"Got the basics down, more or less,"
Kiyohara replied.
He walked over to a small wooden bucket.
Inside, a few fish swam listlessly—the spoils from yesterday's trip to the nearby stream.
One of them, clearly wounded, had a deep slash on its side fin.
Kiyohara crouched down and hovered his palm over the fish.
Soft green chakra welled up from his hand and gently coated the wound.
Under the soothing light, the damaged flesh slowly began to knit itself back together.
After a few minutes—
The wound had noticeably healed.
"Already?"
Shizune watched with subtle astonishment.
Tsunade-sama had only given him the scroll recently, hadn't she?
And yet he was already using [Regeneration Technique] on living creatures?
That wasn't something most shinobi could do on their own—
Not unless they had a natural affinity for Yang release chakra.
'And from the looks of it, his affinity isn't low either…'
"So, when do we depart?" Kiyohara asked casually.
"Three days from now."
"Got it."
That meant on day one of the mission, he'd receive his next [Will Testament].
Perfect timing.
Thankfully, this escort mission didn't seem too dangerous.
The Land of Fire hadn't been invaded yet.
Most conflicts with Suna and Kumo were still happening near the borders.
Once the enemy pushed deeper, reaching locations like Mt. Kikyo—
Then things would change.
"…Who else is going?"
"Tsunade-sama selected Kakashi and Nohara Rin."
"Rin, huh?"
Kiyohara gave a small nod.
A familiar teammate was always easier to travel with.
Uchiha Madara's plan to kidnap Rin should be coming up soon…
He'd have to stay alert for signs of Kiri's infiltration.
The storm was on its way.
The next day — three days remaining.
Kiyohara returned to his usual routine: training.
Today's focus?
Genjutsu.
His match with Shisui made something crystal clear—
Genjutsu was his weakest link.
If Shisui had used the Sharingan's illusions on him, it might've ended very differently.
Regular shinobi had no bloodline to enhance their Genjutsu, unlike the Uchiha or Kurama clans.
The only way to improve resistance?
Get caught in them—over and over.
The good ol' "getting your ass whooped" method.
Genjutsu worked by manipulating chakra flow within the brain—
A spiritual attack that could affect any creature with chakra.
Even civilians had trace amounts, just enough to sustain life.
That's why the Sage of Six Paths had once distributed his chakra like seeds—
To awaken others' inner potential.
And it's why Kaguya used Infinite Tsukuyomi—
To drain chakra and convert bodies into White Zetsu.
"I'm ready, Kiyohara!"
Kurenai's fingers were already locked in a seal.
"Go ahead."
He nodded.
With a grin, Kurenai activated her Genjutsu.
Her Yin-nature chakra rippled outward, threading into Kiyohara through his eyes—
Genjutsu's most common trigger.
The world around him warped—
Trees began to move.
Their thick branches twisted like serpents, slithering toward him and binding his limbs tightly.
Illusory Binding Forest: Tree Restraint Technique!
A B-rank Genjutsu.
Kiyohara raised a brow.
"…Bondage now, huh?"
He didn't expect Kurenai to have learned a Genjutsu that most elite specialists didn't master until Jonin-level.
'No wonder. She had a Genjutsu lineage, and her father was a Genjutsu master.'
"Well then…"
Kiyohara smirked.
"Time to fight back."
He concentrated, stirring his chakra flow.
The sheer strength of his spiritual energy—enhanced from multiple future inheritances—converted easily into Yin-nature chakra.
"Release."
The illusion shattered like glass—
The phantom branches dissolved into mist.
He stood exactly where he had before, completely unharmed.
Kurenai's breathing was shallow, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Wha— You broke it already?! That fast?!"
She knew her chakra pool wasn't large enough to bring out the jutsu's full power—
Still, breaking it that quickly?
"…I guess I'm just naturally gifted in mental strength,"
Kiyohara said with a shrug.
'Mine's huge. You'll get used to it.'
Every future self he inherited added another massive pool of mental energy.
Unless someone had something like the Sharingan, most Genjutsu didn't threaten him.
They continued training, cycling through several techniques—
Including [Mirror Trap], [Inner Maze], and [Naraku's Illusion].
