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The Yin Seal came together far more smoothly than Taiichi had expected. He honestly never imagined it would be this easy or this fast.
That turned out to be a good thing, because the very next day after he mastered it, a new mission scroll arrived from central command.
They really weren't giving him a single moment of rest.
The mission itself was straightforward: infiltrate deep into the Land of Wind and gather intelligence on their rear-line logistics—supply transport routes and storage locations.
It was broad and didn't require sabotage, just reconnaissance. That made it much easier for Taiichi.
After double-checking the requirements—it was a solo mission with a one-month deadline—he wasn't in any particular rush.
He returned to his tent, packed the supplies he'd need, and waited for Minato to return from the day's patrol with Yohei and the others. Once they were back, he went to find them.
"What? Taiichi, you're going out on a solo mission?" Yohei looked shocked. "Weren't you just done with medical camp duty yesterday?"
He had been looking forward to running missions together again after today. He hadn't expected Taiichi to get a new assignment so quickly.
"Can't be helped when the mission comes down," Taiichi replied calmly. As a shinobi, he was used to this. "If I hadn't waited for you guys, I would've left this morning."
"Waited for us?" Yohei blinked, confused, until Saori gently nudged his arm. Only then did he notice Taiichi staring straight into his eyes.
"Oh!" Yohei slapped his forehead, warmth blooming in his chest. Even at a time like this, Taiichi was still thinking about him. What a true brother.
The others saw the secretive way Taiichi and Yohei were acting and knew it was private squad business. They didn't pry. Under Minato's lead, they gave the three some space.
Once everyone else had left, Taiichi took Yohei and Saori back to his resting tent.
Yohei sat down in front of him without being asked, ready for the usual check-up.
Warm Yang-natured chakra wrapped around Yohei's head. In moments, Taiichi's brow furrowed.
"You've been using your Mangekyō pretty frequently lately. The strain is worse than before."
But then he shook his head. The big battle was over. Patrols shouldn't have put that much stress on him—especially with Minato around. There was only one real possibility.
"You've been practicing Susanoo a lot, haven't you?" Taiichi asked. It wasn't really a question.
Beside them, Saori's expression tightened with worry. She looked at Yohei, eyes full of concern. The Mangekyō came with the risk of blindness.
Yohei stayed silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
"War is too cruel. One minute someone's laughing with you, the next they're gone. I want more power—so I can protect everyone."
The tent fell quiet. Only the sound of their breathing filled the space.
Taiichi didn't know what to say. In truth, he felt the same way. That was why he had spent so many saved skill points boosting his own strength.
But Yohei was different. His path had a price.
Still, he had to say something. "Just don't push it too far. If your eyes go blind, what was the point of all this? A strong body is the foundation. Keep training the taijutsu and meditation I taught you—that's what really builds power."
Yohei nodded silently, but his shoulders trembled slightly.
Taiichi watched him, knowing his friend's mindset had taken a hit. The brutality of the battlefield combined with the Mangekyō's curse had left him doubting his future.
That wasn't good. He needed to give him some hope.
Taiichi glanced at his own panel.
Yang Nature Transformation Lv9 (1442/1600)
He was right on the edge of Lv10. One more push and he could use a skill point to reach Lv11.
"Remember what I said—nothing is set in stone. If you convince yourself you can't win, then you've already lost. Those eyes of yours aren't doomed."
Yohei kept his eyes closed, quietly receiving the treatment. His shoulders shook a little more.
"Taiichi… every time I use the Mangekyō, the blood at the corners of my eyes and the blur in my vision remind me that these eyes are going to go blind eventually.
I don't know if my training is actually working, or if I can raise my physical stats high enough before that happens.
Even Uchiha Madara only reached the Eternal Mangekyō by taking his brother's eyes. Can I really do better than him?"
In that moment, Yohei's future looked dark and uncertain.
The more he used the Mangekyō, the more he understood its terrifying power—and the more the curse weighed on him. It was like a devil's bargain: tempting every Uchiha with strength while constantly reminding them of the inevitable cost.
Taiichi withdrew his hands from Yohei's head and gently turned him to face him. He looked straight into his eyes and spoke with absolute conviction.
"Uchiha Madara had his brother. You have me. I believe even Madara at my age wasn't as strong as I am right now."
It sounded a little arrogant, but it was the truth—and right now, Yohei needed confidence more than modesty.
"My Yang Nature Transformation is about to undergo a breakthrough. It should happen before I return from this mission. With my medical ninjutsu, I'll be able to ease the strain on your eyes even more.
I'm confident that if I keep advancing my Yang power, fully solving your eye problem is only a matter of time."
Yohei stared into Taiichi's sincere eyes. He felt the cool, refreshing sensation in his own eyes and the return of crystal-clear vision. The fear didn't vanish completely, but a spark of hope reignited in his chest.
He was right. No Uchiha in history had awakened the Mangekyō at his age. Even if early awakening didn't guarantee strength, it at least proved his talent wasn't lacking.
And with his best friend—the one who kept creating miracles—by his side, maybe his future wasn't doomed after all.
A smile slowly returned to Yohei's face.
"Thank you, Taiichi. I understand. From now on I'll be more careful with how often I use the Mangekyō, and I'll train the taijutsu and meditation you taught me even harder. I won't make you worry anymore."
Saori wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She had been the one staying by Yohei's side these past weeks while Taiichi was busy in the medical camp.
Every time Yohei practiced Susanoo, Saori stood guard. And every time she saw the bloody tears at the corners of his eyes, her heart ached. She remembered Taiichi's warning: every use of the Mangekyō was a step toward darkness.
