Chapter 87 – The Way of the Ninja (Double Chapter)
"If it were Rin, then… then…"
Obito fell silent halfway through his sentence.
He tried to imagine himself in such a situation—and instantly, a suffocating heaviness crushed his chest. The thought alone made it hard to breathe. He didn't even want to imagine it.
"Kakashi," Taichi turned to him instead, "what do you think? Which is more important—the mission, or your comrades?"
"I…"
Kakashi hesitated for a long time but still couldn't give an answer. His expression was conflicted; clearly, he hadn't figured it out yet.
"I would never abandon Rin!"
Suddenly, Obito stood up and shouted, his face flushed red. He didn't even care about the strange looks from the people around them.
"Then what about other teammates?" Taichi asked calmly.
"I wouldn't abandon them either," Obito replied without hesitation.
"Missions can be done again, but a comrade's life only comes once."
There was a firm resolve in Obito's eyes. Clearly, Taichi's question had helped him grasp something important.
Kakashi looked at Obito with a trace of admiration. Obito had made his choice decisively—but at the same time, Kakashi felt helpless. Obito was oversimplifying things. Some missions determined the lives of countless people.
"Then what about you, Taichi?" Rin asked softly. "What would you choose?"
Taichi didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked everyone another question.
"You haven't forgotten the Will of Fire, have you?"
Seeing everyone nod, Taichi continued:
"Where the leaves dance, fire will continue to burn.
Its light will illuminate the village,
and allow new leaves to sprout."
"Isn't it clear?" Taichi said.
"The Will of Fire teaches us to cherish and protect our comrades."
"But it also teaches us to protect the village and put its interests first," Kakashi countered.
"Exactly," Taichi replied.
"They're both part of the Will of Fire—so which one is truly correct?"
Kakashi froze, unable to answer.
Obito was already completely confused, unable to sort out the tangled thoughts in his head.
Rin seemed thoughtful, but she didn't speak.
Seeing everyone's different reactions, Taichi smiled lightly.
"In my view, there is no absolutely correct answer. Every choice depends on what you value most.
If you value comrades, then comrades are more important.
If you value the mission, then the mission is more important."
"But what matters most," Taichi added,
"is that we only use our own beliefs to judge ourselves.
Forcing others to follow our way of thinking—that's what truly goes against the Will of Fire."
"So basically, you didn't say anything at all," Obito muttered under his breath.
Taichi laughed.
"That's because this kind of question never has a single correct answer.
Everyone can share their own view—but as I said, forcing others to act according to your beliefs is definitely wrong."
"Alright, alright," Taichi said, changing the topic.
"We came here to eat, didn't we? Why did this get so heavy?"
He picked up a piece of golden-brown grilled meat, dipped it in sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Mmm! This is amazing! Hurry up and eat!"
"You're the one who started this conversation in the first place," someone complained.
Soon, laughter and chatter returned, and the atmosphere gradually lightened again.
Looking at Kakashi, Taichi thought quietly:
I hope today's words can make a difference.
Sometimes, a single sentence from family is worth ten times the effort of an outsider.
---
That Night – The Hatake Residence
After spending the whole day out with everyone, Kakashi returned home. He happened to see his father, Hatake Sakumo, practicing with his blade in the courtyard.
Thinking of the conversation at the barbecue restaurant, Kakashi asked, almost unconsciously:
"Father… do you think the mission is more important, or a comrade's life?"
Sakumo stopped his movements and straightened up, looking at Kakashi in surprise. He hadn't expected such a question.
"Of course a comrade's life is more important," Sakumo replied without hesitation.
"My blade exists to protect others. That is my way of the ninja."
"And if the mission is extremely important?" Kakashi pressed.
"Then we make up for it afterward," Sakumo answered sharply, his words as decisive as his blade.
"But a comrade only has one life."
"I understand," Kakashi said quietly.
"Thank you for your guidance, Father."
He then returned to his room.
---
Meanwhile, Taichi was at home, reading through the sealing techniques scroll Minato had given him.
As he continued flipping through it, he couldn't help but marvel—Minato and Kushina's mastery of sealing techniques was likely among the very best in all of Konoha.
The scroll progressed step by step, from shallow to deep—starting with explanations of basic sealing runes, then moving on to the most fundamental sealing technique, the One-Origin Seal, and finally advancing to the slightly more complex Duality Seal. It truly deserved to be called the perfect introductory textbook for beginners.
Taichi read with complete absorption. Whenever he gained insight, he would pull out a pen and jot notes in the margins. He read, paused, annotated, and continued like this until he had finished skimming the entire scroll.
Letting out a long breath, Taichi straightened up and stretched. When he glanced at the time, he froze slightly—it was already 1:00 a.m.
Time really flew when studying. Shaking his head, Taichi quickly washed up and went to bed.
Before sleeping, he took one last look at his status panel:
[Learning in progress: Sealing Techniques Lv0 (12/100)]
---
In the days that followed, Team Eight finally entered a period of normal mission life. There were no more sudden twists—no more "C-rank missions" spiraling into dangerous complications.
While such excitement was thrilling, honestly speaking, few people wanted to live that way all the time.
Time passed in a calm yet fulfilling rhythm. Missions, rest, training—then missions again. Occasionally, there were reunions with old classmates or small team activities within Team Eight.
Thanks to their high mission frequency and consistently efficient completions, Team Eight gradually gained a reputation within Konoha's ninja circles. A rookie team performing at this level was already comparable to some veteran squads.
They even began receiving B-rank missions, a clear sign of the team's rapid overall growth.
