At the Ninja Academy, Tsunade, who was organizing her lesson plans in her office, heard footsteps nearby. She didn't need to guess who it was.
"Kid, you're a bit late today... What's wrong with your face? Why do you look so pale?"
Tsunade turned her head and saw Shiraishi's pale face; he looked incredibly weak. She was startled and quickly asked him what happened.
"I ate something bad yesterday and got a stomach ache."
Shiraishi made up the excuse without batting an eye.
"A stomach ache doesn't make you look like that." Tsunade sighed, walked over, and patted Shiraishi's shoulder, saying earnestly, "It's understandable for young men and women living under the same roof to have sparks fly, especially since you're both teenagers. But you're a medical ninja; you should know that a ninja's body has its limits. Try to exercise a little restraint."
"..."
"Oh, and did you use protection? Don't get a girl pregnant before marriage."
Tsunade leaned in and whispered to Shiraishi, as if afraid someone might overhear.
But Shiraishi clearly saw the mischievous glint in Tsunade's eyes.
"Don't worry, Tsunade-sensei, my body has always been fine."
"So, you two did it then?"
"...If you keep spreading rumors, I'll complain to the Hokage-sama."
"You really have no sense of humor, kid."
"I truly don't have a sense of humor, but this has nothing to do with humor."
Seeing Shiraishi's weak and listless appearance, Tsunade suddenly lost interest.
"But, are you really okay looking like this? Do you want to rest here for a bit?"
To be honest, Shiraishi's current state was quite worrying; she feared he might suddenly collapse during work.
"Thank you for your concern, but it's not a big problem. I'll go to the classroom in a bit."
Shiraishi thought about it and agreed that Tsunade's concern was valid. The Sharingan he encountered yesterday after using the Spirit Transformation Jutsu still sent shivers down his spine. The after-effects of the genjutsu attack had left him feeling weak since this morning.
"Then rest well here. Don't overexert yourself."
Tsunade didn't ask Shiraishi what he had done yesterday to end up in this state. Everyone had secrets they didn't want to share, including herself.
After seeing Tsunade off, Shiraishi was left alone in the office.
Due to his physical weakness, Shiraishi lay back in his chair, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind.
About half an hour passed, and he felt much more comfortable than when he first arrived. He slowly got up from the chair and headed towards the experimental class for medical ninja training.
—After the experimental class, Shiraishi greeted Tsunade and walked out of the Ninja Academy. At the main gate of the school, he saw Ruri waiting there.
Dressed in her black, tight-fitting ninja attire that accentuated her graceful figure, she stood there, a pleasing sight. Shiraishi recognized her at a glance.
"Ruri, why are you here?"
Shiraishi walked over and asked, a little puzzled.
"Just passing by to take a look."
Ruri glanced at Shiraishi's slightly pale face, her tone betraying no significant emotion.
"That's quite a detour. But, are you off work early today?"
"I got someone to cover for me."
With that, Ruri pulled out a thermos and tossed it to Shiraishi.
Shiraishi caught the thermos. After unscrewing the lid, as expected, it contained clean, drinkable hot water.
"Thanks, I was feeling a bit thirsty."
"Don't overthink it. I just inadvertently brought it from the Security Force."
Hearing Ruri's explanation, Shiraishi just smiled understandingly.
After taking a sip of hot water, he asked Ruri:
"Shall we go back together now?"
He knew that Ruri waiting for him at the Ninja Academy gate at this hour was out of concern for his safety, and he felt an indescribable warmth in his heart.
However, it would probably be difficult for Ruri to directly express her concern for him.
Sometimes she wasn't very straightforward.
If it were Ayane, she would probably say something unexpectedly teasing, with a serious and innocent demeanor.
"Mm."
Ruri didn't object.
She was indeed worried about Shiraishi's safety, as his current mental state was genuinely not good.
Even within the village, it wasn't always absolutely safe.
She had been waiting there since Shiraishi arrived at the Ninja Academy to work two hours ago.
