Originally, someone as insignificant as Kiyohara should never have entered his field of vision.
But the current situation was far too critical—his body could no longer afford the luxury of time.
He had to quickly decide the executor of the Eye of the Moon Plan as soon as possible. Only then could he rest easy, pull out all the tubes, and lie down to sleep in peace—
—sleep until the day he resurrected, stepping into the world once more as its destined savior.
"Hashirama…. I will prove everything… I will walk… all the way to the other shore."
Uchiha Madara murmured inside the pitch-black, empty cavern, speaking to no one.
His hand instinctively moved to his chest.
Embedded within it, part of Hashirama's living tissue pulsed faintly.
It was precisely because of this that he had managed to awaken the Rinnegan, and thus conceive so many plans that would overturn the world.
…
Just as Kiyohara pretended to be sensing the distant surroundings, the spirit of Missing-nin Kiyohara drifted back.
His expression was unusually grave.
"What's wrong?" Kiyohara immediately asked.
Don't scare him like this.
Had they already been surrounded by the Iwagakure forces?
Was it still too late to start writing his will?
"The place up ahead—that's where Rin gets captured. Obito's almost there."
Missing-nin Kiyohara replied.
Without even realizing it, they had reached the area near Kannabi Bridge.
It was the emptiest location on the entire front.
It wasn't hard to guess why—Minato must have finally arrived at the battlefield. His overwhelming pressure on the Iwagakure units had forced them to pull troops from this area, leaving it effectively hollow.
"I see."
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
He understood well the implication hidden in Missing-nin Kiyohara's words.
Once Obito arrived, Kakashi—after a period of internal struggle would follow as well.
Here, Kakashi would lose his left eye.
And Obito… would be crushed beneath a massive boulder, half his body destroyed.
This moment was undoubtedly the closest Madara would come to observing the situation personally.
Even though he had sensed nothing unusual, Kiyohara still felt that White Zetsu was lurking around them somewhere.
White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique allowed him to merge freely into the earth—it was practically impossible to guard against.
"I don't have a bloodline. I shouldn't catch Madara's interest. At most, he'll see me as a potential disruption to his plan… or perhaps a catalyst for Obito's emotional collapse."
Kiyohara thought silently.
Madara's scheme was simple: having Rin implanted with a tailed beast and forcing her into a situation where she could only clash with Kakashi—was all for the sake of making Obito taste absolute despair. From that abyss, he would awaken the darkness Madara desired.
He simply hadn't expected Rin to choose suicide.
But ironically, that only deepened Obito's grief and accelerated his fall.
'Good thing I fought Obito before we left. Hopefully that keeps me from being chosen as a sacrificial pawn…'
Kiyohara sighed inwardly.
If even Kakashi's and Rin's deaths couldn't push Obito to darkness, Kiyohara suspected Madara would orchestrate the death of every person close to Obito until the boy shattered completely.
He very much did not want Obito to someday turn toward him and say,
"Revive… my beloved."
Obito hadn't even considered reviving his grandmother.
All his thoughts were on creating a dream world with Infinite Tsukuyomi—becoming Hokage and living happily with Rin.
That was the extremity of a pure, hopeless romantic heart.
"When a crucial moment comes, remember to possess me."
Kiyohara instructed.
He was adding an extra layer of insurance.
Iwagakure's jōnin, Taiseki, was skilled in Chameleon Jutsu. He might not react quickly enough on his own if he was sneak attacked.
"You can also choose not to go."
Missing-nin Kiyohara suggested.
There was another option—Kiyohara could stay where he was and simply wait for everything to finish.
"But if I don't go, who knows what kind of butterfly effect will occur? The bridge must be destroyed; only then will my achievements be sufficient."
Kiyohara replied.
Missing-nin Kiyohara's spirit clearly didn't have much time left.
No one knew when the next Last Will message would arrive—or what kind of version of Kiyohara it would come from.
What if the next future was an even weaker one—like 'Civilian Kiyohara' or 'Chef Kiyohara'?
He would have completely wasted a golden opportunity to grow stronger.
He had to secure enough merit to be promoted to chūnin as soon as possible.
Only then could he inherit the remaining talent of his missing-nin counterpart.
At that point, learning Wind-Style or Lightning-Style ninjutsu would become incredibly fast.
One person plus one person— the stacking of talents was terrifying.
It wasn't just one plus one equals two, but something more like chemical fusion, where the result could be far greater.
"…Very well. I'll help you at the critical moment."
Missing-nin Kiyohara nodded.
He, too, wanted his former self to fulfill their unfulfilled wish, so he was willing to help.
"Then, how strong can you fight when you're the one controlling my body?"
Kiyohara asked curiously.
The missing-nin had possessed him several times before, but even he didn't know the true upper limit of his strength.
Even if he had jōnin-level skill, Kiyohara's body was only chūnin-level hardware.
"It's fine. I can draw out your body's full potential."
Missing-nin Kiyohara explained.
A human body's power was far greater than what people typically used.
However, the body instinctively created limits to protect itself.
Missing-nin Kiyohara acted as an external force—he could bypass those limits entirely, unleashing everything to maximum output.
"So, it's basically like the Eight Gates?"
Kiyohara finally understood what he meant.
The Eight Gates also released the brain's restrictions, allowing the user to utilize 100% of their physical strength and even surpass it, at the cost of burning through their body's potential.
"Then doesn't that mean if I learn the Eight Gates, you can forcibly activate them even if I can't?"
Kiyohara continued.
"In theory, yes. As long as I know it, I can use it whether you do or not. But I don't know the Eight Gates."
Missing-nin Kiyohara replied.
The Eight Gates, in a sense, counted as a forbidden jutsu.
It almost never leaked outside.
Only the leader of the Sky Country, Shinnō, had managed to learn parts of it.
Since missing-nin Kiyohara had followed Orochimaru, he had no channel to access that technique.
Orochimaru had zero interest in taijutsu—
his entire ambition was to find a vessel with a kekkei genkai and achieve immortality.
"…Alright."
Kiyohara nodded.
He finally felt reassured.
The enemies ahead were just your typical jōnin and nothing more.
Worst-case scenario, he'd shout:
"Future me—save me!!"
"We're heading in now. "We'll move quietly as possible."
Kiyohara instructed Kurenai and Genma.
With the three of them moving together, their safety had increased significantly.
…
"Kakashi! Obito!"
Rin cried out when she saw them rushing in to save her.
Because of their interruption, the genjutsu on her flickered and loosened.
"These two brats are yours. I'll continue applying the illusion."
Iwagakure jōnin Kakkō said to Taiseki.
Taiseki nodded slightly and melted back into the shadows.
"Damn it—he disappeared again."
Kakashi and Obito's faces darkened.
This man's ability was far too troublesome.
"Just two little brats."
Taiseki muttered.
He drew a kunai, gliding soundlessly behind Obito and Kakashi like a phantom.
"Kakashi!"
Rin shouted in panic.
At that exact moment—
A thunderous blast shook the entrance of the cavern.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gust roared in, kicking up dust that clung to Taiseki's body, outlining his hidden form.
Kiyohara, reporting for duty!
(End of Chapter)