After cleaning up the battlefield, Captain Yamaguchi reorganized the patrol schedule.
With most of the Sand ninjas wiped out and only one Puppet Master escaping, the pressure on Team 8 for the remainder of the mission dropped significantly.
Sure enough, for the next five days, not only did the Sand ninjas vanish, but even the bounty hunters stopped their harassment.
The mine remained peaceful all the way until February 15th.
That evening, the Tokugawa family finally sent someone to the mine to inform Tokugawa Shuo and Team 8 that they could return to the estate.
However, one look at the messenger's face told the whole story. There was no joy of victory. A cloud of unease settled over the team.
Back at the Tokugawa estate in Matsudaira City, Clan Head Tokugawa Kang welcomed Team 8 with the same enthusiasm as before. He practically dragged Captain Yamaguchi by the hand to the banquet hall, showering him with praise every step of the way.
After all, thanks to Shuo's daily reports, Kang knew exactly what had happened. Team 8 had performed exceptionally well.
They had killed over twenty enemy ninjas, including a Sand Jonin. That level of service went far beyond what their paycheck covered.
During the banquet, Captain Yamaguchi watched the Tokugawa clan members offer endless compliments while their smiles failed to reach their eyes. He couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer.
"Lord Tokugawa, is there another issue with the mining rights? We defended the mine perfectly during the contract period."
Hearing the question, Tokugawa Kang froze, his chopsticks hovering over his food. After a long silence, he sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Ah! I suppose I can't hide it from you."
He downed a cup of sake in one gulp before continuing. "It isn't your team's fault. You completed your mission perfectly. Shuo made sure I knew that."
He poured himself another drink. "This morning, the City Lord issued a decree. The bidding for the mining rights has been suspended. It's been postponed for two months. Until then, the Tokugawa family will continue to operate the mine."
The members of Team 8 looked at each other. The City Lord was blatantly favoring the Kawada family. Postponing a set date like that? It smelled like corruption.
"We bribed someone in the City Lord's office for information," Kang explained. "It turns out the Second Prince—the one backing the Kawada family—pressured the City Lord to delay the bidding."
The Daimyo of the Land of Rivers had been bedridden for some time, and rumor had it he wasn't long for this world. His two heirs were currently tearing each other apart for the throne.
The First Prince, supported by the Tokugawa clan, favored Konoha, much like the old Daimyo. He should have been the natural successor.
But the Second Prince had secured the backing of the Hidden Sand and was making a strong play for the throne.
Right now, the Second Prince had the upper hand. The nobles of the Land of Rivers were starting to waver, and the City Lord of Matsudaira had already begun leaning toward the Second Prince's faction.
After hearing the full story, Taichi and the others understood the situation. Unfortunately, high-level political maneuvering was outside the scope of their mission. There was nothing they could do.
Captain Yamaguchi promised to report the situation to the Hokage. Whatever happened next would be up to the village's leadership.
At the end of the banquet, the Clan Head added a bonus to their payment as compensation for the trouble.
Since this political shift directly affected Konoha's interests, the team didn't linger. After finalizing the paperwork, they departed immediately, rushing back to the village.
Without a civilian slowing them down, they moved at full ninja speed. It took only three days for Team 8 to return to Konoha.
---
After disbanding the team, Captain Yamaguchi went alone to brief the Hokage. Taichi and the others headed home.
It had been a long, grueling defense mission with constant harassment and zero rest, followed by a sprint back to the village.
They were exhausted. Back at his new house, Taichi took a long, hot shower to soak away the fatigue. Afterward, he flopped onto his large bed and mentally reviewed his gains from the mission.
[Congratulations! Your Genin Job Level has increased to Lv10 (0/2000)]
[Attribute Point +1, Skill Point +1]
[Fire Nature Transformation Lv10 (1562/2000)]
At this rate, he would definitely hit the 2,000 XP needed to max out Level 10 before the Chunin Exams later this year. As long as he passed the village's official assessment, both his real-life rank and his system panel rank would level up.
This was the year. He was finally going to stop being a Genin.
He glanced at the flavor text at the bottom of the panel.
[Evaluation: Being a Genin fills you with "pride." But I wonder how long you intend to keep this up? Are you really aiming to be a Genin for life?]
Pride! Taichi's eye twitched.
Pride, my ass!
The system was clearly getting snarky with him now. "Genin for life"? It was mocking him.
He closed the panel—out of sight, out of mind.
He thought about his Fire Nature Transformation. He was less than 400 points away from maxing out Level 10. He had a gut feeling that something special was waiting for him once he broke through that ceiling.
Filled with anticipation, Taichi slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
---
Earlier, after Yamaguchi briefed the Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the mission report on his desk and sighed internally. It was inevitable. The New Year had barely passed, and the Sand was already making moves.
"Go. Summon Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado for a meeting."
"Yes, sir!" An ANBU emerged from the shadows of the office, acknowledged the order, and vanished with a poof.
Thirty minutes later, the elders arrived. The Konoha High Council—the "F4"—was assembled.
"Read this," Hiruzen said, passing the scroll to Koharu.
Once the scroll had made its rounds and returned to Hiruzen's hand, the office fell silent. The only sound was the rhythmic puffing of Hiruzen's pipe. Smoke curled around him, obscuring his face.
Finally, Hiruzen spoke through the haze. "Why did Root fail to warn us about the Daimyo of Rivers being critically ill? I had to wait for a standard mission team to bring back this intelligence."
"The Second Prince has already gained the upper hand with the Sand's help. This is extremely unfavorable for Konoha."
Danzo, leaning on his cane, narrowed his single visible eye. Team 8 again. Why was it that every time the Monkey criticized him, that team was involved?
