Chapter 130: Destination — The Land of Wind
As their first mission after being promoted to chūnin, Team Eight had originally been full of enthusiasm. No matter what, they wanted to pick a high-difficulty mission to really test their newfound strength.
Unfortunately, reality had other plans.
After Taichi and the others gathered in the mission hall, what awaited them was not a mission board—but their captain, holding a mission scroll.
"Village-assigned mission," Captain Yamaguchi announced flatly.
"Escort a daimyō's envoy on a diplomatic visit to the Land of Wind."
Those words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the trio's burning enthusiasm.
An escort mission—
and worse, a diplomatic visit between major nations.
Such missions were infamous for being the most time-consuming and exhausting of all.
Time-consuming, because envoys were usually important civilians who traveled slowly, insisted on protocol, and cared deeply about appearances.
Exhausting, not because of frequent combat, but because dealing with overly cautious, scheming civilians drained one's patience and spirit.
For Taichi in particular—who carried a certain hidden identity—such missions were doubly troublesome.
"I was hoping to really show off this time," Yōhei groaned, his face full of disappointment.
"And we get this kind of mission instead. Captain… can we turn it down?"
The temperature around Yamaguchi dropped instantly.
"Yōhei," the captain said coldly, shooting him a sharp sideways glance,
"you've only just become a chūnin, and you're already getting arrogant?"
His gaze carried unmistakable pressure.
"Do you remember the Three Prohibitions of a Ninja?"
Yōhei jolted as if struck by lightning. Realizing he'd spoken out of turn, he immediately started slapping his own mouth.
"Peh! Peh! Peh!"
As if he could spit the words back out.
"Captain, I wasn't thinking—please don't take it to heart!" Yōhei said with a forced grin.
But seeing that the captain's expression remained cold—and noticing Taichi frantically signaling him from the side—Yōhei straightened up at once.
"The Three Prohibitions of a Ninja," he recited loudly and clearly.
"Do not abandon missions.
Do not disobey orders.
Do not leak information."
"Now tell me," Yamaguchi said,
"do you understand where you went wrong?"
"Yes," Yōhei replied immediately.
"I violated the rule against disobeying orders."
"Good."
The captain finally relaxed his expression, his tone turning earnest.
"You're chūnin now. In the future, each of you may become a squad leader. These rules aren't just words—you must remember them, live by them, and never violate them lightly."
"Yes!" ×3
Seeing that his team truly understood, Yamaguchi nodded in satisfaction. He handed over the mission scroll.
"We depart today.
Tomorrow, we rest in Kyōto City.
The day after, we proceed to the daimyō's residence, pick up the envoy, and set out for the Land of Wind."
Taichi and the others reviewed the mission details, found no issues, and quickly prepared their gear before setting off toward Kyōto.
---
Afternoon, July 6th, Konoha Year 45
After more than a day of travel, Team Eight arrived at Kyōto Prefecture.
According to plan, the rest of the day was for rest—and Captain Yamaguchi generously allowed the three to move freely.
Before heading out, Taichi casually created three shadow clones, sending each in a different direction.
Facing Yōhei and Saori's puzzled looks, Taichi calmly replied with just two words:
"Training."
"I swear, Taichi," Yōhei complained,
"we finally get some time to relax, and you're still thinking about training?"
Despite his words, his actions were honest—he created a shadow clone of his own and vanished to train elsewhere.
As for Saori?
Her shadow clone had already disappeared long before Yōhei even finished speaking.
Yōhei slapped his forehead, stared at the sky, and sighed from the depths of his soul.
"My teammates are way too hardworking…"
Beside him, Taichi and Saori exchanged a glance and smiled.
After Yōhei finished his dramatic lament and looked back at them, the three couldn't help but burst out laughing together.
The blazing midsummer sun baked Kyōto City, yet it did nothing to dampen the city's bustling streets. Even in the scorching afternoon, pedestrians still flowed endlessly through the avenues.
There were merchants traveling far and wide, tourists out sightseeing, and plenty of children running wild through the streets.
