"Also, you shouldn't use that jutsu again. The technique you just used concentrates power at a single point for a charge—its speed and destructive power are impressive, but because you're moving too fast, you can't read the enemy's counterattacks…"
Minato laid out Chidori's flaw with surgical precision.
Kakashi said nothing.
He understood those weaknesses, but they weren't easy to fix.
He was a "civilian" ninja with a family style, not a bloodline prodigy. How could a pair of normal eyes ever compare to those with dōjutsu?
"Before we part ways, let me say this one last time: for a ninja, teamwork comes before everything."
"Alright, let's move."
With that, Minato told them to keep going.
By now, the sky had grown dark. They put up tents for a quick overnight rest; Minato would be leaving in the morning.
Soon, everyone settled into silence, broken only by the sound of chewing.
"So that's how this Lightning Release is triggered," Kiyohara thought.
He was quietly talking jutsu with Rogue Kiyohara inside his head.
He might've looked like he was resting, but he was grinding.
At his age, knowing he was already at chūnin-level strength made it hard to sleep.
That thought made him glance toward Obito.
Earlier, Minato had pulled Obito aside and explained a bit about Kakashi's father, so Obito would understand him better and avoid needless conflict. After learning that Kakashi's father had killed himself after a "failed" mission, Obito finally grasped why Kakashi had turned so rigid and extreme.
And then… he went to sleep.
How can you sleep at a time like this?
Kiyohara shook his head.
He finished his rations, then slipped off to a hidden spot to train.
Minato's sensory range extended far, and there were no enemies nearby, so Kiyohara felt safe burning chakra on practice without worrying about attracting attention.
"Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!"
After refining his chakra, he formed hand seals and released arcs of pale blue lightning that crawled just above the ground.
"Not bad. Once you've fully absorbed my talent, you'll be even stronger," Rogue Kiyohara nodded.
Kiyohara's own talent, fused with part of his, had gone from utterly average to "decently sharp." With Rogue Kiyohara's coaching on top, his learning speed was high.
"You look more and more transparent…" Kiyohara eyed the fading spirit, worried whether he'd last long enough for Kiyohara to earn his chūnin rank and fuse whatever remained.
"If you're going to fade, at least fade slowly."
"…"
Rogue Kiyohara glared at him.
This guy really was him. When he was alive and got his own Willbook, he'd said the exact same thing to other future spirits.
"Relax—I'll last long enough," Rogue Kiyohara said, shaking his head.
Dying once had made him let go of a lot.
"Kiyohara, you're secretly training out here, huh?"
Kurenai's voice came from behind. Her ruby eyes shone as she looked at him.
"Kurenai, have you ever seen Konoha at four in the morning?" Kiyohara asked.
It was, in fact, eight in the evening.
"Four in the morning?" Kurenai covered her mouth, shocked.
So Kiyohara got up that early to train every day?
She'd never once woken up at four to train. At most, she got up in the middle of the night when there was an emergency mission.
"That's right," Kiyohara nodded.
He hadn't seen four a.m. Konoha either—but eight p.m. was a good time to sneak in some extra grinding.
"I'll train with you, then."
She glanced at his handsome face and felt a little dazed.
If Kiyohara was working this hard, how could she slack off?
So Kurenai started practicing genjutsu beside him, while Kiyohara—knowing he had no talent for illusions—continued drilling Lightning Release.
"Here's hoping there's a Kurama Kiyohara or Uchiha Kiyohara in the future," he thought.
Then even his genjutsu weak point would get patched.
…
The next morning, at first light, Minato already had his tent packed.
"From today, this is where we split into three routes. Do your best, all of you," he said.
Then he added:
"Yesterday's enemy was just a lone scout. From here on, it'll be group engagements. Don't let your guard down."
His expression turned serious.
Kiyohara, Kakashi, and the others nodded.
Seeing that, Minato dismissed them and headed alone toward the main front.
Kakashi, Rin, and Obito continued toward Kannabi Bridge.
Kiyohara took Kurenai and Genma in another direction to deliberately trip Iwa's alarms and draw attention.
…
That afternoon.
"This is the spot. There's one chūnin and two genin inside—should be the weakest point," Rogue Kiyohara's spirit reported as it floated back from a distance.
Kiyohara nodded as he processed the intel.
"This should be the softest target."
He turned and relayed the summary to the other two.
The Iwa-nin they'd interrogated yesterday had spilled quite a bit of useful information, but only in vague outlines—they still needed to confirm things personally.
"How do you know, Kiyohara?" Kurenai asked, wiping sweat from her brow. The bamboo grove was hot and humid, and the march had left her lightly drenched.
"I sensed it," Kiyohara said, face completely straight.
"Sensing, huh…"
That was impressive.
To feel the enemy's strength from this far away—Kiyohara really was something.
"Alright. It's a small outpost—we'll warm up on this one," he said.
There were other posts nearby with ten-plus defenders, but he planned to start with an easier target.
"Genma, you hide where they're most likely to run. Kurenai and I will go in and draw their attention," Kiyohara said.
Destroying an outpost was the best way to get Iwa's attention—and a great chance to loot supplies.
"Got it," Kurenai and Genma nodded in unison. Kiyohara was team captain now; his word was law.
A moment later, Kiyohara and Kurenai slipped inside.
"Enemy raid!"
The Iwa chūnin spotted them and immediately cast genjutsu at Kiyohara.
"Kurenai, stay back—watch this," Kiyohara said, meeting the illusion head-on. His body stayed loose, unfrozen.
He reached out to Rogue Kiyohara.
Genjutsu works by messing with the brain's nerve signals. To break it, you have to scramble your own chakra flow and disrupt the illusion.
Except…
"The Iwa chūnin has Kiyohara's body locked with genjutsu. What's that got to do with me?" Rogue Kiyohara muttered.
He simply possessed Kiyohara locally, ignoring the paralysis, and walked his body forward.
The Iwa chūnin stared, stunned.