A giant tree stood just outside the Sand forward camp in the Land of Rivers. Taiichi lounged against the trunk, one leg crossed over the other, yawning as he spun a small orb of flame between his fingers. The fire shifted shapes—tiny animals, scattered sparks, then flickered through orange, yellow, gold, and bright gold before cycling back. He was bored out of his mind.
This surveillance gig sucked. Two days of hiding from Sand sensors while watching their every move. He'd tried a quick ambush on some scouts yesterday and nearly got swarmed by a dozen jonin and a sensor. Lesson learned. Now he stuck to shadow clones and kept his distance.
His real body was miles away, training under a massive waterfall. He sat cross-legged on the churning water, letting the crushing force hammer his body while he used Water Style to create even stronger counter-currents. The pain was brutal, but the gains were worth it.
A rush of memories hit him—his clone had spotted something big. Taiichi flashed to a marked kunai, dried off with a burst of fire chakra, threw on his clothes, and teleported straight to the observation point.
A massive convoy was rolling in from the distance. Even without sensing, he knew exactly what it was. He activated Soul Vision anyway.
There it was—the enormous, violent soul flame wrapped in crimson. The One-Tail jinchuriki had finally arrived.
Taiichi created another clone and sent it back to camp with the report. He stayed long enough to watch the entire convoy disappear into the Sand camp, then teleported away.
The big fight was coming in the next two or three days. He could feel it in his bones. His hands actually trembled with excitement.
Back at the waterfall, he dove in and kept grinding. No time to waste.
That evening, after delivering the report, Taiichi spotted Kakashi's team returning from a mission. They looked exhausted but alive.
"Yo, Kakashi! Obito! Everyone!" he called out. "Over here. We need to talk."
The group turned. Obito immediately started bragging. "Taiichi! I saved Kakashi's ass out there! If it wasn't for me—"
Kakashi just sighed and nodded. Taiichi raised an eyebrow but let it slide. Progress was progress.
He led them to a quiet corner away from the main camp.
"In the next couple of days we're looking at a full-scale frontal battle," Taiichi said, voice serious. "Sand's jinchuriki is here. Command is already pulling back non-combat units and tightening everything up."
Obito's eyes went wide. The others looked grim. They all remembered the last big fight—the chaos, the flying ninjutsu, how small and fragile they'd felt.
"Stay in camp," Taiichi continued. "No more outside missions. Train hard. Fix your weaknesses. Get your heads straight. When this starts, we all need to be ready."
They nodded. No arguments. Taiichi gave them a quick wave and headed for the medical tents. He still had work to do.
Director Fujita was sitting under a tree with a medical scroll when he found her. She looked up and smirked. "Let me guess. You're here to make my life harder again."
Taiichi grinned. "Big battle's coming. Jiraiya wants me to check if the medical camp's ready."
Fujita sighed and stood. "Of course it is. Come on, let's walk the grounds. After this fight, we're all going to be running on fumes anyway."
The next two days flew by in a blur of preparation. Both sides quietly pulled back non-essential personnel and non-combat units. Everyone knew what was coming. By the morning of the third day, the Leaf camp felt strangely empty.
Over fifteen hundred combat-ready shinobi stood in perfect formation outside the camp as the first light of dawn touched the horizon. Jiraiya, Minato, the staff officers, and the senior jonin stood at the front.
Jiraiya raised his hand. The entire army roared as one.
"Move out!"
"Victory! Victory!"
The ground shook under their feet as the Leaf forces marched toward the battlefield. The real war was about to begin.