Returning once more to Quicksand Valley, a place that had once served as one of Sasori of the Red Sand's backup bases, all remaining facilities had already been removed and sealed away by Sunagakure.
Ebizō stood quietly, gazing at the desolate scene. His eyes flickered with unspoken thoughts.
Sasori was always a knot in Chiyo's heart. Ebizō wished to shoulder that burden for his sister, yet her stubborn nature meant she would never allow him to involve himself too deeply in that matter.
And Shiraishi—he reminded Ebizō faintly of Sasori in his youth.
Ebizō only hoped he could guide this child onto the right path, rather than letting him fall into the same tragic abyss as Sasori.
After steadying his emotions, Ebizō casually scooped up a handful of sand, placing it into four distinct piles around Shiraishi. Then, his hands flew through seals with startling speed.
"Earth Release · Earth Flow Four-Direction Formation!"
In an instant, massive clay-like walls surged up from beneath Quicksand Valley, forming a gigantic enclosure that completely sealed Shiraishi inside. Ebizō leapt lightly and landed atop the earthen wall, flashing his signature mischievous grin.
"Training begins."
Shiraishi had not even had time to eat during the journey here, yet special training started immediately. Only now did he truly experience how unconventional this old man's methods were.
Mudflows poured in relentlessly. Shiraishi's body flared with psychic energy, skillfully repelling the encroaching matter while he adjusted to the environment and climate.
However, Ebizō's technique was clearly far from simple.
Amid the foul-smelling black mud, the four sand piles Ebizō had molded earlier began to change. Gradually, they took form—becoming four figures identical to Shiraishi himself, surrounding him from all directions.
Shiraishi looked up at Ebizō.
The old man had already pulled out a boxed lunch and was eating leisurely.
"Don't look at me like that," Ebizō said casually. "My requirements are simple. You must not touch the mud—and you must suppress all four mud clones."
The first mud clone struck without hesitation.
Its body twisted unnaturally, launching itself like a fired cannon shell toward Shiraishi. The speed was so extreme that the air itself seemed to quake.
Shiraishi sensed the attack through his psychic perception. His silver blade flashed, carving a brilliant arc through the air as he slashed down.
Yet runic markings suddenly appeared on the mud clone's arm, forming a compact earthen shield that blocked the strike.
Although Ebizō was not a puppeteer, his combat style was clearly influenced by Chiyo, favoring battlefield control and group suppression.
Seeing Shiraishi's momentary surprise, Ebizō's grin widened.
This kid had seriously underestimated his jutsu.
Earth Flow Four-Direction Formation was a powerful encirclement and execution technique. Right now, its intensity was deliberately restrained, and the mud clones' combat intelligence was still crude.
During the brief stalemate, the second mud clone moved.
A violent burst of air detonated as it charged, its shadow arriving almost simultaneously. Its palm released strange rippling water currents, striking straight at Shiraishi.
Shiraishi sank his stance. A Wind-infused blade arc burst from his hand—Whirlwind Blade—severing the clone's right arm.
But the clone showed no reaction.
Streams of water erupted, connecting with the surrounding mudflow, instantly reforming a new arm.
The core of this technique lies entirely with Ebizō.
Earth Flow Four-Direction Formation was Ebizō's signature battle array. Shiraishi had never imagined it could be used this way—for training, and for accelerating the emergence of chakra attributes.
The first mud clone continuously clashed with Shiraishi's silver blade—its nature clearly Earth.
The second clone repeatedly lost limbs to Whirlwind Blade, only to regenerate through flowing water—clearly Water Release.
Then the third mud clone attacked.
Its punch detonated like a small explosive charge. A shockwave mixed with compressed air roared toward Shiraishi, threatening to tear his body apart.
There was a violent, oppressive force hidden within that fist.
Shiraishi reacted instantly, retreating several steps as all his psychic energy condensed into a single point.
High-speed movement is activated fully.
Fire…?
Shiraishi's blade danced wildly, his technique growing sharper with every exchange. He stabbed cleanly through the first mud clone's torso—
Only for its body to dissolve into a torrent of mud, scattering away and reforming elsewhere.
Annoying ability…
If he didn't attack the caster, the formation itself could not be broken.
Noticing Shiraishi's gaze, Ebizō chewed on a piece of grilled meat and glared back.
"You're not allowed to leave the formation. Attacking me counts as failure."
The second mud clone lunged again. Countless water whips lashed out.
Shiraishi's eyes flared as psychic energy burst outward, shattering the water streams. In the next instant, he appeared before the second clone.
Whirlwind Blades erupted from his palm, slicing it apart repeatedly.
The speed and power of his psychic externalization had increased again.
This truly was a remarkable technique.
Ebizō observed silently.
Shiraishi's combat style was clearly different from mainstream ninja norms—his movements, instincts, and even rhythm were unusual. Yet Ebizō had no intention of correcting him.
Interfering now might only hinder Shiraishi's future path.
With a thunderous crash, the second mud clone collapsed completely. Its remaining water mass surged back, flowing into the fourth clone—the one that had yet to move.
Ebizō laughed with genuine delight.
"Good. You've identified the link between the clones and my jutsu. But unfortunately, this is only the beginning."
Shiraishi's battlefield awareness and tactical judgment were exceptional. Facing such a bizarre formation, he remained calm and methodically dismantled one clone's core traits.
After destroying one, his eyes locked onto the first mud clone again.
High-speed movement surged to its limit.
In a blur, Shiraishi appeared before it. Psychic energy locked on, and the silver blade thrust straight through the clone's head.
A massive surge of Wind Release chakra detonated.
The clone's head exploded, spraying dark, earthen energy outward.
Shiraishi reached out with psychic force, trying to crush that energy—
But at that very moment, the previously motionless fourth clone finally moved.
A Whirlwind Blade—identical in form—shot out, intercepting Shiraishi's attack. At the same time, the clone absorbed the dark earthen energy completely.
Only two mud clones remained.
And Shiraishi immediately realized—
They were far more dangerous than before.
One now possessed explosive Fire Release power.
The other could absorb its allies' strength and continuously reinforce itself.
As long as Ebizō maintained the jutsu, these mud clones could entangle Shiraishi indefinitely.
Unless—
He could destroy all of a clone's critical nodes simultaneously, with a single strike.
Originally, Ebizō had expected Shiraishi to need at least a full week to overcome this training.
Given the sheer potential of Shiraishi's psychic externalization, perhaps four days would be enough.
But then—
"…What?"
Shiraishi suddenly made a move that caught Ebizō completely off guard.
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