In a forest where ice and flames clashed, trees leaned at odd angles, bushes were scattered everywhere, and the ground was a mess of scorched earth, frozen patches, craters, and puddles.
A handsome black-haired boy kept bowing repeatedly to the two older teens—one boy, one girl—his face plastered with an apologetic smile so humble it was almost comical.
"Yohei, Saori, please forgive me! I just got excited about my new power and wanted to test it out—that's all!"
Seeing the cold looks on their faces, especially the trail of blood at the corner of Yohei's eye, Taiichi genuinely felt bad.
Yohei still refused to budge. He had been ready to go all-out earlier; if Taiichi had revealed himself even a second later, Yohei would have summoned Susanoo without hesitation.
Saori, being a girl, softened first when she saw Taiichi's genuinely remorseful attitude.
"Taiichi, you really scared us to death! Don't ever do that again. Look at Yohei—his eye is still bleeding. Hurry up and heal him!"
With Saori giving him an out, both Taiichi and Yohei took it.
Taiichi flashed over to Yohei, green healing chakra glowing in his palms as he examined the damage. "Yohei, stay still. Let me check."
Yohei didn't dodge. He just stared at Taiichi quietly, though most of the anger in his eyes had already faded.
Taiichi didn't hesitate. He pressed both hands to Yohei's temples and carefully scanned the condition of his eyes and brain.
The ocular power in Yohei's right eye was abnormally active—like an excited kid running wild—spinning madly and causing the bleeding by damaging the internal tissue from the pressure.
Taiichi also noticed the ocular power recovered extremely slowly. Even ten minutes after the fight ended, it hadn't increased noticeably.
This gave him a theory: Sharingan ocular power recovers slowly to begin with, and the more you use it, the more damage it does. That could create a vicious cycle ending in blindness.
Of course, it was still just a guess. He would need long-term observation and research to confirm.
Right now, his first priority was to heal the eye damage and calm the raging ocular power inside.
He converted chakra to Yang nature. Rich life energy poured from his hands onto Yohei's eyes. The bleeding stopped instantly, and with Yohei's cooperation the ocular power gradually stabilized.
No wonder Hashirama's cells could suppress Mangekyo power—it was really high-quality Yang and Yin natures keeping each other in check.
But ordinary people didn't have Hashirama-level Yang power. From Taiichi's current observation, to match the Yin quality inside Mangekyo ocular power, Yang Nature Transformation would need to reach at least Lv13—Kage peak.
His own Yang was only Lv9. The road ahead was long.
Still, what was impossible for others was just a matter of time for him. And with his current ability, preliminary treatment for Yohei's eyes was no problem at all.
A long while later, Taiichi withdrew his hands. Yohei opened his eyes again. A cool, refreshing sensation spread through them; the stinging pain from using the Mangekyo was gone.
"How do you feel, Yohei? Any special sensations?" Taiichi asked carefully, wanting immediate patient feedback.
Yohei looked at Taiichi, then Saori, then into the distance. The world was still crystal clear. He grinned happily.
"Great! Right after using the right-eye technique everything went blurry for a bit, but it's recovered now."
"Looks like my guess was right. But Yohei, you still have to be careful. My current level can only treat minor damage. Once it exceeds a certain limit, even I can't help."
Taiichi gave him a serious warning so Yohei wouldn't go overboard just because it could be fixed.
"Got it, got it!" Yohei was already forgetting he had been angry. With Taiichi's treatment, at least limited use was completely safe. He had just tested the right-eye technique—Susanoo—and knew how terrifyingly strong the Mangekyo-specific jutsu was. If he couldn't use it anymore, that would be worse than death!
"Taiichi, how was the power of my technique just now?" Yohei couldn't wait to show off.
"Oh!" Taiichi's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "So that's why your Great Fire Annihilation suddenly exploded in strength, and every punch carried monstrous power!"
Saori was also full of curiosity, staring at Yohei. She wouldn't pry into teammates' secrets, but if they offered, she was happy to listen—especially since that Fire Style had been almost as strong as Taiichi's full-power version.
"Yeah, yeah!" Yohei had completely forgotten his earlier anger; he was now just a kid eager to brag about his new toy.
"It's called Susanoo, named after the legendary god of destruction. The effect is to consume ocular power and chakra to massively amplify the strength of my ninjutsu and taijutsu attacks."
"Current amplification is double. Once I master it, I can increase the consumption for even greater boosts."
