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Following Taiichi's pointed finger, the team looked ahead. The forest looked exactly like every other stretch they'd passed.
But they trusted him completely. No one asked questions. The whole squad kept chasing right behind him.
As they closed the distance, Taiichi noticed the heat signatures sharpening in his thermal vision. The spy had tried more diversion tricks along the way, but in Taiichi's eyes there was only ever one real trail.
Finally, just before noon, Hyuga Hiashi delivered the good news.
"Spy located—eight kilometers straight ahead."
Everyone's spirits lifted. After all this running, they finally had eyes on the target.
Taiichi dropped his thermal vision, eyes returning to normal. Hiashi took over tracking. Maintaining even a partial Fire Body technique for that long still burned through chakra fast.
They pushed harder. The gap shrank rapidly when Hiashi suddenly threw up a hand signal.
"Explosive tags—heads up!"
The warning came a heartbeat too late. A blast erupted to the side, and one figure was hurled through the air by the shockwave. Sure enough, it was Kazema—again.
Taiichi flickered forward instantly and caught him before he hit the ground. A quick scan showed only minor burns. Nothing serious.
The rest of the squad closed in. Seeing Taiichi's simple treatment, they knew it wasn't critical.
But their position was blown. In Hiashi's Byakugan, the spy had poured on speed, bolting straight for the Land of Lightning.
"Pop the pills. Full pursuit!" Minato ordered immediately.
No hesitation. Everyone downed one of Taiichi's special soldier pills and formed up into a pursuit line, streaking forward in a straight shot.
"Kazema, stay right behind me," Taiichi ordered firmly. He'd clearly lost all faith in the guy's situational awareness.
The rest of the chase was pure flat-out pursuit. They dodged what they could and kunai'd any traps they couldn't. Nothing slowed them down even for a second.
The distance kept shrinking.
Five kilometers…
Four kilometers…
Three kilometers…
Two kilometers…
They were almost on him when Hiashi updated the situation.
"Cloud ninjas eight kilometers ahead—moving fast. They'll reach the spy before we do."
"Dammit, so close!" Yohei cursed.
"How many? Strength?" Minato asked calmly, already ready for a fight.
"Two squads, eight total. Two Jonin leads, six Chunin. Plus the spy—three Jonin."
Minato glanced at his team. Nine versus six. Numbers were a bit short, but quality was overwhelmingly on their side.
"Listen up. If they link up first, we take every single one. No survivors."
"Yes!"
At Minato's signal they spread into an encirclement. Taiichi kept Kazema glued behind him—no more screw-ups today.
The Cloud ninjas reached the spy first. The team watched helplessly as the spy handed off the sealed defense map in a quick exchange. The map was gone again.
Only one option left: wipe them all out.
Formation shifted. Minato, Hiashi, and Taiichi took point to handle the Jonin immediately. Yohei, Saori, and Kazema would clean up the Chunin.
The Cloud ninjas spotted the approaching Leaf team and didn't flinch. They actually looked confident—numbers on their side and half the Leaf shinobi were teenagers.
They formed up quickly and charged.
Neither side backed down.
Before bodies collided, ninjutsu flew.
Cloud unleashed a storm of Lightning Release—thunder balls, lightning nets, needles—mixed with Wind and Fire.
Leaf's opening volley looked lighter in volume but far higher in quality. Taiichi led with Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, backed by Wind and Lightning support.
To catch them off guard, Taiichi went all-out from the start. Brilliant golden flames tore through the lightning storm like a blazing lance, charging at the Cloud ninjas with unstoppable force.
The Cloud shinobi weren't stupid. The terrifying heat hit them before the dragon arrived. Every single one dodged the main blast.
But dodging was easier said than done.
Taiichi flicked his wrist. The fire dragon whipped its tail sideways, bypassing the Jonin in front and sweeping the Chunin behind them.
The lead Chunin didn't even have time to scream. Golden flames washed over him, reducing him to charred remains in an instant.
"Shit—that fire is insane! Don't let it touch you!"
No one needed the reminder. They'd just watched it happen.
