The visitor was Kakashi Hatake.
His signature silver-white short hair, a mask covering his face, and his forehead protector slanted to cover his left eye—the whole person exuded a lazy yet impossible-to-ignore aura.
Akashi Sora's smile instantly became radiant, full of energy.
"Captain Kakashi! Good morning! What wind blew you here today?"
Inside, however, he was wailing.
All I wanted today was to enjoy Konoha's bustling world and the warm embrace of the pretty ladies. I don't want to hear anything related to missions.
Kakashi's exposed dead-fish eye glanced at him.
"It's not the wind—it's the Hokage's orders."
It's over.
A little figure in Sora's heart instantly hugged its head and crouched in defense.
"But Captain, today's my rare day off! I even made plans—feed the cat, eat ramen, bask in the sun..." He counted on his fingers, his face full of heartbroken despair as if saying, "My perfect vacation is ruined."
"I don't want to hear it—you have to listen anyway." Kakashi interrupted his performance. "You can keep your day off. I'm here to notify you in advance."
Sora immediately switched to a serious, attentive expression.
"After your day off ends tomorrow, report to the Anbu base for mission handover."
"Starting the day after tomorrow, you will no longer be assigned to surveillance of the Uchiha."
Hm?
Alarm bells instantly rang in Sora's mind.
No longer surveilling the Uchiha? Why?
Did last night's "ten consecutive devours" cause some disturbance I didn't notice? Or did my dashing appearance catch the old Hokage's attention?
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, but on the surface, he remained that somewhat airheaded boy.
"Eh? We're not watching them anymore? Then what will I be doing?"
Kakashi didn't pay attention to his curious question and continued stating the orders in a flat tone.
"Our squad will act as an advance team, heading to the border with the Land of Lightning."
Land of Lightning.
Those three words made Sora's thoughts pause for a second.
"Recently, there have been unusual movements from Kumogakure. The intelligence department intercepted signs of their troop deployments."
"Our mission is to reinforce the frontline forces, build defensive lines to prepare for a possible surprise attack from Kumo, and, as much as possible, scout their true movements and strategic intentions."
The shadow of war always descended so suddenly.
Information about the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure automatically surfaced in Sora's mind.
A village that revered strength and prioritized elites.
Home to the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails—two perfect jinchūriki.
The Third Raikage was renowned throughout the ninja world for the strongest spear and strongest shield. The Fourth Raikage had developed the Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its pinnacle, combining speed and power.
And then there was that Eight-Tails jinchūriki who rapped in a strange style—Killer Bee.
...
These were no longer just words in a book; they were enemies he might soon face.
"Risk assessment: High."
"Potential rewards: Extremely high."
Sora quickly labeled the mission in his mind.
Kumogakure... What a great place.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the "concept code" of the Eight-Tails jinchūriki's perfect control over the tailed beast, and Darui's Storm Release...
All top-tier materials!
In comparison, while the Uchiha Sharingan was precious, acquiring it was far too difficult and risky. He'd just finished devouring the Sharingan and was worrying about how to avoid the scrutiny of Konoha's higher-ups—this mission was like someone sending a pillow when he was drowsy.
Leaving Konoha, the center of the vortex, and heading to the front lines—dangerous, yes, but with the vast sky letting birds fly free.
The perfect place for camouflage.
The perfect testing ground for his strength.
The perfect... new material library.
"Awesome!" Sora clapped his hands and shouted excitedly.
Kakashi was momentarily stunned by his sudden reaction.
Heading to the front lines for a high-risk mission—why does this guy look so happy?
"Being able to go to the front lines and serve the village is my honor! I've long wanted to experience ninjas from other villages!" Sora clenched his fist, his amber eyes sparkling with "hot-blooded aspiration."
The perfect "little sun" speech.
Kakashi scrutinized Sora for a few seconds with his dead-fish eye, as if trying to find any flaws on his face.
But he failed.
The boy before him radiated the pure, fearless enthusiasm unique to youth.
