Chapter 158 – Reunion and Poison
After Taichi's team reached front lines:
Not far away, three people were busy setting up a tent.
One of them was so clumsy that he kept drawing eye-rolls and sarcastic remarks from the others.
Looking closer—
Weren't they Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, the newly formed team that had only been together for a month?
Taichi rubbed his eyes.
After confirming he wasn't mistaken, a surge of anger ignited in his chest.
Wasn't the whole point of early graduation to "gradually adapt"?
And now they've adapted all the way to the front lines?!
But the anger lasted only a moment before Taichi forced it down.
After all…
This was simply the normal reality of the shinobi world.
It wasn't something he could change right now.
Adjusting his mindset, Taichi stepped forward again with a calm smile.
He suddenly realized his mentality had grown a little more mature.
"Hey, Kakashi!"
"It's only been a few days. How did you guys end up here already?"
Taichi walked up, genuinely curious about what had happened.
Before Kakashi could answer, Obito's loud voice rang out from behind.
"Haha! Just look at who we are!"
"Of course we came to the front lines to earn merit!"
Taichi ignored him completely.
Obito clearly hadn't understood the real point of his question. All he cared about was showing off, as if the battlefield were a stage where he could make a name for himself.
Kakashi rolled his eyes at Obito, clearly wishing he could stuff something into his mouth to shut him up.
Then he sighed helplessly.
"We didn't want this either."
"We were supposed to spend another month doing D-rank and C-rank missions. But Minato-sensei was suddenly summoned by the village for an emergency assignment."
He gestured around them.
"So… here we are."
Taichi fell silent for a moment.
It looked like the village was desperately short on manpower if even someone like Minato—who had just taken on a new genin team—was being reassigned to the front.
"So what's your plan now?" Taichi asked.
"You know what the front lines are like. And with Minato-sensei gone, you don't even have someone leading you."
Kakashi scratched his messy white hair in frustration.
Before he could answer, Obito burst out again.
"Hey, Taichi! Don't underestimate us!"
"Even without Minato-sensei, we can take missions ourselves!"
Kakashi covered his face with one hand and turned away.
This idiot doesn't even know how to spell the word 'death'.
Thankfully, Rin was far more sensible.
She quickly grabbed Obito before he could keep embarrassing himself.
"Rin," Taichi said gently, seizing the opportunity to help them.
"If you have free time while you're in the camp, you can come to the medical unit with me."
"You've been studying medical ninjutsu for a while, right? This would be a great chance to gain real experience."
Rin's eyes lit up instantly.
She wasn't like Taichi, who had once managed to get help directly from Tsunade.
She had been practicing medical ninjutsu for a long time but lacked opportunities for real practice.
Now that Taichi was offering her exactly that opportunity, she was thrilled.
"Thank you so much, Taichi!"
"I don't even know how I could repay you."
Taichi simply smiled and said nothing.
But Obito, standing nearby, suddenly jumped up.
Especially when he heard Rin talking about repaying Taichi, something in his imagination went completely off the rails.
For a split second, an absurd image appeared in his mind—Rin offering herself in gratitude.
He immediately exploded.
"Rin! This guy must have bad intentions!"
"You have to be careful around him!"
The entire group fell silent.
Even Saori couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing while clutching her stomach.
Kakashi and Rin both looked utterly speechless.
It was simply too embarrassing.
---
At that moment, Yōhei—who had been silent the whole time—suddenly moved.
With a blur of motion, he appeared beside Obito.
Before anyone realized what had happened, Yōhei hooked an arm around Obito's neck and pulled him into a headlock.
"Cousin Obito," Yōhei said with a grin.
"Remember me?"
"You look like you've been getting a little too comfortable lately."
"Since we're both here in camp, your big cousin will give you some proper training."
So fast!
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.
He hadn't even seen Yōhei move clearly.
If that had happened on the battlefield, it would have meant instant death.
And Yōhei was only a member of Taichi's team.
Just how strong was Taichi himself now?
Kakashi quietly clenched his fists.
It seemed he needed to talk to Minato-sensei soon about the future development of their team.
Meanwhile, Obito blinked in confusion.
One second he was standing normally—
The next, his neck was locked in someone's arm.
Just as he was about to struggle free, he heard a familiar voice beside his ear.
He turned his head.
"Cousin Yōhei?!"
His eyes widened.
"What are you doing here?!"
Then realization struck him.
"Oh! So you're the Uchiha teammate Taichi mentioned!"
Yōhei grinned.
"You've gotten lazy, kid."
"Come on. Let your cousin see what level you're at now."
Before Obito could protest, Yōhei dragged him away toward the training field.
---
Rin watched them leave with obvious concern.
Kakashi, however, remained completely calm.
He clearly believed Obito would be fine.
"Don't worry," Taichi reassured her.
"Yōhei is Obito's cousin. Nothing serious will happen."
