Chapter 196 — So It Can Be Done Like This!
The southern Konoha camp had barely settled when the dust from the ambush began to clear. In truth, the entire clash had lasted little more than ten minutes—dawn hadn't even fully broken yet.
Shinobi battles were always this fast. Opportunities were fleeting, and most fights ended in a single decisive strike. Prolonged battles like those between Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju, lasting days on end, were rare anomalies.
At this moment, Gekkō was vividly recounting everything that had just happened. In front of him stood Jiraiya, Nara Shikaku, and several jōnin. Everyone else had already been dispatched to clean up the battlefield.
As Gekkō spoke, the expressions of those listening shifted gradually—from disbelief to outright shock. By the time he finished describing Taichi 's performance, silence fell over the group.
After a long pause, Jiraiya suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Hahaha! As expected of my disciple! Let's see if that Kazekage brat dares to act arrogant again. Sneaking into our camp for an ambush—he really had the guts. Next time? I doubt he'll even try!"
The surrounding shinobi smiled as well. If they had a disciple like that, they'd probably be laughing even harder.
"Alright," Jiraiya continued, regaining composure, "finish clearing the battlefield and tally the casualties. Meeting at nine—everyone at command level attends." He paused, then added, "Bring Taichi too."
As he walked away, hands behind his back, clearly in high spirits, a few sharp-eared ninja caught him muttering, "Shame Minato Namikaze isn't here… otherwise that Kazekage would've died tonight."
Meanwhile, far from Konoha's camp, Rasa was retreating through the sky with the five surviving Sand jōnin. Carrying others while flying was no small burden, and even he couldn't sustain it for long. Once they were sure they had escaped Konoha's range, he descended, and the group continued on foot in silence.
Eventually, they arrived at the base of a cliff. Rasa formed a series of hand seals, and ripples spread across the rock face. A hidden entrance appeared—one of his prearranged fallback points.
They entered quickly, and once all were inside, the concealment barrier reactivated, sealing the cave from view.
Inside, the atmosphere was heavy. Fifty had entered Konoha's camp—only five returned. Among them, one had lost his arm entirely. Rasa's expression darkened further.
The losses were catastrophic.
And this didn't even account for the team that attacked the central command camp—without someone of his caliber leading them, their fate was likely worse.
He checked the time. One hour remained until the final rendezvous. If no one else arrived…
His face turned ashen. Not only had the mission failed, but the losses were devastating—and he had personally led the operation. If accountability fell on him, the fragile stability of his position as Kazekage could collapse.
The remaining jōnin sensed his mood and kept silent, tending to their wounds. Fear lingered in their hearts. Even as elite shinobi, the memory of that battle still sent chills down their spines.
Especially the one who had lost his arm—his future had been irreversibly altered. Even if he recovered, his strength would decline. Retirement or reassignment was inevitable. The weight of that realization slowed even his attempts to treat his injuries.
Rasa noticed.
He paused, then exhaled slowly.
As Kazekage, even in defeat, he couldn't afford to show weakness. He straightened, forcing his mindset back into place.
"It's just one loss," he said firmly. "War is never constant victory. Remember today—and repay it on the battlefield. Kill more of Konoha's bastards tomorrow."
Crude, but effective.
He stepped forward and placed a hand on the uninjured shoulder of the armless jōnin. "Masha, don't worry about your future. You lost that arm for the village. The village won't forget—and neither will I. Once we return, recover properly. After that, whatever you want to do, come to me. I won't let those who followed me into battle be cast aside."
Even knowing there was an element of leadership calculation in those words, Masha was deeply moved. At least his future wouldn't be meaningless.
The others felt it too. Whatever else, their Kazekage stood by his people.
An hour passed.
No one else arrived.
Rasa finally gave up waiting.
"Let's go. Back to camp. Your injuries need treatment."
No one spoke. They simply followed.
Back in Konoha's camp, the mood couldn't have been more different.
Inside the newly established command tent, senior officers had gathered, including those who had fought alongside Taichi .
Jiraiya sat at the head, still smiling broadly.
"Everyone," he began, clapping his hands, "you all know about this morning's ambush. There were some unexpected twists—but overall, this was a major victory!"
He tried to maintain a serious tone… and failed within seconds, bursting into laughter again.
The room followed suit.
The results were simply too good.
Finally regaining control, Jiraiya waved a hand. "Shikaku, report."
Shikaku stood and began without even consulting notes.
"The Sand deployed two assault groups. The first: 80 shinobi, including 15 jōnin, targeting our command camp. They were completely annihilated in our ambush.
