Early the next morning, Shirogaki Tsukasa yawned as he met up with Maki and Shiraishi in a secluded corner of Sunagakure, the three of them waiting for Pakura to arrive.
Because Aka Hiremaru had been damaged by Pakura the previous day, Tsukasa was in the middle of repairs. For the time being, his right arm was fitted with a special mechanical bracer. As a clan renowned for ninja tools, the Shirogaki family's craftsmanship was impeccable—purely from a technical standpoint, it was flawless.
"Shiraishi, what do you think our first mission will be today?" Maki asked softly.
With his sharp ears, Tsukasa immediately cut in. "Probably some simple D-rank tasks. Still, I hope they're not too boring."
Why did you interrupt my conversation with Shiraishi…
Maki's heart nearly collapsed. She had just wanted to make casual small talk, but Tsukasa's interjection left her unsure how to continue.
Unaware of her reaction, Shiraishi nodded calmly. "Yes. It should be D-rank work."
"I see…" Maki replied weakly.
Just as the three genin fell into an awkward silence, Pakura suddenly laughed.
She had been amused by Maki's expression. Even Maki's telekinetic sensing hadn't picked her up—Pakura clearly wasn't someone incapable of suppressing her chakra presence.
"Ah—Sensei…" Maki said hurriedly.
Truth be told, Maki and Pakura got along exceptionally well. From the moment they met, the strong-willed jōnin had taken special notice of the girl. Watching her interact with her teammates today brought Pakura rare amusement.
"Alright," Pakura said. "I'll explain today's mission."
This was Team Nineteen's first assignment. Although Pakura lacked prior experience leading a team, she deliberately chose a task that would benefit the three children's growth.
It was a standard D-rank mission.
Their destination: Sunagakure's Special Medical Research Institute, where they would assist medical ninja with basic support work.
Compared to Konoha's well-developed medical-nin system, Sunagakure's medical ninja existed largely to support poison research. Among the great villages, the Sand was especially famous for its work with toxins.
From the outside, the medical research institute looked like an ordinary factory. In reality, it was the most advanced medical research and development center in Sunagakure.
"It's Maki and Shiraishi!"
Aida Fū—eldest of the Aida brothers—spotted them immediately and waved as he approached with his younger brother, Aida Kusunoki. Including Shiraishi's team, four squads had been assembled—twelve genin in total.
"Ahem."
Just as the genin were about to start chatting excitedly about their jōnin instructors and life as newly promoted ninja, a stern-looking man stepped forward.
It was Maki—the elite jōnin.
The pressure he radiated silenced several of the genin instantly.
"Ahem," Maki said again. "All of you have been assigned the same task today. Although your jōnin instructors recommended you for this D-rank mission, without a basic understanding of medical knowledge, you will not be allowed to participate."
The twelve genin were soon escorted into a specially prepared written examination hall. A test paper lay in front of each of them.
Three hundred and sixty questions.
They covered the properties of various medicinal substances from the Land of Wind, specialty medicines from other nations, partial antidote formulation, and even the preparation of medicines using locally sourced ingredients.
The questions were extremely difficult. None of this had ever been taught at the Ninja Academy. Even in the village library, information related to pharmaceuticals seemed deliberately absent—clearly withheld by the Sand's higher-ups.
More than half of the genin present came from ninja clans. Among them were poison users and puppeteers, all of whom had solid foundations in this area. Tsukasa, for instance, immediately began answering at high speed.
Maki observed the entire room carefully.
This so-called D-rank mission was, in truth, a special trial. Another major war was approaching, and these genin would likely be assigned to logistical roles in the future.
These four squads had all been selected for their relatively strong chakra control. Regardless of the outcome, Maki intended to provide them with comprehensive training afterward so they could become useful as soon as possible.
However, the exam was a major disadvantage for the two civilian-born genin.
Their foundation in this area was simply too weak.
Just as Maki turned his gaze toward Shiraishi, he noticed something unexpected.
Shiraishi was writing quickly as well.
The exam paper was mimeographed; the questions were handwritten.
Shiraishi's handwriting was neat and orderly. He knew little about most medicinal materials, but through his special telekinetic perception, he subtly probed the Aida brothers and several weaker genin—observing their writing motions and inferring their answers.
After cross-referencing multiple papers, he filled in his own answers accordingly.
Before long, Shiraishi completed the entire test.
As for Maki, she instinctively wanted to ask Shiraishi for help—only to discover that Tsukasa had already deployed a special chakra-thread mechanism.
A small reflective mirror formed beside her. Through its reflections, Tsukasa discreetly fed her the answers.
At the same time, he produced another mirror that projected his own answers for Shiraishi to see.
Now that Tsukasa had accepted Shiraishi and Maki as his teammates, he would support them without reservation.
After finishing his paper, Shiraishi quickly cross-checked his answers against Tsukasa's.
Looks like I worried for nothing…
Using ninjutsu to cheat skillfully was something Maki didn't object to at all. Whether it was Tsukasa's puppet techniques or Shiraishi's mysterious detection ability, both clearly demonstrated outstanding talent.
The results were obvious.
All twelve genin passed.
Shiraishi, having integrated the responses of the other eleven, achieved the highest overall score. Tsukasa and the Aida brothers also ranked near the top.
Maki had everyone change into special medical uniforms and masks before entering the work area.
"Be extremely careful during the assembly of any medicine here," he warned. "Many of these substances contain lethal toxins. A single mistake can cost all of you your lives."
…Hm?
The moment Shiraishi stepped into the work zone, the lenses on his face emitted a special alert.
Among the dozens of cards he had previously marked in Sunagakure's armory, two had begun to move.
Under normal circumstances, no one visited the armory at this time. According to Shiraishi's monitoring, those cards had remained completely stationary.
Which meant—
Someone had infiltrated the armory and stolen two cards.
Although the ninja of this world couldn't read the skill data contained within the cards, their indestructible material alone made them prized as weapons.
The movement trajectory of the two marked cards didn't leave Sunagakure.
Instead, they headed straight toward the medical research institute.
As the massive doors slowly opened, dozens of staff members in white uniforms came into view.
A strange glint flashed through Shiraishi's eyes.
The cards were still in Sunagakure.
And they were right here.