Right after that, he felt something new appear deep inside his mind—another urn.
Kiyohara immediately focused inward.
Every time a new urn appeared, it meant some unfortunate version of his future had gained yet another way to die.
"Hm?"
He noticed the urn's exterior bore Konoha's emblem, shaped like a leaf.
It also looked like it was made from dark-brown wood, and along the edges were fine flame-like patterns.
Konoha's mark…
Kiyohara's heart stirred.
That meant the future sealed inside this urn was very likely a Konoha shinobi.
While he was thinking, the lid suddenly made a faint sound.
Click.
The lid slowly opened a crack, and a hand gripped the edge.
Then a figure pushed the lid fully open.
Kiyohara watched.
Honestly, these urns always felt more like coffins to him.
Under his gaze, the lid lifted, revealing a hazy, unreal silhouette inside.
This new "future Kiyohara" wore an animal mask with a thin crack over the left eye.
Judging from the red markings, it represented a fox.
He wore tight black shinobi clothing with gray armor layered over it.
A tachi was strapped to his back, the scabbard gray as well.
"Anbu… or Root…?" Kiyohara murmured.
In Konoha, only Anbu or Root dressed like that.
The new Kiyohara seemed to hear him. He slowly raised his head.
Even with the mask on, Kiyohara could feel "him" looking straight at him.
Then the new Kiyohara did something Kiyohara didn't expect.
He didn't speak right away.
Instead, his figure flickered—silent as mist—and drifted to the tent entrance, warily checking outside.
Then he circled the tent perimeter at high speed, as if searching for hidden enemies or eavesdroppers.
Kiyohara lifted an eyebrow.
This future version of him… had a pretty distinctive personality.
Past "futures" always spoke immediately.
This one checked the surroundings first.
A few minutes later, the spirit returned inside and nodded at Kiyohara, signaling it was safe.
Only then did he finally speak.
His voice was young, but steady.
"I'm not Root."
"Then you're Anbu?" Kiyohara asked.
That left only one possibility.
"Correct."
Anbu Kiyohara nodded, the fox mask bobbing.
"I'm Anbu. Codename: Night Fox. Konoha Anbu, Third Squad. You are… the past me?"
Kiyohara nodded. "Looks like it. When did you die, and how?"
Anbu Kiyohara fell silent for a few seconds. The voice from behind the fox mask turned complicated.
"Konoha Year 54. Autumn. Died on a mission… killed by the target."
"Killed by the target?" Kiyohara frowned.
"An Anbu mission target managed to kill you?"
He didn't know how strong this Anbu Kiyohara had been, but if he'd made it into Anbu, he shouldn't have been weak.
And Anbu targets were already high-difficulty. Someone who could reverse-kill an Anbu operative…
Anbu Kiyohara seemed to sigh—though as a spirit, he didn't truly breathe.
He spoke slowly.
"The target… was special. His name was Oyashiro En. A survivor of the Chinoike Clan."
The Chinoike Clan?
Kiyohara's mind searched rapidly.
He remembered them—famed for blood manipulation and dōjutsu. They were once nobles of the Land of Lightning, later exiled because the lord's wife grew jealous.
The Uchiha had once been assigned as their guards.
Their bloodline limit was called the Ketsuryūgan—one of the rare eyes capable of genjutsu.
"Didn't the Chinoike Clan fall long ago?" Kiyohara said.
In canon, there were only two left.
"They did. But Oyashiro En was an exception," Anbu Kiyohara said.
"In my future, he seemed to have cooperated with Orochimaru. The Ketsuryūgan was developed further, along with many secret techniques. When my squad took the mission, our intel severely underestimated him."
He paused, then continued.
"He controlled the blood of everyone in the entire manor. My teammates all went down within thirty seconds. I held out for five minutes… and still died by his hand…"
He didn't finish, but Kiyohara understood.
"So your first wish is…" Kiyohara asked.
Anbu Kiyohara raised his head.
