Wood Leaf camp.
Taiichi reappeared beside Tsunade with a huge grin on his face. Tsunade shot him a flat look and tossed the Flying Thunder God kunai right back at him.
"This is the real body!"
Her voice carried a hint of irritation, and Taiichi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"This was just to keep an eye on Mist's movements," he explained.
At the mention of Mist, Tsunade's expression sharpened. "We still have time?"
Taiichi knew exactly what she meant. "They're still more than twenty kilometers out. Plenty of time."
They walked into the main command tent one after the other. Tsunade swept her arm in a commanding gesture at the staff inside. "All of you, out. No one comes back in until I say so."
The strategists glanced at each other but obeyed without question, filing out quickly.
Once the tent was clear, Taiichi wasted no time. His hands blurred through seals so fast they left afterimages. Over a hundred hand signs later, he slammed his palm to the ground. A complex sealing array spread outward from his hand, and a translucent barrier rose around them—his latest sealing jutsu, one he could activate with just his own chakra. He was showing off a little on purpose.
Tsunade watched the array flash across the ground, surprise flickering in her eyes even though her tone stayed sharp. "Soundproofing, warning, and defense. Not bad. You develop this yourself?"
"Sharp eye, sensei. I just finished it recently. Still needs work—hope you'll give me some pointers later."
Taiichi looked like a kid proudly showing off to a parent. Tsunade felt a weird mix of pride and helplessness.
"Quit stalling," she said. "We don't have much time."
"Right."
Taiichi's face turned serious. He had Tsunade sit on a stool and told her to relax her mind completely.
He gathered Yin chakra into his eyes until they glowed faintly, then moved through another set of seals—slow and deliberate this time. A wave of chakra pulsed from his gaze straight into hers. The moment it entered her body, her own chakra pushed back hard. That instinctive self-preservation every living thing had, buried deep in the soul.
He moved carefully, weaving and threading the chakra with precision. This wasn't a one-shot genjutsu. It was something more permanent—a triggered suggestion buried deep in her mind, like an Uchiha transcription seal but far more delicate. It would only activate with her own cooperation, and its effect was simple: whenever she saw fresh blood, the genjutsu would nudge her brain to ignore it, bypassing the hemophobia trigger.
Five minutes later, Taiichi's eyes returned to normal. Tsunade blinked a few times, feeling like her head was stuffed with too much information after three days of nonstop studying.
She looked at him, eyes full of hope. "Did it work?"
Taiichi grinned wide. "The genjutsu's in place. Only one way to find out for sure—want to test it?"
Tsunade hesitated for a split second, then nodded firmly. She pulled a kunai from her pouch and slashed toward her own arm without hesitation.
Taiichi's hand shot out and caught her wrist before the blade could connect. She stared at him, confused.
"No need to actually cut yourself," he said. "It's just blood, right?"
He formed a quick seal with his free hand and used the Transformation Technique. In an instant he looked like he'd been turned into a pincushion—dozens of kunai sticking out of him, blood pouring down his body in thick streams. The sight was gruesome enough to make even someone like Nono or Shizune flinch.
But Tsunade just stared. She saw the kunai. She saw the wounds. But the blood itself… it simply wasn't there. Her brain skipped right over it.
She focused harder, trying to force the illusion to break. It held perfectly. No cracks.
A real, genuine smile finally broke across her face. She stepped forward and gave Taiichi a hard slap on the shoulder—hard enough to cancel the transformation and send him stumbling back a step.
"Good kid. That genjutsu level of yours is actually impressive. You pulled this off?"
"Only because you cooperated," Taiichi said modestly. "If the target fights it, even a genin could resist me."
He remembered the last detail. "Oh—left hand, tiger's mouth. Pinch once to activate the suggestion, twice to shut it off. Long-term genjutsu isn't healthy. Hemophobia's still something you'll need to face on your own eventually."
Tsunade's smile dimmed a little, but she nodded. She knew he was looking out for her.
"Got it, brat. I'll handle my own issues. Right now we need to move. If we wait any longer the fighting might already be starting."
