Chapter 40 – Kurama's Gratitude and the Mission Report
"Kid, still got any strength left?" The masked shinobi looked at Taichi. "I'm Anbu Captain Chisao. If you can still talk, tell me what happened."
"Brother, shouldn't you be helping me treat these wounds first? I'm about to die from the pain here." Taichi gave a look full of exasperation. Couldn't they see he was the injured one?
If his chakra hadn't been completely drained and his meridians screaming with pain, he would've just healed himself already.
Captain Chisao glanced over Taichi's battered body, then signaled behind him. An Anbu member stepped forward with bandages and ointment, beginning to wrap him up.
"You've got to be kidding me—you don't have a single medical-nin?" Taichi winced from the rough bandaging, his voice dripping with disbelief. "Easy! You don't just wrap it up like that. First, clean the wound, then—ugh, and after that you…"
"We're a pursuit unit. No medics assigned. You'll have to make do." Chisao explained, though he couldn't help but be surprised that Taichi actually knew medical procedures.
With no choice, Taichi half-guided the Anbu in tending to his wounds while explaining to Chisao, "My name's Matsushita Taichi. This is where I usually train. When I arrived today…"
From his brief account, Chisao pieced together the general situation—and the more he heard, the more shocked he became. If what Taichi said was true, then this boy was far more formidable than he had expected.
He turned, surveying the battlefield once more: flames still crackling, trees and ground scarred with countless wind-slashes, and in the distance, the corpse of the enemy shinobi, eyes still wide in death. Chisao seemed intent on committing every detail to memory.
Once Taichi had recovered a bit of stamina, the Anbu gathered him, the little girl, and their two "spoils of war" before heading back toward the village.
The cleanup of the scene would be left to the Trace Division—specialists who could reconstruct the events from the battlefield itself, verifying Taichi's story and restoring the grounds.
Before they even reached the Hokage's building, a group led by an older man appeared from the opposite direction. Chisao stepped forward, handing the girl back to him.
Only then did Taichi realize the child he'd saved was none other than Kurama Chizuru, youngest daughter of the Kurama clan head.
So that's what this was about, Taichi thought grimly—an attempt to seize the Kurama clan's kekkei genkai. Could it have been the work of Kumogakure again? Their record for such things was… notorious.
As the Kurama clan head spoke with Chisao, he gestured toward Taichi. Soon enough, the group approached him.
"Matsushita-kun, I am Kurama Kaita. I cannot thank you enough for saving my daughter." Without waiting for a reply, the man bowed deeply at a perfect ninety degrees.
Beside him, a beautiful woman clutching Chizuru wept as she bowed as well—tears of joy, no doubt.
"You're too kind. As a shinobi of Konoha, it was simply my duty. In your place, I believe you would've done the same." Taichi replied with the kind of polished humility he knew was expected.
"Even so, you saved my daughter's life. I won't intrude today since you still need to give your report, but I will surely visit to thank you properly."
With a nod from Chisao, they agreed on a later date before heading once more toward the Hokage's office.
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Hokage Building.
Chisao ordered his men to deliver the two captives to the interrogation unit, while he personally escorted Taichi into the Hokage's office.
When the door opened, Taichi froze. Not only was Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen present, but also his two advisors—Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu—and the head of Root, Shimura Danzō.
The sight of Danzō made Taichi's stomach sink. Of all the people he didn't want to encounter, it was that man.
The four elders were surprised as well—not just at Chisao's arrival, but that he had brought along a bloodied young boy.
Danzō recognized him immediately. His lips curled into a strange, knowing smile that sent a chill down Taichi's spine. God knows what scheme he was plotting this time.
Chisao began his report, addressing Konoha's highest authorities, while Taichi stood silently to the side, listening.
The truth came to light: the enemy had infiltrated the village disguised within a merchant caravan. Last night, they slipped into the Kurama compound, kidnapping the sleeping Chizuru.