Maybe he was overthinking it.
"Having that awareness is good," Kakashi's tone softened slightly. "But the battlefield isn't like sparring at the academy. Kumo ninjas are known for their ferocity—don't let your guard down."
"Yes, sir! I understand, Captain Kakashi!" Sora stood at attention, answering with full vigor.
"Mm. Rest well and conserve your energy. Day after tomorrow, 8 a.m., assemble in the Anbu lounge. Don't be late."
With that, Kakashi didn't linger. He used a Body Flicker and vanished from the spot.
Silence returned outside the door.
Sora turned and walked back into the room.
His original day-off plans were completely disrupted.
The neighbor's cat would go without its dried fish.
Ichiraku Ramen would be missing one loyal customer.
The training ground's lawn would lack a sun-basking, lazy boy.
But none of that mattered.
"Land of Lightning border... Kumogakure..."
He walked to the center of the room and closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank into the system space.
[Nine-Tails - Tailed Beast Bomb]
[Namikaze Minato - Flying Thunder God Technique]
[Medical Ninjutsu - Mystical Palm Technique]
[Body Flicker Technique]
The four discs hovered quietly in their slots, emitting faint glows of different colors.
The fifth slot was empty.
This mission was no longer the childish lurking of Uchiha surveillance.
This was a real battlefield.
Battles could erupt at any moment; death could come at any time.
His current loadout needed optimization.
Sigh, all I want is to be a salted fish.
Feed cats every day, bask in the sun, and mentally rate the passing ladies—that's the life.
Yet someone keeps forcing me to work hard.
Akashi Sora let out a long sigh.
Slacking plan: canceled.
He walked to a corner of the room and formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
With a soft "poof," an identical clone appeared beside him, wearing the same energetic smile—even the cowlick on his hair was perfectly perked.
"Today's mission is to maintain the persona," Sora instructed his clone. "Go to Ichiraku and eat a deluxe chashu ramen. Remember to act exaggeratedly like 'Wow, this is super delicious!' Then go to the training ground, find a spot to lie down, and pretend to ponder life. If someone talks to you, respond with 'Hahaha, the weather's great!'"
The shadow clone gave an "OK" gesture, then hummed a tuneless song as it pushed the door open and left, perfectly playing the role of the carefree chunin.
The room fell quiet again.
Sora walked to the bed, confirming the curtains were tightly drawn.
A highly complex technique formula mark flashed briefly on the back of his right hand.
That was a Flying Thunder God marker he'd prepared long ago.
The next second, his figure vanished from the room without a trace—no chakra fluctuation at all.
...
Sea breeze carrying a salty, damp scent hit his face.
Sora's figure appeared on a deserted, isolated island.
This was a secret base he'd accidentally discovered and marked during a low-level mission in the past.
Here, he could test his powers without any reservations.
"Alright, let's begin."
He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the system space.
The five disc slots hovered quietly.
[Nine-Tails - Tailed Beast Bomb]
[Namikaze Minato - Flying Thunder God Technique]
[Medical Ninjutsu - Mystical Palm Technique]
[Body Flicker Technique]
And the final empty slot.
"For battlefield loadout, survival and burst damage must take top priority."
"Flying Thunder God cannot be moved."
This was his ultimate trump card for escape and survival. Even if devoured and learned, it could never match the current convenience—using just a trace of mental power for unlimited, cooldown-free peak-level space-time jumps. This was conceptual-level utility; he couldn't give it up.
"Tailed Beast Bomb either."
This disc's value even surpassed Flying Thunder God.
Not to mention that if devoured, how would he explain having tailed beast chakra if discovered?
Just the fact that he could "fire Tailed Beast Bombs unlimited times" made it an untouchable god-tier existence.
This was the full-powered Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb—not the little marbles Naruto rubbed out in his early days.
With this card, he could even exchange shots with the Ten-Tails. Until his mental power ran dry, he was confident he could plow the entire ninja world.
