Chapter 171: Letting Go, Reconnaissance
Taichi's progress with the Yin Seal far exceeded his expectations. Before starting, he hadn't imagined that mastering it would come so smoothly—or so quickly.
Fortunately, that speed worked in his favor.
On the very next day after he had successfully learned the Yin Seal, an order arrived from the central command tent and was delivered straight into his hands.
No rest at all, huh…
He glanced over the mission scroll. The contents were straightforward—infiltrate deep into the Land of Wind and investigate the transportation and storage of their logistical supplies.
It was a broad assignment. No sabotage required—just reconnaissance.
For Taichi, that made things considerably easier.
After double-checking the mission details, he noted that it was a solo assignment with a one-month timeframe. With that much time, there was no need to rush.
He returned to his tent and packed the necessary supplies. Once Minato finished leading Yōhei and the others on their daily mission, Taichi went to find them.
---
"What? Taichi, you're going out on a solo mission?" Yōhei's face was filled with shock. "Didn't you just finish working at the medical camp yesterday?"
He had been thinking that after today, he could team up with Taichi again. But before he could even voice that thought, Taichi had already received a new assignment.
"Nothing I can do," Taichi replied calmly. "Orders are orders. I can't just refuse them. If I hadn't been waiting for you, I would've left this morning."
"Waiting for me?" Yōhei froze, momentarily confused.
It wasn't until Saori gently nudged his arm that he noticed Taichi staring straight at him.
"Oh!" Yōhei smacked his forehead, warmth rising in his chest. Even at a time like this, Taichi was still thinking about him.
The others, noticing the subtle exchange between the two, understood that this was likely some private matter within their team. Under Minato's lead, they tactfully left, giving space to Taichi, Yōhei, and Saori.
---
Once everyone else was gone, Taichi led the two of them into a resting tent.
Yōhei, already accustomed to this, obediently sat down in front of Taichi, waiting.
A warm wave of Yang-attribute chakra enveloped Yōhei's head. But after only a moment, Taichi frowned.
"You've been using your Mangekyō quite frequently lately, haven't you? The depletion is far too severe."
Then he shook his head.
The war had already ended. Even during patrols, how many enemies could they really encounter? And with someone like Minato in the team, there shouldn't have been any need for Yōhei to step in against strong opponents.
That left only one possibility.
"You've been overusing Susanoo during training, haven't you?" Taichi asked—but his tone carried certainty rather than doubt.
Saori, standing nearby, immediately tensed up. Her gaze toward Yōhei filled with concern.
The Mangekyō… overuse would lead to blindness.
Yōhei remained silent for a long time before finally speaking in a low voice:
"The war was too cruel. One moment, someone is laughing and talking with you… and the next, they're dead. I want to gain stronger power—only then can I protect everyone."
The tent fell into silence, broken only by the faint sound of breathing.
Taichi didn't know how to refute that.
In truth, he felt the same. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent his accumulated skill points to strengthen himself.
But Yōhei was different.
His power came with a price.
So this was something that had to be said.
"Know your limits," Taichi said. "If you go blind, what will all your effort amount to? Your physical foundation is what truly matters. Keep training the taijutsu and meditation I taught you—that's the real path to improvement."
Yōhei nodded silently, indicating he understood.
Taichi studied him carefully. He could tell that something was off with Yōhei's mindset. The trauma of the battlefield, combined with the looming curse of Mangekyō blindness, had shaken his confidence in the future.
That was dangerous.
He needed to give him hope.
Taichi glanced at his status panel:
[Yang Attribute Transformation Lv.9 (1456/1600)]
He was close to reaching Level 10. Once there, he could push it further to Level 11 using skill points.
"Remember this," Taichi said firmly. "Things are shaped by human effort. If you've already set limits for yourself in your mind, then your life is already over. And those eyes of yours—they'll definitely go blind."
Yōhei kept his eyes closed, quietly receiving treatment, but his shoulders trembled slightly.
"Taichi… I'm afraid," he admitted at last. "Every time I use the Mangekyō—the blood at the corners of my eyes, the blurred vision—it all reminds me… that sooner or later, these eyes will go blind."
"I don't know if my training will actually help… or if I can really push my physical abilities to that level before my eyes go blind, like you said.
Even Uchiha Madara only achieved the Eternal Mangekyō by transplanting his brother's eyes. Do you really think I can surpass him?"
At that moment, Yōhei was completely lost about the future.
