Chapter 210 — Schemes and Shadows
In the heart of the Land of Wind—within the Nekkai City—
Five days had passed since Taichi resumed his missions.
In that short time, he had struck Sand Village's supply lines twice.
The result?
The brief relaxation in internal security across the Land of Wind vanished overnight.
Tension returned.
And along with it—
A name.
"The Shadow Reaper."
The title had now fully taken root within Sand Village.
Ironically, what annoyed Taichi most wasn't the danger—
But the shouting.
Every time he struck, before the fight even escalated—
Someone would scream:
"THE SHADOW REAPER IS HERE!"
It was infuriating.
If he could've taken them all out cleanly, he absolutely would've silenced every last one of those loudmouths.
Unfortunately—
There were simply too many.
So for now, he endured.
Tonight, Taichi returned once more to Nekkai City.
Perched on the edge of a tall building, leaning lazily against the wall, he chewed on local "delicacies" while extending his chakra perception across the city.
From this vantage point—
His sensory range covered more than half of the entire city.
Anyone close enough would notice—
A faint blue glow in his eyes.
A thin, translucent film of energy layered over his pupils.
This—
Was his newest development:
Soul Vision.
Derived from the Spirit Transformation Technique—
But refined.
No more forcing his soul out of his body.
Too dangerous.
Too risky.
Taichi had no intention of dying just to gather intel.
So instead—
He created a method to perceive the world through spiritual sight while remaining fully grounded.
The result?
A massive leap in combat awareness.
No more guessing strength based on appearance or aura.
Because in the realm of the soul—
Power was unmistakable.
Through days of observation, Taichi discovered something fascinating:
The difference between genin, chūnin, and jōnin wasn't subtle at all.
It was glaring.
A jōnin's soul—
Burned like a flame.
Larger.
Brighter.
More stable.
Roughly the size of a football, glowing like a lantern in the dark.
Right now—
Within Nekkai City—
Taichi counted eighteen jōnin-level signatures.
Most were stationed at strategic locations throughout the city—
Clearly Sand Village's defensive force.
But two—
Stood out.
They weren't guarding anything.
They weren't stationary.
They wandered.
One on each side of the city.
No pattern.
No purpose—at least on the surface.
But what caught Taichi's attention wasn't their movement.
It was their color.
Their souls shimmered with a distinct violet hue—
The signature of strong lightning-style affinity.
If it had been just one—
He might've ignored it.
But two?
That was no coincidence.
Taichi narrowed his gaze.
His thoughts sharpened.
Last time—
He had ambushed Cloud Village shinobi…
Beaten them thoroughly…
And pinned the blame on Sand.
Now—
Two lightning-style users appear here?
Too convenient.
Too suspicious.
Focusing his perception, Taichi locked onto the closer one.
Gradually—
The figure became clearer in his sensory field.
Not the typical bronze-toned skin common among Cloud shinobi.
But also not the weathered, sand-scarred complexion of Sand Village.
Instead—
Clean.
Almost like someone from the Land of Fire.
Taichi's interest spiked instantly.
He shifted his focus to the second one.
Same result.
His eyes narrowed.
Transformation technique…?
Disguises?
If so—
These two weren't just random wanderers.
They were operatives.
And possibly—
Connected to his earlier interference.
Just as he leaned in for deeper observation—
The closer ninja suddenly stopped.
His head snapped slightly.
Eyes scanning.
Especially—
Toward Taichi's direction.
At that exact moment—
Taichi had already slipped behind the wall.
Completely out of sight.
His chakra perception immediately dialed down to its lowest level.
Just enough to monitor.
Nothing more.
Casually, he tossed a piece of dried meat into his mouth.
"Sharp," he muttered under his breath. "I barely increased the intensity and he noticed."
Then, with a faint smirk:
"Definitely not here for anything innocent."
The irony of that statement—
Was completely lost on him.
Because, frankly—
Neither was he.
That night—
For once—
Taichi didn't return to the Konoha camp.
Instead, he stayed.
Watching.
Waiting.
Tracking those two.
He had a feeling—
They might lead him to something… interesting.
As night fell deeper—
Nekkai City came alive.
Lights.
Noise.
Crowds.
Like any major city—
Its nightlife bloomed in full force.
Stalls filled the streets.
Voices echoed through alleyways.
Time passed.
Taichi grew slightly impatient.
Then—
At exactly around eight—
Both targets changed direction.
Simultaneously.
Heading toward the city center.
Taichi's eyes lit up.
Their path—
Led straight toward a large tavern.
Without hesitation, he dropped from the rooftop.
Blending into the crowd, he entered ahead of them.
Inside—
He ordered a few dishes.
Sat casually.
Ate slowly.
All while—
Watching.
…
It didn't take long.
Within minutes, the two targets walked into the tavern one after the other.
Taichi had expected them to pretend not to know each other—
But instead, they sat down together openly.
"Long time no see."
"You're here for business too?"
"Yeah, yeah… things aren't great in the Land of Fire, so I came to the Land of Wind to try my luck."
Taichi sat nearby, listening.
The two chatted warmly, like old friends reunited.
For a moment, he almost laughed.
Life really is just acting.
If he hadn't already confirmed they were ninja—jōnin, no less—
He might've believed their story.
His chakra perception quietly spread over them.
And instantly—
Their little trick was exposed.
While talking, one hand from each of them remained hidden beneath the table—
Tapping.
Rhythmic.
Precise.
A coded exchange.
Taichi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Professional.
Not like him—someone who picked up espionage halfway.
These guys had systems.
Signals.
Discipline.
That meant—
Passive observation wouldn't get him anything useful.
Taichi finished his food in a few quick bites, stood up, and left.
No point lingering.