"So, only the remaining three slots are adjustable."
Sora turned his gaze to [Mystical Palm Technique] and [Body Flicker Technique].
"Flying Thunder God can't be used in front of others unless absolutely necessary—the consequences are too great. So, I need a conventional but top-tier mobility skill."
His mind scanned the disc library.
Soon, he found his target.
[Uchiha Shisui - Body Flicker Technique]
This was one of the highest-quality Body Flicker discs he'd recorded while surveilling the Uchiha.
"Replace."
The original common [Body Flicker Technique] disc was ejected, and Shisui's disc slotted in.
"Next, burst skill."
On the battlefield, a moment's explosive power often decided life and death.
He needed a ninjutsu that fit his strength level for continuous release. "Since wind counters lightning—it's decided: Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves."
"The last slot—keep [Mystical Palm Technique] for now."
Having a medical ninja in the team was always a good thing. It would help him blend in better and fit his "warm-hearted" public persona.
[Loadout Optimization Complete]
[Current Equipped Discs:]
[Nine-Tails - Tailed Beast Bomb]
[Namikaze Minato - Flying Thunder God Technique]
[Uchiha Shisui - Body Flicker Technique]
[Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves]
[Medical Ninjutsu - Mystical Palm Technique]
After finishing this, Sora didn't stop.
His gaze turned to the mountain of ordinary ninjutsu discs in the library, categorized as "miscellaneous."
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall...
These were the C-rank and B-rank ninjutsu he'd recorded over the past year using various opportunities.
For the current him, their copying function was meaningless.
But the "Source Energy" they contained was rare nourishment.
"System, begin devouring."
"Target: All non-bloodline, non-secret C-rank and B-rank ninjutsu discs in the library."
[Devour Confirmed]
[Devouring Commencing]
The next moment, hundreds of discs shattered simultaneously.
They turned into a vast yet gentle torrent of energy surging into Sora's body.
Unlike the agony of devouring the top-tier Uzumaki Physique or Sharingan, this was more like a gentle tonic.
Countless pieces of knowledge and experience regarding chakra nature and shape transformation were directly etched into his soul.
His body was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing the nutrients.
His proficiency in the five basic release techniques skyrocketed at an unbelievable rate.
He even felt his precision in chakra control had reached a new level.
In the process, he flipped through some interesting finds.
For example, a certain Akimichi clan jonin who, during a meal, subconsciously used [Partial Multi-Size Technique] while fighting over the last piece of grilled meat.
Sora stroked his chin.
A bold idea emerged in his mind.
Use Partial Multi-Size to reinforce a certain part of his body.
Make it even more majestic and domineering.
But the thought lasted only 0.1 seconds before he rejected it.
No need.
His current one was already quite domineering.
If it got any bigger, no one would be able to handle it.
He filed that disc along with a few recording Yin-Yang Release techniques into the "to research" category.
Who knows how long passed before the energy torrent finally subsided.
Sora slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
He could clearly feel his total chakra had grown slightly again, but more importantly, his understanding of the five elemental releases had reached a brand-new height.
Before, using release techniques felt like assembling a model according to instructions.
Now, he felt like he was the one who designed the model.
"Time to test the results."
Sora walked to the seaside and formed hand seals.
The simplest seal.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
He deliberately suppressed his chakra output, just wanting to see the basic changes.
However.
The moment he expelled the chakra, something unexpected happened.
What should have been a massive fireball turned into a thick, highly compressed, spiraling pillar of flame from his mouth!
Boom!
The roaring fireball charged into the sea, instantly plowing a hundred-meter vacuum channel across the surface. The surrounding seawater evaporated in an instant, emitting a shrill hiss.
White steam shot into the sky, as if a bomb had detonated on the ocean.
Sora stared at the scene before him, falling silent.
He had only wanted to use a C-rank ninjutsu.
This power... was almost on par with an A-rank.
"Looks like... I overdid it a bit."