A Regret Soon to Be Missed
Four days had passed since that scam—no, that transaction.
Over the past four days, Shirō had been diligently copying Ninjutsu for the Star Ninja Village. After all, he still hoped to resolve matters through exchange rather than conflict.
If he wanted that, he had to demonstrate sincerity.
As a result, his mind had been occupied with this matter almost constantly.
What? You're asking whether he felt guilty about scamming someone?
Shirō would tell you he felt none at all.
His deal with Quebu had been clear and fair. If Quebu failed to safeguard what he received, that was Quebu's problem—it had nothing to do with him.
Besides, it was Pain who carried out the transaction. What did that have to do with him, Emiya Shirō, the Smiling Devil?
The bounty notice had been very clear: Pain—50 million ryō.
Even if it had only appeared briefly, it proved one thing: none of this concerned Emiya Shirō. Yes. Exactly.
With that settled, Shirō pushed those thoughts aside and began reviewing the Ninjutsu he had prepared for the Star Ninja. This part still required careful consideration.
First, Konoha's proprietary techniques were absolutely off-limits. Anything too advanced was also excluded—A-rank and above were unnecessary.
A single A-rank Ninjutsu was enough to elevate an otherwise average hidden village. A shinobi who possessed A-rank techniques was fundamentally different from one who did not.
Therefore, B-rank was the highest level he was willing to provide.
In addition, Yin Release and Yang Release were prohibited. Only Ninjutsu from the Five Basic Nature Transformations would be included.
Following these criteria, Shirō selected several techniques and edited the scrolls again. Only then did he consider the task complete.
Don't underestimate this single scroll.
Not only was it meant for his transaction with the Star Ninja Village, but Shirō also had far broader plans for it.
Within the scroll were recorded almost all commonly circulated C-rank Ninjutsu from the Five Great Nations, along with a small number of B-rank techniques.
And what was the most coveted resource in the shinobi world?
Any ninja would give the same answer: Ninjutsu.
If even a portion of Shirō's scroll leaked out, it could be exchanged for enormous sums. C-rank formed one category, B-rank another, and then each chakra nature could be divided again into five subgroups.
Sell until your hands cramp.
This was pure profit—and more importantly, none of these techniques belonged to Konoha, nor were they Shirō's own creations. It was a business with zero initial cost.
Aside from bulk sales to certain organizations, individual techniques could also be sold to wealthy rogue ninja. This was sustainable development—far better than relying on explosive tags or other consumables.
Of course, this particular scroll was not for sale yet. It was reserved for the Star Ninja Village.
Whether they would accept it remained to be seen.
But regardless, he had to try.
With that thought, Shirō retrieved his mask and put it on.
Then he prepared to depart for the Land of Bears.
After closing his workshop and activating the surrounding magic barrier, Shirō mounted a summoned flying bird and headed out.
The distance from his current location to the Land of Bears wasn't extreme—it merely required crossing the entire Land of Fire.
However, he couldn't fly straight through.
Konoha had recently strengthened its aerial defenses. Thanks in no small part to Shirō, any slightly large birds near the village were now routinely cleared out.
As a result, he had to land midway and travel part of the journey on foot, which would cost him quite a bit of time.
Once everything was ready, Shirō set off immediately.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, something was unfolding that Shirō would come to deeply regret.
If only he had returned to the village to take a look…
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"Kakashi, are you still training today?" Rin asked, clasping her hands behind her back as she walked.
"Yes. I need to finish Elder Brother Shirō's test soon and graduate early."
"Oh, come on, Kakashi. Haven't you noticed? Elder Brother Shirō isn't going to let you graduate early."
"Tch. I'm not like you, dead last."
"Huh?! Who are you calling dead last?! Arrogant Kakashi!"
"I'm calling you. Dead last."
"Damn it! I challenge you!"
"Fine. I'll let you try at the training ground later—though you've never beaten me, you dead last~"
"Bastard Kakashi!"
"Dead last."
Rin followed quietly behind them, smiling faintly as their voices echoed through the streets of Konoha.
Time had proven Shirō's decision to keep Kakashi in the Academy was the right one.
Although Kakashi's combat experience was far less than in the original timeline, his mental state was much healthier.
With Obito, Rin, and even Might Guy around him, Kakashi had gradually emerged from the shadow of Sakumo's death. While he still carried that pain, he no longer shut himself off from the world.
Compared to that, the combat experience he would eventually gain was almost insignificant.
Now, after class each day, the three of them trained together.
At first, Rin and Obito had only wanted to comfort Kakashi, hoping he could recover sooner. Over time, it became routine. As long as none of them had obligations at home, they would meet to train.
Obito complained the most—but he never failed to show up.
Especially with Rin watching, Obito trained harder than ever. Every session began with him challenging Kakashi, hoping to reclaim some dignity.
The result, naturally, was always the same.
Still, constant defeat pushed Obito to improve rapidly. In raw ability, he was already firmly within the top five of their class.
Unfortunately, he had a remarkable talent for underperforming during formal evaluations, losing points to accidents and bad luck.
Which, of course, only gave Kakashi more ammunition to tease him.
Every time Obito exploded in anger, Kakashi silently agreed with Shirō:
Other people's pain really does make one happy.
They soon arrived at the training ground.
Kakashi and Obito held their customary spar first, and as usual, there was no suspense.
Obito lost.
Without activated Sharingan, very few in the Uchiha clan could match Kakashi's natural talent. Add to that Sakumo Hatake's early instruction, and the gap became even more understandable.
Afterward, the three split up for individual practice.
Here, the difference in background became apparent.
Encouraged by Rin, Obito eagerly went off to train Fire Release.
Kakashi reviewed the hand seals and chakra flow for Lightning Release techniques.
Only Rin sat down with a borrowed textbook, quietly studying the fundamentals of Medical Ninjutsu.
The contrast was stark.
Yet their bond was strong enough that none of them truly minded.
It wasn't that Kakashi and Obito couldn't help Rin find suitable Ninjutsu—it was simply inappropriate. They were peers, and offering techniques directly would only wound her pride.
If it were Shirō, it would be different. As their senior, he could give one—or even several—without issue.
Unfortunately, Shirō wasn't in the village right now.
Still, Obito had already begun planning ahead.
Rin's birthday was coming up.
He intended to invite Taiyi and have him present Rin with a few Ninjutsu instead. That way, everything would feel natural.
Plan complete.
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