Mist moved fast.
That same night, their fleet crept to within three kilometers of the coast. Under the Third Mizukage's command, every shinobi stepped onto the water and made landfall on Wind Country soil.
Their target was clear. No hesitation, no probing attacks. Over a thousand Mist ninja struck Rinchuan City like a hammer.
There was no warning. No chance for the defenders to even slow them down. The city fell in minutes.
Mist didn't slaughter the civilians. This wasn't some backwater village of a few hundred people. They looted every strategic supply Sand had stored there, left the warehouses empty, and vanished back into the night.
From a distance, Taiichi watched the entire operation.
Fast. Clean. Efficient. From the first strike to the last man disappearing into the darkness, it took less than half an hour.
He couldn't help but feel a flicker of respect. No matter how badly they'd been beaten before, Mist was still one of the Five Great Villages. Underestimating them would be stupid.
More importantly, tonight's raid made one thing obvious: Mist was serious about going after Sand. The amount of supplies they had just taken was enough to make even Taiichi's mouth water.
He created a shadow clone to report to Jiraiya, then used Flying Thunder God to return to Tsunade's column.
It was deep night. The entire force was still moving in small, spread-out teams. No camp had been set up. Everyone stayed alert and ready to react.
Taiichi's sudden appearance made several nearby shinobi tense until they recognized him. He gave them a quick apologetic gesture and headed straight for the central bonfire where Tsunade and her staff were gathered.
Tsunade hadn't slept. She sat by the fire, staring into the flames, the orange light painting her pale skin. When she heard him approach, she looked up. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
"Looks like you brought good news."
At her words, the surrounding staff officers turned their attention to Taiichi. If their commander wasn't sleeping, neither were they.
From farther out, Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi also walked over. They wanted to hear the report firsthand.
Taiichi didn't waste time.
"Lady Tsunade, Mist hit Rinchuan City tonight. They were decisive. After taking what they wanted, they didn't return to the sea. They're pushing deeper into Wind Country. Looks like they're planning to stay for a while."
The reactions around the fire were mixed. Some faces lit up with relief. Others looked disappointed.
Taiichi saw it all.
One of the relieved officers spoke up.
"Lady Tsunade, if Mist and Sand are fighting each other now, does that mean our war is over?"
Tsunade gave a small nod, then shook her head. The officer looked confused.
"Our side is probably done for now," she said. "But the eastern front will likely stay active. Mist is too unpredictable. Just because they're hitting Sand today doesn't mean they won't turn around and team up with them tomorrow to hit us."
That made sense to everyone. Even if they signed a ceasefire with Mist right now, the eastern front would probably remain on standby for a long time.
Uchiha Fugaku was one of the disappointed ones. He had come to the front to earn glory and prove himself. Three months of fighting and now Mist was just… leaving?
"Lady Tsunade, what do we do now? We're not just going to sit here indefinitely, are we?"
Tsunade looked at him, then at the other clan heads.
"For now, yes. I'll report everything to the village. We wait for their orders."
Fugaku let out a quiet sigh. Several other jonin who had been hoping for more action looked equally resigned.
"Everyone get some rest," Tsunade said. "Tomorrow we continue as planned and move to the new position. Taiichi, you don't need to keep watching Mist anymore. Come back and rest properly."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
The next day, the eastern force reached their destination around noon. The new camp was already being set up.
For the first time in a long while, Taiichi had nothing urgent to do.
He found a quiet, scenic spot a short distance from the camp and sat down cross-legged.
Yesterday he had nearly died pulling Sage Mode into existence. He wasn't about to waste the opportunity. It was time to train it properly.
He closed his eyes and tried to reach out to natural energy the way he had before.
One minute.
Two.
Three.
Nothing.
The sky was still blue. The air was still fresh. Birds were still singing. But the colorful natural energy he had seen before was gone.
He scratched his head and checked the panel anyway.
[Sage Mode Lv0 (4/100)]
The skill was there. So why couldn't he sense natural energy anymore?
He tried again, this time entering deep meditation. An hour passed. Still nothing.
When he opened his eyes, the disappointment was obvious.
It was just like Flying Thunder God all over again.
