Chaos Begins

Konoha Year 47. Several years had passed since the end of the Second Shinobi World War. On the surface, the Ninja World maintained a fragile peace as the Five Great Nations licked their wounds and recovered their strength. Yet beneath that seemingly calm façade, undercurrents had long been surging.

Nearly ten years of relative peace had greatly weakened the Five Great Nations' absolute control over the surrounding smaller countries and regions. A vacuum of power inevitably bred ambition and turmoil. Friction between nations grew increasingly frequent. In the struggle for resources, territory, and strategic strongholds, small-scale conflicts and proxy wars quietly played out across the Ninja World. The great nations openly or covertly courted, supported, and even directly oppressed smaller countries, dragging them into the whirlpool of their own interests. The people of those smaller nations groaned with resentment, their anger steadily building.

At last, quantitative change gave rise to qualitative change. The accumulated conflicts were like a barrel of dry gunpowder, needing only a single spark to ignite the entire world.

The flames of the Third Shinobi World War inevitably erupted in full. What began as increasingly intense border skirmishes quickly escalated into open declarations of war and large-scale military clashes between the great nations. Like a plague, the flames spread rapidly, sweeping across the entire Ninja World and dragging countless people and nations back into the bloody meat grinder.

Sunagakure, a village that had only just begun to recover from the wounds of the Second Shinobi World War, was once again shrouded beneath the clouds of war. Patrol, guard, and reconnaissance missions on the task board increased sharply, and the atmosphere abruptly turned tense and grim. Reports of attacks along the Land of Wind's borders also arrived from time to time.

The storm of war was already at hand.

Yet for Shaye, who had immersed himself in training and growth, the past two-plus years had been a golden period of complete transformation.

Under Elder Chiyo's wholehearted guidance, his progress had been visible to the naked eye, advancing by leaps and bounds.

His Puppet Technique had long surpassed basic construction. He had begun delving into composite structures, advanced energy circuit embedding, and the theory of coordinated control over multiple puppets, while also seeking Sasori's advice on countless practical combat techniques.

As for Medical Ninjutsu, though limited by his chakra nature—he did not primarily possess Yang Release—and the amount of chakra he had, preventing him from using advanced healing techniques, his theoretical foundation was incomparably solid. His understanding of the human body's structure, chakra pathways, and toxins far surpassed that of ordinary medical ninja. In particular, he had developed unique insights into guiding internal energy by combining Medical Ninjutsu with Sealing Technique.

His study of Sealing Formulae had advanced even more rapidly. Under Bunpuku's meticulous instruction and Shukaku's "sharp-tongued sparring," he could already understand and preliminarily construct many complex advanced Barrier Ninjutsu and Sealing Formulae, laying a solid foundation for future upgrades to his Puppet Core and Body Refining Furnace.

Wind Release and Earth Release were also the focus of his training. Chunin-level chakra allowed him to sustain the consumption of more powerful techniques, while his exceptional control made his ninjutsu remarkably concentrated and efficient. Whether it was Earth Release's defense and manipulation or Wind Release's cutting power and speed, both had become quite formidable, forming a unique combat style.

The foundation of it all came from the Body Refining Furnace's unceasing nourishment. Over the past two years, he had never stopped improving the Body Refining Furnace and Puppet Core. Though upgrades came slowly due to limitations in materials and knowledge, the results were tangible. His physical foundation had been further stabilized and strengthened, while the speed and quality of his chakra refinement steadily improved.

The most obvious outward change was that Shaye had begun to shoot up. His former short, frail appearance gradually changed, and his height increased noticeably. Though he remained somewhat lean, his body had become well-proportioned and upright, his muscle lines smooth yet filled with strength. There was no longer the slightest trace of his former congenital weakness. The childish roundness faded from his face, revealing the handsome contours of a young man. His black eyes grew ever deeper and calmer, and the occasional sharp glint within them made others reluctant to underestimate him.

Of all his training, however, the most difficult yet most exhilarating progress came from his research and development of Magnet Release.

After countless failures, adjustments, and renewed attempts, relying on his profound understanding of Wind and Earth nature transformations and his meticulous chakra control, he had finally achieved a breakthrough!

At that moment, in the clearing behind his small house, Shaye held his breath and focused. He extended his right hand, palm facing upward, as the chakra within his body circulated and fused in an unprecedentedly complex manner. A wisp of mist, glimmering with a faint silver-black light and seemingly formed from countless minuscule metal grains, slowly gathered and swirled above his palm.

It was no longer a simple chakra shape transformation. It emanated a unique magnetic fluctuation!

Shaye's gaze sharpened, and the cluster of Magnet Release chakra in his palm trembled slightly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several training shuriken scattered across the ground seemed to be pulled by invisible hands. They shot into the air and clung tightly to the silver-black chakra mist!

Although it lasted only a few seconds before the Magnet Release chakra collapsed from being too difficult to sustain, sending the shuriken clattering back to the ground, this brief phenomenon undoubtedly marked Shaye's successful entry through the gates of Kekkei Genkai!

Magnet Release had shown its first results!

Shaye looked at the scattered shuriken and slowly clenched his fist, his heart filled with excitement and lofty ambition. More than two years of bitter cultivation, sweat, and perseverance had finally borne its sweetest fruit.

But just then, a rapid ringing of bells suddenly came from the center of the village, shattering the morning's tranquility. That was... the signal for an emergency assembly!

Shaye raised his head toward the direction of the bells, his brows drawing together slightly. The storm of war was finally going to sweep even this haven where he had grown into its midst.

His peaceful days of training might soon come to an end.

(End of Chapter)