The more he used the Mangekyō, the more he understood its terrifying power—
and at the same time, its side effects constantly reminded him that these eyes were destined to go dark one day.
It was like a curse.
Power tempted every Uchiha… yet the price was laid bare before them, forcing them to live in constant anxiety and torment.
---
Taichi withdrew his hands from Yōhei's head, straightened his posture, and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Madara had his brother," he said solemnly, "but you have me."
He paused briefly, then added with quiet confidence:
"And I'm certain that even Madara, at my age, wasn't as strong as I am now."
It sounded a little boastful—but it wasn't without truth. More importantly, this was the moment Yōhei needed confidence the most.
"My Yang Release is about to undergo a qualitative breakthrough. It should happen before I return from this mission. When that happens, with my medical ninjutsu, I'll be able to further ease the condition of your eyes."
He leaned in slightly, his tone firm.
"And I believe that once my Yang power improves further… completely solving your eye problem is only a matter of time."
---
Yōhei met Taichi's sincere gaze.
At the same time, he felt the cool, soothing sensation in his eyes—and the clarity of his vision returning once more.
The unease in his heart didn't vanish entirely, but a spark of hope reignited.
After all, no one in Uchiha history had awakened the Mangekyō at his age. Early awakening didn't necessarily mean greater strength—but it did prove one thing:
His talent was undeniable.
And with a friend like Taichi—someone who constantly created miracles—his future wasn't necessarily doomed to darkness.
A faint smile finally returned to Yōhei's face.
"Thank you, Taichi. I understand now. I'll be more careful with how often I use the Mangekyō… and I'll focus on the taijutsu and meditation you taught me. I won't make you worry anymore."
---
Beside them, Saori quietly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
During this time, while Taichi had been busy with medical duties, she had stayed by Yōhei's side.
Every time he trained with Susanoo, she stood watch.
And every time he finished—seeing the blood tears streaming from his eyes—her heart ached with worry.
She remembered Taichi's words clearly: every use of the Mangekyō was a step closer to darkness.
But she couldn't stop him.
All she could do was bury that fear deep inside.
But now… things were different.
Taichi was on the verge of becoming even stronger.
Yōhei had untied the knot in his heart.
And there was finally hope for his eyes.
For Saori, today felt like the happiest day in a long time—perhaps even more joyful than their last victory in battle.
---
Taichi patted both of them on the shoulders.
"I'm heading out on my mission now. When I get back, I'll continue nourishing your eyes and see how effective it is."
Yōhei nodded heavily, too emotional to speak.
Taichi then turned to Saori, gently wiping away the remaining tears at the corner of her eyes.
"Saori, keep an eye on him for me. Don't let him overuse the Mangekyō. If you see blood tears, he stops immediately."
Saori's face flushed slightly, but she nodded firmly.
"Don't worry, Taichi. With your words, I'll make sure he behaves."
"Good. Then I'm off."
Without waiting for a reply, Taichi lifted the tent flap and stepped out.
He had already delayed too long waiting for them—now that everything was settled, he couldn't afford to waste any more time.
Besides, the camp had recently gained two new jōnin advisors. No one knew whose faction they belonged to. He couldn't risk giving them any leverage.
---
Two Days Later — A Central Oasis Market in the Land of Wind
This oasis served as a major transit hub within the Land of Wind.
Supplies coming from the Land of Birds, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Rivers were all gathered here before being redistributed across the Land of Wind—or sent onward to those three nations.
Naturally, during such a tense period, a contingent of Sunagakure shinobi was stationed here.
Taichi had already been here for half a day.
Over the past two days, he had scouted several border towns within the Land of Wind. While he did find some supply depots, they were all small-scale warehouses—hardly worth targeting.
This, however, was his first deep incursion into the country's interior.
It was said that beneath this oasis lay a vast underground water vein—the very reason this place could exist.
---
The outer perimeter was surrounded by earthen walls and watchtowers. Sand shinobi patrols could be seen moving about.
At the entrance, multiple checkpoints had been set up. Shinobi dressed in Sunagakure attire strictly inspected every caravan and individual entering or leaving.
Through his sharp perception, Taichi could clearly sense it—
The entire oasis was enveloped by a massive barrier.
Sunagakure had clearly invested significant effort into securing this place.
---
At dusk—the busiest time of day—Taichi created a shadow clone.
