Chapter 221
With Taichi personally stabilizing Obito's condition, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
The group hurried toward the medical camp under Taichi's lead.
Along the way, Taichi finally voiced the question that had been bothering him the entire time.
"What exactly happened to him? How did he end up this badly injured?"
The moment the question left his mouth, the atmosphere turned awkward.
No one answered.
Taichi glanced around in confusion, only to discover that even Rin—who had just been crying moments earlier—was now avoiding his eyes while wiping away tears awkwardly.
Instantly, he understood.
These idiots definitely hadn't listened to his warnings and had gone charging around recklessly again.
"Taichi, save him first," Yōhei said while carrying Obito on his back, his voice tinged with guilt. "A sword pierced straight through his chest. Honestly, the only reason he's still alive is because Rin gave him emergency treatment."
As he spoke, memories from earlier flooded back into everyone's minds.
At the beginning of the battle, the five of them had followed behind Taichi in formation, carving through the Sand forces like unstoppable blades.
And that had been during the enemy's fiercest assault.
But with Taichi leading from the front, everything had felt easy.
Any enemy strong enough to threaten them had already been crushed by Taichi beforehand. The few opponents who slipped through were either too weak or already thrown into disarray.
Dealing with them had been effortless.
But after Taichi broke away to confront the Tailed Beast…
Yōhei finally realized just how terrifying the pressure Taichi had been carrying truly was.
Without him at the front, the squad's assault capability dropped sharply.
In just two charges through enemy lines, every single member of the team had already been injured.
Fortunately, most were only superficial wounds.
By then, they had already arrived at the medical camp.
Taichi immediately laid Obito onto an empty bed and began examining him properly.
On the way over, he had already assessed most of the damage.
A punctured lung.
Severe internal bleeding.
Although emergency treatment had been applied, the quality clearly wasn't sufficient.
Not only had the bleeding not been fully stopped, but the tissue around the wound had healed in a chaotic and disorganized way.
This was exactly what happened when someone lacked proper medical theory and failed to control the Mystical Palm Technique correctly—recklessly stimulating cell division without understanding how the body should regenerate.
If this continued untreated, even if Obito survived, he'd spend the rest of his life with crippled lungs.
The moment Taichi explained the situation, Rin's face turned deathly pale.
Because she was the one who had performed the emergency treatment.
At the time, she hadn't had another option.
Panic had overtaken her, and she'd simply acted on instinct.
Only now, hearing the possible consequences from Taichi, did true fear begin creeping into her heart.
Seeing her expression, Taichi knew when to stop.
The point had been made.
There was no need to traumatize the poor girl.
"But overall, you did well," he said more gently. "In an emergency, stabilizing the patient comes first. Under those circumstances, your choices were understandable."
Then his tone became serious again.
"But remember this carefully—under normal treatment conditions, you absolutely cannot heal injuries like that. Correcting malformed tissue is far more complicated than simply cutting it out and letting it regrow."
Taichi was deliberately teaching her.
Medical ninjutsu required far more than talent.
Without solid theoretical knowledge, even healing techniques could become dangerous.
After giving the warning, Taichi returned his focus to Obito's condition.
The injuries were ugly.
Not only had Obito been impaled clean through the chest, several ribs had also been shattered by heavy blunt force.
Taichi honestly had no idea what kind of suicidal nonsense this idiot had gotten himself into.
After completing the examination, Taichi flicked his right hand.
A chakra scalpel instantly formed.
With one smooth motion, he sliced downward across Obito's chest.
The upper clothing split apart cleanly without leaving even the faintest scratch on Obito's skin.
The level of precision was terrifying.
After briefly cleaning the wound, the twisted scar tissue beneath became fully visible.
The surface had technically healed, but the disorganized scar growth made it obvious that leaving it untreated would cause endless future complications.
Taichi slowly placed both hands over the wound.
Normally, he only needed one hand to perform treatment.
In fact, this two-handed posture was something he had only used during the earliest days of his medical training.
That alone showed how difficult the next procedure would be.
Soft green chakra glowed from both palms simultaneously.
The dense vitality radiating from it was so rich that even the onlookers felt refreshed simply standing nearby.
Yet beneath that healing energy lay terrifying destructive precision.
The Mystical Palm Technique could stimulate cell growth.
And if reversed—
It could silently kill cells just as easily.
What Taichi needed to do now was destroy the malformed tissue while simultaneously stimulating the correct cells to regenerate and replace them.
That required an absurd level of anatomical understanding.
Which cells belonged where.
What structures needed reconstruction.
Every step relied entirely on Taichi's monstrous chakra control.
And it was exhausting.
Truly exhausting.
In barely a few minutes, sweat had already begun forming on Taichi's forehead.
Ironically, he hadn't even broken a sweat while fighting Shukaku earlier.
Half an hour later, Taichi finally withdrew his hands.
After wiping the sweat from his brow, he glanced down at Obito and clicked his tongue.
This idiot had definitely done something stupid again.
Otherwise Yōhei and the others wouldn't be acting so suspicious and guilty.