The opening exchange gave Leaf a slight edge. Minato, Taiichi, and Hiashi used it to close on their Jonin targets immediately.
The skill gap became glaring.
Minato flicked a Flying Thunder God kunai with his left hand while thrusting another with his right.
The Cloud Jonin casually sidestepped the incoming kunai and slashed at the approaching Leaf ninja.
Then Minato vanished.
The next instant the Cloud Jonin felt a sharp pain in his neck. Minato had appeared behind him, kunai already buried in his throat.
Taiichi's side was even smoother.
He went straight for vital points, relying on Fire Body to tank hits. He traded lethal blows without hesitation.
The Cloud Jonin's lightning-coated blade numbed Taiichi for a split second, but Taiichi's short sword had already pierced straight through the man's heart.
The enemy collapsed, twitching.
Note to self—Fire Body still gets paralyzed by lightning. Can't get too cocky.
With two Jonin dead in the opening clash, the spy Jonin barked orders.
"Retreat! Pull back now—don't engage!"
But it was too late. The fight had already turned into a melee.
Taiichi finished his opponent and flickered straight to Hiashi to double-team the spy.
Minato was faster. Five Flying Thunder God kunai shot out. Golden flashes flickered across the field. Five throats were slit before anyone could react.
The spy's face filled with utter despair.
Facing the two Leaf powerhouses closing in from front and back, he knew he wasn't walking away. If he was going to die, he'd take someone with him.
His style shifted to pure suicide attack.
He charged Hiashi's Gentle Fist head-on, ignoring the strike to drive his kunai home. Hiashi twisted at the last second, but the blade still sank deep into his left shoulder.
With a pained grunt Hiashi landed a heavy blow that sent the spy staggering.
Before the spy could press the attack, Taiichi arrived.
His short sword danced in a blazing storm of strikes, giving the enemy zero chance to counter.
Seeing the spy's chakra flow falter from Hiashi's hit, Taiichi wrapped his blade in golden flames and went for raw power clashes.
After three heavy collisions the spy's kunai snapped in half—along with the hand holding it.
A scream was cut short.
Taiichi stepped in the moment the opening appeared and drove a monstrously powerful punch into the man's chest.
Crack.
The spy was launched into the air, coughing blood and organ fragments. When he hit the ground he was finished.
Taiichi flickered forward, confirmed he was dying, and mercifully finished him with a clean slash.
The battle was over.
The team regrouped.
"Taiichi, treat Hiashi. Everyone else, search the bodies for the map!" Minato ordered immediately.
Body searching was dangerous work—Jonin corpses could be booby-trapped or poisoned. Medical treatment was Taiichi's specialty.
Hiashi removed his outer jacket. Taiichi's hands glowed green as he carefully scanned the wound.
"You're lucky. No damage to bone or tendons—just muscle and flesh."
The green light intensified as he used Mystical Palm to stop the bleeding and begin healing.
"Sorry for dragging everyone down… and making you waste time on me," Hiashi said, embarrassed. Both Minato and Taiichi had taken out their opponents cleanly, while he'd nearly been counter-killed.
"Don't sell yourself short, Hiashi-senpai," Taiichi replied while working. "Minato-senpai and I only won because we caught them off guard. If they'd been prepared, it wouldn't have been so easy."
Minato walked over and nodded. "Intelligence is everything in ninja combat. My Flying Thunder God relies on surprise. Once the enemy knows it's coming, its effectiveness drops sharply."
(He was being modest—most ninjas still couldn't react even if they knew.)
Taiichi smoothly changed the subject. "Minato-senpai, your Flying Thunder God has improved a lot. Last year you couldn't chain teleports like that. Now you can take out multiple enemies in an instant."
Minato smiled and scratched his golden hair, clearly pleased with the compliment.
Saori's voice suddenly cut through from a distance.
"Found it!"
She had pulled the defense map from the spy's body. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The mission was back on track.
Minato examined the hidden seals and confirmed it was genuine.
"Good. Clean up the battlefield. We'll head to the forward base ahead and hand this over directly. Mission complete."
