Chapter 162 — Naked, Alone
In the dense forest, two shinobi sprinted desperately through the trees.
Their faces were twisted with panic and fear.
From time to time they glanced back over their shoulders, as if something terrifying were chasing them.
Ahead, the trees began to thin.
Between the trunks, bright light shone through like a series of glowing doorways.
It was the edge of the forest.
If they could just make it past that point, they would escape the woods and reach territory controlled by their own forces.
The light grew brighter and brighter.
Through the gaps in the trees, it looked almost like a gateway to heaven.
Just as they were about to burst out of the forest—
More than a dozen kunai shot out from different angles within the trees.
The two shinobi stumbled to a halt at the forest's edge.
They looked down at the kunai protruding through their chests.
Their bodies went limp.
Slowly, they collapsed onto the ground.
One of them stretched out a trembling hand in his final moments.
His fingers barely touched the sunlight beyond the forest before life faded from his eyes.
Moments later, three young shinobi flickered into existence beside the bodies.
They quickly checked the corpses, retrieved their thrown kunai, and confirmed the enemies were dead.
Without another glance, they vanished back into the forest.
They were Kakashi's trio.
Eight days had passed since their first mission outside the camp.
And in those eight days, they had undergone an astonishing transformation.
At first they had been full of mistakes and clumsy decisions.
Now they moved with growing confidence.
Their improvement was rapid.
But that was the nature of war.
The battlefield was the greatest catalyst.
Two or three real battles every day.
Constant vigilance against traps.
Danger lurking at every moment.
All of it forced them to grow.
Fortunately, Taichi's squad had always been nearby.
Whenever Kakashi's team encountered enemies they couldn't handle, Taichi and the others would intervene just in time.
This allowed the trio to gain experience while still being pulled back from the edge of disaster.
Even so—
Danger was never far away.
---
One day, Obito approached a dying enemy to deliver the finishing blow.
The moment he stepped close—
The enemy detonated every explosive tag strapped to his body.
The explosion erupted without warning.
Obito was blasted more than ten meters through the air.
The attack came so suddenly that no one had anticipated such a desperate final counterattack.
Rin's eyes immediately turned red.
She rushed toward Obito like someone possessed.
But Taichi was faster.
He appeared beside Obito in an instant.
Without hesitation, his chakra sensing flared to life.
Brilliant green chakra erupted from his hands and enveloped Obito's body.
The others quickly gathered around.
Yōhei caught Rin, who was trembling and on the verge of tears.
"In your condition you'll only get in the way," he said gently.
"Let Taichi handle it."
"Trust him."
Seeing Taichi's calm expression helped steady everyone's nerves.
But the sight of Obito's injuries was horrifying.
Even Kakashi's eyes had turned red.
Obito was barely recognizable.
Half his body was burned.
His internal organs had shifted, and severe internal bleeding was occurring.
In injuries like this, even a delay of two or three minutes would mean certain death.
But Taichi was there.
---
Both of Taichi's hands transformed into chakra scalpels, cutting away the charred remains of Obito's clothing.
His right hand began using the Mystical Palm Technique to reposition organs and stop the bleeding.
His left hand flooded Obito's body with Yang Release chakra, preserving the vitality of every cell and preventing death during treatment.
The process took more than twenty minutes.
Only after stabilizing the internal injuries did Taichi begin treating the burns.
Compared to internal damage, the burns were easier to handle.
The Mystical Palm accelerated cellular regeneration.
Yang chakra nourished the newly formed cells.
Working together, the two techniques rapidly restored the damaged flesh.
When Taichi finally withdrew his hands, Obito looked almost completely healed.
Except for two things—
His pale face.
And the fact that he was now completely naked.
---
Rin immediately knelt beside him.
She gently wiped away the remaining dirt and treated the minor scrapes Taichi had ignored.
After a short while, Obito slowly began to regain consciousness.
In his hazy memories, he recalled being blown away by explosive tags.
Had he already died?
Was this the afterlife?
Then he thought of Rin.
He had never confessed his feelings.
Then he thought of his grandmother.
She was old now.
Who would take care of her?
Tears began streaming down his face.
The others exchanged confused looks.
They had no idea what was happening.
Was he crying out of relief?
Just then, Obito fully woke up.
He looked around.
His teammates were all there.
He realized—
He wasn't dead.
When his eyes met Rin's concerned gaze, he suddenly felt that even dying right now would be worth it.
Then—
He felt a cool breeze on his skin.
He looked down.
Realized he was completely naked.
The pale color drained from his face, replaced instantly by a deep crimson blush.
"AAAAH!"
His scream echoed through the forest.
Obito curled up like a panicked bride trying to protect her modesty.
