In the camp's rest area, a tall figure and a shorter one stared at each other in awkward silence. Minato was starting to wonder if he had really gone too far when—
"Fine. No problem," Taiichi said.
"Wait, if it's too much—" Minato began, then froze mid-sentence. He blinked. "Wait… what did you just say?"
Taiichi didn't hesitate this time. "I said it's fine. Let Kakashi and the others join my squad. We're heading out on a mission tomorrow anyway—they can tag along."
"Haha! Thanks, Taiichi. I owe you one," Minato said, relief washing over his face. The weight had clearly been sitting on him for days. He was genuinely worried he was ruining the future of those three kids.
But now, with Taiichi's help, the problem was solved.
Minato knew better than anyone what kind of monster his junior brother was. Ninjutsu, medical ninjutsu, sealing jutsu—Taiichi had them all mastered. And with an Uchiha already on his team, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin couldn't ask for a better environment to grow.
When Kakashi, Obito, and Rin heard they'd be tagging along with Taiichi's squad, Obito let out a loud cheer and immediately started spinning Rin around in excitement. He'd been bored out of his mind stuck in camp.
Kakashi stayed calm. Over the past couple of days he and Saori had been swapping notes on Lightning Release, and he'd already made solid progress. Missions or no missions, he could always train on his own.
Rin had been even busier. Working in the medical camp had been incredibly rewarding, and she wasn't in any hurry to leave. But since the mission was with Taiichi's squad, she knew she'd learn even more, so she happily agreed.
Minato's team had no objections, and neither did Yohei or Saori. And just like that, the temporary merger of the two squads was official.
Watching the excited chatter among the team members, Taiichi quietly asked Minato, "Sensei, you're heading out on another solo mission?"
Minato glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then answered softly, "The Hokage's plan has reached this stage. The camp will probably pull back in the next few days. Someone has to hold the front line, or the retreat will turn into a rout."
"Then you'd better be careful," Taiichi warned. "The Sand has definitely sent out their elite hunter teams by now. You'll be deep in their territory—the danger level is way higher."
Minato nodded silently. He knew the risks, but with Flying Thunder God he could still escape if things got bad. The others… well, war always had casualties. Even elite shinobi sometimes had to be sacrificed when necessary.
---
The next morning, Team Taiichi received new orders from command. This time they weren't being sent deep into Sand territory—just routine patrol inside Leaf-controlled land.
Clearly Minato had spoken with Jiraiya and explained the situation. The high-risk missions meant for Taiichi's squad had been quietly reassigned.
Taiichi had no complaints. After all, connections mattered everywhere. Besides, even inside "safe" Leaf territory, things were rarely truly quiet.
At first light, a group of six quietly left the Leaf camp and slipped into the lush forests of the Land of Rivers.
Taiichi took the rear position and watched the three rookies up ahead—Obito and Rin were clearly still buzzing with excitement. He immediately laid out the formation.
"Kakashi, Obito, Rin—you three take point as scouts. Kakashi, you're temporary squad leader.
Saori, left flank. Yohei, right flank. Keep twenty meters of spacing for cover and observation. I'll bring up the rear."
He emphasized, "Unless it's a life-or-death situation, any enemy squads or traps you encounter are yours to handle.
Yohei, Saori—unless the scouts call for backup or a high-level threat appears, do not step in. This is their real combat training."
Kakashi frowned slightly but still nodded in acknowledgment.
Obito pumped his fist excitedly. "Don't worry, Taiichi! We've got this!"
Rin took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
Looking at his two overly optimistic teammates, Kakashi's frown deepened. He wasn't a rookie—he knew exactly how cruel the battlefield could be. With their current mindset, they were definitely going to learn some painful lessons today.
"Obito, Rin—this is your first time on the battlefield. Be extremely careful, especially with your footing. Traps are everywhere out here," Kakashi reminded them patiently.
But some people only learn after they get burned.
The squad spread out according to the formation and moved swiftly through the forest. Morning sunlight filtered through the trees in golden shafts. The once-peaceful woods were soon filled with noise.
The "real combat" of the rookies quickly turned the patrol into a chaotic mess.
"Stop!" Kakashi hissed, eyes locked on the slightly disturbed ground ahead. But Obito, still riding high on excitement, didn't register the warning in time.
Snap.
A tripwire triggered. A barrage of sharp kunai whistled down from the treetops on both sides.
"Watch out!" Kakashi instantly calculated the angles, shoved Rin out of the way, and swung his blade to deflect the incoming weapons.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He barely managed to knock them all aside.
Obito finally reacted and jumped clear, cold sweat soaking his back. He looked at Rin, who was just climbing up from the dirt, and his face flushed red with shame.
"Obito! Trap detection is the first rule of patrol! Do you want to get us all killed?!" Kakashi's voice was low but sharp, full of frustration.
Obito didn't talk back. He just lowered his head in silence. No one noticed his fingernails digging deep into his palms. This lesson had hit him hard.
The squad continued forward. After the first mistake, everyone moved more cautiously. Their pace dropped by at least half.
Taiichi didn't say anything. Some lessons couldn't be taught—they had to be learned the hard way. Look at Obito—he'd gone from cocky to extremely careful in an instant. Maybe a little too careful now.
After another hour of tense progress, the constant alertness started wearing on the weakest member—Rin.
Suddenly, shadows shifted in the trees ahead. Rin, already mentally exhausted, snapped.
