Intelligence
After this period of training, Shirō had made noticeable progress. First, much of his weak foundation in basic combat skills had finally been filled in. Because he had started from such a poor base, his improvement now appeared far more obvious.
Second, he had fully mastered Reinforcement Magic. It was no longer the crude, incomplete version he had once wielded through the Heroic Spirit card. Its raw power had only slightly increased, but its efficiency had vastly improved — the chakra and prana consumption was now far lower. Compared to that, the boost in strength was secondary.
Finally, the development that pleased Shirō most was his gradual grasp of Displacement Magecraft — a secretive technique of bounded fields and spatial manipulation. He was now one step closer to constructing a true Workshop.
If it weren't for the sheer difficulty of Displacement Magecraft, he would have considered engraving it into his Magic Crest as inherited sorcery. But even with Medea's knowledge supplementing his studies, he had only just managed to grasp the fundamentals. Without her guidance, he might not even have begun.
Still, Shirō reluctantly abandoned the idea. The ability to freely shift and manipulate space was invaluable, but Projection Magic already gave him enough tools to wield effectively. He couldn't stretch himself thinner.
During this half-month of diligent training, his teammates had also been working hard.
Taiyi had struggled the most. Despite harsh training, he still hadn't mastered the natural transformation of Fire Release. Unlike Shirō, Taiyi had no system to cheat with, so his progress was slow. Still, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan had become more proficient. He also realized a fatal flaw: his attacks were too one-dimensional, relying too much on Genjutsu and Lightning Release Ninjutsu. Against shinobi who countered those, he was left passive.
To remedy this, Taiyi began practicing Lightning Release taijutsu techniques, common within the Uchiha clan. Though most were considered lower-tier, paired with the Sharingan they granted him great speed and precision.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru's progress was far subtler. His clan's secret techniques were difficult to master in short timeframes, and his greatest strength had always been his intellect rather than raw combat ability. As the team's strategist, he was rarely expected to take the front lines anyway.
---
Early that morning, Shirō's team arrived at the Hokage's office. The other squad they were to cooperate with had not yet arrived. The Third Hokage did not reveal their mission details until everyone had gathered.
A few minutes later, three chunin entered the room. From their uniforms, two were clearly clan shinobi: one wore the Uchiha's distinctive battle attire, another donned the Aburame's long coat, while the last seemed to be a commoner.
"Hokage-sama," they greeted.
"Mm, you've come."
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat, his expression grave. "This mission was entrusted to us by the Hidden Hot Water Village. Lacking the strength to deal with the matter themselves, they requested our aid."
"The situation is urgent. No reliable intelligence has been received yet. You will need to rely on your own judgment in the field."
"This is also the first mission of inter-state cooperation since the war ended. Failure will not be tolerated."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the seven shinobi answered in unison, their voices firm. They all understood: this was not only a mission, but also a test. Success meant trust and opportunity. Failure meant being cast aside in favor of stronger shinobi.
"Good. You may go."
---
At the village gates, the two teams gathered.
"Let's introduce ourselves first to plan more efficiently," Nakamura said. "I'll start: Nakamura, proficient in Wind Release and Earth Release."
Shirō and his teammates blinked in surprise. Earth Release already? It hadn't even been that long since their last assignment. Still, they kept their thoughts to themselves.
"Nara Shikamaru," the strategist continued. "I'll handle the planning. Any objections?"
"None," the others agreed. The reputation of the Nara clan for tactical genius needed no debate.
"Uchiha Taiyi, proficient in Genjutsu."
"Emiya Shirō," Shirō said with a faint smile. "Archery. Guaranteed hit within a thousand meters."
"A thousand?" Taiyi gawked. "Didn't you say eight hundred two days ago?"
"Huh? I didn't tell you? Before the last exam, I mastered a technique that doubled my maximum vision. My sight range is 2000 meters, but my arrows can't yet reach that far."
"...Shirō, really?" Taiyi pressed.
"Don't worry, Captain. It'll only improve."
"Impressive," Taiyi muttered. "You're nearly comparable to the Hyūga."
"Not quite," Shirō shook his head. "The Byakugan can see through solid objects. I can't. I still need vantage points." He gestured toward the other team. "Your turn."
Uchiha introduced himself. "Uchiha Tsuki, Fire Release specialist, Two-Tomoe Sharingan."
Shirō nearly blurted out, Miyue's brother? but restrained himself. Still, he took a closer look at the handsome young chunin. Two-Tomoe already — no wonder he was well regarded.
"Isshin, reconnaissance."
"Toyota, sensory-type ninjutsu."
"Hm, a sensor too?" Nakamura murmured. "Then it seems intel really is lacking this time."
He handed the mission scroll to Shikamaru. "Take a look."
Shikamaru scanned it carefully. His brows knit. "Too little information. The risks are high. Our best option is to reach Hot Water Village first and gather intel there."
"Agreed. But prepare yourselves — if they had detailed intel, we wouldn't have been sent like this," Nakamura replied.
The team nodded.
Shirō suddenly formed hand seals. "Summoning Technique!"
Smoke billowed as a serpent-like familiar manifested.
"What is he doing?" Uchiha Tsuki asked, surprised.
"Oh, Shirō has a contract with Ryūchi Cave," Nakamura explained. "He usually handles reconnaissance."
"Ryūchi Cave? But… isn't he White Fang-sama's disciple?"