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While Yohei and his team were still running for their lives, Taiichi was fighting his own war in the dical lab.
The number of poisoned shinobi kept climbing. Every few hours another batch of samples arrived. After a full day of nonstop work, he'd managed to create antidotes for four of the original eight toxin variants. But the latest patients had brought two brand-new strains with them.
Taiichi rubbed his burning eyes and let out a frustrated breath. Chiyo was adapting. Every ti he cracked one of her poisons, she tweaked the formula and sent a new one. It was a race he was losing, and every wounded Leaf ninja who suffered was another crack in their morale.
Another day passed. He finally finished the last four original antidotes, only to look down and see seven fresh toxin samples lined up on the right side of his desk.
"Taiichi, any progress?" Director Fujita's voice ca from behind him, equal parts concern and urgency.
He turned, face tired but sharp. "I can make antidotes for the first eight easily enough, Director. That's not the problem. We're too reactive. By the ti I finish one batch, Chiyo's already sent us new ones. We can't keep playing catch-up forever."
He handed her the stack of notes. Fujita skimd them, eyes widening at the speed he'd worked, but her expression quickly darkened as she saw the growing list of new toxins.
Taiichi kept going. "We need to get ahead of her. Otherwise we're just patching holes while the dam cracks."
Fujita was quiet for a mont, then spoke carefully. "Taiichi… Lady Tsunade is your teacher, isn't she? She's dealt with Chiyo before—during the Second War. She beat her at her own ga. Maybe it's ti to ask for help."
Taiichi froze. Then he slapped his own forehead so hard Fujita jumped.
"I'm such an idiot! I've got the best poison expert in the world as my teacher and I'm sitting here grinding it out alone like so stubborn kid."
He grabbed Fujita's hands and shook them, eyes bright despite the exhaustion. "Thank you. Seriously. Now get out—I've got work to do."
Before she could protest, he gently but firmly pushed her out of the lab and locked the door.
Fujita stood in the hallway for a second, half annoyed and half amused. "Ungrateful brat…" she muttered, but the bloodshot eyes and the mountain of notes she'd seen made her let it go. The kid was running on fus.
Inside the lab, Taiichi moved fast. He compiled every piece of data he had—symptoms, chemical breakdowns, everything. If he was going to ask Tsunade for help, he needed to give her the full picture.
At the sa ti, a different kind of guilt hit him. He hadn't written to her in far too long. Not since he'd promised himself he'd try to bring her back to the village. Between the war, the missions, and everything else, he'd let that slip.
He sat down and wrote her a long, honest letter. He told her about his progress, admitted he'd been neglecting their relationship, and explained the current crisis with Chiyo's new toxins. When he finished, he summoned a small Katsuyu.
The slug appeared with its usual gentle voice. "Taiichi-sama, it's been a while."
Taiichi rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Yeah… too long. I'm sorry. Can you take this to Tsunade-sensei right away?"
"Of course."
He handed over the thick letter. The mont Katsuyu vanished, Taiichi let out a long breath and collapsed onto the small couch in the corner of the lab. His body gave out the second his head hit the cushion.
He was out cold within seconds.
---
An hour later, a rush of mories from one of his shadow clones slamd into him like a physical blow.
Taiichi's eyes snapped open. The exhaustion was gone in an instant, replaced by cold focus. He grabbed his short blade from the wall and vanished from the lab in a swirl of leaves.
At the sa mont, deep in the forests near the Sand border, Yohei's team was still running.
They'd been moving for two straight days with almost no rest. Their chakra was nearly gone. Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises. Even the special soldier pills Taiichi had given them were running low.
Another Sand squad had just ambushed them from the trees.
Kakashi blocked the opening volley of kunai with his blade. Yohei and Obito broke left while Saori pulled Rin back and started launching lightning orbs. The fight was ssy, desperate, and far too close.
Yohei was locked in a brutal close-quarters exchange with the enemy Jonin. He could only keep his Mangekyo active in short bursts—chakra was too precious. Even so, he was holding his own.
Kakashi saw an opening and charged in with Chidori, aiming to finish the Jonin quickly.
That was when everything went wrong.
Two Sand chunin suddenly broke off and went straight for Rin, trying to use her as leverage. Obito scread and lunged to protect her. One of the Sand ninja's kunai was already inches from her chest.
In that split second, sothing inside Obito snapped.
Pain exploded behind his eyes. Two new tomoe spun into existence—one in each eye—while the original ones shifted. A surge of power flooded through him.
He didn't think. He just moved.
Obito threw himself forward, ignoring the kunai aid at his own side, desperate to reach Rin.
But he was still too far.
At the last possible mont, Saori flickered in front of Rin. Her kunai clashed with the attacking ninja's blade, sparks flying.
The second Sand chunin saw his chance. He drove his kunai straight at Saori's exposed back—straight toward her heart.
Ti seed to slow.
The blade pierced her outer layer of clothing and touched skin.
Then the ground beneath the attacker lit up.
A complex sealing array flared to life—the Multi-String Light Formation tag Taiichi had given Saori weeks ago. The Sand ninja froze mid-strike, completely immobilized.
Saori didn't hesitate. She spun and cut the trapped ninja's throat in one clean motion, then imdiately turned and finished the second one while he was still shocked.
Three Sand chunin dead in seconds.
The surviving Sand Jonin saw the tide turn and imdiately tried to escape. Yohei and Kakashi were already moving to cut him off when a sharp whistle cut through the air.
A crimson signal flare shot into the sky.
Yohei's right eye twitched violently. That sa heavy pressure from earlier slamd into him again, ten tis stronger.
"Everyone, move! Now!"
They didn't question it. They grabbed what little they had left and ran.
Less than a minute later, two full elite Sand squads appeared at the clearing. They took one look at their dead comrades and the flare trail, then took off after the Leaf team with renewed fury.
Yohei and Kakashi left shadow clones behind as rearguards. The clones bought them precious ti, but the price was steep. Both of them were running dangerously low on chakra.
They kept moving north, hoping to break contact, but Sand kept coming. More squads joined the hunt with every passing hour.
By the ti the sun started to set on the second day, the team was in bad shape—exhausted, injured, and running out of options.
That was when the real nightmare began.
A familiar, arrogant voice echoed through the trees ahead of them.
"You really thought you could escape?"
Five figures stepped out of the shadows.
Leading them was the Sand Jonin they had just fought… and standing right beside him, eyes cold and golden sand already swirling around his feet, was the Fourth Kazekage himself—Rasa.
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