He had the skill, but without the right innate talent, he was stuck at the final step. He could force the skill into existence through luck and system help, but he couldn't use it normally.
Taiichi let out a long breath and accepted it.
If the "soft" way — training normally — wasn't working, then he would use the "hard" way.
He still had skill points saved up. What was the point of hoarding them if he wasn't going to spend them on something this important?
He focused on the Sage Mode skill.
With a single thought, the panel changed.
The glaring Lv0 faded. In its place appeared Lv1 (0/100).
A massive amount of information flooded his mind at once. At the same time, he felt his body changing in subtle but fundamental ways. Lighter. Clearer. More in tune with the world around him.
This was the difference.
Everyone had different compatibility with natural energy. Some, like Jūgo, were born with it. Others, like Jiraiya, needed constant help from the sages even at the end. Most people could never sense it at all, no matter how hard they tried.
Tsunade had better physical stats and more chakra than Jiraiya, yet she could never learn Sage Mode while he could. That was the gap.
Now, thanks to the system, Taiichi's body had been adjusted to the perfect state for it.
He closed his eyes again and let his spirit spread.
This time, natural energy responded immediately. It was smooth. Natural. Like it had always been there.
Unlike before, when natural energy had felt distant and only barely interacted with him through breathing, now it clung to him willingly. He raised his palm and watched the colorful energy swirl gently around his skin like it was greeting an old friend.
He focused and began adjusting his chakra flow into the specific pattern required for Sage Mode.
With his current level of chakra control, it was easy. Even though the pattern was as complex as an S-rank technique, Lv13 Chakra Control made it feel simple.
A minute later, he felt a strange pulling sensation from his body. It didn't disturb the air or the ground, but on another level it created ripples.
Natural energy within a three-kilometer radius began flowing toward him. The closer it was, the stronger the pull. At the very edge, it was barely noticeable.
The energy poured into him until his body reached some kind of limit. Then the flow slowed.
Taiichi felt the foreign energy mixing inside him and felt a flash of real fear. One mistake and he could die here.
Following the knowledge in his head, he carefully combined natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy in the exact ratio needed.
Thanks to his absurd chakra control, everything went smoothly. The three energies merged in his lower abdomen and formed something new.
Sage Chakra.
Once the first thread formed, his body seemed to remember the pattern on its own. He no longer had to consciously maintain it.
He created a small ice mirror and looked at himself.
His eyes had changed. The whites were gone. Golden light shone from deep within the pupils, turning his entire eyes gold.
Other than that, there wasn't much visible difference compared to Jiraiya's Sage Mode.
But internally, the change was massive.
He clenched his fist and walked over to a large tree. A single punch, using only raw physical strength, snapped the trunk in half.
He looked at his fist. Not even a scratch.
The enhancement from Sage Chakra was ridiculous.
He opened the panel.
Constitution: 32 (Temporary +2)
Strength: 31 (Temporary +2)
Agility: 31 (Temporary +2)
Spirit: 34 (Temporary +2)
All four physical stats had gained +2. At his current level, every single point was a massive qualitative leap. And this clearly wasn't the limit. As Sage Mode leveled up, the boost would grow even stronger.
He teleported to the coast and formed seals.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
This was one of his most familiar techniques. But the moment it left his hands, he knew something was different.
The flames weren't orange. They weren't even his usual bright gold.
They were blue-white.
The instant the fire touched the sea, massive amounts of steam exploded upward. The water in the affected area evaporated so fast that the surrounding sea couldn't refill it quickly enough. Within seconds, the shallow seabed was exposed. The sand beneath melted into glowing molten glass.
When the technique ended and the water rushed back in, the molten sand hardened into a long stretch of black, glassy surface.
Taiichi grinned.
The power had at least doubled. Maybe more. The temperature alone was on another level.
He tested Wind, Water, Lightning, Earth, and Ice Release. Every single one was significantly stronger.
This was Sage Mode.
He was still admiring the results when a sudden, overwhelming wave of emptiness crashed through his body. The strength that had filled him a moment ago vanished like it had never been there.
He stared at his hands in confusion.
Then it clicked.
His first time in Sage Mode had run out.