Taiichi was a given; he was already as strong as a Jonin and a versatile all-rounder. Even fighting him one-on-one would be tricky.
Yohei, the rascal, had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan almost a month ago. His strength must have skyrocketed.
And Saori... the quiet girl fought even crazier than the boys when she got serious.
Thinking about this, sweat beaded on Yamaguchi's forehead. If he lost to his three subordinates, where would he put his face as a Captain?
"Captain, silence means consent!" Yohei jumped in, setting the "three-vs-one" rule before Yamaguchi could protest.
Yamaguchi was speechless. Since when does silence mean consent?
But the die was cast. He had to fight seriously. It was a good chance to see exactly how much these three had grown.
On the training ground, the four took their positions.
The sun cast long shadows. Yamaguchi drew a kunai, scanning his three young students.
"First off, Taiichi, no Chakra Enhanced Strength," Yamaguchi said, glancing at Taiichi's wrist. "I can't handle getting punched by that."
"Captain, restricting us before the fight even starts?" Taiichi complained. "That's not fair!"
But behind his back, his right hand made a subtle sign.
Yohei's Sharingan spun, catching the signal instantly.
"But fine, I promise. No CES."
"Then, begi—"
Before Yamaguchi could finish, Saori completed her seals.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Net!"
A ball of lightning exploded mid-air, casting a net of electricity over the area to restrict Yamaguchi's movement.
"Fast casting!" Yamaguchi's pupils constricted. His hands blurred. "Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
A powerful gust tore the lightning net apart.
But the moment the net broke, Yohei was already on his left, thrusting a kunai at his ribs.
Clang! Yamaguchi blocked the strike.
At the same time, a white blur flashed in his blind spot. Taiichi's tanto slashed down with a sharp whistle.
In the nick of time, Yamaguchi raised an Earth Wall. Though thin, it blocked the blade.
Crack. Earth shattered. Yamaguchi stumbled back three steps, his expression turning serious.
Taiichi wasn't holding back.
The three kids coordinated perfectly. Saori controlled the field, Yohei drew aggro, and Taiichi delivered the killing blow.
"Captain, don't get distracted!"
Yohei's voice was teasing. He had already finished weaving signs. His chest expanded.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared past Taiichi, heading straight for Yamaguchi.
Taiichi followed closely behind the fireball, sword ready. His left hand wove signs rapidly. Two steps later: "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The wind caught the fireball, expanding it into a sea of flames that engulfed everything within seven or eight meters of Yamaguchi.
But before the flames cleared, Taiichi stopped.
"Something's wrong. Too quiet."
He expected Yamaguchi to be struggling, but there was no sound.
Suddenly, Saori shouted from behind.
Yamaguchi had used the fire as cover to tunnel underground, aiming to take out the weakest link first—Saori.
Unfortunately, he underestimated her growth.
Her sensory training had paid off. She detected the subtle fluctuations of his underground movement. The moment he burst out, a Lightning Ball was waiting for him.
Taiichi and Yohei rushed back to support her. All three stared at the arm sticking out of the ground.
Poof. White smoke.
A Shadow Clone.
In that instant, the ground beneath their feet churned and softened. The solid earth turned into a sticky swamp.
"Trap! Scatter!"
Yamaguchi had been waiting for them to group up. The clone was a decoy; the real attack was the AoE Earth Jutsu.
He wove another set of signs.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A clay dragon rose from the swamp, firing a machine-gun barrage of mud bullets at the struggling trio.
"Group on me!" Taiichi shouted, breaking free from the mud. "Water Style: Water Wall!"
A wide wall of water rose up, shielding them from the mud bullets.
Thwack, thwack, thwack.
Yohei and Saori scrambled behind the water wall, gasping for breath.
Old ginger is spicier!
The three of them thought the same thing. The Captain was a veteran Jonin. He had dismantled their combo and forced them into a corner with a few clever moves.
Taiichi signaled them. I'll take point.
The barrage ended. Yohei and Saori immediately cast Lightning Ball and Phoenix Sage Fire, suppressing Yamaguchi's position.
Taiichi charged under their cover. Once close enough, he used his Modified Body Flicker.
Yamaguchi was busy dodging the Ninjutsu. The timing was perfect; just as he evaded the last fireball, he saw Taiichi charging.
But before he could react, Taiichi vanished.
"Fast!"