"A wish…"
"Kill Oyashiro En. He didn't just kill me—he slaughtered seventeen innocent servants in that manor and used their blood to strengthen himself. Someone like that shouldn't be allowed to live."
Kiyohara nodded. "Agreed."
Looks like this version of him leaned more toward lawful good.
"And there's more?" Kiyohara asked.
Usually there were two wishes. So far, he hadn't seen any with only one wish—or three.
"There is."
This time Anbu Kiyohara answered much faster.
"The day I died, I had just met the requirements. I'd been promoted—from Anbu member to Third Squad captain."
He stretched out a hand, the translucent palm closing as if trying to grasp something that wasn't there.
"The appointment letter was still in my tool pouch. I didn't even get to read it. I didn't even get to switch my uniform to the captain's insignia…"
Kiyohara understood.
To die right at the moment of achievement…
That kind of regret cut deep.
He couldn't help thinking: every one of his "futures" had a terrible ending.
Then again—if a future were truly good, would it even be "packaged" and delivered here?
"So your second wish is for me to join Anbu?" Kiyohara guessed.
"Yes," Anbu Kiyohara said seriously. "And become captain."
Kiyohara rubbed his chin.
From later canon portrayals, Oyashiro En became an arms dealer.
The only real "feat" described was that he killed all of his clan except his daughter—very Itachi-like.
In the end, like Itachi, he "cleansed" his daughter's name and got her into Kirigakure, no longer wandering—effectively securing an official status and becoming part of Kiri's many shinobi clans.
"What abilities did you have?" Kiyohara asked.
"Me?" Anbu Kiyohara said calmly. "You could call it… Curse Marks."
"Curse Marks? Which kind?" Kiyohara's interest sharpened.
There were two broad types: binding curse marks and sage-transformation curse marks.
Binding types included things like Tongue Eradication Seal, Self-Cursed Seal, and Curse Binding Seal—common enough.
Sage-transformation curse marks were Orochimaru's signature product.
He'd studied Jūgo's clan cells and learned their secret to absorbing natural energy.
In simple terms, Orochimaru likely hadn't mastered Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu, but discovered Jūgo's clan near the area—and built a high-grade "imitation" of senjutsu.
"I know quite a lot," Anbu Kiyohara said, sounding like he was smiling—though his expression was hidden.
"For example… this."
He reached up and undid the guard on his right forearm.
On the translucent arm, a strange tattoo was faintly visible—black curse-script on the back of the hand, like three thin comma-like marks circling.
"This is…?" Kiyohara felt it looked familiar.
"More accurately, it's the Earth Curse Mark," Anbu Kiyohara explained.
He said it had been his greatest trump card while alive—just Stage One already offered a strong boost.
As he spoke, the black curse-script suddenly boiled and turned fiery red, spreading like interwoven grid-pattern lines. It crawled rapidly across his whole arm, then reached toward his shoulder and chest.
A beastlike aura rolled off him.
Curse Mark: Stage One.
While displaying it, he explained:
"The side effect is mild mental corrosion. Overuse can make you more irritable. But if you control it properly, it's extremely practical."
Kiyohara studied the marks carefully.
He recognized it—Orochimaru's curse mark system.
So in this timeline, his future self had met Orochimaru… maybe even received the mark from him.
"What about Stage Two?" Kiyohara asked.
Stage One wasn't enough on its own. The real power was Stage Two.
Transitioning from Stage One to Stage Two meant a "death-like" phase—agony like dying, heavy bodily corrosion.
It was hard to reach without support items like Mind Awakening Pills and formations like the Four Black Fog Formations and Dark Sealing Method to accelerate the process.
If you survived, your strength, speed, and chakra would surge, and your appearance would change too.
"I have that too," Anbu Kiyohara nodded.
"Between the two, which curse mark is stronger?" Kiyohara asked.
He meant Heaven Curse Mark vs Earth Curse Mark.
