I Am a Sigma Male!

It seems that becoming a Chunin is a matter of great urgency!

Kiyohara picked up the Sealing Scroll, tucked it into his ninja tool pouch, closed his eyes, and lay down on the bed to get some sleep.

In the base camp, there wasn't much in the way of entertainment.

Of course, it wasn't as if there was absolutely nothing to do.

As the saying goes, the poor play with cars, the rich play with watches.

If I have no money, I'll just "guide" myself.

If one really insisted on finding entertainment, it could be managed.

However, just the day's travel had left Kiyoha physically and mentally exhausted.

If he still had energy, he would have chosen to continue training after some entertainment.

Unfortunately, even if he continued to practice ninjutsu now, it wouldn't have much effect.

Chakra is a mixture of spiritual energy and physical energy; if you break it down further, you will find that it eventually turns into the most basic unit: "stamina."

Therefore, one cannot refine too much Chakra; the body needs time to recover.

Since he couldn't train and there was no entertainment, Kiyohara could only lie on the bed and wait for the transfer order to return to the village.

The next day at noon, just as Kiyohara was still sleeping, he suddenly heard the sound of someone entering.

He reacted instantly, opening his eyes a crack and subconsciously reaching for his ninja tool pouch.

Upon seeing that it was Kurenai Yuhi, Kiyohara quietly withdrew his hand and continued to pretend to be asleep.

"This guy, he actually looks quite handsome when he's sleeping."

Kurenai Yuhi crouched down and looked at Kiyohara's face.

She found that even while sleeping, Kiyohara's sleeping face was quite pleasing to the eye.

It could be said that he was on a completely different level from Sarutobi Asuma, who was always pestering her.

Sarutobi Asuma dressed like a delinquent and had father-son conflicts with the Third Hokage, and he only seemed to get more rugged as he grew older.

Kurenai Yuhi suspected that when Sarutobi Asuma grew up, he would definitely have a face full of whiskers.

Just as Kurenai Yuhi was about to poke Kiyohara's cheek, Kiyohara suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Taking advantage of me on the sly isn't very nice, you know."

Kiyohara said.

Boys need to be careful to protect themselves when they are out and about.

"Eh?"

Kurenai Yuhi was clearly stunned for a moment. Meeting Kiyohara's pitch-black gaze, her own ruby-like eyes blinked.

She had not expected at all that Kiyohara would be awake, let alone that he had seen her recent actions.

"I... I just saw that it was noon and came to wake you up for lunch. Lord Minato said our transfer orders will arrive this afternoon."

Kurenai Yuhi pinched the corner of her clothes, finding a reason for her behavior.

"Is that so."

Kiyohara nodded, got up, and stretched.

He would be able to return to Konoha this afternoon; he wondered how much of his loan he would be able to pay off this time.

Thinking of the spoils of war that filled an entire Sealing Scroll, a smile couldn't help but appear on Kiyohara's face.

It was the smile of a bountiful harvest, like an old farmer who had worked hard for a year and finally saw his crops ready for reaping.

The Iwagakure ninjas were truly not bad.

They gave him battle achievements, and they gave him money.

"What are you thinking about? Why does your smile feel so strange?"

Kurenai Yuhi looked at Kiyohara, who was smiling inexplicably, and couldn't help but ask.

"Thinking about you."

Kiyohara said casually.

Then, he picked up a water cup from the simple wooden table in the tent, took a sip, and headed outside.

"Where are you going?"

Kurenai Yuhi asked.

"To the bathroom."

Kiyohara looked puzzled.

If the first thing you do when you wake up isn't going to the bathroom, then what are you supposed to do?

"Alright, enough talk, I'm heading out."

Kiyohara said, lifting the curtain to step outside.

He was a sigma male, after all.

And as a qualified sigma male ninja, he would never fall into a woman's trap.

Flirting was fine, but it couldn't get in the way of him going to the bathroom.

"This guy..."

Watching Kiyohara walk away, Kurenai Yuhi gritted her teeth.

She didn't know why Kiyohara never played by the rules.

If she had asked Sarutobi Asuma, he would have just answered her with a silly grin.

When Kiyohara returned, he found that Kurenai Yuhi hadn't left yet.

"Lord Minato asked me to give this to you."

Kurenai Yuhi took out a stack of money.

Kiyoha suddenly felt that Kurenai Yuhi had become a bit more beautiful, and her curved eyebrows and eyes looked quite cute.

She should have said she was here to deliver money earlier; what a misunderstanding.

Kiyohara immediately took the bills and began to count how much there was.

War was a special period.

Therefore, there was no need to return to the Hokage Office Building to report every single mission, otherwise, the efficiency of completing missions would be far too low.

