Team Formation

In the forty-seventh year of Konoha, the winds and sand of the Hidden Sand Village remained as relentless as ever, yet the air was filled with a tension unlike that of the past. Rumors of war lingered like vultures circling overhead, impossible to dispel. News of border skirmishes arrived from time to time, while the number of patrol and reconnaissance missions on the task board had noticeably increased, their ranks quietly rising as well.

Elder Chiyo stood before the window, gazing at the somewhat grim streets outside, her aged eyes heavy with deep contemplation. 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 round of turmoil. In such times, the Hidden Sand Village needed forces that could be thrown into battle immediately.

Her gaze turned toward Shaye, who was diligently training his chakra nature transformation in the courtyard. This child's growth over the past few years could only be called miraculous. Whether in Puppet Technique, ninjutsu, medical knowledge, or Sealing Technique, his theoretical depth and rate of mastery far surpassed those of his peers. In particular, his exquisite chakra control and Magnet Release, which had already begun to take shape, foretold a future without limits.

Yet Chiyo knew well that a theoretical genius was not the same as a battlefield powerhouse. A ninja had to be tempered through trials of blood and fire, life and death. Without the refinement of real combat, without experiencing the baptism of killing and sacrifice, even the most abundant knowledge might crumble before a true crisis. Shaye was already eleven. His physical foundation had become solid, and his chakra had stabilized at the Chunin level. It was time for him to leave this relatively safe shelter and see the true ninja world.

That day, Shaye had just finished a round of Wind Release chakra sharpening training when a messenger from the Anbu silently appeared before him and handed over an order 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 come eventually. 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 talismans, a first-aid kit, and the Big Spider vehicle scroll, cumbersome in appearance but critically important. Once he was prepared, he hurried toward the Fourth Mission Hall.

The atmosphere in the hall was busy and grave. 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 features were stern, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, and he wore the standard Hidden Sand combat uniform, with two long blades crossed on his back. Simply standing there, he naturally radiated the edge of someone tempered by battle, along with the distinctive sharpness of a Wind Release ninja. When he saw Shaye, his gaze briefly paused on the boy's young face, and his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Special Jonin Jing Liang. Wind Release specialist. Team leader." His introduction was extremely concise, carrying unquestionable authority. "You're Shaye? Follow me."

"Yes, Captain Jing Liang. Genin Shaye, skilled in Puppet Technique and Earth Release." Shaye replied calmly, sweeping his gaze toward the other two.

One of them was a girl who looked about his age. Her features were delicate, but her eyes held a trace of undisguised nervousness, and her hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes. "G-Genin Xu. Please take care of me." Her voice was tiny, like that of a startled little animal. She was the most typical sort of newcomer, one who had yet to experience the cruelty of battle.

The other was a relatively burly boy with his arms folded and his chin slightly raised, carrying the scrutinizing arrogance common among clan ninjas. "Genin Lukado. Earth Release specialist." He spoke tersely, his gaze passing over the puppet scroll on Shaye's back as though he had some reservations about just how skilled Shaye truly was.

Jing Liang took in the reactions of all three. This was a hastily assembled team with mixed backgrounds—a captain who needed to enforce strict discipline, a timid newcomer, a clan youth who might not obey orders, and a young puppeteer specially inserted by the higher-ups, whose abilities were unknown.

"Mission details on the way." Jing Liang did not waste a single word, his tone firm and decisive. "Remember, 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-man team shot out of the mission hall like arrows loosed 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 sand-laden wind batter his face, his gaze calm and resolute.

The period of accumulating theory had ended. The true path of a ninja—a road covered in thorns, blood, and dust—now stretched forward beneath his feet.

(End of Chapter)