Silently, he knocked out a caravan worker, transformed into his appearance, and swaggered into the oasis along with the caravan.
Inside, the oasis was divided into two distinct sections.
One side was a normal marketplace—filled with merchants shouting their wares, inns, taverns, and all kinds of shops. It was no different from a typical city.
In one corner, several large sand camel caravans had gathered.
Some merchants were unloading bulging leather sacks and heavy crates, allowing their exhausted camels to rest.
Others sold their goods directly to the stationed Sunagakure forces.
From their conversations, Taichi learned that most of these were food supplies. Sunagakure outsourced part of its logistical distribution to merchants—saving manpower while ensuring steady supply lines for their deployed shinobi.
---
The other half of the oasis, however, had been transformed into a massive military camp.
Watching the steady flow of shinobi entering and exiting, along with escorted supply convoys, Taichi quickly realized—
This was no longer just a marketplace.
It had effectively become a key logistical hub for Sunagakure.
---
The caravan Taichi infiltrated happened to be one supplying goods to Sunagakure.
Because of that, he was able to interact with some of the sand shinobi at close range.
From their casual conversations, he learned that a high-ranking figure from the village had arrived at the camp that day.
As for who exactly—it was beyond the knowledge of low-ranking personnel.
That alone was enough to pique Taichi's interest.
He decided to remain undercover a while longer.
Perhaps there were greater gains to be made.
---
Outside the oasis, Taichi's original body had used Earth Release to carve out a hidden underground chamber beneath the sand.
In one corner lay the unconscious caravan worker he had replaced—his memories altered through genjutsu. Tomorrow, once the caravan left, Taichi could swap him back without issue.
At the center of the chamber, Taichi himself was training relentlessly.
Ever since realizing the shortcomings in his physical abilities, he had made a point to strengthen his body—even during wartime.
And perhaps it was the intensity of battle that accelerated growth—
Because recently, his progress had been exceptional.
With each punch and kick, chakra surged through his body, tempering and strengthening his physique.
Taichi had a strong feeling—
Tonight, perhaps even after this session, he would break through again.
---
And sure enough—
As he finished his movements and stood upright, his status panel responded:
[After prolonged training: Taijutsu +1, Strength +1, Agility +1]
---
Name: Matsushita Taichi
Rank: Chūnin Lv.8 (1183/1400)
Age: 10
Talents:
Diligence Makes Up for Weakness
Academic Prodigy
Enhanced Efficiency
Stats:
Constitution: 27
Strength: 25
Agility: 25
Spirit: 28
Chakra: 53,000 (57,700)
Points:
Attribute Points: 24
Skill Points: 11
Nature Transformations:
Fire Lv.12 (2233/4000)
Wind Lv.11 (2122/3000)
Water Lv.11 (935/3000)
Earth Lv.7 (143/1200)
Lightning Lv.7 (28/1200)
Yang Lv.9 (1442/1600)
Yin Lv.7 (831/1200)
Ice Lv.6 (301/1000)
Other Skills:
Chakra Shape Transformation Lv.9
Chakra Control Lv.11
Advanced Taijutsu Lv.6
Advanced Meditation Lv.6
Advanced Kenjutsu Lv.6
Monster Strength Lv.8
Sealing Techniques Lv.11
Evaluation:
"Effort pays off. Your strength and agility have finally reached the level of an average jōnin. But the revolution is not yet complete—comrade, you must continue striving. For now, you're just a barely qualified weakling."
---
Taichi's face darkened.
As expected—there was never anything flattering in that evaluation.
If he was considered a "weakling," then how many people in the shinobi world could even be called strong?
Ignoring the panel's nonsense, Taichi focused on his body's changes and resumed training, striving to fully adapt to his newfound strength.
The next day, his shadow clone left the oasis with the caravan, while his original body seamlessly swapped back with the unconscious worker.
Aside from a lingering grogginess, the man noticed nothing unusual.
After dispelling the clone, Taichi absorbed its memories—
And learned that a major Sunagakure figure had indeed arrived at the oasis.
That only deepened his curiosity.
Why would someone of such status come to a mere transit hub?
With time still on his side, Taichi decided to investigate further before leaving.
---
Once again, he infiltrated the oasis using the same substitution method.
But this time, he was more cautious.
He created an additional shadow clone, transforming it into a personal item carried by another clone into the camp.
This way, there would always be a clone inside the oasis—
Ensuring there would never be a gap in his surveillance.