Same result each time.
Kiyohara dispelled them with frightening speed.
"Too fast…"
Kurenai finally gave in, slumping against a tree, exhausted.
She glanced at Kiyohara—
Still calm, only a sheen of sweat on his forehead.
'How the hell does someone without a Genjutsu Kekkei Genkai resist like that?'
"A man should never admit to being fast,"
Kiyohara sighed, wiping his brow.
But he did need to be faster.
One second in battle could mean everything.
They continued training together into the late afternoon.
Eventually, Kiyohara waved goodbye and headed into a nearby town that served as a logistics outpost.
"Boss, I'm here to pay back that loan."
He dropped a fat stack of bills on the counter.
Five thousand ryo.
Due today.
The loan had been used by one of his past selves—specifically, rogue-nin Kiyohara—to buy illegal enhancement drugs.
The goat-bearded merchant grinned while counting.
"Well now, Kiyohara-kun. Looks like your wallet's finally got some breathing room."
Kiyohara ignored the comment and scanned the shelves.
"…Also. I need a blank summoning scroll and a large-capacity sealing scroll."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up.
"Oho! Big spender today!"
He rummaged through a cabinet and returned with both scrolls.
"Nine thousand ryo for the summoning scroll… The sealing scroll is—"
Kiyohara flinched.
That was almost everything he'd saved up from months of missions and looting corpses.
But these weren't luxuries.
They were investments.
With the summoning scroll, he could pursue a contract with a summoning beast.
And the sealing scroll?
Essential.
He'd lost out on countless loot piles in the past simply because he couldn't carry everything.
That wouldn't happen again.
After paying, he stared gloomily at the few crumpled bills left in his coin pouch.
"Everything space-related is expensive as hell…"
He didn't even want to think about how much rich girls like Ten-Ten had sunk into gear and scrolls.
The merchant chuckled.
"Space-time jutsu and sealing techniques are top-tier for a reason.
Making these scrolls is no joke. Expensive? Naturally."
Kiyohara nodded and stashed them away.
If there was one thing universally true about the Naruto world—
Space-time tech = black magic.
Three days later, at dawn.
Kiyohara stood at Tsunade's tent, ready to depart.
Kakashi and Rin were already there—
Rin smiling softly with a medical kit slung over her shoulder.
"Morning, Kiyohara-kun,"
she greeted.
"Morning."
She nodded excitedly.
"Tsunade-sama said she needed a medical ninja on this mission—
And I've been making progress with my healing techniques lately…"
This was more than just a mission for her.
Tsunade was her idol.
To work beside her—
It was a dream.
"Kakashi. Looks like it's us again,"
Kiyohara said.
War always shuffled squads.
"Guess so,"
Kakashi replied, busy double-checking his gear.
Shizune soon stepped out.
"You're all here? Come on in."
Kiyohara and Rin ducked through the tent flap—
But Kakashi lingered outside.
"Tell Tsunade-sama I'll be in shortly," he said.
Inside—
Tsunade was still asleep.
One leg exposed from the covers, golden hair splayed across the pillow.
"Time to go, Tsunade-sama,"
Shizune called gently.
She'd been waiting too.
"Mnnn… five more minutes…"
Tsunade muttered, burying her face in the pillow.
Shizune sighed.
"Kiyohara-kun and the others are already here!"
That got her moving.
Grumbling, Tsunade sat up, yawning.
"Yeah, yeah. I was already up. Just… went back to sleep."
She raked her fingers through her hair.
Once dressed, she handed Kiyohara a large sealing scroll.
"All the gear we're delivering is inside. You carry it."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
The scroll was huge—on par with the one Naruto carried in Sage Mode.
Probably filled with lab tools and medical supplies.
Kakashi entered shortly after.
Tsunade gave him a look—
He was really starting to resemble Sakumo.
Too bad the old man's death was such a mess.
In Tsunade's eyes, if the Hokage had stepped in early, it might've ended differently.
"Alright. Let's move."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"
The four of them—
Kiyohara, Kakashi, Rin, and Tsunade—
set off for the rear-line base in the Land of Fire.