Taiichi clicked his tongue in amazement. Simple, brutal, and direct—just raw power increase for both ninjutsu and taijutsu. No wonder it was named after the god of destruction. The technique matched the desperate craving for strength Yohei had felt when awakening the Mangekyo. The "eyes that reflect the heart" really was accurate. He wondered what Yohei's left eye could do, but he wasn't going to ask.
"However powerful the technique is, your own strength is still the foundation. Yohei, don't forget—you're the one who told me that!" Taiichi reminded him solemnly.
Yohei froze. He had been so absorbed in studying the Sharingan lately that he had actually neglected his own training. Taiichi's reminder snapped him back to reality.
"Thanks, Taiichi. I won't forget!"
Saori finally brought the conversation back to the real issue. "Taiichi, how did you suddenly get Ice Release?"
Only then did the group remember why they had fought in the first place. Yohei's eyes also lit up.
Now it was Taiichi's turn to show off. After all, being able to fuse a bloodline limit on his own made him one of the rarest shinobi in the entire ninja world.
He told them the whole story—how he had used his insane chakra control and advanced Wind/Water Nature Transformations to experiment bit by bit, how many explosions and near-death moments he had survived, turning it into an exciting tale. The other two listened spellbound, wishing they could try it themselves.
Thankfully Taiichi ended with a warning: "Don't even think about trying this without absolute chakra control. I only survived because of my Fire Body technique. Normal people would probably get blown to half-dead by the attribute clash on the first try."
That killed any ideas they had of experimenting alone. The real process was far harder than Taiichi described—he had only done the beginning manually before using skill points to finish it instantly. There was zero reference value.
By then their fight had finally drawn the attention of patrolling ninjas. This was near the camp, and Team Taiichi had reported their training location, but the huge commotion required checking.
Sensing people approaching fast, Taiichi casually waved his hand. A fire dragon formed, spinning rapidly around the area. All the ice and frost melted under the scorching heat, leaving only puddles of water.
"Lord Taiichi, what happened here?" The patrol arrived, staring at the devastated ground, at a loss for words.
"Sorry, our squad was doing live combat drills. The noise got a bit big—sorry for the trouble!"
Taiichi waved them off politely. Even though he was still only a Chunin, his reputation in the northern camp was sky-high. A small matter like this, as long as it didn't affect camp operations, was easily handled.
After the patrol left, the three trained a little longer before heading back to camp.
At the camp gate they ran straight into two people they hadn't seen for days—Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Hiashi.
"Taiichi! Yohei! Saori!" Minato greeted them with his sunny smile, instantly making everyone feel warm. "Finally ran into you! Ever since we arrived at this camp we haven't seen each other once. I thought you guys had gone back to the village!"
Hiashi nodded quietly behind him. "We've been doing rear-line missions the whole time—come back, take a mission, leave again." He explained briefly.
"Minato-senpai! Hiashi-senpai!" Yohei's loud voice was full of joy at the reunion. "I looked for you guys for ages! Turns out you were always out on missions."
"Come on, it's been forever. Let's find somewhere to sit and catch up properly." Minato hooked an arm around Taiichi's shoulder and dragged him toward the camp with a big grin. "Don't block the gate."
The five of them chatted and laughed as they found an empty tent and sat down to swap stories.
"What?! Kazefuri was a spy too?!"
When they got to the ambush on Team Taiichi, Hiashi's face filled with shock. In just one month they had run into two separate spy incidents.
Minato stayed calmer. "Remember the pursuit mission for the defense map?" he said quietly. "Kazefuri kept having 'accidents'—now that I think about it, he was deliberately slowing us down so the Cloud spy could escape!"
Everyone thought back and realized it was true. "Lost stamina," "fell from a tree in the dark"—mistakes even genin could avoid, yet a chunin had made them all. But no one could be blamed; a spy planted since childhood was impossible to suspect. This world was just too cruel.
"The enemy hid so deep… but thankfully you three still won in the end!" Minato's expression grew grave. The war hadn't even officially started and the villages were already clashing this fiercely. Once real war broke out, the ninja world would descend into chaos.
He took a deep breath, tone turning deadly serious. "Even though you survived the ambush, you still have to be extra careful—especially you, Taiichi."
"During a gap between missions we stopped at our intelligence outpost in the Land of Hot Springs and got the latest bounty list from the underground exchange. Your name is on it."
Minato carefully pulled a sheet of paper from his hidden pouch and unfolded it in front of them. There was a rough sketch of Taiichi's face, and below it the bounty—10 million ryo.
