Chapter 215 — Before the Great Battle, There's Always Too Much to Do
Outside the Sunagakure camp in the Land of Rivers—
High up on a massive tree, a lone figure lounged lazily against the trunk, yawning. One leg rested over the other, idly swaying back and forth.
In his hand floated a flickering flame.
At times it shaped itself into tiny animals…
At times it split into multiple drifting sparks…
Sometimes it shifted colors—orange, yellow, gold, then bright molten gold—before fading back again, cycling endlessly.
This person—
Was Matsushita Taichi.
Assigned by Jiraiya to monitor Sunagakure's movements, he had already been here for two days.
And frankly—
It was a terrible job.
He had to avoid detection at all costs…
Stay hidden from sensory-type ninja…
And endure the crushing boredom of constant surveillance.
At this point, he had resorted to practicing chakra control just to stay sane.
If he didn't find something to do—
He might actually lose his mind.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't want to cause trouble.
In fact, he had tried.
On his first day, he ambushed a group of Sand ninja leaving camp.
But he had severely underestimated just how infamous he'd become.
The moment they realized it was Matsushita Taichi—
Over a dozen jōnin, including sensory specialists, swarmed him and hounded him relentlessly.
And this was near the Sand camp—
Who knew how many detection arrays were hidden in the area?
By the end of the day, aside from the first hour, he hadn't even managed to get close to the camp again.
That wouldn't do.
The mission came first.
Killing a few Sand ninja meant nothing compared to gathering intelligence.
So today—
He behaved.
Perched quietly in the tree, avoiding detection while keeping watch.
---
By the afternoon, a massive convoy appeared in the distance.
Taichi didn't even need to use sensory jutsu.
He already knew—
The One-Tail jinchūriki had arrived.
"Finally," he muttered.
With a soft poof, his body dissolved into smoke.
A shadow clone.
And not the only one.
There were two more stationed around the camp, all tasked with surveillance.
As for the original Taichi—
He had absolutely no intention of personally enduring such a boring mission.
---
Elsewhere—
His real body stood beneath a roaring waterfall.
Water crashed down violently, hammering against him with relentless force.
But this wasn't an ordinary waterfall.
If one looked closely—
Streams of water along both sides were flowing upward, defying gravity, before curving back down and accelerating toward Taichi with even greater force.
This was his latest training method.
Using Water Release to amplify the waterfall's impact—
Turning it into a natural forge for his body.
Each strike of water hit like a hammer, tempering flesh, muscle, and endurance.
Of course—
The chakra consumption was immense.
Fortunately, he was surrounded by a natural water source.
Otherwise, generating this much water purely through chakra—
Would be far beyond what he could sustain.
Even for him.
And so—
While his clones watched the enemy camp in tense silence—
Taichi himself was elsewhere,
Enduring a storm of water,
Forging his strength—
In preparation for the storm of war to come.
Just as Taichi was immersed in the exhilarating rhythm of his training—
A surge of memory suddenly flooded his mind.
His expression sharpened.
In the next instant, the Taichi beneath the waterfall vanished and reappeared on the riverbank, right beside a Flying Thunder God kunai embedded in the ground.
A flicker of flame passed over his body, instantly drying his drenched clothes. He dressed swiftly—then vanished again.
When he reappeared, he was back at the surveillance point where his shadow clone had just dispersed. In the distance, the convoy was still barely visible on the horizon.
He activated his Soul Vision.
And the moment he saw that massive, violent soul again—
There was no longer any doubt.
That was a jinchūriki.
Without hesitation, he created another shadow clone and sent it back to camp to report. Meanwhile, he stayed put, watching as the massive procession slowly advanced… until it finally disappeared into the Sand Village's forward base.
Only then did Taichi leave another clone behind—
And vanish once more.
---
The jinchūriki had arrived.
Which meant—
The countdown to war had begun.
Just thinking about it made his fingers tremble.
Not from fear—
But from excitement.
Taichi wasn't someone who sought out battle for its own sake.
But as a shinobi chasing the peak of power—
Training alone was never enough.
Only in real, brutal combat could the body's limits be broken…
Only then could true growth occur.
Returning to the waterfall, Taichi stripped off his outer clothes and dove straight into the churning waters.
Beneath the surface, the currents responded to his will, forming a powerful force that propelled him downward.
At the base of the waterfall, he planted his feet atop the water's surface—
And sat firmly in place, enduring the crushing force from above.
The torrent hammered down relentlessly, forging his body again and again.
While his real body continued training—
The message from his shadow clone had already reached the command center.
Combining this intelligence with the recent shift in skirmishes, the leadership quickly reached a conclusion:
The decisive battle would come within the next two to three days.
Both sides were now deliberately conserving strength.