Walking with Shiraishi, Ruri suddenly remembered something and said softly:
"Oh, I checked with the Security Force during the day and reviewed the files of every clan member, but no matter what, I couldn't find anyone with Sharingan dōjutsu stronger than mine, as you described."
This wasn't Ruri being arrogant; her understanding of the Sharingan indeed surpassed that of most Uchiha clan members.
Even setting aside the Sharingan, her taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu were all top-tier, especially taijutsu and ninjutsu, with genjutsu being slightly weaker.
To find a Sharingan user far superior to her, even after thoroughly investigating the Security Force's personnel intelligence, Ruri had no leads.
"If you can't find them, don't force it. I tend to think the mastermind isn't necessarily hiding within the village."
Shiraishi offered his opinion.
"Not in the village?"
Ruri didn't quite understand what Shiraishi meant.
"What do you think of Sakumo-sensei's strength?"
Shiraishi answered with a question.
"Above mine."
"What's the specific difference?"
"If it came to a fight to the death, I'd most likely die, and Sakumo-sensei would be gravely injured."
Ruri wasn't being modest with this statement.
Her strength had genuinely reached that level.
Sakumo's entire strength lay in his swordsmanship, along with his incredibly fast Body Flicker Technique, which, combined with his exquisite swordsmanship, made him unstoppable.
However, precisely because he specialized in swordsmanship, Sakumo lacked many offensive and defensive options.
Ruri might be the type Sakumo would find most difficult to deal with.
A perfect all-rounder ninja with no flaws in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu.
With her taijutsu, Body Flicker, and Three-Tomoe Sharingan, she could keep up with Sakumo's speed and neural reactions, but due to the bonus of his swordsmanship, Ruri felt she would be at a disadvantage in close combat.
However, she also possessed advantages that Sakumo didn't: large-scale Fire Release and mysterious genjutsu, which could also be used to restrict Sakumo's movements.
Shiraishi nodded after hearing this and shared his own thoughts:
"The chakra displayed by that Sharingan, and the immense pressure it put on me, were even greater than Sakumo-sensei's. And this was just a contest of dōjutsu with the Sharingan. He has already far surpassed you, and in other aspects, he's probably stronger, not weaker, than you."
"Is that so? There are indeed no such experts among the current Uchiha clan, but isn't it too hasty to conclude that this person is not in Konoha?"
"Then think about it from another angle: if such an expert truly existed among the Uchiha clan in the village right now, our secrets would likely have been exposed long ago. It's impossible that they would remain indifferent until now. After all, the opponent has subordinates with powerful infiltration abilities; our secrets simply cannot be concealed."
"..."
Ruri frowned.
"Since that white creature can be sensed by natural energy, it also means that before I developed natural energy, the opponent wasn't monitoring us. The first contact was an accidental discovery by Akatsuki. Subsequently, this peculiar white creature came to Konoha and infiltrated the Uchiha clan's compound... The mastermind targeting Konoha might be to monitor the Uchiha clan, and their actions only recently began. As for Akatsuki..."
His sending Bug Man and his team to contact Akatsuki was also a matter of about a month ago.
Shiraishi had no way of knowing when the mastermind began monitoring Akatsuki.
But judging from these facts was enough.
An Uchiha ninja not in Konoha.
Related to Tailed Beasts and Wood Release, with Sharingan dōjutsu superior to Ruri's, and sending subordinates to infiltrate the Uchiha clan compound to gather intelligence.
These were all crucial pieces of information for correctly interpreting the situation.
Ruri clearly understood this as well.
But even with so much crucial information, Ruri still found it difficult to determine which Uchiha ninja the mastermind truly was.
"Speaking of which, have there been any Uchiha ninjas who defected or left Konoha in the past?"
"In the past thirty years or so, only Uchiha Madara."
Ruri gave this fantastical answer.
"That answer is ridiculous. Uchiha Madara died at the hands of the First Hokage after the Battle of the Valley of the End. Everyone knows that..."
Shiraishi forced a smile and shook his head.
But only he knew what he was truly thinking inside.
After all, wasn't there a possibility?
Wood Release, Tailed Beasts, Sharingan.
These were either jutsus Uchiha Madara had fought against, objects he had controlled, or powers he himself possessed.
