Chapter 113: The Ninja World's Version of "Doraemon"
A medical ninja isn't someone who just knows medical ninjutsu.
The supplies they need to prepare are vastly different from those of ordinary combat ninjas.
Taichi led Minato back to his home and opened his storage cabinet. He first organized a standard combat loadout—equipment he carried on every mission, no matter the type.
After that came the medical supplies:
Anti-inflammatory medicine, painkillers, antiseptics, trauma ointments.
Surgical tools—scalpels, scissors, forceps.
Bandages, alcohol, soldier pills, antidotes, and various basic medicinal herbs.
A messy mountain of supplies quickly piled up.
Without hesitation, Taichi sealed everything into storage scrolls.
Minato stared in amazement.
"Taichi… do medical ninjas usually carry this much stuff when they go on missions?"
This was easily ten times more than what he normally prepared.
"I have no idea," Taichi replied honestly, looking just as confused.
"This is my first time doing a mission as a medical ninja. Better safe than sorry, right?"
Minato froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Right. Better safe than sorry!"
With everything prepared, the two immediately rushed toward Konoha's main gate.
---
By the time they arrived, the other two team members were already waiting.
"Taichi—didn't expect we'd be working together this time."
As soon as he spoke, Hatake Sakumo greeted him warmly, completely lacking the arrogance one might expect from a legendary elite ninja.
But anyone who underestimated him because of that warmth would pay for it in blood.
To Taichi's keen perception, Sakumo's presence had changed noticeably since their last meeting. An ordinary ninja might not have sensed it—but Taichi, who had also achieved some mastery in blade techniques, noticed immediately.
That sharpness—condensed to its extreme—felt like a treasured blade already drawn, its edge constantly aimed at him.
"The honor is mine, Sakumo-senpai," Taichi replied sincerely.
"Your strength has grown even greater."
Sakumo looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting Taichi to notice. But when his gaze fell on the short blade strapped behind Taichi's back, he nodded in understanding.
As fellow bladesmen, they could sense that hidden sharpness in each other.
"Come," Sakumo said with a hearty grin.
"Let me introduce the rest of the team."
He stepped aside, revealing a Byakugan user dressed in white robes.
"This is Hyūga Hizashi, a jōnin of the Hyūga clan. He'll be a key figure in this mission."
Hizashi gave a slight nod. His pale eyes flickered with curiosity—he clearly knew nothing about Taichi.
"Hizashi, this is Matsushita Taichi," Sakumo continued.
"He'll be serving as our team's medical ninja. Don't underestimate him—if not for Taichi's skills during our last mission, I wouldn't be standing here today."
That explanation erased the doubt in Hizashi's eyes.
Taichi bowed politely.
Hyūga Hizashi—the future father of Neji. A man destined to die in place of his elder twin brother, sacrificed to preserve the Hyūga clan's system. A tragic figure, condemned by the weakness and compromises of Konoha's upper leadership.
But that future hadn't arrived yet.
Right now, he was young—just in his early twenties.
---
Once introductions were complete, Sakumo produced the mission scroll and let his dark gaze sweep over the group.
"Mission rank: S."
"The final objective is to intercept and eliminate the Sand Village envoy."
"I will serve as the team leader."
Taichi, Minato, and Hizashi all focused their attention on him, waiting for further instructions.
"Time is tight. We move out immediately. I'll explain the details on the way."
After quickly completing the village departure procedures, Sakumo took the lead.
The four of them vanished from Konoha's gates—
heading straight toward the Land of Rain.
___
The four-man team left Konoha in the morning and traveled for nearly eleven straight hours, stopping only twice along the way to briefly replenish food and water before continuing on.
It wasn't until 8 p.m. that they finally chose a defensible position—easy to hold, hard to assault—and lit a campfire to rest.
December had already brought biting cold. Fortunately, they were still within the Land of Fire, where the temperature hadn't yet dropped below freezing. The four gathered around the fire, its warm glow casting a reddish light over their faces.
Once everyone had recovered some strength, Minato voiced the question they'd all been holding in since morning.
"Sakumo-senpai, could you explain the mission in detail now?"
Hatake Sakumo stopped poking at the fire and looked around at the group.
"This mission requires us to pass through the Land of Rain, then enter the border region between the Land of Wind and the Land of Birds."
He picked up a dry branch and began sketching a rough map on the ground.
"At our current pace, we'll reach the Fire Country border tomorrow morning. We'll resupply at the Fourth Outpost."
He tapped a point along the Fire–Rain border, then drew a long line straight across the Land of Rain, stopping at the junction of Rain, Bird, and Wind.
"After resupplying, we'll cross the Rain Country in one push. During that time, we must avoid all detection. No one can see us."
His gaze swept across the group and finally settled on Taichi.
"Taichi. Do you understand what that means?"
Taichi froze for a moment—then understood immediately.
It meant no witnesses.
"Understood," Taichi replied firmly.
"This is the mission. We can't allow even the slightest suspicion to fall on Konoha."
Sakumo nodded in satisfaction. Minato and Hizashi also relaxed slightly, their expressions easing.
Sakumo continued, drawing along the Wind–Bird border.
"I have a Sand Village defensive deployment map. From this point on, our job is to verify it."
He pulled a scroll from his pouch and unrolled it for everyone to see.
"First, we confirm whether this map is accurate. Second, we familiarize ourselves with the terrain and identify assassination and retreat routes."
He paused, his tone turning serious.
"Our intel is extremely limited. Right now, we only know the date of the alliance."
"We don't know who the target is, how many guards they have, or their movement routes."
