Chapter 85: The Kill, and What Lingers (Double length chapter!)
"Didn't expect this, did you, brat?"
The green-haired Takagi sneered darkly. "What good is knowing so many tricks? In the end, you still die. That's how ninjas are—unpredictable!"
The final victory would still belong to Takagi.
But in the very next instant—
Bang.
His hand suddenly went empty.
Already grievously wounded, Takagi lost his balance. Staggering forward through a cloud of white smoke, he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Struggling, he lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the thinning smoke.
There—
Taichi stood smiling calmly at him, Mystical Palm glowing softly in his hand.
"So in the end," Taichi said lightly, "the real clown was me. Figures—anyone who uses clones has a dirty heart."
With that final thought, the green-haired Takagi closed his eyes forever.
---
Taichi looked at the now truly lifeless jōnin and let out a quiet sigh.
As a medical ninja acknowledged by Tsunade herself, Taichi could easily tell the difference between unconsciousness and death—between pretending and the real thing. Takagi's end was anything but unjust.
From start to finish, Takagi had never truly understood his opponent. Blinded by rage, he relied solely on his jōnin-level strength, chasing Taichi head-on without strategy, without coordination—even neglecting to properly utilize his subordinates.
He forgot a fundamental truth:
Ninjas were high-speed, high-damage combatants—but also terrifyingly fragile. One mistake meant death. Even the Third Raikage wasn't as reckless as this man.
Under such circumstances, if Takagi didn't die—who would?
---
After reviewing the battle's gains and losses, Taichi found that his injuries no longer impeded his movement.
The hunt was over.
What was meant to be a pack of wolves had instead provoked a tiger—and been torn apart.
He retrieved his short blade and strapped it back on, then returned along the route they'd come from, choosing a tall tree to hide in. He needed to wait for the remaining two chūnin—and recover his chakra.
They arrived even later than expected.
When the two chūnin finally pushed aside the foliage and stepped into the battlefield, they froze.
The ground was utterly devastated.
And worse—
Lying not far ahead was the body of Jōnin Takagi, the very man who had sworn to slaughter them earlier.
In that split second of shock—
A figure holding a short blade dropped from the tree above.
With the tremendous force of gravity and momentum, Taichi struck first, sending one chūnin flying with a desperate block.
Using the recoil to steady himself, Taichi immediately swept his blade horizontally toward the second chūnin's neck.
The man—always a beat too slow—finally reacted and tried to retreat.
But the gap between Taichi's true body and a shadow clone was immeasurable.
Taichi pressed forward without pause, drawing his blade back to gather strength. As their bodies closed in, he thrust forward sharply.
The panicked chūnin barely managed to knock the blade aside with a kunai, his stance collapsing from the impact.
Taichi seized the opening.
Twisting his waist, he spun with the redirected force, his short blade carving a clean arc—
Slash.
The man's head flew free.
From the moment Taichi knocked the first chūnin away to the instant he decapitated the second, only a few seconds had passed.
The first chūnin—just climbing back to his feet—stared in horror.
Fear finally shattered his will.
He turned and fled into the forest, desperate to escape that terrifying child.
Taichi could only shake his head.
At least when he ran, he used fire jutsu as cover. Turning your back and running blindly?
That was practically offering your life.
Closing the distance in a few strides, Taichi used Body Flicker.
The short blade pierced straight through the man's heart.
So easy it was almost embarrassing.
---
Only now did Taichi truly relax.
This half-day of tracking, infiltration, pursuit, counter-pursuit, and killing was the most intense battle he had ever experienced. One mistake—and he would have died horribly.
But effort always had its rewards.
Such high-intensity combat paid off immensely.
---
[You have experienced an intense battle. Ninja profession EXP +1000]
[Congratulations! Genin Level increased to Lv.6 (824/1000)]
[Attribute Point +1 | Skill Point +1]
Name: Matsushita Taichi
Profession: Genin Lv.6 (824/1000)
Age: 8
Talents:
• Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent
• Scholar
• Enhanced Growth
Stats:
• Constitution: 21
• Strength: 20
• Agility: 19
• Spirit: 24
• Chakra: 17,000 (17,200)
Points:
• Attribute Points: 15
• Skill Points: 16
Nature Transformations:
• Fire Lv.7 (1081/1200)
• Wind Lv.7 (1046/1200)
• Water Lv.8 (212/1400)
• Earth Lv.1 (82/200)
• Lightning Lv.0 (63/100)
• Yang Lv.6 (839/1000)
• Yin Lv.3 (234/400)
Chakra Control:
• Shape Transformation Lv.7 (124/1200)
• Control Lv.6 (511/1000)
Skills:
• Advanced Taijutsu Lv.1 (920/2000)
• Advanced Meditation Lv.1 (934/2000)
• Advanced Kenjutsu Lv.1 (1240/2000)
└ Derived Skill: Blade Momentum (Protection)
Evaluation:
You seem to have discovered a rapid leveling method. What are you waiting for? "Eternal Genin" doesn't sound very good. One intense battle nearly raised your level by two, replenished consumed points, and greatly boosted skill experience.