Damn Matsushita Taichi. Damn Uchiha Yohei.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Danzo answered in a dark tone, "Root was aware of the Daimyo's condition. However, the First Prince refused contact with Konoha and deliberately kept his distance. This was not an intelligence failure; it was the target's choice."
Koharu frowned. "Even so, the Land of Rivers is a vital buffer zone. We cannot sit by and watch it fall to the Sand. The First Prince is being foolish by alienating us."
Homura adjusted his glasses. "The problem is, if we intervene forcefully, we risk alienating the River nobles further. We need a more subtle approach."
Danzo snorted. "The Sand is openly supporting the Second Prince. What are we afraid of? I should dispatch Root immediately to secretly prop up the First Prince's faction."
"It might not be that simple," Koharu voiced her concern. "Judging by the First Prince's actions, he seems to be trying to break free from our influence."
"A boy who hasn't even grown his first beard, trying to shake off our control before he even sits on the throne? He's reaching too far," Danzo scoffed, dismissing the prince entirely. "If he won't cooperate, we find someone else. The Daimyo has more than two sons."
"Absolutely not!" Hiruzen shot down the idea instantly. "There isn't enough time, and doing so would spark suspicion among the other nobles and neighboring nations."
"Our priority is to re-establish trust with the First Prince," Hiruzen said, turning to Danzo. "Root must correct this oversight immediately. Investigate the status of the First Prince's faction and establish a reliable channel of communication."
Danzo narrowed his eye. "I will handle it personally. But if he continues to refuse cooperation, we must be prepared for alternatives."
A brief silence filled the room. Finally, Hiruzen sighed. "Attempt diplomatic channels first, but strengthen our border defenses. If the Land of Rivers falls, the Sand will be directly on our doorstep."
The meeting ended with grim expressions all around. The curtain had just risen on a proxy war in the Land of Rivers, and Konoha was already a step behind.
In the days that followed, Konoha significantly increased its troop presence along the border with the Land of Wind. Outposts were put on high alert.
Naturally, this led to a spike in specific missions: supply escorts, outpost garrison duties, and border patrols—tasks that were usually rare were now commonplace.
Team 8 took the opportunity to run several of these missions, gaining valuable experience in border defense.
---
Konoha Year 45, June 23rd.
Taichi's Private Training Ground.
Taichi was practicing his kenjutsu. Notably, his short sword was coated in a layer of bright, golden flame.
The fire clung to the blade like water, appearing tame. However, the distorted air around the weapon told a different story.
As he swung the blade, tiny sparks occasionally broke free, landing on the ground or drifting further away.
The moment a spark touched the earth, it ignited instantly, expanding into a fireball that melted a small crater into the soil.
The sparks that flew further hit a transparent barrier, exploding into tiny bursts of light and sending ripples across the energy shield.
With a fierce slash, a beam of fire detached from the blade and slammed into the distant barrier. The shield finally reached its limit. With a crisp crack, it shattered into motes of light and vanished.
Taichi stopped, looking around at the cratered ground and the spot where the barrier used to be.
"My sealing jutsu is still too weak. The barrier can't handle the output of my flames."
He looked down at his short sword. The blade still gleamed with a cold light; it hadn't turned red or warped from the heat. He smiled.
At least he could use the "Flame Blade" technique without destroying his weapon now. He winced thinking about how many swords he had ruined over the last two months of training. It had been an expensive lesson.
This success wasn't just due to better chakra control; it was a qualitative change in his understanding of fire after breaking past Level 10.
[Fire Nature Transformation Lv11 (523/3000)]
[Chakra Control Lv10 (357/2000)]
[Sealing Jutsu Lv6 (836/1000)]
He scanned the three skills he had focused on over the last two months. The highlight was his Fire Nature Transformation. Since hitting Level 11, his control over fire felt completely different.
To put it bluntly: in terms of pure Fire Nature Transformation, Taichi wouldn't lose to anyone in Konoha right now. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi might not have reached this height of mastery. If Level 10 was Jonin standard, Level 11 was Kage territory.
He still remembered the rush he felt the moment he leveled up—it was as if he became the fire. He could now cast any C-rank Fire Style jutsu without hand signs.
It reminded him of Hashirama Senju in the stories—clapping his hands and making whatever he wanted appear. If Taichi could get all five nature transformations to Level 11 or higher...
Imagine clapping his hands and unleashing five elemental dragons at once. That would rival the First Hokage's power.
Of course, that was a distant dream. Having Kage-level nature transformation didn't mean he had Kage-level combat ability. He still needed the physical stats and chakra reserves to back it up.
But right now? He was solidly at the level of a veteran Jonin.
Sheathing his sword, Taichi walked to the four corners of the training ground to retrieve the scrolls used for the barrier. Seeing them burnt out and useless, he sighed. The overhead costs are too high.
He had learned this barrier jutsu from Kushina after reaching Level 6 in Sealing Jutsu. The goal was to dampen the noise and prevent nosy neighbors—or spies—from gauging his strength.
The jutsu was good, but his skill level was the bottleneck. The barrier kept breaking under the shockwaves of his own attacks, especially when he got carried away with the golden flames.
Those scrolls weren't cheap. Every time they broke, it was like burning the payout from a B-rank mission. The financial pain forced him to improve his chakra control even faster.
He put away the damaged scrolls and wove a few hand signs. Earth chakra surged, and the cratered ground of the training field churned like liquid, smoothing itself out before hardening again.
A simple application of Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld—excellent for landscaping.
After cleaning up, he headed out to Training Ground 7.
Today was supposed to be a rest day, but he had received a summons from Captain Yamaguchi via Jiji. That stupid bird had just squawked and flown off without explaining anything, so Taichi had no idea what was going on.