Weren't all the conditions met?
Seeing Ruri also deep in thought, he guessed she was also wondering if the Uchiha clan's ancestor had truly died.
Shiraishi reopened his thermos, took a sip of hot water, and smiled, "Alright, don't make such a gloomy face. Whether the other party is dead or alive, as long as we don't get involved with them, it's fine. You also said, instead of guessing about such useless things, isn't it better to spend all our time and energy on strengthening ourselves?"
"No, I was thinking, if he really is still alive... I'd very much like to witness that legendary, world-shattering power."
Ruri clenched her fist.
In the past, when ninjas mentioned the Uchiha clan, the first thing people thought of wasn't the Sharingan, but the name Uchiha Madara.
Because that was a purer symbol of power than the Sharingan.
And now, when ninjas mentioned the Uchiha, they thought not of a specific Uchiha ninja, but of the Sharingan.
Ruri saw this as a goal she needed to surpass in the future.
"That's just like you. It seems I worried for nothing just now."
"Are you looking down on me? Besides, even if that old fossil is alive, he'd be too old to move now."
"I didn't say that. Besides, this is just a guess and can't be taken as conclusive evidence."
Seeing Ruri acting sulky again, Shiraishi explained with a smile.
"Hmph."
Ruri turned her head, indicating she didn't want to bother with him.
The sky gradually darkened, and the beautiful sunset was slowly sinking at the edge of the western forest.
Shiraishi and Ruri walked along a path beside a river together.
The weather in May had already warmed up. A gentle breeze brought a sense of ease, dispelling any inner irritability .
The streetlights on both sides of the path had already turned on. Looking into the distance from here, towards the village's central area, there was already a prelude to a bustling night market, with lights illuminating one after another.
On this path, only Shiraishi and Ruri were walking.
But on the riverbank, some Ninja Academy children who hadn't gone home yet were playing ninja games tirelessly.
Seeing this scene, Shiraishi stopped walking.
"What's wrong?"
Ruri also stopped and turned to look at his face.
"Nothing, just seeing them like this makes me a little nostalgic for the past."
Shiraishi looked at the students playing ninja games on the riverbank, a look of emotion on his face.
In a trance, Shiraishi remembered something else.
"Speaking of which, the scene of us leaving the Ninja Academy and going home together, it really feels like we've gone back to our student days."
After Shiraishi said this, it also stirred Ruri's memories of the past.
Because her parents were merchants who were often away from home, Shiraishi played an irreplaceable role in her childhood and now in her teenage years.
When they were at the ninja academy, just as Shiraishi said, they always went to and from school together, almost inseparable every day.
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
"I was thinking... it would be great if it stayed like this forever. Because we are the best partners."
Shiraishi looked up at the distant setting sun, and under its glow, his face became gentler than usual.
Upon hearing Shiraishi's words, Ruri suddenly felt a strange unease, a sense of emptiness in her heart, as if something was missing.
Just partners?
"Let's go quickly, we still have to... after we get back."
Ruri was about to quicken her pace home when suddenly her hand was enveloped by something.
This prevented her from taking another step forward, leaving her rooted to the spot.
Ruri's expression froze, and she turned her head, looking down slightly.
It was a man's broad hand.
It gently but firmly held her hand, making it impossible for her to pull away.
"Actually, there are many times when I don't know how to deal with this kind of thing. But after I said that just now, I thought about it carefully, and if it's just a partnership, it might not fully describe everything between us. What do you think, should we become closer than just partners?"
Shiraishi smiled naturally as he asked for Ruri's opinion.
"I don't understand what you're saying, let's go back."
Ruri's face had already turned slightly red, and she turned her head away. Although she said they should go back, with her hand held, she had already left herself to Shiraishi's will.
"Let's go for a walk over there. We got off work so early today, there should be enough time."
"Don't ask me about such things. You're injured, so you decide. As long as you don't catch a cold tomorrow."
Ruri turned her head away from Shiraishi, yet seemed to let him have his way.
Shiraishi felt a little strange, because after all these years with Ruri, this was the first time he held such significant initiative.
