The killing intent of the female ninja was overwhelming.
Cold sweat streamed down Shiraishi's forehead as the woman behind him condensed a blazing fireball in her palm. The scorching heat radiating from it carried terrifying power, making Shiraishi tense despite himself.
But only for a moment.
He quickly forced himself to calm down, his mind racing as he assessed the situation.
"Senior, I'm merely carrying out a material transport mission…"
"Oh?" The woman's voice carried a hint of amusement. "And how do you know I'm your senior?"
"That explosive, scorching chakra… I can't think of anyone other than Senior Pakura of the Scorch Release."
In the areas surrounding Sunagakure, only one person could swagger about with such violently explosive chakra without restraint—Pakura of the Scorch Release. Even within the village, few could rival her in combat power, and she stood among the top-tier forces on par with Rasa.
Her appearance here was naturally to deal with the foreign ninja who had been killed by explosive tags. The border situation was worsening by the day, and incidents like this would only become more frequent.
"Good nerve. And your reactions aren't bad either," Pakura said with a smile. "Even if you're just a brat who hasn't graduated yet, you're already qualified to take on missions like this."
She stepped out from behind Shiraishi, the small fireball in her hand dissipating into nothingness. At the same time, her sharp eyes caught the explosive tag secretly held in Shiraishi's fingers—and the invisible chakra threads extending from his hand, controlling a kunai positioned some distance away.
Chakra thread manipulation was a fundamental course in Sunagakure. Compared to other villages, puppet techniques were the Sand Village's hallmark. Although Shiraishi was not a puppeteer, the fact that he could set up a countermeasure trap in such a short time spoke volumes about his reflexes and ability.
From an appearance standpoint, Pakura was one of the rare beauties of Sunagakure—curvaceous, striking, and powerful. Unfortunately, her volatile and fiery temperament had kept her single to this day.
After teasing the junior enough, Pakura turned her attention to the corpse on the ground and waved Shiraishi off.
"Go back to the village. I'll handle things here."
"Yes."
Shiraishi left obediently. Luckily, he had arrived one step ahead—otherwise, that card would likely have been confiscated and stored away by Sunagakure, just like the other hidden items within the village.
Still, today's gains were not bad. Although Ember and Flamethrower couldn't be used properly at present, once he mastered other chakra nature transformations, he could still cultivate Fire Release in the future.
"Shiraishi, you're back!"
On the road returning to the village, he could faintly see Maki waiting for him in the distance, a bento box in her hands. Passersby and academy students along the road couldn't help but snicker when they saw the two of them together.
Maki's cheeks were flushed red. She had been waiting for Shiraishi for hours, worried something might happen to him after hearing that things outside the village were becoming unstable. Now that she saw him return safely, the anxiety in her heart finally eased.
"Today's dinner looks pretty lavish," Shiraishi said.
"Mm. I cooked it using the method you taught me."
Shiraishi usually wasn't picky about food, but seeing how Maki constantly tried to come up with new bentos each day, he couldn't help teaching her a few special recipes.
To be honest, Maki's cooking skills were excellent. Ordinary ingredients became surprisingly delicious in her hands.
The aroma wafting from the bento made Shiraishi's stomach growl instinctively. Seeing this, Maki covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Let's go eat first."
Walking side by side, Shiraishi carried the bento box as they headed to the mission settlement office. After handing in the transported supplies, the two returned together to Shiraishi's home.
Living alone had made Shiraishi extremely self-sufficient. The house was spotless. Under Maki's gaze, he opened the bento and ate with refined, careful movements—every action composed and elegant.
"How did the homework I assigned you last time go?" Shiraishi asked.
"I've… basically finished it," Maki replied.
Chakra control had to be precise. Neither of them possessed vast reserves of chakra, so every bit had to be used carefully.
"I have a special genjutsu," Shiraishi said. "I extracted it from a missing-nin. Try seeing if you can learn it."
Maki excelled at chakra control, so Shiraishi decided to test something—teaching her the telekinesis-based illusion technique he had just acquired.
Unlike conventional genjutsu that disturbed the five senses, this technique demanded far more delicate control and placed enormous strain on one's mental strength. After practicing for a short while, Maki was drenched in sweat and unable to continue.
Even so, a faint trace of telekinetic force manifested around her.
That alone was enough to confirm Shiraishi's hypothesis: the skills unlocked through his lenses could indeed be modified into ninjutsu that others could cultivate.
Shiraishi didn't record anything or provide written notes. He explained the principles purely through verbal guidance, allowing Maki to grasp the concept on her own. Their study and discussion continued late into the night.
After Shiraishi finished washing and neatly packing away the bento boxes, Maki smiled brightly and took her leave.
Unaware of the subtle emotions stirring within the girl beside him, Shiraishi returned to his harsh training.
Weighted taijutsu practice had just begun. He was only starting to adapt to the burden on his body. His High-Speed Movement proficiency had climbed rapidly to 25%, while Telekinesis had inched up to 6%.
Time passed quietly.
At last, the graduation ceremony for this year's Sunagakure Ninja Academy arrived.
With the Kazekage currently missing, the one presiding over the ceremony was the Kazekage's aide—Rasa.
This alone sent a clear signal. Historically, only the Kazekage or the designated successor could preside over academy graduations. Rasa stepping onto the stage meant his ascension was all but set in stone.
Unlike the eloquent Hokage speeches of Konoha, Rasa read from his script with rigid seriousness. His slow, monotonous delivery carried a sleep-inducing stiffness. Many students around Shiraishi were already fighting off drowsiness.
Rasa himself couldn't care less. The script would take over an hour to finish, and he methodically read every word as prepared.
Then came the team assignments.
This year's graduates were divided into sixteen teams. To Shiraishi's surprise, his team with Maki included an additional, rather unusual genin.
"Shirogaki Tsukasa? That name sounds familiar…" one of the Aida brothers muttered as he leaned in to look at the list, scratching his head.
"I think he skipped classes for over two years," Shiraishi said after a moment. "Hardly ever showed up."
"Oh! Right—the truant king."
A so-called classmate who hadn't attended school for two years was naturally easy to overlook. Still, the fact that he had a family name meant he likely came from a ninja clan. As for why he was grouped with Shiraishi and Maki, it was probably because there was no one else suitable.
Shirogaki Tsukasa had shown up at the academy today. Dressed in black, he stood off to one side, quietly observing Shiraishi and Maki, carefully studying the two who would become his future teammates.
A squad's members were comrades to whom one entrusted their back—and their lives. For that reason, Tsukasa paid particular attention to Shiraishi and Maki.
The Shirogaki clan was one of Sunagakure's puppet and mechanical ninjutsu families.
Unlike the confused Aida brothers, Shiraishi—having read the historical records of Sunagakure's founding—knew very well what kind of teammate this was.
He was a puppeteer.