Often, the commander of an outpost had the authority to issue rewards to timely soothe the body and mind of the ninja.

Right now, Kiyohara's body and mind were being soothed, and the heavy stack of bills in his hand gave him a sense of security.

"Hmm... we carried out a joint A-rank mission, and after deducting the village's platform commission, the remainder split among us is 130,000 ryo."

Kiyohara calculated it once and found that, it had to be said, it was just right.

Originally, he wasn't qualified to participate in this mission, but it was just a pity that they were so short on people that he was just barely used to fill the gap.

After all, their true mission was actually to act as bait; the one doing the most work was Namikaze Minato.

It didn't require Kiyohara to be very strong, only that he could attract attention and buy time.

Just as Kurenai Yuhi wanted to say something, the curtain to Kiyohara's tent was pulled open again.

"Let's go, the transfer order is down, we're heading back with Kakashi and the others."

Genma Shiranui spoke, and as he talked, the senbon held in his mouth moved up and down.

Seeing this, Kurenai Yuhi pursed her lips and followed him out.

After several days of traveling, Kiyohara finally returned to Konoha.

However, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay for more than a few days before he had to return to the battlefield to carry out missions, so he had to make sure to complete his promotion to chunin.

"We're back."

Nohara Rin looked at Konoha, feeling a bit dazed.

When they left, the group was in a relaxed mood, but returning, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Obito would sleep forever in a foreign land.

"I have things to do, I'm heading off first."

Kiyohara exchanged a few words with the others, took the Sealing Scroll, and went to the ninja tool shop.

The newer the ninja tool, the higher the resale price; conversely, the lower it would be.

Kiyohara was very short on money right now; besides needing to pay off his loans, he also had to forge a ninja tool.

He planned to forge the Chakra Metal he had looted from Kakkō into a long blade.

Something similar to Sasuke's Kusanagi Sword would do.

Of course, Kiyohara estimated that the Kusanagi Sword used by Sasuke must be made of top-tier materials; it had been used for so long during the Fourth Shinobi World War and he never saw it chip, the quality was maxed out.

"Alright, Kiyohara, see you next time."

Nohara Rin waved her hand.

Kakashi, meanwhile, cast a strange look at Kiyohara.

Kiyohara felt that Kakashi was saying they should communicate more when they had the chance.

"Ah, finally I can go relax."

Genma Shiranui scratched his head; he planned to sleep well for a few days.

"Kurenai, where are you planning to go?"

Genma Shiranui noticed that Kiyohara had already left first, while Kurenai Yuhi was still staring at Kiyohara's retreating back.

"My father said he wants to teach me some more powerful genjutsu, so I'm going home to practice."

"Ah, Senior Yuhi Shinku."

Genma Shiranui nodded.

It is said that Kurenai Yuhi's father, Yuhi Shinku, possesses an exceptionally high level of mastery in genjutsu.

There are even rumors that he can reflect the genjutsu of the Uchiha clan, despite not having any Kekkei Genkai.

It can be said that he has become the representative figure for civilian genjutsu users.

"Then I'll be heading off too."

Soon, the group that had returned to the village together dispersed, blending into the bustling crowds on the street.

"This shop is truly a rip-off."

Kiyohara held a bag of money, which contained the resale value he had received for selling shuriken, kunai, and Explosive Tags.

"My assessment is that it's not as good as the spinning shop."

Kiyohara shook his head.

The shopkeeper kept driving the price down; if Kiyohara weren't so desperate for money, he definitely would have taken them outside the village to deal with.

"There is no merchant who isn't unscrupulous."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

If Kiyohara were in that position, he would do the same and drive the price down.

He didn't believe his past self wouldn't have done the same.

"Forget it."

Kiyohara waved his hand.

He had sold everything for seventy thousand ryo this time, which Kiyohara felt was not bad.

This was already half of what he earned from a mission.

As the saying goes, murder and arson bring golden belts, while building bridges and repairing roads leave no corpses behind.

Kiyohara felt that if he wanted to make money, he still had to rely on this kind of quick cash.

Once his strength increased, wouldn't he be able to loot even more corpses?

Namikaze Minato said he had already submitted his application for Chunin, which meant the assessment would be in the next few days.

Usually, assessments for internal recommendations are just a formality, but to be safe, Kiyohara still planned to practice more.

What if he failed?

Caution is the parent of safety.

"It seems you are even more cautious than I was."

Renegade Kiyohara looked at such a prudent Kiyohara and couldn't help but sigh.

If he had been as cautious as his past self, perhaps he wouldn't have stepped into an Explosive Tag trap and lost his life.

"After all, my future self already died to an Explosive Tag; I wouldn't be surprised by any other way of dying."

Kiyohara said.

High-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods.