Taiichi finished treating Hiashi and joined the cleanup.
---
Night fell. A bright moon hung in the sky, insect chirps filling the forest.
The journey to the forward camp felt far more relaxed without the desperate chase. The team's steps were noticeably lighter.
They found a clearing beside a clear stream and lit a small campfire. The flickering flames lit up their relieved faces.
Hiashi's shoulder, thanks to Taiichi's efficient treatment, was already mostly fine—just a bit stiff.
After days of hard running the accumulated fatigue hit them now that they were safe. But the joy of completing the mission kept their spirits high.
They caught several large fish. Once again, Taiichi's cooking turned simple grilled fish into something gourmet.
After dinner, conversation naturally turned to the day's battle.
Yohei poked at the fire with a stick. "Minato-senpai's Flying Thunder God is ridiculous. One blink and—bam—those Chunin didn't even know what hit them. Who the hell can defend against that speed?"
Minato smiled gently, firelight dancing on his golden hair. "Speed is powerful, but like Taiichi said earlier, information is crucial. If the enemy is prepared—especially someone with absolute defense or excellent prediction—Flying Thunder God's threat drops a lot."
He pulled out one of his marked kunai. "After all, teleportation itself doesn't increase the attack's power. Against top-tier opponents, a kunai can feel… insufficient."
Taiichi, carefully maintaining his short sword, nodded. "Speed and destructive power need to complement each other. Pure speed without a finishing blow can actually put you in danger."
He remembered getting briefly paralyzed by lightning earlier—same principle.
Minato should already be working on the Rasengan right now. I wonder how far he's gotten.
As if on cue, Minato continued, "I've noticed that weakness too. That's why I've been trying to develop a new technique to compensate."
"Oh?" Both Hiashi and Yohei perked up immediately. Even the usually quiet Saori focused on him.
"I want to create a jutsu that requires no hand seals—pure chakra that can deliver massive destructive power. I've made some progress."
Minato raised his right hand, palm up. Visible chakra rapidly gathered, forming a spinning blue sphere in seconds.
Taiichi's eyes widened. Already this far?
But looking closer he noticed the difference. It was only spinning in one direction—not the complete, chaotic rotation of the finished Rasengan.
"This is as far as I've gotten. My idea is that the high-speed rotation and compressed energy will easily pierce any defense. Combined with Flying Thunder God's speed, it should create an unstoppable attack."
He pressed the chakra ball against the ground. Under the pressure it destabilized and exploded outward. Even so, the spinning chakra carved a half-meter crater.
The others might not grasp the technical difficulty, but the result spoke for itself. This was still incomplete. A finished version would be devastating—especially as a seal-less technique.
"By the way, Taiichi—you're good at developing jutsu too. Any ideas on how to stabilize it?" Minato suddenly turned to him, eyes full of expectation.
Taiichi blinked, surprised to be asked, but quickly recovered. Drawing from his knowledge of the original Rasengan training, he didn't hesitate.
He raised his right hand. A large amount of chakra gathered instantly, forming an identical blue sphere.
Gasps came from around the fire. He'd copied it after seeing it once.
Yohei and Kazema tried it themselves, managing basic spheres but nothing more. They blushed and quickly dropped their hands.
With Taiichi's insane chakra control this was child's play.
Holding the spinning ball, he closed his eyes in thought—mostly for show. He couldn't solve it instantly without looking suspicious.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
After a long moment Taiichi opened his eyes. The sphere began fluctuating violently, looking like it would collapse.
But under his control it gradually stabilized again, growing brighter and emitting a low, humming sound.
Most of the team didn't notice much difference yet.
Minato, however, shot to his feet in excitement.
"Taiichi—try it right now!"
Taiichi stood and walked to a nearby large tree. He pressed the chakra ball against the trunk.
With a soft hiss the ball sank in without resistance.
Just as everyone wondered why nothing seemed to happen…
BOOM.
The entire tree suddenly collapsed. From the point of contact, a huge section of the trunk had been ground into fine powder.