I'll step in at the critical moment

Some were probably experience, some bloodline, and some might even have been stacked talents!

"I only received two Book of Last Words too. I'd just reached Jonin-level strength when I carelessly stepped into an Explosive Tag trap and died."

"I see..."

Kiyohara secretly thought that the Book of Last Words was apparently a time anchor. If he died, would he also be packaged into a relic and sent to another possible version of himself?

He finally understood why Renegade Kiyohara had been so eager to explain everything to him from the start.

Even if his future self and present self were cooperating, there still had to be an exchange of benefits.

Renegade Kiyohara simply wanted him to fulfill his final wishes!

At that thought, Kiyohara's heart began to race with excitement.

One future self could stack his talent by one fold. What if there were two, three, or even more?

In theory, with enough stacking, he would eventually be able to smash an Otsutsuki to pieces with three punches. Sir, I'm a Ninja World native now.

After all, even the Eight Inner Gates, after opening the Gate of Death, were only said to grant dozens of times a Kage's power.

"Then what are your final wishes?"

"Hmm... I have two. The first is simple: go do what you want to do right now."

To Kiyohara's surprise, Renegade Kiyohara's request was very simple.

"What I want to do?"

Kiyohara froze.

Of course, he wanted to grow stronger and obtain superhuman power so that he could survive.

And after gaining superhuman power, he could also do superhuman things.

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

Kiyohara felt that sometimes, getting some fries at the pier was a pleasure too.

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

There was a trace of melancholy in Renegade Kiyohara's voice.

What he actually wanted was to see what his younger self from the past had been thinking.

After growing up, he had also lived a life like a novel's protagonist.

It was just that Yu Hua had written his script.

A renegade ninja had no legitimate way to accept missions.

Because being wanted was lifelong. Unless he was willing to live forever as an ordinary person, he had to come into contact with the ninja world if he wanted to become stronger.

After being severely wounded by a pursuit unit and becoming unable to even use chakra properly, he had nearly gone to sell blood.

"You're a Jonin. You can't even afford ramen?"

Kiyohara was puzzled.

"The taste is different, you get it? After becoming a renegade ninja, I couldn't even get through Konoha's gates."

Renegade Kiyohara shook his head.

Konoha was full of hidden experts. How could a civilian Jonin like him come and go freely?

"I see..."

Kiyohara nodded.

A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen only cost a few dozen ryo. It was not much money.

"Then what's your second wish?"

Kiyohara looked at Renegade Kiyohara's spirit body. It seemed much dimmer than when it had first appeared, and he had no idea how long it could last.

"Become a Chunin. The legitimate kind."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

He looked at Kiyohara and could not help shaking his head.

"I originally wanted to say Jonin, but I clearly can't hold on that long. I'm not even truly in a soul state right now. I'm more like a message that was left behind. When the time comes, I'll disperse."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

Otherwise, he had even considered finding a vessel to see whether he could survive.

Failing to become a Jonin, then eventually defecting, had always been a pain in his heart.

Now, he only possessed Jonin-level strength, without the title of Jonin.

"Alright."

Kiyohara could also feel how urgent time was, so he hurried to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Uncle Teuchi, one extra-luxurious bowl of ramen. Give me a little of every topping!"

"Oh, Kiyohara. You're back so early today?"

Teuchi watched Kiyohara with a smile as he busily prepared his ramen.

Teuchi had practically watched Kiyohara grow up. The boy had lost his parents when he was young, but he was determined and had learned to take care of himself at an early age.

"I was craving your ramen, Uncle Teuchi."

Kiyohara smiled. Once the ramen arrived, he said, "Thanks for the food," and dug in with gusto.

Renegade Kiyohara's spirit body also flew out of the Ash Box, hovering in the air as he quietly watched Kiyohara eat ramen and observed the scenery around him.

In his current state, only Kiyohara could see him, so it did not cause any unnecessary trouble.

Very soon, Kiyohara finished the ramen and even drained the broth in one go.

The most important part of eating ramen was drinking the soup!

That was where the essence lay.

After the first final wish had been fulfilled, Kiyohara saw a ball of light float from Renegade Kiyohara's body and merge into his own.

Kiyohara immediately felt that he had fused with a part of Renegade Kiyohara.

That should have been... talent.

Kiyohara vaguely felt that his understanding of Wind Release and Lightning Release had deepened. Many things he had not understood before suddenly became clear.

It was like someone who had gone through high school returning to solve elementary school problems—he could handle them with complete confidence.

What came along with it was a ninjutsu.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

Kiyohara had not known this Wind Release ninjutsu before, but now a flood of knowledge about Wind Release: Great Breakthrough poured into his mind, making his head feel swollen.

"Uncle Teuchi, here's the money."

Kiyohara placed the money on the table and hurried back to his shabby little home on the southern side of town.

He formed the three hand seals of Dog, Horse, and Rooster, guiding chakra through the meridian system within his body.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

The next instant, the breath he exhaled was infused with Wind Release chakra. It transformed into a violent gale in an instant, blowing the small stone stool in the courtyard away and sending it crashing into the wall with a bang, nearly smashing a hole into it.

"This power..."

Kiyohara felt the abrupt decrease in the chakra inside his body and was quite satisfied.

A ninjutsu's destructive power increased with the amount of chakra used and one's understanding of the technique. An outstanding ninja could even use Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to blow down an entire forest.

"It just consumes too much."

Kiyohara let out a breath. One hurdle civilian ninjas could not avoid was having too little chakra.

However, as the ball of light emerging from Renegade Kiyohara entered his body, Kiyohara felt that both his physical energy and spiritual energy had increased somewhat. As a result, his chakra had increased as well.

"It looks like you received part of my talent, along with a ninjutsu."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

This version of him had been fairly lucky. Of the two Book of Last Words he had received, they had only contained two E-rank ninjutsu and nothing else.

"What are your chakra natures?"

Kiyohara asked.

The future held endless possibilities, and Kiyohara did not know whether another version of himself would have the same chakra natures.

"Wind and Lightning."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

"I happen to have Wind and Lightning too."

Kiyohara nodded. It seemed that Renegade Kiyohara's future was not too different from the present.

He could ask more about the future. Fundamentals like chakra should not change, right? Maybe there were some new ninjutsu.

"If I only need to become a Chunin, then I'll have to complete the Kannabi Bridge mission..."

Kiyohara stroked his chin.

That was somewhat difficult.

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

Renegade Kiyohara said.

He explained that he could possess Kiyohara for a certain period of time and fight in his place, but doing so would accelerate his dispersal.

"You can do that too?"