In Konoha Year 47, Sunagakure's winds and sand remained unchanged, but the air was filled with a tension unlike that of ordinary days. Rumors of war lingered like vultures circling overhead, impossible to dispel. Reports of border clashes came in from time to time, while the number of patrol and reconnaissance missions on the assignment board had visibly increased, their ranks quietly rising as well.
Elder Chiyo stood by the window, looking out at the somewhat desolate streets. Deep contemplation rested in her aged eyes. As one of the village's senior decision-makers, she could sense better than anyone that the Ninja World was slipping toward the brink of a new wave of turmoil. In times like these, what Sunagakure needed was strength that could be sent into battle immediately.
Her gaze fell upon Shaye, who was diligently training his chakra shape transformation in the courtyard. The child's growth over the past few years could only be called miraculous. Whether in Puppet Technique, ninjutsu, medical knowledge, or Sealing Technique, the depth of his theory and the speed at which he mastered them far surpassed his peers. In particular, his exquisite chakra control and the Magnet Release that had begun to take shape both foretold a future of limitless potential.
However, Chiyo knew well that a genius of theory was not necessarily a powerhouse on the battlefield. A ninja could only truly be forged through trials of blood and fire, life and death. Without the tempering of actual combat, without experiencing the baptism of killing and sacrifice, even the richest knowledge might crumble before a true crisis. Shaye was already eleven years old. His physical foundation was solid, and his chakra had stabilized at Chunin level. It was time for him to leave this relatively safe shelter and see the true Ninja World.
That day, just as Shaye finished a round of Wind Release chakra sharpening training, a messenger from the ANBU silently appeared before him and handed him a command scroll stamped with a red seal.
"Genin Shaye, you are ordered to report to the Fourth Mission Hall immediately. You have been temporarily assigned to Team Sandstorm for a border reconnaissance mission."
Shaye accepted the scroll, his heart tightening before understanding dawned on him. What was coming would always come. He felt no fear; instead, anticipation stirred within him. He needed practice to test what he had learned and real missions to temper himself.
He quickly returned to his cabin and carefully checked his equipment: the improved Spider reconnaissance puppet, several specially made smoke bombs and trap tags, a first-aid kit, and the Big Spider vehicle scroll, which looked cumbersome but was critically important. Once everything was ready, he hurried toward the Fourth Mission Hall.
The atmosphere inside the hall was busy yet solemn. Shaye soon spotted his temporary teammates in the designated area.
The leader was a capable-looking male ninja around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. His face was stern, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, and he wore standard Sunagakure combat gear with two long swords crossed over his back. Simply standing there, he naturally exuded the keen edge of someone tempered by battle, along with the particular sharpness of a Wind Release ninja. When he saw Shaye, his gaze paused briefly on the boy's young face, and his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Special Jonin Jing Liang. Wind Release specialist. Team captain." His introduction was exceedingly brief, carrying unquestionable authority. "You're Shaye? Come with me."
"Yes, Captain Jing Liang. Genin Shaye, skilled in Puppet Technique and Earth Release." Shaye answered calmly, his gaze sweeping over the other two.
One of them was a girl who appeared to be around his age. She had delicate features, but her eyes held a trace of undisguised nervousness, and her hands unconsciously clutched at the hem of her clothes. "G-Genin Xu. Please take care of me." Her voice was quiet, like that of a frightened little animal. She was the most typical kind of newcomer, one who had yet to experience the cruelty of battle.
The other was a relatively sturdy teenage boy. With his arms folded and chin slightly raised, he carried the appraising arrogance often seen in clan ninjas. "Genin Lukado. Earth Release specialist." He was concise, his gaze passing over the puppet scroll on Shaye's back as though he had reservations about just how skilled Shaye truly was.
Jing Liang took in the reactions of all three. This was a temporary team cobbled together from entirely different backgrounds—one captain who needed to enforce strict discipline, one timid newcomer, one clan brat who might refuse to obey, and one young puppeteer specially placed into the team by the higher-ups, whose true abilities were unknown.
"We'll go over the mission details on the way." Jing Liang did not waste a single word, his tone firm and decisive. "Remember this: from now on, we are one unit. My orders must be carried out without question. Any individual action could get everyone killed. Understood?"
"Understood!" the three answered in unison, though the confidence in their voices varied.
"Move out!"
At Jing Liang's command, the four-person team shot out of the mission hall like arrows released from a bow, plunging into the vast and unknown world of wind and sand beyond the village.
Shaye followed at the rear of the group, feeling the coarse windblown sand lash against his face. His gaze was calm and resolute.
The period of theoretical accumulation was over. The true path of a ninja—a road strewn with thorns, blood, and dust—now stretched forward beneath his feet.
(End of Chapter)
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