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The Leaf Village higher-ups' decision reached Orochimaru on the northern front in just one day.
Staring at the harshly worded order in his hand, he felt a storm of mixed emotions that finally settled into a silent sigh.
Even if the village refused to let him launch a full-scale offensive, he was still the supreme commander on the front lines. He could make "flexible adjustments." Worst case, he'd push the Cloud forces all the way out of the Land of Hot Springs and call it a day.
With that settled, Orochimaru summoned his staff officers and started issuing orders one after another.
The camp woke up fast. Squad after squad of ninjas grabbed fresh mission scrolls and streamed toward the Land of Hot Springs. The quiet base suddenly buzzed with energy again—like a lion stretching its claws after a long nap, eyes locked on the Cloud ninjas hiding in the Land of Hot Springs.
Team Taiichi received the same type of mission. The frustration from the last ambush was still burning in their chests, and this was the perfect way to let it out. The three of them snatched the scroll and raced toward the Land of Hot Springs at top speed. The objective was simple: kill every Cloud ninja they ran into.
Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori shot into the heart of the Land of Hot Springs like unsheathed blades.
Orochimaru's clearance order had come a little late, and Cloud's full retreat had been executed perfectly. As Team Taiichi tore through the country, they quickly realized the resistance was almost nonexistent.
Even the scattered Cloud patrols they bumped into were usually just Chunin reconnaissance squads. It felt like swinging a sword at a pile of cotton—tons of power, zero real impact. Infuriating.
After a few days the team's initial hype cooled off. They dropped the impatience and slipped back into their usual calm, professional mindset.
They moved carefully through the Land of Hot Springs, spreading out shadow clones to widen their search grid. Sure enough, that paid off. They uncovered several more Cloud forward supply depots—the ones the enemy had been forced to abandon during their rushed withdrawal.
They grabbed everything they could carry and destroyed the rest. Luckily, both Taiichi and Saori were sealing experts; with enough materials on hand, whipping up temporary storage scrolls was child's play.
After clearing five depots, just the explosive tags, medicine, and weapons they'd confiscated were worth tens of millions of ryo.
Even more important: in wartime, these supplies were literally priceless. You couldn't buy them with gold.
All of it came down to Cloud pulling out too fast. To save their fighting strength, they'd had no choice but to ditch the gear.
Their campaign rolled on like a hot knife through butter. Victory after victory only made Team Taiichi more confident—and bolder.
Their route shifted from the heart of the Land of Hot Springs, creeping closer and closer to the Land of Moon. While patrolling a jagged ravine zone in the northern part of the country, they ran straight into a very different Cloud squad.
Same size—three people. But the second Taiichi picked them up on his chakra sensing, the Cloud ninjas clearly felt the probe and vanished from his radar.
They had a sensor ninja too. No other way they could block him that cleanly.
Still, that split-second glimpse told Taiichi everything he needed to know.
"Heads up—1.5 kilometers ahead. Three Cloud ninjas. Two feel like Jonin from their aura. There's also a girl about our age… something's off about her. Can't pin down her strength."
Taiichi quickly relayed everything to Yohei and Saori. At the same time the three of them changed course and headed straight for the enemy. Right now the squad was riding high on confidence. Two Jonin? Bring it.
The fight exploded without warning.
When the two sides—both deliberately hunting each other—met in the middle of the ravine, they didn't waste a single word. Jutsu flew instantly.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
Lightning Style: Lightning Bind!
The two techniques slammed together in the center of the ravine. Flames and lightning exploded outward, instantly turning the whole valley into a sea of fire.
Taiichi charged straight through his own jutsu, short sword already blazing with bright golden flames. He'd planned to use the fire as cover for a surprise strike, but inside the inferno he ran smack into one of the Cloud ninjas.
Blades clashed. The instant they connected, Taiichi knew he was in trouble. The guy's raw power was on another level—clearly more than a full tier above his own. And the lightning crackling all over the enemy's body screamed Cloud Village's secret Lightning Release Body Activation technique.
