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The defeated Mist ninjas dragged themselves back to their island camp, still bleeding and exhausted. The moment they started talking, everything went to hell.
Word spread fast about Ghost Lantern Hoshizuki's death and Kaguya Kuma's disappearance. The remaining Ghost Lantern and Kaguya clan members lost it. They wanted blood. They wanted revenge. Right now.
The shouting and shoving turned the camp into chaos. Yagura and Mizunotsuki Hiyori stepped out of the command tent and took one look at the mess. Both men's faces darkened.
This wasn't just a defeated force anymore. This was a powder keg ready to blow.
Hiyori's voice boomed across the camp, chakra-enhanced and sharp enough to cut through the noise. For a few seconds, the shouting died down.
It didn't last.
A Kaguya jonin shoved forward, eyes blazing. "Commander! Where the hell is our clan head? Why hasn't he come back?"
More voices joined in—Ghost Lantern and Kaguya shinobi demanding answers. The tension was thick enough to choke on. These weren't ordinary grunts. These were clan ninja who'd just lost their leaders and were looking for someone to blame.
Yagura had seen enough. He released his chakra in a sudden, crushing wave. The entire camp went dead silent.
"Shut up and listen!" he snapped, voice low but carrying. He pointed across the water toward the distant Leaf camp. "The ones who killed your clan heads are over there. You want revenge? Then stop wasting time screaming like children. Save your strength. Tomorrow we're taking the fight to them."
The Kaguya and Ghost Lantern shinobi stared at him. For a moment, the rage in their eyes flickered into something else—hunger.
Yagura kept his face calm, but his words were ice-cold. "I keep my promises. You want to honor your dead? Then we hit them hard tomorrow. Until then, get some rest. You'll need it."
The crowd slowly dispersed, but the fire in their eyes hadn't gone out. It had just been pointed in a new direction.
Back inside the command tent, Hiyori turned on Yagura the second the flap closed.
"You're actually going to take them out there tomorrow? We just got our asses handed to us. We're missing two of our strongest fighters. Charging in now is suicide."
Yagura gave him a flat look. "Those aren't regular shinobi. They're clan members. You know how this works. If we don't give them an outlet, they'll turn on us. Better they bleed on the battlefield than inside our own camp."
Hiyori went quiet. He understood the cold logic. The Kaguya and Ghost Lantern clans were rivals to his own Mizunotsuki clan. Weakening them served his interests too.
Yagura continued, voice low. "Besides, I want to see this Matsushita Taiichi for myself. Especially after what you said about his Ice Release."
Hiyori's expression tightened. "He's the most dangerous opponent I've ever faced. And yes—he uses Ice Release. I don't know how, but it's real."
Yagura's eyes narrowed, but he didn't push it. Instead he simply said, "You and the River Puffer Ghost are coming with me tomorrow. All of us. If only the clan forces go, it'll look suspicious. And I need to gauge Leaf's real strength."
Hiyori didn't argue. The plan was already in motion.
---
Leaf camp.
At first light, the entire force moved. Eight hundred combat-ready shinobi marched under Fugaku and Hiashi's command, pushing the camp forward until it sat just one kilometer from the coastline. From this position, any Hyuga with their Byakugan active could watch the entire sea.
They were done playing defense.
High above the water, Taiichi flew on golden chakra wings, scouting. The moment he spotted the massive Mist force racing across the waves—well over a thousand strong—he knew exactly what was coming.
A full-scale assault.
He created a shadow clone and sent it back to report while his real body stayed in the air, watching.
Down in the camp, Tsunade stood at the edge of the command area, watching the main force march out. Her hands were clenched at her sides. She should have been with them. She was the commander. But hemophobia—the same damn fear that had kept her away from battlefields for years—held her back like chains.
Taiichi landed beside her after dismissing his scouting clone. He could see the frustration written all over her face.
"Sensei," he said quietly. "You really think you're just some figurehead?"
Tsunade didn't look at him. "I sit in a tent and give orders while everyone else bleeds. What kind of commander does that make me?"
Taiichi studied her for a second, then spoke. "I have an idea. It's a long shot, but… I want to try putting you under a genjutsu. One that might help you ignore the sight of blood. If it works, maybe you can actually go out there."
Tsunade's head snapped toward him. Hope and fear warred in her eyes. She'd tried this before—Yuhi Kurenai himself had attempted it. It never lasted. Her mental resistance was too strong.
Taiichi smiled, small but confident. "Kurenai's good. But my Spirit stat is higher than his. And I've been grinding Yin Release and genjutsu for a while now. If you cooperate… it might actually stick."
Tsunade stared at him for a long moment. Then, almost against her will, a tiny, bitter laugh escaped her.
"You really think you can fix me, brat?"
Taiichi met her eyes without flinching. "I think it's worth trying. And I think you've earned the right to try again."
For the first time in a long while, Tsunade didn't immediately shut the idea down. She looked out at the sea, then back at her student.
"…How long do you need to prepare?"
Taiichi's grin widened. "No prep. Just the jutsu. I can do it right now—once my real body gets back."
He handed her one of his special Flying Thunder God kunai without waiting for an answer, then popped into smoke as the shadow clone dispelled.
Tsunade stood there holding the kunai, staring at the empty space where he'd been.
"Damn kid," she muttered, but there was the faintest hint of a smile on her face.