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"Taiichi!" Nonou's startled cry drew every eye in the emergency department. She quickly apologized to the surrounding staff and hurried over to him in a few quick steps.
"When did you get back?" She grabbed his hands and looked him over from head to toe. "You're darker, taller… and thinner!"
Taiichi didn't pull away. He let her fuss over him like a long-lost relative, turning slightly so she could see him better. The attention made him feel strangely at home.
"I just got back today. Finished reporting to the Hokage and came straight here to find you."
Nonou's expression turned serious. "How was the front? Were you hurt?"
Taiichi waved it off with a grin. "Don't forget, I'm a pretty skilled medical ninja. I'm the one doing the healing, not the other way around."
He kept things light, telling her about the lives he'd saved, the lucky breaks he'd had, and the merit he'd earned. Then he casually dropped that he was now the youngest Special Jonin in Konoha's history.
Nonou stared at him, stunned. Taiichi kept talking, completely missing the deep worry hidden behind her proud smile.
He knew the truth as well as she did—big achievements always came with big risks. But he deliberately softened the story so she wouldn't worry. And she let him. Some lies were worth keeping when they came from love.
The warm moment didn't last. A nurse knocked and poked her head in. "Director, several more patients just arrived. They need you right away."
Nonou glanced at Taiichi. "You can rest here if you want, or…"
"I'm coming with you. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can both go home. I bought a ton of ingredients and invited all the orphanage kids over for dinner tonight."
At the same time, one of Taiichi's shadow clones reached the orphanage.
Even before he got close, the sound of excited shouting reached his ears. The loudest voice was unmistakably Jiang Tai's.
He pushed open the gate to find Jiang Tai leading a group of boys in a ninja game, forming hand seals and shouting jutsu names. The girls were gathered nearby doing crafts. The sharpest one, Yamei, spotted him first.
"Big brother Taiichi!" Her excited scream made every kid freeze and turn. A chorus of "Big brother Taiichi!" erupted as they all rushed over.
Inside the building, Grandma Keiko heard the commotion and stepped out. "Taiichi, you're home!"
"Grandma Keiko, how's your health?"
"Good, very good. Seeing you here makes it even better." She smiled warmly and reached up to pat his head, eyes full of gentle affection.
They chatted for a few minutes about his mission stories before the kids dragged him back outside. As he left, Taiichi called over his shoulder, "Grandma, bring everyone to my house later. Dinner's at my place tonight!"
The kids erupted in cheers. "Yes! We get to eat big brother Taiichi's cooking!"
"Just remember," Taiichi added with a grin, "you little gluttons have to help clean first!"
"No problem! We're great at cleaning. We do it all the time at the orphanage."
After letting the kids play for a while, Taiichi led the whole group back to his house in a lively parade.
Meanwhile, at Taiichi's house, the last shadow clone had finished shopping and was already busy in the kitchen. Cooking for this many people wasn't quick, especially when he was doing it alone.
The rhythmic sound of chopping filled the air. His hands moved with the same precision he used in battle. By the time the ingredients were prepped, cheerful voices echoed from the courtyard.
The real Taiichi had finally arrived with the kids.
"Alright, listen up. Boys, clean the courtyard. Girls, take care of the house. Whoever does the best job gets an extra chicken leg tonight!"
"Yes, sir!" The children scattered like a well-trained unit, grabbing tools and getting to work under the leadership of Jiang Tai and Yamei.
Taiichi helped Grandma Keiko to a bench in the courtyard and continued their earlier conversation while the kids cleaned.
By evening, the real Taiichi and Nonou finally finished their shift at the hospital. To give Nonou peace of mind, he left one shadow clone behind to cover her duties.
When they reached the house, it was spotless. The kids had spent the entire afternoon scrubbing every corner. They were exhausted but perked up instantly at the sight of the massive feast waiting on the table.
Everyone sat properly in their seats, eyes shining with hunger, but no one touched the food. They were waiting for Director Nonou.
Nonou walked in to see dozens of bright little faces staring at her. She smiled brightly, washed her hands quickly, and took her seat under their expectant gazes.
"Before we eat, let's thank big brother Taiichi for having us."
"Thank you, big brother Taiichi~" the children chorused.
"Alright, dig in!"
The tired, hungry kids immediately attacked the food with enthusiasm. The delicious meal and good company filled the air with happiness. Conversation was minimal—everyone was too busy eating.
In no time the table was cleared. The kids thanked Taiichi again under Nonou's guidance, then bolted back into the courtyard to play.
