Sora met Hatake Sakumo at Konoha's stronghold in the Land of Grass.
Hatake Sakumo fully approved of Sora accepting Kakashi as his disciple.
He then asked, "Sora, why did you come to the Land of Grass? As far as I know, the situation in the Land of Hot Water has stabilized, and the Land of Grass has always been like this. There won't be any intense battles here.
If you were looking for combat, the battles against Sunagakure's shinobi are much more frequent in the Land of Rivers, aren't they?"
Sora replied, "Lord Sakumo, I didn't come to the Land of Grass for battle—I came to find something. For my next mission, I hope you can assign me reconnaissance tasks and grant me a certain degree of freedom."
Hatake Sakumo frowned. He came to the Land of Grass to find something.
Thinking that Sora had received some kind of secret mission, Sakumo didn't press further. Instead, he asked, "How much freedom do you need?"
Sora thought for a moment before responding, "I hope that after I locate Iwagakure's shinobi and determine their numbers, I'll be allowed to engage independently. That way, I can also use the opportunity to teach Kakashi through actual combat."
Hatake Sakumo agreed without hesitation. "If that's your request, I can allow it. However, I must remind you, Sora—do not act recklessly.
If you encounter a team of more than four enemy shinobi, retreat immediately.
Keep your engagements brief.
If you fight for too long, reinforcements may arrive.
The shinobi of Iwagakure are cunning and cautious. They rarely engage when outnumbered. When facing a powerful opponent, they retreat and call for backup, creating an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Because of this, Iwagakure's strongholds in the Land of Grass are nearly impregnable, and they have many shinobi stationed there. You must be extremely careful."
Sora replied seriously, "Lord Sakumo, rest assured—I won't put myself or Kakashi in danger."
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Then I will assign you and Kakashi a long-term mission.
Iwagakure has many hidden strongholds scattered throughout the Land of Grass, and these strongholds pose a significant threat to our future battles.
As long as they remain operational, Iwagakure's reinforcements will always reach the battlefield faster than ours.
Your mission is to investigate these hidden Iwagakure bases and report your findings to me.
You may decide when to begin."
Sora bowed respectfully. "Understood. Thank you, Lord Sakumo."
After leaving Sakumo's room, Kakashi still remembered what Sora had mentioned earlier—how he would teach him the mysterious Full Concentration Breathing technique once they arrived in the Land of Grass.
Eager to begin, Kakashi pressed Sora for a lesson.
Sora looked at the enthusiastic Kakashi with a subtle smile. "Kakashi, your mask is pretty breathable, right?"
Kakashi was confused by the question but answered, "Yeah, it's breathable."
Half an hour later...
"Sensei Sora, I can't breathe!"
Kakashi's mask had been stuffed with several layers of cloth by Sora, making its breathability almost nonexistent.
Now, every breath was a struggle, as if invisible hands were tightly gripping his throat.
Sora's smile took on a slightly sinister edge. "Can't handle it already? Then you'd better get used to it. You'll be wearing this mask at all times—you can't take it off unless I say so."
Kakashi was confused. "Huh? Even when I'm sleeping?"
Sora nodded. "Of course. Haven't I explained the breathing method to you before? It requires you to rapidly absorb a large amount of oxygen into your bloodstream to enhance your physical capabilities.
At your current level, you're far from achieving that, so the first step is strengthening your cardiovascular endurance."
Hearing this, Kakashi's eyes lit up. "Does that mean I get breaks?" he asked hopefully.
Sora chuckled. "Sure, you can take it off when you're eating or drinking."
Kakashi's expression immediately fell. "What? How is that considered a break?"
Sora ruffled Kakashi's hair. "Alright, I'll let you adjust to it today. Tomorrow, we start our reconnaissance mission. But don't even think about taking off your mask when I'm not around. If I find out, you'll regret it."
A shiver ran down Kakashi's spine.
"Understood, Sensei! I won't take it off!" he vowed.
"Good. Then carry on with whatever you need to do."
With that, Sora turned and left.
A Konoha shinobi soon approached him—one of Sakumo's subordinates sent to guide Sora to his assigned quarters.
After leading him to a room, the shinobi turned to leave, but Sora stopped him.
"Do you have a map of the Land of Grass?"
"Yes, here it is," the ninja replied, pulling a folded map from his tool pouch and handing it over.
"Thanks."
Without hesitation, Sora took the map, entered his room, and shut the door behind him.
The ninja stood outside, momentarily stunned, his mouth slightly open.
Wait a minute...
He had only meant to show Sora the map, not give it to him!
Did he even consider my feelings before just taking it?!
In the end, the ninja sighed in defeat and walked away, too embarrassed to ask for it back. It's just a map... I'll get another one.
Inside his room, Sora carefully studied the map of the Land of Grass.
According to his earlier deductions, Karin's mother had not yet joined Kusagakure. She should still be living somewhere in the Land of Grass.
Although the country was small, finding one person was still a daunting task.
However, by eliminating certain areas, he could narrow down his search significantly.
The first place to rule out was Kusagakure itself.
Next, he eliminated Konoha's and Iwagakure's strongholds.
This significantly reduced the search area, but he still wasn't certain whether Karin's mother was living in seclusion or with others.
Finding her would be a massive undertaking.
With that in mind, Sora began marking the map, crossing out unlikely locations.
The Next Day
After finishing his morning routine, Sora prepared to leave, ready to carry out their mission while searching for Karin's mother.
As he opened his door, his movements froze.
Lying on the ground just outside was Kakashi.
His forehead was slick with cold sweat, his complexion pale.
At a glance, it was obvious—he was suffering from oxygen deprivation.
Weakly, Kakashi looked up at him. "Sensei Sora… I feel dizzy. My whole body is weak… I really can't breathe. Can I take it off for a little while?"
Sora crouched down, gazing at him with an eerily gentle expression as he spoke in the coldest tone imaginable.
"No. You need to overcome this rather than waiting for it to overcome you. No discussions. We're heading out for the mission now—get up and follow me."
Kakashi rolled his eyes in exhaustion. Sensei Sora is a demon.
He couldn't believe this man had no sympathy whatsoever!
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