Taichi and the others walked shoulder to shoulder through the lively market—snacking on dumplings from one stall, stopping to admire trinkets from another.
Compared to the passersby fanning themselves nonstop, the three of them looked remarkably refreshed. The reason was simple: Taichi was subtly controlling a gentle breeze that swirled around them, far more effective than any handheld fan.
"Taichi, this counts as training too, right?" Yōhei said, enjoying the cool air around them.
"And wow—this wind is seriously refreshing. It's way cooler than the outside!"
"Shopping and training don't have to conflict," Taichi replied with a grin.
"I'm mixing a bit of Water Release into the Wind Release—it cools the airflow."
This was another benefit of his promotion to chūnin. With his enhanced talent effect, Taichi could now simultaneously apply two different chakra natures—something that required exceptional control.
Yōhei, predictably, didn't catch the deeper meaning at all.
But Saori did.
"Taichi," she said thoughtfully, "are you trying to create your own bloodline limit? Combining chakra natures like this—that's the foundation of fusion kekkei genkai, isn't it?"
"Haha, I've thought about it," Taichi admitted smugly.
"But that's still a long way off. For now, I'm just laying the groundwork."
That subtle flex was only satisfying because someone knowledgeable noticed it.
Otherwise—like with Yōhei—it was like playing music to a cow.
While the three enjoyed Kyōto under their personal breeze, their shadow clones had already left the city, training independently.
One of Taichi's clones, however, took a long, winding route—to the daimyō's residence.
Previously, the Third Hokage had given Taichi three lists.
The first was handed directly to the daimyō during an escort mission—yielding nothing but money.
The second was delivered through the daimyō's hidden contacts in Konoha—again, no useful intelligence.
Today was the third and final list.
Holding it in his hand, Taichi hoped—finally—to get something worthwhile.
---
The Daimyō's Residence
After announcing his name, Taichi was soon greeted by a familiar attendant—the same one who had met him previously.
Without a word, Taichi followed him through winding corridors to a secluded side building.
Inside sat a slender official with a gloomy expression. One look at him made Taichi think of Danzō—
the same kind of man who lived in the shadows, doing things never meant to see the light.
"Matsushita Taichi," the man said coolly.
"I am Shimazu Akira, head of intelligence for the daimyō's household. I look forward to working with you."
Polite words, motionless posture—clearly not an easy person to deal with.
Taichi didn't waste time. He handed over the final list and waited.
Shimazu meticulously cross-checked the names, repeatedly pulling documents from a cabinet behind him. The amount of intelligence collected made Taichi's eyelid twitch.
Konoha really has some terrifying informants here…
Once finished, Shimazu finally looked up.
"The daimyō wishes to know—who in Konoha is most likely to become the Fourth Hokage?"
Taichi's pupils shrank.
That question was like a kunai pressed against his throat.
Answer too directly, and he'd expose internal Konoha matters.
Be too vague, and he'd arouse suspicion.
Feigning thoughtfulness, Taichi chose his words carefully. As a newly promoted chūnin, he shouldn't know high-level secrets—only rumors.
"If we're talking about the Fourth Hokage," Taichi said cautiously,
"then the most likely candidates are the Third Hokage's three disciples—the legendary Sannin: Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade."
He paused deliberately.
"Tsunade rarely stays in the village. Jiraiya is… unconventional.
Among them, Orochimaru currently has the highest prestige."
"Of course," he added, "this is just idle talk among lower-ranked ninja. I don't have access to real decision-making."
Shimazu smiled faintly.
"I've heard your Team Eight is quite close with Jiraiya's disciple?"
The lantern flickered, casting shifting shadows across Taichi's face.
These people know way too much…
"Only from a few shared missions," Taichi replied calmly.
"Familiarity comes naturally."
Shimazu said nothing more, simply assigning new intelligence targets—
gather information on the most respected ninja in Konoha.
When Taichi's shadow clone left the daimyō's residence and dispersed in a secluded alley, the memories flowed back to his main body.
