On the massive map displayed before him, countless data markers flickered into existence.
They represented living creatures within a certain radius—hawks, wolves, boars, and other wild animals roaming the surrounding area. What puzzled Shiraishi was not their presence, but the fact that they were being catalogued by the glasses system at all, complete with corresponding data.
According to the system's interface, for every ten skill cards collected, a new special slot would unlock on a separate panel. This slot contained basic statistics, growth potential, and attribute indicators.
In other words, this data panel was showing the base potential of these animals.
Summoning beasts were one of the shinobi world's most versatile tools.
Once a contract was signed, a shinobi could summon their bonded creature at will. These summons could be used for direct combat, reconnaissance, message delivery, exploration, or battlefield support.
Summoning beasts were broadly divided into low-tier and high-tier categories.
Wild summons belonged to the former. These were beasts captured or modified within the ninja world and bound through contracts. When summoned, they served purely as tools. They possessed no intelligence, no language, and no independent thought.
High-tier summons were entirely different.
They could think, analyze, and communicate. Some even lived outside the known ninja world in independent realms. Take the Sannin's summons as an example—the toads of Mount Myōboku, a place beyond the conventional world. The Great Toad Sage himself had lived for thousands of years, could issue prophecies about the world, and commanded countless descendants. His faction alone rivaled an entire nation.
The Summoning Beast Card Interface required a contract with a ninja-world creature before activation. Once bonded, the card became Shiraishi's foundational panel for cultivating summons.
Compared to the skill interface, this summoning interface was far more streamlined—but also far more restricted.
What intrigued Shiraishi most was this:
Even contracting an ordinary animal would convert it into a special ninja beast, complete with a randomly generated skill-growth system.
If the creature was already a traditional high-tier summoning species, its base quality would be higher, and its growth system far more powerful.
The skill section itself was divided into three parts.
Learned Skills depended entirely on the cards Shiraishi possessed. Without a corresponding card, a summon could not learn that technique.
Innate Skills were abilities inherited through the bloodline. Ordinary white-quality beasts had none.
A third section, still locked, displayed no information.
That unopened section was likely tied to deeper summoning potential—perhaps bloodline evolution or some other growth mechanism. For now, its unlock conditions were unknown.
Shiraishi's attention lingered on the countless white-quality dots moving across the map.
All of them were white-tier.
That meant if they became summons, their abilities would rely almost entirely on Shiraishi's existing cards—making them fairly underwhelming.
By contrast, true high-tier summoning clans possessed innate abilities and benefited from Shiraishi's card-based enhancement system. Their development ceiling was vastly higher.
After a brief review, Shiraishi exited the summoning interface.
At present, he lacked the means to form summoning contracts. This feature would have to wait.
Baki's attitude was clearly supportive of him.
The Council of Elders, however, remained ambiguous.
After all, Sasori of the Red Sand was Chiyo's beloved grandson. And now there was evidence pointing toward Sasori being responsible for the Third Kazekage's assassination.
How the elders would react was anyone's guess.
"I believe you, Shiraishi."
Once they returned to the village and the other squads dispersed, Jogaki Shikasa—who had been silent the entire time—stepped forward and patted Shiraishi on the shoulder, smiling in encouragement.
Shikasa's trust in Shiraishi—and in all of Squad Nineteen—was unconditional.
Maki, on the other hand, watched Shiraishi with worry. As a civilian-born shinobi, she understood all too well how the village's upper ranks were controlled by major clans. She feared for his position.
Sensing her unease, Shiraishi smiled—brightly, openly, for the first time.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "The Kazekage-sama won't wrong anyone without reason."
His confidence eased them both.
Maki nodded. "I'll go prepare dinner. Come home when you're done."
Baki escorted Shiraishi to the outer corridor of the Kazekage's office, where they waited for a decision. The upper ranks were still in discussion—primarily because Chiyo and Ebizō, after regaining their composure, had requested another meeting with Rasa.
"So, Kazekage," Chiyo demanded sharply, eyes wide with anger, "does this decision mean you're certain my grandson is the one who assassinated the Third?"
Her temper had not cooled. She had fully expected Rasa to shift all responsibility onto that boy. Yet now, his stance seemed to be changing.
Unlike his sister's agitation, Ebizō—Sunagakure's foremost strategist—quietly reviewed the meeting records. In their earlier turmoil, both elders had overlooked the latter portion detailing Shiraishi's Psychicand Whirlwind Blade, including their development logic and principles.
Rasa's head throbbed.
He had no desire to offend the Council of Elders—especially Chiyo, whose authority ran deep. At this moment, he deliberately turned his gaze toward Ebizō, hoping the old man would speak.
"Elder brother?" Chiyo snapped.
Ebizō suddenly closed the file and spoke calmly.
"Sister… I think I'd like to take on a disciple."
The room fell silent.
Rasa stared at him in surprise.
"Have you taken an interest in one of the clan brats recently?"
Chiyo frowned, confused by the abrupt change in topic. She and Ebizō had already evaluated most of Sunagakure's promising youths. None was a suitable heir of their legacies.
Then realization struck her.
Her brother was talking about that boy.
Though Ebizō's expertise in puppetry and poison paled compared to Chiyo's, his overall ability surpassed hers. He was one of the very few shinobi in Sunagakure to possess four chakra natures.
"You mean…?" Rasa asked cautiously.
Ebizō smiled reassuringly and gently helped Chiyo to her feet.
"Sister," he said evenly, "no one here claimed Sasori assassinated the Third Kazekage. This is clearly the scheme of that old Konoha fox—Danzō—trying to strangle Sunagakure's future."
"Konoha's plot?"
"And Danzō's, at that?"
Chiyo's thoughts failed to keep up.
Rasa, however, reacted instantly and played along without hesitation.
"That's right. It must be Danzō's conspiracy."
Blaming Danzō whenever convenient—
There was no better scapegoat in the shinobi world.
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