Kiyohara was someone who valued fairness.
Since it was difficult to deal with the enemy's camouflaging techniques, then he would simply drag the enemy down to his own level—
and then defeat him with overwhelming experience!
Kiyohara closed his eyes, and behind him, the spectral form of the missing-nin Kiyohara appeared.
Come forth, my stand-in!
If Kiyohara kept his eyes open, the lime powder scattered in the air would sting them painfully. But his missing-nin counterpart could serve as his second pair of eyes.
"To your left. He's forming seals, preparing to cloak himself again,"
The missing-nin Kiyohara's voice echoed calmly.
Right now, the entire area was foggy and hazy, yet through the mist, one could faintly see a humanoid outline being drawn out by the drifting lime.
"Got it."
Hearing this, Kiyohara nodded.
He reached into his shinobi tool pouch and drew out a pair of shuriken.
Swish! Swish!
The two shuriken spun rapidly through the air, slicing into the cloud of lime dust stirred up by the wind.
He was, after all, a man who valued fairness.
Hearing the shuriken cutting through the air, Taiseki had no choice but to stop forming hand signs and dodge first.
But each time he finished dodging and attempted to resume his seals, Kiyohara would interrupt him again.
"Is this brat really completely unaffected…?"
Taiseki clenched his fists.
His tightly shut eyes overflowed with tears.
If he didn't treat them soon, there was even a risk of permanent blindness.
But Kiyohara, not only completely unaffected, even seemed to be adding more lime powder—the small popping sounds made it obvious.
"Can you still call yourself a shinobi like this?!"
"My apologies. A shinobi is supposed to be an assassin. You're the one playing soldier."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Shinobi's often dealt in poison, espionage, assassination, infiltration.
But now this guy wanted to act upright and noble…?
Tell that to my shuriken instead.
Kiyohara gripped one shuriken tightly and infused it with Wind Release chakra.
Wind swirled around its surface, sharpening its cutting power.
Taiseki, unprepared, was struck and cut by the shuriken; blood began to drip freely.
"Kakkō!"
Taiseki could no longer endure and called out for his teammate.
But what answered him was not reassurance—
but a scream.
"Kakkō… don't tell me he actually lost to those little brats?"
Taiseki's heart began to sink.
Unfortunately, he and Kiyohara were near the cave entrance, while Kakkō was battling deeper inside. He had no idea what exactly was happening.
He could only hear intermittent clashes—
and then a cry of agony.
"What happened?"
Kiyohara urgently asked the missing-nin Kiyohara.
The missing-nin Kiyohara looked toward the battle and saw Kakashi getting injured in his left eye while saving Obito.
Overwhelmed with grief and anger, Obito awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan in one leap.
"Obito awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan. The Iwagakure jonin had his arm cut."
The missing-nin Kiyohara reported.
"I see."
Kiyohara nodded slightly.
It seemed things still unfolded the same as in the original timeline—Kakashi losing his left eye, Obito awakening his Sharingan. What a coincidence.
No… was it truly a coincidence?
Kiyohara suddenly recalled something.
In the shinobi world, there existed the concept of "fate."
Naruto was destined as the "Child of Prophecy."
Jiraiya spent his life wandering the shinobi world, chasing for that vague prophecy.
When the Sage of Six Paths appeared from within Naruto's mind, along with the chakra of the nine tailed beasts, the first thing he said was:
"The promised time has come. The Child of Prophecy will change the world."
And the nine tailed beasts all showed expressions of understanding—
the Sage had told them this a thousand years ago.
"I have the Last Will System. The butterfly effects of the future will only continue to grow.
But right now, my strength is too weak.
The winds I stir are still too small to change events…"
Kiyohara gave a small shake of his head.
The Last Will System was born from countless branching futures starting from his existence.
It was itself the biggest embodiment of uncertainty.
"Hmph."
Taiseki let out a muffled grunt and pulled the shuriken from his flesh.
If Kakkō was in trouble, then he alone had no chance of escaping.
"I'll just finish you quickly."
Taiseki's left hand hardened as thick layers of rock wrapped around it, forming a massive fist.
He lunged forward, the stone fist cutting through the air as it struck toward Kiyohara.
Earth Release: Rock Fist Jutsu!
"He's using Rock Fist."
The missing-nin Kiyohara's voice sounded in Kiyohara's mind, tinged with disdain.
"It seems he invested everything into invisibility. His other techniques are mediocre."
"Half-step left, lower your head."
Kiyohara followed his instruction.
The massive stone fist scraped past his hair, stirring up a sharp gust.
"Now—Lightning Release: Earth Walk."
Kiyohara quickly formed hand seals, and arcs of electricity spread rapidly across the ground.
Crackle!!
The lightning shattered most of the rock around Taiseki's left hand.
"This brat still has the chakra for more ninjutsu?!"
Taiseki frowned deeply.
How could some clanless civilian kid have this much chakra?
"…I'm running low. Your turn."
Kiyohara felt a wave of dizziness.
He had used several ninjutsu techniques already.
Not to mention rushing all the way here without rest—if he hadn't taken forbidden pills beforehand, he would've long been empty.
Taiseki regained balance, reforming his rock fist.
This time, he was more cautious, relying on sound alone to locate Kiyohara.
"Too slow."
The missing-nin Kiyohara whispered.
Under his guidance, Kiyohara moved swiftly through the dust, every step landing exactly within Taiseki's blind spots.
"Right hand. Kunai. Three inches upward."
Kiyohara followed the command.
The kunai pierced into the joint of Taiseki's right elbow.
"ARGH!"
Taiseki cried out as the Rock Fist disintegrated, stone fragments falling from his arm.
"How… how is this possible…?"
He stared in disbelief toward Kiyohara.
"You're just a… a genin…"
Kiyohara didn't answer.
If he spoke, he would reveal his position.
RUMBLE!!
At that moment, the ground shook violently. The cave trembled.
"The other Iwagakure jonin used Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction."
The missing-nin Kiyohara warned.
Kiyohara nodded faintly.
That jutsu was often used in caves, causing stones to fall from the ceiling to trigger a cave-in.
That meant Kakkō had finally resorted to lethal techniques.
In that instant, Kiyohara tightened his grip on his kunai.
Taking advantage of Taiseki's panic—realizing he might not escape alive—Kiyohara disrupted him again with thrown shuriken.
"Everyone! Run toward the exit!" Kakashi shouted.
Seeing this, Kiyohara used the last of his chakra to unleash Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, blowing away the lingering lime dust clouding the cave mouth.
He sprinted out first, stopping at the entrance to wait for the others.
Kurenai and Genma rushed out next, swift and nimble.
Kakashi followed last, slowed by his injured eye leaving him blind on one side.
Thud!
A stone struck his blind spot, smashing into his left eye.
Then, as a massive boulder was about to come crashing down—
Obito shoved Kakashi aside.
Crash!!
Obito was crushed beneath the huge boulder, with only half of his body exposed.
In the faint noise echoing through the collapsing cave—
Kiyohara seemed to hear a soft, sorrowful whimper of fate itself.
(End of Chapter)