"Shigeru, you're back?"
Upon returning home, Shigeru Aoki became far more restrained than he was at school. He meticulously organized his shoes and clothing, placing them exactly where they belonged before entering the room to greet Maki.
"Yes, Mother..."
Maki placed the prepared dinner in front of her son. The little fellow looked almost exactly like Shiraishi did as a child; he was only missing a pair of glasses.
However, Maki was determined to ensure he didn't develop nearsightedness at such a young age.
His father had developed poor vision as a child due to his relentless, desperate studying to grow stronger.
Although Shiraishi often took off his glasses now to act cool during battle, he essentially wore them at all times in his daily life.
Maki, unaware of the system residing within those lenses, had always believed that Shiraishi's vision problems had never been truly cured. He had even refused proposals to transplant the Sharingan or Byakugan.
He insisted on keeping a pair of "problematic" eyes, insisting on wearing glasses...
Rumors persisted in the outside world that the Kazekage was overly suspicious, refusing to trust that other bloodline limits could cure his sight.
Sometimes, Maki herself wondered if Shiraishi's vision was actually fine and if there was another reason he was forced to wear them.
Since Shiraishi rarely had time to eat with the family, Maki handled most of the child's upbringing.
During meals, she strictly advocated for silence. Furthermore, one could not eat too quickly; a certain posture and grace had to be maintained.
Regarding these educational matters, though Shiraishi felt there was no need to be so stiff, he didn't have the time to raise the boy himself, so he naturally deferred to Maki's arrangements.
After dinner, mother and son sat together. Maki flipped through Shigeru's schoolwork and smiled. "Your grades are even better than last term. But it's a pity—you're only second in cultural studies and second in combat drills.
You need to work harder; the son of the Kazekage cannot remain in second place."
Karin had taken first in cultural studies, and Uzumaki Tomoko had secured first in combat. However, Shigeru had achieved perfect first-place scores in the newly established minor courses: calculation, physics, and biology.
Thus, while Shigeru was second in those two main categories, his overall comprehensive score was the highest in the school.
He wanted to point this out, but seeing his mother's kind yet stern gaze, he lowered his head and complied.
As the son of the Kazekage, he had to be the absolute best...
After a few minutes of silence, Shigeru spoke softly. "Is Father not coming home tonight?"
Maki smiled and rubbed her son's head. "He is currently at the Navy Headquarters conducting a series of data tests. He is the Kazekage; there are many things he must attend to."
Meanwhile, at Shiraishi's location, his battle with Unohana Retsu continued.
This blade... it can resonate with the owner's spiritual power? It is essentially a part of her living biological makeup.
As Shiraishi considered this, his eyes flickered. This world possessed spiritual energy, but the quantity was extremely thin because the place where the dead departed to was the so-called "Pure Land."
There was no "Soul Society" acting as a transit station between the two realms, so spiritual power did not leak into the living world on a massive scale.
Therefore, Unohana's traditional applications of Reiryoku were ineffective here. Yet, even so, her exaggerated speed and assassination techniques made her a terrifying force.
She truly lived up to her self-proclaimed title of Yachiru—the woman who mastered eight thousand flows of the sword.
As light and shadow clashed, Unohana grew increasingly curious. Although the two were engaged in high-speed offense and defense across the sea, Shiraishi did not take the initiative to strike; he merely waited and reacted to her every move.
Is he probing and testing my strength?
It must be said that Unohana, having just awakened, was capable of such powerful instantaneous killing intent that Shiraishi was internally impressed.
Even Uchiha Shisui of the "Body Flicker" fame was likely only at this level.
A flurry of dozens of slashes, faster than the blink of an eye, rained down. Shiraishi generated numerous magnetic field fluctuations to evade, yet several shallow wounds still appeared on his body.
Unohana, who had started the fight merely to test the waters, felt her killing intent boil over as the battle progressed. Her emotions were stirred; she was clearly becoming excited.
Truly a fanatic...
"The warm-up is over. It's time to get serious..."
Wait, you weren't being serious just now?
Before Shiraishi could think, his Magnet Release automatically formed a defense. Unohana's blade nearly pierced straight through his rotating magnetic shield.
As the crisp sound of clashing metal echoed, frost began to condense on the sides of her blade, her sword style becoming increasingly strange and difficult to parry.
Her momentum seemed endless, a continuous flow intended to crush the opponent. No matter how the enemy struggled, they would be slowly yet resolutely swallowed without a trace.
She was a swordswoman, but more so, a maniac who had ascended through the path of slaughter.
Just as Shiraishi prepared to use a Substitution Jutsu to leap away, Unohana seemed to see through the move.
With millisecond precision, she took a single step back, ensuring the distance between them didn't shrink by even a centimeter—they were as synchronized as if they were dancing.
With a flick and a surge of her blade, she swung her long sword down toward Shiraishi. The trail of light left by the edge was like a bolt of lightning tearing through the darkness; the deeper the shadows grew around them, the more magnificent her strike appeared.
Unable to evade, Shiraishi had no choice but to draw the Heavenly Sword. The powerful air pressure generated by the blade swept through the surrounding area, and a thunderous explosion erupted in mid-air, sounding like a bolt from the blue.
Squinting at the Sword in Shiraishi's hand, Unohana's gaze remained dangerous and terrifying. "That is an excellent sword. What is its name?"
"It has no name."
From the past until now, Shiraishi never had the habit of naming his weapons. He didn't like the sentimentality; swords were for killing, ninjutsu was for killing, and genjutsu was for killing.
Since they were all just means to an end, there was no hierarchy of importance. A weapon was a weapon; it required no special treatment.
"Heh."
At this point, Unohana's killing intent had peaked. "To be able to wield such a sword proves you are of the same breed as the Captain-Commander. Let our blades bear witness."
Captain-Commander?
The sword in Unohana's hand suddenly broke through the air. Eerie, black sword-qi surged forth, carrying debris and clods of earth as it soared toward the heavens.
With no external power driving it—purely through the strength of her swordsmanship—it achieved such devastating power.
In a resounding explosion, the Heavenly Sword refused to yield to any other weapon. Shiraishi swung a powerful blade-glow representing his own will to meet Unohana's strike.
The final offensive from both sides eventually settled. Unohana quickly sheathed her blade. "This is not my original world, is it?"
"It is not."
After tying her hair back over her chest, Unohana seemed to transform into a different person, offering a faint, friendly smile. "In that case, I will have to trouble you to look after me during my time in this world."
Eh? Why did she become so easy to talk to all of a sudden?
"I am one who sought death, yet I was forcibly resurrected by you in an alien world. For a moment, I am uncertain of the future, so I can only trouble you to take care of me for now."
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