Chapter 192 — Departure and Assignment
At the gates of Konohagakure, a massive force of shinobi had already assembled.
In one corner, Obito stood with his head lowered, looking utterly dejected—like a child who had just been scolded by his parents, his spirit practically drained.
Taichi shot Rin a glance.
Yōhei had already gone hard enough with the "stick"—now it was time for a little "carrot," or Obito might really lose his confidence.
As expected, Rin was the perfect remedy.
A few gentle words from her, and Obito already looked like he was recovering. Though under Yōhei's murderous glare, he quickly lowered his head again—but this time, his voice was firm:
"I'll change. I promise."
Everyone nodded in satisfaction.
As long as he recognized the problem, there was hope. The worst kind were those who knew they were wrong—but refused to change.
At that moment—
A figure flashed beside Kakashi.
It was Minato, arriving via the Flying Thunder God Technique.
His gaze swept the group, immediately picking up on the strange atmosphere. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Seems like I missed something interesting?"
Before anyone else could answer, Obito grabbed his sleeve and hurriedly said, "N-no! We were just talking about the mission!"
Minato didn't need to ask further—Obito's reaction said everything.
But he chose not to expose it.
Glancing at the time, he stepped forward to the front of the assembled shinobi.
"Everyone!"
His voice carried clearly across the gathering.
"I am Jonin Minato Namikaze, commander of this unit. Squad leaders, confirm your personnel. We depart immediately."
Reports came in one after another—everyone present.
"Good."
Minato's gaze swept across the crowd, calm yet resolute.
"The southern front urgently requires reinforcements. I won't waste words. We move now—destination: the frontlines in the Land of Rivers."
With that, he turned and led the march.
Taichi's squad and Kakashi's team followed first, then the rest—over a hundred shinobi moving out in unison.
Once outside the village, the pace surged.
The formation became a rushing black current, speeding along the road.
Along the way, more units joined—each about a hundred strong—until the force swelled to nearly a thousand shinobi.
From morning to evening, they pressed forward with only brief pauses for water and soldier pills.
This relentless march spoke volumes—
The situation at the front was already critical.
After three days of near-continuous movement, they finally slowed at dusk within a river valley in the Land of Rivers.
Ahead of them stood a massive, brightly lit, heavily fortified camp.
Konoha's banners snapped in the wind. Watchtowers stood alert, and countless tents filled the valley.
This was not the same camp Taichi had left before.
Under Sunagakure's pressure, Jiraiya had relocated the base further back to gain strategic depth.
At the front, Minato completed the handover with Shikaku Nara.
There was no ceremony. No speeches.
Only efficiency.
Once finished, Shikaku gave the order:
"Squad leaders, take your teams to rest. Special Jonin and Jonin—report to the central command tent in thirty minutes. Dismissed."
"Let's find a place to stay," Taichi said to Yōhei and Saori, then turned to Kakashi's group. "You coming with us, or waiting for Minato-senpai?"
Kakashi glanced at his still-busy teacher and shook his head. "We'll wait here."
Taichi nodded and led his team away.
The camp had plenty of empty tents—clearly newly set up in preparation for reinforcements.
There were no strict assignments; squads simply occupied available space.
"Taichi, how about this one?" Yōhei called out, pointing to a tent near the edge of the camp. "Close to the mission center—convenient later."
Taichi didn't mind, but still looked to Saori.
She stepped inside, inspected carefully, then nodded.
"It's newly built. This works."
The three of them settled in, organizing their belongings.
Once finished, Taichi headed alone toward the central command tent.
Calling it a "meeting" was generous—
It was really just task assignments.
Even before he entered, Jonin were already coming out, having received their orders.
The tent was still crowded.
Taichi didn't rush in. Instead, he waited outside, casually observing the camp layout.
A question he'd once had resurfaced—
Why were camps always built near rivers? Didn't that invite water-based infiltration?
But now, with his understanding of sealing techniques, the answer was obvious.
Land or water—it didn't matter.
To shinobi, infiltration was always possible.
The real defense came from layered systems:
Perception barriers… and constant patrols.
Together, they formed the camp's true security.
Taichi quietly extended his own perception, carefully probing the surrounding detection barriers without triggering alarms.
But as he examined them, his expression subtly changed.
There were flaws.
Likely due to the camp being newly established—
Several weak points existed in the detection network.
Under normal conditions, they were negligible.
But during guard rotations, these gaps could briefly leave areas unmonitored.
A clear security risk.
Taichi memorized the locations, planning to report them to Jiraiya.
By then, the crowd inside the command tent had mostly dispersed.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Inside the command tent, Jiraiya personally received each arriving jonin and special jonin.
At their level, every shinobi carried influence within the village. This brief, face-to-face acknowledgment was the frontline commander's way of showing respect—and reinforcing authority.
Afterward, the squad leaders moved on to Shikaku and Minato to receive their assignments. As for the specifics, Taichi had no way of knowing.
By the time it was his turn, the tent had emptied.
Only Taichi remained—the lone newcomer among the special jonin.
The atmosphere relaxed immediately.
