Kiyohara shut off the water, quickly dried off with a towel, and slipped into a clean set of ninja gear.
When he opened the door, sure enough, Kurenai Yuhi was waiting just outside the gate, leaning against the doorframe. Genma Shiranui stood beside her, a senbon clamped between his teeth as usual.
"Kurenai? Genma? What are you two doing here?"
Kiyohara blinked in surprise.
Kurenai blinked back with her signature crimson eyes and said cheerfully,"We heard you're participating in the Chūnin Selection today. Genma and I happened to be free, so we thought we'd tag along and see just how much you're hiding under that poker face."
Genma shifted the senbon to the other corner of his mouth and said through his teeth,"Yeah. Lord Minato talked you up like crazy—now we're dying to see it for ourselves."
"Then let's not be late," Kiyohara said, and the three headed toward the selection grounds.
On the way to the Exam.
The streets gradually grew more crowded with ninja and staff, all headed toward the same location.
Taking advantage of the walk, Kiyohara struck up a mental conversation with Rogue Kiyohara.
"About the 'Will Scrolls'..."
"You said before—you received Will Scrolls from other versions of yourself while you were alive, right?"
"Yeah," Rogue Kiyohara replied calmly.
"The first time, I was on a mission escorting intel for Orochimaru when I got ambushed by enemy ninja. I barely escaped with my life—and that's when the voice showed up in my head."
There was a trace of nostalgia in his tone.
"The version I encountered was some kind of cultist… let's call him Zealot Kiyohara. His dying wish? To experience deep, excruciating pain."
"...So I self-inflicted it to fulfill the will. But the reward was lame—no techniques or chakra, just a bit of spiritual energy."
Rogue Kiyohara shrugged as he added,"It was what it was."
"So it's true..."
Kiyohara nodded internally.
"That means... I might also get wills from versions of me that have kekkei genkai, right?"
This was the critical question.
If the Will Scrolls were linked to all possible versions of himself, then theoretically, any alternate Kiyohara—be it one born with powerful bloodlines or special talents—could become a source of strength.
Rogue Kiyohara paused, clearly thinking it through, before replying:
"In theory, yeah. But I never figured out the mechanism. Between the first and second wills, about a month passed. Whether that's coincidence or some hidden rule, I couldn't say."
"I never got a third. I died before completing the second will."
"So there's only ever one active Will Scroll at a time..."
Kiyohara rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Seems like it. And even when you get one, the inheritance is random. You might receive battle instincts, chakra nature insights, maybe even some chakra itself. For me, it was mostly bits of dying knowledge from that version."
"But… what about kekkei genkai?"
"...Never encountered a version of me with one. Even if one does exist, who knows if the ability could transfer? Or how much of it could."
Kiyohara let that sink in.
So the Will Scroll wasn't some unlimited wishing machine—it was more like a mystery loot box from the future. Sometimes you'd win big, sometimes not.
Still, even just inheriting Rogue Kiyohara's techniques had helped him immensely.
If not for that? The Konoha Memorial Stone might already have his name on it—and Kakashi would be laying flowers.
"So... what happens to you when your wish is fulfilled?" Kiyohara asked.
"I'll lose awareness and sink back into the urn," Rogue Kiyohara replied flatly."The urn itself will begin to fade too, until it eventually vanishes."
"So it's already starting to disappear?"
"Yeah. Right now it's not visible anymore unless you call on it."
"Any way to slow it down?"
"...No idea."
Rogue Kiyohara had died too soon. He never fully figured out the Will system.
'I've gotta live a hell of a lot longer than that guy. At least until Boruto airs.'
Kiyohara chuckled to himself.
Getting through the major plot arcs of the ninja world would already feel like completing the whole tour.
Of course, if he could avoid dying entirely, that would be ideal. He had no desire to become someone else's spirit grandpa.
'After this will is complete, I'll wait a month and see if another scroll arrives.'
He looked up ahead.
Rogue Kiyohara had already returned to the urn, where he stayed to minimize energy loss. In that state, he couldn't see or hear anything—not even Kiyohara's thoughts—unless Kiyohara actively reached out to him.
"That's the place," Kurenai said, looking at the building.
She'd been here last year and passed the exam herself.
"Yeah."
Kiyohara nodded.
Thankfully, wartime procedures were simplified. There was no mandatory team registration like during Naruto's era.
Otherwise, Kakashi never would've become a solo Jonin.
"So nostalgic..." Genma muttered, removing the senbon from his mouth.
His uncle worked here as a proctor and always scolded him for looking unserious.
"What's there to be nostalgic about?" Kurenai rolled her eyes.
The building had been repurposed as a temporary Chūnin Exam arena. With war raging, the process had been streamlined: no written test, no team missions—just straight-up duels to assess real strength.
Any Genin recommended here had already proven themselves in battle or earned their Jonin captain's trust.
"Let's head in."
Kiyohara stepped forward.
Inside, a dozen Genin had already gathered, and the atmosphere was… tense.
Everyone knew the stakes.
There were limited slots—some would rise, some would fall. There was no room for warm vibes when promotions were on the line.
"We'll head to the stands," Kurenai said, her voice soft.
"Sure. Just don't forget to bring me snacks. You're getting a front-row show—you can at least pay the ticket price."
Kiyohara grinned.
If he had to pay himself? Absolutely not.
"What do you want?" she asked, eyes narrowing.
"Let's see… three bags of chips, two cans of sweet red bean soup, and maybe three sticks of dango if possible."
Kurenai's ruby eyes widened.
Shameless.
'What, are you stocking up for winter or something?!'