This was the first time Yamaguchi had seen the CES Body Flicker. The terrifying speed sent a chill down his spine.
Taiichi appeared in front of him, unleashing a storm of slashes, sealing off every escape route.
The moment their blades touched, Taiichi knew it was the real body. A clone wouldn't last a second against this pressure.
Yamaguchi had tried to avoid close combat, but Taiichi finally caught him.
"It's the main body!"
Hearing Taiichi, Yohei and Saori rushed in to join the melee.
Yamaguchi groaned internally. He was a Ninjutsu-type. His Taijutsu wasn't bad, but against three opponents, one of whom was Taiichi, he was overwhelmed.
Under the siege, his defense crumbled. Finally, Taiichi's blade sliced his sleeve, and Yohei's kunai pressed against his kidney.
"Stop! Stop!" Yamaguchi shouted, sounding both relieved and defeated. "I surrender!"
Looking at the kunai an inch from his kidney, cold sweat dripped down his face. One second later, and I'd need a transplant.
The battle ended. They gathered to discuss the fight. Yamaguchi praised them lavishly.
Team 8 was the easiest squad he had ever led. They were self-motivated, talented, and hardworking.
Sometimes, he wondered if his job was too easy.
"Sigh. I don't know what else to teach you guys," Yamaguchi lamented.
The three looked at each other, confused.
"Captain, you're not trying to dump us, are you?" Yohei asked.
Yamaguchi rolled his eyes. "What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking about recommending you for the next Chunin Exam!"
"Really, Captain?!" Yohei was thrilled. Chunin rank!
"When is it?" Taiichi asked.
"Next year. We already had one this year," Yamaguchi confirmed.
"Use this time to improve further," Yamaguchi advised. "Especially you, Yohei. Being a Chunin isn't just about fighting power."
"You need intel gathering, analysis, teamwork, leadership, and tactical awareness."
"Reflect on what you're lacking."
The three nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing them so serious, Yamaguchi smiled. "Alright, don't worry about that now. Today is for team training. Don't let the future distract you from the present."
"Yes, sir!" x3
They spent the rest of the day training, making Yamaguchi feel inadequate as he slacked off on the side.
---
Taiichi's vacation was coming to an end. Just then, he received news from Kushina: Minato and Jiraiya were back.
She had arranged a meeting for tomorrow morning.
Taiichi was grateful. Kushina was a true friend. He vowed to help her whenever she needed it in the future.
The next morning, Taiichi arrived at Minato's house early.
Minato welcomed him with his usual sunny smile. Inside, Jiraiya was already waiting.
"Haha! See?" Jiraiya smirked at Minato and Kushina. "I told you the kid couldn't sit still. Minato, you owe me a drink!"
"Sensei, it's just human nature. Don't take advantage of Minato," Kushina scolded him.
Minato just smiled and seated Taiichi.
Taiichi took a deep breath and bowed formally to Jiraiya and Minato. "Jiraiya-sensei, Minato-senpai. I know this is presumptuous, but Nono-nee's life is at stake. I have to bet everything."
He presented Tsunade's letter with both hands. "This is a letter from Tsunade-sensei. She can't return personally, but she wants to help."
Jiraiya took the letter. "I know the gist of it. Tsunade wrote to me too."
He felt a pang of jealousy. Teammates aren't as close as disciples, huh? Tsunade had used a favor with the Slug Sage to send the letter through Mount Myoboku just for Taiichi. That was a big favor.
But the jealousy passed quickly. He liked Taiichi. And helping a loyal kid was the right thing to do.
"Danzo is definitely capable of such dirty tricks," Jiraiya said, waving the letter. He passed it to Minato.
"However, this isn't as simple as you think. It involves personnel transfers between departments, especially Root, which is a special entity. Even with my and Tsunade's influence, the Old Man (Hiruzen) doesn't have a strong enough reason to just demand someone from Danzo."
"Danzo is an expert at hiding behind 'rules' and 'regulations'."
Minato read the letter, his blue eyes sharp. "Tsunade-sama is right. If we move, we must strike fast and decisively. We can't give Danzo time to react."
"Taiichi, do you have any other leverage? Like evidence of Root's unreasonable demands on Nono, or a reason for the Hokage to intervene directly?"
"If we have nothing else, it's better to wait. Acting prematurely puts Nono in danger," Minato warned.