Among Orochimaru's many sage-type curse marks, those two were the standout pair.
"About the same," Anbu Kiyohara said.
"I've fought someone with the Heaven Curse Mark. Like Sasuke, he grew wings. Mine was… a tail."
"I see." Kiyohara nodded.
If he remembered right, Kimimaro's Earth Curse Mark also manifested as a tail.
No real hierarchy—more like parallel branches.
One developed toward the sky, one toward the earth.
Could they be combined? Kiyohara suddenly wondered.
In canon, no one really tried combining the two.
Sasuke lost his curse mark because of Itachi, and later never reclaimed it. Even against Six Paths Obito, he only had Jūgo feed curse mark chakra into Susanoo.
"And the binding-type curse marks?" Kiyohara continued.
"I have those too," Anbu Kiyohara said. "For instance—Curse Binding Technique, using black curse-script chains to restrain an enemy. And Curse Poison Technique, converting the curse mark's corrosive property into poison. And…"
He explained seven or eight curse-mark-related techniques in detail. Kiyohara memorized every one.
These were priceless inheritances.
And they neatly filled a gap in Kiyohara's current kit:
Sharingan for insight and genjutsu.
Magnet Release for output and mobility.
Steel Release for defense.
Lightning Chakra Mode for speed and burst.
And now—curse marks for extra amplification and a complete auxiliary combat system.
Kiyohara's methods would become far more versatile.
Some enemies didn't fall for genjutsu—like those who fought with eyes closed, relying purely on sensing. Against them, curse marks would be extremely useful.
"Very practical," Kiyohara said.
"But… you were this cautious—how did you still get reverse-killed?"
The curse marks on the spirit's body faded, returning it to normal.
"Bad intel," Anbu Kiyohara answered. "We were told Oyashiro En was just a normal Chinoike exile—at most chūnin level. But in reality… he was far stronger, and he deliberately played weak to lure us into a trap he'd prepared."
"So you got careless," Kiyohara concluded.
That was normal. Canon didn't really show how strong Oyashiro En truly was.
"Yes," the spirit admitted openly. "I got careless."
"So I want to warn you—no matter how simple a mission looks, never let your guard down. The shinobi world is deeper than you think."
Kiyohara nodded. "I'll remember."
"Oh—your curse mark was from Orochimaru. Wouldn't Orochimaru's chakra still be inside you?" Kiyohara asked.
"No," Anbu Kiyohara replied. "I inherited it through the Willbook—from another future's legacy."
"And that future—where did his curse mark come from?"
"He was 'Yakushi Kiyohara.' He became Orochimaru's assistant—one of the earliest test subjects."
"I see…" Kiyohara nodded.
He'd asked because he didn't want Orochimaru's chakra lingering in the curse mark.
"I'm only a spirit now," Anbu Kiyohara said, shaking his head. "Other than my own pure power, nothing else remains."
He'd had the same concerns.
"That's good." Kiyohara finally relaxed.
…
The next day.
Kiyohara woke up early.
It was a mission day, but they wouldn't move until noon—meaning he had the whole morning to himself.
After washing up and eating, he planned to find a secluded spot and have Anbu Kiyohara teach him a curse mark technique.
Inheritance was random—so Kiyohara had developed the habit of recording every technique each future self knew.
That way, even after the spirit faded, he could keep learning.
With the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his learning speed had become much faster.
That's when he noticed a figure.
Rin Nohara.
She stood alone in an open patch at the camp's edge, forming hand seals with a furrowed brow—training ninjutsu.
Rin took a deep breath and completed the Fire Release seals.
"Fire Release…!"
She opened her mouth, trying to spit flame.
But it didn't form—only a tiny, weak flicker popped out, wavered, then died, producing a puff of black smoke instead.
"Cough, cough…"
Rin choked on it, cheeks flushing red.
Unwilling to give up, she formed seals again—this time for Water Release.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
She slapped her hands to the ground and pushed chakra—
But only a small wet patch appeared, barely any water.