---
One noteworthy event during this period was that Tsunade finally replied—three days after Taichi sent his second letter.
When Taichi felt a sudden tug from his summoning contract, he paused in surprise. After focusing, he realized it was a reverse summoning—from Katsuyu.
The moment he accepted the call—
Poof!
Taichi vanished from his home and appeared in the legendary Shikkotsu Forest.
This was his first time here. Although he had been Katsuyu's summoner for nearly two months, he had never visited this place.
Before him stretched a strange forest—not green like the outside world, but pale white. From a distance, it truly looked like a forest of bones.
White mist filled the air, dense enough in places to obscure vision. The uneven ground formed countless pools of water, making the atmosphere thick and humid.
Large and small slugs crawled everywhere—some feeding on leaves, others resting motionlessly.
"Taichi-sama, this way."
A small, gentle voice spoke beside him. A tiny slug perched on a nearby tree was addressing him.
"Hello, Katsuyu," Taichi replied. "Why was I summoned here?"
"Lady Tsunade has sent a reply. The letter is ahead—I'll take you to it."
As she spoke, slugs from all directions gathered and merged into the small one. In moments, the fist-sized slug expanded into a full human-sized Katsuyu.
"Please follow me, Taichi-sama."
"Oh—okay."
Taichi stared in amazement. Seeing Katsuyu's division and fusion abilities in person was genuinely astonishing.
Soon, they arrived before an even larger Katsuyu. As the smaller one merged into it, the great slug lowered her head. From within her body, a letter surfaced—addressed clearly:
"To Taichi, personally."
"This is Lady Tsunade's letter. Would you like to read it here, or return home first?"
"I'll read it back home," Taichi said after looking around. The environment wasn't exactly suitable for reading—and the thickness of the letter suggested it was quite long.
"Very well. Farewell, Taichi-sama."
With the summoning released, Taichi returned to his home in Konoha.
---
The letter began with a very familiar greeting:
You little brat, what suddenly made you think of writing to me? Let me tell you—I've got nothing left worth teaching you…
And on it went.
Out of eight pages, more than half were complaints—about how much she lost gambling, where she borrowed money next, and how unlucky she'd been lately.
Still, Taichi managed to piece together her general situation.
At the end of the letter, Tsunade finally addressed the questions Taichi had raised in his previous letters—both regarding medical ninjutsu and monstrous strength (chakra-enhanced strength).
After finishing the letter, Taichi felt genuinely happy.
The first step of a long journey had finally been taken. At this rate, bringing Tsunade back to Konoha no longer felt so distant.
The next day, by the river—
Crack!
A thick tree snapped clean in half. The fracture pattern clearly showed it had been shattered by a single punch.
And it wasn't the only one.
Within a hundred-meter radius, more than thirty trees lay fallen in various states of destruction.
Taichi looked at the newly broken tree with satisfaction.
Finally—he had mastered Monstrous Strength.
Thanks to Tsunade's guidance in her letter, many long-standing problems had been resolved. His training efficiency skyrocketed.
Over the past two months, Taichi's progress in taijutsu had been enormous. His mastery of Monstrous Strength had reached the point where it could now be integrated into real combat.
And that wasn't all.
The Earth Release and Lightning Release techniques he had previously exchanged for were now fully learned. While not yet refined, he could execute them reliably.
The system responded:
[Long-term training detected: Strength +1, Agility +1]
[Skill 'Monstrous Strength' upgraded to Lv5 (0/800)]
[Congratulations! Genin level increased to Lv7 (0/1200)]
[Attribute Point +1, Skill Point +1]
Then, a new message appeared:
[Condition met: Job Advancement Unlocked]
Requirements:
1. Genin Lv10
2. Constitution or Spirit ≥ 15
3. Strength ≥ 20
4. Agility ≥ 20
5. Pass the village Chunin Exam
Taichi felt a surge of excitement.
Now that the requirements were clear, the path forward was obvious. Only two remained: leveling up and passing the Chunin Exam.
The fastest way?
More missions.
Exactly what Team Eight had been doing.
Suppressing his impatience, Taichi continued training.
---
Konoha – Hokage's Office
At the same time, Konoha's top leadership had gathered for a secret meeting.
"Hatake Sakumo has eliminated both the planners and executors listed in the report 'Kumogakure's Abduction of Bloodline Holders'," Hiruzen said calmly. "He now requires extraction."
"And yet you bring this up now—so something went wrong?" Koharu asked.
"This morning, Kumogakure sent an official protest," Hiruzen replied, placing a document on the table. "They accuse Konoha of assassinating their high-ranking personnel."
Danzo sneered.
"They have the nerve to protest? And they want us to hand over the killer? What arrogance."
"Send the report directly to the Raikage," Homura suggested. "If they persist, we release it publicly."
Koharu nodded.
"No village feels safe knowing Kumogakure targets bloodlines."
Hiruzen nodded and turned to Danzo.
"Have Root deliver it immediately."
"You're rushing—Sakumo's been discovered, hasn't he?" Koharu asked.
"Yes," Hiruzen admitted. "He's currently being pursued."
Danzo's eyes lowered, calculating.
"So this is to pressure the Raikage into withdrawing pursuit."
"Exactly."
"And an extraction team?" Homura added.
After a moment's thought, Hiruzen decided:
"Minato Namikaze—and Yamaguchi Masasuke's team."
Homura frowned.
"Yamaguchi's team is still Genin."
"They're not ordinary Genin," Hiruzen said firmly.
"Especially Matsushita Taichi—his strength already rivals some Special Jonin."
Danzo's fingers twitched.
The meeting continued.
Outside, the world edged quietly toward war.
---