"My clothes! Damn it!"
"Kakashi, give me something to wear!!"
Seeing that Obito still had the energy to worry about his clothes, everyone finally relaxed.
It looked like the treatment had worked perfectly—there were no obvious aftereffects.
"Kakashi!" Obito shouted again.
But Kakashi didn't move.
Looking up, Obito saw Kakashi scratching his head awkwardly. Facing Obito's murderous glare, he could only answer helplessly.
"I… don't have any spare clothes either."
"Haha!"
The group burst into quiet laughter.
Just then, a set of clothes flew through the air and landed on Obito.
Yōhei had finally taken pity on him and tossed over his spare outfit.
Obito hurriedly put the clothes on, trying to suppress both embarrassment and anger.
He had just opened his mouth to complain when Taichi spoke first.
"Obito, how do you feel?"
"Any discomfort?"
Obito froze.
Only then did he remember that he had been blown up by explosive tags earlier.
A wave of lingering fear surged through him.
He carefully patted himself from head to toe, then jumped in place a few times.
Only after confirming that he was truly unharmed did he relax.
A tear slid down his cheek.
This time, it really was tears of relief.
"Remember this," Taichi said seriously.
"Never underestimate any enemy on the battlefield."
"And never let your guard down."
"For finishing blows like earlier, you could have just thrown a kunai."
"Why risk approaching them personally?"
Everyone nodded.
Especially Obito—he nodded so hard his head nearly fell off.
This lesson had burned itself deeply into his memory.
---
Just as the group finished cleaning up the battlefield and prepared to leave—
Taichi suddenly moved.
His blade flashed.
A blazing slash shot forward toward a nearby tree.
A golden arc of flame burst from the sword, instantly splitting the massive tree in half.
The cut edges were charred black.
Everyone jumped in shock.
For a moment they thought enemies had appeared and immediately took defensive positions.
But after staring at the tree for a long time, nothing happened.
Confusion spread through the group.
"Taichi," Saori asked cautiously.
"Did you detect something?"
"Just now… it felt like something was there."
"Now it's gone."
Taichi answered calmly, but he already had a guess.
Something capable of hiding silently within the trees…
Something that could approach this close without being detected…
If not for that faint slip of chakra earlier, he might never have noticed it.
Most likely—
White Zetsu using the Mayfly Technique.
Taichi glanced briefly at Obito.
It's probably here for him.
Yōhei and Saori exchanged thoughtful looks.
They knew Taichi well enough to realize he wasn't saying everything.
But since he chose not to explain, they didn't ask further.
"Let's head back to camp," Taichi said.
"We've been out long enough."
"Time to rest and resupply."
"Alright!"
"Got it!"
The group departed.
---
Not long after they left, two white heads slowly emerged from the soil.
"Whew! That was close!"
"I know, right? His perception is crazy sharp!"
"I just relaxed for a second and he sensed it!"
"Good thing we ran quickly. That slash would have cut me in half."
"I still haven't experienced what it feels like to poop!"
"…Why would you even think about that?"
"You don't even have the ability to poop."
"That's exactly why I want to know what it feels like!"
The two White Zetsu argued in the forest for quite a while.
Eventually, one disappeared.
The other sank back into the ground and began following in the direction Taichi's group had gone.
---
When Taichi's squad returned to the Konoha camp, they immediately noticed something strange.
The entire camp felt tense and gloomy.
Shinobi walked around with exhausted expressions.
Even more alarming—
Many were already dismantling parts of the camp.
Taichi gave Yōhei a subtle glance.
Yōhei immediately understood.
He stepped forward and stopped a passing shinobi.
"Senior, what's happening in the camp?"
"Are we relocating?"
The older chūnin was initially annoyed at being stopped so abruptly.
But when he saw the group—and recognized Taichi—his expression changed instantly.
He straightened and bowed.
"Greetings, Lord Taichi."
Taichi hadn't expected to be recognized, but he returned the courtesy before asking again.
The chūnin sighed heavily.
"We can't hold the camp anymore."
"Yesterday, Sunagakure's vanguard forces reached the gates."
"We can't stay here."
"Lord Jiraiya has ordered a contraction of the defensive line."
"We're retreating back into the Land of Fire to reorganize our defenses."
Taichi nodded slowly.
So the plan has reached this stage.
After thanking the chūnin, he led the team to the mission office to report.
---
"Taichi," Obito asked confusedly.
"Are we really retreating?"
"Weren't we doing well? We killed a lot of Sand ninja these past few days."
Taichi glanced at him, then at the busy camp around them.
But he chose not to answer.
Kakashi spoke instead.
"What you saw was just our local situation."
