ninja Kiyohara shook his head.
Konoha was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers—how could a mere civilian Jonin like him come and go as he pleased?
“I see…”
Kiyohara nodded.
A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen only cost a few dozen ryo, so it wasn’t money down the drain.
“Then what’s your second wish?”
Kiyohara looked at the spirit form of the rogue ninja Kiyohara and felt it had dimmed considerably compared to when it first appeared.
He wondered just how much longer it could last.
“Become a Chunin—the legitimate kind.”
The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.
He looked at Kiyohara and couldn’t help but shake his head.
“I’d originally wanted to become a Jonin, but clearly I can’t hold on that long.
I’m not even in a proper soul state right now—more like I left behind a piece of information, and once the time comes, I’ll just fade away.”
The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.
Otherwise, he would have wanted to find a vessel and see if he could survive.
Failing to become a Jonin and eventually defecting had always been a pain in his heart.
Right now, he only had the strength of a Jonin, but not the title of one.
“Alright.”
Kiyohara also felt the urgency of time, so he quickly made his way to Ichiraku Ramen.
“Teuchi-san, give me the most luxurious bowl of ramen—throw in a bit of every topping!”
“Yo, Kiyohara, you’re back pretty early today?”
Teuchi looked at Kiyohara, smiling as he busily prepared the ramen for him.
Teuchi had watched Kiyohara grow up.
The kid had lost his parents since he was little, but he was quite resourceful—able to take care of himself at a young age.
“Well, I was just craving this taste of yours, Teuchi-san.”
Kiyohara smiled, and once the ramen arrived, he said a quick “let’s dig in” before wolfing it down with gusto.
Meanwhile, the spirit of the rogue ninja Kiyohara flew out from the urn, hovering in the air, quietly watching Kiyohara eat his ramen, and also taking in the scenery around them.
In his current state, only Kiyohara could see him, so it didn’t cause any unnecessary trouble.
Soon, Kiyohara finished the ramen and downed the entire broth in one go.
The most important part of eating noodles is drinking the soup!
That’s where the essence lies.
After completing the first last wish, Kiyohara saw a ball of light drift out from the rogue ninja Kiyohara and merge into his body.
Kiyohara immediately felt that a part of the rogue ninja Kiyohara had been fused into him.
That should be…
talent.
Kiyohara felt that he had a deeper understanding of Wind Release and Lightning Release now—many things he hadn’t understood before suddenly became clear.
It was like someone who had studied high school going back to do elementary school problems—practically a sure thing.
Along with it came a ninjutsu.
“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough”!
Kiyohara hadn’t known this Wind Release ninjutsu before, but now he felt a surge of knowledge about “Wind Release: Great Breakthrough” flooding into his brain, leaving it feeling swollen.
“Teuchi-san, here’s the money.”
Kiyohara placed the money on the table and hurried back to the rundown little house on the edge of Konoha.
He began forming the three hand seals—Boar, Horse, Tiger—guiding his chakra through meridian system in his body.
“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”
The next moment, the breath he exhaled carried Wind Release chakra, instantly turning into a fierce gale that blew the small stone block in the courtyard, slamming it against the courtyard wall with a bang, nearly carving a hole out of it.
“This power…”
Kiyohara felt the chakra that had suddenly diminished within him and was quite satisfied with it.
The destructive power of a ninjutsu increased with the amount of chakra and one’s understanding of the technique—an exceptional ninja using “Wind Release: Great Breakthrough” could even blow down an entire stretch of forest.
“It’s just that the consumption is a bit much.”
Kiyohara let out a breath.
One hurdle that civilian ninja could never get around was having too little chakra.
However, with the ball of light that had surfaced from the rogue ninja Kiyohara merging into his body, Kiyohara felt that his spiritual energy had also increased somewhat, and as a result, his chakra had gone up as well.
“Looks like you’ve gotten part of my talent and one ninjutsu.”
The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.
This timeline’s version of him was pretty lucky—the two letters he himself had received only contained two E-rank ninjutsu, and nothing else.
“What are your chakra affinities?”
Kiyohara asked.
The future held infinite possibilities, and Kiyohara wasn’t sure whether another version of himself would have the same chakra affinities.
“Wind and Lightning.”
The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.
“I happen to be Wind and Lightning too.”
Kiyohara nodded.
It seemed the rogue ninja Kiyohara’s future wasn’t too different from the present.
He could ask more about intel regarding the future—foundational things like chakra wouldn’t change, right?
Maybe there were some new ninjutsu to learn.
“But if I’m to become a Chunin, I’ll have to complete the Kannabi Bridge mission…”
Kiyohara rubbed his chin.
That was going to be a bit tough.
“Don’t worry.
When the critical moment comes, I’ll step in.”
The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.
He explained that he could temporarily possess Kiyohara within a certain timeframe and help him fight in his place—though doing so would accelerate his own dissipation.
“It can work like that?”