Chapter 131: On the Return Journey — Surprises One After Another
The sandstorm in the distance was closing in rapidly. By now, the sky had darkened to a murky haze, and howling winds mixed with flying grit lashed violently against the group. Exposed skin was already turning red from the relentless abrasion.
Taichi and the others, as shinobi, immediately circulated chakra across their bodies to protect themselves.
But the diplomatic entourage—ordinary civilians—had no such means.
If they were left exposed to the storm, there would likely be no survivors once it passed.
At moments like this, the value of having a shinobi skilled in Earth Release became painfully clear.
Yamaguchi wasted no time. His hands blurred through seals.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall.
A half-meter-thick earthen wall rose abruptly before the group, standing between the delegation and the oncoming storm. As Yamaguchi poured chakra into the technique, two additional walls surged up on either side.
Three massive walls enclosed the group in a protective formation. Thickened and reinforced, they blocked most of the violent wind, finally giving the terrified envoys a shred of reassurance.
Then the sandstorm arrived.
The sky vanished in an instant. The blazing sun was swallowed by roiling sand clouds, leaving only vague, shifting silhouettes in the gloom. The dunes themselves seemed to come alive—fine sand peeling away in sheets, rising into a world-devouring maelstrom.
The horses panicked, rearing and shrieking. Taichi reacted instantly, grabbing one by the reins and forcing it back down. Even so, the gale tore the carriage curtains to shreds.
Everyone squinted desperately to keep sand from scouring their eyes. In just moments, drifting sand piled up past their ankles. A relentless barrage of impacts echoed against the rear walls—thick earth steadily eroding under the storm's assault.
Yamaguchi truly lived up to his reputation as a battle-hardened shinobi. His Earth Release was powerful and sturdy—built for combat. Strong, yes, but lacking finesse. The walls stood firm and square, but their broad surfaces caught the wind head-on, and the seams between them left room for sand to slip through.
Taichi watched as gusts and grit forced their way in along the edges, still leaving the envoys miserable despite the partial shelter.
He stepped forward.
Hands forming seals, Taichi pressed his palms against the earthen wall Yamaguchi had created. Chakra flowed into the structure, and the walls began to shift.
Cracks sealed. Gaps vanished.
The vertical faces gradually tilted.
When Taichi withdrew his hands, the transformation was complete.
The entire Earth Flow Wall had reshaped itself into a dome, half-buried into the ground. Aside from a deliberately preserved entrance, not a single grain of sand penetrated the interior.
"Taichi… how did you do that?" Yōhei stared in disbelief.
"What kind of jutsu is this? I've never seen anything like it!"
"It's not a new jutsu at all," Taichi replied casually, waving a hand.
"Just a different application of Earth Flow Wall."
"The captain uses Earth Release primarily for combat, so his techniques focus on strength and direct confrontation. I don't rely on Earth Release as my main element, so I've spent more time developing its versatility and adaptability instead."
"Different strengths, that's all."
Yōhei nodded slowly, looking thoughtful—though whether he truly understood was anyone's guess.
Yamaguchi, however, understood perfectly.
As someone deeply versed in Earth Release, he knew just how rare Taichi's level of control was. Even if Taichi's raw power in Earth techniques wasn't overwhelming, the ability to manipulate the element with such precision and creativity was something only a handful of shinobi in Konoha could achieve.
And inside the earthen dome, as the sandstorm howled uselessly outside, that realization weighed heavily in his mind.
This feat required far more than simple mastery of Earth-attribute nature transformation. It demanded exceptionally high chakra shape transformation, exquisite chakra control, and an overall foundation that reflected a shinobi's comprehensive fundamentals.
Inside the protective barrier, the group fell into silence.
Everyone listened quietly to the howling winds outside the earthen walls, watching the darkened sky through the small opening. The storm raged on, but within the shelter there was a rare sense of calm.
The horses no longer panicked. They quietly chewed the prepared bean cakes, the soft crack-crack of their jaws sounding strangely soothing in the moment.
The guards began reorganizing their scattered luggage—during the frantic moments earlier, parcels had been blown everywhere by the wind.
