A soft hand pressed against her cheek.
Her hazy consciousness stirred, and Sakiya slowly opened her eyes, staring at the familiar ceiling.
"Ehhhhh~"
"Hm?"
Still drowsy, she lowered her gaze and saw a little girl sitting on top of her.
Nanako.
The child placed her hands on Sakiya's cheeks again, giggling like she had just found the softest pillow in the world.
"Ehhhhh~"
Sakiya's mind cleared. She let out a small laugh and looked at the little girl.
"Oh, Nanako. You've pulled me from my deep meditation again. How impressive."
Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up, wrapped her arms around Nanako, and lifted her into a hug.
Then, she nuzzled her cheek against the child's soft face.
"Mmm~ You're so warm and cuddly, Nanako."
Nanako giggled happily, squirming in her arms.
A few moments later, Sakiya carried her out of the room.
At the dining table, Sakinoko and Kira Kitahara were already seated, smiling at the two of them.
"You should wash up," one of them said. "Breakfast is ready."
They were all used to this routine by now.
Every morning, like clockwork, Nanako would climb into Sakiya's bed and wake her up in person.
It had become a habit.
And so, the family enjoyed a hearty breakfast together before Sakiya headed out for the day.
Her temporary work as a medical assistant had ended.
Now, she had a new goal.
The Pact of Death must grow bigger and stronger!
With determination in her steps, Sakiya made her way to the designated training ground.
When she arrived, two figures were already waiting in the arena.
The Great Dimensional Walker and the Final Demon.
As soon as they saw Sakiya, both raised a hand to their foreheads, made a fist, brought it to their abdomen, and bowed slightly.
"Leader!" they called out in unison.
Sakiya nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. You're all doing well."
That gesture—of course—was something she had invented herself.
Did she know its meaning?
Not at all.
But it didn't matter.
It looked cool.
And that was enough.
The reason for the excitement in the air was simple.
Today, they were going to carry out a new plan—one that Sakiya herself had proposed.
The goal was clear: to strengthen the lower ranks of the organization.
And to achieve that, Sakiya herself would take the stage as their instructor.
Upon hearing this, Sakuragi and Tsukigami were beyond excited.
They could hardly contain themselves.
After all, the recent invasion had made one thing painfully clear—they were too weak.
If this continued, they would never rise beyond the level of an average fighter.
So, in their desperation to improve, they cast aside all pride.
Sakuragi and Tsukigami stood at attention, their expressions dead serious.
"Please train us as hard as you can!!!"
Silence.
Then—
"Pfft—hahahaha!"
A burst of laughter rang out as Chihiro approached, struggling to keep her balance from laughing so hard.
"Sorry—haha—sorry! I just—couldn't help it!"
Sakuragi and Tsukigami twitched.
Hold it in. Stay strong. Don't let this shake your resolve.
Then Ino appeared, barely holding back a grin.
"I'm sorry too," she said, covering her mouth. "But the way you two said that with such serious faces—it's just too much."
That was it.
Sakuragi and Tsukigami couldn't take it anymore.
Why are there more of them?!
Sakiya, watching from the side, decided to put an end to their suffering.
"Ahem. The Dark Emperor and the Messenger of the Sword will also be assisting in your training. Their guidance will be valuable."
Then, she raised her voice.
"Enough talk! The special training begins now!"
With a single step forward, a massive formation spread across the ground, glowing beneath their feet.
The entire training ground shifted.
The symbols spun, interlocked, and rearranged like pieces of a puzzle. The solid ground broke apart into floating platforms, vibrant lights flickering between them.
The entire scene transformed.
It was breathtaking.
Ino and the others stood there, stunned.
This was amazing.
Sakuragi and Tsukigami, on the other hand—
Their hearts pounded with excitement.
With a setup this grand, their training was bound to be legendary.
The next moment, Sakiya stepped in front of Sakuragi.
"My Eyes of Death can see that your chakra reserves are low. That means large-scale jutsu aren't a good match for your fighting style."
She grinned.
"So, I've designed a technique and tool combination just for you!"
Sakuragi blinked.
"A combination of technique and tool?"
Sakiya nodded smugly.
"Yep! It's really powerful, but it requires precise chakra control. My Eyes of Death have long since analyzed you—your chakra reserves may be low, but your control is exceptional!"
Tsuchiya, listening nearby, suddenly thought back to Sakuragi's past fights.
One jutsu stood out.
That "Mountain Collapse" move…
At least, that's what Sakuragi called it.
In reality, it was just a tiny bump in the ground.
But every single time, he managed to make that little mound appear exactly under an enemy's foot.
The precision was insane.
This level of control was definitely impressive.
Sakuragi, realizing Sakiya's words made sense, slowly nodded.
Seeing this, Sakiya became even more pleased with herself.
"Hmph! Then let me introduce your new technique."
With a dramatic smile, she raised her hand—
And snapped her fingers.
Snap!
Then, she looked straight at Sakuragi and confidently declared:
"The technique is already activated!"
Everyone froze.
"What?"
Sakuragi looked around but saw nothing unusual.
"Did something change? Or… is this some kind of genjutsu, Sakiya?"
Sakiya shook her head, still smiling.
Nearby, Chihiro squinted, studying the scene closely. The more she looked, the more shocked she became.
"I see it! The threads! The countless, nearly invisible threads!"
Chihiro's words snapped everyone to attention.
Sakuragi's eyes widened. He squinted, then took off his glasses and stared hard at the air.
The others were confused.
"Wait, aren't you nearsighted?" Tsuchiya asked.
Sakuragi shook his head.
"I'm not nearsighted. I just wear glasses to hide my expressions and throw off my opponents. If you do it enough, glasses become a psychological weapon."
Silence.
Then—
"YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO US THIS WHOLE TIME!?" Tsuchiya shouted.
But Sakuragi ignored him. He could finally see the threads.
His gaze turned to Sakiya.
"This… what is this?"
Sakiya smirked, eyes closed in satisfaction.
"So you finally noticed. Then…"
She snapped her fingers again.
And in an instant—
The entire training ground was revealed.
Threads. Thousands of them.
They crisscrossed through the air, forming an intricate, nearly invisible web that filled the entire space.
Everyone stared in awe.
Sakuragi was speechless.
"These… these threads…"
Sakiya lifted her hand.
The threads moved.
Sections of the training ground, suspended by the threads, suddenly split apart like sliced tofu. Some were neatly halved. Others shattered into dozens of tiny pieces.
Sakuragi swallowed hard, staring at the terrifying precision of the technique.
Meanwhile, Sakiya's smug grin only grew.
"This," she declared, "is my new technique
Threadweaving Technique: Unseen Bind."
________
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