But fortune turned against them—on their way out, they were spotted by patrolling shinobi, sparking a clash.
To attempt child trafficking inside Konoha of all places… unless you got out clean, you'd be branded the enemy of the entire village.
Realizing they were compromised, the group had made a desperate choice—assigning one tokubetsu jōnin to break through while the rest stayed behind to delay the pursuers.
In the end, two chūnin were killed before the last jōnin finally managed to break through.
That was when they crossed paths with Taichi.
With the whole picture now clear, Taichi finally understood why the entire village had seemed to be on lockdown that morning.
So that was it. First Kushina of the Uzumaki clan had once been abducted, now Kurama Chizuru… and in the future, even Hyūga Hinata would face the same fate.
Konoha's little girls really live tragic lives, Taichi sighed inwardly.
At that moment, the so-called "Konoha F4" were exchanging looks of surprise as they listened to the report of Taichi's battle against the fleeing enemy shinobi. Their eyes kept drifting back to the boy—This brat… could he really be that strong?
No one was more astonished than Danzō. He had already investigated Taichi before, and had even once attempted to recruit him into Root—only for Hiruzen Sarutobi to block the attempt.
Thinking of that made Danzō grit his teeth in barely contained frustration. Such a perfect seedling… wasted because of Hiruzen's meddling.
Not that he ever considered the truth: Taichi had never wanted to join Root. If he had, he wouldn't have gone straight to the Hokage to complain the moment Danzō extended the offer.
Hiruzen, by contrast, wore a broad, satisfied smile. In his eyes, this was a child raised under his own leadership and guidance. Looking at Taichi, he asked warmly:
"Taichi, do you have anything to add?"
"No, Hokage-sama." Taichi bowed politely.
Once both reports were finished, Hiruzen and his advisors leaned together, whispering in debate that soon escalated into a hushed quarrel.
At last, Hiruzen spoke again:
"Taichi, you performed admirably this time. You showed no fear, risked your life to defeat the enemy, protected one of our village's children, slew a tokubetsu jōnin, and even helped capture a jōnin. The village has decided to record this as an A-rank mission under your credit. What do you think?"
"Thank you, Hokage-sama, and esteemed advisors. I will continue to fight with all I have to protect the village." Taichi replied smoothly, his words flowing like honey.
Captain Chisao blinked in surprise, but the decision made sense the more he thought about it. Yes, the jōnin had been heavily wounded before Taichi managed to subdue him, but he was still a jōnin—no easy feat. And the kill on the tokubetsu jōnin? That had been Taichi's own doing, beyond question.
Then came Danzō's voice, low and insistent:
"Hiruzen, you should reconsider. Matsushita Taichi belongs in Root. With his talent, leaving him outside is a waste."
Hiruzen's smile instantly froze, his expression darkening. So, raising him under my guidance is a waste, but handing him over to you is somehow appropriate?
The moment Danzō finished, he realized he'd overstepped, his true thoughts slipping out.
"We've already discussed this matter," Hiruzen said coldly. "Taichi will not be joining Root. Besides, he is being trained by both Tsunade and Jiraiya. Do you truly believe you have shinobi more capable than them in Root?"
Utatane Koharu quickly chimed in to back him up:
"Danzō, Root already has more than enough clan shinobi. And look—Taichi is doing perfectly fine as he is."
The air grew heavier as the elders edged closer to another argument—when suddenly:
BANG!
The office doors burst apart.
"Taichi! Are you all right?!"
It was Tsunade.
She had only just been passing by downstairs when she heard Taichi had been gravely injured fending off infiltrators the night before. Panic gripped her, and without a second thought, she charged straight in.
The moment her eyes found him, she rushed forward, ignoring everyone else in the room, her hands already moving to check his injuries. Fortunately, his wounds had been treated beforehand—otherwise, Tsunade's hemophobia might have flared up right then and there.
"Tsunade, you are far too reckless!"