Chapter 207 — Reinforcements, Clash
On a narrow forest path hidden deep within the woods of the Land of Rivers, two groups stood facing each other.
"Facing" was generous.
One side wished desperately the other had never noticed them at all—but reality had no intention of being kind.
As the Kazekage's group advanced step by step, Yōhei, Kakashi, and the others could only retreat inch by inch. It wasn't that they lacked the will to fight—it was that they were already at their limits. Most of them barely had the strength left to risk their lives, let alone win.
Across from them, Rasa wasn't in a good mood either.
He had expected a seasoned Konoha veteran—the kind of name that echoed across battlefields. Instead, standing before him were children.
The oldest looked barely thirteen or fourteen.
He couldn't help but feel a flicker of bitterness.
Why was Konoha always like this?
Endless talent. One prodigy after another.
His thoughts drifted briefly to another young monster from not long ago—someone who had nearly shaken his position as Kazekage. Younger even than these brats.
"Tell me," Rasa said calmly, maintaining perfect composure despite the killing intent beneath it, "do you know a Konoha ninja named Matsushita Taichi?"
Yōhei and the others exchanged glances, wary.
They didn't understand the purpose behind the question—but answering an enemy casually was never wise.
"Oh?" Rasa sneered lightly. "So Konoha shinobi don't even have the courage to speak?"
A crude provocation—but effective, especially against the young.
And sure enough—
Obito, fresh from awakening his Sharingan and still emotionally unstable, snapped.
"Of course we know him! He's our friend—someone we'd trust with our lives!"
Smack.
Yōhei's palm landed on the back of Obito's head—but it was already too late.
Rasa's eyes sharpened.
"Good. Then capturing you should make things… interesting for him."
Obito immediately realized his mistake. He had handed the enemy leverage—and possibly dragged Taichi into danger. Guilt shut him up instantly.
Kakashi and Rin, meanwhile, felt a cold despair settle in.
Facing the Kazekage—even at full strength, escape would be unlikely.
Now?
Exhausted, wounded, chakra nearly depleted…
All that remained was deciding how to die with dignity.
Yōhei and Saori exchanged a glance.
They understood each other instantly.
They had hoped to escape on their own—but now… there was no choice.
They would have to call Taichi.
They had heard enough, even while away—Taichi had stood against the Kazekage and survived. With Flying Thunder God, extracting them should be possible.
They trusted him.
Just as Rasa raised a hand, signaling his subordinates to attack—
Yōhei pulled out a uniquely shaped kunai.
Chakra flowed into it.
The engraved formula flickered.
Two seconds later—
Taichi appeared.
Out of nowhere.
White coat.
Short blade in hand.
His eyes swept the battlefield.
First—the battered condition of Yōhei and the others.
Then—the Kazekage and his forces ahead.
His lips twitched.
"…You really know how to pick your problems, Yōhei."
Without looking away from Rasa, Taichi reached back, pulled out a bottle of specially made soldier pills, and handed it to Yōhei.
Then he spoke, tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Isn't it a bit beneath you, Kazekage-sama, to bully a group of Konoha kids like this?"
Across the field, the Sand shinobi stiffened.
So this was Matsushita Taichi.
So this was space-time ninjutsu.
Rasa's gaze flicked briefly to the special kunai in Yōhei's hand.
A marker.
Of course.
"So," Rasa said coolly, "you've come. And you still dare speak so casually to me. Do you think this is like last time?"
Beneath the surface, chakra flowed silently from his feet into the ground—refining gold dust.
But Taichi noticed instantly.
"You don't seem that confident either," he said lightly. "Otherwise… why the little tricks?"
Before Rasa could respond—
Taichi slashed downward.
A streak of flame carved into the earth, blasting open a shallow crater.
Gold dust burst outward.
Both sides were startled.
Then realization dawned.
Rasa's hidden preparation—exposed.
For a brief moment, his expression darkened.
But only for a moment.
"A battle should always be fought at full strength," he replied calmly. "Is that strange?"
Then, his voice turned cold.
"What about you, Matsushita Taichi? Thought about how you want to die?"
Taichi flicked his blade casually.
"Who dies isn't for you to decide. Maybe tomorrow Sunagakure will be choosing a Fifth Kazekage."
Rasa's eyes narrowed.
"Sharp tongue. Perhaps the underworld suits you better."
No more words.
He moved.
So did Taichi.
Because both of them had been stalling.
Yōhei and the others needed time to recover—even with soldier pills, chakra didn't return instantly.
From beneath the earth—
Gold dust erupted.
A vast golden tide surged upward, forming a sky-covering canopy.
Even Taichi felt a flicker of pressure.
He wasn't afraid for himself—
But the scale of this attack could easily wipe out the others.
He formed a seal with one hand.
Two shadow clones appeared, immediately moving to shield Yōhei's group.
That alone triggered Rasa's irritation.
Memories of their previous encounter flashed through his mind.
His hand swept forward.
The golden mass fragmented—
Transforming into countless needle-like projectiles that rained down toward Taichi's allies.
"You all fall back!"
Taichi shouted.
No hand seals.
Just a deep breath—
And then—
A massive, blazing golden fireball roared upward.
It tore through the golden storm, burning a massive hole straight through it.
Taichi laughed.
"Still haven't learned your lesson, Kazekage?"
But his body was already moving.