Rin stared at the damp spot and bit her lower lip.
She felt her water affinity was a little better than fire… but it still wasn't working.
"Rin," Kiyohara called as he walked over.
Rin startled, spinning around. When she saw it was him, she finally exhaled.
"Kiyohara-kun… you're up early."
Her voice was low, eyes flicking away, like she didn't want him to see her fail.
Kiyohara stepped closer and glanced at the damp patch.
"Practicing Fire and Water Release?"
"…Yeah." Rin lowered her head.
"I've basically mastered medical ninjutsu. I want to be like Kurenai and try learning more offensive jutsu too—so I can protect myself."
She looked up, hope in her eyes.
"Kiyohara-kun, aren't you good at Fire Release? Could you… teach me?"
Kiyohara looked into her eyes.
Rin's eyes were beautiful—clear amber—now brimming with expectation.
Her cheeks were slightly red from training, and a few brown strands clung to the purple face paint on her cheeks, making her look a little messy… but also kind of cute.
"I can," Kiyohara nodded.
"But not here. Come with me."
He led her to a more open area outside camp—wider, with rocks for cover, so it wouldn't disturb anyone.
Rin hurried after him.
When they reached the clearing, Kiyohara had her stand in front of him.
"Since you want to learn, I'll start you with basics. We'll begin with a D-rank Fire Release: Fire Release: Small Flame Bullet. The power's modest, it doesn't need oil, chakra cost is low, and it's easier to master."
He stepped back a few paces and demonstrated the hand seals.
"Watch carefully. Fire seals must be stable. Extract chakra from the lungs. When it passes through the throat, control the temperature—don't rush it, don't drag it."
He formed seals and spat out a fist-sized fireball.
It struck a tree trunk in the distance, leaving a charred mark.
"Not very strong, but enough against ordinary enemies. Now you try."
Rin nodded hard, copied his seals, and took a deep breath.
"Fire Release: Small Flame Bullet!"
This time, the fire formed.
It was only bowl-sized, and its flight path wobbled, but it was a real fireball.
It hit the ground and burst into a small spray of sparks.
"I did it!"
Rin cried out excitedly, turning to Kiyohara with shining eyes.
But then—an accident.
Maybe she was too excited, maybe her chakra control wasn't settled yet.
The flame didn't fully leave her mouth—one small lick of fire curled back along the corner of her lips and burned her tongue.
"Ah!"
Rin yelped, clapping a hand over her mouth, tears instantly welling up.
Kiyohara rushed forward.
"Open your mouth. Let me see."
Rin endured the pain and opened up.
Kiyohara saw a small patch on the tip of her tongue—red and blistered.
Not serious, but definitely painful.
"I-I can do it myself…" Rin mumbled, trying to heal herself.
But Kiyohara already raised a hand. Pale green chakra light gathered at his fingertips.
"Let me try. I haven't treated someone's mouth before."
He spoke calmly.
It would count as clinical experience too.
Rin blinked and could only watch.
Kiyohara gently lifted her chin with one hand. With the other, his fingers slipped into her mouth, touching her soft tongue.
Soft green chakra flowed from his fingertips, slowly healing the burn.
Mystical Palm Technique.
Rin felt cool chakra spread over her tongue tip. The pain eased fast, replaced by a pleasant, faint numbness.
A few seconds later, Kiyohara withdrew his hand.
"All done."
Rin reflexively licked her tongue.
No pain.
The blister was gone, the redness back to normal.
"T-thank you, Kiyohara-kun…"
Kiyohara looked at her flushed face, understanding—but said nothing.
"Be careful next time. Fire Release is the easiest to hurt yourself with—especially when you're just starting. Don't rush. Master chakra control first."
"…Mm." Rin nodded.
She continued practicing Fire Release, and Kiyohara stayed nearby for a while.
When it felt like enough time had passed, he said goodbye and left.
