Is cutting yourself considered leeks?

Kiyohara's eyes lit up, and he suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted from his mind.

Having a jonin help out at a critical moment could very well be the difference between life and death!

"Then let's hurry and make the most of our time."

Kiyohara returned to the room and, under the puzzled gaze of the rogue ninja Kiyohara, retrieved a blank scroll and a brush.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to study hard now, hoping to see if you can manifest a version of the future where you're a straight-A student?"

The rogue ninja Kiyohara asked.

"No, that's too much trouble. I've only gotten one ninjutsu from you, and I wouldn't be able to learn many more through one-on-one teaching, but if I write them down, I can study them forever."

Kiyohara said with a straight face.

This way, whenever a future version of himself appeared, he could record all the ninjutsu that version knew.

Over time, he would inevitably build up a massive library of ninjutsu.

If he didn't do this, how could he maximize his gains?

Harvesting others is called reaping leeks.

But harvesting yourself? That's not reaping leeks, is it?

It's just like taking an exam where everyone is cheating, only the answers they're copying are the ones already inside their own heads.

"..."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara's weathered face showed a hint of surprise.

His past self seemed to have become a bit of a capitalist.

After thinking it over, the rogue ninja Kiyohara decided to write it down anyway.

After all, it was his past self; helping out a little wouldn't hurt.

After the rogue ninja Kiyohara dictated another ninjutsu, he suddenly froze.

"What's wrong?"

Kiyohara assumed the rogue ninja Kiyohara needed more time to recall things.

"Someone is coming."

Even as a spirit, he possessed the keen instincts of a jonin.

If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to live safely in the ninja world until middle age before dying.

Hearing this, Kiyohara set down the scroll he had been recording on and cleared the table of any traces.

"Kiyohara!"

Sure enough, a moment later, someone called out to Kiyohara from outside the door.

Kiyohara went to open the door and saw a beautiful woman.

Those crimson pupils looked just like a pair of rubies.

It was none other than Kurenai Yuhi.

"Kurenai."

Kiyohara spoke.

Kurenai Yuhi was his teammate, and their other teammate was Genma Shiranui.

The three of them belonged to the same squad.

"These are the military rations you asked me to buy."

Kurenai Yuhi took out a small pouch and handed it to Kiyohara.

"Sorry for the trouble, Kurenai."

Kiyohara accepted the pouch.

"How are your other preparations coming along?"

Kurenai Yuhi asked.

In a few days, they were going to execute a classified mission alongside the members of Team Minato.

It was so classified that they didn't even know the mission details yet; they only knew they were heading toward Kannabi Bridge.

Were they going there to gather intelligence, or to launch an attack?

They would only find out once the team leader revealed the intel on the day of the mission.

"Just about ready."

Kiyohara nodded.

He didn't have much to bring.

He just needed to take the rogue ninja Kiyohara's urn with him; his life depended on his future self at critical moments.

"I really wish the war would stop."

Kurenai Yuhi, in her early teens and dressed in a sharp ninja outfit, wore a look of sorrow between her brows.

This endless war was like a dark cloud hanging over everyone's hearts.

Being a ninja was already a high-risk profession, and encountering a war only made matters worse.

"It won't last much longer."

Kiyohara said.

The essence of any war is collective violence, using force and weapons to achieve political, economic, or social goals.

The Shinobi World War was no exception; it was nothing more than the various nations recovering from the Second Shinobi World War and deciding they were ready to go again.

But this time, every nation would be a loser.

Konoha would lose a massive number of ninjas, reaching the point where even young children would have to be sent to the battlefield.

Kumogakure would lose their pride and joy, the Third Raikage.

The Three-Tails of Kirigakure would die along with Nohara Rin.

Iwagakure and Sunagakure would also face a hollowed-out ninja force, with no new generation ready to take over.

If the Five Great Nations were in such a state, the situation for the smaller nations was even more miserable, the most typical example being the Land of Rain, which had been infiltrated until it was like a sieve.

"How long is 'not much longer'?"

Kurenai Yuhi continued to ask.

"Just these next few years. Once there's no one left to fight, won't the war stop?"

Although it was a bit of a dark joke, that was the reality.

"Then wouldn't all our comrades be dead by then?"

Kurenai Yuhi felt that Kiyohara's perspective was too terrifying.

"I think we should be worrying about ourselves."

Kiyohara shook his head.

"Isn't Lord Namikaze Minato here too? It should be fine, right?"

At this moment, Kurenai Yuhi, like everyone else, trusted Namikaze Minato's reputation too much, believing victory was a sure thing.

"Anyone can die in war. Don't be careless, Kurenai."

Kiyohara reminded her.

Have you not seen how even Sasuke's Six-Tomoe Rinnegan could be blinded by a single kunai? In the ninja world, no one dared to claim they were invincible.

"Alright."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded.

"I'll be going then."

With that, Kurenai Yuhi left the area.

Kiyohara watched Kurenai Yuhi's retreating figure in silence.

The spirit body of the rogue ninja Kiyohara had been watching the conversation between Kiyohara and Kurenai Yuhi the entire time.

While inside the urn, he had no five senses and could not perceive anything happening in the outside world.

But once he floated out, he could function just like a soul.

"How is your level of genjutsu?"

Kiyohara turned his head to ask.

He realized that the rogue ninja Kiyohara had only been providing him with ninjutsu.

"Very poor."

The rogue ninja Kiyohara replied.

"That makes sense."

Kiyohara thought about it carefully; unless a "Kurama Kiyohara" or "Uchiha Kiyohara" appeared in the future, it was unlikely his genjutsu level would ever be very high.

This damn world interpreted the theory of bloodlines in every single aspect!

"Let's continue."

After Kurenai Yuhi left, Kiyohara took out paper and pen again, having the rogue ninja Kiyohara teach him ninjutsu.

After all, this was the only way. Without strength, he couldn't earn battle merits, and without battle merits, he couldn't obtain new ninjutsu.

Konoha had long ago set a vicious cycle for ordinary ninjas.

For several days in a row, Kiyohara stayed at home practicing ninjutsu.

After testing, he discovered that his speed in practicing Wind Release and Lightning Release ninjutsu had indeed accelerated significantly; his comprehension was worlds apart from the past.

Is this the feeling of stacking?

I love it!

At this moment in the courtyard, Kiyohara formed the Wu and Chen hand seals, finally pressing his palms together and clapping them sharply.

He gathered Wind Release chakra in his palms and began to compress the wind pressure.

Whoosh!

A translucent gale flew from Kiyohara's palms, slamming into a tree stump and leaving deep marks behind.

"Hoo..."

Kiyohara began to pant again.

There was no helping it; even as a rogue ninja, Kiyohara's chakra reserves were, to put it bluntly, less than one Kakashi.

If one were to use the chakra reserves of an elite jonin like Kakashi as a standard, Kiyohara—a rogue ninja who had only recently attained the strength of an ordinary jonin—certainly couldn't compare.

And the current Kiyohara was merely a genin.

Even though his chakra reserves had increased slightly due to the fusion, he still felt a bit "kidney-deficient."

"A ninja's battle is a battle of chakra."

Kiyohara stroked his chin.

Until he completed the second dying wish of the rogue ninja Kiyohara, he would have to be meticulous with every bit of chakra he used.

The next day.

Kiyohara, who was still in the middle of his training, was called out by Namikaze Minato. When he arrived, he found Obito, Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and the others were all there.