According to its description, Drink Milk was actually a very solid healing-type skill. Unfortunately, it was restricted to female ninja only. With no way to activate it himself, Shiraishi decisively set it aside.
The remaining two cards, however, were what truly mattered.
Their colors were completely unlike anything he had seen before.
So far, among all the cards Shiraishi had obtained—excluding the blue Flamethrower and Sword Dance—the rest had been white or green. White and green cards unlocked quickly. Blue cards took noticeably longer.
But these two were different.
One of them had a purple-edged frame, its internal pattern strongly resembling the Psychic-type icon—very similar in nature to Telekinesis. By now, Shiraishi had more or less identified the system's attribute symbols: fire, water, earth, wind, and psychic.
Yet the other card—
The golden one—
Contained an entirely unfamiliar symbol.
A brand-new structure of power.
From the moment he obtained it, Shiraishi had been continuously supplying chakra to this golden card. Six full days had passed, and the progress bar still had not completed.
What he had gained was exhaustion.
A massive drain on his chakra.
And yet, the more difficult it was to unlock, the more anticipation burned in Shiraishi's heart. Whatever lay within this golden card was clearly on an entirely different level from the rest.
In the meantime, the Whirlwind Blade—the green-bordered card—had already entered active training.
After countless real battles during bandit suppression missions, Shiraishi had grown increasingly adept at channeling Wind Release chakra through his silver blade.
It was a simple technique in principle—coating the weapon in wind chakra—but the result was terrifying. The blade's sharpness multiplied severalfold. With a single swing, even a thick, rugged tree could be cleanly severed.
"Shiraishi, you've looked terrible these past few days."
Shirogaki Tsukasa frowned as he studied his teammate. Shiraishi's complexion had been pale for a while now. At first glance, it looked like overexertion from constant combat and excessive chakra consumption.
But that didn't quite add up.
Most of Shiraishi's fighting relied on taijutsu. His chakra usage in battle wasn't that high. So why did he look so drained?
By the time Team Nineteen returned to the mission handover point near the Revelation Mountain Range, other genin squads who had participated in the suppression campaign were also arriving one after another—including the three teams that had been assigned to the same region as them.
Maki remained responsible for internal security—handling domestic bandits and missing-nin—while Pakura was stationed at Kikyō Mountain, dealing with external threats.
Sunagakure had now committed nearly ten thousand ninja to the war effort.
More than six thousand were deployed at Kikyō Mountain. Over a thousand elite ANBU operated covertly beyond the borders. The remaining two thousand-plus were mostly genin.
Some of these genin were far from young—thirty, even forty years old. Their strength was mediocre, but as the war approached, even these older genin would be sent to the front lines.
Domestic missions were now being carried largely by a handful of jōnin and batches of genin who had graduated within the past three or four years.
Shiraishi and Tsukasa noticed Arakawa's group among the gathered teams.
Compared to before, their aura had changed completely.
There was a faint scent of blood clinging to them.
They had killed.
As Team Nineteen stepped into the mission hall, they immediately drew attention. The atmosphere subtly sharpened. Several genin looked at Shiraishi with open hostility—some even radiating killing intent.
The tension between Team Nineteen and the other three teams was no secret. Still, under village regulations, both sides restrained themselves.
Under those cold gazes, Shiraishi and Tsukasa calmly walked forward and handed in their mission reports. Maki remained alert but composed—nervous, yet far from panicking.
"The bandit suppression missions were mostly C-rank and D-rank," Maki said evenly. "Over the past three months, your efficiency has been good. From this point on, you'll be assigned higher-difficulty missions."
The tasks previously assigned had targeted relatively easy bandit concentrations. Now that a selected group of genin had been tempered through real combat, Sunagakure decided to raise the stakes.
In wartime, the methods used to temper genin were often ruthless—bordering on forcing growth.
But the upside was rapid promotion.
The genin were visibly excited.
After three months of sweeping operations, most domestic bandits had already been driven out. And frankly, the bandits themselves had been weak—mostly ordinary people. Even the so-called leaders possessed nothing more than crude chakra tricks.
The second phase of missions would be carried out by combined units, based on Maki's earlier assignments.
Teams Nineteen, Fourteen, Twelve, and Eleven were grouped together as the Fifteenth Detachment.
Their objective: the Quicksand Ravine.
The bandits there were no longer ordinary criminals.
They were a large force composed primarily of missing-nin.
Three of their leaders had once been chūnin of Sunagakure. Beneath them were several hundred armed followers, forming one of the largest bandit groups in the southern Land of Wind.
The southern region was an expanse of desolate desert. Aside from traveling merchants, it was dominated by roaming missing-nin.
Sunagakure had received reliable intelligence: the group was currently hiding in a base within Quicksand Ravine.
Thus, the mission was issued.
"Shiraishi," Maki said calmly, "you will serve as the commander of the Fifteenth Detachment."
Arakawa's expression changed instantly.
He had never imagined that Maki would choose this brat as detachment leader.
Arakawa took a step forward—
Then froze.
Maki's cold gaze locked onto him. Sweat immediately broke out on Arakawa's forehead.
Shiraishi's swordsmanship had grown increasingly lethal. Not only Maki, but even the higher-ups of Sunagakure had begun paying close attention to this civilian-born genin's potential.
This mission was a test.
Accepting the assignment, Shiraishi quickly memorized the terrain and layout of Quicksand Ravine and began planning the operation.
And at that exact moment—
The progress bar in his glasses has finally been completed.
The golden-patterned card dissolved into dull metal.
Within the system interface, a golden card slowly revealed itself.
Shiraishi's pupils contracted.
Initial slot.
It was placed in the initial position.
That alone was shocking.
Previously, both Telekinesis and High-Speed Movement had been white cards occupying that slot. Now, a golden card had taken that position.
Attribute classification:
Sage-type.
Initial proficiency is locked at 70%.
Training was impossible unless the user mastered natural energy.
At present, only the remaining 30% could be cultivated.
Strictly speaking, this was not a ninjutsu at all.
It was closer to an innate ability—something akin to a foundational bloodline trait.
And yet—
Even that mere thirty percent was enough to leave Shiraishi shaken to his core.
So this… was the power of a gold card.