The southern camp had developed a strange new pattern lately.
One moment you'd spot Taiichi at the medical camp, standing behind a medical ninja and correcting their Mystical Palm Technique. The next you'd catch him in the woods, blades flashing as he drilled advanced kenjutsu. A minute later you might run into yet another Taiichi tucked in some corner, deep in ninjutsu research.
Most shinobi agreed: lately you could find Taiichi almost anywhere in camp, but every version of him had one thing in common—he was busy.
Word spread quickly. Taiichi was using shadow clones to squeeze every spare second out of the day for training.
Plenty of people tried to copy him. Ambitious shinobi were never in short supply. But only a handful truly understood how shadow clones worked, and those who didn't quickly learned why after their first attempt. The splitting headache and total-body exhaustion that followed made most swear they'd never try it again.
Taiichi hadn't started with six clones. He'd built up to it slowly, one at a time. Even then, only his insane constitution, spirit, and the system's constant boosts let him handle this hellish routine without breaking.
People always said it wasn't talent that beat you—it was the guy with talent who also outworked you. After watching Taiichi, no one in camp could argue anymore. If you thought you were special, go ahead and try training like that.
Outside the main command tent, Jiraiya watched yet another Taiichi sprint past for the third time and turned to Shikaku with a raised eyebrow.
"I thought he was only running four clones before. Am I seeing things, or did he add two more?"
"Six now," Shikaku confirmed. "He's really pushing it."
"Impressive," Jiraiya muttered. "Shadow Clone really got mastered by the right guy." Then his tone sharpened. "Did we confirm the other thing?"
Shikaku nodded. "We caught him. A chunin from the barrier team. Three years ago he was captured by Sand on a mission and turned. They've been controlling him ever since."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed with interest. "Long-term planning. Did we get anything useful out of him?"
"His latest report was about Taiichi. Sand started wondering why our combat strength suddenly spiked and sent him to dig for intel."
"Damn it," Jiraiya growled, jaw tight. "We were one step too slow."
They had noticed the effect Taiichi's medical skills were having on morale and casualties right away, but too many people knew the truth. They couldn't keep it quiet. They could only hope Sand stayed in the dark a little longer.
Instead, Sand had picked up on the change fast and immediately activated their spy.
"What do you think they'll do next?" Jiraiya asked, eyes tracking another Taiichi clone dashing by. He didn't even know if it was the real one anymore. A vein pulsed on his forehead. Here he was worrying himself sick while the kid trained without a care in the world.
"Based on the spy's memories, he only sent the report yesterday. Sand already had plans to raid our camp. Now that they know about Taiichi, they'll probably combine the two operations."
Jiraiya looked at Shikaku, waiting.
"They want to kill Taiichi or cripple our medical system. The faster they move, the better for them. I'd bet on the next two days at most."
Shikaku spoke with absolute confidence, like a detective who'd already solved the case.
Jiraiya nodded slowly. "Then we'd better get serious about welcoming our guests."
Taiichi had no idea Sand was gunning for him yet. Even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. He might have even hoped they'd send their best.
It had been almost two months since he'd had a real fight. His body was starting to feel rusty.
That same afternoon, Shikaku found Taiichi teaching at the medical camp and pulled him aside into a quiet corner.
"From tonight on, stay at the medical camp," Shikaku said in a low voice. "Sand's probably going to hit us in the next couple days."
Taiichi's eyes lit up instantly. He'd been itching for a real opponent.
"Don't worry. I'll camp out here until it's over. No way I'm letting Sand touch our medical ninjas."
Shikaku saw the eager glint in Taiichi's eyes and realized the kid had misunderstood.
"I'm talking about you," he clarified. "You're their main target. The medical camp is just a bonus."
Taiichi's grin only widened. They were coming for him personally? Even better.
"Want me to act as bait? Draw them all in one place? That way the medical camp stays safe too."
Shikaku felt a chill. Only someone who trained like a maniac could look that excited about being hunted. These battle-crazy types always seemed normal until the fighting started—then they turned into absolute lunatics.
"No need," Shikaku said quickly. "Just stay at the medical camp. They need your protection too."
"Fine," Taiichi sighed, disappointed but obedient. He glanced at Shikaku to see if there was anything else, then said, "Later," and formed the seal.
Poof.
A puff of white smoke replaced him.
Shikaku stood there staring at the empty space for a long moment.
A shadow clone. He'd just spent all that time briefing a shadow clone. Taiichi really had mastered the technique to an absurd degree.
