Shiraishi's learning ability continued to rise.
The core reason was the steady increase in his mental strength. As his spiritual capacity expanded, his stamina and focus became increasingly abundant. At the same time, during the process of absorbing massive amounts of knowledge, his telekinesis was unintentionally strengthened as well.
Compared to High-Speed Movement at 40% proficiency and Treasure-Gathering Technique at 35%, Shiraishi's telekinesis had already surged to 85% proficiency.
As for Iai Slash, after relentless training, it finally reached 100% proficiency.
The moment that threshold was crossed, the system within Shiraishi's glasses reacted.
Three new skill branches connected to Iai Slash appeared clearly before his eyes.
Shiraishi silently noted their names:
Whirlwind Blade.
Sword Dance.
Cleave.
Among the three, Cleave lay directly along the main progression line from Iai Slash, representing the most orthodox and straightforward enhancement path.
Unfortunately, that particular card was located within the Land of Hot Water—and its marker was moving.
Which meant the card had already been acquired by someone else.
The two branching skills were far more interesting.
Whirlwind Blade was an exceptionally versatile technique. According to the system's description, it could be released not only through sword slashes, but even with bare-handed swings. Its destructive power was comparable to a B-rank Wind Release ninjutsu.
Most importantly, the card's location was within the Land of Wind.
Specifically, in the Revelation Mountain Range, an area notorious for bandits.
With war approaching, Sunagakure had begun accelerating the training of its current batch of genin. One of the most common and effective methods to improve combat readiness was to dispatch them on large-scale bandit suppression missions.
On one hand, this cleared out roaming bandits, wandering samurai, and small groups of missing-nin within the country.
On the other hand, it forced Genin to rapidly adapt to real, life-and-death combat.
The final branching skill, Sword Dance, was a transformation-type technique.
According to its description, it enhanced the user's physical power. The precise nature of that amplification was still unclear, but its potential value was extremely high.
The card for Sword Dance was located near Kikyō Mountain.
It wasn't moving.
Which meant Shiraishi couldn't determine whether it had already been claimed. Only by going there in person would he know.
With Iai Slash fully mastered, Shiraishi shifted his focus toward further developing telekinesis. Compared to its weak and limited state at the beginning, his current sensing range had expanded dramatically—and his outward-projected telekinesis could now be used for basic offensive actions.
Not long after, Pakura prepared to depart for Kikyō Mountain.
During this period, including Team Nineteen, four genin squads were grouped together under Maki's command to carry out bandit suppression operations within the Land of Wind.
Teams Nineteen, Fourteen, Twelve, and Eleven formed a combined unit.
Each team had its own leader.
And for this mission, Shiraishi was appointed the temporary leader of Team Nineteen.
Maki laid out numerous bandit distribution maps and mission scrolls on the table.
Shiraishi reacted quickly, reaching for tasks located near the Revelation Mountain Range—
But before his hand could settle, a chakra thread suddenly shot out from nowhere and wrapped tightly around his arm.
Someone was deliberately trying to trip him up.
Shiraishi didn't even look surprised.
A faint ripple of telekinetic force spread from his fingertips, entwining the chakra thread—and then reversing control.
A soft cry rang out.
A young female genin let out a startled scream, her face pale with fear.
With a light flick of his finger, Shiraishi tightened the control.
"He—he's using chakra threads to control me!" a genin from Team Eleven shouted in shock.
Instantly, Team Eleven fell into chaos.
Most of the female genin in that team lacked real combat experience. Having their chakra threads suddenly seized and reversed sent them into complete disarray.
The earlier attack on Shiraishi had been purely emotional.
That girl had been Chiyuki's closest friend.
And just yesterday, she had received news of Kitajima's death at the border.
Seeing Shiraishi acting as if nothing had happened was intolerable to her. She had intended to teach him a lesson with chakra threads.
"Shiraishi," a cold voice cut in, "is this all you can do—playing tricks like this?"
Unlike the panicking Team Eleven, a young ninja from Team Twelve stepped forward. A chakra scalpel flashed in his hand, cleanly severing the chakra thread. His eyes were sharp and hostile.
Shirogaki Tsukasa and Maki immediately moved to Shiraishi's side.
Tsukasa recognized the man at once.
Arakawa Matsumaru—one of the most outstanding graduates from the previous year, already promoted to chūnin.
Arakawa had never liked Shiraishi.
Kitajima's death had already pushed him to the edge of restraint. Seeing Shiraishi retaliate against his teammate finally drove him to step forward.
In his eyes, this arrogant junior needed to be taught a lesson.
There was no need for explanations.
Shiraishi calmly withdrew the reversed chakra thread, ignored Arakawa's gaze entirely, and continued collecting missions related to the Revelation Mountain Range.
Maki remained completely unmoved—like an old monk in meditation—pretending not to see the conflict at all.
That indifference was the final spark.
Arakawa Matsumaru lunged forward, turning into a gust of wind—
And in the next instant, Maki opened his eyes.
He appeared in front of Arakawa and slammed a hand down onto his shoulder, stopping him cold.
"Maki-sensei—"
"Shut up."
At the moment Arakawa moved to attack Shiraishi, Maki had sensed something dangerous.
The subtle killing intent.
The perfectly formed draw stance.
Combined with the ANBU records of Shiraishi's sword training—
Maki was certain of one thing.
If Arakawa continued, he would be the one at a disadvantage.
Unaware that he had just narrowly avoided being cut down, Arakawa stared coldly at the departing Team Nineteen trio.
Shiraishi quietly slid his silver blade back into its sheath.
He didn't spare Arakawa another glance.
Compared to Chiyuki and Kitajima, this senior's strength felt… lacking. He had powerful chakra, yes—but fought like a brute. How he had mastered the chakra scalpel at all was a mystery.
According to the system map, aside from the Whirlwind Blade card, several other cards were scattered throughout the surrounding area.
"…Your draw was way too fast just now," Tsukasa muttered. "I couldn't even react."
He felt genuinely helpless watching Shiraishi's growth. This guy was becoming more and more like a pure close-combat specialist. That draw speed was terrifying.
If Maki-sensei hadn't suppressed Shiraishi's blade in time, Arakawa would have suffered badly.
"So violent… all of you," Maki huffed.
She clenched her small fists and glared at Arakawa's group, striking a pose that clearly meant If you bully our Shiraishi again, I'll beat you up.
Unfortunately, with her expression and gestures, it carried no intimidation whatsoever.
Instead, it looked… adorably fierce.
The tense atmosphere instantly dissolved.
Faced with such a "ferocious" little girl, even Arakawa couldn't summon his anger. He retreated begrudgingly, choosing not to provoke Shiraishi again—for now.
Three months later…
On the eastern side of the Revelation Mountain Range, Shiraishi's team had, through sustained cooperation, cleared most of the bandit groups in the region.
During this period, all three members grew rapidly through constant combat. Three months of mountain operations forged their coordination and significantly raised their strength.
Shiraishi's card collection also progressed smoothly.
He obtained four cards in total—including Whirlwind Blade.
At this stage, his card-hunting temporarily came to an end. The remaining cards would be far harder to obtain.
However, among the final four cards, aside from the already-locked Whirlwind Blade, the other three skills were… extremely strange.
The first of them could only be trained by a female ninja.
Shiraishi couldn't even begin to light up its proficiency.
Its name was—
Drink Milk.