Late at night, the Konoha forward camp was still running like clockwork. Patrols moved steadily through the paths between tents, and in one quiet corner of the camp stood a single brightly lit tent that stood out from the rest.
From outside, you could see three silhouettes inside, roughhousing and gesturing wildly, but not a single sound leaked through the fabric. Soundproof seals at work.
Inside, Taiichi was giving his usual late-night briefing—this time on how to actually deal with Tailed Beasts.
"The most reliable way to handle a Tailed Beast is sealing jutsu. That's the main tool every village uses against them."
Saori's face lit up for half a second—she was a sealing specialist, after all—but the smile vanished almost instantly. Doubt crept into her eyes. Could normal sealing techniques really handle something on that level?
Taiichi caught the look and gave a small, approving nod to himself. Being able to recognize her own limits was one of Saori's strengths.
He continued calmly. "You're right to be skeptical. Taking down a Tailed Beast isn't something a single ninja—or even a normal sealing team—can pull off. Usually it takes the full resources of an entire village working together."
Seeing Saori's shoulders slump a little, Taiichi softened his tone. "What, disappointed already? Don't underestimate these things. Even the Kage of each village struggle against a full-powered Tailed Beast. In the whole ninja world right now, maybe ten or fifteen people could guarantee a win against one."
That actually made both Saori and Yohei feel a lot better. It wasn't that they were weak—the monsters were just that insane.
Yohei perked up, curiosity winning out. "So… which Tailed Beast does Konoha have?"
He'd been dying to ask for ages. Konoha was the strongest village, so obviously they had the biggest, baddest one, right? That was just basic pride.
Taiichi answered without hesitation. "The Nine-Tails. The one called the strongest, with basically infinite chakra—the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox."
Yohei and Saori's eyes instantly went starry-eyed. They could already picture a Konoha jinchūriki rampaging across battlefields, making entire armies run screaming.
Taiichi, of course, had to ruin the fantasy. "Don't romanticize jinchūriki too much. Tailed Beasts get sealed into human bodies against their will, so they hate humans with every fiber of their being. That hatred leaks into the host constantly. Most jinchūriki end up with seriously messed-up personalities."
He paused, letting that sink in. "On top of that, regular villagers are terrified of them. Fear and suspicion everywhere. Over time… you can imagine how isolated and bitter they become."
"And when someone that unstable hits the battlefield? It's not just the enemy's nightmare. One wrong move and your own side gets shredded too."
He nodded toward the memory of today's fight. "Look at what happened with the Two-Tails earlier. Once it went full beast mode, Matatabi didn't care whether you were Leaf or Cloud. If it saw you, you were dead. Period."
Yohei and Saori both shivered. The awe was still there, but now it came with real fear—and a little sympathy for anyone forced to carry that burden.
Seeing they finally understood the scale, Taiichi let out a quiet breath of relief. Being captain wasn't just about leading missions. Sometimes you had to play therapist too. Dad and mom rolled into one.
"Alright, you've got the basics now. From here on out, train with purpose. For tonight—sleep."
"Yes, Captain!" ×2
The tent went dead quiet. Soon Yohei and Saori's breathing evened out into the steady rhythm of deep sleep.
They were out cold, but Taiichi was wide awake, lost in thought.
Today's encounter with a Tailed Beast had been a wake-up call. Without overwhelming personal power, he didn't have a reliable counter yet.
Genjutsu and sealing were the obvious answers. Normal people were limited by talent, but Taiichi? As long as he had a direction, he could dump skill points and build techniques on par with Mangekyō-level illusions or the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
He pulled up his panel in the darkness.
Name: Matsushita Taiichi
Rank: Chūnin Lv7 (783/1200)
Talents: Hard Work Compensates, Top Student, Strong Will
Age: 10
Constitution: 25 (1/6)
Strength: 23
Agility: 23
Spirit: 27
Chakra: 40,000 (50,740)
Attribute Points: 23
Skill Points: 10
Fire Nature Transformation Lv12 (1623/4000)
Wind Nature Transformation Lv11 (1512/3000)
Water Nature Transformation Lv11 (323/3000)
Earth Nature Transformation Lv6 (603/1000)
Lightning Nature Transformation Lv6 (458/1000)
Yang Nature Transformation Lv9 (1056/1600)
Yin Nature Transformation Lv7 (331/1200)
Chakra Shape Transformation Lv9 (1125/1600)
Chakra Control Lv11 (1543/3000)
Ice Nature Transformation Lv5 (301/800)
Skills: Advanced Taijutsu Lv6 (1312/7000), Advanced Meditation Lv6 (304/7000), Advanced Kenjutsu Lv6 (322/7000), Super Strength Lv8 (220/1200), Sealing Technique Lv11 (211/3000)
Evaluation: Software is elite-tier, but your hardware is trash. Your physical stats are seriously holding back your growth. Grind those advanced physical skills hard, or the Third War is going to be your grave!!!
