The Kingdom of Kusunoki is situated in the central waters between the Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers, the Land of Water, and the Land of Fire.
Although it is a small island nation, it serves as a vital trade hub and a strategic maritime gateway.
Originally under the control of the Hidden Mist, the island was forcibly ceded to the Hidden Sand following the Mist's crushing defeat in the Land of Rivers, which resulted in the loss of their Jinchuriki and several legendary ninja swords.
Eager to recover their military strength, the Mist had no choice but to surrender this territory.
Beyond its booming trade and economy, the island is the region's most famous tourist destination, boasting numerous hot springs and a pleasant climate that makes it a top choice for travelers.
According to their itinerary, Shiraishi and Maki planned to travel to the Land of Rivers first and use the ports there to sail to Kusunoki. This was a necessity; the Hidden Sand possessed almost no deep-sea vessels.
It was a running joke among the Sand shinobi that an envoy sent to the Land of Water needed at least Kage-level chakra reserves just to survive the walk across the ocean surface.
In preparation for the trip, Maki had packed a mountain of spare clothes and daily necessities, all stored away in sealing scrolls. If laid out at once, her luggage would likely fill an entire house.
Shiraishi watched this with a touch of helplessness. When he went on solo missions, he took little more than a change of clothes.
Maki, however, seemed to have developed a "just in case" compulsion common to travelers, insisting on bringing everything she might possibly need. She even planned to bring the orange cat, fearing it would be lonely if left home alone.
"I can leave a clone to feed it periodically. Is it really necessary to bring him?"
Maki struggled to pick up the clearly reluctant, chubby cat and shook her head. "But I think he wants to go with us. Leaving him behind would be too cruel."
Shiraishi doubted the cat, who looked thoroughly annoyed by the prospect of leaving the house, shared her sentiment. However, since Maki was insistent, he saw no reason to refuse.
"Let's go."
Just as Shiraishi prepared to use his Magnet Release to levitate them toward their destination, Maki shook her head, rejecting his "flight" mode of transport. "I want to take the coach to the port in the Land of Rivers..."
"A coach? That's quite a waste of time..."
Maki pulled out two specially discounted tickets and said softly, "But this is a custom touring coach.
The route goes through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers."
Because the situation in the Land of Wind had been stable for the past six months, it had begun to attract refugees and tourists from various nations.
The route from the southern Land of Rivers to the Kingdom of Kusunoki had become a popular travel circuit.
To capitalize on this, the Land of Wind had developed several tourism projects, including these luxury coaches. Painted in a bright romantic pink, they were designed specifically to appeal to young women.
Seeing the expectant look in Maki's eyes, Shiraishi couldn't help but reach out and stroke her cheek. Her wide-eyed, hopeful gaze was too endearing to resist. "Since you like it, we'll take the coach."
"Wonderful!"
Arriving at the station, Shiraishi handed over the pink tickets, and the young couple began their "mission" to Kusunoki.
The interior of the pink coach was clean and comfortable, designed to provide a pleasant experience. Besides Shiraishi and Maki, there were several other couples from the village on board.
While they were momentarily startled to see the famous "Black Mist" Shiraishi, they quickly regained their composure and returned to their own business.
To the youth of the village, Shiraishi's name and appearance were symbols of idolatry.
Sitting beside Shiraishi, Maki was initially very excited, chatting and pointing at the scenery outside. However, she soon succumbed to drowsiness and drifted off, leaning her head against Shiraishi's shoulder.
Using a thin layer of silver sand to support Maki's head, Shiraishi slowly extended his palm. A small swirl of silver sand began to coalesce.
Utilizing his mental calculations, he began running simulation tests for a specific structural model.
As the silver particles swirled in a faint vortex, the energy output was weak, yet it caused subtle fluctuations and interference in the local gravity density.
These minor ripples represented the fruits of Shiraishi's daily, disciplined training. Every minute change signaled that his mastery over the properties of silver sand had advanced another step.
"How do you achieve that?" a curious voice suddenly whispered in his ear.
"I modified the release trajectory and conducted impact tests. By combining magnetic field theories with three sets of revisions and sixteen combined formulas, I produced this effect," Shiraishi answered instinctively.
The listener let out a fascinated hum, a long tongue flicking out in amusement. "Impressive. Since your return from the Land of Rivers, your strength has grown exponentially.
You've even purified and controlled the power of the Curse Mark. But from the looks of it, you've been maintaining this rigorous control training every single day, haven't you?"
The person speaking to Shiraishi appeared to be an ordinary young man, but it was actually Orochimaru himself.
His disguise was flawless to most, but Shiraishi had seen through it immediately.
Shiraishi wasn't surprised by his presence. Orochimaru was currently maintaining limited official contact with the Kazekage while secretly conducting extensive cooperation and resource exchanges with Shiraishi.
Seeing that Maki was sound asleep, Shiraishi's expression remained calm. "Why have you appeared here personally? What is your goal?"
"I want you to help me capture some... interesting materials."
"Materials?"
When Shiraishi had first left Orochimaru's base, the Sannin had expected the boy to run into significant trouble given the Mist's massive deployment against him.
He hadn't expected Shiraishi to turn the tides so completely. Consequently, Orochimaru now valued Shiraishi even more and sought to utilize his strength for certain tasks.
"Mangetsu Hozuki seems to be plotting an ambush against you at sea. He has also allied with several powerhouses from the Kaguya clan. I'm hoping you'll use this opportunity to help me bag a few live test subjects."
During the last war, Mangetsu Hozuki had viewed being one-shotted by Shiraishi as a supreme humiliation.
Having caught wind that "Black Mist Shiraishi" was heading to Kusunoki, he was preparing to wash away his shame with blood.
"Where does he get his confidence?" Shiraishi didn't have a strong impression of the arrogant Mangetsu, only remembering that while his skill was decent, he was far too reckless in battle.
"Because on the open ocean," Orochimaru smirked, "he believes the Hozuki clan's secret arts are invincible."
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