"Let me try it—quick, quick!"
The youth Kiyohara looked as eager as a chain-smoker who hadn't touched a cigarette in ten days and had suddenly spotted a pack of premium Marlboro.
Kiyohara immediately understood his intention and relaxed his control over his own body.
In the next moment, the youth Kiyohara's consciousness surged forward like flowing water and temporarily took over his right arm. His hand reached out and grasped the freshly-forged sword hilt.
Cold, solid, yet carrying a strange feeling of familiarity.
The youth Kiyohara guided the arm and gently swung the shinobi blade.
Swish—
The blade cut through the air with a faint sound of wind being torn apart.
He then tried injecting a thin thread of chakra into the weapon.
Hum~!
The pale-blue wave-like ripples along the blade seemed to come alive, faintly glowing as chakra flowed through it smoothly and naturally. Its conductivity was far superior to any ordinary shinobi tool.
"Good sword!"
The youth Kiyohara couldn't help but voice his admiration.
"The chakra conduction… is excellent. If only I had a weapon like this back then…"
His tone carried a trace of regret.
"Then why didn't you forge yourself a strong shinobi blade?"
Kiyohara was genuinely curious how his future self thought.
With his strength, buying one should've been easy.
"Because I believed one's power shouldn't depend on external objects. I thought a true swordsman should be able to pick up a random branch and still fight competently."
"…"
Kiyohara felt that this future version of himself was just a little too arrogant.
Even the Sage of Six Paths–empowered Madara was cut clean in half by Sasuke's enhanced Kusanagi sword, without even dulling the edge.
In the shinobi world, having a good weapon and not having one were two completely different concepts—unless one's fighting style barely used weapons at all.
"And what about the rest of your money?"
Kiyohara pressed on.
"Most of my mission rewards… I used to buy so-called 'swordsmanship or kenjutsu scrolls' circulating on the market. You know how it is, Maruboshi Kosuke-sensei was a master, but even he only knew so much. I wanted to learn from a hundred schools, gather everything, and walk my own path…
"But unfortunately, out of ten scrolls I bought, nine were trash—fakes, fragments, incomplete nonsense. I wasted countless money and time. The ones with real value were far too rare."
So, he was a swordsmanship fanatic… and an easily scammed one.
Kiyohara suddenly understood and simultaneously felt speechless.
It seemed that in pursuing the path of the sword, his future self had walked down plenty of crooked roads.
But in the next instant, a glowing sphere of light emerged from within the youth Kiyohara's body.
The sphere merged into Kiyohara's body, and he immediately felt his talent shift again—his spritual energy became firmer and stronger, and even his sensory abilities improved.
This was clearly the gift of his future self's will and mental strength, honed over twenty years of swordsmanship.
After that, a warm, vigorous life force surged like a hot spring through Kiyohara's meridians and muscles, nourishing his body.
This is… the manifestation of yang-nature talent!
Kiyohara instantly understood.
The youth Kiyohara possessed strong yang-attribute talent, and now that talent had partially integrated into him—stacking atop his originally weak yang-attribute talent.
This meant he would have an easier time learning medical ninjutsu in the future.
But the most important part was the understanding of swordsmanship.
A massive influx of insights poured into his mind—fundamentals of swordsmanship, power generation, footwork, distance control, chakra application within sword strikes—countless knowledge hardened by years of training.
He hadn't instantly mastered higher techniques like Leaf-Style Willow, but his foundation and understanding had been elevated to an entirely new level.
Many details he once found obscure or difficult now felt completely clear.
This was the foundation the youth Kiyohara had built over twenty years!
Kiyohara felt extremely satisfied. He might not have fully integrated everything, but defeating his past sword-using self would now be effortless.
Unable to resist trying out his new capabilities, he gripped the new blade and willed chakra into his hands. Even his hand-seals felt slightly faster.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Current Technique!"
Crackle!
The moment the jutsu was completed, pale-blue lightning arced rapidly across the blade.
Kiyohara danced lightly forward, executing several basic Konoha sword-style movements—diagonal cuts, straight thrusts, upward slashes.
The moves were still a bit raw due to lack of muscle memory, but his method of generating power had completely transformed.
Each swing carried full-body force—from the feet, through the waist and hips, flowing perfectly into the arms. The blade followed the body naturally, heavy and powerful.
True unity of body and blade!
The shopkeeper watching nearby couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"Your swordsmanship is impressive, guest. Your basics are exceptionally solid."
Though partially flattery, the shopkeeper could genuinely see that Kiyohara's sword foundation was far stronger than most sword-using shinobi.
The lightning dissipated from the blade. Kiyohara sheathed the sword, hung it at his waist, and replied with only a small smile, not explaining anything.
He quickly paid the remaining balance, thanked the shopkeeper, and left with the new sword.
Now that one of the inherited wishes was complete, it was time to fulfill the second.
He had to grow stronger before Uchiha Madara began his operations.
Kiyohara still felt a strong sense of urgency.
Watching him leave, the shopkeeper touched his chin and murmured:
"A shinobi blade made from chakra metal… and swordsmanship that solid… clearly the result of many years of bitter training …"
The shopkeeper felt that Kiyohara was anything but ordinary. His face was young, yet his swordsmanship was far too mature.
It reminded him of Konoha's White Fang. Who could say what heights Kiyohara might reach in the future?
"I hope I get to see him again someday."
But the shopkeeper also knew—only those who survive have unlimited possibilities. Dead men had no future.
…
Not long after Kiyohara returned to the base, new mission orders arrived—a reconnaissance mission.
They were to head toward an area where Mist shinobi had been spotted, investigate movements and troop numbers, and gather as much intel as possible.
Kiyohara's heart stirred.
Perfect timing. He could test the changes brought by the inherited power—and the strength of his new blade.
And… the region where the Mist shinobi were active was also where the Ao was likely to appear.
That meant a greater chance to complete the second last will.
This time, the team composition had changed.
Along with Kiyohara, Kakashi, Rin, and Genma, two members of the Hyūga clan had been added—reportedly specially assigned by the higher-ups to strengthen reconnaissance.
One was an older male around twenty years old, named Hyūga Nobuhiko.
The other was a girl around eighteen or nineteen, named Hyūga Ginka.
Seeing their refined bearing and clear clan status, Kiyohara suddenly felt something was wrong.
Wait… don't tell me the Byakugan that Ao will steal is supposed to come from one of them?!
(End of Chapter)