"Ten million ryo?!" Yohei sucked in a sharp breath, eyes bulging. "Taiichi's only a chunin!"
Minato nodded heavily, golden bangs swaying. His gaze swept over everyone, sharp as a blade. "This makes no sense at all! But Taiichi, that's exactly why it proves how special you are in the enemy's eyes!"
"Bounty hunters, rogue ninjas from every village, even Sand and Rock—they won't mind killing you early, the 10-million-ryo Leaf genius. The moment you step out the camp gate, you become a walking golden target."
Everyone looked at Taiichi with worry, but he just smiled, completely unconcerned. Ten million ryo? Asuma had once been worth 30 million and he was still alive and kicking. Taiichi's current strength far surpassed Asuma's at that time, and his survival ability was even stronger. He had zero reason to worry.
"Why are you all staring at me? You already know my strength. Those trash outside can't do anything to me!" Taiichi's confident grin instantly eased the tension in the tent.
At the same time, Orochimaru's urgent letter had already reached Sarutobi Hiruzen through special channels.
Reading Orochimaru's detailed plan and the bright future it promised, Hiruzen felt genuinely tempted.
But considering Konoha's current situation—surrounded by enemies on all sides—and the risk that pushing Cloud too hard would ignite full-scale war immediately, he did not want the stain of "starting the war" on the Hokage's record.
After long hesitation, Hiruzen had no choice but to summon his advisory council to discuss the matter together.
A long while later, once the Konoha F4 had gathered again in the Hokage's office, the room was once more filled with thick pipe smoke.
Hiruzen passed Orochimaru's urgent letter to the three advisors to read. Before he could even open his mouth, Danzo spoke impatiently.
"Hiruzen, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Cloud suffered massive losses at Taiichi's squad's hands—their frontline strength is crippled, morale is rock-bottom! This is the perfect moment!
Orochimaru's plan is feasible. Send elite squads deep into enemy territory, avoid their main force, strike only at their weak points—"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, voice rising with the aggressive spirit of a true warmonger.
Koharu Utatane pushed up her glasses, eyes filled with deep worry. "Danzo, that's the ideal scenario! But what about our own war preparations? Sand and Rock are staring at our borders like hungry wolves. If Cloud gets beaten again, their personalities guarantee fierce retaliation—maybe even allying with the other villages to attack us together. What then? We're not ready. So I believe striking now carries far greater risk than reward!"
Mito Monari immediately followed up, voice steady but equally opposed. "Koharu is right. Our frontline supplies and troop rotations are nowhere near complete. Orochimaru's northern line easing pressure is good—it gives us time to reinforce the southwest fronts."
The two advisors sang the same tune, grinding away what little patience Danzo had left. He snorted coldly. "Women's timidity! Victory is right in front of us! Hesitating out of fear will only make us miss the golden chance! Orochimaru is the frontline supreme commander—he sees the situation clearest. His judgment—"
"Orochimaru's judgment—" Mito Monari cut him off before he could finish. "He's only commander of the northern front. Of course he wants to seize this chance to score a huge achievement and prove himself. The other two fronts are quiet while only the north crosses borders and destroys Cloud's rear. A merit like that would be huge political capital for the next Hokage race!"
Koharu opened her mouth to ease the tension, but she saw Hiruzen's expression suddenly turn extremely grave and complicated.
Whether intentional or not, Monari's words had struck the exact nerve Hiruzen was most sensitive about—choosing a successor and preserving prestige.
Danzo also sensed the shift. A strange light flashed in his eye. Monari's words hadn't just reminded Hiruzen—they had reminded him too. He was also competing for Fourth Hokage.
And he knew Hiruzen too well. If Hiruzen had been leaning toward an offensive earlier, Monari's words had killed that thought completely.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke that blurred his dark face. He raised his hand and spoke in a tone that allowed no argument, ending the heated debate.
"Enough. Monari and Koharu's concerns are based on the overall situation of Konoha—practical and necessary. Now is not the time to thoroughly provoke Cloud and drag the Land of Fire into all-out war."
He picked up Orochimaru's proposal and closed it gently but extremely firmly.
"Transmit orders to the northern front: maintain the current defensive posture. Orochimaru's plan is rejected. Tell him to focus on consolidating the existing defense line. The village will send the supplies he requested as quickly as possible—tell him not to worry."
Hiruzen's gaze swept over everyone present, his voice carrying an unshakeable finality.
The office fell into dead silence. Danzo's mouth twitched—half smile, half anger—but in the end he simply turned and left the Hokage's office without another word.