I Died

Konoha, Year 49.

Kiyohara's expression did not look good.

He was probably going to die.

He repeatedly looked over the mission assignment in his hand. No matter how he read it, the contents remained the same: reinforce Team Minato at Kannabi Bridge!

He was actually a transmigrator. Ever since arriving here and awakening the memories of his past life, Kiyohara had been cautiously keeping a low profile, hoping to live a little longer.

Yet he had somehow received another "certain-death" mission.

How was he supposed to complete the mission on this battlefield, where all things competed and flourished with vigorous vitality?

To him, the Battle of Kannabi Bridge could very well be a fatal ordeal.

This mission had seemed strange from beginning to end.

The enemy lineup consisted of three battle-hardened elite Jonin. Among them was the Iwagakure Jonin Kakkō, who was considered one of their strongest.

Konoha's lineup consisted of the newly promoted Jonin Kakashi, the Chunin Nohara Rin, and Obito.

During this operation, Namikaze Minato needed to reinforce the front lines. In other words, afterward it would be one Jonin and two Chunin versus three elite Jonin.

Was that... reasonable?

Even if Kiyohara went along, he would only be one more piece of cannon fodder.

Even Kakashi, who had developed an S-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu at the age of twelve, could not gauge the depth of these waters.

And he was currently just a Genin.

As everyone knew, the gap between people could sometimes be bigger than the gap between people and dogs.

Some Genin could shatter the Valley of the End with the aftershock of a fight.

Others, like him, were cannon fodder sent to fill gaps on the battlefield.

"What's wrong, Kiyohara?"

Nohara Rin spoke with a puzzled expression.

As she spoke, several strands of her short black hair brushed against the purple markings on her cheeks.

Why had Kiyohara looked so upset after receiving the mission to reinforce them?

Minato-sensei, the fastest man in the Ninja World, was leading this mission. It could be said to be a sure thing.

"No, it's nothing."

Kiyohara shook his head.

He looked up at the pretty young girl. A pale pink skirt was tied around her waist, and she wore a black top with tight over-the-knee socks below.

"Don't worry. I'll protect everyone on this mission."

A blond young man approached with a gentle smile.

"I believe in Lord Minato."

Kiyohara nodded.

Could he say that he did not?

Namikaze Minato was currently at the height of his power. Even ninja from other villages could abandon their missions outright upon seeing him, without receiving any punishment.

Yet Minato, known as the Ninja World's greatest speedster, had failed to catch anything throughout his life. He was always one step too late when disaster struck.

"Exactly. Minato-sensei is here too, so nothing major will happen on this mission."

Obito walked over with his hands behind his head, stopping beside Nohara Rin with a foolish grin.

Behind them stood a white-haired boy wearing a black mask, his indifferent eyes seeming uninterested in anything.

Kiyohara quietly watched this heartwarming scene between teacher and students.

After this battle, Nohara Rin would be captured by Kirigakure ninja. Obito would eventually turn evil and put on a grand display of filial piety in Konoha, personally giving Naruto an Explosive Tag as a congratulatory gift.

So how was he supposed to stay alive now?

People did not share the same joys and sorrows. Kiyohara only found them noisy.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the others, Kiyohara left.

But just as he was considering whether to write a will in advance and plan out his inheritance, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Book of Last Words activated.]

[Book of Last Words: Using you as the temporal anchor, countless possibilities will extend from the future.]

[Please receive your last words and Ash Box. Properly bury your remains.]

An electronically synthesized female voice echoed in Kiyohara's mind.

"Wait, I died in the future?"

Kiyohara immediately lost his composure.

He knew he should not go to Kannabi Bridge. They had even sent him an Ash Box!

"Ash Box?"

Just as Kiyohara was about to ask where the Ash Box was, a phantom image of one suddenly appeared in his mind.

It bore the symbol of Konoha, crossed out by a single slash.

Kiyohara felt that something was wrong.

Wasn't this... kind of like a rogue ninja?

"When you hear these words, I am already dead. What follows should be my last words..."

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

Kiyohara's heart jolted as he discovered that a translucent spirit had floated out of the Ash Box in his mind.

The spirit looked seventy or eighty percent like him, resembling a middle-aged version of himself.

His face was weathered, and he wore a ninja forehead protector slashed across with a line.

A rogue ninja!

"You are... the dead me? And you defected?"

Kiyohara recalled the description in the Book of Last Words.

Using him as the temporal anchor, countless possibilities would extend from the future.

A rogue ninja was also one possible version of his future?

"More or less. As you can see, I'm just a rogue ninja now."

Renegade Kiyohara pointed at the ninja forehead protector on his head.

"When did I... no, when did you defect?"

Kiyohara asked.

This was merely one of his countless possible futures. It did not mean that he would definitely defect.

"A few years after this war ended."

Renegade Kiyohara's voice carried a hint of melancholy.

"Why?"

Kiyohara asked.

"Naturally, it was to go further. In the Ninja World, ninja clans rely on bloodlines, while civilians rely on mutations. I could only join Orochimaru if I wanted to grow stronger."

Renegade Kiyohara spoke.

Kiyohara fell silent at Renegade Kiyohara's words.

That was very Ninja World.

In the Ninja World, gold would always shine. But unfortunately, as a civilian ninja, he was just a lump of scrap iron.

As everyone knew, powerful strength in the Ninja World was only passed down through childbirth, masters, and blood.

If you had none of that, you could only pray for the best and burn a few extra sticks of incense for the Sage of Six Paths.

"How did you die, then?"

Kiyohara asked the question he truly cared about.

"I was blown to death by an Explosive Tag."

"..."

That was a rather careless death.

Kiyohara figured there were probably quite a few people who had died that way.

"At least that proves I survived the Kannabi Bridge mission. Can you tell me some intelligence?"

Kiyohara said.

Although he knew the plot, even the slightest butterfly effect could lead to different developments.

"No. I never received this mission back then."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

"I spent most of my time doing logistics work."

"?"

Kiyohara's eyes widened.

Did that not mean his future was like the people in Limited Tsukuyomi? Not only could he himself change, but other people and events could change too?

Could "Anbu Kiyohara" or "Hokage Kiyohara" appear in the future as well?

"Then what is your relic?"

Kiyohara remembered that the Ash Box would also contain relics. He was curious what else it held.

Could it really be nothing but a spirit?

"As for a relic... it might be me. I can remain for a while longer and teach you some ninjutsu."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

"But I probably won't last too long either. I also had the Book of Last Words, but I awakened it too late. After I died, I was packaged up and sent to another version of myself."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

He explained his understanding of the Book of Last Words to Kiyohara. It seemed that fulfilling a dead person's final wish would grant a certain enhancement from the deceased.