Is Cutting Yourself Even Called Harvesting?

Kiyohara's eyes lit up, and he suddenly felt enlightened.

Having a Jonin's help at a critical moment might very well save his life!

"Then let's hurry."

Kiyohara returned to the room and, under Renegade Kiyohara's puzzled gaze, brought out blank scrolls and a brush.

"What are you doing? Suddenly striving to study hard, seeing whether you can get a top student version of the future?"

Renegade Kiyohara asked.

"No, that would be too troublesome. I only got one ninjutsu from you. Even if you taught me the others one-on-one, I could only learn a few. But if we record them, I can keep learning them."

Kiyohara said solemnly.

That way, whenever a future version of himself appeared, he could have him record all the ninjutsu he knew.

Over time, he would surely amass an enormous library of ninjutsu.

Otherwise, how could he maximize his gains?

Cutting others was called harvesting.

But could cutting yourself even be called harvesting?

It was like taking an exam. Everyone was cheating, except they were copying answers from their own minds.

"..."

A trace of surprise appeared on Renegade Kiyohara's weathered face.

His past self seemed a little too capitalistic.

After thinking it over, Renegade Kiyohara wrote them down anyway.

After all, it was his past self. There was no harm in helping him.

After Renegade Kiyohara dictated another ninjutsu, he suddenly stopped moving.

"What's wrong?"

Kiyohara thought Renegade Kiyohara needed more time to recall it.

"Someone is coming."

Even as a spirit, he possessed a Jonin's sharp senses.

Otherwise, he could not have survived peacefully in the Ninja World until dying in middle age.

Hearing that, Kiyohara put down the scroll he had been writing on and cleared away all traces from the table.

"Kiyohara!"

Sure enough, someone called out to Kiyohara from outside shortly afterward.

Kiyohara went to open the door and found a beautiful young woman standing there.

Her crimson pupils resembled a pair of rubies.

It was 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 Ration Pills you asked me to buy."

Kurenai Yuhi handed Kiyohara a small pouch.

"Thanks for the trouble, Kurenai."

Kiyohara accepted the pouch.

"How are your other preparations coming along?"

Kurenai Yuhi asked.

In a few days, they would be carrying out a secret mission together with the members of Team Minato.

It was so secret that they still did not even know what the mission entailed. They only knew they were heading to Kannabi Bridge.

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

Only on the day of departure would the Jonin leading them reveal the details.

"More or less done."

Kiyohara nodded.

He had little to bring.

As long as he took Renegade Kiyohara's Ash Box with him, he would be able to rely on his future self to stay alive at a critical moment.

"I really hope the war can end."

Kurenai Yuhi, still only in her teens, wore a neat ninja outfit. A hint of sorrow rested between her brows.

This unending war was like dark clouds hanging over everyone's hearts.

Being a ninja was already a high-risk profession. Running into a war only made things worse.

"It won't last much longer."

Kiyohara said.

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

The Shinobi World War was no exception. The wounds from the Second Shinobi World War had healed, and every nation thought it was capable again.

But this time, every country would be a loser.

Konoha would lose a vast number of ninja, fighting until even children barely old enough for school had to take the battlefield.

Kumogakure would lose the Third Raikage, in whom they took such pride.

Kirigakure's Three-Tails would die alongside Nohara Rin.

Iwagakure and Sunagakure would also be left short on ninja, with no new generation ready to replace the old.

If even the Five Great Shinobi Nations were in such a state, the smaller countries would fare even worse. The most typical example was the Land of Rain, which had been infiltrated until it resembled a sieve.

"How long is 'not much longer'?"

Kurenai Yuhi continued asking.

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

It sounded somewhat like a dark joke, but that was the truth.

"Then wouldn't all our companions be dead?"

Kurenai Yuhi felt Kiyohara's words were far too frightening.

"I think we should be worrying about ourselves."

Kiyohara shook his head.

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

Like everyone else at the time, Kurenai Yuhi trusted Namikaze Minato's reputation completely and believed success was certain.

"Anyone can die in war. Don't let your guard down, Kurenai."

Kiyohara reminded her.

Even Sasuke's "Six-Tomoe Rinnegan" could be stabbed blind by a single kunai. In the Ninja World, no one dared say they would not die.

"All right."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded.

"Then I'll be going."

With that, Kurenai Yuhi left.

Kiyohara silently watched Kurenai Yuhi's retreating figure.

Renegade Kiyohara's spirit had watched the entire conversation between Kiyohara and Kurenai Yuhi.

While inside the Ash Box, he had no five senses and could not perceive anything happening outside.

But if he floated out, he could function much like a soul.

"How good are you at Genjutsu?"

Kiyohara turned and asked.

He had noticed that Renegade Kiyohara had only been giving him ninjutsu.

"Terrible."

Renegade Kiyohara answered.

"Figures."

Kiyohara thought it over carefully. Unless a "Kurama Kiyohara" or an "Uchiha Kiyohara" appeared in the future...

Otherwise, there was no way his Genjutsu proficiency could be very high.

This damned world preached bloodline supremacy in every possible way!

"Let's continue."

After Kurenai Yuhi left, Kiyohara took out the paper and brush again, having Renegade Kiyohara teach him more ninjutsu.

After all, this was his only option. Without strength, he could not earn military merit, and without military merit, he could not obtain new ninjutsu.

Konoha had long since set an inescapable cycle for ordinary ninja.

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

After testing it out, he discovered that practicing Wind Release and Lightning Release ninjutsu had indeed become much faster. His comprehension was worlds apart from before.

So this is what stacking feels like?

I love it!

At that moment, in the courtyard, Kiyohara formed the Tiger and Dragon hand seals, then brought his palms together and clapped sharply.

He gathered Wind Release chakra in his palm, then compressed the air pressure.

Whoosh!

A translucent gale shot from Kiyohara's palm and slammed into a tree stump, leaving behind a deep mark.

"Huff..."

Kiyohara began panting again.

There was no helping it. Even Renegade Kiyohara did not have much chakra, to put it bluntly.

If an elite Jonin like Kakashi's chakra reserves were used as the standard, then Renegade Kiyohara, who had only recently gained the strength of an ordinary Jonin, was definitely no match for him.

And Kiyohara now was merely a Genin.

Even though the fusion had increased his chakra somewhat compared to before, he was still rather lacking in stamina.

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

Kiyohara stroked his chin.

Before he fulfilled Renegade Kiyohara's second unfulfilled wish, he needed to use his chakra with utmost care.

The next day.

Kiyohara, who was still training, was called out by Namikaze Minato. When he arrived, he found Obito, Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and the others already there.