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At the medical camp, Fourth Kazekage Rasa wore a dark expression. He stared at the Leaf shinobi lying scattered across the ground, yet felt no satisfaction.
"The ambush failed. Break out now while I buy you time to escape."
Rasa showed real leadership. Whatever his reasons, the fact that he stayed behind to cover their retreat moved every Sand ninja with him.
Time was short. The Leaf forces Rasa had just pushed back were already regrouping and closing in. The remaining Sand shinobi formed a tight wedge formation, blasted forward with Wind Release, and charged along their original path.
But the Leaf weren't about to let them go. The injured were mostly in the inner circle—more and more Leaf shinobi were flooding in from the outer perimeter.
Rasa was about to strike again when every hair on his body stood up. A wave of lethal danger slammed into his senses.
He reacted on pure instinct, thrusting his hand forward. The gold sand swirling around him instantly formed a half-meter-thick wall right in front of him.
A blazing golden flame blade crashed into it a split second later.
Shhhk! The thick wall split clean through, but the sand slowed the strike enough that the remaining energy fizzled out half a meter from Rasa's chest.
A bead of cold sweat slid down his temple. That had been way too close. When the hell had Leaf produced a swordsman this skilled? Sand hadn't heard a single whisper about him.
The attacker was, of course, Taiichi. Against a Kage who specialized in wide-area Magnet Release like Rasa, letting him run free would cause catastrophic damage—especially this close to the main camp and the medical tents.
"Lord Kazekage, dropping by our Leaf camp this late at night isn't exactly polite."
Rasa didn't press the attack, so Taiichi didn't either. This was Leaf territory. The longer he dragged things out, the better his odds became. If Jiraiya finished up at the command tent and showed up, Sand might be picking a Fifth Kazekage tomorrow.
Rasa knew the same thing. But as he watched the young swordsman with the short blade walking steadily toward him, a name surfaced in his mind.
"You're Matsushita Taiichi."
So young. Far too young. At that age he was already a top-tier medical ninja, and from that last attack, his combat strength clearly exceeded any ordinary jonin.
Rasa's killing intent toward Taiichi had never been stronger.
This boy could not be allowed to live. If he did, Sand would never know peace again.
A terrible premonition gripped him. Without waiting for an answer, Rasa attacked first.
Magnet Release: Gold Sand Drizzle.
The same technique as before—only this time every grain was aimed solely at Taiichi. The density was far greater.
Too bad it was Taiichi he was facing. The move was useless against him.
Taiichi didn't even dodge. He simply opened his mouth and spat out a massive, brilliant golden fireball that roared straight toward Rasa and the Sand ninja he was shielding.
Every gold senbon aimed at Taiichi slammed into the searing fireball and melted into useless golden liquid before they could emerge. The fireball kept flying, completely unaffected.
Rasa was in trouble. He couldn't dodge. His own people were right behind him.
And he absolutely could not let that fireball touch him. Even his gold sand turned to liquid on contact. If it hit his body…
Rasa raised both hands. Massive amounts of gold sand gathered around him. He formed seals and slammed his palms into the ground. A thicker, taller gold sand wall erupted upward, blocking the path.
BOOM! The fireball slammed into it with a deafening roar. Golden light exploded outward. The entire wall glowed red and began melting from front to back at terrifying speed.
Rasa didn't hesitate. While the fireball was still blocked, he prepared his ultimate technique. His hands flew through seals, then he shouted.
Magnet Release: Gold Sand Burial.
The ground for dozens of meters around him began to ripple. A massive area-of-effect jutsu was forming. Leaf shinobi who recognized it shouted in alarm.
"Stop him—quick!"
At that moment Taiichi blurred past the edge of the melting wall, casually cutting through incoming gold sand. In the blink of an eye he was right on top of the Fourth Kazekage.
His short blade, wrapped in bright golden flames, slashed down in a rapid flurry.
Rasa's face twisted. He was still mid-seal. He tried to retreat, but Taiichi's full-powered assault was faster. Forced to abandon the technique, he dropped the seals and spun his hands, summoning fresh gold sand barriers to block the strikes.
Everything had happened in less than fifteen seconds.
The Leaf shinobi who had stayed behind to watch could only shout one warning. None of them could jump into a fight moving at that speed. Rasa's flying gold senbon and Taiichi's occasional flame blades were both lethal to anyone who got too close.
They were smart enough to know their limits.
Still, seeing Taiichi single-handedly tie down the Fourth Kazekage, the lead Leaf jonin made his decision.
"Moonlight, Shōtai—you two stay and support Taiichi. Everyone else, with me. Finish the escaping Sand first."
"Yes, sir!"
In moments, only two jonin remained near Taiichi and Rasa. They stood on either side at a distance, watching the fight and ready to intervene if an opening appeared.
Their presence alone forced Rasa to split his attention, easing the pressure on Taiichi.
"Lord Kazekage, you should run while you still can. Your people won't last much longer."
Taiichi's blade never stopped, but he had enough breath to taunt.
Rasa was seething. His real strength was definitely greater than Taiichi's, but he'd been forced into close combat—the one thing he hated most. All he could do was rely on wide-area techniques and experience to survive.
He just wanted to create distance and fight on his own terms.
"Lord Kazekage, hear that? Another one of your Sand ninja just died!" Taiichi kept needling him. "Oh no, there goes another. That scream sounded painful."
Rasa's forehead veins bulged. This little brat was like glue—and his mouth was filthy. No dignity whatsoever.
"Matsushita Taiichi, don't get cocky. You think this can trap me?"