"Taichi, where are you going?" Saori's voice broke the silence.
Taichi was already rising and walking toward the opening.
"A sandstorm like this doesn't come around often," he said without turning back. "I'm going out to experience it properly. Don't worry—I'll be fine."
He waved a hand behind him in reassurance, then stepped forward, his figure quickly swallowed by the endless yellow haze.
The others exchanged uneasy glances.
The moment Taichi exited the shelter, the violent gale battered his face, stinging like knives. He immediately condensed chakra across his body for protection, then closed his eyes, relying entirely on perception as he moved through the storm.
Step by step, he climbed to the top of the dome-shaped Earth Flow Wall and sat down cross-legged. In an instant, his chakra surged outward at full strength, his mental focus expanding alongside it.
Within a radius of nearly a kilometer, the surrounding world unfolded clearly in his mind.
The sandstorm raged like a furious beast, a towering wall of sand connecting sky and earth, devouring the horizon. Within the dim yellow chaos, the sun was reduced to a faint halo, its shape barely discernible.
Fierce winds screamed across the dunes, carrying razor-sharp grains of sand that tore everything from the surface into the air. The world was reduced to endless thunder, as though tens of thousands of warhorses were galloping through the heavens.
Taichi sat calmly in the heart of the storm, his robes snapping violently in the wind. His eyes narrowed slightly as he peered toward the distant sky through the veil of chakra protection. Each grain of sand within the storm carried the desert's most primal savagery—cutting, tearing, annihilating.
About an hour later, the storm gradually weakened. Sunlight once more broke through the haze and illuminated the land.
[Insight into Nature gained. Wind-attribute Nature Transformation +1000]
Nature truly was the greatest teacher.
Witnessing the raw might of the sandstorm firsthand deepened Taichi's understanding of wind—what it meant to cut, to tear, to rage. All of it crystallized into that single system prompt.
"Looks like you gained a lot," Captain Yamaguchi said from behind him.
He had grown concerned when Taichi didn't return and had come out to look for him. Seeing Taichi immersed in natural enlightenment, he quietly stood guard to prevent any accidents.
"Thank you for watching over me, Captain," Taichi said sincerely. "It's my first time seeing such violent wind. The gains were enormous."
Even without saying it, the signs were obvious. Gentle currents still swirled around Taichi's body, and fine wind blades occasionally formed, carving faint lines into the earthen dome beneath his feet. This was the aftereffect of prolonged comprehension and transformation—something that would subside once he adjusted.
Yōhei and Saori soon climbed up as well. When they saw the phenomenon surrounding Taichi, they were left speechless for a long moment.
Yōhei sighed regretfully. "If I'd known, I would've come out too. Maybe I could've learned Wind-attribute transformation as well."
Saori and Captain Yamaguchi rolled their eyes in unison.
Not everyone had Taichi's level of insight.
After reorganizing, the delegation resumed its return journey. Compared to their outward trip, even the impeccably dignified envoys now looked thoroughly disheveled.
The once-luxurious carriage had been reduced to a battered shell. Its ornate decorations and expensive fabrics had been shredded to pieces by the storm, leaving only a barely intact frame.
Sunlight poured through torn curtains and gaps in the roof, and from time to time, the guards outside could hear the envoys' complaints drifting out.
Naturally, the return pace increased dramatically—pushed to the absolute limit the guards could manage.
But fortune rarely lasted.
Barely half a day after surviving the sandstorm, Taichi—conducting his routine chakra perception—detected a shinobi observing the delegation from atop a distant dune.
At first, he assumed it was routine surveillance from Sunagakure. But as time passed and more figures gathered around that observer, Taichi realized they were facing real trouble.
"Captain," Taichi reported quietly, "there's a group of shinobi gathering one kilometer ahead. Six of them so far. This doesn't look like routine Sand surveillance."
Yamaguchi's brow furrowed. "All units on alert. Yōhei, Saori—protect the envoys."
The delegation continued forward, but at a noticeably reduced pace. The guards, now fully informed, heightened their vigilance.