As he neared the camp entrance, he spotted Tsunade waiting from far away.
Shizune stood beside her, without Tonton this time, a sizable marching pack on her back.
Kurenai arrived a little later. Her curled black hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and she wore standard Konoha shinobi gear that made her waist look slender.
When she saw Kiyohara, her eyes brightened and she waved.
"Everyone here?" Tsunade scanned the three.
"Yeah," Kiyohara nodded.
"Move out."
With a firm wave of her hand, Tsunade turned and led them into the snowy forest.
Her pace was fast. Each step left clear footprints in the snow—quickly covered by windblown powder.
A four-person squad looked tiny against the endless white.
On the road, Kurenai drifted closer to Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara, I heard Genma Shiranui finished handling family matters and got transferred to the eastern front."
Kiyohara nodded. "Is that so."
When Genma rejoined, he was probably with another unit and got reassigned directly.
It didn't surprise Kiyohara.
"He actually wanted to spar with you," Kurenai said with a grin.
"After the news about you beating Toroi spread, tons of people in camp wanted to challenge you—but Tsunade-sama ordered that no one is allowed to bother you outside of missions."
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't known that.
"Maybe it's for the best Genma isn't coming," Kiyohara said. "This side's more dangerous."
Kurenai nodded emphatically.
Genma specialized in fast assaults and senbon techniques—great for squad fights, and also great for harassment and assassinations on a direct front line.
The eastern front faced Kirigakure. Naval and island fighting needed someone agile like him.
They kept moving.
After leaving the Land of Iron's border, the landscape changed noticeably.
The snow thinned, revealing dark-brown frozen earth beneath.
The trees shifted from pure conifer forest into mixed woodland—pines, cedars, and hardy broadleaf trees growing together.
The air wasn't as dry and biting anymore, carrying a hint of damp mist.
"We're close to the Land of Waterfalls," Tsunade stopped and pointed ahead.
"See that mist? Taki has waterfalls everywhere. The air's always full of spray."
Sure enough, on the distant horizon, white mist rose like breath.
Farther still came a low, constant roar—the sound of falling water.
Over the next few days, they traveled through Taki's mountain forests.
The scenery was nothing like the Land of Iron.
Moist moss and ferns carpeted everything, some fern fronds taller than a person.
Waterfalls were everywhere—some thin as silver threads, others wide like curtains—thundering water, drifting spray.
Kiyohara used the travel time to summon Anbu Kiyohara now and then, learning curse mark techniques from him.
On the third day at noon, while the team rested by a stream, Kiyohara spotted a small wild boar.
Gray fur, long ears, drinking at the water's edge.
Kiyohara's thoughts shifted. A black curse-script quietly surfaced around his right wrist.
"Curse Binding Technique."
He murmured, fingers closing in the air.
The boar froze.
Black curse-script chains—like shadows—rose from the ground, binding its limbs.
It struggled wildly, but its body wouldn't obey. It could only squeal in panic.
"Kiyohara, what are you doing?" Kurenai leaned over curiously.
"Practicing a new technique," Kiyohara said, controlling the binding.
The boar was splayed out on the ground, looking ridiculous.
"Poor thing…" Kurenai stared into its watery eyes.
"Don't tell me you're going to eat it?" she asked.
Kiyohara glanced at her. "What do you think?"
"The piggy's so cute! How can you eat piggy?!"
Kurenai puffed out her cheeks.
Kiyohara didn't answer—he simply pulled a knife, seasonings, and a small iron pot from his tool bag.
Ten minutes later…
Over a campfire, the pot simmered with fragrant pork soup.
Kurenai held a bowl and sipped in small gulps, her cheeks flushed with satisfied warmth.
"So good…"
Kiyohara laughed. "And who said they weren't eating?"
"I-I was protecting animals!" Kurenai protested, but she didn't put the bowl down for a second.
"Besides… since it's already… we can't waste it."