---
One thing still bothered Taichi.
He focused on his Constitution stat.
[Constitution: 21 (1/2)]
"…Does that mean it takes two attribute points to raise it to 22 now?"
Taichi frowned. "At this rate, points will never be enough. Damn panel—couldn't it come with a manual?"
His recent Advanced Taijutsu and Meditation training had slowed.
That wouldn't do.
Physical fundamentals were everything. Without a solid foundation, even the strongest techniques were castles in the air.
---
After adjusting his mindset, Taichi cleaned the battlefield—especially Takagi's body. A jōnin corpse was invaluable intelligence and had to be sealed and brought back.
Once finished, he retraced his steps.
"I wonder how Yōhei's doing," he thought.
"That guy looked like he was attending my funeral when he left…"
The thought warmed his heart.
---
At the place where they'd first separated, only scattered flames remained. Charred wood crackled softly—the aftermath of Taichi's rearguard fire.
Suddenly—
Four figures appeared.
Yōhei and the rescue team.
Seeing the scorched ground, Yōhei's anxiety spiked. The fire erased pursuit tracks—but also made searching harder.
Ignoring the heat, he rushed into the area, Sharingan blazing, determined to find anything.
Yamaguchi and the others silently split up to search.
Moments later—
"Captain! Over here!" Yōhei shouted.
They gathered—and froze.
Three corpses.
Yamaguchi crouched, examining wounds and positioning.
"These two were killed by Taichi," he concluded.
"One by blade, two by fire."
Following the surroundings, he reconstructed the fight and quickly found the tree Taichi had used.
"This way!"
Yamaguchi took the lead into the forest.
Now it was his turn to track.
Yōhei followed eagerly—every second mattered.
Soon, they found a second battlefield.
Just as they prepared to investigate—
"Who's there?!" Yamaguchi barked.
Everyone snapped into combat stance.
Leaves rustled.
Sweat ran into Yōhei's eyes—but he didn't blink.
"Captain—it's me."
Taichi's voice.
Yōhei felt like he'd heard heaven itself.
Before Yamaguchi could respond, Yōhei was already running.
Taichi stepped out from the trees—scratched, torn clothing, left arm hanging unnaturally, coughing softly as he pressed his chest.
Yōhei frantically checked him, even activating his Sharingan.
Despite his appearance, Taichi wasn't seriously injured.
Only then did Yōhei finally relax.
Watching Yōhei fuss over him, Taichi felt awkward—but happy.
Yōhei had delivered the intel and brought help.
Late or not—
That favor mattered.
Seeing Yōhei's two-tomoe Sharingan, Taichi felt even more moved.
If Yōhei hadn't cared about him that deeply—if he hadn't treated Taichi as someone that important—his single-tomoe Sharingan would never have been pushed hard enough to evolve into two tomoe.
Then again, Yōhei was only about eleven years old. Awakening the two-tomoe stage at that age was already considered early.
What mattered more was the speed of the evolution.
It had only been a little over a month since Yōhei first awakened his Sharingan, and he was already at two tomoe—openly displaying it without any concealment. Taichi couldn't help but wonder whether certain people in the village would start having ideas once they heard about this.
Shaking his head, Taichi pushed those thoughts aside. For now, they were only speculations—nothing he could say out loud. The only thing he could do was stay cautious in the future.
"Alright, Yōhei, easy there," Taichi joked.
"My left arm and chest bones were just set back in place. They're not fully healed yet. Don't break them again."
Yōhei, however, took it seriously and immediately withdrew his hands.
At this moment, Captain Yamaguchi and the Yukiya and Yuta brothers stepped forward, staring at Taichi in amazement.
"Taichi, how are you holding up? Are you alright?" Yamaguchi asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Taichi replied calmly.
"I took some injuries. The jōnin who chased me underestimated me—I set him up and killed him. Most of these wounds were left by him."
As he spoke, Taichi pulled out a storage scroll from his ninja pouch and handed it to Yamaguchi.
"Captain, the jōnin's body is sealed inside. Hopefully the village can extract some useful intel from it."
Yamaguchi accepted the scroll, his gaze complicated.
So little time had passed, yet Taichi had grown this much.
