I Will Act at the Critical Moment

Some might be experience, some might be bloodline, and others might even be stacked talents!

"I only received two Books of Last Words; I had just reached the strength of a jonin when I grew careless and stepped on an explosive tag trap, dying as a result."

"I see..."

Kiyohara secretly thought that the Book of Last Words seemed to be a time anchor. If he were to die, would he also be packaged as a relic and sent to another version of himself in a different possibility?

He finally understood why the rogue ninja Kiyohara had been so eager to explain things to him right from the start.

Even when a future self cooperates with the current self, it still boils down to a relationship of mutual benefit.

He simply wanted him to fulfill his dying wish!

Thinking of this, Kiyohara's heart couldn't help but start racing with excitement.

One future self could double his talent, but what if there were two, three, or even more?

Theoretically, through constant stacking, sooner or later he could shatter the Otsutsuki with three punches and declare, "Commander, I am a man of the ninja world."

One must know that even the Eight Inner Gates, after opening the Gate of Death, can only claim to possess dozens of times the power of a Kage.

"So, what is your dying wish?"

"Hmm... there are two. The first is very simple: go do what you want to do right now."

To Kiyohara's surprise, the rogue ninja Kiyohara's request was quite simple.

"What I want to do?"

Kiyohara was stunned.

Of course, he wanted to become stronger and gain superhuman power so that he could survive.

Besides, with superhuman power, he could also be a superman.

"First, definitely to become stronger. Second, I want to go to Ichiraku Ramen right now and get something to eat."

Kiyohara felt that sometimes, going to the docks to grab some fries was a pleasure in itself.

"Ichiraku Ramen, huh? Come to think of it, I haven't had that in a long time."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara's words carried a sense of melancholy.

In truth, he wanted to see what his younger self from the past was thinking.

After growing up, he had lived a life like that of a novel protagonist.

It was just that his script had been written by Yu Hua.

A rogue ninja had no legitimate way to accept missions.

Because the wanted status was for life, unless one was willing to live as an ordinary person forever, one had to interact with the ninja world to become stronger.

When he was severely wounded by a pursuit squad and could barely even use chakra, he had almost resorted to selling his blood.

"You're a jonin and you can't eat ramen?"

Kiyohara asked, puzzled.

"The taste is different, you understand? After I became a rogue ninja, I couldn't even set foot inside Konoha."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara shook his head.

Konoha was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers; it wasn't a place a civilian jonin could come and go as he pleased.

"I see..."

Kiyohara nodded.

A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen only cost a few dozen ryo; it wouldn't cost much.

"Then what is your second wish?"

Kiyohara looked at the spirit form of the rogue ninja Kiyohara, feeling that it was much dimmer than when it had first appeared, and he wondered 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 wanted to say become a jonin, but clearly I can't hold on that long. I'm not really in a soul state right now; it's more like I left behind a message, and it will dissipate when the time comes."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.

Otherwise, he would have had the heart to look for a vessel to see if he could survive.

Never becoming a jonin and eventually defecting had always been a pain in his heart.

He currently had the strength of a jonin, but he lacked the official title.

"Alright."

Kiyohara also felt the urgency of time, so he hurried to the Ichiraku Ramen shop.

"Uncle Teuchi, I'll take one of your most luxurious bowls of ramen, with a little bit of every topping!"

"Yo, Kiyohara, back so early today?"

Teuchi looked at Kiyohara, smiling as he busied himself preparing ramen for him.

He had practically watched Kiyohara grow up; the boy had lost his parents at a young age, but he was determined and had been able to take care of himself since he was small.

"I was just craving a bowl from you, Uncle Teuchi."

Kiyohara smiled. Once the ramen was served, he said "Itadakimasu" and began to eat with gusto.

Meanwhile, the spirit of the rogue ninja Kiyohara floated out from the urn, hovering in the air as he watched Kiyohara eat his ramen and observed the surrounding scenery.

In his current state, only Kiyohara could see him, so he didn't cause any unnecessary trouble.

Soon, Kiyohara finished the ramen and even drank the entire bowl of broth in one go.

The most important part of eating noodles is drinking the soup!

That is where the essence lies.

After completing the first last wish, Kiyohara saw a ball of light emerge from the rogue ninja Kiyohara and merge into his own body.

Kiyohara immediately felt a part of the rogue ninja Kiyohara being integrated into his own.

That must have been... talent.

Kiyohara felt that, vaguely, his understanding of Wind Release and Lightning Release had deepened; many things he hadn't understood in the past were now crystal clear.

It was like a high school student doing elementary school problems—a guaranteed success.

Along with it came a ninjutsu.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Kiyohara hadn't known this Wind Release technique before, but now he felt a surge of knowledge regarding "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough" flooding his brain, making his head feel swollen.

"Uncle Teuchi, here's the money."

Kiyohara placed the money on the table and hurried back to his dilapidated little house on the south side of the city.

He began to form the hand seals—Dog, Horse, Bird—guiding his chakra through his body's meridian system.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The next moment, the breath he exhaled was infused with Wind Release chakra, instantly turning into a gale that blew a small stone stool in the courtyard, slamming it against the courtyard wall and nearly gouging a hole in it.

"This power..."

Kiyohara felt the sudden depletion of his chakra and was quite satisfied.

The destructive power of a ninjutsu increases with the amount of chakra used and one's understanding of the technique; an excellent ninja could even use "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough" to knock down an entire forest.

"It's just that the consumption is a bit high."

Kiyohara exhaled. A hurdle that civilian ninjas cannot avoid is having too little chakra.

However, as the ball of light from the rogue ninja Kiyohara merged into his body, Kiyohara felt that his physical and spiritual energy had also increased, which resulted in an increase in his chakra.

"It seems you've gained a portion of my talent and a ninjutsu."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.

The version of him on this timeline was quite lucky; the two last letters he himself had received only contained two E-rank ninjutsu, and nothing else.

"What are your chakra natures?"

Kiyohara asked.

The future held infinite possibilities, and Kiyohara wasn't sure if his other self's chakra natures would be the same.

"Wind, Lightning."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.

"I happen to be Wind and Lightning as well."

Kiyohara nodded; it seemed the rogue ninja Kiyohara's future and his present weren't too different.

He could ask more about future intelligence; basics like chakra natures should remain constant, and perhaps there were new ninjutsu to learn.

"If I want to become a chunin, I have to complete the mission at Kannabi Bridge..."

Kiyohara rubbed his chin.

That would be a bit difficult.

"Don't be afraid, I will step in at the critical moment."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara said.

He explained that he could possess Kiyohara for a certain period of time to help him fight, though doing so would accelerate his dissipation.

"It can do that?"