Chapter 140 – The Prelude to War
Once everything was clarified and supplies prepared, Taichi's squad departed immediately for their assigned operational zone.
The mission carried real danger.
How many enemies would they encounter?
What level were those enemies?
Were they scouting units—or elite strike teams?
All of it was unknown.
If luck turned against them and they encountered an elite squad, Taichi himself would likely survive.
But the others?
Especially Kazewata Kizuna—the weakest among them.
That was another matter entirely.
---
On the Move
After half a day of travel, Taichi, as the team's only sensory-type ninja, took full responsibility for detection.
Every ten minutes, he activated Chakra Sensory Technique.
With the skill raised to Lv6, his range had significantly expanded.
Clear detection range: 1.5 kilometers
Blurred early-warning range: 2 kilometers
Though still inferior to the Hyūga's Byakugan, his sensory ability now surpassed that of the Aburame or Inuzuka clans.
Running at the rear, Kizuna watched Taichi repeatedly activate sensory ninjutsu.
A bitter feeling stirred inside him.
He was a relatively rare Wind Release user.
Yet in this squad, he struggled to find a role.
The others were prodigies.
Even Furukawa Saori—the weakest besides him—possessed formidable sealing techniques and Lightning Release that could overwhelm him.
And their youngest member?
Their captain?
He was practically monstrous.
Sensory ability.
Medical ninjutsu.
Sealing arts.
Ninjutsu.
Taijutsu.
What couldn't he do?
As the oldest in the team, Kizuna felt a quiet humiliation.
Just as Kizuna was lost in self-criticism, Taichi's voice cut through the air:
"Stop. Rest."
The team halted instantly.
Yōhei stepped forward. "Something wrong?"
Taichi nodded.
"Up ahead is the designated danger zone. We replenish stamina here. Combat could break out at any moment."
Everyone understood.
Battles were often decided by the smallest margins—breath control, chakra reserves, mental clarity.
They rested efficiently, each using their own methods to recover.
Thirty minutes later, Taichi stood.
The others gathered around him.
"Formation change," he ordered calmly.
"I take point. Yōhei center support, watch all directions. Saori and Kizuna—rear left and right."
"Move."
They entered the high-risk sector.
This was where Konoha's supply routes had repeatedly been attacked.
Across the shinobi world, tension simmered just below detonation.
Nations were already sending sabotage squads deep into enemy territory.
Destroy logistics.
Disrupt supply lines.
Strike before the war officially begins.
Espionage.
Sabotage.
Ambush.
Counter-ambush.
Border regions had become silent battlefields.
And that chaos was slowly creeping inward.
Two hours into patrol, Taichi activated his sensory technique again.
This time—
He found something.
"Contact," he said immediately.
"Two o'clock direction. 1.5 kilometers. Four shinobi concealed. Two in trees. Two in grass."
A brief pause.
"Likely Sand ninja. Watch for Wind Release and puppetry."
The squad subtly altered course.
"Yōhei and I strike first," Taichi said quietly as they approached within 200 meters.
"Saori, Kizuna—support."
Distance shrank.
150 meters.
100 meters.
80 meters.
The forest fell unnaturally still.
As the distance closed to its critical threshold, Taichi moved first.
He flickered forward in rapid succession, his body blurring into afterimages as he carved a zigzagging trajectory through the forest. In an instant, he closed in on the tree concealing two enemies.
Yōhei wasn't far behind. After sprinting another dozen meters, he vanished in a Body Flicker as well, diving toward the grass where the remaining two lay hidden.
Taichi had already drawn his short blade.
Surging Fire Release chakra flooded into the steel.
A radiant golden flame blade erupted into form.
With a casual slash—
A blazing arc of flame burst outward.
One Sand shinobi, face frozen in shock, was split cleanly in two.
Before the body even fell, Taichi had already flickered onto the tree branch.
A horizontal sweep.
The second Sand ninja, who had just managed to raise a kunai in defense, was cut in half—weapon and all.
Ordinary steel, without chakra reinforcement, stood no chance against the Flame Blade.
Yōhei engaged his targets a heartbeat later.
Taichi spared him only a glance before shifting his attention to the final enemy.
That shinobi had been ensnared by Saori's lightning net—electric arcs crackling across his body, muscles locked in paralysis.
Taichi did not waste the opportunity.
Another flicker.
A clean thrust.
The blade pierced straight through the enemy's heart.
Moments later, Yōhei finished his opponent as well.
From first movement to total annihilation—
Less than thirty seconds.
All four enemies had been Chūnin.
---
Behind the brush, Kizuna stood frozen.
His eyes were wide.
His mouth slightly open.
