While Taiichi enjoyed a quiet routine in Konoha—work, slacking off, and teaching—the rest of the ninja world was anything but calm.
In the Land of Wind, Cloud and Sand forces kept clashing. Cloud had already hit three more mining sites and walked away with serious gains. To secure the loot, A sent an elite squad ahead with the best prizes to load onto their ships.
Luck didn't hold. During another raid, Rasa personally led a team that finally caught the Cloud ninja in the open. For the first time, the Fourth Kazekage showed what real battlefield dominance looked like in the desert. With every advantage on his side, he unleashed massive waves of gold sand that crushed Cloud's defenses in seconds. Earth, fire, lightning—none of it mattered when there was enough gold sand to bury everything.
Only Killer B's desperate full tailed-beast transformation saved them. The sheer size of the Eight-Tails and a well-timed Tailed Beast Bomb bought just enough space for the survivors to break out. Even so, Cloud lost a fifth of their people in that fight, and almost everyone else was wounded.
Word of Rasa's strength spread fast. People realized the desert wasn't just his home—it was where he became something else entirely. That was why the new AB combo had gotten wrecked.
Deep in a hidden underground cave in central Wind Country, the battered Cloud survivors treated their wounds. Only Killer B walked away untouched thanks to the Eight-Tails. A hadn't been so lucky. He'd taken a direct hit from Rasa's Gold Sand Burial while saving a trapped teammate. His Lightning Armor had kept him alive, but his left arm was a mess—capillaries burst, skin purple and useless for now.
Killer B swayed in front of him, rapping and waving his arms like nothing had happened. "Yo, big bro, that left arm still workin'? We headin' back or what?"
A's face darkened. "Back? We're not going anywhere. Our mission isn't done, and we haven't paid them back for the people we lost."
He clenched his jaw against the pain. "Those Leaf bastards… No wonder they're sitting on their asses in the Land of Rivers after winning. They knew exactly how dangerous Rasa gets in the desert. They were supposed to pin down Sand's main force. Instead they're just watching us get played like idiots. One day I'm going to make them pay."
A wounded jonin spoke up. "Lord A, what's our next move?"
A looked over the injured men. "We stay hidden. Send word to our contacts outside. Tell them to bring more medicine. We heal up, then we keep moving."
"Yes, sir!"
In the Land of Grass, Danzo had been in command of the western front for two days. He hadn't come alone. With the southern front quieting down, the western lines were suddenly flush with supplies and manpower. Unlike the previous commander's defensive approach, Danzo was all offense.
He spent one day reorganizing everything and planting his Root loyalists in key positions. On the second day he launched a full-scale surprise attack on Iwagakure.
Root operatives moved like emotionless machines—ruthless, efficient, and brutally effective. They hit outposts, supply lines, and rear logistics teams hard. Iwa, caught completely off guard after weeks of easy victories, couldn't react fast enough. By nightfall Leaf had erased most of the losses they'd suffered before and then some.
Morale in the Leaf camp flipped overnight. Smiles returned. People walked taller.
Inside the main tent, Danzo sat at the head of the table while Mimura Yagami—now demoted to deputy—and several jonin stood below. After the reports, the mood was electric.
One of the jonin asked, "Lord Danzo, we caught them off balance today. Do we keep the same pressure tomorrow?"
Danzo's expression didn't change. "Of course we do. Only by seizing the initiative can we choose where and when to strike. Sitting back and defending just hands them control again."
He turned to his Root subordinate. "Terai, tomorrow focus even harder on destroying their logistics. Iwa doesn't have Konoha's resources. Hit their supply lines hard. I want at least a third of their rear shipments disrupted."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Danzo looked at the rest. "Keep their main forces pinned. The more pressure on the front, the safer our people operating behind their lines will be. We have the depth to outlast them. We'll bleed them dry if we have to."
Everyone answered in unison.
Later, when only Danzo and Terai remained, Danzo spoke in that cold, emotionless voice. "I hear Nono Yakushi is assigned to this camp's medical unit."
"Yes, Lord Danzo. She's working in the medical tents."
A thin smile crossed Danzo's face. "How convenient. After everything, she still ended up right where I can reach her."
Far away in Kumogakure, the Third Raikage paced his office like a caged animal. Sand's weakness had surprised him. Leaf's refusal to push into Wind Country territory surprised him even more. Now his son and Killer B were trapped in the middle of a desert hunt with the entire Sand forces closing in.
His secretary Karui finally snapped. "Lord Raikage, either pull them out or let them finish the mission. Standing here second-guessing yourself all morning isn't like you."
The Raikage stopped. For once he looked almost embarrassed. "You're right. I've been overthinking it. A and B are strong enough to escape if things go bad. Sand might not even be able to keep them. Still…" His face twisted with rage. "Those Leaf bastards used us as bait. They dumped their problem on us and sat back to watch. And that old bastard Onoki—what the hell is he thinking, declaring war on us while he's already fighting Leaf? Did I kill his wife? Did I fuck him in the ass? None of this makes sense."
Karui stayed calm. "Please stay level-headed. We're already at war with Iwa. Provoking Leaf further right now helps no one. Maintaining the current balance with them is still our best option."
The Raikage slammed his fist on the desk. The heavy wood cracked and split down the middle. Karui didn't even flinch. She'd lost count of how many desks he'd destroyed today.
Back in Konoha, none of the wider chaos touched Taiichi yet. He had just finished another session with Kurenai and Asuma. For the first time in days, the house was quiet.
Asuma walked through his front door still buzzing with energy. Hiruzen noticed immediately. Yesterday the boy had been reluctant about training with Taiichi. Today he looked like he'd been handed the keys to the village.
Hiruzen called out before Asuma could disappear into the training yard. "You look happy. Big day?"
Asuma stopped and bowed. "Sorry, Father. I didn't see you."
He came closer, still grinning. "I didn't expect Taiichi to be that strong already. I feel stupid for how I acted before. Don't worry—I'm going to train seriously with him. I want to reach his level."
Hiruzen smiled, genuinely pleased by the change in attitude. "Tell me what happened. I want to hear exactly how he managed to convince you."
Asuma didn't hold back. He described the spar, the way Taiichi dismantled everything he threw at him, then used Flying Thunder God to take him outside the village to demonstrate real-scale ninjutsu. He explained the lesson on nature transformation depth and how Taiichi planned to train him personally.
Hiruzen listened carefully. From Asuma's excited retelling he could already picture Taiichi's current level—and the teaching method was impressive. Break the arrogance, create real desire, then tailor the training. Even Hiruzen would have struggled to do it better.
Asuma suddenly paused, realizing he'd mentioned leaving the village. He glanced nervously at his father. "I… asked him to take me outside so I could see the difference for myself. You can't blame Taiichi for that."
Hiruzen studied him for a moment, then nodded. The boy had taken responsibility instead of throwing Taiichi under the bus. That mattered more than the rule-breaking.
"Taiichi already had permission," Hiruzen said. "And I'm glad you're willing to stand up for your friend. That's the kind of quality I like to see."