Is the daimyō trying to interfere with Konoha's Hokage succession?
He's really dancing on the edge of death…
Taichi didn't react outwardly, but this information had to be reported to the Hokage immediately.
From Taichi's perspective, the daimyō was recklessly testing Hiruzen Sarutobi's limits.
If Taichi were Hokage, he'd already be considering an assassination.
Still, Konoha had to prepare. The daimyō held legitimacy—and mishandling this could backfire badly.
---
July 7th, Konoha Year 45 — Morning
Captain Yamaguchi led Team Eight to the daimyō's residence for final handover procedures.
Soon after, they escorted the envoys toward the Land of Wind.
The delegation consisted of:
1 chief envoy
2 deputy envoys
10 guards
The three envoys rode together in a large carriage; everyone else traveled on foot.
They had barely left Kyōto when Yōhei's patience snapped.
"This pace is unbearable," he groaned.
"This is sightseeing, not a mission. Are we going to take a whole month?"
Yamaguchi could only sigh. Diplomatic escorts were always like this—unless urgent, envoys never rushed.
Five days passed leisurely before they reached the border of the Land of Fire.
The moment they entered the Land of Rivers, Yamaguchi immediately reorganized the formation.
"Taichi, central position. Use sensory techniques every thirty minutes."
"Yōhei, Saori—guard the rear flanks."
"I'll take point."
"Understood?"
"Yes!" ×3
The formation spread out smoothly. Apart from a few scattered bandits, the journey remained uneventful.
Once they left the Land of Fire, the envoys clearly grew more cautious—the pace noticeably increased.
On July 14th, they finally entered the Land of Wind.
The desert stretched endlessly, a golden inferno under the blazing sun. Dunes rolled like frozen waves, sand whipping into hazy storms with each gust.
For Taichi and the others, it was a brutal reminder of nature's power—and of why the people of the Land of Wind coveted the fertile lands of Fire.
Thankfully, the carriage had been modified in advance. Without it, the envoys might not have survived the journey.
Even the seasoned guards were already swaying from heat exhaustion.
Shortly after entering the desert, Taichi detected something during a routine scan.
"Captain," he reported quickly,
"Eight hundred meters ahead—ninja hiding beneath a sand dune. Judging by their gear and headbands, they're from Sunagakure."
He hurried to the front to relay the information.
"Any movement?" Yamaguchi asked calmly.
"No. They're tailing us at a distance. Originally four—now only two."
"Routine surveillance, then," Yamaguchi concluded.
"Maintain alertness."
Sure enough, the two missing ninja soon returned—apparently after receiving orders. After confirming the delegation was headed for the capital, they withdrew without making contact.
Only then did Taichi resume his normal sensing intervals.
Maintaining continuous sensory coverage was draining—especially mentally. His technique had been designed to assist training, not prolonged reconnaissance.
If not for the mental stat boost from his chūnin promotion, he'd have collapsed already.
The rest of the journey passed quietly, aside from relentless sandstorms.
On July 18th, the delegation reached the Wind Country capital.
The mission was halfway complete.
The team rotated shifts over the next few days, protecting the envoys while allowing proper rest.
By July 21st, the diplomatic mission concluded, and Team Eight began the return trip.
Then—one day after leaving the capital—
"Captain," Taichi said, seated atop the carriage, scanning the horizon.
"Something's wrong."
"Visibility's dropping. Temperature's rising. Wind speed's increasing."
He pointed toward the distant sky.
Yamaguchi followed his gaze—and frowned.
The horizon had turned murky yellow.
With a few swift movements, Yamaguchi leapt atop a nearby dune—and froze.
A towering wall of sand stretched from earth to sky, roaring toward them with catastrophic force.
"Sandstorm!"
"Stop the carriage—form defensive formation!"
The shout rang out as the carriage halted and guards rushed into position.
By the time Yamaguchi returned, the sky was darkening rapidly. Horses stamped and whinnied in panic, utterly unsoothed.
The sand wall loomed closer—
close enough to feel its breath.
---