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Starting Work
The next day, Shirō woke up early.
Firstly, there was a lot to do. Secondly, this was the wilderness—and worse, a conflict zone. Sleeping out in the open like this was simply asking for trouble.
So getting up early to construct the Workshop took priority. At the very least, he needed a place to live.
The location Shirō chose was a small mountain. It sat directly atop a spiritual pulse node, making it the most suitable site for constructing a Workshop. The downside, however, was obvious—digging into a mountain was no easy task.
Still, if successful, the interior space would be vast. In the long run, the benefits far outweighed the difficulties.
Besides, he never intended to complete it in one go. Shirō planned to establish a basic framework first and then expand it gradually over time.
At present, he lacked both manpower and funds. His ambitions were lofty, but reality demanded compromise.
Fortunately, Shirō had prepared for situations like this long ago by creating excavation-type puppet automatons. Back then, however, he hadn't expected to need to hollow out an entire mountain, so their numbers were limited.
Even so, they were usable. He could always create more later.
Before beginning, though, there was one final problem to address—whether or not he should synchronize with the mountain and analyze its internal structure.
Digging blindly would only yield rubble.
Yet this was a spiritual pulse node. Shirō had already been traumatized by his previous encounter with Dragon Veins, and the thought alone made his scalp tingle. Still, abandoning the site wasn't an option. His detection-type Magic wasn't well-developed yet, and the data it provided could easily be inaccurate.
After hesitating for a moment, Shirō grit his teeth, slowly placed his hand against the ground, and closed his eyes.
"Synchronization… start."
"Sizzle!"
As the spell took effect, the mountain's internal structure gradually unfolded within Shirō's mind. He proceeded with extreme caution, carefully mapping each layer while deliberately avoiding contact with the spiritual pulse itself.
This was his first time analyzing a spiritual pulse. The previous time—when he'd recklessly attempted to analyze Dragon Veins—had nearly ended in disaster. He still remembered the consequences all too clearly.
Because of that, Shirō refused to touch the pulse directly.
As a result, the synchronization process dragged on far longer than usual. Only after a long while did Shirō finally open his eyes and exhale deeply.
Though nerve-wracking, the process itself had gone smoothly. As long as he didn't interfere with the spiritual pulse, there was no real danger.
With the structural data secured, Shirō immediately began drafting the excavation plans.
At this stage, the Magic Workshop would consist of only four primary sections. Everything else would be added later.
The first was a bedroom—a simple resting area. Shirō wasn't some deranged researcher; basic living conditions were non-negotiable.
The second was the isolation chamber, the most important section of all. It would be layered with additional sealing techniques and served multiple purposes: assisting with attribute breakthroughs, containing dangerous experiments, and storing illicit items as a last-resort contingency.
This was Shirō's top priority.
The third section was the biological experimentation area, dedicated to research on converting chakra meridians into Magic Circuits—an absolutely critical component of his long-term plans.
The fourth was another experimental area, though this one occupied the largest space. It was intended for the testing and development of Magic itself. In terms of workload, it ranked second only to the isolation chamber.
As Shirō's Magic cultivation deepened, this area would require continuous upgrades. Preparing it early would save him considerable trouble down the line.
Truthfully, Shirō hadn't initially planned for it to be this large. At first, he merely wanted a space capable of isolating Tailed Beast chakra fluctuations.
But as his Magecraft grew more refined—and as his tendency toward increasingly flashy operations manifested—the scope naturally expanded.
This was still only the initial phase. There were many more additions planned for the future, each more extravagant than the last.
…Assuming he could actually pull them off.
After all, "flashy operations" were called flashy precisely because most people couldn't execute them.
Even so, drafting the current design alone was no easy task. Numerous variables had to be considered; this wasn't something he could just wing.
Fortunately, Shirō had paid some attention during Ninja Academy—particularly during geometry and mathematics classes.
He never understood why ninja were taught this stuff in the first place, but he'd listened just enough to remember the basics. Now, those long-forgotten lessons were barely keeping him afloat.
Back then, he'd thought the subject was useless.
Those infamous word problems were always about calculating the trajectory of a kunai. Sounds practical, right?
In reality? No one actually calculated anything mid-fight.
Even the Uchiha's famed shurikenjutsu relied on visual acuity, experience, and instinct—not mathematics.
And yet, it made up a significant portion of the curriculum. It even appeared in the Chūnin Exams.
It was precisely because of that absurdity that Shirō had bothered reviewing it back then. Otherwise, he'd have skipped class ages ago to train ninjutsu.
Now, the consequences of that half-hearted effort were painfully clear.
It took Shirō the entire morning to finalize the design. When he considered that future expansions would require even more calculations, he seriously contemplated abandoning the idea altogether. Honestly, the current setup was already sufficient.
Eventually, he input the completed design data into the puppet automatons and ordered them to begin excavation.
Shirō stayed nearby for a while, monitoring their progress in case any errors arose that required immediate correction.
The results were reassuring.
Not only did the puppets function without malfunctioning, but their excavation followed his plans with impressive accuracy.
The few minor deviations that did occur were within acceptable parameters—issues Shirō intended to correct personally later. He wouldn't dare entrust such precision work to automatons.
Perhaps in the future, once his puppet-making skills improved, he could. But for now, his creations were limited to simple automated behavior.
He didn't possess the Ensign family's specialized Displacement Magic, which allowed personalities to be transferred or implanted. So the hard work fell on him alone.
After confirming there were no problems, Shirō departed to reinforce the Magic barrier surrounding the area.
Before leaving, he summoned a group of snakes to stand guard. They would alert him immediately if anything unexpected occurred.
Their presence also served another purpose—protecting the puppet automatons, which possessed virtually no combat capability. They were excavation tools, nothing more.
This wasn't because Shirō couldn't add combat functions.
At his current level, it was entirely possible—but impractical.
Firstly, their combat effectiveness would be minimal. Secondly, they were expensive and time-consuming to create. Thirdly, additional functionality drastically increased chakra consumption, and endurance was crucial for excavation-type puppets.
And finally—most importantly—Shirō was broke.
Combat puppets were costly, mechanically rigid, and well beyond his current level of mastery. The failure rate alone made them a poor investment.
In contrast, summoning snakes was cheap, efficient, and flexible. The choice was obvious.
If only he possessed Earth Release, things would be even simpler—no puppets required at all.
He could have captured other ninjas to do the work.
But Shirō didn't trust them.
The Magic Workshop was far too important to his plans. Even if he could silence them afterward, the risk wasn't worth taking.
Some things simply couldn't be left to chance.
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