Chapter 147 – Sudden Upheaval
Mission Assignment Center
When Taichi arrived, Yōhei, Saori, and Kizuna were gathered around a wooden table, laughing and chatting. Yōhei's booming voice carried so clearly that Taichi could hear him even before stepping inside the tent.
"Taichi!"
Yōhei was the first to notice him. He leapt to his feet, grinning widely, and slapped Taichi hard on the shoulder—nearly knocking him off balance.
"Finally dragged yourself out of that medical camp! Those white coats can't compare to running missions with us!"
His infectious enthusiasm filled the room.
Saori stood as well, a gentle smile curving her lips.
"Welcome back, Taichi."
Simple words—but layered with unspoken understanding.
"C-Captain!"
Kizuna looked nervous. His poor performance during the last mission still weighed on him. For the past two days he had been pushing himself relentlessly, desperate to recover the ground he'd lost.
Looking at the three familiar faces, warmth stirred in Taichi's chest.
"Yeah," he smiled more genuinely than usual. "Barely got things stabilized over there. Came straight to find you all."
---
They headed together to the mission desk.
The chūnin on duty was sorting through documents when he looked up—and instantly stood upright.
His expression shifted into one of respect and gratitude.
"Taichi-sama… are you here to take on a mission?"
"Ryōsuke, right?" Taichi replied casually. "Your leg hasn't fully recovered yet. Why are you already back on duty?"
Ryōsuke's eyes widened.
"You remembered my name…!"
His voice trembled slightly.
"My leg is fine now thanks to you, Taichi-sama. The camp is short-handed. I can't go on field missions yet—but I can still handle administrative work."
Taichi felt a quiet ache in his heart.
Konoha's strength wasn't built solely by legends.
It stood because of countless nameless shinobi like this.
Yet how rarely were they acknowledged by those at the top?
He pushed the thought aside.
Not my position. Not my authority.
For now, he would simply complete missions.
He selected a standard patrol assignment—most of the tasks here were similar anyway.
"Understood, Taichi-sama!"
Ryōsuke quickly retrieved the scroll and presented it with both hands.
Beside him, Yōhei watched quietly.
A flicker of envy rose in his chest.
They had all arrived at the camp together—
Yet Taichi had already earned universal recognition.
Yōhei clenched his jaw slightly.
So this is what true ability looks like.
One day…
I'll stand like that too.
---
At the supply station, the treatment was the same.
When distributing shuriken, ration pills, and signal flares, the logistics ninja spoke with visible respect.
"Standard provisions for your squad, Taichi-sama. I've also prepared additional special-grade medicines and antidotes per your previous requirements."
He handed Taichi a small pouch of medical vials.
"Orochimaru-sama specifically instructed that your needs be prioritized."
Taichi thanked him politely.
Yōhei straightened subtly beside him.
Recognition of strength carried weight.
And he wanted that weight.
---
With supplies secured, the squad set out on patrol.
The routine was repetitive—familiar routes, repeated inspections.
For Taichi, after days buried in emergency care, the monotony became a blessing.
It gave him time.
Whenever they paused, he slipped away to a quiet corner—
And resumed his Ice Release fusion training.
---
Days flowed.
Whenever border clashes intensified and casualties rose, Taichi returned to the medical camp.
With his skill—and the efficiency of his shadow clones—
The northern camp's casualty rate dropped dramatically.
Compared to before his arrival, losses decreased by three-fifths.
If a shinobi didn't die instantly—
Taichi saved them.
Without exception.
His reputation deepened.
And Orochimaru observed everything.
Without reporting a single detail upward.
---
When the medical camp quieted, Taichi rejoined his squad for patrols, sweeps, reconnaissance.
And where there were missions—
There was danger.
They clashed repeatedly with Kumogakure scouts attempting sabotage.
There was no need for discussion when blades crossed.
Only one word mattered—
Fight.
Thanks to their overwhelming combat strength and balanced team composition, every battle ended swiftly.
Not one enemy escaped alive.
---
Until one day—
During a deep reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines—
They encountered something different.
A three-man Kumogakure elite squad.
And leading them—
Was a seasoned jōnin.
The battle ignited instantly.
Lightning Release crackled violently across the battlefield. Empowered by electricity, the enemy's taijutsu strikes were razor-sharp and devastating.
For the first time—
Taichi's squad felt overwhelming pressure.
The turning point was brutal.
Their weakness had been identified—exploited mercilessly.
Kizuna was the obvious gap in their formation.
The enemy jōnin targeted him repeatedly, using him as bait—forcing the others into rescue positions.
Yōhei and Saori were both injured trying to cover him.
In the end—
It was Taichi who finished the fight.
Relying on his flame-transformation ability, he exchanged lethal blows directly—killing the enemy at the cost of severe damage to himself.
---
When Taichi and his shadow clone carried their three wounded teammates back to camp—
The sight shocked everyone.
Concerned voices surrounded them.
Taichi could only force a faint smile.
The fight had been ugly.
Humiliating.
They had superior overall strength—
And yet they'd barely scraped through.
It burned.
