Guy stood frozen at the gate, tears still streaking his face. The guard's words hit him like a physical blow.
"Your father… Might Dai? He was brought back yesterday by Lord Taiichi. He's resting in the medical area right now. They say he's going to be fine."
Guy's crying stopped instantly. His mouth hung open as he stared at the guard like the man had just spoken in another language.
Genma and Ebisu looked just as stunned, their expressions of grief frozen in place.
The guard chuckled, not unkindly. "What are you still standing there for? Go see him. Your old man's probably worried sick about you."
Guy didn't need to be told twice.
He took off like a green missile, sparks practically flying from his feet as he sprinted toward the medical tents. His father was alive. That was all that mattered.
---
Deep in the forest, inside a hollowed-out tree, the three surviving members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had finally regrouped.
There was no more arrogance. No more swagger. Just three battered jonin trying to figure out how everything had gone so wrong.
Ghost Lantern Wuyue was the first to speak. "So… what now? Head back to the main force?"
The River Puffer Ghost and Black Hoe Raiga exchanged a look. Neither of them answered right away.
They didn't have powerful clans backing them like Ghost Lantern did. Going back after this kind of failure meant serious punishment. Maybe even execution, depending on how pissed the higher-ups were.
Ghost Lantern read the hesitation on their faces and kept his voice calm. "The main force is arriving soon. The village needs every jonin it can get right now. Even if we messed up, they'll still throw us at the front lines rather than waste us."
He wasn't being generous. He just didn't want to be outnumbered two-to-one if these two decided to go rogue. Ghost Lantern had parents, a wife, and kids waiting back home. He had no interest in living as a hunted missing-nin.
The River Puffer Ghost finally nodded. "We'll link up. But not yet. We're both too injured to move fast. If we run into another Leaf team like that in this condition, we're dead. We wait until we can actually fight."
Black Hoe Raiga agreed without hesitation. He'd seen what Taiichi did to Tongcao Yebito and the River Puffer Ghost. He wasn't eager to repeat the experience with only three people.
Ghost Lantern relaxed slightly. As long as they were willing to return eventually, that was good enough for now.
---
Eastern coastline.
A squad of ten Hyuga shinobi moved along the shore. Ten people was an unusual number for a standard patrol, but this wasn't a standard patrol.
Hyuga elder led them with the air of a man on a sightseeing trip. After Tsunade had put him in charge of organizing scouting teams, he'd decided the safest (and most prestigious) way to contribute was to personally "patrol" the coast with a full escort of branch family members.
Most of the actual watching was being done by the branch family shinobi. The elder was mostly enjoying the sea breeze.
"Elder, are we really helping by just walking around out here?" one of the branch family members asked carefully. "The camp is still short on people."
Hyuga elder gave him a withering look. "Are we not performing a mission right now? Or do you think the only way to serve the village is to stand inside the camp like an idiot?"
The branch family member shut his mouth. He knew better than to argue with the main family.
They continued their "patrol" for a while longer until one of the scouts suddenly called out.
"Elder! Over there!"
Hyuga elder activated his Byakugan and looked in the direction the man was pointing.
Far out on the horizon, three large ships were cutting through the water. Over a hundred ninjas were running across the waves toward the shore.
Even without looking closely, Hyuga elder knew exactly who they were.
"Mist," he muttered, eyes lighting up. "We found them first. Looks like our careful patrol paid off after all."
He turned to one of his men. "Send up the signal. Notify the camp—Mist is landing here."
A red flare shot into the sky.
---
High above, Taiichi spotted the flare while on aerial patrol. It wasn't far. He adjusted course and flew toward it.
Five minutes later he saw the group of ten Hyuga below. He also saw the three Mist ships rapidly approaching the coast in the distance.
He descended.
Hyuga elder looked up as the golden wings caught his attention. When Taiichi landed, the elder raised a hand in greeting.
"Hyuga elder," Taiichi said as he touched down. "Looks like you got the first big find of the day. Most of the patrol teams out here and you're the one who spotted them."
A little flattery went a long way. Hyuga elder's chest puffed out slightly.
"It was simply luck. The enemy is coming from that direction."
Taiichi glanced at the approaching Mist force, then back at the Hyuga group. Ten people against over a hundred wasn't a fight—it was a massacre.
"Elder, you should pull your people back. I'll handle this."
Hyuga elder's expression soured. He opened his mouth to argue, but one of his branch family members quickly pulled him aside and whispered something urgent. After a few seconds, the elder clicked his tongue and waved his group back from the shoreline.
"Arrogant brat," he muttered as they retreated. "One of these days I'll show him what the Hyuga Gentle Fist can really do."
Taiichi ignored the grumbling. He turned to face the sea.
This wasn't his first time standing alone against an army.
And this time, he had the perfect environment.
He formed seals.
Water Style: Great Waterfall Wave.
The ocean in front of him surged upward, forming a massive wall of water over ten meters high. It crashed forward toward the Mist vanguard like a living tsunami.
The Mist ninjas reacted fast—some dove underwater, some launched themselves into the air with Water Style, and a few tried to ride the wave itself.
Taiichi changed his hand seals.
Water Style: Thousand Water Dragon Dance.
Dozens of roaring water dragons erupted from the wave, twisting and lunging at every Mist ninja they could reach. Some were dragged under. Others were smashed aside.
It wasn't enough to wipe them all out—elite chunin and above could still escape—but when the dragons finally dispersed, at least forty Mist shinobi were gone.
A panicked voice rose from the surviving Mist forces.
"Retreat! We've been ambushed! Fall back and regroup!"
Taiichi watched them scatter with mild disbelief. They were calling this an ambush? He was standing right here in the open.
He didn't bother chasing. The real fight was still coming. These were just the scouts.
He teleported back to camp.
---
Main command tent.
Taiichi walked in to find the usual organized chaos. Staff officers were running around handling logistics, troop movements, and reports while Tsunade sat at the head of the table looking mildly bored.
When she saw Taiichi, her eyes sharpened.
"So? Did you deal with that Mist group?"
Taiichi raised an eyebrow. "You already knew they were just a vanguard?"
Tsunade gave him a flat look. "I've been through two wars, brat. Of course Mist would send scouts first. Did you really think I wouldn't figure that out?"
Taiichi rubbed the back of his neck. "Fair enough."
He gave her a quick summary of what happened—the massive water attack, the forty-plus kills, and how the remaining Mist forces had fled in a panic.
Tsunade listened without interrupting. When he finished, she tapped her fingers on the table.
"They'll be more careful after this. You should expand your patrols. If we can find their landing point before they launch their main assault, we'll have the advantage. Otherwise we're stuck reacting."
"Already planning on it," Taiichi said. "I'll head out again soon. With the sea this close, it shouldn't take long to find their base."
Tsunade nodded, satisfied.
As Taiichi turned to leave, she called after him.
"And Taiichi?"
He glanced back.
"Good work."
He gave her a small smile and left the tent.
---
Far out at sea, on one of the Mist ships, the surviving members of the vanguard were reporting to their commander.
Water Moon Hiyori's beautiful face was cold as ice as he listened to the captain's explanation.
"You're telling me one Leaf ninja attacked you, and you ran? With over a hundred people?"
The captain swallowed hard.
"Sir, it's the truth. Every survivor can confirm it. If I'm lying, you can take my head."
The temperature around Water Moon Hiyori dropped several degrees.