Shinra woke up to the familiar ceiling that he had once woken up to when he had first transmigrated into this world.
For the first time ever since he transmigrated, his mind was completely empty. It wasn't due to blacking out or discomfort, but rather the overwhelming stimulus he had just experienced.
However, before he could properly understand what that sensation was, it suddenly faded, leaving only a bewildered Shinra lying on the hospital bed.
'How long have I been in here? And who brought me here?'
He slowly pushed himself upright, a dull ache pulsing behind his temples. It wasn't debilitating, but it was enough to remind him of what had happened. The last thing he remembered was a mind-numbing pain that suddenly assaulted him.
His gaze shifted around the room. Unlike the first time after the attack, this time the other hospital beds in the room were empty.
The door slid open quietly, and a nurse stepped inside, pausing when she noticed him awake.
"You're finally up," she said, relief evident in her voice. "You collapsed from severe mental exhaustion. You've been out for a few hours."
'A few hours.' Shinra relaxed slightly.
"You should take a break for the next couple of days so that your mind can rest. Injuries to the brain are the most complex and difficult to recover from, so it's best to avoid them instead," the nurse informed Shinra as she moved to his right side and helped him up.
After a brief check-up and a few warnings about overexerting himself again, he was cleared to leave.
Shinra stepped out of the hospital, the late afternoon sun brushing against his skin. The air felt different after being confined indoors, lighter somehow.
He adjusted his posture and began walking toward his house.
'So sensory techniques really are no joke… mental energy exhaustion is far more dangerous than I thought.'
Shinra stopped in his tracks and looked back at the hospital.
"I forgot to ask who brought me here."
"Oh! Isn't this the boy who sits at the back of the class?" a childish voice came from behind Shinra.
He turned around to see three kids from his class. He looked at them, confused about what they wanted from him.
'Could this be that one cliché? Getting ganged up on due to not fitting in? I have barely interacted with anyone in class other than during taijutsu practice.' Shinra frowned as he sized the three of them up.
'Hashimoto Kenta, Inuzuka Inumaki, and Sarutobi Aki… what a weird combo.'
The one who had spoken brashly was Aki, while Kenta wore an awkward smile and Inumaki stood silently.
"Do you need something from me?" Shinra asked as he straightened his posture slightly.
"Shh! We can't talk about this here, follow me!" Aki said, walking into an empty alley, followed by Kenta and Inumaki.
Shinra stood on the main road, contemplating whether to follow them or not.
'Although I don't know much about Kenta, Inumaki is kind of a loner like me and overall ranks second in our class. For both of them to follow Aki…'
Shinra sighed lightly.
'I guess there's only one way to find out.'
The alley was narrower and darker than Shinra expected.
Aki walked ahead without hesitation, hands clasped behind his head, humming something off-key. Kenta followed closely behind him, glancing over his shoulder once before offering Shinra an awkward smile. Inumaki brought up the rear, silent as ever, though he seemed to be avoiding eye contact.
Shinra stepped into the alley last.
'This place feels… off.'
The alley twisted once before opening into a slightly wider dead end. Crates were stacked against one wall.
Aki stopped abruptly and spun around, eyes bright.
"Alright," he said, lowering his voice dramatically. "This is far enough."
Shinra crossed his arms. "You dragged me out here just to be secretive?"
"Of course not," Aki replied, grinning. "This is serious."
Kenta scratched the back of his head. "You should probably show him now."
Inumaki nodded once.
Aki puffed out his chest, clearly enjoying the moment, before crouching near the wall. He brushed aside a thin layer of dirt and reached beneath one of the loose stones.
Shinra's eyes narrowed slightly.
'A piece of paper hidden under a rock?'
Aki pulled out a rolled piece of yellowed paper, its edges looking as though they had been burned off. He held it up like a trophy.
"A map."
Shinra stared at it.
"…A map," he repeated flatly.
Kenta leaned closer. "We found it yesterday. Behind the old storage shed near the training fields."
"It was hidden really well," Aki added quickly. "If I hadn't tripped, we never would've noticed."
Inumaki spoke for the first time. "There were markings."
Shinra reached out and took the paper carefully, unrolling it just enough to examine the surface.
The ink was faded, but the symbols were unmistakable.
Directional lines. Landmark references. Even a crude seal mark in one corner.
'This is… actually well structured.'
"Where does it lead?" Shinra asked.
Aki grinned wider. "That's the best part. I don't know."
Shinra looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot.
"…So why do you think this map of yours is genuine?" Shinra asked, already regretting following them.
Aki grinned again. "Because this is a continuation of a previous map. And if you don't believe me, I actually found a really powerful jutsu last time."
Shinra's eyes widened slightly.
'Finding a jutsu by following a sketchy map… what kind of luck is this?'
He looked at both Kenta and Inumaki, who nodded slowly, affirming Aki's words.
Seeing Shinra's reaction, Aki's smug expression only widened.
"So? Are you going to help us?" Aki asked as he fiddled with the map in his hand.
"Sure. We are all classmates after all," Shinra said as he looked at Aki, Kenta, and Inumaki with a light smile.
The group moved out of the alleyway and toward an empty training field that was currently under maintenance. Coincidentally, the marked spot on the map was somewhere inside it.
At first glance, there was nothing there. Just an empty field with some trees surrounding it.
Then Shinra noticed it.
A faint mark engraved into one of the trees. It looked like a star.
'Is this supposed to be concealed?'
Shinra exhaled slowly.
'This is either very stupid… or very intentional.'
He made his way to the tree, crouched, and pressed his palm against the trunk.
'This appears to be recently carved. It seems I got my hopes up for nothing.'
Aki and the others followed behind him and looked at the star carved into the tree.
"It's the same symbol as last time! You managed to find it so quickly!" Aki said.
Shinra nodded and stood up. "You go ahead and check for the treasure. I'll be right back."
He walked away a short distance and frowned.
'Ever since I woke up, I've noticed that I can feel things a lot better. Although I can't see anyone, it feels as if I'm being watched.'
It was a disturbing sensation.
'Do I use the sensory technique I learned… or ignore the feeling?'
He had just experienced intense pain from overusing his sensory field and had been heavily advised by the hospital staff not to overexert himself.
Before he could decide on his choice of action— "I FOUND IT!!" Aki shouted at the top of his lungs.
'So much for the secrecy he tried to keep.'
Shinra dismissed his feeling and returned back to find two scrolls in Aki's hands. His doubts were confirmed.
He glanced at Kenta, who gave him an apologetic look, and Inumaki, who avoided eye contact entirely.
The scrolls were by no means fake—that much Shinra could guarantee. But the titles were what gave it away.
'I kept wondering why both of them were looking at me like that… it was because I was never meant to be pulled into this charade.'
The scrolls were the Transformation Jutsu and the Voice Change Technique—both available in the academy library and required for graduation.
Kenta walked over to Shinra. "I'm really sorry. I didn't expect him to invite you the moment he saw you."
"It's fine," Shinra replied. "But why are you doing this?"
Kenta smiled sheepishly. "Aki is actually very talented and has a great personality. But he lacks motivation—"
"So you trick him into studying?" Shinra cut in.
"A teaching method," Inumaki corrected as he walked over.
Shinra exhaled slowly as he watched Aki approach them.
Although the three academy jutsus are needed for graduation, currently we need to understand how the jutsu works its applications and downsides. So basically they were spicing up Aki's academic life.
Normally, he wouldn't mind a child being taught this way. But a future ninja was a different matter.
'I guess I should focus more on myself than worry about others.'