Back in the Warring States era, there had never been a moment's peace.
Even children born into great shinobi clans like the Senju and Uchiha had no choice but to pick up weapons and begin training at six or seven. Before long, they were thrown into brutal battles where it was kill or be killed.
It was only after Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara joined forces to establish Konoha, and the Five Great Shinobi Villages gradually took shape, that this endless cycle of bloodshed finally came to an end.
Yet peace maintained through sheer force lasted only a few years. It soon ended with the successive deaths of Madara and the First.
During the First Shinobi World War, as the scale of the battlefield expanded, the painful memories of the past resurfaced. To win, the villages had no choice but to return to the old path of militarization.
Director Chosokabe, Director Inoue Hisahide, and Teacher Nara Motonari had mostly entered the war as pillars of support during that era. Having suffered firsthand, they knew all too well what a terrible hell it had been...
By contrast, most of the students, including Soji, had only learned about that grim history from their textbooks. The three youngsters before him were filled with uncertainty and fear about this so-called war.
"Teacher Motonari, are we really going to war?" Sarutobi Erina was the first to ask.
"Sorry, sorry. I suppose I said too much just now?"
"Teacher..."
Nara Motonari laughed awkwardly, but seeing that all three students were listening intently, he decided not to keep anything from them.
"All right, all right. You'll find out sooner or later once we reach the border. Since the higher-ups haven't explicitly ordered me to keep it secret, I don't see any harm in letting you in on a little of it now."
He bent down and beckoned the three of them closer. Then he lowered his voice and continued, "The truth is, as the border clashes have continued to escalate, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind have already clashed several times, openly and in secret, along the Amegakure front. The clashes haven't been on a large scale, and afterward both sides called them accidents, but there have already been casualties."
"I see! So are we going to reinforce the depleted border forces?" Erina unconsciously bit the nail of her left thumb, her expression growing more and more serious.
"That's the official reason. But among the graduates, your abilities are relatively well suited to the battlefield, so there's no need to be so nervous."
"Teacher, you know about me too?"
"Before confirming my assignment to Team Five, I took a look at your files. Still, if you don't mind, it'd be better to hear the details from you yourself, Miss Sarutobi."
"Ah! Of course~"
Putting her worries aside for the moment, Erina playfully made a face and began explaining her strengths to her future teammates. "My name is Sarutobi Erina. I'm good at using kunai, shuriken, and other custom ninja tools I've developed myself~
"As for ninjutsu, I've studied the basics of water, fire, wind, and lightning styles, but I'm only average when it comes to putting them into practice. I hope you'll bear with me~
"That's all!"
Erina saluted the group, her bright, round eyes narrowing into two thin slits. With her customized navy-blue vest and the Forehead Protector tied below her neck, she left a vivid impression as a lively, youthful girl full of energy.
But more than her appearance, what really caught Soji's attention were the many details in what she'd said...
First of all, being good with ninja tools was actually a rare specialty for a Genin who had just graduated from the Academy.
With their limited chakra reserves and physical strength, twelve- or thirteen-year-old children could hardly do anything new with throwing weapons. Unless they had a special Kekkei Genkai to help them, most students' grades in throwing weapons were difficult to distinguish. It was hardly possible to say who was good at it and who wasn't.
Then there was the fact that ninja tools weren't cheap!
Never mind high-value products like Explosive Tags and Flash Tags, which involved Sealing Jutsu. Even ordinary kunai and shuriken cost a fair bit to grind and finish to a standard suitable for actual combat.
During wartime, the village prepared a set allotment of ninja tools for front-line personnel. But for students still attending the Academy, anyone who wanted to practice more had to pay out of pocket and buy supplies from a ninja tool shop...
Soji himself had only gotten a reimbursement allowance through Konoha Hospital after proving his worth through his actions. That was how he'd achieved "unlimited shuriken." Erina had clearly taken a different route.
From those two points, it wasn't hard to conclude that this little girl from the Sarutobi Clan was not only exceptionally talented, but that her parents were probably fairly well-off within the clan. Otherwise, they could hardly have afforded to supply a student with such an expensive hobby...
Of course, that wasn't even the most astonishing part.
According to Erina herself, she wasn't only good at "using" ninja tools; she could also "make" them herself!
Considering the two packs of Flash Tags she'd given Soji and Todo earlier, this little girl even knew some of the tricks of the trade that kept many ninja tool merchants in business...
Those were trade secrets! They couldn't be summed up as simply having money or talent!
With such abundant resources at her disposal, it was clear the Sarutobi Clan, led by the Third Hokage, had high hopes for Erina as she grew up.
Add in her remarkable ability to use four chakra natures, and Soji even suspected that if this woman developed without a hitch, she might well run for Fifth Hokage when the village held its next election...
Even if a teammate like her could offer the boy little help in the short term, the returns on a long-term investment were undoubtedly substantial!
"Being able to use four chakra natures is truly astonishing... But honestly, I'm even more interested in ninja tool modification."
Soji turned slightly, secretly gauging Erina's expression as he adjusted the direction of his flattery.
He noticed that praise for her talent didn't get much of a reaction, but the moment he brought up modifying ninja tools, she showed tremendous interest.
So the shameless Soji immediately seized on what she liked, tailoring his approach and aiming straight for Erina's "weak spot"!
"I used to think the inscriptions on ninja tools were fixed, just like the contents of sealing scrolls. I had no idea there were so many intricacies to them."
"You bet! It's not just the inscriptions, either. Choosing different ways to activate them can affect how all kinds of tags work. Take the most common Explosive Tag, for example. There are four types: chakra-triggered, tag-triggered, contact-triggered, and delayed detonation! For each of these different purposes, just changing a little of the runic pattern can produce..."
"Ahem, Erina, don't get so caught up talking. Come on, come on, try the chef's handiwork."
Perhaps she'd long lacked peers who shared her interests, or perhaps she was simply eager to win over her future teammates now that their squad had just formed.
For a moment, Erina completely forgot the social rule against sharing too much with people she hardly knew. She almost revealed trade secrets to Soji right there in the sushi restaurant!
The speaker hadn't meant any harm, and the listener had no ulterior motives, but if someone overheard them and caused trouble, it would still be a problem for two twelve-year-old Academy graduates.
Fortunately, Nara Motonari interrupted the girl's reckless talk, keeping things under control before she gave anyone cause to criticize them.
As the one involved, the little girl also gradually realized that her careless slip could have dragged her teammate into trouble.
So, to avoid making things worse and causing trouble for the Third Hokage as well, Erina had no choice but to abruptly cut herself off and give Soji an awkward smile.
—Honestly, Soji hadn't thought much of it. Unfortunately, the little rich girl was a stickler for propriety!
To apologize, she took a box of Explosive Tags from under the table and set it beside Soji. At the same time, she discreetly poked the boy in the thigh and used her index and middle fingers to make a begging-for-forgiveness gesture on the tatami.
Then she straightened her fingers and took the initiative to offer the Seal of Reconciliation.
Seeing that, Soji immediately reached out to accept. He didn't hesitate for a second.
It might not have been quite appropriate to say so, but Yamada-kun suddenly felt that, besides getting reimbursed with public funds, he'd found himself a new source of financing!
Before you continue