Since the Kaguya clan's raid, the fighting between Mist and Leaf had entered a grinding stalemate. Leaf had successfully pushed Mist's forces back into the sea, but they couldn't press the advantage any further. The reason was simple — they still hadn't located Mist's main base.
Without a target, Leaf's superior numbers and coordination couldn't be fully utilized. All the pressure now fell on Taiichi.
He had tried everything to find the base — interrogating prisoners, using genjutsu, tailing retreating squads. But whether it was bad luck or because he only caught low-ranking targets, none of them knew the location of the main camp. It was starting to frustrate him.
With the two-day deadline he had given Tsunade fast approaching, Taiichi finally decided to ask for help.
Inside the camp, he quickly found the person he was looking for at the mission assignment area.
"Hizashi, got a minute?" Taiichi called out from a distance.
Hizashi turned and smiled when he saw who it was. "Taiichi? You're usually running around like crazy. What brings you to me today?"
Taiichi sighed. "I actually came to ask for your help."
Hizashi raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. Taiichi asking for help wasn't something that happened often.
Taiichi didn't beat around the bush. He explained the situation — how he had searched all the nearby islands but still couldn't find Mist's base.
"So basically," he finished, "I was hoping you could use your Byakugan to help me locate it."
Hizashi's eyes widened. "That's… a bit much, isn't it? Even with the Byakugan, scanning that much ocean in one day is impossible."
Taiichi grinned. "We're not doing it the normal way. I'll carry you up high. With my speed and your range, we can cover a huge area quickly."
Hizashi still looked doubtful, but he nodded. Taiichi was asking, and he wasn't going to refuse a friend.
They moved to an empty area outside camp. Four golden chains extended from Taiichi's back and wrapped around Hizashi securely.
"Hold on tight. We're taking off."
Golden wings formed behind Taiichi. With the help of Wind Release, they slowly lifted off the ground amid swirling dust and wind.
Hizashi's expression was a mix of excitement and nervousness. This was his first time flying.
Once they were high enough, Taiichi picked up speed. The wind barrier around Hizashi kept the worst of the pressure off him, but the sheer velocity still made everything below blur into streaks.
After several passes over the ocean, Hizashi suddenly shouted, "Stop!"
Taiichi immediately created a counter-wind to slow them down. They came to a halt several kilometers past where Hizashi had called out.
"Back there!" Hizashi pointed. "There's a suspicious patch of thick fog!"
Taiichi flew back toward the area. From a distance, it just looked like ordinary sea fog. Even when he dropped lower and spread his chakra sensing, he found nothing unusual.
Only when he activated Spirit Vision did he finally see it.
Dozens of clustered soul signatures — far too many and too organized to be natural sea life. Hidden beneath the fog and a perception-blocking barrier was Mist's main base.
Taiichi let out a low whistle.
"So that's where you were hiding… Right under my nose the whole time."
He had flown over this area multiple times before. The combination of natural fog and a barrier had completely fooled his chakra sensing.
"Nice work, Hizashi. You just saved me a lot of trouble."
He turned around and flew back toward camp at full speed.
---
At the same time, inside Mist's hidden base, the higher-ups were holding a meeting.
The lack of progress had finally drawn the Third Mizukage's displeasure. He had sent his right-hand man, Yagura, to oversee the campaign.
Yagura's small stature and baby face didn't fool anyone present. The three clan heads knew how difficult he was to deal with.
"Commander Hiyori," Yagura said calmly, "the village is growing impatient. We've been stuck here for too long. What's your plan?"
Water Moon Hiyori felt the pressure. After a moment of silence, he looked around at the others.
Kaguya Kuma spoke first, as blunt as ever. "What's there to discuss? We gather our forces and fight them head-on. This probing back and forth is getting us nowhere."
Hiyori and Ghost Lantern Hoshizuki exchanged glances and nodded. They didn't like it, but they didn't have a better option either.
"Fine," Hiyori said. "We'll prepare for a large-scale battle. But we'll wait for the right moment."
Orders were quickly passed down. Mist forces began making preparations for an all-out clash.
---
Back at the Leaf camp, Taiichi and Hizashi landed and headed straight for the command tent.
After reporting everything, Taiichi made sure to highlight Hizashi's contribution.
Tsunade looked at Taiichi with an unreadable expression, then nodded at Hizashi.
"Good work, Hizashi. The Hyuga clan has been very cooperative lately."
Hizashi bowed politely and excused himself, sensing that Tsunade wanted to speak with Taiichi alone.
Once they were alone, Tsunade's expression hardened.
"Do you know what your problem is right now?"
Taiichi blinked, caught off guard by her sudden shift in tone.
Tsunade's voice turned sharp. "You think you're strong enough now that ordinary ninjas don't matter anymore, don't you?"
Taiichi opened his mouth, then closed it. He hadn't consciously thought that way… but after a moment of reflection, he realized she wasn't entirely wrong.
Tsunade continued, her tone heavy.
"You spent days searching and still couldn't find their base. A simple fog combined with a perception barrier was enough to fool you completely. That means you've stopped taking your opponents seriously. Do you think every enemy you face will be some elite jonin or famous clan head? Most ninjas in this world are just ordinary people trying to survive."
She stepped closer and looked him straight in the eyes.
"The ninja world is dangerous. One moment of carelessness is all it takes. I've already lost too many people I cared about because they got arrogant. I don't want to add you to that list."
Taiichi lowered his head. The scolding hurt, but it also cleared his mind.
"…You're right, Sensei. I got careless."
Tsunade studied him for a moment, then nodded, satisfied.
"Good. Now that we know where their base is, we're not waiting around. Tonight, we're paying them a visit."
She turned to her staff.
"Send the orders. We move at nightfall."