The group gathered in the wide training field, surrounded by the gentle whisper of the wind rustling the tops of the nearby trees. The fresh scent of nature filled the air, while the sun illuminated the ndscape, casting golden glints across the damp grass. The atmosphere was serene, almost magical, with only the crunching of leaves and the distant song of a bird interrupting the stillness.

  —How's everyone been? —Hiroshi asked with a warm smile, adjusting the headband on his forehead as if preparing his mind and body for the upcoming training.

  —Pretty good, —Akihiro replied, letting out a long yawn as he stretched his arms toward the sky, trying to rex his body. His muscles trembled slightly from the effort, but his face showed a small grin of satisfaction. —Though I've been so immersed in learning Fuinjutsu that I almost killed myself twice. It's like a deadly puzzle. I need to move my body to clear my mind. He remembered the incident where, while trying to create an Explosive Seal, he nearly lost his hands. It wasn’t something he was proud of, but at least he had learned from it.

  —I’ve been perfecting my special technique, —Aiko remarked, her voice light but full of enthusiasm. The look in her eyes reflected a special sparkle, a mix of pride and excitement about revealing what she had been secretly working on.

  —Special technique? —Akihiro replied, raising an eyebrow in clear curiosity as he looked at her. —An elemental jutsu? Or something more mysterious? Maybe a secret technique you're finally going to reveal?

  Akihiro's pyful tone contrasted with Aiko's calm gaze. She tilted her head slightly, as if enjoying the mystery.

  —Watch and see, —she answered softly, beginning to raise her hands into a meditative posture, ready to execute her jutsu.

  Just as the first signs of her technique began to manifest, a firm, familiar voice interrupted the moment.

  —Stop. —Everyone turned to find Miyuki walking toward them with a determined stride, her figure standing out against the sunlit horizon.

  —Hello, Sensei! —they greeted in unison, a mix of respect and camaraderie in their voices.

  Miyuki returned the greeting with a small smile, but her gaze quickly shifted to Aiko, assessing the situation.

  —Were you pnning to start without me? —she asked with a pyful grin, though her eyes sparkled with the promise of a challenge.

  —No, not at all. —Akihiro responded quickly, as if he didn’t want his sense of camaraderie to be misunderstood. —Aiko was just warming up her hands, right?

  Aiko, seeing the conversation had shifted back to her, couldn’t help but smile as her hands slowly fell to her sides, as if the moment of revetion had to wait even longer.

  —Alright, alright —Miyuki said, smiling with an expression that reflected some nostalgia. —It’s been a while since we’ve all gathered together… well, almost all of us. —She paused for a moment, noticing the absence of one person. —Where is Kōsetsu? —she asked, looking around.

  —We don’t know —Aiko responded, shrugging indifferently, although her gaze remained alert.

  Miyuki brought a hand to her chin, thoughtful. —I’ll be right back —she said with a determined tone, and, without waiting any longer, vanished immediately.

  Five minutes ter, Miyuki returned, walking with a firm stride. On her shoulder rested Kōsetsu, hanging in a most undignified way, like a sack of potatoes, his body limp and his eyes half-open, visibly disoriented.

  —Here he is —Miyuki said, gently dropping Kōsetsu to the ground, who awkwardly got up, rubbing his head.

  —Why did you bring me here? —Kōsetsu asked, confused, looking around as if trying to understand the situation.

  —We’re training today, didn’t they tell you? —Aiko replied, looking at Miyuki with one raised eyebrow. Miyuki, for her part, simply shrugged indifferently, offering no expnation.

  —Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s begin with the training. First, we’ll check your skill progress. —Miyuki said, looking at the group with a serious expression as she pointed at Aiko. —Aiko, since you’re the leader, you’ll go first.

  Aiko nodded and stood in front of everyone. With a swift hand movement, she performed a series of hand seals and, immediately, her body disappeared underground, only to reappear several meters away in a blink.

  —Oh, her speed underground has drastically increased —Akihiro commented, surprised, observing the scene. It was a simple but incredibly useful movement technique, and now that Aiko could move at greater speed, it became even more effective than her teleportation technique. At least, for escaping undetected, this new ability offered a significant advantage.

  When Aiko emerged from the ground, she quickly performed several hand seals and, with a firm strike to the earth, the ground began to crack. A massive ndslide surged, sweeping everything in its path: trees fell, and the field was practically destroyed under the force of the earth flow.

  Seeing this, Miyuki wasted no time. With agility, she performed a series of hand seals and, in an instant, raised an imposing wall of earth, blocking the ndslide and stopping its advance with surprising force. The impact resonated in the air, but the field was finally calm.

  —Good job, Aiko —Miyuki said, visibly surprised by her progress. Although, when it came to destructive potential, the technique wasn’t all that impressive. First of all, the ndslide wasn’t as rge or devastating as it could have been, but it certainly demonstrated more precise and effective control of the ability. Miyuki observed silently for a moment before continuing. —You’ve made a lot of progress with control, but there’s still work to be done on precision and range.

  —First of all, it’s not a direct attack technique, but rather something to surprise the enemy at the start or destroy their base —Aiko replied, surprising everyone by appearing immediately next to Miyuki, emerging from the ground as if she had been there the entire time. —It’s also useful for clearing the battlefield, though that’s more of a secondary use.

  Miyuki nodded. —Do you have anything else to show? —she asked.

  Aiko nodded and once again used her underground escape technique, disappearing to reappear hundreds of meters away. As she emerged from the ground, she quickly performed several hand seals, and with a firm strike to the earth, the ground began to crack. From the fissures emerged countless stone spikes that violently rose, destroying everything in their path. The field was devastated, turned into a chaos of debris and dirt.

  The range of the technique was so wide that, even from hundreds of meters away, everyone had to quickly retreat to avoid being hit by the jutsu.

  —Damn, this is dangerous —murmured Akihiro, watching in awe at the disaster that had unfolded. The scene reminded him, to some extent, of the technique used by Kimimaro in his battle against Gaara, when he completely destroyed the battlefield.

  —That’s all —Aiko replied, appearing again next to Miyuki in a fsh.

  —Alright, now it’s your turn, Hiroshi —Miyuki said, pointing at the young man. Hiroshi nodded and stepped forward, ready to show his skill.