Only Taiichi, Nonou, and Grandma Keiko remained inside. Taiichi created four shadow clones to handle the dishes while he and Nonou talked. Grandma Keiko sat quietly beside them, smiling softly the whole time.
"How long can you stay this time?" Nonou asked, the same question every worried family member asks.
"I don't know. The situation is getting more tense by the day. Jiraiya-sensei only got special permission for me to come back. We could be called to the front lines tomorrow if another village declares war."
Taiichi didn't sugarcoat it. He wanted to enjoy every minute of this rare break.
Nonou nodded. "The hospital is short-staffed too. A lot of our best doctors have been sent to the front. Even the department heads are training apprentices now, trying to get more medical ninjas ready as fast as possible."
She sighed. "The southern front has been quiet lately, but the conflicts with Iwagakure and Kumogakure are heating up. We've already sent three batches of medics to those fronts in the last two months. We might end up working together on the battlefield one of these days."
Her words carried worry, but also acceptance. She had long since made peace with the reality that every ninja eventually fights. Still, she couldn't help worrying about Taiichi.
Taiichi felt the same unease. He wasn't worried about himself—he had plenty of ways to stay alive. But Nonou didn't have his advantages. The front lines were dangerous for anyone.
The thought made his chest tighten. He needed to develop better ways to protect the people he cared about.
The three of them talked a while longer about everyday things until Nonou noticed how late it had gotten and stood to leave.
Taiichi didn't feel comfortable letting her and the kids walk home alone at night, even in the village. He created two shadow clones to escort them safely.
Before she left, Nonou took his hand. "This house is too big. If you're gone for long stretches, I'll have the kids come by regularly to clean. That way it won't get dusty."
"Sounds good. Thanks, Nonou."
He watched them disappear down the street, then returned to his study. The idea that had been nagging at him all evening finally took shape—how to protect his loved ones in the coming storm.
He had been training so hard to grow stronger, partly because he enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger, but mostly so he could keep the people he cared about safe.
If all that power couldn't protect them when it mattered, then what was the point?
He rubbed his temples and reviewed everything he knew. In the end, only sealing techniques and Flying Thunder God offered real possibilities.
The Multi-String Light Formation he had neglected for so long could be improved. Even the legendary Transcription Seal—something only Mangekyō users were supposed to use—gave him an idea.
Of course, creating something on that level from scratch would be extremely difficult. But with his sealing skill at Lv11, it wasn't impossible.
He also had some thoughts about improving Flying Thunder God itself. Everything came back to sealing.
If he could pull it off, he might actually be able to keep the people he loved safe.
The realization filled him with determination. He was about to start working when he noticed the time—well past midnight.
He had been so focused that he'd completely lost track of the hours.
Taiichi decided to call it a night. He took a quick shower and collapsed into bed. Rest was important if he wanted to tackle these problems with a clear head tomorrow.
The next morning, Taiichi woke early. After his usual training and breakfast, it was already around 8 a.m.
He created four shadow clones—one to help at the hospital, one to practice kenjutsu, one to study sealing techniques, and one to work on Ice Release nature transformation.
His real body headed to the study to continue yesterday's work.
Since he didn't know how long his break would last, he started with the simplest project: improving the Multi-String Light Formation.
The old version could only affect chunin. That was back when his sealing skill was only Lv6. Now that he was at Lv11, it would be embarrassing if it still couldn't handle anything stronger.
He spent the entire day calculating, simplifying, and expanding the formation—layer by layer, from affecting chunin to trapping them, then briefly affecting jonin.
By evening, the desk was buried under stacks of paper. Taiichi looked at the final design and smiled.
This new version could trap an average jonin for one full second. It was difficult to cast, required twenty thousand chakra points per use, and needed jonin-level sealing skill to even learn. But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that it could save lives.
He went to the training ground and spent an hour carefully drawing a ten-meter-wide formation on the floor. Standing in the center, he formed the seals and poured chakra into it.
The symbols came alive, wrapping around him like glowing chains. A powerful restraining force pressed down on him, but it faded quickly. Even without struggling, it would disappear on its own in about ten seconds.
When he tested it with force, the time shortened dramatically. In theory, a normal jonin could break free in one second if they fought with everything they had.
That was more than enough.
The next challenge was turning this into a sealing tag. That wouldn't be easy.
He glanced at the sky. It was already night. He had been so absorbed that he'd skipped lunch, and his stomach was loudly protesting.
He decided to eat first. The sealing tag could wait until tomorrow.
He left the house and headed toward the busy main street. Dinner tonight would be somewhere in town.