Chapter 212 — Divine Reinforcements… Is That All?
Across the endless desert of the Land of Wind, a convoy of over a hundred people moved slowly forward. Not far away, a lone figure lay hidden behind a sand dune, silently observing.
"That kind of soul mass… and that crimson aura wrapped around it… that's definitely the One-Tail, Shukaku."
Taichi muttered to himself, excitement flickering in his eyes.
The last time he had encountered a tailed beast—the Two-Tails, Matatabi—was over half a year ago.
In that time, his strength had grown explosively.
No exaggeration—
The current Taichi could easily suppress two versions of his past self.
This wasn't just about improved physical ability and chakra control. Mastering techniques like the Flying Thunder God had fundamentally elevated his combat level.
Now—
He finally had the confidence to stand against a tailed beast.
Which was why—
Looking at that convoy, he couldn't help but feel tempted.
But unfortunately…
That wasn't just a tailed beast.
Among the soul signatures, one stood out—larger than all the rest, with a unique coloration distinct from the five elemental chakra types.
Taichi didn't need to think.
That was Rasa.
It made perfect sense.
Transporting a tailed beast—especially an unstable one—would absolutely require the Kazekage himself.
With his Magnet Release, Rasa could suppress Shukaku if it went berserk.
And beyond him—
Fifteen other enlarged soul signatures ringed the convoy.
Jōnin.
Fifteen of them.
With that level of protection…
Taichi hesitated.
Charging in blindly?
That was how people died.
He watched quietly, heart itching like a cat scratching at his chest.
Walk away… or take the risk?
Then—
A thought struck him.
If Minato were here…
Taichi blinked.
Then slapped his forehead.
Wait—didn't we exchange Flying Thunder God kunai?
Closing his eyes, he began searching through the countless spatial markers scattered across the country.
There were too many.
It took effort to isolate a specific one.
Half a minute later—
He smiled.
Found it.
A moving marker.
His body vanished instantly.
Back at the convoy—
The moment Taichi disappeared, the sensory ninja reacted again.
"Lord Kazekage—the presence is gone. It vanished suddenly."
"Suddenly?" Rasa narrowed his eyes. "Then it's definitely Matsushita Taichi."
He didn't look worried.
If anything—
He looked amused.
"This desert is my domain. Even if it's him… or even if Minato Namikaze shows up… I'm not afraid."
Confidence aside—
He wasn't careless.
"Maintain heightened perception. He'll come back. I want his location the moment he reappears."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"
Meanwhile—
Taichi reappeared at the edge of an oasis marketplace.
And immediately—
A kunai slashed toward him.
Clang!
He raised his arm just in time to block.
"Minato—senpai, it's me!"
Recognition flashed.
The killing intent vanished instantly.
Minato's expression softened, scratching the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
"Ah, Taichi… you scared me. I thought I'd been discovered."
His gaze subtly drifted toward the marketplace.
Taichi followed it.
Another supply squad.
Smaller.
Viable target.
So that's what Minato had been watching.
Taichi suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
Appearing behind someone mid-surveillance—
Yeah, that would startle anyone.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
"Minato-senpai—I found the Sand's Jinchūriki."
Minato's eyes sharpened instantly.
"Jinchūriki?"
This was personal territory for him.
After all—
Kushina Uzumaki was the Nine-Tails' host.
"They're transporting it to the front in the Land of Rivers," Taichi explained. "But the escort is massive. Rasa's there too. I can't act alone—so I came to you."
He quickly outlined the convoy's structure.
Minato listened—
And slowly developed a headache.
Two people… attacking that?
Kazekage.
Fifteen jōnin.
Dozens more ninja.
And a Jinchūriki.
Even an unstable one—
Was still a tailed beast.
"Isn't this… a bit too ambitious?" Minato said cautiously. "We can't take them head-on."
Taichi blinked at him.
"…Wait. Take them head-on?"
He looked genuinely shocked.
So this is what's behind that gentle personality…
Then he grinned.
"We're not wiping them out—we're messing with them."
Minato paused.
"…Go on."
"That Jinchūriki is unstable. They're already using sealing chains just to move it. If we provoke it—make it lose control…"
Taichi's smile widened.
"…wouldn't that be perfect?"
Minato's eyes lit up.
Now that—
Was a plan.
Not only feasible—
But efficient.
With Flying Thunder God—
Their safety was guaranteed.
"…Alright," Minato nodded decisively. "Let's do it."
They clasped hands.
Deal sealed.
Taichi vanished first.
Moments later—
Minato followed.
Ten kilometers away from the convoy, Taichi reappeared at a pre-set marker.
He had no intention of returning to his original position.
That would be asking to get ambushed.
Soon after—
Minato arrived beside him.
No more words.
Taichi led.
They moved.
Ten minutes later—
The massive convoy entered Taichi's perception range.
But before he could speak—
Minato said calmly,
"We've been detected. They have a strong sensory ninja."
Taichi blinked.
…Seriously?
He hadn't noticed a thing.
Which meant—
They'd already been exposed earlier.
Good thing I didn't rush in…
"Minato-senpai… how do you train that kind of perception?" Taichi asked, genuinely impressed.
Minato shrugged lightly.
"…You don't. It's natural. It just gets stronger."
Taichi stared at him.
…Of course it is.
Talent monsters were built differently.
Shaking his head, Taichi dropped the topic.
No point comparing.
