Two months had passed.
Hii Kōri sincerely realized how naive his past self had been.
Yes. Exactly!
Having confirmed from Karura just how Wind Country's customs were, why had he still judged based on past experience?
Have I grown dull?
At this moment, with his left arm tightly held by Karura and Pakura's chin resting on his head, Hii Kōri regretfully thought this while flawlessly inscribing complex charms on a scroll.
This was a study room, originally for upperclassmen learning ninjutsu. A week after enrollment, Hii Kōri had requested usage rights from Misawa.
Reason? Unable to endure being constantly pulled between Karura and Pakura in front of classmates.
He'd even shot pleading glances at passing Rasa, who hesitated briefly—then never approached again.
In that instant, Hii Kōri truly realized: in this cold ninja society, only oneself could be relied on upon.
Step by step by step by step, climb to the top! Higher than anyone's X-Height! (×)
Approval for this room came from forming a study group with Karura and Pakura. As this year's top students, the school granted special permission.
Accordingly, they needed presentable results.
No one expected first-years to produce groundbreaking work—just results matching their abilities.
Hii Kōri's choice: storage scrolls. Specifically, the sealing techniques on them.
These scrolls were prefabricated with space–time ninjutsu-extended dimensions. Hii Kōri was depicting the sealing formula.
Perfect. Sand wanted his inherited barrier and sealing techniques. Give them that, continue pleasant research life.
Though Karura and Pakura clung tightly, both were unusually quiet—breathing slowed.
Initially, they'd merely observed silently. But as time passed, they'd instinctively gravitated to Hii Kōri's side.
A habit formed during their study exchanges—mainly Hii Kōri explaining and guiding chakra matters. One left, one right—fair and convenient for notes. Perfect.
And Hii Kōri, pressed by the girls?
Heart like still water, utterly undisturbed. One could even vaguely discern a Zen-like quality.
Not Mei Mei with her turbulent waves—two bony-armed girls hugging him? Nothing to get excited about.
Truthfully, immersed in Karura and Pakura's increasingly overt rivalry, even as the vortex's center suffering a lot of troubles, Hii Kōri couldn't in good conscience claim.
Though often deprived of daydreaming time, Karura was really cute, and Pakura's adorable foolishness was also adorable. He forgave them.
Integrated segmentation, as it were.
Hii Kōri had many times sensed his thinking influenced by this body. Former inorganic, indifferent, even inhuman aspects had genuinely softened.
His past self would never have accepted their pestering so lightly, let alone coexisted harmony like now.
Soon, Karura and Pakura realized their behavior troubled him—and restrained considerably.
Not just Hii Kōri—the girls also felt relieved. Karura's gentle personality, Pakura wasn't the aggressive type.
Forcing disliked behavior burdening anyone.
But did that mean the girls gave up?
Absolutely not!
Just shifted from overt to covert. Hii Kōri found this state acceptable.
Creating this study group partly aimed to redirect their energy toward self-improvement. Seemingly successful.
Pakura, with rare Fire Nature in Wind Country, received little guidance from Academy teachers. Unlike Rasa and Karura, her parents were ordinary civilians—no family instruction either.
Yet through pure talent, she'd become second only to Rasa among talented students.
This proved Pakura's talent and her stubborn tenacity.
As known, fire techniques, on average, have the lowest training difficulty among five natures—none exceeding A-rank.
But rather than low difficulty and relaxed operational precision, the "operation" difficulty of fire techniques was actually too high.
In any mystical system, fire is almost insulated from "precise manipulation."
Restless, intensely hot, burning freely, consuming all—that was fire's intuitive impression. Such things should be difficult to manipulate.
Thus, the philosophy behind fire technique development: "Confirm the general direction and scope, guide, then let fire handle the rest."
If difficult to manipulate, don't manipulate. Higher-level fire basically increases firepower in various ways—scarce variation supports this theory.
Not to say no alternative fire techniques existed—like fire release sealing techniques.
But unless deliberately studied for fire's properties or user convenience, most niche oddities had easier substitutes in other natures.
Thus, fire's characteristics led to extremely polarized performance.
Non-Uchiha pure fire-nature users had mediocre operational capabilities. Multi-nature users excelled at fine operations.
Clearly, Pakura belongs to former.
Lack of guidance and her chakra nature's influence left her chakra circulation quite lame.
Eh, what a coincidence?
In this group, the other two excelled at Fine Operations.
Comparing notes, learning techniques, chatting during breaks—what wonderful campus life.
This was what he wanted now.