Rin finally relaxed a little.
Then she quickly tried to explain.
"Taichi, Obito is always like that. He speaks without thinking. Please don't take it to heart."
Taichi waved it off casually.
He didn't mind at all.
Then he and Saori headed off to set up their own tent.
Before leaving, Taichi reminded Rin:
"I'll be heading to the medical camp soon. If you have time, come over."
"I'll introduce you to everyone and help you get started."
---
After returning to their tent, Saori burst out laughing.
"That Obito boy… he likes that girl Rin, doesn't he?"
Taichi chuckled while organizing their supplies.
"You could say they grew up together."
"And Kakashi too. The three of them have been friends since childhood."
He clicked his tongue thoughtfully.
"But the relationship between those three…"
"It's complicated."
Then he added with amusement:
"I never expected Yōhei to actually be Obito's cousin."
Saori shrugged.
"That's not surprising. They're both Uchiha."
"In big clans, everyone is connected somehow."
The two chatted casually as they finished unpacking.
Yōhei still hadn't returned.
Apparently, Obito was getting quite the training session.
Taichi didn't worry about it.
At worst, Obito would just receive a rather painful lesson.
Nothing serious.
Soon after, Taichi left the tent and headed toward the medical camp.
For the next two months, that place would become another battlefield for him.
---
Rin had already been waiting outside the medical camp.
When she spotted Taichi approaching, she immediately ran over.
"Taichi! Are we going in now?"
"Yes."
"For now, just stay behind me. Watch carefully, learn as much as you can."
"If there's something you don't understand, write it down and ask me later."
"I'll also assign you some tasks directly. This will be a great training opportunity."
Without stopping, Taichi led her toward the medical camp director's tent.
Inside, a female doctor was buried in paperwork.
Without even looking up, she said calmly,
"Give me five minutes. I need to finish reviewing these documents first."
Taichi frowned slightly.
Not because the director seemed rude—
But because the voice sounded strangely familiar.
Sure enough, when the woman finally finished and looked up—
A familiar face appeared.
"Director Fujita?!"
Taichi exclaimed in surprise.
"When did you arrive at the front lines?!"
Seeing a familiar face filled him with genuine happiness.
And not just any acquaintance—
This was the person in charge of the medical camp.
Which meant his work here would become far easier.
For example… arranging for Rin to assist here.
Fujita Sana stood up and walked over with a warm smile.
"Taichi! Long time no see."
"I came here together with Lord Jiraiya."
Then she laughed lightly.
"You might not know this, but your reputation among medical ninja has become enormous."
"Tsunade's prized disciple—exactly the pillar our camp needs right now!"
Taichi blinked in confusion.
When did I become that famous?
He hadn't heard anything about it.
If anything, it sounded suspiciously like someone trying to set him up.
After all, Konoha had a history of using exaggerated praise to push people forward.
He instinctively grew cautious.
Fujita noticed his puzzled expression.
She glanced at Rin beside him, then looked back at Taichi.
Taichi understood immediately.
He nodded slightly.
She's trustworthy.
Only then did Fujita continue explaining.
"This was probably the Third Hokage's idea."
"With Lady Tsunade gone, Konoha urgently needs a symbolic figure in medical ninjutsu."
"Especially here on the Sand front. Morale needs stabilizing."
"And you—both your identity and your ability—have been recognized by the Hokage."
"So naturally, you were chosen as that symbol."
Taichi rubbed his forehead helplessly.
The Hokage could have warned me about this first…
He had almost thought someone was plotting against him.
Meanwhile, Rin stood beside them in stunned silence.
She hadn't realized Taichi's achievements had already reached such a level.
Even the Hokage was using his reputation.
---
Taichi changed the topic.
"Has Sand Village poison really become that troublesome?"
"Are Konoha's antidote pills no longer effective?"
According to Tsunade's design, Konoha's antidotes were specifically meant to counter the Sand Village's poison techniques.
Unless…
Taichi suddenly understood.
Fujita nodded.
"You guessed correctly."
"Sunagakure has produced a new poison master."
"He completely revamped their poison system."
"Now Konoha's antidote pills can only suppress the symptoms."
"To fully cure the poison, the patient must be sent to the rear camps."
"And even then, each case must be treated individually."
"There's no universal antidote yet."
Taichi finally understood the medical camp's predicament.
They weren't lacking personnel.
They were simply overwhelmed by poison cases, which tied up huge amounts of manpower.
"Director Fujita," Taichi said immediately,
"Can you take me to see the patients now?"
"I'd like to start helping as soon as possible."
He gently pulled Rin forward.
"This is Nohara Rin. She's trained in medical ninjutsu as well."
"She can assist too."
Fujita glanced at Rin, who had been quietly standing behind Taichi the entire time, and nodded without hesitation.
"Since she came with you, Taichi, she can assist you for now."
