Shiraishi's trip to the Land of Wind's capital was conducted with deliberate discretion.
Even within the borders of the Land of Wind, this city was nothing like Sunagakure. Though prosperous and dazzling on the surface, it was also far more chaotic—teeming with people from every background imaginable.
As the economic heart of the nation, merchants from all countries gathered here to conduct trade. Even Kazekage Rasa regularly dispatched personnel to this city to handle large-scale transactions.
Compared to the blood-soaked clashes between ninja villages during wartime, trade between nations had never truly ceased. Wealthy merchants from the Land of Fire were everywhere, openly conducting business with Sunagakure through intermediaries.
Shiraishi did not come here blindly.
Rather than dealing directly with scattered traders, he targeted local power brokers—and he had already chosen his partner before arriving.
The Kitajima Family.
One of the largest commercial clans in the Land of Wind, the Kitajima were masters of underground auctions and black-market trade. Unlike the bloodline families of Sunagakure, they were pure merchants, uninterested in chakra inheritances or village politics—only profit.
Shiraishi once had a senior named Kitajima Yorito, now deceased. Yorito and the so-called "Muscle Barbie" Kitajima Juren were members of the same clan.
After returning to the family, Juren had taken charge of much of their commercial operations.
Inside a private room in the capital, Kitajima Juren was dressed even more flamboyantly than he had been on the battlefield of Kikyo Pass—heavy makeup, exaggerated gestures, and a dramatic stride that drew more than a few sideways glances.
The moment he saw Shiraishi, Juren's face lit up.
He nearly lunged forward to embrace him, but the faint gleam of the silver blade at Shiraishi's side forced him to restrain himself. In the end, he obediently sat across from him.
"So, Captain," Juren said with a grin, "are you planning to enter the investment trade now?"
"Yes," Shiraishi replied calmly. "I want to cooperate with your family on a special tree-fruit development project."
Tree-fruit development?
As Shiraishi placed several seed samples on the table, Juren's lips curled into a seductive smile.
"If it's really as miraculous as you say, our family would be willing to invest," he said. "But… that's not the real reason you came today, is it?"
Juren understood perfectly why Shiraishi was here.
In fact, the Kitajima family had already discussed the matter internally. As one of the two largest emerging forces within Sunagakure, Shiraishi was someone they did not wish to offend.
If he came knocking, they were prepared to offer financial support.
That was simply how merchants thought.
What Juren did not expect was for Shiraishi to disrupt the rhythm of the negotiation with a new development project. Given that part of the Kitajima family's business involved spices and desert ecological ventures, the tree-fruit concept immediately caught his interest.
Then Shiraishi revealed his true purpose.
He placed three scrolls on the table.
"These are three human-body secret techniques," Shiraishi said. "I want them auctioned through your underground channels."
The moment he heard "human-body secret techniques," Juren's pupils shrank.
When he opened the first scroll—
His mouth fell open.
Human Secret Technique: Milk Technique
"…Captain," Juren said slowly, almost disbelieving. "You actually succeeded in developing this?"
During the battle at Kikyo Pass, Shiraishi had once mentioned a milk-drinking technique in front of Tsunade. To Juren, it had been a long-coveted dream—an ultimate human modification art.
And now it actually existed.
"I'm buying this," Juren blurted out immediately.
"I'd prefer it to be offered to the Daimyō," Shiraishi replied calmly.
Using these human-body techniques to gain access to the Daimyō was his true objective.
As for Juren, Shiraishi planned to sell him a separate copy later—at a different price.
The remaining two techniques were equally… unconventional.
Human Secret Technique: Crying Voice
Human Secret Technique: Enchantment
They were, frankly speaking, extremely improper techniques.
From the five skill cards Shiraishi obtained at Kikyo Pass—aside from the curse technique—these two had been the most awkward.
The Crying Voice Technique enhanced one's voice, allowing the user to emit irresistibly cute sounds that distracted opponents, lowering their guard and weakening attacks.
The Enchantment Technique induced fascination, making it difficult for opponents to unleash powerful moves, leaving them restless, distracted, and unable to advance or retreat properly.
When paired with the Milk Technique—
They became perfect bedroom arts.
For the Wind Daimyō, these three techniques together were an ideal means of maintaining "harmonious relations" with his many consorts.
Juren naturally understood Shiraishi's intention.
He narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"Relax," he said. "I guarantee these three great techniques will sell extremely well throughout the Land of Wind."
Though the Crying Voice and Enchantment techniques were, in theory, quite effective, Shiraishi had no desire to learn them himself.
Among the remaining skill cards, aside from two high-tier elemental techniques, these two could be learned immediately—but he refused to waste effort on them.
After securing sufficient funding from the Kitajima family, Shiraishi quickly concluded his trip to the capital.
The joint Chūnin Exams were approaching fast.
Upon returning to Sunagakure, he immediately distributed the funds to cover two months of unpaid teacher salaries, then used the remaining money to purchase large quantities of training equipment.
Five hundred students were reorganized into ten groups based on their strengths.
Morimoto Ryōji, Nagase Bizen, and Hoshino Mai were placed together in a large core group.
At this stage, aside from basic chakra control and mental-force training, all remaining time was dedicated to physical conditioning.
Genin did not need fancy ninjutsu or genjutsu.
What they needed was the ability to survive close combat.
To that end, Shiraishi introduced high-speed mobility training, beginning with weighted conditioning.
The weighted equipment alone consumed the majority of his remaining funds.
"Compared to mental-force techniques," Shiraishi said calmly, "you need weight training more right now."
Since the mental-force technique had been handed over to the village, it had spread rapidly across Sunagakure.
Yet very few ninja are truly committed to mastering it.
Most only learned basic externalization before giving up.
Even so, it had gained an almost mythical reputation.
Many students, after learning the basics from Shiraishi, abandoned their regular training and devoted themselves entirely to mental-force cultivation.
That was a mistake.
Shiraishi had intended the technique to improve focus, chakra extraction, and resistance to genjutsu.
Instead, it had caused many to lose balance in their training.
Under the crushing weight, the students groaned in discomfort.
Among them, Hoshino Mai and the other two—who already excelled in physical combat—were given triple the standard load.
So heavy…
Meanwhile—
On the Wind Daimyō's desk lay three scrolls, neatly arranged.
"What are these?" the Daimyō asked lazily.
"They are special human-body secret techniques created by Black Mist Shiraishi," an attendant replied. "According to reports, they were developed as a promise he made to one of the Three Sannin—Tsunade—during the battle of Kikyo Pass…"
Shiraishi would later discover that the Kitajima family had enthusiastically dragged Tsunade into the marketing to boost sales.
The rumor that he had created three human-body secret techniques specifically for Tsunade was a reputation he would never quite be able to shake.
As the explanation continued, the Wind Daimyō's dull eyes slowly brightened.
"This child is thoughtful," he said at last. "Pay him according to the techniques' value."
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