Chapter 141 – The Blade Reveals Its Edge
When two narrow paths meet, the braver one survives.
Facing four Sand Jōnin charging head-on, Taichi showed no hesitation.
His short blade ignited in radiant golden flame.
No feints.
No tricks.
Just a direct thrust toward the Jōnin in front of him.
The Sand Jōnin sneered at the simple attack.
What? Planning to trade injuries?
Confident in his longer blade, he answered with his own straight thrust.
"Brat—whoever dodges is a coward!"
His eyes burned with battle frenzy as he lunged forward.
---
Five meters.
Four.
Three.
Two.
The frenzy in his gaze began to falter—replaced by confusion.
One meter.
His long sword pierced cleanly through Taichi's chest.
No resistance.
Yet there was no triumph in his eyes.
Because at this same impossible distance—
Taichi's flame-wrapped blade had already pierced his heart.
They passed each other.
The Sand Jōnin staggered forward two steps.
Then his legs buckled.
He collapsed.
Until his final breath, he could not understand it.
Why would a Leaf ninja fight like that? Was he not afraid of death?
Behind him, Taichi straightened.
As the long blade slid free from his torso, flames surged from the wound.
In a blink, the injury sealed.
Only the torn clothing remained as evidence.
This—
Was the true battlefield application of the Fire Transformation Technique.
Not merely survival.
But deception.
A lethal trap.
Killing a Jōnin in the first exchange?
Effortless.
The instant death of a Jōnin sent a shock through the Sand formation.
Another Jōnin who had witnessed everything shouted immediately:
"Be careful! His body isn't affected by ordinary physical attacks! Don't clash with him directly!"
The remaining Sand shinobi were speechless.
Immune to physical damage?
How do you fight that?
Taichi gave them no time to think.
Riding the surge of momentum, he expanded his blade aura, dragging two Jōnin into his range.
One against two.
Yet he moved with complete ease.
Golden arcs of flame carved the air, forcing both opponents onto the defensive.
---
The Other Fronts
On the other side, Yōhei's three-tomoe Sharingan spun vividly as he engaged another Jōnin.
Having seen what happened to their comrade, the Sand Jōnin fighting Yōhei became cautious—too cautious.
Against a fully activated three-tomoe Sharingan, hesitation was fatal.
Yōhei pressed relentlessly.
Within moments, the Sand Jōnin was forced onto the back foot.
A strange scene emerged:
The smaller side was dominating the larger one.
The advancing Sand Chūnin quickly changed strategy.
Two continued forward to intercept Saori and Kizuna.
The other two split—one toward Taichi's battlefield, one toward Yōhei's—hands already weaving signs to support their Jōnin with ninjutsu.
Yōhei's side grew momentarily chaotic under coordinated pressure.
But he had the upper hand.
He adjusted his rhythm.
Shifted positions.
Feigned intent to eliminate the assisting Chūnin first.
That single possibility made the enemy nervous.
No one wanted to be the next casualty.
Lightning and Wind
Meanwhile—
Saori showed no fear.
She launched sphere after sphere of Lightning Release.
Accuracy didn't matter.
Volume did.
Thunder orbs slammed into the ground, exploding into spreading electric nets.
The two rushing Chūnin plunged straight into the crackling field.
One reacted quickly—Body Flickering away.
The other was not so lucky.
Paralyzed.
Frozen in place.
That was when Kizuna's Wind Release arrived.
Moving targets were difficult.
Stationary ones?
Perfect.
A storm of wind blades sliced forward.
The immobilized Chūnin screamed once—
Then was shredded into a blood-soaked ruin.
Dead before he hit the ground.
For the first time—
Kizuna had claimed a battlefield kill through clean coordination.
Saori had already abandoned long-range ninjutsu.
Kunai in hand, she charged forward without hesitation to meet the advancing Chūnin.
She, Furukawa Saori, was no mere support-type ninja with no close-combat ability.
During past squad training, she had fought Yōhei to a standstill more than once.
And once she entered melee—
She was infamous for being reckless.
The Sand Chūnin quickly began to regret his assumptions.
He had thought she was a long-range caster.
Instead, she fought like a wild animal.
Doesn't she care about getting hurt?!
In barely a dozen exchanges, both of them had already left seven or eight wounds on each other.
The Sand ninja was shaken.
And when he noticed Kizuna beginning hand seals nearby—
Cold sweat erupted across his back.
This is bad.
I'm going to die.
---
Taichi's Battlefield
Even while holding off two Jōnin simultaneously, Taichi still had spare focus to monitor the entire battlefield.
Everywhere he looked—
Leaf forces held the advantage.
Good.
Then—
A Sand Chūnin arrived at the edge of his battlefield.
Seeing Taichi entangled by two Jōnin, the Chūnin immediately began forming hand seals, chakra surging with visible seriousness.
It looked like a powerful technique.
But he had misunderstood something fundamental.
The two Jōnin were not restraining Taichi.
Taichi was restraining them.
So when the Chūnin brazenly stood there forming seals—
Taichi's expression turned amused.
"Mate—watch out—!"
One of the Jōnin endured a slash to shout the warning.
Too late.
Taichi forced both Jōnin back with a sweeping strike—
Then vanished.
He reappeared beside the Chūnin.
A single thrust.
The blade pierced through the stunned man's chest.
Taichi withdrew the blade and turned.
He held it level, pointing toward the two remaining Jōnin.
His eyes were filled with naked contempt.
The two Jōnin immediately understood.
Victory was impossible.