Tsunade accepted a bowl too, tasted it, and her eyes lit slightly.
"Not bad."
Going on missions with Kiyohara felt like traveling with a field-deployed chef.
Among shinobi, there was even a niche specialty—cooking nin.
"As long as you like it, Sensei," Kiyohara said.
Back in his old life as an office drone, he'd learned plenty of cooking to save money. He hadn't expected it to be useful in the shinobi world.
And with the Sharingan's copying and observation, he'd "stolen" a lot of techniques from Konoha street vendors.
Things the Uchiha would sneer at—Kiyohara gladly learned.
The more you knew, the more situations you could handle.
He'd prepared the boar well—no gamey odor at all.
Arrogance was the first of the seven deadly sins.
The Uchiha weren't only isolated because Danzō targeted them.
Their own stubborn pride also offended plenty of people.
Shizune sipped quietly, then—without drawing attention—ladled herself another spoonful.
Tastes good, she thought.
"But Kiyohara…" Tsunade set her bowl down, eyes on him.
"That technique just now… a curse mark, right?"
"Yeah." Kiyohara didn't deny it.
"Orochimaru loves researching that stuff. Where'd you learn it?" Tsunade asked, curious.
Kiyohara had his answer ready:
"While cleaning the battlefield, I found a scroll on a dead Kumo ninja. It had basic curse mark theory and a few techniques. I tried practicing them and somehow succeeded."
A lie.
But impossible to prove.
After Minato's group retreated, Kiyohara really had gone back to the battlefield once.
Kumo's forces were busy dealing with the Two-Tails and hadn't recovered their dead.
Minato's side had withdrawn quickly too, worried about stray Tailed Beast Bombs—so they left in a hurry.
In the end, all of it benefited Kiyohara—fattened his pockets.
He'd learned the curse marks from a "future self," but blaming a dead Kumo ninja was the safest explanation.
In war, chaos reigned—who knew what scroll any shinobi carried?
"Be careful. Some shinobi put traps on scrolls," Tsunade warned.
"I know," Kiyohara nodded.
That night, they stayed in a cave.
Shizune set out the sleeping bags and told Tsunade, "Tsunade-sama, the sleeping bag's ready."
"You all sleep first. I'll keep watch," Tsunade said, stretching lazily.
Her tight cropped pants tightened even more, wrapping her long legs in smooth curves.
"I'll do it," Kiyohara volunteered.
Lately, his energy felt stronger and stronger—probably because both his physical energy and mental energy had risen.
Tsunade glanced at him and nodded.
"Fine. Kiyohara tonight. I'll take tomorrow."
Tsunade and Shizune each went into the tent.
Kurenai didn't go in right away. She walked over and sat beside Kiyohara.
"I'll keep you company for a bit."
Kiyohara looked at her but didn't refuse.
They sat at the cave entrance, looking up at the night sky.
"Kiyohara… do you think we'll really find Uzumaki people?" Kurenai asked curiously.
In the village, she'd only ever seen one Uzumaki—Kushina.
"No idea," Kiyohara shook his head.
There were plenty of red-haired people in the shinobi world—like Gaara.
You couldn't just claim everyone with red hair was Uzumaki.
Red hair was the most obvious trait, but it wasn't proof.
"But if the intel is accurate, there's a chance."
"And if they don't want to come to Konoha?"
"Then we respect their choice," Kiyohara said, pausing before continuing.
"Tsunade-sensei said we can't force them."
Honestly, Kiyohara suspected that was partly because of Tsunade herself.
She was half-Uzumaki—she carried her grandmother Uzumaki Mito's blood.
And she knew Kushina. She wouldn't treat Uzumaki harshly.
If anything, Tsunade's feelings about the Uzumaki clan's destruction were probably complicated.
"I see…" Kurenai nodded.
As the night grew late, Kiyohara saw Kurenai starting to doze off and told her to go back inside.
He stayed up and continued training.
~~~
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