Kikyō Mountain.
When Maki received the letter sent by Shiraishi, Jogaki Shikasa, standing nearby, instinctively put on his sunglasses and turned away—refusing to look at Maki, who seemed to be glowing faintly with happiness from head to toe.
With the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure largely easing, Kikyō Mountain had stabilized considerably. The war-damaged defensive installations were gradually being repaired, and both Jogaki Shikasa and Maki were growing rapidly during this period.
Maki was currently focusing her training on telekinetic techniques, supplemented by portions of medical ninjutsu and sealing arts, forming her primary combat framework. Meanwhile, Jogaki Shikasa had personally modified his two Red Butterfly Fish puppets, combining them into a unique humanoid puppet known as Crimson.
Compared to other forms of ninjutsu, puppetry had the advantage that almost every component could be recovered and reused, making it an exceptionally efficient battlefield configuration. Especially before Tsunade's medical ninjutsu became widespread, puppets combined with Sunagakure's poison techniques were virtually nightmares for every nation.
Both of them had dabbled in pharmacology and poison arts, though neither had reached a high level of mastery. For Shiraishi, however, their priority was not raw combat strength, but survivability.
"Just one sentence… this guy really is something."
Despite wearing sunglasses, Jogaki Shikasa couldn't help sneaking a glance at the scroll in Maki's hand. When he saw that Shiraishi's letter consisted of only a single line, he finally voiced his complaint.
"As long as we can confirm each other's safety through letters, that's enough."
Maki didn't seem to care about how much Shiraishi had written. She calmly picked up her brush, looked at his handwriting, smiled softly, and began writing her reply.
The reply amounted to several thousand words.
Jogaki Shikasa was rendered speechless. He hadn't expected Maki to have such refined writing skills—her handwriting was elegant and meticulous, clearly showing how seriously she took this reply.
His sunglasses… were clearly not enough to block the radiance coming from the two of them.
"Most of it is about telekinetic techniques—also including the issues you're confused about."
Though both of them had achieved initial mastery of telekinetic arts, many details and finer techniques were still unclear to Maki. In truth, the latter half of her letter consisted entirely of questions related to cultivation and training.
If her own strength didn't continue to improve, how could she possibly stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the future?
That was why Maki trained with extreme diligence. Her ability to master so many specialized sealing techniques in such a short time was proof of her natural talent in this field.
Six Months Later…
Early Year 45 of Konoha's calendar.
Sunagakure Village, Kazekage's Office.
Rasa sat in his office, buried under piles of documents and reports. Yet the dark clouds of the Third Great Ninja War loomed overhead, and the constant stream of crises left him deeply troubled.
More than half a year had passed since the first battle at Kikyō Mountain. After this period of strategic stockpiling, Sunagakure had gradually recovered some of its strength—but the danger was far from over. Both Iwagakure and Kirigakure were pressing Sunagakure to launch another round of military operations against Konoha.
At the same time, in the Keiji Mountain Range along the Sunagakure–Iwagakure border, increasing numbers of Iwa ninja had begun showing signs of activity, putting the entire Land of Wind on edge.
Due to geographical constraints, Kirigakure was also applying pressure, accelerating its calls for retaliation against Konoha. They had begun dispatching large numbers of ninja toward regions bordering the Land of Fire, clearly preparing for the outbreak of a Konoha–Mist conflict.
For now, the great powers were still exercising restraint—but once Iwagakure and Kirigakure fully committed, the war would undoubtedly become far more brutal.
Maki entered the office and handed over a freshly received document.
"Kazekage-sama, this is an invitation from Iwagakure. They're proposing a joint Chūnin Exams with Sunagakure."
A joint Chūnin Exam?
Rasa frowned. Most academy students with any real talent had already graduated early and been sent to the battlefield. The remaining genin had shallow foundations at best. Sending them to the Land of Earth…
It was obvious that Iwagakure intended to use the joint exams to display its military strength and further pressure Sunagakure into escalating its offensive against Konoha.
If that was the case, then aside from the Kazekage himself, the jōnin leading the team couldn't be weak—otherwise Sunagakure would be completely overwhelmed by Iwa's momentum. But the village's available manpower was limited…
These children's strengths and potential are quite average. Sending them to the Land of Earth…"
Given Iwagakure's brutal and aggressive temperament, accidents during the exams were practically guaranteed. Though Rasa didn't place excessive value on civilian-born genin, he was unwilling to lose village assets for nothing.
"Baki. You'll lead this mission. I'll also need several guards."
"Kazekage-sama, what about Shiraishi?"
At the mention of Shiraishi, Rasa shook his head.
"At present, only his taijutsu meets jōnin standards. The rest of his abilities are still at chūnin level. At best, he's a tokubetsu jōnin. Assigning him as part of the guard unit would be…"
"He's already a well-known research ninja in the shinobi world. His value as a guard isn't about strength—it's about reputation."
After the battle of Kikyō Mountain, Shiraishi's self-created Black Mist Technique had gained notable fame across the shinobi world. Even Kirigakure, far overseas, had heard of it and had sent people to attempt an exchange—only to be firmly rejected and driven away by Rasa.
The technique itself was unusual, but its creator was merely a young ninja who had graduated from the academy not long ago. Combined with the later destruction of the sensory unit under his leadership during the Kikyō Mountain campaign, Shiraishi's profile had quickly landed on the desks of high-ranking officials in every major nation.
"I'll contact the elders."
Shiraishi Residence, Backyard
Shiraishi—now noticeably taller—stood wearing glasses, holding a notebook as he carefully recorded the growth patterns of the young saplings before him.
The tree-fruit seeds planted half a year ago had slowly grown into seedlings. Though the growth cycle was sluggish, Shiraishi discovered that these plants possessed extraordinary environmental resilience.
Unlike other vegetation native to the Land of Wind, these special seedlings could thrive in far harsher conditions. In particular, the white-grade tree fruits, though currently valued only for their unique taste, hold the potential to gradually improve the environment of the Land of Wind in the future.
After completing his daily routine, Shiraishi rubbed his eyes, changed into casual clothing, and headed straight toward the Green Oasis Ring—specifically, the residences of Ebizō and Chiyo.
The issue with his gloves still hadn't been resolved by Granny Chiyo, so most of Shiraishi's time in the oasis zone was spent either soaking in Ebizō's medicinal vats or learning the basics of poison arts, pharmaceutical techniques, and puppetry from Chiyo.
Among all of Sunagakure, Shiraishi's combination of telekinesis and chakra threads was second to none. While guiding him through the fundamentals of puppetry, Chiyo was repeatedly impressed by his learning speed. Once the key precautions were explained, she simply let him begin crafting puppets on his own.
And as expected of one of the greatest puppet masters in history, Chiyo's storage was filled with an overwhelming variety of puppet components and auxiliary scrolls. Even the renowned Jogaki family's armory likely couldn't compare to the sheer volume of her collection.
"You'll assemble a puppet here—one that satisfies you."
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