The second: 50 shinobi, including 9 jōnin, with the Fourth Kazekage hidden among them. However, Taichi successfully engaged and restrained the Kazekage, allowing our forces to eliminate the rest. Of that group, only five jōnin escaped—including the Kazekage himself.
Our losses: 24 chūnin killed. Many injured—but with Taichi 's treatment, recovery is expected soon."
Twice, Taichi 's name was emphasized.
No one objected.
Because no one could.
The command camp victory had been expected—with Jiraiya present and superior numbers. But the medical camp…
That had been something else entirely.
No one had anticipated the Kazekage himself would appear—let alone personally lead a stealth assault.
And yet, despite that…
Konoha had still won.
This kind of reckless move was something no Kage should be doing. And yet, Rasa had nearly succeeded. If Taichi hadn't stepped in at the critical moment to pin him down in close combat—if the Kazekage had been allowed to unleash his Sand Gold techniques freely inside the Konoha camp—
Then what they'd be holding right now wouldn't be a victory meeting.
It would be a memorial service.
Just imagining those potential losses sent a chill through everyone present.
Because of that, even though Taichi hadn't personally killed many enemies in this battle, everyone—including Jiraiya—agreed on one thing:
He was unquestionably the greatest contributor.
At that moment, nearly every gaze in the room drifted toward Taichi , who was seated beside Director Fujita among the medical staff. Their expressions carried admiration… and a hint of disbelief.
You're this strong… and you're sitting with the medics? Isn't that just pretending to be weak?
…Wait, no. He actually is the strongest medical ninja here.
Fair enough.
Under the weight of so many strange looks, Taichi scratched his head awkwardly, unable to figure out what exactly he'd done to deserve them.
At the head of the table, Jiraiya chuckled softly. He understood what everyone was thinking, but the meeting still had to go on.
"Alright," he said, clapping his hands lightly, "if no one has anything to add, I'll report these achievements back to the village as they are."
No objections. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Good. Then let's move on to the next phase of operations."
The atmosphere shifted instantly. All chatter ceased as everyone straightened up, eyes fixed on Jiraiya.
"This battle dealt the Sand a heavy blow. Nineteen jōnin confirmed killed. That's a rare opportunity. Starting tomorrow, we'll increase offensive pressure. Before their next wave of reinforcements arrives, we'll eliminate as much of their fighting force as possible."
The room filled with approving nods.
This victory hadn't just been tactical—it had reignited morale. Everyone could feel it. The next phase of the war would be far more favorable.
What followed was task allocation. Jiraiya and Nara Shikaku assigned missions across the board.
And as expected—
Taichi was assigned back to the medical camp.
No one questioned it.
After all, his medical ninjutsu had become the backbone of Konoha's battlefield resilience. The Sand had already proven how valuable he was by launching a targeted assassination attempt. Compared to sending him into direct combat, keeping him in a support role clearly benefited Konoha more.
The meeting adjourned. People began filing out.
But Taichi stayed.
Jiraiya and Shikaku were about to discuss further personnel adjustments when they noticed him still standing there.
"What is it, Taichi ?" Jiraiya asked directly.
Taichi hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Sensei… could you assign me some external missions as well?"
Jiraiya frowned slightly. Hadn't he just explained everything clearly?
"Taichi ," he said patiently, "I know you're strong. But you've seen it yourself—your medical ninjutsu is what keeps morale high. When our people don't fear death, they fight differently. That's far more valuable than you fighting alone."
He didn't want Taichi to misunderstand his intentions.
Taichi nodded. "I understand that. But… I have Flying Thunder God."
That made both Jiraiya and Shikaku pause.
"The medical camp doesn't actually need me there every second," Taichi continued. "If I leave a couple of shadow clones behind, treatment can continue as normal. And if something urgent happens—I can return instantly using Flying Thunder God."
Silence.
Jiraiya blinked.
Shikaku blinked.
Then the two slowly turned to look at each other.
…That actually made sense.
It wasn't something they'd ever considered. After all, very few people could use the Flying Thunder God technique. There was no precedent.
Minato Namikaze could do it—but he was a frontline combat specialist. He didn't need to split his time between roles.
Taichi was different.
Top-tier medic. High-end combatant. A rare dual-specialist talent.
Until now, they'd been forced to use only half his potential.
But this…
Flying Thunder God + Shadow Clones.
It solved everything.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up first, followed closely by Shikaku's.
The more they thought about it, the more perfect it seemed. Not just two fronts—even three or four simultaneous roles could be possible with enough ability.
Jiraiya didn't hesitate.
He turned back to the table, rummaged through a stack of scrolls, and tossed one toward Taichi .
"This mission suits you best," he said. "No strict constraints. Maximum freedom."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Let's see just how much you can do."