He was a man who believed in fairness.
Since it was difficult to deal with the enemy’s invisibility technique, he would simply drag the enemy down to his own level.
Then defeat them with superior experience!
Kiyohara closed his eyes, and the spiritual body of Rogue Ninja Kiyohara materialized behind him.
Come out, my substitute!
If Kiyohara hadn’t closed his eyes, he too would have been blinded by the lime dust scattering through the air.
But Rogue Ninja Kiyohara could serve as his second pair of eyes!
“He’s on your left.
He’s about to form hand signs to release a ninjutsu and conceal himself again.”
Said Rogue Ninja Kiyohara.
The area was now hazy, but a human silhouette could be clearly made out.
“Got it.”
Kiyohara nodded in response.
He pulled shuriken out of his ninja pouch.
Shk!
Shk!
Kiyohara hurled two shuriken, which spun relentlessly through the air, cutting into the gray fog kicked up by the lime dust in an instant.
Hearing the whistling of the shuriken cutting through the air, Taiseki had no choice but to halt his hand signs and dodge first.
But every time he dodged and tried to form signs again, Kiyohara would interrupt him.
“Is this guy completely unaffected?”
Taiseki clenched his fists.
His eyes were squeezed shut, tears streaming from them.
If he didn’t treat them promptly, there was even a risk of going blind.
But this Kiyohara—not only was he unaffected, Taiseki could also hear the *puff* of powder dispersing—clearly Kiyohara had added even more lime powder to the mix.
“Can you really call yourself a shinobi?”
“I’m sorry, but a shinobi should be an assassin.
You just played it like a warrior.”
Kiyohara shook his head.
Shinobi take on all kinds of missions—poisoning, espionage, assassination, infiltration.
And when it comes to battle, you suddenly act all noble and righteous?
Go talk to my shuriken about that.
Kiyohara gripped a shuriken tightly and infused it with Wind Release chakra.
Air currents swirled around it, sharpening the blade.
Caught off guard, Taiseki was struck by the shuriken, blood pouring from the wound.
“Kakkō!”
Taiseki could no longer hold back and shouted for his other teammate.
But what answered him wasn’t his teammate’s reassuring reply—it was a scream of agony.
“Kakkō couldn’t really have lost to those brats, could he…”
Taiseki’s heart sank deeper and deeper.
Unfortunately, he and Kiyohara were at the mouth of the cave, while Kakkō and the others were deep inside—he had no idea what was happening there.
All he could hear were the sporadic sounds of fighting, followed by that scream.
“What happened?”
Kiyohara quickly asked Rogue Ninja Kiyohara what was going on.
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara looked over and saw that Kakashi had been cut across his left eye while trying to save Obito.
Consumed by grief and rage, Obito leapt from ordinary eyes straight into awakening the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
“Obito awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
The Iwagakure ninja got his arm slashed.”
Said Rogue Ninja Kiyohara.
“Is that so.”
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
So it seemed the same thing as the original story had happened after all—Kakashi blinded in his left eye, Obito awakening the Sharingan in fury.
What a coincidence.
No…
was it really a coincidence?
Kiyohara suddenly thought that in the ninja world, there truly existed something called “fate.”
Naruto was the “Child of the Prophecy” ordained by destiny, and Jiraiya had spent his entire life wandering the ninja world for that elusive prophecy, rushing from place to place.
When the Sage of Six Paths emerged from Naruto’s mind, accompanied by the appearance of the nine Tailed Beasts’ chakra, his first words were:
“The time of the covenant has come—the moment when the ‘Child of the Prophecy’ shall change the world has arrived.”
And the nine Tailed Beasts all wore expressions of understanding.
This showed that the Sage of Six Paths had told them of this matter a thousand years ago.
“I have the Testament Book.
The butterfly effect in the future will grow ever larger—it’s just that my power is still too weak now, the wind I stir too small to change the present.”
Kiyohara suddenly shook his head again.
The Testament Book was a future of countless possibilities derived from him as the starting point—it itself contained the greatest variable—”change.”
“Hmph.”
Taiseki let out a muffled grunt, pulling out the shuriken.
If anything happened to Kakkō, he alone wouldn’t be able to escape either.
“I’ll just finish you off quickly.”
Taiseki’s left hand was already wrapped in thick rock, forming a massive fist.
He charged forward suddenly, the rock fist smashing toward Kiyohara’s position with the sound of splitting air.
Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!
“He’s going to use the Rock Fist Technique.”
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara’s voice rang directly in Kiyohara’s mind, carrying a trace of disdain.
“It seems he’s poured all his ability into stealth—his other techniques aren’t much to speak of.”
“Step half a pace to the left, duck your head.”
Kiyohara followed the instructions, the rock fist grazing past the tips of his hair, kicking up a strong gust of wind.
“Now, ‘Lightning Release: Earth Flash.'”
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara said.
Kiyohara quickly formed hand seals, and a wide swath of electric arcs spread across the ground close to the surface.
Crackle!
The sound of electric arcs buzzed, directly shattering most of the rock fist condensed on Taiseki’s left hand.
“This brat can still release ninjutsu.”
Taiseki frowned.
He could see that Kiyohara was just a civilian without a clan crest—why did he still have this much chakra?
“No good.
Switch—you take over.”
Kiyohara felt a lightheaded, floating sensation.
He had just released several ninjutsu in a row.
And he’d had no chance to rest the whole way here—if he hadn’t taken that forbidden medicine before coming, Kiyohara’s chakra would have long since been exhausted.
Taiseki steadied himself again, his rock fist re-forming.
This time he was more cautious, trying to pinpoint Kiyohara’s location through sound.
“Too slow.”
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara said softly.
Under his guidance, Kiyohara moved swiftly through the gray mist, each step landing precisely in Taiseki’s blind spot.
“Right hand, kunai, three inches upward.”
Kiyohara struck as instructed, the kunai piercing precisely into the joint of Taiseki’s right elbow.
Taiseki cried out in pain, the Rock Fist Technique instantly dissolving as the rock crumbled and fell from his hand.
“How is that possible…”
Taiseki faced Kiyohara in disbelief.
“You’re just a Genin…”
Kiyohara didn’t answer.
Opening his mouth would give away his position.
Rumble!
At that moment, an earth-shaking roar came from the ground, and the cave trembled.
“Another Iwagakure Jonin has already unleashed ‘Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction.'”
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara warned.
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
This technique was generally used inside mountain caves, causing rocks to fall from the ceiling and create a collapse.
Which meant Kakkō had already started using his killing moves.
And at that very moment, Kiyohara tightened his grip on the kunai.
Seizing the chance while Taiseki’s face changed dramatically, thinking he couldn’t escape, he instantly used shuriken to distract Taiseki.
“Everyone, run for the exit!”
Kakashi shouted.
Seeing this, Kiyohara used his remaining chakra to release a “Wind Release: Great Breakthrough,” blowing away the lime powder shrouding the cave entrance.
Rumble…
Kiyohara was the first to run out, standing at the entrance waiting for the others inside.
Kurenai Yuhi and Genma Shiranui were both fast, bursting out in an instant.
Kakashi was much slower—his wounded left eye left him with a blind spot in his vision.
Thud!
In the end, Kakashi was struck by a rock in the blind spot of his left eye.
As a massive boulder was about to tumble down behind him, Obito shoved Kakashi aside with a thunderous crash and was pinned beneath the great stone, only half his body left exposed.
Kiyohara faintly heard the sorrow of a pair of eggs.