Konoha Root Base.
Back at the base, Danzo still couldn't suppress the anger burning in his heart. He wasn't angry about failing to secure Taiichi Matsushita as a "tool." After all, Konoha lacked many things, but geniuses weren't one of them. Besides, the talent Taiichi displayed was currently only on par with Kakashi. Danzo's Root was full of clan ninjas and secret jutsu users; he really didn't need this one kid. Furthermore, a genius who hadn't grown up yet was nothing.
What truly infuriated Danzo was Hiruzen's last sentence: "I am the Hokage."
Thinking back to when they were retreating, facing Teacher Tobirama's question, Danzo had only hesitated for a moment, and Hiruzen Sarutobi beat him to it. Otherwise, the current Hokage would be him, Danzo Shimura.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He smashed a few things before finally calming down. Thinking about Hiruzen rejecting his request, he felt unwilling to give up. Finally, he decided to personally meet this Taiichi Matsushita. If the boy himself was willing to join Root, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't possibly refuse.
...
At this moment, Taiichi had no idea that two of Konoha's top figures had just had a blow-up over him.
Back home, Taiichi rested for a while, then strapped his short sword to his back again, ready to head to the training grounds. On the way, perhaps because the Ninja Academy was on break, Taiichi noticed the streets were livelier than usual.
Groups of two or three children brushed past him, leaving trails of laughter. The people right now probably couldn't imagine that the next war would descend again in the near future; everyone was still enjoying this fleeting peace.
No, the Konoha higher-ups definitely knew, and the higher-ups of other villages knew too. Right now, the wolves were just licking their wounds. Once everyone had accumulated enough strength, the next war would erupt.
Summer was exceptionally muggy. Away from the bustling streets, the chirping of cicadas wrapped in humidity clung to the skin. As Taiichi stepped through the tree shadows toward the riverside training ground, he heard the crisp sound of metal clashing in the distance. He instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword, Chakra flowing along his meridians to his feet—Kakashi had just taught him last week how to approach a target silently.
In the clearing behind the bushes, three ANBU were besieging a man wearing a Mist forehead protector. The masked ninja suddenly threw three kunai attached with explosive tags. From the dust kicked up by the explosion, five Water Clones darted out. Taiichi recognized this as the Mist Style Substitution Jutsu. He was about to retreat when he caught a glimpse of an Iwagakure tattoo flashing on the man's cuff. A spy impersonating a Mist ninja!
"Northwest!" The leading ANBU suddenly shouted toward Taiichi's hiding spot. Taiichi rolled to dodge the incoming wind blade, blades of grass grazing his cheek. The spy disguised as a Mist ninja used the recoil to leap onto a tree trunk, closing in on Taiichi's position with a few bounds. The boy could clearly see the cold sweat under the opponent's forehead protector, as well as the Chakra threads wrapped around his fingers—the puppetry technique of the Sand Village!
"Flame Bullet!" Taiichi's fingers were still trembling as he formed the seals. The fireball barely grazed the corner of the enemy's clothes. Poisoned senbon shot from the spy's sleeve. Taiichi drew his sword with a reverse grip, slashing out fiercely in the nick of time. The vibration of metal colliding crawled up his shoulder blade through the hilt; he almost lost his grip on the short sword.
> [Hatake Style Kenjutsu Experience +1]
The moment the panel notification flashed on his retina, the spy's whip kick had already swept toward his face. As Taiichi leaned back, he remembered Gai's Leaf Whirlwind and used the momentum to spin and kick the opponent's knee. Compared to his Kenjutsu, Taiichi's Taijutsu was stronger at this stage. The crisp sound of bone dislocation made his stomach churn; this was a knee dislocation, just like the one he had seen in the hospital this morning. Only this time, he caused it with his own hands.
After firing off a few jutsu, his Chakra, already heavily depleted from the morning, was basically bottoming out. Taiichi didn't hesitate. He rapidly added an Attribute Point to Constitution. Instantly, his exhausted stamina, spirit, and even Chakra were fully restored. This gave Taiichi a surge of confidence.
"You're asking for death, kid!" The spy spat out a Wind Style jutsu mixed with gravel. The gesture of Taiichi's hands forming seals suddenly changed to the medical seal Nono had taught him. Green light wrapped around his left arm as he took the hit head-on. Amid the sound of tearing fabric, blood splattered onto his eyelashes. Using the clarity brought by the pain, he threw a smoke bomb—a tactic Asuma had used in their last duel.
Holding his breath as the gray fog spread, Kakashi's teaching echoed in his ears: "Listen to the wind to identify position." The resistance of the blade piercing flesh transmitted to his hand, but the recoil knocked him back three steps—he hit an Earth Clone! The real shuriken attacked from behind. Taiichi barely turned sideways, the sharp edge plowing a bloody furrow on his shoulder.