Unimportant positions were being abandoned.
Forces were being pulled back.
Everything—
Was preparation for one overwhelming clash.
That evening—
After reporting, Taichi spotted familiar figures returning to camp.
Kakashi, Obito, and the others looked dusty and exhausted—clearly just back from a mission.
"Yōhei! Kakashi!" Taichi called out, waving them over. "Come here—I need to talk to you."
The group turned, immediately heading toward him.
Before anyone else could speak, Obito burst out:
"Taichi! You have no idea—I saved Kakashi this time! If it weren't for me, he'd be dead!"
Taichi raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed… and nodded.
That was enough confirmation.
Taichi chuckled. "Well done, Obito. Looks like you've finally grown. From now on, you'll need to take on more responsibility in the team."
Obito beamed with pride—
Then froze.
Something felt… off.
Why did that sound like a senior praising a junior?
And that kindly, almost fatherly look in Taichi's eyes—
Obito shuddered involuntarily.
Ignoring his reaction, Taichi's expression turned serious.
"Come. Let's talk somewhere quiet."
The group exchanged glances, sensing the gravity of the situation, and followed him to a secluded corner of the camp.
Yōhei, as team leader, spoke first:
"What's going on? Why so cautious?"
Taichi looked at them one by one and said slowly—
"Within the next few days… there will be a large-scale frontal war."
"WHAT?!" Obito's voice cracked, his hands trembling—whether from fear or excitement, even he didn't know.
The others were equally stunned.
They had experienced battlefield chaos before—
The sky filled with jutsu…
Attacks from unseen angles…
Enemies on all sides…
It was only then they realized how fragile life truly was.
Like a flower in a storm—
Gone at any moment.
"You've been out on missions, so you didn't notice," Taichi continued. "The camp is pulling back forces. From now on, don't take any more external missions."
There was a hint of personal concern in his tone.
"Stay in the camp. Train. Fix your weaknesses. Get into your best condition… and prepare for what's coming."
The weight of his words settled heavily on them.
Seeing that his message had landed, Taichi gave a small wave and turned to leave.
He had no time to linger.
Monitoring the Sand camp…
Helping in the medical unit…
Maintaining his own training…
Even with six shadow clones—
It still wasn't enough.
As Taichi walked away, Obito nudged Kakashi with his elbow, grinning.
"So… are we still taking missions?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes and shoved him aside.
"Read the situation."
Then he looked to Yōhei.
Yōhei nodded firmly.
"We follow Taichi's advice. Stay in camp. Train. If you have questions, come to me."
The team agreed.
Plans changed—
But survival came first.
Meanwhile, Taichi headed straight for the medical camp.
The drop in battle intensity over the past two days was obvious—beds that were usually full now sat empty.
He soon found Director Fujita, sitting under a tree, calmly reading a medical scroll.
"Director, this is rare. I almost thought you never had free time."
She looked up, smiling faintly.
"Taichi… I was free. But now that you're here, I doubt that'll last."
Taichi coughed awkwardly.
She wasn't wrong.
"I came on Jiraiya's orders," he said. "With the battle coming, I'm checking if the medical camp has any gaps."
Fujita sighed, closing her scroll.
"Another war…" she murmured, looking out over the camp. "The calm before the storm."
They stood in silence for a while.
Then she spoke softly—
"I wonder how many of them won't make it back to their families."
Taichi turned to her, smiling warmly.
"That's exactly why we're here. To make sure as many as possible do. That's the meaning of being a medical ninja."
For a moment—
He looked almost like Namikaze Minato himself.
A quiet light that steadied others.
Fujita blinked, slightly flustered, and quickly turned away.
"Come on," she said. "Let's check everything again. After this battle… we'll be overwhelmed."
Time passed quickly.
One day.
Two days.
Intel from Sunagakure kept arriving, and both sides adjusted accordingly.
Medical units, logistics, and non-combat personnel were all withdrawn to safer positions.
When the battle began—
There would be no reserves.
Every combat unit would be pushed to the front.
And that meant—
Anyone left behind would be vulnerable.
In a battlefield watched by multiple nations, even scavengers would not miss such an opportunity.
So they retreated.
Prepared.
Waited.
On the third morning—
Before dawn—
The Konoha camp came alive.
Squads assembled.
Weapons checked.
Food taken quickly.
Then, under command, they marched out.
Outside the camp, over 1,500 shinobi stood in formation—
Silent.
Heavy.
Like a storm about to break.
At the front stood Jiraiya, Minato, and the command staff.
As the first ray of sunlight broke over the horizon—
Jiraiya raised his hand.
Stepped forward.
And roared—
"Move out!"
Behind him—
A thousand voices thundered as one:
"Victory! Victory!"