"Movement!" she cried out. Before she even got a clear look, her body reacted on instinct and she started forming hand seals.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
A torrent of water surged forward, smashing into the trees and flushing out… a small wild boar.
Everyone stared.
The boar squealed and bolted. The rest of the squad let out a collective sigh. They'd been on edge thanks to Rin's sudden outburst.
"Rin, stay calm. Confirm your target before you attack," Kakashi said, rubbing his temple as he tried to stay patient.
Rin nodded blankly. She didn't have a huge chakra reserve to begin with. The stress had pushed her to fire off a high-consumption Water Style, and now that the tension broke, her face looked pale.
Even Taiichi, hidden nearby, had been startled by the sudden jutsu. His sensory perception had shown nothing, so he'd thought something was wrong with his technique—only to realize it was a false alarm.
But his senses picked up something else. In the direction the water wave had gone, another squad was now rushing toward them at high speed.
Taiichi stayed quiet and simply observed. This was the perfect test for Kakashi and the others.
The three rookies kept moving forward. They were definitely more cautious than before, but Obito and Rin—true beginners—still made small mistakes here and there.
These were the kinds of errors every new genin made. It was exactly why they were normally given two or three months of low-rank missions first.
Reality, however, had thrown these rookies straight onto the battlefield. It was a cruel kind of mercy.
Just as Kakashi was about to correct another one of Rin's mistakes, the two squads ran straight into each other.
Both sides froze for a split second. Kakashi's team hadn't expected to bump into enemies so suddenly. The Sand squad hadn't expected Leaf shinobi to charge straight at them after making so much noise.
The Sand team recovered first. Their coordination was flawless—they immediately launched a practiced counterattack.
One ninja hurled a barrage of kunai to draw attention. Another fell back to prepare a jutsu. The last two charged forward for close combat.
That was how a real, well-trained squad fought.
Kakashi's side… not so much.
Obito still didn't understand his role. Faced with incoming enemies, he froze, feet shuffling back and forth as he tried to decide whether to attack or defend.
Rin at least knew her job. As the team's medic and support, she immediately fell back and started throwing kunai to assist.
Thankfully, they still had one experienced member—Kakashi. While running, he effortlessly deflected the incoming kunai with his blade. Lightning crackled around his right hand as he activated Chidori. His speed exploded, and he speared straight through the fastest-charging Sand ninja.
Using the momentum, he vaulted over the second close-combat fighter and charged the two shinobi in the back.
The Sand ninja's jutsu finished at that moment—Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique.
A storm of wind blades flew straight at Kakashi, but he didn't slow down. He weaved left and right, twisting his body with minimal movement to slip through the gaps.
In just a few breaths he was on top of the two Sand ninjas. His short blade flashed, locking both of them inside his attack range. His ferocious assault left them with no room to fight back.
Meanwhile, Obito and Rin were in serious trouble.
The remaining close-combat Sand ninja ignored Kakashi and charged straight at the Leaf rear line.
Obito finally snapped out of it—mostly because the enemy was already right in his face. Shame flooded him. His face turned bright red as he drew his kunai and stabbed wildly at the Sand ninja.
The two clashed immediately, but a rookie like Obito was no match for a battle-hardened veteran.
If Rin had supported him, they might have been able to stall. Instead, she could only watch helplessly from the side.
Yohei, hidden on the right flank, watched everything through his Sharingan. His frown deepened with every passing second. The fight was an absolute mess. Zero coordination, constant interference with each other.
And his idiot cousin was the biggest problem.
If things continued like this, Kakashi would probably end up having to flee alone. Obito and Rin… well, they'd be saying goodbye.
Just as Obito was being pushed back, clearly about to lose, a lightning-covered kunai flashed through the air and struck the Sand ninja's weapon with perfect timing. The electricity paralyzed the enemy for a split second.
At that exact moment, Yohei flickered in and slashed across the Sand ninja's throat.
On the other side, Kakashi—who had been growing desperate—saw Yohei and Saori join the fight and finally relaxed. He focused entirely on his own opponents.
The outcome was never in doubt. Already holding the advantage, Kakashi pressed harder and finished them off quickly.
Only then did Taiichi step out from behind a tree, taking his time. He looked at the corpses scattered across the ground, then at the panting Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, and shook his head silently.
"Pathetic. A special jonin leading two genin almost got wiped out by two chunin and two genin."
The three lowered their heads in shame. Obito looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Taiichi pointed at Kakashi first. "You abandoned your teammates and focused only on killing. Those who know you understand you were trying to finish the enemies quickly so you could help. Those who don't would think you were just using your teammates as bait."
He turned to the worst offender—Obito. "You have zero self-awareness and zero discipline. You charged in without thinking. You were completely useless."
Finally, he looked at Rin. There wasn't much to say—she simply didn't have the strength yet, and she'd been stuck with two idiots for teammates.
"Remember every single mistake you made today. This time we were here to save you. On a real battlefield, any one of those errors would have gotten you or your teammates killed multiple times over."
Taiichi looked at the three of them. They all looked like they wanted the ground to swallow them whole.
"Clean up the battlefield. We'll rest for half an hour. Think hard about what else you did wrong."
The three glanced at each other, eyes full of bitterness. The excitement they'd felt at the start of the patrol was long gone. All that remained was a heavy sense of shame.
This first real lesson on the battlefield hadn't cost them their lives, but it had left a scar they wouldn't soon forget.