Every mission was a massive leap forward. At this pace, it wouldn't take long before Taichi truly possessed jōnin-level combat strength.
"Alright," Yamaguchi said.
"Let's head back to the outpost."
"Yes." ×4
---
Two hours after Taichi's group left, another group arrived at the same location—the remaining two jōnin from the cave, along with their subordinates.
"Did you find Takagi?"
"No. But we found the bodies of the five chūnin who went with him. He probably didn't fare any better."
"Damn it. I said from the start we shouldn't get involved in power games between major villages. Look at this—nothing accomplished, and we've lost a jōnin."
"What, having regrets now? Don't forget—you already took the advance payment. Unless you plan to quit this line of work entirely, the mission continues."
"Damn it… damn it!"
The man slammed his fists into a nearby tree again and again, snapping the trunk in half.
"Enough venting," the leader said coldly.
"Let's report back."
Without another word, he turned and left. The others followed in silence.
---
Outpost No. 7
After another long run, the group finally returned to the outpost.
—
Taichi followed Yamaguchi straight to the central command tent to report the mission details.
Those present included the rescue team—and Saori, who had been anxiously waiting at the gate the entire time.
The moment she saw Taichi, her composure collapsed. Tears welled up as she spoke:
"Thank goodness… thank goodness you're back… really, thank goodness…"
She wiped her tears as they fell.
"The ones who hunted us were one jōnin and five chūnin—"
As the report continued, everyone present felt their emotions rise and fall.
This battle wasn't just about strength—it was a clash of judgment, nerve, and luck. A single mistake at any point, and Taichi would never have returned alive.
Likewise, had the bounty ninjas been even slightly more cautious, they wouldn't have ended up completely wiped out.
"Taichi," Chiba Jsaid sincerely,
"thank you. If not for the intelligence you brought back in time, another outpost might have been attacked already."
"You're too kind, Chiba-san," Taichi replied humbly.
"This was simply my duty."
"Even so," Chiba continued,
"you deserve proper recognition. I'll report all of your performances truthfully in the mission report. The village won't disappoint you."
Taichi and the others were delighted.
Taichi, in particular, had been worrying about lacking enough mission records to exchange for more ninjutsu—this was a perfect gain.
---
Over the next few days, Team Eight remained stationed at the outpost, occasionally performing patrol missions.
Perhaps the losses suffered at Outpost No. 7 convinced the bounty hunters that this area was a hard bone to chew.
Until reinforcements arrived, the outpost faced no further attacks.
With that, Team Eight's garrison mission officially ended, and they were finally able to return to the village to report in.
As the outpost gradually disappeared into the distance, Yōhei's eyes were filled with reluctance.
"What, don't want to go back to the village?" Taichi teased.
Yamaguchi and Saori also looked at Yōhei.
Feeling embarrassed, Yōhei hurriedly explained:
"No, it's just… this is where my Sharingan evolved. For me, it's kind of a blessed place."
"Oh, give it a rest," Taichi said.
"Let this place have some peace. If you stayed here and dropped another jinx, who knows what would happen next."
Saori covered her mouth, laughing quietly.
Yōhei's "crow mouth" had come true twice during this mission.
"Alright," Yamaguchi said seriously.
"This was your first garrison mission. Parting from comrades you fought alongside—it's natural to feel reluctant. You'll get used to it."
"Captain, that doesn't sound comforting at all," Yōhei muttered.
"It actually makes me feel worse."
Everyone laughed.
But within that laughter—how much was joy, how much sorrow, how much helplessness—was open to interpretation.
---
The return journey was peaceful.
They took their time, chatting and laughing as they returned to Konoha.
Unlike before, however, Yamaguchi didn't give them much rest. He simply told them to regroup the day after tomorrow and left immediately.
Watching him go, Taichi and the others exchanged puzzled looks.
Had the village's mission load suddenly increased? Or was there another reason?
Yōhei and Saori looked at Taichi expectantly, hoping for insight from the one who was usually the smartest among them.
Taichi sighed helplessly.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just as confused. Maybe we've simply passed the rookie stage, and our mission frequency is increasing."
That explanation seemed reasonable.
After all, they wanted more missions—not just for pay, but to build records for future promotion.
With no clear answer, the three parted ways and went home.
---
On the way back, Taichi reflected on this mission's gains—especially how he'd used attribute points to complete one-handed seals instantly.
That reminded him of Minato, who was still struggling with that very issue.
Minato had guided him onto this path in the first place. Now that Taichi had succeeded, it was only right to give something back.
Having made up his mind, Taichi decided:
Tomorrow, he would visit Minato's home and share everything he'd learned.
Hopefully, Minato would be there.