She hadn't been able to stop him. All she could do was bury her worry deep inside.
But now everything was better. Taiichi's strength was about to take another leap, Yohei's heart was lighter, and there was real hope for his eyes.
Saori felt like today was the brightest day she'd had in a long time—even brighter than the day they won the big battle.
Taiichi patted both their shoulders. "I'm heading out on the mission now. When I get back, I'll give your eyes another treatment and see how much progress we've made."
Yohei nodded heavily, too moved to speak.
Taiichi turned to Saori and gently wiped the last trace of tears from her cheek. "Saori, keep an eye on him for me. Don't let him overuse the Mangekyō. The moment you see bloody tears, make him stop."
Saori's face flushed slightly, but she nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Taiichi. With your words, I'll watch over him."
"Good. Then I'm off."
Without waiting for a reply, he lifted the tent flap and stepped out. He had already delayed long enough waiting for them. Now that everything was settled, he couldn't waste any more time.
After all, two new jonin "advisors" had arrived in camp recently. He still didn't know whose side they were on, and he couldn't give them any excuses.
---
Two days later, in a major oasis marketplace deep in the Land of Wind.
This was one of Sunagakure's key transit hubs. Goods moving between the Land of Birds, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Rivers all passed through here before being distributed across the Land of Wind or sent onward to the other countries.
Naturally, in these tense times, a Sand detachment was stationed here.
Taiichi had already been in the area for half a day. Over the past two days he had scouted several border towns and found a few small supply caches, but nothing large enough to be worth attacking.
This oasis, however, was his first deep infiltration into Wind Country territory. According to rumors, a massive underground aquifer lay beneath it, which was what allowed the lush green oasis to exist in the middle of the desert.
The oasis was ringed by sand-and-earth walls and watchtowers. Sand shinobi could be seen patrolling the perimeter. Multiple checkpoints guarded the entrances, where uniformed Sand ninjas strictly inspected every caravan and traveler.
Taiichi's sharp senses picked up a large barrier covering the entire oasis. Sunagakure had clearly invested heavily here.
At dusk, when traffic in and out of the marketplace was at its peak, Taiichi created a shadow clone. He quietly knocked out one of the porters from a passing caravan and took his place. The clone then strolled right in with the caravan.
Inside, the oasis was split in two. One half was a normal marketplace—bustling with merchants shouting their wares, inns, taverns, and shops of every kind. It looked no different from any ordinary town.
In one corner, several large camel caravans had set up camp. Merchants were unloading heavy sacks and wooden crates so the exhausted camels could rest. Others were selling their goods directly to stationed Sand forces. From the snippets of conversation Taiichi overheard, most of it was food supplies. Sunagakure had outsourced part of their rear-line logistics to these merchants.
It solved their supply problems while freeing up manpower for more important tasks.
The other half of the oasis had been turned into a massive military camp. Looking at the constant flow of shinobi in and out of the gates—and the occasional supply convoy leaving under escort—Taiichi realized this place wasn't just a marketplace. It also served as a major logistics hub for Sunagakure.
The caravan Taiichi's clone had joined was one of the supply groups working for Sand. That gave him the perfect excuse to get close to Sand shinobi.
From their conversations, he learned that a high-ranking Sand official had arrived at the camp earlier that day. The low-level grunts didn't know who it was, but the news made Taiichi curious.
Why would a big shot come to a simple transit hub like this?
With plenty of time left on his mission, Taiichi decided to dig a little deeper before moving on.
Outside the oasis, his real body used Earth Release to carve out a small underground cave in the sand.
In one corner of the cave lay the real porter, still unconscious. Taiichi had already altered his memories with genjutsu. Tomorrow, when the caravan left, he would simply swap the man back in. No one would be the wiser.
In the center of the cave, his real body was taking full advantage of every spare second to train.
Ever since he had realized how far behind his physical stats were, Taiichi had refused to slack off—even during wartime. The high-intensity fighting had actually accelerated his growth.
He had a strong feeling that by the end of tonight's advanced taijutsu session, his body would break through once again.
Sure enough, the moment he finished and stood straight, the panel gave him the notification.
After long-term training, Taijutsu +1, Strength +1, Agility +1
He looked at his stats.
Name: Matsushita Taiichi
Rank: Chunin Lv8 (1183/1400)
Talents: Hard Work, Top Student, Potency
Age: 10
Constitution: 27
Strength: 25
Agility: 25
Spirit: 28
Chakra: 53,000 (57,700)
Evaluation: Hard work pays off. Your strength and agility have finally caught up to the average jonin. But the revolution is not yet complete, comrade. Right now you're still just a newly qualified weakling.
Taiichi's forehead throbbed with annoyance. He really shouldn't expect anything nice from the panel. If he was a "weakling," how many people in the entire ninja world could actually be considered strong?
He ignored the snarky evaluation and focused on getting used to his newly increased power, practicing advanced taijutsu late into the night.
The next morning, Taiichi's shadow clone left the oasis with the caravan. His real body brought the real porter along and seamlessly swapped him back in without anyone noticing.
The porter only felt a little dizzy, with no memory of anything strange.
After dispelling the clone, Taiichi absorbed the memories and learned that a high-ranking Sand official had indeed arrived at the oasis. His curiosity was piqued.
Why would someone that important come to a simple logistics hub like this?
With plenty of time left, Taiichi decided to investigate a little further before moving on.
He repeated his earlier method—creating another shadow clone to replace a different low-level worker and sneak inside. This time he was extra careful and left a second clone hidden as an object carried by the first, ensuring he always had eyes inside the oasis with no gaps in surveillance.