He felt a little moved, almost to tears.
"It's already May, how could I catch a cold? It'll be fine."
His body wasn't that weak. Although the weather would get a bit colder at night than during the day, as long as he was careful, it wouldn't be a big problem.
Holding Ruri's hand tightly, their skin exchanged each other's body heat.
Shiraishi could clearly feel that Ruri's body had become very hot.
Holding Ruri's hand like this, Shiraishi led her towards the bustling night market center of the village.
Shiraishi clearly saw the obvious happy smile on Ruri's face.
At this moment, for some reason, a sense of guilt arose in his heart.
In his mind, there might be another woman.
To him, she might also be an incomparably important 'partner'.
But today, he should belong to Ruri.
With that thought, the guilt dissipated somewhat from his heart under self-consolation.
— The next day.
Shiraishi caught a cold.
Because he came back very late last night, he woke up this morning to find that he had a cold.
He was sleeping on a futon, covered by a blanket. He felt dizzy and his body was very cold.
"Honestly, you kept saying you were fine yesterday, and now look at you. Your physical fitness has gotten so bad."
Ruri was wearing casual clothes at home, not her black ninja uniform. She knelt beside Shiraishi's futon and chided him in a tone that was almost disgusted.
"...I didn't expect things to turn out this way... Speaking of which, this is my first time catching a cold..."
Shiraishi could only accept this setback.
Indeed, he shouldn't have pushed himself physically last night.
But in that situation yesterday, if he had just come back without doing anything, he would have regretted it even more.
Seeing Ruri taking such meticulous care of him, even skipping work again today, Shiraishi felt embarrassed, but also thought that even a severe cold today wasn't a bad thing.
"I've already sent someone to explain to Tsunade-sensei. You should rest honestly at home today. I'll protect you here."
Ruri stood up from the floor, walked to a cabinet nearby, and while rummaging through it, spoke to Shiraishi.
"Thank you. Actually, I don't think a cold is that serious, this afternoon..."
"Rest honestly at home today. Do you want me to say it a third time?"
Ruri's voice grew heavier again, her face expressionless.
Shiraishi trembled and dared not speak again.
Ruri took out a medicine bottle from the cabinet, retrieved a few pills from it, and also prepared a cup of hot water.
"These are the cold medicines you haven't officially put on the market yet. You didn't expect to be the first user after developing them, did you? How do you feel about your own medicine?"
"...If possible, I'd rather not make any comments."
With mixed emotions, Shiraishi took the cold medicine he had once developed.
◎
On the sea route from the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire, a small boat cut through the water, approaching the coastal port of the Land of Fire.
There were four people on the small boat, all of them ninjas from the Hidden Leaf Village.
The leader was a Hidden Leaf ninja wearing a jonin uniform, while the other three wore chunin uniforms.
This was a team consisting of a jonin leader and three chunin members.
Even within the Hidden Leaf Village, this was considered an elite squad.
Most squads consisted of one jonin paired with three genin, or one jonin, one chunin, and two genin.
Their mission this time was to travel to the neighboring Land of Waves to eliminate an illegal rogue ninja organization. This rogue ninja organization was plundering villages throughout the Land of Waves. At the request of the Land of Waves' daimyo, the Hidden Leaf had dispatched this squad to deal with the illegal ninja organization within the Land of Waves.
The Hidden Leaf had long been accustomed to such situations.
Not to mention during the Great Ninja Wars, even after the war, small countries lacking ninja power were often plagued by rogue ninja organizations, and such incidents were already commonplace.
These rogue ninjas either became ninjas by chance or were rogue ninjas, engaging in various illegal profit-making activities.
For large nations, such ninja organizations were not worth worrying about; only powerless small nations would be troubled by such matters.
The Hidden Leaf dispatched an elite squad of one jonin and three chunin. After a bitter battle, the squad successfully annihilated the rogue ninja organization, and now they were preparing to sail back to the Land of Fire.
The leading Hidden Leaf jonin, sitting at the bow of the boat, had long, straight black hair that cascaded down to her waist.
She wore a forehead protector, and her eyes were pure white.