"Thank you, Director! Thank you, Taichi!" Rin said happily, bowing to both of them.
With that, Director Fujita took the lead and guided them toward the medical zone.
As they left the tent, Taichi lowered his voice to remind Rin,
"Rin, the conversation we just had inside the tent—don't tell anyone about it. Not a single word. Especially not to Obito and his big mouth."
"Don't worry, Taichi. I understand," Rin replied seriously.
The three of them continued walking toward the medical area. Along the way, several shinobi greeted them—though it was clear that the greetings were mostly directed at Director Fujita.
It was obvious that she was well respected in the camp.
But as they walked further, Taichi began to notice something odd.
The medical area… seems unusually far away.
Still, he held back his question and continued following Fujita until they reached a cluster of tents near the edge of the camp.
At that moment, waves of painful cries drifted toward them from afar.
To anyone unaccustomed to it, the sound alone was enough to make their scalp tingle.
"Director… what's going on here?" Taichi asked.
Fujita sighed.
"This is the terrifying part of that poison. It doesn't kill immediately, but it causes dizziness, paralysis… and worst of all, continuous agony."
"At first, the victims can endure it. But as time passes…"
She gestured toward the tents, where the screams were growing louder.
"Even trained shinobi eventually break."
"So they're placed at the edge of the camp?" Taichi asked.
Fujita nodded helplessly.
"We don't have much choice. The constant screaming is devastating for morale."
While speaking, the three of them finally arrived at the entrance to the tent.
Rin quickly stepped forward and lifted the curtain for the others.
Fujita gave her an approving nod.
Inside, the sight was grim.
More than twenty injured shinobi lay on hospital beds, groaning in pain.
Most of them were chūnin, though there were some genin as well.
Even one or two jōnin could be seen gritting their teeth and enduring the agony.
Several medical-nin were currently using the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, trying to remove the poison little by little.
But the slow pace of treatment was obvious.
"You can see the situation yourself," Fujita explained.
"The only method we have right now is extracting the poison bit by bit with the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique."
"But it's extremely slow and consumes enormous amounts of chakra."
"Other medicines can only relieve the pain temporarily."
As she spoke, Taichi opened one of the patient records.
He read through the symptoms carefully.
Then he checked the patient's pupils, lifted his eyelids, examined his tongue coating, and performed a quick physical assessment.
After a moment, he spoke calmly.
"This poison is likely based on the venom of a desert red scorpion."
"The goal isn't to kill immediately—it's to cripple our forces and exhaust our medical support."
"You've seen this poison before?" Fujita asked with surprise.
She hadn't expected Taichi to identify its origin so quickly.
"Not exactly," Taichi replied.
"But I've encountered this species of scorpion before. As for the full composition… I'll need to examine it directly."
By then, Rin had already helped him put on medical gloves and equipment.
Taichi then turned to Fujita.
"Director, please arrange a patient for me. I'd like to test the treatment personally."
Soon, under Fujita's coordination, a jōnin patient was placed on the bed in front of Taichi.
But when Taichi turned back to begin—
He froze for a moment.
The person lying there was someone he knew very well.
"Captain Yamaguchi," Taichi said with a faint smile.
"Didn't expect we'd meet again like this."
"If I remember correctly, this is the second time you've ended up on my operating table, right?"
"Haha… I heard a talented doctor arrived, so I guessed it must be you," Yamaguchi replied, forcing a smile despite the pain.
"So I volunteered to be your test subject."
"This damned pain… it's unbearable."
Taichi's expression became serious.
"Don't worry."
"The pain will be gone soon."
With that, he injected a sedative.
Yamaguchi's eyelids slowly closed.
Taichi immediately began the procedure.
Using a chakra scalpel, he carefully cut open the inflamed wound.
Dark blood mixed with pus immediately flowed out.
Taichi dipped his left hand into a basin of clean water that Rin had prepared.
When he lifted it again, a sphere of water had formed in his palm.
He pressed the rotating water sphere against the wound.
The water began spinning rapidly, generating suction.
Impurities, pus, and contaminated blood were quickly drawn out and cleaned away.
He repeated the process twice.
By the third extraction, only bright red blood remained.
Finally, Taichi formed another water sphere and slowly pressed it through the wound into Yamaguchi's body.
The Delicate Illness Extraction Technique began in earnest.
At the same time, Taichi's right hand glowed with dense Yang-attribute chakra, which he placed on Yamaguchi's chest.
The chakra spread throughout the body as Taichi carefully sensed every internal reaction.
Water spheres were pressed in and withdrawn repeatedly.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five times.
Only after the fifth extraction were all the toxins finally removed.
Taichi's diagnostic scan ended at the same time.
He then used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the wound.
After finishing, Taichi straightened up and turned to Fujita with a confident smile.
"I understand the poison's mechanism now."
"Give me a little time."
"Creating an antidote won't be a problem."