Chapter 188 — Completion, Uchiha
Konoha's streets were always lively—day or night, the crowds never seemed to thin. Every now and then, a couple of kids dashed past, earning a few annoyed complaints from passersby.
Taichi strolled through the bustling night market, glancing left and right in search of dinner.
But—
"That tempura looks good… I'll take some."
"And those dango smell amazing… I'll grab those too."
By the time he realized it, he'd eaten half his fill on snacks alone without having a proper meal.
Patting his stomach, he looked up—
Not far ahead stood Ichiraku Ramen.
So he stopped searching and walked straight in.
"Isn't that Taichi? Haven't seen you in a while!"
The owner greeted him warmly the moment he stepped inside.
"Your memory's incredible, uncle. I haven't been here for over three months!"
Taichi was genuinely surprised—he hadn't visited often, yet the owner remembered him.
"Haha! Not many people have competed in ramen-eating contests here. You're one of them—I'd never forget."
The man worked quickly, sending out bowl after bowl to customers.
"What'll it be today?"
"One extra-large tonkotsu ramen."
"Coming right up!"
From the back came the rhythmic sound of noodles being prepared—Taichi knew that was the owner's son, the future "Teuchi."
While waiting, Taichi idly observed the other diners. The place was packed as always.
He had just memorized the facial features of his fifth nearby customer when—
"Genma! Don't be discouraged! Losing to a girl isn't the end—win next time! Youth shouldn't give up so easily!"
A familiar energetic voice rang out.
The curtain lifted, and three figures walked in.
Leading them—
Might Guy.
Behind him were his teammates: Ebisu and Genma Shiranui.
"Kai! Over here!" Taichi stood and waved.
"Ah, Taichi! Youth is full of surprises—meeting you here!" Guy flashed a thumbs-up, teeth gleaming.
He quickly introduced his teammates.
They were from the same generation, though not the same class—Taichi had simply graduated early.
"You two, hello," Taichi greeted.
Ebisu and Genma immediately straightened and bowed.
"Taichi-senpai!"
Taichi chuckled and waved it off. "You're Guy's teammates—that makes you my friends. No need to be so formal."
After a few exchanges, they sat down together.
Seeing their stiffness, Taichi turned to Guy.
"So, what kind of missions are you doing now? Any outside the village yet?"
Unlike Kakashi's team, most squads progressed gradually.
Guy puffed up proudly. "Of course! We started C-rank missions last month. We just got back from the Land of Grass today!"
Taichi raised a brow. Guy had clearly improved a lot compared to his original timeline.
"And how's the situation there? Who's commanding?"
Guy scratched his head, embarrassed. They'd only escorted supplies—he hadn't paid attention.
Ebisu, however, adjusted his glasses and answered seriously:
"I know. The commander on the Grass front is Jōnin Mebuki Leafroll. Under him, Konoha's forces are holding their own against Iwagakure scouts—but the casualties are heavy."
Taichi nodded, slightly impressed.
Information gathering was a core ninja skill—and Ebisu had it.
No wonder Konoha was urgently training more medical ninja.
At that moment, their ramen arrived.
All four bowls—
Extra-large.
Taichi smiled. As expected of ninjas.
"Everyone!" Guy suddenly declared, "Let's have a youthful competition! First to finish wins!"
Of course.
Guy never missed a chance to compete.
And the others weren't about to back down—especially with Taichi present.
I might not beat him in strength… but eating?
That was clearly what Ebisu and Genma were thinking.
Without any signal, the four began simultaneously.
Slurping sounds filled the shop, drawing attention from other diners.
Some even ordered second bowls, encouraged by the spectacle—much to the owner's delight.
In the end—
Taichi came first.
Guy took second.
Ebisu, despite noodles nearly coming out of his nose, still lost—muttering "That makes no sense…" in despair.
Genma, on the other hand, accepted it calmly.
Losing to Taichi?
Nothing embarrassing about that.
After dinner, the four strolled through the streets, chatting as they digested their food. Only when it grew late did they part ways.
The next morning, after training, Taichi returned to his main task—
Sealing Tag Development.
High-level seals were notoriously difficult to convert into portable forms.
Not only were the materials rare and expensive, but the success rate was extremely low. A single failure could consume both the materials and a Jōnin's entire chakra reserves.
That's why such Tags were never mass-produced.
But Taichi wasn't doing this for efficiency.
He was doing it to protect the people he cared about.
He had taken a basic training formation and pushed it to a level capable of restraining a Jōnin—even briefly.
That alone was unprecedented.
Before him, no one had done this.
As for whether anyone would after—
That remained to be seen.
Around him, expensive sealing paper lay scattered—failures from earlier attempts.
If not for his current wealth, this alone would have bankrupted him.
