The small tent was quiet except for the soft glow of green chakra around Yohei's head. He sat with his eyes closed, looking relaxed while Taiichi worked on his eyes from behind.
Saori watched them both, a small, warm smile on her face.
When Taiichi finally pulled his hands back, he didn't waste time. "Keep those special Flying Thunder God kunai on you at all times. If you run into something you can't handle, use it to call me. Staying alive comes first. No hero bullshit."
Yohei grinned and waved him off. "Relax, Taiichi. I like breathing too much to play hero."
Taiichi gave him a flat look. "Yeah? Tell that to the two chunin who almost turned you into a shish kebab. Who the hell was leading the team when that happened?"
Yohei's smile vanished. He threw his hands up. "Okay, okay! My bad. I messed up. I'm sorry!"
Taiichi let it drop. He wasn't the type to keep kicking someone after they admitted fault.
He turned to Saori. "I never replaced the sealing tag you used. I'll head to logistics later and grab the materials to make you a new one."
Saori nodded. She understood what he wasn't saying out loud. This was the first time they wouldn't be operating as one unit. Taiichi was heading back alone. After this, things would be different.
Yohei tried to lighten the mood anyway. "Don't act like we're never gonna see each other again. You still have to fix my eyes every time they start acting up. With Flying Thunder God you can pop in whenever you want. Jiraiya-sensei isn't gonna write you up for it."
Taiichi just smiled and didn't answer. Jiraiya probably wouldn't care. Other people in camp might.
He changed the subject. "Hey, Yohei. I want to study genjutsu—especially Sharingan genjutsu. I need to feel the difference between normal illusions and the ones cast through the eyes. Hit me with something."
Yohei looked uncomfortable. "Uh… you know I suck at genjutsu, right? The few basic ones I know wouldn't even work on a decent chunin. They definitely won't do anything to you."
"I don't need you to trap me. I just want to feel how the chakra moves differently."
Yohei still looked doubtful, but he stepped in front of Taiichi and activated his three-tomoe Sharingan. "Don't laugh if this does nothing."
Saori covered her mouth, trying not to laugh at how serious he sounded.
Taiichi relaxed his mind on purpose and gave Yohei a nod. "Just do it."
Yohei focused and cast the basic genjutsu — Narakumi no Jutsu. Taiichi felt the chakra wave leave Yohei's eyes and enter through his own. It was weak. It barely stirred anything in his head before fading out completely.
Yohei stared at him, waiting for a reaction that never came.
Taiichi shook his head. "Nothing. Try the Mangekyō."
Yohei's eyes shifted. The tomoe spun together into the pinwheel pattern. This time the wave that hit Taiichi was much stronger and carried that distinct ocular power along with it.
It actually did something. Taiichi could feel the illusion trying to take hold — real pressure instead of just a ripple. He let it settle for a few seconds, then broke free with a sharp pulse of his own chakra.
When his vision cleared, he looked at Yohei and nodded. "Mangekyō is on another level."
Yohei brightened for half a second, then deflated again when he realized Taiichi had still shaken it off that easily.
Taiichi didn't tease him. He explained what he felt.
"Three-tomoe Sharingan just boosts regular genjutsu. The stronger the eyes and the better you are at genjutsu, the bigger the boost. But Mangekyō is different. It doesn't just amplify — it mixes in that high-quality ocular power. That's what makes it so dangerous. Regular genjutsu is Yin Release. Mangekyō ocular power is basically Yin Release at its peak. High quality plus decent technique is why people say anyone who unlocks the Mangekyō is automatically good at genjutsu."
He looked at Yohei with obvious pity. The guy had the best hardware possible and still couldn't use it properly.
Yohei noticed the look and snapped. "Stop staring at me like that or I'm actually gonna hit you."
Taiichi raised both hands. "Sorry, sorry. Force of habit."
He checked the time. "I need to pack and head to the medical tents to hand everything over. I'll catch you guys later."
Yohei and Saori left to go train. Taiichi stayed behind and started gathering his things while thinking through what he'd just experienced.
Strong genjutsu came down to two things: technique and quality. Something like Tsukuyomi was pure technique — creating a separate space and controlling time inside it. The other half was raw Yin chakra quality. Mangekyō ocular power sat at an extremely high level. That was why it could control tailed beasts so easily. Their chakra was massive in quantity, but not necessarily in quality.
If he wanted to get better at genjutsu himself, he needed to raise the quality of his own Yin Release. That probably meant heading back to the village and digging into proper training.
For once, the transfer order didn't feel like a punishment. It felt like an opportunity.
He finished packing and went to logistics first. He traded in some of his merit for the materials needed to make another advanced sealing tag. Even with his contributions, some of the items were restricted. He barely qualified.
After that he headed to the medical tents.
Director Fujita was surprised when she heard he was being pulled back, but she accepted it quickly. She figured the southern front didn't need someone like him anymore and that he should go where he was needed most.
Taiichi didn't correct her. He just handed over his current cases and dismissed his four shadow clones. The moment they popped, the medical camp lost its most reliable free labor.
On his way out he stopped by Obito's tent.
Kakashi and Rin were already there. Rin was pressing gently on Obito's chest to help with the itching from the accelerated healing. Obito's face was caught somewhere between relief and pure torture.
The second he saw Taiichi, Obito's eyes went wide. "Wait — you're going back to the village? Already?"
"Yeah. Orders came through. I leave first thing tomorrow."
Rin looked disappointed. "What about Yohei and Saori? Are they going too?"
Taiichi shook his head. "Just me."
Kakashi and Obito both looked relieved at that. Taiichi caught it and smiled.
"You three should stick together as one squad for now. Minato-sensei probably won't have much time to watch over you. It'll be safer if you stay as a unit."
Rin nodded. Even Kakashi agreed without argument. After everything that happened in the last fight, they all understood how important teamwork was.
Taiichi turned to Obito with a smirk. "You look like you're suffering. Want me to slow the healing down a bit so the itching stops?"
Obito only hesitated for three seconds before shaking his head hard. "No. I can handle it. I want to recover fast so I can start training again. I don't want to keep holding everyone back."
He said it with a straight face, but his eyes kept flicking toward Rin.
Taiichi didn't call him out. If motivation helped him heal faster, that was fine.
He stayed and talked with them for a while longer, then stood up. Everything that needed doing was done. Now he had to go make that sealing tag. It was going to take some time.