This wasn't Saori's half-baked version. This was the real deal.
Now Taiichi's youth and lower base strength became glaring weaknesses. Normally his monstrous strength technique let him dominate anyway. But against someone with the same kind of enhancement, it came down to raw stats.
His Strength was only 23—below even the standard Jonin baseline of 25. In close quarters he was instantly suppressed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After a few exchanges, Taiichi realized brute force wasn't working. He immediately switched tactics, using his superior swordsmanship to tangle and outmaneuver the Jonin instead.
The style change let him slowly regain the edge.
"Careful—these guys aren't normal Jonin! Stay sharp!" Taiichi shouted, mainly for Saori's sake. This squad was definitely trouble.
Yohei got the message and instantly upgraded his Three Tomoe to Mangekyo. Thanks to Taiichi's special contact lenses, he didn't have to worry about anyone spotting the change.
With the Mangekyo boost, Yohei's offense jumped to another level. Every time he unleashed a sliver of Susanoo power, the sudden doubling of strength left his Jonin opponent completely rattled.
The two Jonin were tied down. That left only the eleven- or twelve-year-old girl. Instead of looking scared, she looked excited—like she couldn't wait to jump in.
She loosened her limbs, hopped in place like a cat a few times, then lightning flashed as she charged Saori at a speed way beyond her age.
Saori stayed calm. She had tons of experience against high-speed fighters from sparring with Taiichi.
She formed seals and flung lightning nets at the incoming girl. But the opponent's speed and agility were insane—like a wildcat bouncing and weaving, dodging every attack with pure footwork.
Seeing the girl close in, Saori dropped the ninjutsu, covered herself in crackling lightning, and met her head-on with fists flying.
Her taijutsu was no joke—daily training paid off.
The dull thud of bone and flesh echoed through the ravine. Every punch and kick came with sparks flying.
Saori's Lightning Release activation made her moves explosive and fierce. Add in her berserk close-combat style and she looked downright terrifying.
But the Cloud girl was faster. Her small frame slipped through Saori's punches like a real wildcat, thin arms blocking and slapping at weird angles to neutralize everything.
Whoosh!
The girl suddenly dropped low, using insane flexibility to dodge a sweeping kick. At the same time her right hand shot forward like lightning, claws aimed at Saori's waist.
Saori twisted sharply to evade, then countered with a downward elbow. The girl used Saori's own momentum to flip sideways, tapping Saori's supporting leg for extra lift as she leaped back several meters.
The kick knocked Saori off balance. Once she steadied herself, her pupils shrank. The girl's taijutsu was wild, unorthodox, and terrifyingly efficient—like a hunting wildcat.
Saori stared at the girl, expression dead serious.
The girl just smiled wider, eyes shifting from human to vertical cat slits. She arched her back, hands hovering like paws, body crouched low. A low hiss rumbled from her throat.
This was no normal human fighting stance.
"Leaf big sis, I'm getting serious now. Try not to die, okay?"
The second the words left her mouth, she vanished. Only a deep footprint remained where she'd stood.
"So fast!" Saori thought, retreating explosively. She instinctively formed seals and spread a lightning net right in front of her.
It didn't matter. Blue light flashed across the girl as she smashed straight through the net, still charging. Her nails extended into razor-sharp claws aimed at Saori's neck.
Too fast—Saori didn't even have time to change her guard. In that split-second, one of the sealing tags she kept on her person activated on command—the Multiple String Light Formation tag Taiichi had given her.
The seal array flashed. The Cloud girl froze for a heartbeat—long enough for Saori to bring her arms up. Massive chakra wrapped her limbs, but she was still sent flying. Even with the protection, four deep bloody gashes appeared on her arm.
Saori's fight didn't escape Taiichi's notice. While tangling the Jonin with swordplay, he kept enough focus to watch the other battles.
The moment he saw the Cloud girl's cat-like stance, he grew suspicious. When blue light flashed around her, his expression changed completely.