Taiichi's eyes narrowed. He raised his guard and swung faster, but the gold sand around Rasa seemed endless. No matter how many times he cut it, more kept coming.
Even the fireballs he tried to form up close were smothered before they could fully take shape.
As they fought, their positions kept shifting. At one point Rasa seemed to lose patience. He suddenly poured out an enormous amount of chakra. Gold sand gathered in insane density and launched toward Taiichi in a massive wave.
"Petty tricks. Don't you know that move doesn't work on me, Lord Kazekage?"
Taiichi casually hurled a person-sized fireball that burned through the incoming gold. He ignored the rest.
Just as he was about to press the attack again, a panicked shout cut through the air.
"Watch out—the medical camp!"
Taiichi's sensing flared. Only then did he realize their fight had drifted dangerously close to the medical tents. Rasa's last Gold Sand Drizzle hadn't been aimed at him at all—it had been aimed at the camp.
If that technique landed inside, the wounded and medical staff would be slaughtered.
"Despicable!"
"Likewise."
Taiichi shot Rasa a furious glare. Before the Kazekage could get another taunt out, Taiichi vanished.
Rasa's eyes widened. Gold sand spun wildly around him in defense—then he whipped his head toward the medical camp.
Three Taiichis stood dozens of meters apart, facing the incoming gold senbon storm. Their chakra exploded outward.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
Three massive water walls surged upward, connected, and merged into one enormous barrier that completely shielded the medical camp.
The rain of gold senbon slammed into the wall. Before they could travel halfway through, the raging water currents tore them apart. The broken sand simply floated inside the barrier.
"This brat… not only is his Fire Release terrifying, his Water Release is just as strong. Creating that much water in a dry environment… and that sudden disappearance earlier—was it a Body Flicker or space-time ninjutsu?"
Rasa had no time to launch another attack. If he didn't rescue his remaining Sand ninja now, they really would be wiped out.
He blurred forward with repeated Body Flickers and reached his surviving teammates in seconds.
Of the original fifty, only five remained—all jonin. Every one of them was wounded, but alive.
Rasa arrived and immediately unleashed another Gold Sand Drizzle to drive back the surrounding Leaf forces. Then he wasted no time. Gold sand gathered beneath their feet, forming a platform large enough for six. The platform shot into the sky and raced toward the horizon.
Leaf ninjutsu chased after them, but Rasa blocked every attack with fresh gold sand.
Soon the golden platform climbed higher and higher until it disappeared from sight.
Taiichi finally appeared among the gathered Leaf shinobi. He looked toward the distant speck and let out a quiet sigh. He hadn't finished the job. A few had still escaped.
He didn't notice the way every shinobi around him was staring.
If they had respected Taiichi before because of his medical skills, now they respected him for his strength.
He had held off the Fourth Kazekage by himself. Sure, there were other factors, but the fact remained—he possessed power far beyond any ordinary jonin.
Rasa had twice unleashed devastating techniques against the other Leaf forces, yet not a single jonin had been able to counter. They could only defend themselves.
If Taiichi hadn't arrived when he did, tonight's ambush might have turned into a massacre. The casualties would have been heavy.
Taiichi pulled his gaze back and surveyed the battlefield. Even though they had outnumbered the Sand forces, the enemy's desperate final struggle had still left several Leaf shinobi wounded.
"All right, clean up the battlefield and get the wounded to the medical camp. I'll be waiting there."
"Yes, Taiichi-sama!" everyone answered without hesitation.
Taiichi blinked, then continued walking toward the medical camp. Strength really was everything. Once you proved you had it, everyone showed respect.
Before today, only the medical staff and the lower-ranked shinobi he had personally saved had ever called him "sama." Now, after one fight with the Kazekage, the entire camp treated him differently.
He hadn't even reached the medical tents when Jiraiya and Shikaku came sprinting toward him with a large group of shinobi.
The moment they saw Taiichi walking safely toward them—and the other Leaf forces already cleaning up the battlefield—they slowed down and began examining the traces of the fight.
Puddles of water still ankle-deep covered the ground. Someone had clearly used a large-scale Water Release here.
The glassy, melted patches of earth and the wide scorched areas spoke of extreme heat—only possible from incredibly high-temperature flames.
Most telling were the gold sand particles scattered everywhere. Jiraiya and the others immediately thought of the Fourth Kazekage.
"The Fourth Kazekage was here too?" Jiraiya asked, disbelief clear in his voice. Was the man really that reckless with his own safety?
Taiichi nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jiraiya cut him off.
"How bad are the casualties? Please tell me it's not too heavy."
Jiraiya clearly didn't fully grasp Taiichi's combat strength. He knew the boy was above average jonin level, but he didn't have a clear picture of just how far above.
"Uh…" Taiichi scratched his head, then answered honestly. "Not too bad. Some injuries, but I can heal all of them."
By the end, his voice carried complete confidence.
Jiraiya looked skeptical. So did the other shinobi who had come with him. Most of them had seen Rasa's power firsthand during the earlier fighting. They had expected heavy losses. Yet Taiichi was saying the damage was manageable?
Just then, the shinobi who had been cleaning the battlefield arrived carrying the wounded. Taiichi spotted Moonlight among them and quickly pulled him over.
"Sensei, if you have questions, ask him. I'm going to treat the injured."
Jiraiya watched the wounded being carried past. Even though many could barely stand, every face was smiling. The results of the fight had clearly satisfied them.
Jiraiya finally relaxed. It really didn't look like heavy losses after all.
"All right. Go ahead. I'll handle things here."