Taiichi almost laughed out loud. Finally—a different evaluation.
He'd been planning to complain about the snark, but reading the actual warning hit like a brick. The panel wasn't wrong.
Lately he'd poured everything into ninjutsu development and ignored taijutsu and meditation training. His body was lagging badly behind his other stats.
Even in today's close-quarters clash with those Cloud jōnin, he'd felt the gap in raw strength. He'd only won the melee exchanges because of superior swordsmanship.
Once the Third War fully kicked off, he'd be facing veteran jōnin from every village—people with decades of conditioning. Their physical stats would crush his current numbers.
He kept telling Yohei that the body is the foundation, yet he'd let himself slack on the same principle. No different from Uchiha obsessing over Mangekyō or kekkei genkai users who only develop their bloodline.
Self-reflection three times a day, huh? Solid advice.
Taiichi immediately rewrote his training plan. Physical conditioning jumped to priority number one.
Fire, Wind, and Water transformations were already at Kage-level. He could afford to pause them for now.
With that settled, he finally closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
Over the next few days, as more Konoha forces trickled back into the Land of Hot Springs, an eerie calm settled over the region. Leaf and Cloud shinobi mostly vanished from the cities and roads. Both sides pulled in their claws, quietly building strength for the next explosion.
Whether because of the emergency report about the Two-Tails jinchūriki, or because the village finally realized how badly the northern front was understaffed, reinforcements and a massive supply convoy arrived about ten days later.
The news spread like wildfire through camp. Fresh troops and crates of supplies eased the crushing pressure. For the first time in weeks, the atmosphere actually relaxed a fraction.
That same day, Minato called Taiichi and Hiashi over. Ever since the defensive line pulled back, the three of them had been stuck in camp.
Now that reinforcements had arrived and the camp wasn't bleeding manpower anymore, they agreed it was time to say goodbye to Orochimaru and head home.
The decision was quick; the execution was quicker.
They marched straight to Orochimaru's command tent and laid it out.
Golden snake eyes swept over the three of them, lingering longest on Minato. Orochimaru genuinely didn't want them to leave. All three were top-tier in both strength and reliability—especially Taiichi, the ultimate utility player who could plug any hole in the line.
"Can't you stay a little longer, Minato? The camp's only just stabilized. You three are worth far more here than back in the village."
Minato gave his trademark sunny smile, but his refusal was ironclad. "Thank you for everything, Lord Orochimaru. We were only sent here for a specific mission, and that mission ended long ago. It's time we reported back."
"Besides, with you in command and the new reinforcements here, the front line is in good hands."
Orochimaru saw Minato wasn't budging, so he turned to Taiichi—the one he actually wanted to keep.
"Taiichi, your talent and potential would grow fastest on the front lines. If you want to stay, I'll write to the Hokage myself and get special permission. How about it?"
Taiichi was honestly a little surprised at the offer. But he already had his next steps planned. For the foreseeable future, he wasn't coming back to the front.
"Thank you for the high praise, Lord Orochimaru. But the fight with the Two-Tails gave me a ton of new ideas. I need to get back to the village and turn them into reality. I'm afraid I have to turn you down again."
Orochimaru nodded, understanding perfectly. He was a researcher himself—he knew that itch better than anyone.
"Fair enough. Since you've made up your minds, I won't force the issue. Your achievements are already recorded. Take the scrolls back with you—the village will credit them properly. The war isn't over. Be careful on the road."
His gaze settled on Taiichi one last time. "I look forward to our next meeting, Taiichi. When that happens, tell me about those ideas of yours. We can compare notes."
Taiichi's eyes lit up despite himself. Orochimaru was one of the greatest scientific minds alive. A real discussion about ninjutsu with him would be priceless. But he still pushed the excitement down. Village first.
"I'm looking forward to it too, Lord Orochimaru."
After saying their goodbyes, the group packed light and started the journey home.
They'd left with six people full of fire. They returned with five walking in heavy silence. The Cloud spy who'd hidden in their ranks left an invisible scar on every heart—a brutal reminder of what this war really was.
Two days later they passed through Konoha's gates. Left in March, back in April. One month gone.
