Feeling the significant increase in his total chakra volume and the continuous surge of physical power breaking through his previous limits, Kiyohara couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile beneath his mask.
His chakra capacity, physical stamina, and even his neural reaction speed all received a tangible, explosive boost from the fusion with the Radical Spirit.
This instantaneous method of growing stronger filled him with dark joy.
If he had relied solely on conventional training, it would have taken him years to reach this level of strength. He probably would have ended up like the Rogue Ninja Spirit, desperately seeking out Orochimaru for forbidden power.
But with the "Last Words Letter," he could stack the lifetimes of his future selves.
As long as he stayed alive, the snowball would keep rolling. Even if he only absorbed "Average Ninja Kiyoharas," stacking dozens of them would eventually force a qualitative evolution. No single Bloodline Limit could compare to the sheer math of his potential.
Simultaneously, new knowledge flooded his mind.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Coffin."
"Magnet Release: Giant Iron Sand Needles."
Kiyohara blinked. These were standard, highly lethal Magnet Release techniques. The former used iron sand to crush and suffocate an enemy, while the latter compressed the sand into high-density spears. One for absolute crowd control, one for piercing strikes.
"I thought you only knew that suicidal Magnetic Field Rotation technique," Kiyohara said to the Radical Spirit in his mind. "I didn't expect you to know standard Ninjutsu too."
"I was still in the refinement stage," the Radical Spirit muttered defensively, floating nearby with his arms crossed.
"..."
Kiyohara sighed. He was getting used to this version of himself's incredibly warped priorities. If the Spirit had just used standard Iron Sand against the Kaguya clan, he probably wouldn't have died in the first place.
'Forget it,' Kiyohara thought, cutting the connection to focus on reality. He carefully monitored his body's rapid transformation, remaining hyper-vigilant. If he took a kunai to the neck right now, all this new power would be useless.
'I... got stronger.'
"Who are you?!"
A Suna ANBU shouted sternly, aiming a kunai at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara wasn't wearing a Konoha flak jacket, and his headband was obscured by his hair and the rebreather mask.
"Be careful. This enemy has Jonin-level speed. We should subdue him using Sealing Jutsu," a female Suna ninja cautioned. She carried a massive roll of fabric on her back. Her face was marked with purple paint, her hair hidden beneath a standard Suna headwrap.
'Suna's unique Cloth Sealing Jutsu, huh...' Kiyohara noted.
Unlike Konoha, which inherited the Uzumaki clan's formula-based sealing system, Suna favored physical mediums like the Cloth Binding Technique.
Kiyohara recognized her from his future knowledge. This was Makura, Pakura's disciple.
'Interesting,' Kiyohara mused. The Radical Spirit's second dying wish was to defeat Pakura. If he captured her disciple alive, he could interrogate her for critical intel on his next target.
"Hmph. I advise you Konoha rats to give up resisting. Surrender, and you might qualify as prisoners of war. Otherwise..." A scarred Suna Chunin sneered, keeping his hands locked in a jutsu seal.
Behind Kiyohara, the rescued Yūgao Uzuki gasped, her delicate face pale beneath her Fox mask. "Be careful! They are Suna ANBU. They are much stronger than ordinary ninja!"
She stared at the back of the boy who had just saved her life. The moonlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating his profile. He was young, with a high nose bridge and thin, calm lips. He looked familiar, but her only real impression in that panicked moment was that he was incredibly handsome.
"Give up resisting?"
Kiyohara shook the blood from his Tachi, smoothly retracting his copper wire and catching the returning Fūma Shuriken.
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small sealing scroll.
"?" Makura watched him warily.
The remaining Suna ninja looked confused. Even if this newcomer was Jonin-level, they still had the numbers advantage: one ANBU, Makura, and three Chunin. Why was he so fearless?
Looking at their expressions—a mix of vigilance and unearned superiority—Kiyohara shook his head as if lamenting their stupidity.
"I've been listening to your nonsense for a full minute now," Kiyohara said, his voice dripping with mockery. "You didn't actually think I was standing here completely motionless because I enjoyed listening to your rubbish, did you?"
Kiyohara unrolled the scroll.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A massive pile of shuriken and kunai erupted in a puff of white smoke.
"I was waiting to get stronger," Kiyohara's eyes turned ice-cold. "What were you waiting for?"
'I was inheriting a legacy. My chakra, my talent, my reaction speed—every second I stood here, the power of my future raised my absolute limits!'
Kiyohara moved.
His arms blurred into afterimages. Over sixty shuriken poured out from his hands like a localized meteor shower, blanketing every possible escape route!
"He threw sixty at once?! Is his hand speed monstrous?!" the Suna ANBU gasped in horror.
The injured Suna ninja dove for cover. The scarred Chunin gritted his teeth, frantically weaving signs for a Wind Release to blow the projectiles away.
But Kiyohara's attack was far from over.
Just as the dense curtain of steel was about to hit, Kiyohara flexed his ten fingers. He channeled his newly acquired Magnet Release directly into the near-invisible copper wires attached to the shuriken.
Instantly, the flying blades altered their trajectories mid-air. The wires crisscrossed and snapped taut, weaving together into a massive, inescapable net of razor-sharp steel!
"Manipulating Shuriken Technique: Magnetic Net!"
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
His enhanced neural reaction speed allowed him to calculate dozens of trajectories simultaneously. The Magnet Release allowed him to control the shuriken without purely relying on the physical pull of the wires.
The copper wire glittered coldly under the moonlight. The net violently contracted.
Trees, bushes, and rocks caught in the radius were effortlessly diced into neat, smooth squares.
"AHHH!"
The injured Suna ninja failed to dodge. The contracting wire slashed through his shoulder, cleanly severing his arm. Blood sprayed into the night air as he shrieked in agony.
Yūgao watched the carnage unfold, her eyes wide behind her mask.
'So strong!' was her only thought.
.....
.....
.....
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter