Departure

After briefly explaining the key points of the Great Breakthrough to the two of them, Shiro brought them back. After all, it was not the right time to discuss such things. Things over there were nearly ready, and it would not do to keep the elders waiting on the juniors.

When Shiro and the others returned, Might Guy had just arrived as well.

"Big Brother Shiro." The moment Might Guy saw Shiro, he immediately stood up to greet him.

"Uh, Guy, relax. You don't need to be so formal."

"Yes, Big Brother Shiro."

"Haah... forget it. Whatever makes you happy. Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Okita, and this is his girlfriend, Saori. Okita, this is Might Guy. Just call him Guy. He's my friend too."

"By the way, Guy, you're entering school next year, right?"

"Yeah, I'm preparing for enrollment."

"Then you guys chat for a bit. Okita and the others are at the Ninja Academy too. You should still be in school next year, right?"

"Yeah, we still have another year before graduation."

"Then that makes things easy. Guy, if you need anything then, just go to Okita. This kid's pretty capable and can handle most ordinary troubles. You guys talk; I'm going to help out."

As an upstanding young man of the new era who had received nine years of compulsory education and learned the 24-Character Mantra from childhood, Shiro could not bring himself to play around while the elders worked nearby.

So Shiro decisively went to help. If they would not let him cook, then surely he could carry a few dishes.

In short, he stubbornly forced his way in to help. Otherwise, Shiro would feel too guilty about it.

In reality, though, there was not much left for him to do. Keiko and the others had already handled almost everything, and Shiro merely carried the food out.

"Shiro, go call your father and your Uncle Jiro."

"Okay."

"Dad, Uncle, the food's ready. Come eat."

"Alright, we're coming. Let's go, Jiro. It wouldn't be good to keep the children waiting too long."

"Mm, let's go. We'll talk again tomorrow."

With that, the two got up and headed toward the courtyard.

Incidentally, Shiro's father, Makoto, and Jiro worked at the same organization. Whenever they had time, they gathered to talk about work. By now, it had become their hobby.

Once they reached the courtyard, Jiro spoke while the barbecue was still cooking. "Okita, your graduation exam is next year. Have you prepared for it?"

"Don't worry, Dad. I'm confident I could pass the graduation exam already. It's just that Big Brother Shiro said it's still too early and told me to stay at the academy for another year to build a stronger foundation."

"Hmph. I don't think it's because of your Big Brother Shiro, is it? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" Jiro glanced at Saori before continuing. "Of course, I'm not against you two being together. But you need to keep up your training too!"

Before Okita and the others could say anything, Nanako exploded. "Will you stop nagging already?! You bring this up every time the kids come over. You might not be tired of it, but I am! Besides, they haven't neglected their training!"

"Sigh, I was just advising them. Why are you getting so worked up?"

"They don't need your advice! Okita will train properly!"

"Exactly, Jiro. You should be happy. At least this child has his future settled, and he hasn't neglected his training either. Unlike our Shiro—his strength has improved, but he still has nothing going for him in that regard. This brat doesn't know how to put in some effort!" As she spoke, Keiko shot Shiro a glare.

...Wasn't this about Okita? How did it end up on me?

Shiro, who had been sipping tea and watching the show, looked at his mother in complete bewilderment.

"What are you looking at? You never give me any peace of mind!"

Peace of mind? So in your eyes, only a perverted lolicon counts as reassuring? If that's the case, then forgive me, but I can't do it. Lolis are heresy! Mature women are the true path!

Just as Shiro's thoughts began wandering out of habit, Keiko's nagging reminded him that he needed to end this topic quickly.

Luckily, the barbecue was ready, so Shiro said, "Uh, Mom, I get it. Let's eat first, or it won't taste as good later."

How could Keiko not know that Shiro was changing the subject? Still, it really was not the right time to discuss this, so she let him off.

After spending some time together, the relationship between Okita and Guy visibly improved. After all, bonds grew fastest at the dinner table. That was wisdom passed down by their ancestors.

As long as there was no major difference in worldview, that principle worked anywhere.

The barbecue gathering did not last long. Shiro had a mission to leave for tomorrow, so after eating a little, everyone went home to rest.

Of course, as usual, Shiro trained for a while before going to sleep. Training was something that required persistence. Even Shirou Emiya, who possessed twenty-seven Magic Circuits and a powerful Origin, had trained for decades before achieving such dazzling accomplishments.

After all, without the boost of fame, he had still been able to fight Cu Chulainn—the Lancer of the Fifth Holy Grail War and Ireland's Child of Light—to a standstill. That alone was enough to prove his strength.

So Shiro, who could currently only barely use Projection on C-rank Noble Phantasms, was still far from that level. It was not yet time for him to slack off.

The next morning, Shiro did not disturb his father, mother, or the others. He quietly left for the village entrance to gather with his team.

As expected, Shikaki was once again the last one to arrive.

After Shikaki arrived, Nakamura led them to a corner to discuss this mission.

"Our main mission this time is still to hunt down rogue ninja. However, they're only around Chunin level. There are just a lot of them, so this time, once you find a target, I require you to kill them on your own!"

"That won't be a problem, but Captain, why are there so many rogue ninja? Our village shouldn't produce this many rogue ninja." Shiro frowned as he asked.

Shikaki and Taichi also looked at Nakamura. Clearly, they were curious about that too.

After all, Konoha was the strongest ninja village. Even if some rogue ninja existed, there should not be this many. Shiro and the others had hunted rogue ninja on their previous mission, and this time it was the same—and there was more than one!

So it was only natural for Shiro and the others to have doubts.

Nakamura was not surprised by this. If they had failed to notice such a thing, that would have been a serious problem.

He immediately explained, "They aren't just rogue ninja from our village. Ninja from other countries are also causing trouble under that name. They are the main targets of this purge. As for our village's rogue ninja, a specialized unit is already handling them."

"Therefore, this mission will be rather demanding. Besides purging them, we're also responsible for clearing out the bandits and mountain brigands along the way."

"Ahh, what a pain."

"Otherwise, why do you think you were able to train so leisurely before, Shikaki?"

"Sigh... if I'd known, I would've come back earlier."

"Alright, stop complaining and get your spirits up. This time, we're going to teach those guys a harsh lesson! They're a defeated country, yet they still dare act so arrogant! We need to let them know how terrifying Konoha is!"