Flickering forward at high speed, closing distance.
He wasn't stupid—trading long-range attacks against Magnet Release was pointless.
Up close—that was his battlefield.
Rasa scoffed.
"You got lucky last time. Don't mistake that for strength."
His hands flashed through seals.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Great Wave.
The scattered gold dust surged like tides—layer upon layer, crashing toward Taichi, forcing him into constant movement.
That distance—
Gave the other Sand shinobi their opening.
Wind blades.
Fireballs.
Lightning spheres.
All converged on Taichi at once.
He didn't even bother hiding his disdain.
"Trying to gang up on me? Dream on."
With his left hand, he flung four marked kunai toward the four jōnin.
Then four more toward Rasa.
Rasa's instincts screamed.
He immediately focused—
But it was too late.
Taichi vanished.
In the next instant—
He reappeared behind one of the Sand jōnin.
Blade thrust.
Clean.
The sensation of steel piercing flesh confirmed the hit.
Yet Taichi sighed inwardly.
Still not smooth enough.
Compared to Minato Namikaze…
His Flying Thunder God still had a long way to go.
The blade only pierced the Sand jōnin's left arm—it wasn't a clean kill.
Part of that came down to Taichi's still-imperfect mastery of the Flying Thunder God, falling short of Minato. The other part was raw reaction speed—his opponent had just enough time to shift.
But Taichi didn't care.
For Minato, Flying Thunder God was a signature technique.
For Taichi, it was just one tool among many.
His wrist twisted.
The short blade tore outward, nearly severing the jōnin's entire left arm. In the same instant, Taichi exhaled—
Clusters of Phoenix Sage Fire shot forward at point-blank range.
Already wounded and caught off guard, the jōnin didn't even manage a proper dodge. The golden flames engulfed him instantly.
In the span of a heartbeat—
He was dead.
By the time Rasa and the others reacted—
It was over.
"Damn you, Matsushita Taichi!"
Rasa's fury exploded.
Five against one—and he still lost a subordinate.
That wasn't just a loss.
It was humiliation.
"You three—go after the fleeing Konoha ninja! I'll handle him myself!"
The remaining three exchanged glances, then vanished without hesitation.
Taichi didn't even try to stop them.
If anything, a faint, knowing smile tugged at his lips.
Go on… chase them.
His attention snapped back to Rasa.
No more words.
He moved.
In a flash, he closed the distance to within three meters.
His blade swung—
A flaming arc of chakra tore through the air toward the Kazekage.
But Rasa was ready.
A dense shield of gold dust rose instantly, blocking the strike, while another wave surged up from all directions, attempting to trap Taichi.
Taichi met it head-on.
Blade techniques.
Fire Release.
Relentless pressure.
Whenever he was cornered, he simply threw out another marked kunai—
and the battle reset, starting anew from a different angle.
Back and forth.
Again and again.
Gradually, both of them realized the same thing—
Neither could decisively defeat the other.
Taichi lacked a true one-hit kill against Magnet Release.
Rasa lacked a reliable method to pin down and finish someone with space-time mobility.
But their mindsets couldn't have been more different.
Taichi was still young.
Give him time—and this gap would close.
To Rasa, though—
This was unacceptable.
He was the Kazekage.
The pinnacle of Sunagakure's strength.
And yet—
He couldn't defeat a mere boy.
If word got out, the damage wouldn't stop at his pride.
It would hit the village itself.
Clients wouldn't care how talented Taichi was.
They'd only think:
If even the Kazekage is this weak… what about the rest?
Mission requests would plummet.
And for a village already struggling financially—
That would be disastrous.
A cold sweat formed on Rasa's back.
His killing intent surged even stronger.
He even regretted sending his subordinates away.
Even if it meant sacrificing them all—
If it ensured Taichi's death here, it would be worth it.
But regret was useless now.
The two stood facing each other, silently recovering chakra.
Half an hour had passed.
Both had already gone all out—short of their deepest hidden cards.
The stalemate held—
Waiting for a trigger.
And then—
It came.
From afar, disturbances rippled through the forest.
Taichi hadn't come here for a duel.
He came to rescue Yōhei's team.
And now—
Sand shinobi were converging from all directions.
The intensity of their battle had drawn them in.
Within that half-hour, the pursuers trailing Yōhei had caught up.
Rasa noticed it too.
And immediately pressed the attack again—not to kill, but to suppress.
His goal was simple:
Don't let Taichi use Flying Thunder God.
He had already observed the flaw—
Taichi's activation had a brief startup delay.
If he kept up constant pressure—
He could lock him down.
A glimmer of hope flickered in Rasa's eyes.
And with it—
An unexpected thought.
"Taichi," he said, almost conversationally amid the storm of attacks, "you're still young. Your future is bright. Dying here would be a waste."
"Join us."
"Whatever Konoha can give you—Sunagakure can give you more."
Taichi stared at him.
Then let out a short, incredulous breath.
Recruit me?
Did he think he was an idiot?
Betrayers never ended well.
Even a child understood that.
And more importantly—
Did Rasa really think he had this locked down?
Taichi glanced around.
Five squads had already arrived, surrounding the area.
Then he laughed—sharp, mocking.
"Kazekage-sama, you really think too highly of yourself."
"These scraps?"
"You think they can keep me here?"
"Why don't you go train them first?"