Elsewhere, their forces were collapsing.
They exchanged a glance.
Decision made.
"Retreat!"
With a final shout, they fled in opposite directions.
Taichi blinked.
That decisive, huh?
He left behind a shadow clone as insurance—
And chased the nearer one.
The other would have to escape—for now.
The shadow clone wasted no time.
It immediately rushed to Yōhei's battlefield.
The Sand ninja there had heard the retreat order—but Yōhei's pressure was relentless. No opening to escape.
And now—
The shadow clone arrived.
Without hesitation, it engaged the supporting Chūnin.
Blade strikes came in rapid succession, overwhelming him.
With his free hand, Taichi formed one-handed seals.
Phoenix Flower Fire.
Golden fireballs materialized and blasted point-blank toward the enemy's face.
The Chūnin, already struggling under blade pressure, had no answer.
His upper body ignited instantly.
No scream.
Just ash.
With the Chūnin eliminated, Taichi and Yōhei flanked the remaining Jōnin.
Already shaken—
Now outnumbered—
The Sand Jōnin faltered.
Yōhei's three-tomoe Sharingan seized the opening.
A brutal combo ended him before Taichi even arrived.
Meanwhile, Saori and Kizuna finished their opponent as well.
---
The squad regrouped.
Excitement burned across every face.
Eight Sand shinobi.
Four Jōnin.
No casualties.
Only two Jōnin escaped.
This wasn't just a win.
It was domination.
Given the composition, this had clearly been an elite Sand squad.
Destroying them meant massive relief for this entire supply corridor.
"Clean up," the shadow clone ordered.
"We leave when the original returns."
"Yes!"
---
Meanwhile—
The real Taichi had locked onto a fleeing Jōnin.
Ordinarily, if a Jōnin chose to flee wholeheartedly, even another Jōnin would struggle to catch him.
Taichi's Agility was only 23—below the 25-point standard of a full Jōnin.
In pure running speed, the distance was widening.
But Taichi had never relied solely on physical stats.
If hardware lacked—
Software compensated.
His super-strength-enhanced Body Flicker was built precisely for this.
Chakra gathered in his legs.
With his improved chakra control, the frequency and distance of his bursts had increased dramatically.
Each flicker propelled him over ten meters.
Continuous.
Relentless.
Like a phantom streaking through the forest.
Wind howled past his ears.
Trees blurred.
The thrill rivaled combat itself.
His dynamic vision couldn't quite keep up—
So he supplemented it with chakra sensing.
Mind compensating for body.
The fleeing Sand Jōnin noticed.
The nightmare figure behind him was closing in—
Fast.
Despair crept in.
"How—how can he use Body Flicker like that?!"
In panic, he forced his own Body Flicker beyond safe limits.
Muscles tearing.
Chakra straining.
Finally—
After Taichi had expended over half his chakra—
The Sand Jōnin stumbled.
Fell from a tree.
"Not bad," Taichi muttered.
"Lasted that long before muscle rupture. Impressive."
His hands formed seals instantly.
Fire Release—Phoenix Flower Fire!
Fireballs rained down like artillery.
The Sand Jōnin, knowing escape was impossible, went mad.
Unable to stand, he turned and formed seals desperately.
Wind Release—Great Scythe Weasel!
A storm of cutting wind blades erupted forward, shredding the air.
He poured every drop of chakra into it.
Taichi smirked.
Only desperate now?
If desperation worked, why train at all?
Hand seals shifted.
Phoenix Flower Fire transformed into Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
Golden flames surged forth—
A blazing dragon collided with the windstorm.
Flames were sliced—
But the dragon pushed forward.
Heat intensified.
Before it even fully reached him—
The Sand Jōnin ignited from the sheer temperature.
A scream.
Then silence.
The fire dragon passed through.
Only charred remains remained.
Taichi stepped through the fading flames, unharmed.
He searched the body.
Nothing salvageable.
He scratched his head in mild annoyance.
"Fire Release is powerful… but it destroys everything. Not even proof left."
He gave no thought to how helpless his victims must have felt.
One Month Later – March, Konoha Year 46
Spring had deepened.
Forests grew lively.
Taichi's squad had operated nearly a month.
Thirteen enemy encounters total.
Early on, contact frequency was high.
Later—once every day or two.
Never again did they meet a four-Jōnin elite squad.
Sometimes Taichi didn't even need to intervene.
The squad handled everything themselves.
Kizuna had grown.
That was the goal.
Their victory over three Sand Jōnin in a single engagement spread quickly.
Both Sand and Leaf shinobi knew:
At the border operated a young elite squad—
All teenagers—
Yet unstoppable.
___
"I wonder when we'll get our own title," Yōhei mused under a sheltered hillside.
Taichi leaned against a rock, polishing his blade.
"I don't want one."
Everyone looked at him.
"Once a ninja becomes famous," Taichi said calmly, "everyone studies you."
"Your techniques. Your habits. Your weaknesses."
He met their eyes one by one.
"Imagine facing an enemy who knows everything about you—while you know nothing about them."
A chill ran through them.
Information.
In the shinobi world—
Information decided victory.
Even the weak could defeat the strong with enough of it.
Taichi smiled faintly.
"I'm saying this to remind you—train harder. Battles will only grow fiercer."
He paused.
"I don't want to visit your names at the memorial stone someday."
Silence followed.
The wind moved gently through the trees.
And somewhere beyond the horizon—
War was drawing closer.
Their blades had begun to show their edge.
But the true storm—
Had yet to fall.