Seven figures, each exuding a thick stench of blood, stood gathered in silence.
From their bizarre weapons to their fearsome presence, one could tell at a glance—
they were none other than the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
"Tch. If it isn't our village's so-called genius, Terumī Mei. What a mess you're in."
Kurosuki Raiga, wielder of the Thunder Swords: Kiba, sneered as he spotted Mei arrive at their rendezvous, clearly exhausted.
"Three squads went out, and you got driven back by a no-name brat from Konoha? Even that bone-rattling freak Kaguya Masaru got himself killed.
You've really embarrassed the Mist."
Already in a foul mood, Mei's jade-green eyes narrowed, an icy glint flashing within.
"That boy—Kiyohara—is no ordinary Leaf shinobi."
"Hah. Excuses."
Raiga scoffed.
"Being born a commoner doesn't mean being weak," said Hōzuki Mangetsu, who hefted the Great Blade: Samehada on his back.
"Look at Namikaze Minato. Who expected some orphaned kid to become the Yellow Flash?"
The moment that name was spoken, a tense silence spread through the group.
Even Raiga shut his mouth.
That man's speed was legendary—an eternal nightmare to enemy ninjas.
Konoha's fastest blade wasn't just a title—it was truth.
Mei's failure had triggered new defenses.
Still, Mangetsu argued, "They won't expect a full assault. I say we rest for two days and strike at dawn on the third, when the sea fog is thickest.
We breach from the eastern shore, where their defenses are thin—go straight for Orochimaru's camp."
"Agreed."
"Sounds good."
"Then it's decided," said Jinpachi Munashi, the wielder of the Blastsword: Shibuki.
Fire Country Coastline — Mission Site.
The salty air irritated Kiyohara's nose as he crept through dense brush, scouting ahead.
He'd taken a boat from Uzushio.
The trip was short—only a few dozen minutes.
And already, his luck was good.
He hadn't even sent out Magnet Kiyohara to scout when the sounds of battle drew him in.
From the cover of the trees, Kiyohara spotted a fierce skirmish on the coastline clearing.
Two Suna ANBU, wearing animal masks, fought fiercely. Behind them were four standard Suna shinobi.
One of the ANBU was already wounded—slow and exposed.
Facing them were two masked Konoha ANBU.
'ANBU ranks start at chūnin level for both Suna and Konoha,' Kiyohara thought.
'But their strength can vary wildly—some are elite jōnin level, others barely above genin.'
The wounded Konoha kunoichi, Uzuki Yugao, suddenly faltered.
A Suna ANBU lunged in, kunai aimed at her side!
"Yugao!"
Moonlight Hayate shouted, his voice raspy and desperate.
He tried to rush to her aid, but two Suna shinobi blocked his path.
He could only watch helplessly, panic rising in his chest.
That's when Kiyohara moved.
From his position, he leapt into the air and whipped out a giant Fūma Shuriken, flinging it with deadly precision toward the attacking Suna ANBU.
"Watch out!" another Suna ANBU cried.
The attacker instantly aborted the strike and raised his short blade to parry.
CLANG!
The shuriken was deflected—
But Kiyohara's fingers twitched.
Copper wire, nearly invisible in the mist, yanked the weapon around.
It curved mid-air—circling behind—
and came right for the man's back!
"What?!"
The Suna ANBU barely dodged.
But it was too late.
Kiyohara surged into the battlefield like a bullet.
He wasn't here to show off.
He was here for one thing:
A confirmed kill.
The first step to inheriting Magnet Release.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Stream Technique!"
His blade crackled with blue electricity.
He swung.
SHING—!
A Suna Anbu dropped dead, throat slashed clean.
Mission complete. Wish fulfilled.
Kiyohara didn't press forward. He stepped back.
He stood calmly, waiting to receive the "inheritance."
Both sides were stunned.
No one knew who he was—
Only that he had appeared like lightning and killed with terrifying efficiency.
Even Hayate and Yugao were speechless.
Kiyohara ignored their gazes.
That ANBU he killed?
One of the weakest.
And Kiyohara, with several past lives' worth of experience stacked atop his own,
was now undeniably above the average jōnin.
He calmly asked in his mind:
"That counts, right?"
Magnet Release Kiyohara nodded.
"One kill. Debt repaid."
And in the next moment, a glowing sphere of energy surged out from the future self and merged into Kiyohara.
He felt it instantly.
Mental energy—rising.
Chakra control—smoother.
Affinity to Wind and Earth—much stronger.
He could already feel it.
If he used Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole, it wouldn't feel clunky anymore.
It would feel like second nature.
But the most important part—
He focused.
He pulled both chakra natures together.
And something shifted.
Something clicked.
A new chakra nature began to form.
Magnet Release.
He had done it.
Kiyohara had finally inherited a true Kekkei Genkai.
It was in his blood, in his system.
And now, if he ever had children…
They too might awaken it.