"Overall, Konoha is at a disadvantage."
Obito looked from Kakashi to the silent faces of the others.
His expression fell.
---
After registering their mission completion, Taichi turned back to the group.
"You all go rest."
"I'm heading to the command tent to check the situation."
Everyone knew about his relationship with Jiraiya.
They watched him leave with hopeful expressions.
Maybe he would bring back good news.
---
After several layers of security checks, Taichi was finally allowed into the central command tent.
The moment he entered, he saw more than ten jōnin seated on both sides of the room.
Among them were familiar faces—
Captain Yamaguchi.
Director Fujita.
Minato.
And several jōnin he had treated before.
Clearly, a meeting was underway.
No wonder it had taken so long to get inside.
"Taichi," Jiraiya said.
"You're already aware of the plan."
"And everyone here recognizes your strength."
He glanced around the room.
No one objected.
"Find a seat in the back and listen."
Taichi nodded and sat down at the end of the right row.
"Shikaku, continue," Jiraiya said.
Nara Shikaku stood and addressed the room.
"As everyone knows, tomorrow your primary task is to block Sunagakure's pursuit."
"You must stabilize the situation."
"The retreat cannot become a rout."
"When we reach the designated ambush zone—"
"That will be our opportunity to counterattack."
A jōnin from the Inuzuka clan raised his hand.
Beside him lay a massive black dog the size of a calf.
"The plan sounds good," he said.
"But a counterattack requires manpower."
"With our current forces, we're barely able to defend."
"Has the village finally sent reinforcements?"
His question echoed the doubts of many in the tent.
For weeks they had been suppressed by the Sand ninja.
They desperately wanted to strike back.
But they simply lacked the strength.
Damn those Sand shinobi…
A bunch of poison-using cowards.
That sentiment was shared by nearly everyone present.
Shikaku raised his hand.
"There are no reinforcements coming."
The room fell silent.
But before anyone could protest, he continued.
"However… Taichi has already solved the manpower problem."
The statement stunned everyone.
All eyes turned toward Taichi.
Some curious.
Some shocked.
Most confused.
But a few people—like Captain Yamaguchi—suddenly understood.
Shikaku smiled slightly.
"More than twenty days ago, when Taichi first arrived…"
"He developed the antidote."
"So the poisoned shinobi we 'sent to the rear'…"
"…have actually been hidden away."
"They've been waiting for this moment."
The tent exploded into noise.
Some shouted in disbelief.
Others cheered.
Some laughed loudly.
The pressure of the past weeks poured out all at once.
When the excitement finally died down, Jiraiya stood up.
"Everyone."
"Tomorrow's battle is critical."
"If we succeed, we will severely weaken Sunagakure's forces."
"But everything depends on one condition."
"The retreat must remain orderly."
"If it collapses into chaos, all our manpower will mean nothing."
"So tomorrow—"
"I'm counting on all of you."
"Do not let the line break."
"Yes, sir!"
All the jōnin stood and responded in unison.
---
When the meeting ended, the jōnin filed out one by one.
As they passed Taichi, many nodded respectfully.
Some patted his shoulder.
Their goodwill was unmistakable.
It wasn't just his ability.
They recognized the contribution he had made.
When he first entered the tent, some might have underestimated him.
But now—
Everyone accepted him as one of them.
Even if he still technically held the rank of chūnin.
---
When most people had left, only three remained in the tent:
Jiraiya.
Minato.
And Taichi.
"Sensei," Taichi said eagerly.
"Do you have any special assignment for me tomorrow?"
"Of course," Jiraiya replied.
"You'll help your squad block the enemy pursuit."
"Your team's strength will be valuable."
Taichi hesitated.
Then spoke firmly.
"I want to operate independently—like Senior Brother Minato."
Both Jiraiya and Minato stared at him in shock.
"What?"
They understood Taichi's abilities to some extent.
But in their eyes, he was still roughly at the level of a veteran jōnin.
Strong—but not yet elite.
In truth, Orochimaru probably understood Taichi's real strength better than they did.
"Sensei," Taichi continued calmly.
"If I'm asking for this… it's because I have the strength to back it up."
Minato frowned.
"What about your squad?"
"And Kakashi's team?"
Taichi answered confidently.
"Yōhei already has jōnin-level strength."
"Saori and Kakashi are at least special jōnin level."
"After these weeks of training, Obito and Rin have improved a lot."
"I trust them."
Jiraiya and Minato exchanged a long look.
Silence filled the tent.
Finally, Jiraiya sighed.
"Alright."
"If you insist… you can operate alone tomorrow."
"But remember one thing."
"Your safety comes first."
"No reckless risks."
"Yes, sir."