At the border of the Land of Fire, Rokuro pulled his tachi from a Cloud ninja's chest, flicking his wrist to shake off the blood.
All around him, more than a dozen Cloud shinobi lay in expanding pools of red—each one killed with a single stroke.
"Squad missions are such a pain. I can't reveal my Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and I can't use Flying Thunder God either. I'm stuck using Uchiha taijutsu with the Sharingan. Thankfully, I've spent years tempering my body with Lightning Release—my speed's already jōnin-level."
"Hakkeshō Kaiten!"
A distant shout erupted, followed by several Cloud ninjas being blasted into the air. Rokuro activated his Sharingan, sweeping his gaze across them. Their chakra had already dissipated—they were dead before they even hit the ground.
"So the original manga really nerfed Gentle Fist for plot convenience…
True Gentle Fist can refine chakra into razor-thin threads—sharp as blades, fine as hair. Without a specialized defensive jutsu, even grazing contact is fatal. And if you take a Kaiten head-on? Instant death."
Comparing his close-up observation to what he knew from the original work, Rokuro was now certain: Kaiten wasn't simply spinning while expelling chakra from the palms. It was a technique that expelled countless chakra threads from hundreds of tenketsu across the entire body. Combined with rapid rotation, the user became a human blender.
Whether offense or defense, the real Kaiten was terrifying. The manga's version—just knocking people away—wasn't "nerfed." It was insultingly inaccurate.
"To break through real Kaiten with pure taijutsu…
You'd need at least Seventh Gate Guy-level strength."
Just as Rokuro sighed, Hyūga Taiki came running toward him.
"Rokuro, you alright?"
"I'm fine, Taiki. You finished on your side?"
"Hah! Just a few mid-level Cloud chūnin—not worth mentioning."
While they spoke, Itachi approached with his bloodstained blade, clearly finished with his own opponents. After regrouping, the squad heard more fighting in the distance. They rushed over to assist, quickly helping Inuzuka Hana and the others dispatch their remaining foes, ending the skirmish.
"It's been ten days now. We alone have killed over a hundred Cloud ninja. Sure, they were all genin and chūnin—not a single jōnin among them—but this makes one thing obvious: in sheer numbers, Cloud outmatches us by far."
Hyūga Taiki, who had fought in both the Second and Third Shinobi Wars, knew well how decisive manpower was in war.
"Unless you have an invincible technique like Flying Thunder God, even a jōnin can be drowned by numbers. Especially those with low chakra reserves—nothing is deadlier to them than mass-assault tactics. You three must remember: if you encounter enemies numbering several times your size, do not get drawn in. Turn around and retreat immediately!"
After all, ninja fought using chakra. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu—none of them worked without it. A jōnin with almost no chakra left might not beat a fresh genin.
And once chakra was severely depleted, life itself was endangered. The Third Raikage died that way. So everyone present took Taiki's warning seriously.
After quickly clearing the battlefield, Taiki led the squad to a safe spot and ordered a rest, having everyone replenish their stamina with soldier pills.
Just then, an ANBU approached. The entire squad immediately stood, hands on their weapons.
The ANBU stopped ten meters away and recited the correct contact cipher. The group relaxed slightly—but no one removed their hand from their hilt.
The ANBU stopped again, this time five meters away.
"Hyūga Taiki. You are to bring your squad back to headquarters immediately. The commander has a special mission for you."
With that, the ANBU turned and left—never closing the distance more than necessary.
Once the masked figure was far enough, Taiki deactivated his Byakugan and turned to Inuzuka Hana. She whistled sharply, and one of her dogs dashed off, tailing the ANBU for several kilometers before returning.
"Since we've got a special mission, our border patrol ends here. Pack up—we leave at once."
Rokuro removed the huge scroll from his back and sealed everyone's battlefield spoils inside. Hana even tossed a few bags of dog food onto the pile.
"Rokuro, without you we wouldn't be so well supplied. I heard other squads are struggling to even find clean water, let alone meat."
Rokuro secured the scroll and slung it back over his shoulder.
"This is the only thing I'm good at. I still can't compare to your dogs."
"You're too modest."
Once everyone finished packing, Taiki led them on a rapid retreat back to camp. Two hours later, they returned safely to Konoha's main encampment.
"I'm going to the command tent to receive the mission. You all rest in the meantime."
Back at camp, the first thing Rokuro did was take out his cooking tools from the scroll. He washed vegetables, sliced meat, and stir-fried a plate of fish-fragrant shredded pork.
Soon the aroma drifted across the camp, drawing the whole squad closer—Haimaru and his brothers practically drooling into the pot.
Rokuro pressed a hand onto the nearest dog's head, expression sour.
"If you want to eat, start washing vegetables and prepping ingredients. This plate is mine."
Everyone laughed and rushed to help. Before long, each person had a plate of fish-fragrant shredded pork—even Itachi.
Inuzuka Hana not only ate, she also fed her dogs. As ninken, their digestive systems were far stronger than ordinary dogs—high sugar and high salt weren't an issue.
After nearly ten days of nothing but dry rations, everyone's taste buds were starving. Once they finished eating, they unanimously declared it the best meal they'd ever had.
"Alright, enough talking. Wash your plates—I'm not sealing dirty dishes into my scroll. Oh, and that one's Captain Taiki's. Don't let the dogs steal it."
As they were cleaning up, Hyūga Taiki entered, expression grave. Just one look at his face told them the mission ahead was extremely dangerous.
"You've guessed it already. Yes—our next mission is high risk. We must infiltrate the Land of Hot Water and destroy a factory. Hot Water is completely occupied by Cloud. Once we're discovered, within half an hour we'll be surrounded by thousands of Cloud ninja. This mission is nine deaths, one life. Prepare yourselves."
At the mention of infiltrating enemy territory to sabotage a facility, the several civilian-born ninja paled instantly.
Even Hana's face tightened as she silently calculated her and her dogs' odds of survival.
Only Rokuro and Itachi remained calm.
Itachi, now a zealous defender of Konoha, would charge in even knowing it meant death.
Rokuro, on the other hand, had Flying Thunder God. Even if thousands—tens of thousands—of Cloud ninja gave chase, he could escape effortlessly.
And if all his teammates were Uchiha, he could even teleport the entire squad to safety without losing a single person. Danger simply didn't register.
Seeing their expressions, Taiki sighed—Uchiha really did have unique brain circuits.
He then explained the mission in detail.
"You have five hours. Prepare everything you need. Once time is up, we depart immediately."
END OF CHAPTER
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