"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Enduring the pain, he formed seals and spat out fireballs to seal the enemy's retreat. The scorching air blew off the spy's disguise mask. That scar-covered face reminded Taiichi of the wounded he received at the hospital, causing his fingers forming seals to pause. In that momentary opening, the chain shot from the Sand ninja's sleeve wrapped around his ankle.
The sound of metal friction stopped abruptly. Three kunai precisely cut the Chakra threads. The ANBU captain appeared instantly behind the spy. Taiichi could almost see the corner of his mouth curling up under the mask. As the katana pierced through the enemy's shoulder, Taiichi was pressing on his bleeding wound, the green light in his palm much dimmer than usual.
"Medic!" The captain's roar startled the weary birds in the forest. Taiichi slid down the tree trunk and sat on the ground, watching the ANBU put Chakra-sealing shackles on the unconscious spy. Morning light shone on the blood-stained tsuba. He realized he was actually smiling—it turned out real combat smelled like disinfectant mixed with rust.
"Kid, your sword work is passable, Taijutsu is good, but you get distracted in battle." As the captain tossed him a hemostatic bandage, Taiichi noticed the faded flame pattern on the edge of his forehead protector. The ANBU's glove was stained with the blood of both the enemy and himself, but the pat on the shoulder felt exceptionally warm. "What's your name?"
"Taiichi Matsushita."
Then the ANBU captain questioned Taiichi, mainly about why he was here and what he was doing. When he learned that Taiichi was still a student at the Ninja Academy, he showed surprise. Are students these days this fierce?
After the questioning, Taiichi looked at the unconscious spy on the stretcher, suddenly remembering the child he had soothed with Healing Jutsu in the hospital. The morning wind swept across his sweat-soaked back. His hand gripping the sword finally stopped trembling. The panel notifications blinked quietly in the corner of his vision, the entries growing slowly.
> [You engaged in combat with an enemy. Combat experience increased.]
> [Your skill Basic Taijutsu has leveled up. Experience +1]
> [Your skill Hatake Style Kenjutsu has leveled up. Experience +1]
> [Your skill Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu has leveled up. Experience +1]
...
> [You engaged in combat with a ninja. Combat experience increased. Apprentice Ninja Class Experience +50]
A short battle had caused all stats to surge forward, the effect better than a whole day of training. Indeed, only real combat could accelerate the growth of strength. Unfortunately, such events were rare and dangerous.
After moving away from the ANBU members to the riverside, Taiichi didn't continue training. After all, having just experienced a major battle, both his body and mind were hugely drained. Although the injuries he received were healed on the spot with medical ninjutsu, strenuous exercise wasn't advisable in the short term.
Reflecting on the battle just now, Taiichi realized he had made quite a few mistakes: letting his mind wander during the fight, mistiming his ninjutsu releases... Fortunately, the ANBU saved the day in time, otherwise, the one lying down might have been him. It seemed there was still a significant gap between him and a real ninja. It wasn't just a gap in strength, but more so a lack of experience in facing enemies in life-or-death situations.
After summarizing, Taiichi looked at his panel. Basic Taijutsu and Basic Meditation were about to level up. If they had leveled up earlier during the fight, he might not have needed to spend an Attribute Point. But thinking about it, Taiichi didn't regret it; in a life-or-death situation, there was no room for hesitation.
Next, Taiichi slowly practiced the "Nurturing Method" of Basic Taijutsu and Basic Meditation. First, to recover his body; second, to hurry up and level up these two skills.
Sure enough, notifications came shortly after.
> [Congratulations, your skill Basic Taijutsu has reached Lv9 (0/1600)]
> [Congratulations, your skill Basic Meditation has reached Lv9 (0/1600)]
With the two waves of insight that came with the level up, Taiichi finally confirmed that his Taijutsu level had reached the Chunin tier. What remained was to digest these insights through continuous sparring.
...
On the other side, after handing the spy over to the Torture and Interrogation Force, the ANBU captain went to the Hokage's office to report the situation.
"You're saying you encountered a Ninja Academy student during the battle, and that student intervened to stop the spy from escaping?" The Hokage couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. It was a first-year student named Taiichi Matsushita. I've verified it; his identity is clean."
"Alright, I know. You can go rest now."
"Yes!"
After the ANBU left, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the pipe on the table, filled it with a bowl of tobacco, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled with satisfaction. He was instantly enveloped in smoke.
Thinking about how Danzo had come to demand the boy this morning, questioning whether Hiruzen's cultivation would bury the talent, and then in the afternoon, an ANBU reported Taiichi's outstanding performance in battle... Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but wonder if this Taiichi Matsushita was his lucky star. Every time he heard the name, it was good news.