"So in addition to the assassination, we must prepare a clean withdrawal route in advance."
After Sakumo's explanation, everyone finally grasped how critical the mission was.
If the Sand and Stone alliance succeeded, not only would Sand's already fragile alliance with Konoha collapse—but large numbers of ninja currently stationed along the Wind–Earth border could be redeployed.
Where would they go?
Stone might use them to counter Lightning.
But Wind would almost certainly reinforce its border with Fire.
That was the last thing Konoha wanted—especially after having been surrounded during the First and Second Shinobi Wars. Konoha's leadership was determined to prevent that situation from happening again.
"Sakumo-senpai," Hizashi said cautiously,
"Is it really just the four of us for this mission? Isn't that… a bit thin?"
"There's also an ANBU team moving ahead of us," Sakumo replied.
"Their task is reconnaissance on the envoy's movements."
"But the actual strike?"
"That's ours alone."
At least that was some good news. Otherwise, they'd be working completely blind with only seven days to prepare.
With the plan clear, the team set a rotating night watch and rested. The camp fell quiet, broken only by the crackling fire and the soft footsteps of the sentry.
---
The following days unfolded exactly as planned—travel, resupply, maneuver.
They stuck to remote routes and avoided all contact. Everything went smoothly.
On December 6th, Konoha Year 44, the team finally reached the junction of the Wind, Rain, and Bird countries.
From this point on, the mission's true difficulty revealed itself.
Sakumo spread out the deployment map and pointed to the nearest Sand outpost.
"Hizashi, this is your show. We won't approach directly—just observe from a distance and confirm whether it matches the map."
Hizashi nodded. No combat—just reconnaissance.
His Byakugan had a maximum range of five kilometers. At that distance, as long as luck wasn't terrible, the team would remain safe.
Just as they prepared to move, Taichi stopped them.
He pulled a small bottle from his pouch and poured out six peanut-sized pills, handing them over.
"Sand specializes in poison. These are antidote pills I made myself. They're twice as effective as standard issue."
"More importantly—if they can't neutralize a toxin, they can suppress it for one hour without reducing combat effectiveness."
"Two pills each. Just in case."
The others stared in surprise.
Sakumo took one, lifted it to his nose—and instantly regretted it.
A violently pungent stench blasted into his sinuses, making him cough uncontrollably. But then a cool sensation shot straight into his brain, clearing his mind completely.
"Hey—don't—" Taichi tried to stop him. Too late.
Sakumo's eyes watered uncontrollably as he rubbed his nose.
"That stuff's… strong."
Taichi looked innocent.
"It just smells intense. When you take it, don't chew—just swallow."
After a pause, he added helpfully:
"Trust me. You don't want to know what it tastes like."
Minato and Hizashi shuddered in unison and carefully stored their pills away.
"Taichi," Sakumo said once he recovered,
"Next time you invent something, include instructions."
"Ah… haha…" Taichi scratched his head and looked away.
Minato and Hizashi covered their mouths, barely holding in laughter.
The brief humor eased the tension, and the mission began.
They advanced in a triangular formation, Hizashi protected in the center, Sakumo leading.
The Byakugan truly lived up to its reputation as a strategic-level dōjutsu.
Like a god's-eye view, it allowed the team to silently avoid multiple Sand patrols. When Sakumo raised his hand to halt, they were already within three kilometers of the outpost.
Hizashi activated the Byakugan again.
"Two squads stationed inside the outpost. Combined with the patrols we avoided earlier, this location likely houses a full platoon."
His gaze shifted.
"Large trap clusters at ten and two o'clock. A Sand patrol is also approaching from behind—four kilometers out."
Taichi instinctively reached for his blade—but Minato placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
Sakumo spoke calmly.
"Recon complete. We're moving on."
He led them east, ignoring the approaching patrol entirely.
"In infiltration missions," Minato explained quietly,
"avoid unnecessary combat. If engagement is unavoidable—kill instantly. Never drag it out."
"Hizashi," Sakumo added,
"keep the Byakugan active as much as possible. We need to speed this up."
The previous recon had taken nearly two hours.
There were sixteen outposts to check.
At this pace, time would run out.
"I'll do my best," Hizashi said grimly.
"I can keep it active for thirty minutes at a time, then I need fifteen minutes to rest."
It wasn't ideal—but it was reality.
Then Taichi spoke up again.
"Well… maybe try this?"
He produced another bottle.
"My custom soldier pills. Triple the effectiveness of standard ones. Fast-acting, rapid chakra recovery."
Minato stared at Taichi's pouch.
"Are you a ninja or a walking supply depot?"
"But I watched you pack—where did these come from?"
"I made them over the last couple days," Taichi explained.
"They require Yang chakra infusion, so they can't be stored long."
Then he slapped his forehead.
"Oh—and don't chew."
Hizashi froze mid-reach… then swallowed the oversized pill whole.
The effect was immediate.
A wasabi-like shock blasted through his senses—
then warmth surged through his body.
Chakra and stamina recovered rapidly.
"This is… incredible."
"Six per day max," Taichi warned.
"More than that and it'll hurt you."
After hearing Hizashi's report, Sakumo and Minato stared at Taichi.
Without a word, Taichi sighed and handed each of them a bottle.
"Use sparingly. That's all I could make."
With supplies distributed, the team resumed reconnaissance—now at greatly increased speed.
Everything went smoothly…
Until the morning of the 9th, at the final outpost—
An accident happened.
Prolonged, high-intensity Byakugan usage, even with sufficient chakra, placed immense strain on Hizashi's mind.
And it finally took its toll.