"Jiraiya-sensei, what's the current situation at the front?" Taichi stepped forward and asked.
Jiraiya shot him an annoyed look. "I thought you weren't in a hurry. Took your sweet time coming in last."
"I figured it was crowded, so I waited," Taichi scratched his head awkwardly—then suddenly remembered something. "Right, earlier I noticed something outside. There seem to be weak points in our sensory barrier network."
"Weak points?"
Not just Jiraiya—Shikaku and Minato both turned to look at him.
"I'm not sure if 'weak point' is the right word," Taichi said carefully. "But there are definitely areas with weaker detection."
His eyes scanned the room. "Do we have a map of the camp?"
Shikaku glanced at Jiraiya. Seeing him nod, he retrieved a scroll from a cabinet and spread it across the table.
This wasn't just any map.
It detailed barrier types, detection ranges, patrol routes, and both overt and hidden sentry placements.
If it fell into enemy hands, the camp's defenses would be severely compromised.
Taichi stepped closer—and with a single glance, located the exact positions he had sensed earlier.
But when he compared them to the map—
His pupils shrank.
"That's not right."
He pointed to several marked areas.
"The detection strength here doesn't match what's shown. It looks… deliberately misreported."
The three men followed his finger.
Those locations were all along the outer perimeter.
If Taichi was correct, the discrepancy wasn't minor—it was dangerous.
A single word surfaced in everyone's mind:
Spy.
"Don't spread this," Jiraiya said immediately, his tone turning serious. "Shikaku, assign trusted personnel to quietly fix the barrier coverage. Don't alert anyone."
"Also, investigate who set up, maintains, and operates these barriers. See if there's a leak in the system."
"Yes."
Shikaku accepted the order and left at once to handle the matter.
Jiraiya's expression shifted again, a grin spreading across his face as he slapped Taichi's shoulder.
"Hah! You're a lucky charm. Just arrived and already uncovered a major flaw. That's merit right there."
Taichi smiled awkwardly. He hadn't expected that a casual scan would reveal something this serious.
If anything—it felt like fortune itself was on Konoha's side.
After a bit of light conversation, Jiraiya finally turned back to business and explained the frontline situation.
In short—
Konoha was currently on the defensive.
Sunagakure had three top-tier forces on the field: the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, along with Chiyo and Ebizo.
Meanwhile, Konoha previously had only Jiraiya holding the line—often stretched thin.
Rasa, in particular, was aggressive.
With his position still unstable, he needed military achievements to solidify his authority.
So he frequently appeared on the frontlines himself—many key positions had been lost because of his pressure.
Fortunately, Jiraiya knew when to retreat.
He valued his subordinates and understood trading space for time.
Whenever the situation became untenable, he withdrew decisively—preserving Konoha's strength.
But now—
With over a thousand reinforcements arriving, that disadvantage had disappeared.
And more importantly—
Konoha now had two Flying Thunder God users: Minato and Taichi.
That alone opened up countless tactical possibilities.
"Taichi," Jiraiya continued, "you'll report to the medical camp first. There are many wounded who haven't received proper treatment. They need you."
"No problem," Taichi agreed immediately—but then hesitated. "What about Yōhei and Saori?"
Jiraiya glanced at Minato with a grin. Minato rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed.
Taichi looked between them, confused.
"You two really are alike," Jiraiya chuckled. "Always thinking about your teammates."
He continued:
"Minato will be carrying out behind-enemy-lines missions. His squad can't accompany him."
"So for now, your two teams will merge—since you've already worked together before."
"Temporary command will go to Uchiha Yōhei."
Taichi and Minato exchanged a glance.
Both nodded.
It made sense.
They already had experience cooperating—this would be smooth.
After leaving the command tent, Taichi returned and explained the arrangement to Yōhei and Saori.
Neither seemed surprised.
With a high-level medical ninja like Taichi present, any commander would prioritize his role in treatment over combat.
Seeing their calm reaction, Taichi relaxed—but still reached into his pouch and pulled out two specially modified Flying Thunder God kunai.
He handed one to each of them.
"I upgraded these," he said seriously. "If you run into danger you can't handle, channel chakra into the kunai. I'll sense it immediately and come to you."
"With my Flying Thunder God—even if I can't win, I can still get you out safely."
Their eyes lit up instantly.
Without hesitation, they accepted the kunai and examined them closely.
These were life-saving tools—on par with the sealing talismans Taichi had given them before.
"Haha! Taichi, this is perfect!" Yōhei grinned. "Even if we can't win, we can always run!"
Just from his expression, it was obvious his imagination was already running wild.
Taichi immediately cut him off.
"Don't get reckless."
His tone turned firm.
"You're the team leader now. You're responsible not just for yourself—but for everyone."
"Flying Thunder God isn't invincible."
"Even Tobirama Senju—its creator—still died protecting his students."
"And what if I'm tied up somewhere and can't respond immediately?"
"What then?"
Yōhei's grin froze.
Cold sweat broke out on his back.
He had, indeed, gotten carried away.
If Taichi hadn't said anything… who knew what kind of mistake that mindset might lead to on the battlefield.
And by then—
It would be too late to regret it.