The morning sun cast long shadows across the canyon pass of Mikura Cliffs, where Shisui's first mission awaited him: escort a spirit-forged merchant through a cursed trade route littered with wild beasts and rogue arch spirits.
Kurou stood at the edge of the pass, arms folded. "Your test is simple," he said, watching the terrain carefully. "Use what I've taught you. Combine your techniques. Survive."
Shisui gave a curt nod. His eyes burned with resolve.
The first wave struck as they entered the stone bridge near the ravine. A pack of Ash Hounds—beasts of smoke and tainted chakra—burst from the ground.
Without hesitation, Shisui formed his first set of Soul Gestures:
> "Crystal Bloom Guard!"
Crystalline flowers exploded around the merchant, forming a defensive dome. The hounds' claws scraped and shattered against the barrier, releasing bursts of purifying mist.
As the hounds regrouped, Shisui whispered the next set.
> "Scorching Mirage—Sunfang Bloom!"
Dozens of radiant petals launched forward, spiraling in midair before searing into the hounds. Their forms twisted, the corrupted chakra burning away.
Then came the second threat.
A Spirit-Warped Boar, larger than a wagon, erupted from under the cliffs, tusks glowing with cursed runes. Its eyes locked on Shisui.
He steadied his breath.
> "Arch Ninjutsu: Thunderclap Judgment."
With a pulse of lightning through his limbs, Shisui dashed forward, weaving between boulders. The world slowed as he dodged the boar's tusks, then delivered a crushing palm to its side.
Crack!
The pulse surged through its Spirit Veins, short-circuiting its rage. The beast collapsed, twitching violently.
Kurou raised a brow. "Three techniques. No hesitation."
But just as the mission neared its end, a strange pulse rippled through the air.
A hidden Arch Beast, cloaked in magnetized rock, emerged from the cliff wall—its body made of metal-infused stone, humming with dark Arch Energy.
Shisui felt a tug—subtle, yet intimate—on the iron within his own blood.
His breath stopped. The symbols on his arm—his mother's clan mark—glowed faintly.
Suddenly, something awakened.