Still, now wasn't the time to pursue the matter.
Turning toward Rin, Taichi began explaining Obito's condition.
"The chest wound is stabilized, but the broken ribs still need time to heal naturally. I've only managed an initial fusion. He's unconscious right now because of blood loss, but he should wake up soon."
Then he added:
"You already know the standard recovery precautions, so I won't repeat them."
Rin immediately covered her mouth in relief, tears welling in her eyes again.
She had truly been terrified.
Taichi then looked toward Yōhei, Kakashi, and Saori.
"You three shouldn't stay here either. Whatever happened can wait until Obito wakes up."
"I still need to continue guarding the camp."
"Since manpower is stretched thin right now, the camp is at its weakest point. If you're still capable of moving, go help with patrol duty."
"No problem," Yōhei answered immediately before anyone else could speak. "We'll head out after this."
He answered so quickly that he didn't even bother discussing it with the others first.
That only made Taichi even more suspicious.
What exactly had these idiots done?
Still, he wasn't someone who liked prying endlessly into other people's embarrassment.
Right now, he was far too busy anyway.
Every single shadow clone he had created was occupied.
There wasn't time to waste on gossip.
Besides…
Once things calmed down, he'd hear the story eventually.
Afterward, Taichi returned once more to the center of the camp, replacing his shadow clone and continuing his vigil.
And he sat there the entire night.
Only the following morning did Jiraiya and the other commanders finally return to camp, all wearing unmistakably satisfied smiles.
The moment they entered through the gate, the first thing they saw was Taichi sitting calmly in the middle of the camp.
Everyone smiled knowingly.
The reason they had been able to fight without worry at the frontlines was precisely because someone powerful had been guarding the rear.
Otherwise, the moment the battle's outcome had been decided, they would've been forced to pull elite forces back to defend the camp.
That, in turn, would have weakened the frontline pressure.
A victory worth ninety points might've become eighty.
Or worse.
"Taichi, you've worked hard," Jiraiya said loudly while slapping his disciple's shoulder. "You returned to guard the rear right after the battle and stayed awake all night, didn't you?"
The joy on his face was impossible to hide.
And honestly, Taichi deserved every bit of praise.
His performance in this battle had been extraordinary.
Calling him the greatest contributor to the victory wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Holding off Shukaku alone…
Then killing it outright…
None of the people present could claim they were capable of that.
If not for the fact that others also needed opportunities to earn merit—and because the rear truly required someone powerful defending it—Taichi's achievements would've been even more unbelievable.
Taichi merely smiled and avoided the topic.
Instead, he bowed slightly.
"Congratulations, Sensei. Congratulations to all the seniors on your triumphant return."
"After this battle… Sunagakure's backbone has truly been broken."
"Hahaha!"
The entire group burst into laughter.
Taichi was absolutely right.
After this defeat, the Sand Village no longer possessed the strength to launch another major war anytime soon.
What happened next would depend entirely on how Konoha chose to proceed.
"Come on, Taichi," Jiraiya said while casually hooking an arm around his neck. "Let's head to the meeting first. The battle may not be fully over yet, but it's time to summarize the results and prepare the report for the village."
The other jōnin all smiled silently.
Everyone could tell Jiraiya was intentionally elevating Taichi's status.
But nobody objected.
After all, true strength earned respect everywhere.
Inside the command tent, everyone took their seats amid laughter and conversation.
But this time, Taichi was specifically placed at Jiraiya's right-hand side.
That seat normally belonged to Minato.
Since he was still at the frontline, the position had temporarily been given to Taichi instead.
It took more than ten minutes before the excitement finally settled enough for the meeting to officially begin.
"Everyone," Jiraiya said with a grin, "we've celebrated enough. Now let's discuss the gains from this battle and decide how we're going to report them back to the village."
"Good!"
Someone shouted loudly from below, instantly reigniting the atmosphere.
Everyone knew the battle had been a massive victory.
But just how massive?
How many losses had Konoha suffered?
Nobody knew yet.
And everyone was eager to find out.
"Shikaku," Jiraiya said with a laugh, "go ahead and tell everyone the numbers. Let the boys enjoy themselves a little more."
A burst of laughter filled the tent.
But every single gaze immediately locked onto Shikaku.
Shikaku rose unhurriedly to his feet.
First, he respectfully bowed toward Jiraiya before turning to face everyone present.
"This battle's results, as of this morning's tally…"
"Sunagakure has suffered over five hundred confirmed deaths."
"Among them, twenty-four confirmed jōnin casualties."
"In addition, we've taken one hundred and three prisoners."
"As for our side—"
"Konoha's current losses stand at one hundred and forty-six dead, including four jōnin."
The entire tent instantly exploded into noise.
A victory like this truly deserved to be called historic.
Such an overwhelming casualty ratio was rare even when looking across all wars since the founding of the hidden villages.
And more importantly—
The battle wasn't even completely over yet.
During the pursuit phase, Sunagakure's casualties would only continue increasing, while Konoha's own losses would likely remain minimal.