Now that he confirmed they were working together—
Everything else could be handled step by step.
As for the plan—
He already had the outline of one forming in his mind.
Inside the tavern, the two continued chatting casually.
But if one translated the tapping on the table—
The real conversation was completely different.
"Message from the village today. Lord A and his team have already set out. We're to prepare for reception."
"Do we know where they'll land?"
"Not yet. Likely we'll be informed shortly before arrival."
"…I felt like I was being watched today. But I couldn't find who."
"Remember—if exposed, we're Konoha ninja."
"Understood. Everything for the village."
The next morning—
Taichi woke atop a rooftop.
He dispelled the shadow clone that had stood watch overnight.
No unusual memories.
Good.
Using the Flying Thunder God, he returned briefly to the Konoha camp, left three shadow clones in the medical unit—
Then immediately returned to the city.
Today—
He had work to do.
Moving through Nekkai City with chakra perception active, Taichi wandered deliberately.
His focus—
Places Sand ninja frequented.
Time passed.
Morning stretched toward noon.
Finally—
He found one.
A Sand shinobi stepping out of a small inn.
Taichi glanced at the building—
Bright pink decorations.
Then at the man—
Unsteady steps.
Dark circles.
A hollowed-out look.
…Yeah. Definitely had a long night.
And judging by his relaxed pace—
Disappearing for a day wouldn't raise alarms.
Perfect target.
Taichi marked him.
Then instantly teleported outside the city.
Using earth-style, he created an underground chamber.
Two shadow clones took up guard.
Then—
Taichi activated the Spirit Transformation Technique.
His soul separated from his body.
He glanced back at his clones, gave a small nod—
And vanished.
Moments later—
He found the target again.
When the Sand ninja entered a deserted alley—
Taichi struck.
His spirit plunged straight into the man's body.
Instantly—
Resistance.
The host's soul pushed back instinctively.
But—
This technique existed for exactly this purpose.
With a slight exertion—
Taichi's chakra-wrapped spirit overwhelmed the original soul, forcing it deep into the body.
From start to finish—
The Sand ninja had no chance to resist.
Now inside—
Taichi flexed his fingers.
Moved his legs.
Testing.
Like trying on new clothes.
A strange—
Fascinating sensation.
But then—
Weakness.
A sharp contrast hit him.
This body—
Was terrible.
At best, a chūnin.
And clearly exhausted from… other activities.
Taichi clenched his fist.
Checked the chakra.
As expected—
It didn't respond properly.
Chakra was a fusion of physical and spiritual energy.
Now that the spirit had changed—
Control was unstable.
Meaning—
No ninjutsu.
At best—
Taijutsu.
And even that—
Barely usable.
"Yeah… one fight and this body's done," he muttered.
Still—
Good enough.
Controlling the body, Taichi walked out of the city openly.
No suspicion.
No obstacles.
Once outside, he returned to his hidden location.
His spirit slipped back into his original body.
And instantly—
Power returned.
That perfect synchronization—
Impossible to describe without experiencing it.
At that moment, Taichi understood something deeply:
A body wasn't just a vessel—
It was the foundation of all strength.
Even losing part of it—
Could be fatal for someone pursuing power.
Which made him think of Orochimaru—
And his body-switching technique.
Every transfer damaged the soul.
That's why later—
He could be overwhelmed by Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu so easily.
Try that on Jiraiya?
He'd get obliterated.
Shaking off the thought, Taichi returned to the task.
He left a clone to guard the possessed Sand ninja—
Then went back to track the two lightning users.
He didn't have to wait long.
By noon—
They left the city.
Taichi's eyes lit up.
"Perfect timing."
He teleported back, switched disguises—
And sprinted ahead of them.
Then—
He revealed himself.
Walking straight toward them.
From their perspective—
Just another Sand ninja.
The two lightning users remained relaxed.
A chūnin-level Sand ninja?
Nothing to worry about.
They kept chatting as they walked.
Completely unconcerned.
Taichi, meanwhile—
Was grinning internally.
This couldn't be going better.
Distance closed.
10 meters.
8 meters.
6 meters.
5 meters—
Then—
Taichi exploded into motion.
"Got you, you bastards!"
His body flashed forward.
Ignoring the tearing pain in his legs—
His kunai drove straight toward one man's chest.
The two lightning users froze.
Shock.
Exposure.
No warning.
But they were still jōnin.
At the last second—
They evaded.
The kunai sliced across an arm instead of piercing the chest.
Exactly as Taichi expected.
He didn't hesitate.
Carrying his momentum, he dashed past them—
Then immediately pulled out a Sand Village signal flare.
Boom—
A crimson signal shot into the sky with a piercing screech.
Barely a kilometer from Nekkai City—
With no cover in the desert—
There was no way Sand ninja wouldn't see it.
"Damn it—we've been exposed! Kill him!"
No time to think.
No time to question.
They only knew one thing—
This Sand ninja knew who they were.
He had to die.
Immediately.
They attacked in full force.
Blades.
Strikes.
Relentless pressure.
If not for Taichi's control—
This body would've been shredded instantly.
Even so—
Wounds piled up rapidly.
Still—
He laughed.
Even as blood flowed.
"Cloud dogs! You attacked us before, and now you dare again?! I'll report everything to the village! Sand will never let this go!"
He provoked them shamelessly.
Taking hits—
Just to anger them further.
The two Cloud ninja were furious.
This Sand ninja—
Was slippery beyond reason.
They couldn't land a killing blow.
And time—
Was running out.
Because—
In the distance—
Movement.
From Nekkai City, four Sand squads had already mobilized.
Led by two jōnin—
Racing toward the flare.
Within moments—
They saw it.
Two outsiders—
Attacking a Sand ninja.
No hesitation.
"Move! Reinforce!"