The real Taiichi was deep in advanced taijutsu practice when the memories hit him. At first he was startled—none of his clones should have dispelled yet. He worried something had gone wrong with Nonou or Yohei. Once he sorted through the memories, though, he relaxed.
So Sand was planning a sneak attack. That explained the timing. And that clone's personality had definitely drifted after being out so long—way more dramatic than the original.
He cleaned up his training area, then used Flying Thunder God to appear in a quiet corner of the medical camp. When he walked back into the main tent, no one noticed the switch.
He picked up right where the clone had left off, guiding the same medical ninja. Inside, though, he was already counting down the hours. He couldn't wait to meet these Sand shinobi. He'd been idle way too long.
That night Taiichi dismissed every clone, centered himself, and sat cross-legged inside a tent at the medical camp. He slipped into light meditation, waiting for the attack he knew was coming.
Hours crawled by. Moonrise. Midnight. Moonset. The eastern sky finally started to pale.
Taiichi stood, stretched, and stepped outside. Looked like he'd waited for nothing. Not even a single scout. He turned toward his own tent, figuring he could grab a couple hours of sleep before the day started.
He'd only taken two steps when a massive explosion thundered from the direction of the main command tent.
Taiichi's entire body snapped to attention. So the ambush had finally arrived—and they'd timed it perfectly. Even he had started to relax.
He flared his chakra sensing to full power. Multiple enemy groups had infiltrated the camp. The largest force was hitting the command tent, while smaller Sand teams were creating chaos elsewhere.
The Leaf forces, already prepared, handled the scattered attacks with ease.
The whole camp had jolted awake at the explosion. Confusion spread for a moment before the pre-planned response kicked in. Some shinobi moved to surround the intruders. Others reinforced the outer perimeter in case of a follow-up assault.
The Sand strike team had no idea any of this was happening.
They'd sent their elites—more than ten jonin and countless chunin straight at the command tent. In seconds the area was blanketed in Wind, Fire, and Lightning Release. The tent and everything around it vanished in a storm of destruction.
The attackers should have felt triumph. Instead, a cold dread crawled up their spines.
It was too quiet. No resistance at all.
They'd walked into a trap.
"Fall back!" the lead jonin barked. "No fighting—retreat now!"
But the encirclement had already closed.
At the medical camp, Taiichi had already pulled his sensing back. The command tent fight was settled. His focus shifted to the group heading his way.
A Sand force of fifty-plus, including ten jonin, was moving in fast. If they'd reached the medical camp unchecked, very few would have survived. Most of the people here were wounded or medical staff, and not every medic had Taiichi's combat ability.
There was no "if," though. The element of surprise was gone. Every move these Sand shinobi made had been known the moment they entered the camp. Only failure waited for them now.
Sure enough, before they got close, hidden Leaf forces launched their ambush.
The timing was perfect. The effect, however, was not.
Taiichi watched from the medical camp as a massive golden sand dome suddenly rose, completely shielding the entire Sand group.
"Shit—the Fourth Kazekage's here? Does he have a death wish?" Taiichi cursed. He left two shadow clones behind and blurred toward the fight, shouting a warning. "That's the Fourth Kazekage! Everyone be careful!"
He'd never met Rasa in person, but he'd seen the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand. The gold version was unmistakable.
No one had expected the Fourth Kazekage to personally join a raid on their camp. Even if it succeeded, a chaotic melee was no place for a village leader. Jiraiya and Shikaku definitely hadn't planned for this.
The golden dome exploded outward into countless gold senbon that screamed in every direction.
The Leaf ambushers reacted fast—Earth Flow Wall, Water Formation Wall, every defensive jutsu they had. Those who couldn't cast in time ducked behind their comrades.
Still, Rasa's Gold Sand wasn't something you could just block. Several weaker defenses shattered. Shinobi caught behind them took bleeding wounds. The ones who couldn't dodge at all went down hard.
Rasa's opening move had cleared the field and crushed the Leaf momentum in one stroke.
His own mood, however, was anything but victorious.
Rasa's heart had sunk to his boots. The raid had been going perfectly—until they ran straight into a prepared ambush. If he hadn't reacted instantly, half his team would already be dead.
And the other strike force hitting the command tent had no one of his level. Against an ambush like this…
The more he thought about it, the worse the picture became. Rage boiled up to replace the dread. If Sand was going to take heavy losses, he'd make sure Leaf paid just as dearly.
The golden sand around him began to swirl faster.