"And of course," Shikaku continued calmly, "the greatest achievement of this battle was the elimination of the Shukaku."
"This guarantees that for at least the next several years, Sunagakure will completely lose the Tailed Beast as a strategic trump card."
"When facing them in the future, our position will be significantly more relaxed."
With that, Shikaku calmly returned to his seat.
But nearly every person in the tent immediately turned to look at Taichi beside Jiraiya.
Those burning gazes made even him feel slightly uncomfortable.
There was envy.
Admiration.
Recognition.
Praise.
Every expression carried the same meaning—
Respect.
"Now that everyone understands the battle results," Jiraiya said with a grin, "we'll send the preliminary victory report back to the village immediately."
"If anyone has additional details to contribute, report them to Shikaku afterward."
"Once the war fully concludes, we'll compile a complete battle report and submit it to the village."
Jiraiya was clearly trying to finalize a stage-by-stage summary as quickly as possible.
After all, Konoha itself still knew nothing about the battle's outcome.
If information wasn't delivered promptly, the village leadership might make serious strategic misjudgments.
"Alright then," Jiraiya continued cheerfully, "if any department has requests or reports, now's the time."
"While the village is still celebrating this victory, the Hokage might approve things more easily."
The room instantly filled with knowing laughter.
Honestly…
That was an excellent point.
One after another, requests immediately started pouring in.
"Our weapons and equipment are nearly exhausted! Especially kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags!"
"Our food supplies and soldier pills are almost gone too! At current rates, we only have enough for about a week!"
"The medical division is critically short on medicine, equipment, and especially manpower! We're already operating around the clock—many medical ninja barely have time to sleep!"
Taichi nearly laughed out loud.
What a shameless bunch.
Every single department was crying poverty as hard as possible.
Truly proving that the squeaky wheel got the grease.
Especially the medical corps.
Taichi knew their actual situation better than anyone.
Sure, they were understaffed—
But nowhere near as dramatic as they were making it sound.
The medical shifts were clearly operating on rotations.
Yet the way they described it made it sound like every medic had been working nonstop for twenty-four straight hours.
Jiraiya, however, seemed thoroughly entertained.
Not only did he not object—
He happily instructed Shikaku to write everything down.
"Submit all of it to the village," he said with a grin. "Ask for as much as possible."
After all—
You ask high so there's room to negotiate lower later.
That was basic strategy.
Still, Taichi himself wasn't nearly as optimistic.
After this battle, Sunagakure had been severely weakened.
The threat level on the southern front had dropped dramatically.
Whether Konoha would even maintain the current troop numbers here was questionable.
There was no way the village would keep sending additional manpower indefinitely.
Right now, everyone was still drunk on victory, so they hadn't thought that far ahead yet.
But once things calmed down…
They'd understand soon enough.
"Everything else can wait," someone suddenly said seriously, "but food can't."
"Our grain supplies were calculated for the original troop numbers."
"Now we suddenly have over a hundred prisoners, and there may be more later."
"We genuinely don't have enough food."
Jiraiya's expression finally became serious.
That truly was a real problem.
Not only were there prisoners to feed, but the enormous number of wounded shinobi now required far more nutritional support as well.
That drastically increased food consumption.
And transporting supplies from the rear would take time they didn't have.
For a moment, the entire tent fell silent.
Then Taichi suddenly spoke.
"How about borrowing grain from the Land of Rivers' daimyō?"
He still clearly remembered how the Land of Rivers' ruler had previously betrayed Konoha.
Although the man later fell back in line after Konoha pressured him…
That grudge had never truly disappeared.
"This…" one ninja hesitated awkwardly. "Would that really be appropriate?"
That was the morally upright type.
Still trying to preserve appearances.
"Great idea!" another immediately shouted. "We protected his country from Sunagakure! What's wrong with asking him for some grain?"
That was the shameless type.
Turning extortion into righteous logic.
"We can always call it borrowing," someone else added smoothly. "Once our own supplies arrive, we can repay him."
That was the practical type.
As for whether they actually repaid it later…
Well, that would depend entirely on them.
Jiraiya and Shikaku exchanged a glance.
Both saw the same spark of interest in the other's eyes.
Their relationship with the current Land of Rivers daimyō was already terrible anyway.
Now that Konoha had won such an overwhelming victory, this was the perfect opportunity to "negotiate firmly."
Of course, it couldn't look like outright coercion.
Everything still needed proper procedure and justification.
Jiraiya scanned the room thoughtfully, searching for someone suitable to handle the task.
Taichi was immediately ruled out.
He was too young.
The daimyō and his court weren't shinobi—they wouldn't understand Taichi's strength or reputation.
To them, he'd just look like some child.
As for the others…
Most were either too blunt or completely unsuited for negotiation.
They wanted grain, not a diplomatic disaster.
After all, this was still the Land of Rivers' territory.
Offending the daimyō too badly could easily come back to haunt them later.
After looking around the room, Jiraiya's gaze eventually settled back onto Shikaku.
"This really has to be you."
Shikaku sighed helplessly.
But in the end, he could only nod in agreement.