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Naruto: Training is My Ninja Way
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In the small grove, surrounded by Sand shinobi, Fourth Kazekage Rasa hamred Taiichi with nonstop gold-sand attacks.
Taiichi blocked and dodged, barely keeping up, but every so often he lashed out with a sharp counter that forced Rasa to give ground.
"You all hit him with wide-area jutsu—don't worry about friendly fire," Rasa ordered coldly. "Today we end Matsushita Taiichi."
He trusted his gold sand to shield him from any stray hits. One short blade wasn't going to match it.
The Sand shinobi started forming seals, but Taiichi moved faster. His left hand blurred through single-handed seals while his right kept his blade ready.
Rasa's eyes widened. A single-handed seal? And from the pattern and the massive chakra surge, it was water style—sothing big.
"Watch out—it's water relea—"
Too late.
Water Release: Great Waterfall Wave.
A roaring column of water spun up around Taiichi, surging ten ters high in a heartbeat. The first Sand jutsu splashed harmlessly against it. Then the wall collapsed into a tidal wave that smashed outward in every direction.
Sand shinobi who couldn't get clear were swept up, tumbling in the violent currents. A few clawed for the surface, but the undertow dragged them down. They wouldn't last long without help.
Rasa and the rest refused to give Taiichi that ti. The mont the wave thinned, they closed in again.
Taiichi glanced at the struggling Sand ninja still trapped in the water. He wanted them dead, but he couldn't afford to stay and finish the job. Not if he wanted to keep his other cards hidden.
"Kazekage-sama, thanks for the hospitality," he called out with a cocky grin. "Hope you like the return gift I'm about to deliver!"
Before Rasa could answer, Taiichi vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Dead silence fell over the grove, broken only by the sound of rushing water and wind through the trees.
"Shit—Quinn's team went after that Leaf squad," Rasa snarled, realization hitting hard. "Taiichi's going after them!"
"Move!" he barked, already sprinting in the direction Yohei's team had fled. The rest of his forces scrambled to follow.
He prayed he wasn't already too late.
He wasn't.
Taiichi reappeared beside Yohei just as the three Sand jonin were crushing the exhausted Leaf team. Yohei, Saori, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were barely holding on, chakra drained, forced into pure defense.
The Sand jonin fighting Yohei froze the second Taiichi appeared. Pure fear flashed in his eyes.
Taiichi's blade was already moving. It punched straight through the man's chest before he could react. Yohei seized the opening and slit his throat with a kunai in one clean motion.
The other two Sand jonin panicked. They blasted their opponents back and bolted without looking back.
Kakashi and Saori started to give chase, but Taiichi blocked them.
"Don't. Sand's main force is right behind us. We run—now."
Everyone turned to him at once. Obito spoke first, eyes wide with hope.
"Taiichi—can your Flying Thunder God carry people?"
Taiichi noticed Obito's eyes for the first ti. Two tomoe spinning in each Sharingan. The kid had awakened during the chase.
"You awakened," Taiichi said, surprised. Then he shoved the thought aside. "Yeah, I can carry one at a ti. Not more."
Kakashi and Rin looked relieved. After two days of running and fighting for their lives, even Kakashi was at his limit.
Yohei and Saori stayed calm. They knew Taiichi's strength—and they still had the special Flying Thunder God kunai he'd given them.
"Alright, ti's short. I'll take Rin first. You all head north and buy us as much distance as you can."
He placed a hand on Rin's shoulder, ford the seal, and they both disappeared.
"Move!" Yohei ordered. The team took off north at full speed.
Thirty seconds later Taiichi reappeared, grabbed Obito, and vanished again.
A minute after that he returned for Kakashi.
When he popped back into his own tent inside the Leaf camp, Rin was still fighting the nausea from the long-range jump. Obito and Kakashi looked equally wrecked.
Taiichi was drenched in sweat, breathing hard. Teleporting three people that far had taken a lot out of him.
"You okay?" Kakashi asked, worry clear in his voice. Yohei and Saori were still out there.
Taiichi wiped his forehead and flashed a tired grin. "I'm a man. I don't quit. Watch this."
He released the Yin Seal. Blue chakra flared across his forehead and arms, filling every cell in his body with fresh power. The markings faded back to the small diamond on his brow.
Kakashi stared. "What the hell was that?"
"Yin Seal. Tsunade-sensei's secret. Keep it quiet."
Then Taiichi was gone again.
Yohei and Saori had waited over two minutes this ti. They were starting to worry when Taiichi finally appeared, grabbed Saori, and teleported out.
Yohei kept running. He could hear Sand forces closing in—fast. Rasa himself was leading the chase, face twisted with rage.
Taiichi better hurry.
The distance kept shrinking. Rasa was almost in range.
At the last second Taiichi appeared beside Yohei, one hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry for the wait, Kazekage-sama!" Taiichi called back with a mocking wave. "We'll be going now!"
They vanished together.
Rasa skidded to a stop, chest heaving. The rest of his forces caught up and ford around him, waiting for orders.
"From now on," Rasa said, voice cold and final, "if any of you see Matsushita Taiichi on a mission, you have permission to abandon the mission. The village will not punish you."
The Sand shinobi erupted in shock.
"Kazekage-sama, that's insane!"
"We can't just let one kid make us look weak!"
Rasa ignored them. They hadn't fought Taiichi. They didn't understand how dangerous he was. Flying Thunder God plus a perfect all-rounder skill set made him nearly untouchable without the right counterasures.
They'd had one clean shot today and blown it. There wouldn't be another.
"Spread the word," he added, a vicious smile forming. "Not just in Sand—in every village. Let the entire ninja world know about Matsushita Taiichi. Help him beco famous."
A few of the smarter Sand jonin understood imdiately. This was a classic "praise to death" play. If Sand couldn't kill him, they'd make sure every other village wanted him dead too. And Konoha itself would probably turn on one of its own prodigies once the pressure got high enough.
Back at the Leaf camp, Taiichi dropped Yohei into the tent with the others.
The mont everyone realized they were all safe, the tension broke. They started laughing—loud, exhausted, relieved laughter that filled the small space.
After everything they'd been through, they were still alive. That was enough.
The laughter died fast. Fatigue hit like a hamr. Yohei was already half-asleep on his feet.
"Taiichi… we're wiped," he muttered, collapsing onto a cot without even taking off his gear. "Talk later."
Taiichi looked at the exhausted group. "Kakashi, Obito, Rin—stay here. I'll heal you all before you crash."
They nodded gratefully and found spots to lie down. Obito's snoring started almost imdiately.
Taiichi released the Yin Seal again, restoring his chakra to full. He had work to do.
He checked each of them quickly. Most injuries were minor—cuts, bruises, chakra exhaustion. Mystical Palm fixed them easily.
Yohei was the real problem. Two days of constant Mangekyō use had wrecked his eyes. Even now, asleep, the ocular power was still raging inside his sockets, damaging nerves.
Taiichi poured heavy Yang-natured chakra into both eyes, calming the wild energy and repairing the damage. Slowly Yohei's pained expression relaxed.
When he finally pulled his hands back, Taiichi let out a long breath and looked at his sleeping friends.
They'd co way too close to losing people today.
He'd changed the original tiline too much—Obito awakening early, Kakashi nearly dying, Sasori already dead. The future was gone. From now on they were on their own.
He needed to get stronger. Fast.
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