Now, only one set of materials remained.
And his chakra was nearly depleted.
"This is the last try today."
He formed a seal with one hand.
"Release."
From the diamond mark on his forehead, intricate patterns spread rapidly—across his head, then down his entire upper body.
In an instant—
Chakra erupted.
His entire body radiated power, almost like activating the Eight Gates.
For the first time, releasing the Yin Seal, Taichi was momentarily stunned by the sheer volume of chakra.
Then he steadied himself.
This was his chakra, after all.
Once controlled, it flowed naturally—like an extension of himself.
Now—
Everything depended on this final attempt.
With his body once again filled with chakra, Taichi began another attempt at inscribing the sealing formula.
Every failure meant starting over.
And each attempt took an entire hour.
Under normal circumstances, no sealing master would waste this kind of time on something like this.
But this wasn't "normal."
This was for the sake of protecting the people he cared about.
When the ten-meter-wide sealing array was finally completed again, Taichi shook his sore wrist and rubbed his aching temples. The process demanded absolute concentration—one mistake, and everything would collapse.
After resting briefly and regaining his focus, he stepped into the final—and most critical—phase.
His hands blurred through seals.
Three hundred hand signs per minute.
Then—
He struck the Tag paper.
The massive array seemed to come alive, its countless inscriptions surging inward as chakra poured into the paper.
Taichi controlled the flow with everything he had.
This wasn't like ordinary ninjutsu, where you released everything in an instant.
This required stretching a one-second burst into ten… even fifteen seconds.
The difficulty multiplied tenfold—no, a hundredfold.
Fortunately, his chakra control had already reached Level 12.
Otherwise, this step alone would have been impossible.
Sweat began to bead across his forehead—clear signs of severe mental strain.
Still, he held on.
Bit by bit—
The final rune sank into the Tag.
The moment it was complete, Taichi collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted.
"…Finally."
After catching his breath, he picked up the finished Tag.
It no longer resembled ordinary paper.
Instead, it had taken on a smooth, jade-like texture, faintly warm to the touch.
At its center was a single character—
"Bind."
Around it, dense sealing inscriptions formed a perfect circle.
This was the completed product:
A high-level sealing Tag.
Even at a glance, its extraordinary quality was obvious.
And since he had successfully created it once, his system had already recorded it as a skill—future attempts would no longer be this taxing.
But the Tag itself wasn't his greatest gain.
Taichi turned his attention inward.
[Through prolonged research, you have developed and created a high-level sealing Tag — Multi-Layer Light Formation]
[Sealing Technique EXP +500 → Lv11 (2111/3000)]
[Chakra Control EXP +500 → Lv12 (443/4000)]
A surge of satisfaction rose in his chest.
All the sleepless effort and massive resource consumption had paid off.
The rewards alone were equivalent to months of training.
Especially the breakthrough in chakra control—
Taichi could now feel it clearly.
His chakra moved with perfect fluidity, responding instantly to his will, without the slightest resistance.
"If I'd had this level earlier…" he muttered.
He wouldn't have wasted so many precious materials.
Still—
It was worth it.
Looking at the Tag in his hand, he glanced at the sky.
It was already late.
"Tomorrow, I'll get more materials… make a few more."
One for Nonō.
One for Yōhei.
One for Saori.
A layer of insurance… for the people he cared about.
Meanwhile—
On the other side of Konoha, within the Uchiha Clan Compound…
Yōhei's home.
When he had first returned after three months, he was the pride of the household.
Now?
He had somehow become the "stone in the latrine"—stubborn, unpleasant, and deeply annoying.
At first, his return had been a joyous occasion. His mother even prepared his favorite dango to celebrate his safe return.
But the peace didn't last.
On the very second day—
Everything went wrong.
"Son, I hear you've gotten pretty strong lately. Want to spar with your old man?"
His father issued the challenge.
It wasn't just casual.
The world was unstable, and he wanted to test his son—to see if he had the strength to survive what was coming.
A father's concern, hidden within a simple invitation.
"Sure, Father. I'd also like your guidance."
Yōhei agreed happily.
In his memory, his father was still an insurmountable figure.
The match should have been a warm exchange between father and son.
Yōhei gave it his all—
Three-tomoe Sharingan activated.
His father did the same, taking him seriously.
But the moment they clashed—
The difference became clear.
Though Yōhei was only using three tomoe…
Those eyes were fundamentally different.
They carried the foundation of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Both the quality and quantity of his ocular power far exceeded that of an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan.
Normally, this difference wouldn't matter much.
But the moment Yōhei focused completely—
His ocular power began to leak unconsciously.
A natural result of high-speed chakra circulation.
And higher-level ocular power naturally suppressed lower-level power.
The outcome…
Was inevitable.