She was a jonin from the Hyuga clan's branch family.
Her name was Hyuga Shingo, and even within the Hyuga branch family, she was a jonin of considerable strength.
Because the waters of the Land of Waves were perpetually shrouded in dense fog, Hyuga Shingo occasionally activated her Byakugan to observe the surrounding sea, preventing any sudden emergencies.
In her Byakugan's field of vision, about two kilometers ahead, five people were approaching by boat.
The chakra levels in these individuals were very low, basically identifying them as ordinary civilians, posing no threat.
Moreover, these people carried no weapons, only a small amount of money.
They were undoubtedly ordinary civilians traveling to the Land of Waves.
Soon, the boat carrying the five civilians approached.
Hyuga Shingo and the other three Hidden Leaf chunin merely glanced at them and then paid them no further attention.
As the boats passed each other, the five people on the other boat suddenly rushed forward with fierce speed.
They were almost just blurs, and the three Hidden Leaf chunin let out agonizing screams, falling into the ocean, their fates unknown, and disappearing from sight.
Hyuga Shingo's expression suddenly changed in shock. The scene unfolding before her shattered her understanding of the world. These guys barely had any chakra, but what was with this terrifying speed and strength?
She quickly jumped off the boat, gathered chakra at the soles of her feet, and stood on the undulating sea surface, assuming the Gentle Fist stance.
She could no longer worry about the condition of her three comrades. The five people surrounding her were all formidable opponents.
Just based on the speed and strength of their attacks, even she wouldn't claim absolute victory if they combined their efforts.
"Who are you people? Why are you attacking us Hidden Leaf ninjas?"
Hyuga Shingo simultaneously circulated chakra within her body and tried to find a breakthrough in conversation, at least to clarify the identities of these individuals.
However, the five people's expressions never changed from beginning to end. They remained silent, only radiating an intensely hostile aura directed at her.
"Attack."
With just a simple command, the five individuals tacitly surrounded and attacked Hyuga Shingo.
Hyuga Shingo, seeing herself trapped in enemy lines, remained unfazed. Her rich combat experience, along with her Byakugan and Gentle Fist, were the sources of her confidence in battle.
However, after engaging in combat, she discovered that these five people possessed immense strength, and her Tenketsu-striking ability would be useless against them unless she could hit their chests.
Although incredible, these individuals were using powerful taijutsu that was not powered by chakra at all.
Instead, it relied on their inherent physical abilities.
After years of missions, Hyuga Shingo had never encountered this type of opponent before.
Damn it! Hyuga Shingo couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
In this situation, her Gentle Fist would have minimal effect on these individuals.
And the majority of the Hyuga clan ninjas' strength was manifested in Gentle Fist and Tenketsu strikes.
These were extremely troublesome opponents for the Hyuga clan.
If she knew the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, a special Gentle Fist technique, she might have a chance. After all, it was an absolute defense with no blind spots, capable of repelling enemies and creating an escape route.
But as a branch family member, even as a jonin, she was not qualified to learn this technique.
That was a secret technique that only main family members and a select few branch family ninjas were qualified to learn.
Now, only her Byakugan could somewhat guard against enemy sneak attacks, but if the situation continued for too long, the odds would still be against her.
"Ah!"
Ignoring the Tenketsu-striking techniques embedded in her Gentle Fist, the opponent exchanged blows, a fist connecting with her face, sending her flying.
Then, two other individuals quickly circled to where she was about to land. One swung a fist, and the other raised a leg, savagely attacking her from both sides.
Hyuga Shingo tumbled across the sea surface, and salty, bitter seawater accidentally filled her mouth, mixing with the blood from her injuries.
Her rather elegant image was shattered, and despair began to rise within her heart.
"Who... exactly are you?"
She asked again, unwilling to give up, wanting to know the identities of these five people and their reasons for attacking Hidden Leaf ninjas.
The five people remained silent, and an absolute stillness enveloped the sea.
(PS: I've waited many days, and tomorrow Ganyu is finally coming out. My Qiqi will have coconut milk to drink from now on... *slurp!*)