They dropped the barrier and stepped out of the tent. After quick orders to the remaining staff and leaving a shadow clone behind, they headed for the front lines.
By the time they arrived at the shoreline, the Leaf forces were already in position. Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi stood at the front. Hiashi's Byakugan was active, scanning the sea.
Hiashi spoke first. "Mist forces spotted. Seven kilometers out."
Fugaku raised his voice. "All units, stand ready. Enemy incoming."
The order rippled through the ranks. Everyone tensed.
Then Taiichi and Tsunade appeared with Shunshin. Fugaku and Hiashi turned immediately. They gave Taiichi a quick nod before focusing on Tsunade.
"Commander," Fugaku said carefully. "Weren't you supposed to stay at the main camp? Why come all the way out here?"
Both men had their doubts. Tsunade hadn't stepped onto a battlefield or even visited the medical tents since the war started. It had been easy to ignore while things were going well, but if things turned bad and their commander still refused to fight… morale would take a hit.
Tsunade answered smoothly. "Just wanted to see things for myself."
Taiichi stood behind her, privately impressed by how thick her skin was.
Out on the water, the Mist forces came into view. Yagura, Mizunotsuki Hiyori, and even the River Puffer Ghost all felt their stomachs drop when they saw the prepared Leaf lines waiting for them.
They'd been expected again.
Yagura raised a fist and the entire Mist column slowed to a halt. He wasn't about to charge straight into another trap.
"Sensor ninja, forward."
Two sensors stepped out. One plunged his hands into the sea. The other spread his fingers wide, chakra probing ahead. After a long moment both shook their heads.
The Kaguya and Ghost Lantern shinobi were already growing restless. The Kaguya especially—born fighters with short fuses—were getting louder.
A Kaguya jonin shoved forward. "Yagura! The enemy's right there. Why are we still waiting?"
Yagura's smile was hidden, but his voice stayed calm. "Just making sure we don't repeat yesterday's mistake."
The jab landed hard. The Kaguya jonin's face twisted. "Bullshit! It's broad daylight—no place to hide an ambush. You're just scared to fight them head-on and actually avenge our clan head!"
The words lit the powder keg. Kaguya and Ghost Lantern voices rose in angry agreement.
Yagura spread his hands in mock helplessness. "If you're so eager to die, then go ahead. You two clans take point. We'll follow right behind you."
"Fine!" the Kaguya jonin snarled. "Kaguya don't fear death!"
He turned to his clan. "It's time to avenge our leader! Follow me!"
With a roar, the Kaguya charged. Some Ghost Lantern joined them. The rest followed soon after when they saw their own people moving.
Yagura watched them go, then turned to Hiyori with a calm smile. "We should move too."
Hiyori felt a chill deeper than any ice he could create. Yagura had just sent two rival clans to bleed first without lifting a finger himself.
The Mist forces split into two waves and surged toward the shore.
On the Leaf side, Hiashi reported everything he saw through the Byakugan. "Looks like they had some kind of internal fight. The ones in front… they're being pushed out as the vanguard."
Taiichi chuckled. "Probably the Kaguya and Ghost Lantern rushing in to avenge their clan heads."
Most of the Leaf shinobi laughed, treating it like a joke. Only Hiashi gave Taiichi a strange look.
The charging Mist forces closed the distance fast. The lead Ghost Lantern shinobi formed seals together.
Water Style: Great Waterfall Wave.
A massive wave roared toward the shore.
Leaf answered immediately. Dozens of earth-style users slammed their hands down.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Rampart.
A tall, thick wall of earth rose in front of them. Taiichi and several water-style specialists formed their own seals right after.
Water Style: Great Waterfall Wave.
A second, even larger wave surged forward to meet the first. The two collided in an explosion of spray, then passed each other. The Mist wave crashed harmlessly against the earth wall. The Leaf wave kept going and slammed into the disorganized Mist ranks.
Shouts of frustration rose from the water. The impact scattered their formation even more.
"Hit them while they're off-balance!" Fugaku ordered.
Leaf small teams leapt over the wall and charged the scattered Mist shinobi. The real fighting had begun.