Every time a "Last Words Book" appeared, it represented another way he could die in the future.

Infinite futures meant infinite ways to die.

"Time to go back and practice."

After buying some daily necessities, Kiyohara carried his things back to his dilapidated little apartment.

Hokage Office Building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the intelligence on his desk.

One report was about a great victory in the war, and the other was a Chunin application recommended by Namikaze Minato.

The name on the application was none other than Kiyohara.

Beneath this Chunin application was a thick stack of others, but Kiyohara's had been placed in the most prominent position.

Attached to it was his basic information, including his family background, a blue-background headshot, personality, and habits.

"Kiyohara, is it? Some good seedlings have emerged among the civilians this time."

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but nod.

Compared to members of the ninja clans, he preferred using civilians.

The reason is simple: unless they are absolutely loyal, members of ninja clans are easily swayed by their family's interests.

When the time comes and the interests of the clan conflict with the interests of the village, what will they choose?

"Shika."

Sarutobi Hiruzen called out.

An Anbu ninja wearing a mask instantly appeared in the Hokage office, kneeling on one knee.

Her mask featured purple stripes that resembled deer antlers.

In the Anbu, all ninjas are required to forget their real names during missions and use only their codenames.

"Go arrange the Chunin Exams for Kiyohara. Set it for three days from now. Have him participate in the selection alongside the other outstanding genin from this great war."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

Some people achieve nothing in times of peace, while others stand out during the turmoil of war.

This is what they mean when they say that heroes are forged by the times.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Shika accepted the Chunin application form handed over by Sarutobi Hiruzen and went to handle the matter.

The Anbu is an organization directly under the command of the Hokage, handling many classified affairs.

Matters involving a ninja's rank are clearly among those classified items.

After Shika left, Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples.

Aside from some good news, there was also bad news.

The situation on the front lines in other regions remained unclear.

Most critically, a very sensitive incident had occurred involving Kakashi.

An outsider had transplanted a Sharingan!

One must know that the Hyuga clan, in order to prevent the leakage of the Byakugan, even resorted to the "Caged Bird Seal," a practice that could be called extreme slavery.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not yet know the Uchiha clan's stance on this.

He only hoped that the Uchiha clan would not stir up trouble or cause complications during this critical period of the war.

"I still need to cultivate more of the village's youth."

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe, took a puff, and exhaled slowly.

Namikaze Minato had used many words of praise in his report on Kiyohara.

This sparked some thoughts in Sarutobi Hiruzen.

If Kiyohara was truly that outstanding, could he be cultivated as a second Namikaze Minato?

After all, for a genin to be so prominent in an A-rank mission, he was already standing out significantly compared to other genin applying for the Chunin rank.

Kiyohara's home.

Although it was old, dilapidated, and small, it still had a tiny courtyard.

At this moment, Kiyohara stood in the courtyard, holding a shuriken in his hand with a thin, nearly invisible thread tied to it.

"Copper wire still isn't as good as rubber cord."

Kiyohara remarked.

He was practicing an advanced application of Shurikenjutsu, which involved tying a line to the weapon to allow for its retrieval.

It also allowed for the shuriken to change direction in certain situations, making its manipulation more flexible.

"This is to help you adapt to the techniques that follow."

Renegade Kiyohara spoke up.

Usually, what is tied to a shuriken is rubber cord or steel wire, but this specific rubber cord is custom-made and extremely resilient.

However... this type of rubber cord is mostly not heat-resistant.

"You haven't forgotten the Uchiha clan's Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique, have you?"

Renegade Kiyohara continued.

"I haven't."

Kiyohara shook his head.

The Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique had appeared in the original story when Sasuke participated in the Chunin Exams.

By using the line held between hand seals as a fuse, one could launch a fire attack at an opponent, with the flames traveling directly along the line.

"That's right. This technique doesn't just work with fire; it works the same way with lightning."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

Copper wire is a metal conductor with low electrical resistance.

Using this method to launch a technique could achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Alright, I'll try again."

Kiyohara threw a shuriken at a wooden board in the courtyard; the shuriken didn't just graze the edge of the board, and then Kiyohara flicked his wrist.

The shuriken instantly veered, following the copper wire to wrap around the board several times, binding it firmly.

The next moment, Kiyohara formed hand seals, and a surge of Lightning Release Chakra traveled along the copper wire.

Crackle!

Faint electric arcs appeared on the copper wire, scorching circles of black burn marks onto the wooden board.

"What should this technique be called?"

Kiyohara looked at the technique, intending to name it "Lightning Release: Shuriken Manipulation Lightning Guidance Technique."

Indeed, his talent for naming things was simply higher than Namikaze Minato's.

Kiyohara felt satisfied.