Half a hand seal remained unfinished before his chest.
He hadn't even cast a single technique.
During earlier B- and C-rank missions, he had never truly seen the squad fight at full power.
Now he had.
The speed of their Body Flickers.
The precision of Taichi's blade.
Even Saori's rapid ninjutsu deployment.
He couldn't keep up.
He hadn't even participated.
A doubt crept into his heart:
Can I truly contribute to this team?
"Move. Clean the field."
Taichi's voice snapped him back to reality.
If he couldn't contribute in combat, he could at least not fall behind afterward.
---
One Week Later
After a week of operations, the team adjusted to the rhythm of war.
Beyond the first encounter, they faced six additional enemy groups.
Most were Chūnin.
Some squads numbered seven or eight.
Others only two or three.
There had been only one Jōnin encounter.
And unfortunately—
Kizuna had been the one to face him.
It had nearly ended in disaster.
Had Taichi not dispersed the enemy's Fire Release with a precise Phoenix Flower technique, the newly promoted Chūnin would have been reduced to charcoal.
The enemy Jōnin did not escape.
He became Taichi's first confirmed Jōnin kill of the mission.
---
Through relentless combat, Kizuna gradually adapted.
He was no longer frozen from start to finish.
That alone was enormous progress.
---
"Everyone's coordination has improved," Taichi said as they sat around the campfire that night.
"Especially you, Kizuna. Big improvement."
Early spring nights were still cold.
The fire cast warm light across their faces.
Four large fish skewered on branches roasted above the flames, Taichi occasionally sprinkling custom seasoning. The aroma was irresistible.
A loud gulp echoed.
All eyes turned to Yōhei.
He blinked innocently. "What? It smells amazing. You're not hungry?"
Laughter rippled around the fire.
Soon, the fish were ready.
Each received one.
Yōhei bit in immediately—too fast. He hissed as the hot flesh burned his tongue.
Kizuna took a bite next.
His eyes widened.
Flavor exploded across his senses.
He abandoned all dignity and devoured the fish with enthusiasm.
After finishing, he exhaled deeply.
"Captain… missions with you are incredible. High efficiency, good food… My old squad lived off dry rations."
Yōhei perked up. "Tell us! How did your old team operate?"
Kizuna sighed in theatrical misery.
"One month-long wilderness mission. Ran out of rations. None of us could cook. We survived—but barely."
He mimed gagging.
Yōhei and Saori burst into laughter.
After conversation faded and exhaustion set in, Taichi assigned watches.
"Kizuna, you're with me first half. Yōhei, Saori—you take second."
No objections.
As the others slept, Taichi tended the fire.
After a moment, he spoke quietly.
"How are you really holding up?"
Kizuna looked across the firelight.
"I've improved a lot, Captain."
Of course I have, he thought bitterly.
When surrounded by monsters, how could I not?
Taichi nodded.
"If conditions allow, I'll let you engage more. Right now, you're still too weak. In war missions… that gets people killed."
Kizuna flushed in embarrassment.
He knew it was true.
Either the squad slowed down for him—
Or one day, he would die.
"Thank you, Captain. I'll work harder."
Taichi rose.
"I'll patrol the perimeter."
He left intentionally—to give Kizuna space to think.
The night passed peacefully.
At dawn, Taichi erased all traces of their camp with Earth Release.
Then they moved again.
---
Later that day—
"Stop."
Taichi raised a fist.
Instant defensive formation.
"Eleven o'clock. Eight hundred meters. Eight enemies advancing in assault formation."
A pause.
"Four Jōnin. Four Chūnin. They have a sensory type. They've locked onto us."
Kizuna's throat tightened.
Four Jōnin.
Yōhei grinned, battle-lust igniting in his eyes.
"Finally! Four Jōnin? Taichi, now I don't have to fight you for one."
Saori's usual gentleness vanished.
Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Taichi laughed boldly.
Four Jōnin?
At his current level—
Why would he fear four?
In his sensory field, the enemy formation became clear:
Four Jōnin at the spearhead.
Chūnin spread along the flanks.
Taichi relayed the structure.
The squad mirrored the formation and surged forward.
Through the forest, eight Sand shinobi dashed like phantoms.
At their front, a scarred Jōnin with closed eyes—the sensory type.
"They're charging too."
"Bold."
"Just children struggling before death."
Distance vanished in seconds.
Taichi and Yōhei exchanged a glance.
Without words, they accelerated.
They would draw the fire.
They would protect the rear.
Taichi positioned himself slightly ahead—
Like a true blade.
A sharpened spearpoint.
Driving straight into the enemy's strongest pressure.
The real battle—
Was about to begin.