Reconstruction in Sunagakure began in full swing once the wind and sand had eased.
Shira's body recovered quickly after he had pushed it beyond its limits. His breakthrough to the Seven Heavens Breathing Method Second Activation had not only brought him strength, but also greatly enhanced his ability to recover.
After helping his parents clear the sand from the front of their shop, he did not rush into high-intensity activation training. Instead, he chose a more basic way to consolidate his progress. At a relatively secluded training ground on the edge of the village, he practiced the most basic physical exercises and horse stance, letting his body carefully register the subtle changes that came with his increased strength and solidifying his foundation.
Sweat ran down his temples as he held his horse stance, breathing steadily and deeply. He felt the faint tremors in his muscles and the solid ground beneath him. The setting sun stretched his shadow far across the sand.
Just then, faint footsteps approached from a distance.
Shira controlled his breathing and slowly relaxed his stance before turning to look. A tall, slender female ninja stood at the entrance to the training ground.
The glow of the setting sun outlined her profile, and for a moment Shira's mind wandered. The purple markings on her face and the general shape of her features reminded him at once of the Konoha girl Obito Uchiha had always secretly loved, Rin Nohara.
But he immediately came to his senses and took a closer look. It was not her.
The newcomer had neat, short brown hair and wore a Sunagakure Forehead Protector. Her gaze was calm, with a trace of reminiscence in it, as she silently looked over the training ground. Her bearing was entirely different from Rin's gentleness, quieter and more reserved.
"Sorry for interrupting your training," the female ninja said when she saw Shira looking at her. Her voice was clear and calm.
"It's all right, senior," Shira replied respectfully, wondering why she had come.
"My name is Maki. I'm a Chunin at the moment," the woman introduced herself. Her gaze continued to sweep slowly over every inch of the training ground, as though searching for some trace of the past. "I used to come here often."
"Shira," he said, giving his name. Noticing the nostalgia and sadness in Maki's eyes, he quietly refrained from asking any more questions.
Maki did not seem to need him to ask. She continued on her own, her voice a little distant. "A long time ago, I trained here. Lady Pakura was my teacher."
Pakura! Shira's heart jolted at the name. She was the wielder of the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai, a hero of Sunagakure, and also a sacrifice in a political struggle.
Admiration appeared on Maki's face. "It was still during the Third Shinobi World War. Lady Pakura struck fear into Kirigakure's enemies with her Scorch Release. She was a hero in the village and was often honored for it."
A warm smile touched her lips. "I admired her and worked as hard as I could. I was finally fortunate enough to become her student. Even when she came back exhausted from a mission, she would patiently guide my training here. It was right here on this training ground..."
Her gaze grew distant, as though it had pierced through time and she could see that stern, conscientious figure of the past teaching her Hand Seals, how to use Chakra, and how to analyze a battle.
Shira listened in silence. According to the "facts" accepted by the outside world, Pakura had tragically lost her life while carrying out a top-secret mission in Kirigakure. She was a hero who had given her life for the village.
Only a very few people, including Shira himself, who knew the original story, and Sunagakure's higher-ups, knew the cold truth: the Fourth Kazekage Rasa had made Pakura a political sacrifice to appease Kirigakure's anger and secure a ceasefire agreement, ruthlessly selling her out.
Maki pulled herself from her memories and looked at Shira, her eyes full of approval. "I heard about what happened in the black storm a few days ago. You did very well, Shira. Helping your comrades without regard for your own safety-that's exactly the spirit Sunagakure needs."
She paused, her voice carrying a barely perceptible catch and a note of emotion. "If my teacher were still here, she would surely be very happy to see such an outstanding young ninja as you in the village."
Hearing Maki's sincere praise and her remembrance of Pakura, and thinking of Pakura's lamentable end, Shira suddenly felt an indescribable surge of sorrow and indignation.
A hero who had earned great military honors for the village had ultimately died because of such a despicable plot. Yet her student remained in the dark, believing her teacher had died a glorious death in battle, taking pride in it, and carrying on her will.
The cruelty and injustice of the world left Shira feeling suffocated.
He looked at the pure longing and pride in Maki's eyes as she remembered her teacher. It was as though something had lodged in his throat, and for a moment he did not know what to say. Comfort her? He could not tell her the truth. Agree with her? That would feel even more like a desecration of the dead hero's soul.
He could only lower his head to hide the emotions churning in his eyes and offer a vague response.
Maki seemed to take his reaction for a young boy's shyness and paid it no mind. She lingered a little longer, taking a long look at the place so full of memories, before giving Shira a gentle nod. "I won't interrupt your training anymore. Keep it up, Shira. I hope you can always hold on to that spirit."
With that, she turned and left, her tall, slender figure looking somewhat lonely in the setting sun.
Shira stood where he was, motionless for a long time.
Silence returned to the training ground, broken only by the faint sound of wind brushing over the sand. But his heart was far from calm.
Pakura's tragedy, Maki's memories, Rasa's coldness, the village's dark side...
All of it intertwined, making him realize more clearly that in this world of ninja, strength and goodwill alone were far from enough.
The Child of Prophecy, Naruto, was an exception, of course.
The shadows hidden beneath the sunlight also needed someone to face them, even to cut them down.
He clenched his fists, feeling the gradually growing power within him. Growing stronger was not merely about saving himself or helping a few individuals. Perhaps it was also so that, at some point in the future, he would have the strength to prevent more needless sacrifices like Pakura's and protect the beliefs and people worth protecting.
Just then, the setting sun sank completely below the horizon, and night began to fall.
Shira took a deep breath of the slightly cool air and assumed his training stance again.