The village was still bustling. No trace of slowdown from the front lines. Merchants streamed in and out nonstop. With the Land of Fire relatively safe, traders were making a killing shuttling goods back and forth, especially now that prices were skyrocketing everywhere.
Minato didn't waste time. The moment they were inside the walls, he turned to Taiichi and Hiashi.
"Taiichi, Hiashi—you're coming with me to report to the Hokage."
Taiichi blinked. Shouldn't that be a jōnin's job? He was technically still just a chūnin. But he quickly understood Minato's angle.
First, he was Team Taiichi's captain, so he had the right.
Second—and more importantly—Minato was deliberately giving him face time with the Hokage. A chance to build goodwill.
No way Taiichi was going to waste that. He gave quick instructions to Yohei and Saori, then followed Minato and Hiashi straight to the Hokage's office.
They knocked and waited politely outside—classic Minato style. Mature, composed, nothing like his sensei Jiraiya, who treated the office like his personal living room and either climbed through the window or just barged in.
"Come in."
Minato led them inside. "Hokage-sama, Namikaze Minato, Hyūga Hiashi, and Matsushita Taiichi reporting."
Hiruzen looked up from the mountain of paperwork, his face breaking into a genuine smile.
"Minato! You're finally back. How was it working under Orochimaru?"
For some reason Taiichi couldn't shake the feeling that the question had a slightly sour edge. Maybe he was just biased against the old man now.
"Thank you for your concern, Hokage-sama. We should have returned sooner, but the northern camp was critically short-handed. Lord Orochimaru ordered us to stay and help hold the line. Here are our original mission report and the records from our time stationed there."
Minato handed over the prepared scrolls smoothly.
Hiruzen accepted them and began reading carefully. The room fell quiet.
Taiichi sneaked a glance at Minato from behind and had to admire him. Textbook perfect answer. He'd explained the delay without being asked, made it clear they hadn't disobeyed orders, and pinned the whole thing on the front-line commander's authority.
No wonder this guy becomes Fourth Hokage. Taiichi couldn't play at that level yet.
"Excellent work. The mission was a complete success, and Orochimaru specifically praised your performance in the north." Hiruzen's smile widened, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out. "Especially you, Taiichi. Without you there, casualty rates would have been far worse. You've taken real pressure off the entire village."
Taiichi was a little surprised to be called out directly, but the praise felt good. Still—he had to stay humble in front of the Hokage.
He scratched the back of his head, playing up the earnest teenager act. "It wasn't just me, Hokage-sama. You gave me the opportunity, and my teammates had my back. I couldn't have done anything alone."
Hiruzen chuckled and let it drop. He knew the truth anyway.
"Minato, your mission records will be filed in the mission desk shortly. You'll get full credit."
Minato nodded. The Hokage was generous—he always paid out according to actual merit.
"One more thing, Minato. The Academy is graduating a class of early-promotions in the next couple of days. I'd like you to take one of the teams as their jōnin-sensei. They're all excellent prospects—give them a proper foundation before the war heats up."
Minato thought for a moment. With no squad of his own right now, mentoring some rookies before the storm hit wasn't a bad idea. He agreed.
Taiichi listened quietly and immediately realized—this had to be Kakashi, Obito, and Rin's team. History was starting to move again. He just hoped this time they wouldn't end up with the same tragic fate.
His fist clenched unconsciously. Those were his friends now. No way he was going to sit back and watch it play out the same way.
"Taiichi, your squad is still short a member, right? Any interest in picking one from this batch of graduates?"
Taiichi hadn't expected to be addressed again, but the suggestion made him frown.
"Hokage-sama, we're currently handling A-rank missions. Throwing a brand-new genin into that… it wouldn't be safe for them."
He kept his tone careful but firm. Adding a fresh Academy graduate to their team was like tossing a husky into a wolf pack. The husky might not survive the hunts, let alone keep up.
Hiruzen tapped his forehead. "You're right—my oversight. Then how about this: keep an eye out. When you find someone who fits, come straight to me. I'll do my best to make it happen."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Taiichi accepted immediately. Picking his own teammate? That was huge. No more surprise spies.
"Hiashi, you performed admirably as well. Your Byakugan was invaluable on the front lines. Take some well-deserved rest for now. If there are future assignments, your clan head will inform you."
Hiruzen didn't play favorites—he gave Hiashi his due praise too.
But whether he truly didn't notice or simply pretended not to, he missed the flicker of bitterness and helplessness in Hiashi's expression.