Instead, he focused forward.
If they were already exposed—
There was no reason to hide anymore.
His chakra perception surged outward at full force.
Instantly—
The entire convoy lit up in his senses.
That blatant scan—
Triggered multiple reactions.
Every jōnin with decent perception felt it.
Eyes lifted.
Attention sharpened.
"Lord Kazekage?"
The sensory ninja looked over.
"This is no longer subtle."
Rasa smiled faintly.
"So they've stopped pretending."
Beneath his feet—
Chakra flowed into the sand.
In the desert—
His power multiplied.
Less effort.
Greater output.
More gold sand.
"Alert all units," he ordered calmly. "Enemy confirmed. Full readiness."
And so—
The desert held its breath.
One side advancing.
One side approaching.
The distance shrinking—
Until both stood within striking range.
Sunagakure didn't just sit back and let them circle freely.
They did try to drive Taichi and Minato away—but it was a frustrating game. Send too few people, and it did nothing. Send too many, and the two would simply vanish with Flying Thunder God. And chasing recklessly was even worse—overextend, and you might get ambushed instead.
A stalemate.
"Minato-senpai, how about we force an attack? We can't keep circling like this forever," Taichi suggested.
Minato frowned slightly. "If we were closer to camp, we could've brought reinforcements…"
Then his eyes narrowed.
"…Taichi, look over there. Doesn't that 'sandstorm' look… strange? Why is it so yellow?"
Taichi immediately intensified his chakra perception.
The moment he did—
His expression changed.
"That's not sand… that's gold dust."
Rasa was spreading Magnet Release sand gold across a wide area—thin, but everywhere.
If they let this continue—
They wouldn't even need to fight.
He could grind them down slowly, safely.
Taichi quickly explained, and Minato made the call instantly.
"We can't wait. We test them now. If it fails—we retreat and report to Jiraiya-sensei."
"Got it. Let's go!"
This time, neither of them bothered hiding.
They surged forward.
When the distance closed—
Minato leapt, twisting midair, and flung eight kunai.
Taichi immediately understood—
Those were normal kunai.
Bait.
Sure enough—
The reaction came instantly.
The scattered gold dust converged into a massive shield in midair. Not especially sturdy—but more than enough to block a handful of blades.
Taichi didn't hesitate.
Hand seals flashed.
A deep breath—
Fire erupted.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A fan-shaped inferno surged forward, golden flames crashing into the sand-gold shield.
It melted almost instantly—
Gold liquefying and raining down.
And in that exact moment—
Minato moved again.
Eight more kunai flew.
This time—
They were real.
"Destroy those kunai—!"
Before the warning even finished—
Minato vanished.
A flash of yellow light—
Then another—
And another—
Inside the Sand formation—
Blood burst like flowers.
Each flash—
A life extinguished.
Minato's Flying Thunder God was on a completely different level from Taichi's. Where Taichi still had slight pauses, Minato flowed seamlessly—instant to instant, no gap, no hesitation.
Eight flashes.
Eight deaths.
Then—
Silence.
Minato reappeared at his original position.
Not because he wanted to stop—
But because every marked kunai had already been destroyed.
Meanwhile—
Taichi tried to push forward during the chaos.
But after only a few steps—
He was forced back.
A rain of gold sand poured down like a storm.
He looked up—
And swore under his breath.
"…You've got to be kidding."
High above—
A massive inverted mound of gold sand floated in the air.
Standing atop it—
Rasa.
And his expression wasn't pleasant.
He had intended to block everything cleanly.
But Taichi and Minato's coordination had slipped past his defenses with a simple feint.
The kunai had landed.
And although only mid-level ninja had died—
It still stung.
Below—
The Sand forces regrouped instantly.
Disciplined.
Efficient.
Four jōnin charged forward—two from each side.
Others followed in waves, unleashing ninjutsu in staggered intervals.
The strategy was simple:
Overwhelm.
No gaps.
No breathing room.
Above them—
Rasa continued the pressure.
Gold Sand Waves.
Gold Sand Rain.
Relentless.
"Damn it… I've never fought a more suffocating battle," Taichi muttered.
Dodging, he formed seals with one hand.
Two shadow clones appeared, splitting left and right, drawing fire.
That brief opening—
Was enough.
Taichi struck again.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A blazing dragon roared forward.
If it broke through—
It would devastate the formation.
But Sunagakure was ready.
Above—
Rasa clapped his hands.
A massive wall of gold sand surged upward.
Below—
More than a dozen ninja leapt onto it, unleashing gale-force winds packed with slicing blades.
In seconds—
The fire dragon was shredded apart.
But at the exact moment it collapsed—
A figure burst through the flames.
Taichi.
Midair—
Three blazing sword slashes cut outward, forcing the defenders back.
For a split second—
An opening.
But then—
Another wave of jutsu came crashing in.
No hesitation.
Taichi vanished.
Thirty meters away—
He reappeared.
Moments later, Minato joined him.
Minato glanced at Taichi's torn clothing.
"Are you hurt?"
Taichi looked down.
His clothes were shredded in several places—
But no blood.
"Nothing serious."
The wounds had already been cauterized by his flames.
It only looked bad.
Minato nodded.
Then sighed.
"They're too prepared. We can't break through."
Taichi stared at the convoy.
At the formation.
At the floating figure of the Kazekage above it all.
His jaw tightened.
Then—
He nodded.