Midway through Year 45 of Konoha's calendar, as the date of the Joint Chūnin Exams drew closer, the strength of the students trained by Shiraishi began to emerge with increasing clarity in the compiled reports.
After the final round of evaluations, Shiraishi confirmed three hundred genin graduation slots.
It was an astonishing number.
In Sunagakure's history, there had never been a year in which three hundred genin graduated at once. The sheer scale immediately sparked doubt among many high-ranking officials, who began questioning the overall quality of these graduates.
The Yamaji clan, in particular, expressed strong dissatisfaction toward both Kazekage Rasa and the Elder Council.
Three hundred graduates in a single batch, while the newly established elite academy had produced fewer than ten graduates in its inaugural class.
Among them was even the so-called "criminal's son,"Morimoto Ryōji.
"This many graduating genin will only dilute Sunagakure's educational standards," Yamaji Ryōko stated coldly during the council meeting. "I propose cutting the number by at least half."
Her words immediately triggered fierce opposition from Chiyo and Ebizō.
Since the death of Yamaji Jushin, Ryōko had replaced her mother as a seat-holder at the high council table—and ever since, she had consistently stirred trouble. This time, she had gone straight for the genin graduation quota.
That quota had already been negotiated and finalized between the Elder Council and the Kazekage.
Although this year's numbers were unusually high, future intakes were already planned to favor the elite academy. The agreement had been a mutual concession.
Now, she was overturning it.
She had crossed a line.
"You haven't even seen the strength of these children," Chiyo said coldly, her voice sharp as ice. "And yet you dare pass judgment?"
"Then why not hold a simple evaluation?" Ryōko shot back. "Let our academy's graduates spar with theirs."
Rasa frowned deeply.
Ebizō, however, narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly.
"If that's the case," he said calmly, "does that mean your academy is also willing to send a proper number of genin to the Joint Chūnin Exams?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ryōko snapped.
Chiyo cut in instantly.
"Then shut your mouth."
Her eyes were icy. Her chakra surged into a combat-ready state. Ebizō stood beside her, fully supporting her stance.
The atmosphere turned murderous in an instant.
Faced with the pressure of two Kage-level veterans, Ryōko's face flushed.
"You—"
"Do you really believe the Yamaji clan could withstand the two of us?" Chiyo said flatly.
The Yamaji were a great clan—but Chiyo and Ebizō were the last surviving pillars of Sunagakure's founding generation.
Ryōko, a junior, dared to provoke them openly?
When her mother was still alive, others had exercised restraint. But now, as clan head, if she continued sowing internal discord, Chiyo and Ebizō would not hesitate to erase the Yamaji clan from Sunagakure entirely.
In the shinobi world, systems and councils existed—but strength was the final authority.
Ryōko had broken the unspoken rules first.
Killing intent and chakra pressure were unmistakably real.
Rasa and Arakawa Akita immediately stepped between them.
"Ryōko, apologize to the Elders. Now."
"But I—"
"Enough!" Rasa barked.
Sensing the danger, Akita also hurriedly urged his niece to stop antagonizing the Elder Council.
The meeting ended in bitter discord.
Although Ryōko's proposal was forcefully rejected, the damage was done—cracks had formed within Sunagakure's upper ranks.
At the same time—
On a Sunagakure training ground, Shiraishi, dressed in a teal-green coat, stood calmly at the center with his arms crossed.
From three directions, Hoshino Mai, Nagase Bizen, and Morimoto Ryōji surrounded their teacher, ready to strike at any moment.
They had been assigned to the same squad upon graduation and personally trained by Shiraishi. Daily combat simulation was mandatory.
Shiraishi raised one hand slightly.
The instant they saw the gesture, all three genin retreated.
Long-term sparring had taught them exactly what followed that stance.
A deafening explosion erupted.
Countless wind blades burst outward in all directions.
Shiraishi's Multi-Whirlwind Blade was far more refined than before—its sweeping arcs left no room for escape.
The three genin drew their weapons to defend—
—and in that moment, pale-blue mental force erupted from Shiraishi's body, surging straight toward Nagase Bizen at extreme speed.
Nagase gripped his sword.
Unlike their first encounter—when he could barely draw his blade—his will and strength now condensed into a single point.
As Shiraishi closed in, Nagase drew.
One strike.
The slash tore through the raging wind.
Whirlwind Blade!
A similar technique erupted from the sword, cutting open a powerful wind corridor.
Shiraishi responded instantly, forming his own Whirlwind Blade to dissolve the attack.
The three genin were improving rapidly—
—but so was Shiraishi.
His control and release of Whirlwind Blade had advanced an entire tier since before, allowing him to repeatedly suppress all three.
As Nagase's attack faded, Hoshino Mai's massive bull-headed moon glaive crashed down from behind.
Shiraishi raised his free hand.
A Triangular Sand Tower formed instantly.
With a thunderous impact, the glaive was caught—its momentum bound by interlocking sand structures.
Shiraishi's self-created Triangular Sand Tower Technique had matured greatly since its inception. Dozens of triangular constructs spread outward, forming a dense mental-force network.
Through it, Morimoto Ryōji advanced steadily.
"Wind Release: Whirlwind Blade!"
A razor-sharp wind slash cut through the air.
Compared to the others, Morimoto's control was more refined—he skillfully used air currents to re-condense the blade for a secondary strike.
Throughout the fight, the three genin pressed the attack relentlessly.
Shiraishi focused on evasion and defense, sharpening their combat instincts and battlefield awareness with every exchange.
When the match ended, the three stood panting.
Shiraishi stepped forward and produced several small, unfamiliar items.
"The Joint Chūnin Exams hosted by Iwagakure will take place in the Keiji Mountain Range," he said. "These are tools I prepared specifically for that environment—Lightning Sigils. They will effectively suppress Iwa shinobi."
The Lightning Sigil was originally a lightning-style module used in advanced puppet mechanisms, capable of granting short bursts of lightning-based power.
Shiraishi had modified the design, separating it into a standalone device.
Once embedded into their weapons, it would significantly increase lethality against Iwagakure forces.
After all—
Most Iwa shinobi were earth-based.
And Lightning Release was their natural enemy.
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