---
Orochimaru was naturally alerted by the commotion.
His eyes widened at the squad's battered state—
But when he saw the sealed corpse of the enemy jōnin inside Taichi's storage scroll—
His expression shifted.
That made sense.
Zyna.
A veteran elite jōnin of Kumogakure.
Not only powerful—
But cunning.
He had no pride about fighting "fair."
He always targeted the weakest member first, breaking elite squads from within.
His style was tailor-made to counter ninja like Taichi—those who valued their comrades.
And it was devastatingly effective.
---
After sending his teammates to the medical camp, Taichi reported directly to Orochimaru.
When he finished—
Orochimaru asked calmly:
"Taichi… have you considered replacing a teammate?"
The question hit like a blade.
Taichi froze.
Yes, Kizuna had underperformed.
But he had never once considered removing him.
Everyone had been weak once.
Without Captain Yamaguchi's guidance after graduation—
They would never have reached this point.
Orochimaru read his hesitation.
"You feel guilty," he said lightly. "But understand this—when you graduated, you were doing D-rank and C-rank missions. This is war."
"You are no longer facing D-rank enemies."
The words struck like a temple bell.
Taichi stood silently for a moment.
"I need time to think."
And he left.
Orochimaru watched his retreating figure, a faint, predatory smile curling his lips.
"What will you choose, Taichi? How delightful…"
---
Back at the medical camp—
Before Taichi even entered, he heard Yōhei's booming laughter.
Inside—
Yōhei was animatedly recounting the battle, dramatically exaggerating how he had turned the tide, saved Saori and Kizuna, and even sacrificed himself to create Taichi's opening.
Saori covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Even Kizuna winced slightly at the strain on his bandaged chest.
"Taichi! You're back! Tell them! Tell them I'm not exaggerating!"
Yōhei jumped up despite his injuries.
Taichi sighed and pushed him back down.
"Yeah, yeah. All true. Now lie down."
Laughter filled the tent.
Then Taichi's expression hardened.
"This is a medical camp. Move again and I'll make sure you regret it."
It worked.
Yōhei froze instantly.
Taichi conducted thorough follow-up examinations.
The injuries looked severe—but were mostly superficial.
Excessive blood loss was the biggest concern.
"Two days of rest," Taichi concluded. "No intense training. Work on chakra control instead. This is wartime. Every bit of strength increases your survival odds."
That message wasn't just for Yōhei.
It was for all of them.
After he left, Saori spoke quietly:
"Yōhei… don't be upset. Taichi's shaken. He was pushed hard today."
Yōhei shook his head.
"I'm not angry. I'm angry at myself."
He turned toward Kizuna.
"When we recover—we train harder. No more weak links."
Kizuna's face flushed red.
"Yes. This was my fault. I'll do better."
---
Zyna's death reverberated far beyond Konoha's camp.
In Kumogakure—
It was explosive.
Zyna wasn't just an elite ninja.
He held significant political power.
The circumstances of his death were quickly investigated.
One name surfaced prominently:
Matsushita Taichi.
For the first time—
He entered Kumogakure's high-level intelligence reports.
After that battle—
He was no longer obscure.
---
Retaliation followed swiftly.
Northern border clashes intensified dramatically.
Taichi became busier than ever.
Either healing—
Or deployed.
A jōnin-level combatant could not sit idle.
Yōhei, Saori, and Kizuna soon left the medical camp and rejoined him fully.
The constant missions gradually pushed Orochimaru's earlier words to the back of Taichi's mind.
But the lesson remained.
He now watched Kizuna constantly—
Refusing to let another mistake happen.
---
One day—
They returned to the mission center.
The place was busier than ever.
Conflict escalation meant a flood of new assignments.
Even so, many still nodded respectfully to Taichi.
The workload hadn't decreased—
It had grown.
"Captain," Kizuna suddenly pointed at a listing. "This one could really shift the situation."
The mission:
Destroy enemy supply warehouse.
Rank: A.
Yōhei blinked.
"No description?"
"For security," the chūnin explained. "Details are revealed only after acceptance."
Yōhei looked at Taichi.
Kizuna's words—shift the situation—lingered.
Taichi considered briefly.
If not them—
Someone else would take it.
He nodded.
The scroll was handed over.
They opened it together.
Recon had identified a Kumogakure supply warehouse on a small island near the Land of Hot Water.
Remote.
Lightly guarded.
Seemingly straightforward.
---
Two days later—
Under cover of night—
They reached the island.
Small.
Barely large enough for a single warehouse structure.
They hid among jagged reef shadows.
Taichi extended chakra sensing.
Inside—
Two jōnin.
Two chūnin.
Manageable.
"Rest. We move before dawn."
---
Pre-dawn twilight.
"Go."
The word was barely a whisper.
They moved like flowing ink through the terrain.
Over low wooden barriers.
Pressed against cold stone walls.
Taichi sensed again.
No anomalies.
He signaled to split up.
Search for the supplies.
Then—
A piercing scream shattered the silence behind him.
Taichi and Yōhei spun around—
And what they saw made their pupils contract in horror.