Soon after, Taichi sensed that the enemy not only failed to retreat, but was actively closing in.
"Captain—another enemy just joined. They're forming a fan-shaped encirclement. Distance is now seven hundred meters."
Taichi maintained his perception, drawing his short blade from his back, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the hilt.
Yōhei's Sharingan flared open without him even realizing it. He stared toward the unseen enemies.
"Waiting around like this is suffocating. Why don't we strike first?"
Yamaguchi exchanged a glance with Taichi. Both saw the same thought in each other's eyes.
The enemy was clearly still waiting for reinforcements. Letting them gather further would only worsen the situation.
"Here's the plan," Yamaguchi decided. "Taichi and I will leave shadow clones to mislead them. Our real bodies will infiltrate and ambush. Yōhei, Saori—you stay behind and protect the delegation."
Yōhei looked frustrated, but he didn't hesitate to obey.
During a patrol rotation, Yamaguchi and Taichi used the carriage as cover to create shadow clones. Their real bodies then slipped underground using Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage, silently advancing toward the enemy.
---
Ahead of the delegation, among the shinobi forming the encirclement—
"Captain Iwahira, when do we move?" one subordinate asked, lowering his binoculars. "They've definitely noticed us. Their formation tightened, and they slowed down."
"We wait for Ishikura," Iwahira replied, peering through his own binoculars. "We spread out too much searching for them."
"These Leaf shinobi are sharp—detecting us from this far."
He smirked. "But so what? Do they really dare attack us first? I'm a jōnin, and we've got six chūnin already. Once Ishikura arrives, that'll be two jōnin. Then it'll be foolproof."
The subordinate was about to speak again—
BOOM! BOOM!
Two explosions erupted from the sand on either flank.
By the time they turned, one shinobi lay dead on each side.
"Damn it—they actually attacked!" Iwahira cursed, rushing to reinforce.
---
Taichi surfaced beside one of the enemies using Subterranean Voyage. At close range, he confirmed his suspicion—these were merely chūnin.
Relieved, he edged closer to two of them. When the agreed timing arrived, he burst from the ground and struck.
One slash—faster than lightning.
A throat was severed.
The second chūnin screamed and charged in retaliation.
But a chūnin, especially one who had lost his composure, was no match for Taichi.
Taichi blocked the incoming kunai, borrowed the opponent's momentum, disrupted his balance with a subtle push—and adjusted the blade.
The enemy's own neck collided with the edge.
Taichi didn't pause to look back. He surged toward the next target.
This fan-shaped formation was perfect for piecemeal elimination. If he moved fast enough, they wouldn't even have time to support one another.
The remaining chūnin panicked. His comrades had fallen in seconds, leaving him alone before this killing god.
In desperation, he unleashed his strongest technique.
Earth Release: Flying Gravel.
The sand around him rapidly solidified into stones, launching toward Taichi in a dense barrage.
"Oh? Earth Release?" Taichi mocked lightly, never slowing. Wind chakra gathered along his blade, forming razor-sharp edges.
He weaved through the flying stones like a butterfly, slicing apart anything he couldn't evade.
The attack failed to slow him even slightly.
The chūnin retreated while forming seals, trying to launch another jutsu.
Taichi didn't give him the chance.
With his free hand, he casually formed seals. Dense clusters of Phoenix Sage Fire ignited around him, streaking forward like meteors along intersecting arcs.
The enemy's seals stalled as he dodged frantically.
And that was enough.
Taichi closed the distance in a flash. His blade thrust forward.
The chūnin had just completed his final hand seal—
A short blade pierced straight through his heart.
Blood spilled from his mouth as he weakly reached out, then collapsed lifelessly.
Taichi withdrew his blade and turned toward Yamaguchi's position.
Unlike Taichi, the captain lacked explosive burst power. By the time Taichi had eliminated three enemies, Yamaguchi was still locked in combat with his second opponent.
Worse, two more enemies had arrived—one of them unmistakably a jōnin.
Without hesitation, Taichi vanished, rushing to reinforce his captain.