"Damn it! Cloud actually sent a jinchuriki to the front lines?! You really want an all-out war with the Leaf?!"
With that, Taiichi poured everything into one slash, forcing the Jonin back. Several fireballs formed around him and blasted toward the retreating enemy while he used Body Flicker at full speed, racing toward where Saori had been sent flying.
"Yugito, careful! A tough one's coming your way!"
The Jonin shouted the warning. Yugito, who had wanted to press the attack, just pouted. One more hit and that Leaf kunoichi would've been finished.
Inside Yugito, in the strange space, the Two-Tails Matatabi's voice rang out: "Kid, watch yourself. This Leaf brat isn't simple."
Only then did Yugito drop her casual attitude. Getting a "not simple" from Matatabi was rare even in Cloud.
By now Taiichi had reached Saori. Two shadow clones appeared instantly—one started healing her right away, the other stood guard.
Taiichi's main body faced Yugito and the approaching Jonin. His hands blurred.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
This time it was full power. Bright golden flames roared toward the two attackers, carrying scorching heat.
The pair hadn't taken it seriously at first—just another Fire Dragon Flame Bullet? They'd seen it already. Strong, sure, but nothing crazy.
But when the overwhelming heat hit them, their faces changed.
Yugito reacted like a real cat, dropping to all fours and instantly going partial Tailed Beast Mode. She clawed the ground frantically, kicking up dust as she sped backward.
The Jonin was no slouch either. Lightning exploded over his body—he maxed out Lightning Release Body Activation, twisted at a ninety-degree angle, and scraped past the edge of the fire dragon.
"You're Matsushita Taiichi—the Leaf genius who's been making waves lately," the Cloud Jonin spoke for the first time. "That Fire Style power… no wonder you killed Zi Yina, genius."
By now the half-Tailed Beast Yugito had charged back. A blue flaming tail swayed behind her.
Probably because she was still young, the partial transformation had already messed with her mind. Seeing the Cloud Jonin in her way, she didn't hesitate—she swiped at him with a cat claw.
The Jonin knew her condition and didn't clash head-on. He used the force to retreat even farther, letting the Two-Tails charge past.
Seeing the now half-Tailed Beast Yugito, Taiichi felt a headache coming on. The best person to handle a Tailed Beast should've been Yohei with his Mangekyo, but Yohei sucked at genjutsu and his Mangekyo had only just awakened. No choice—he'd have to do it himself.
But after this fight, both Yohei's and his own genjutsu training were getting serious upgrades.
He focused. Facing a jinchuriki, Taiichi wasn't taking any chances. Phoenix Flowers formed around him. The bright golden fireballs, as if they had eyes, assaulted the charging Yugito from every direction.
Yugito wasn't backing down. She spat out several fire-rat bombs that exploded into swarms of blue flame homing projectiles. Some tried to detonate against Taiichi's Phoenix Flowers, others flew straight at him.
But Yugito—or Matatabi—had badly underestimated Taiichi's flames. A single blue projectile couldn't cancel one of his Phoenix Flowers.
By the time she realized and tried to swarm him with more, it was too late. A few stray Phoenix Fireballs still slammed into her.
An ear-piercing cat yowl shook the ravine. Torrents of blue flames instantly engulfed Yugito's body, and a second tail appeared behind her in the blink of an eye.
"Shit—she's going full Tailed Beast Mode!" Taiichi cursed, shouting toward Yohei in the distance: "Yohei, run! It's a Tailed Beast!"
Right now it wasn't just Taiichi and Yohei thinking about escaping. Even the two Cloud Jonin were trying to get as far away as possible.
Yugito was no longer the perfect jinchuriki she'd become later. After going full Tailed Beast Mode, she'd completely lost consciousness. The one in control now was the Two-Tails Matatabi.
And facing Matatabi, the Cloud ninjas weren't much better off than the Leaf ones. If anything, Matatabi might hate Cloud ninjas even more—after all, the one always sealing her was from Cloud Village.