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Let's not even talk about Taiichi. He already has strength comparable to Jonin, and he's also a versatile player. It would be a bit tricky for me to deal with him one-on-one.

Yohei, that naughty boy, has had his Three-Tomoe Sharingan for almost a month now, so his strength must have increased dramatically.

Saori may seem quiet most of the time, but when she gets into a fight, she's even crazier than those two boys.

Thinking of this, Masasuke Yamaguchi broke out in a cold sweat. If he were defeated by his three subordinates, the Captain would lose all face.

"Captain, your silence means you agree." Yohei seized the opportunity and directly set the rules for the "three against one" sparring match.

Masasuke Yamaguchi was speechless for a moment. Silence meant agreement, but it was unclear whose opinion it was.

But since things have come to this, I have no choice but to First Shinobi World War with all my might, and see just how much progress those three guys have made during this time.

On the Training Ground, the four people stood in their positions.

The sunlight cast long shadows of the four people, while Captain Yamaguchi had already taken out his Kunai and his gaze swept over the three young men.

"Let's get this straight, Taiichi, you're not allowed to use your Chakra Enhanced Strength." Captain Yamaguchi glanced at Taiichi's wrist. "I can't take a punch from that thing."

"The Captain hasn't even started fighting yet, and you're already trying to limit our combat strength." Taiichi said, "That's really unfair!"

However, behind his back, he secretly made a gesture with his right hand.

Yohei's Three-Tomoe Sharingan shifted slightly, taking in this subtle movement.

"But I still promised you, so I won't use Chakra Enhanced Strength."

"Alright, let's begin!"

Before Captain Yamaguchi could finish speaking, Saori's hands had already Hand Seals.

Lightning Style: Lightning Net.

A Lightning Ball exploded in the air, and fine arcs of electricity descended like a fishing net. This was not an attack, but merely a means to confine the Captain's movement to a certain area.

"You cast the spell so quickly!" Captain Yamaguchi's pupils contracted slightly, but his hands moved without slowing down. He completed the Wind Style seal in an instant, and a strong gust of wind rose from the ground, tearing the electric net to shreds.

But in the instant the electric grid shattered, Yohei had already advanced to his left side, Kunai for the Captain's ribs.

A loud clang of metal rang out as Captain Yamaguchi blocked Yohei's attack with a backhand.

Just then, a white shadow flashed past Captain Yamaguchi's blind spot. Taiichi's Short Sword fell with a sharp whistling sound.

At the critical moment, Captain Yamaguchi hastily raised an Earth Style Wall, which, though only a thin layer, managed to block Taiichi's Short Sword.

Amidst the flying shards of shattered earth, Captain Yamaguchi staggered back three steps, his face finally showing a grave expression.

That kid Taiichi really shows no mercy.

Moreover, the three kids coordinated perfectly. Saori controlled their movements, Yohei distracted them, but the real killing move was Taiichi's swordsmanship.

"Captain, don't get distracted!"

Yohei's voice carried a hint of mockery, and before anyone knew when he had finished Hand Seals, his chest suddenly swelled up.

Fire Style: Great Fireball.

A huge Fireball roared past Taiichi and headed Masasuke Yamaguchi.

At this moment, Taiichi quickly followed behind the Fireball, his right hand holding a sword, ready to strike, while his left hand rapidly Hand Seals. In just two or three steps, he had completed the seals and Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.

The Fireball that had been condensed was swept up by the gale and instantly turned into a sea of fire that enveloped a radius of seven or eight meters around Captain Yamaguchi.

However, before the flames could dissipate, Taiichi, who was charging forward, suddenly stopped.

"No, it's too peaceful."

As expected, there was no sound of the Captain struggling to deal with the sea of fire.

Just then, Saori's sweet shout came from behind.

It turned out that Captain Yamaguchi had taken advantage of the flames to quietly use Earth Style: Hiding in Earth Technique behind Saori, intending to eliminate the weakest link among the three through a sneak attack.

Unfortunately, he underestimated Saori's potential!

The special training he received during this period made his perception of Chakra even more acute. He had already sensed the faint fluctuations of Captain Yamaguchi's stealth, and the moment Captain Yamaguchi broke through the ground, he blasted a Lightning Ball at him.

At this moment, Taiichi and Yohei had also returned to Saori's side. All three of them kept their eyes on the arm that was exposed above the ground, not daring to relax their vigilance for a moment.

With a "pop," a puff of white smoke appeared, and the arm vanished.

As expected, it was Shadow Clone.

The moment the Shadow Clone disappeared, the ground beneath their feet surged and softened violently without warning, turning the area within several meters into a thick mud.

"Oh no, we've fallen for their trap! Disperse!"

It turned out that Captain Yamaguchi had been waiting for this moment when the three of them gathered. He didn't expect the Shadow Clone to succeed at all; his real killing move was this wide-range Earth Style Ninjutsu.

Then, the Indian style changed again.

Earth Style: Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet

A ferocious clay dragon raised its head from the swamp, its mouth wide open! Countless clay bullets, like machine guns, shot towards Taiichi and his companions with sharp whistling sounds, leaving them battered and bruised.

"Come closer to me!" Taiichi shouted, struggling to break free from the swamp's restraints, his hands quickly Hand Seals.

Water Style: Water Formation Wall - A wide curtain of water suddenly rose up, barely blocking the incoming earth bullet!

"Puff puff puff puff puff~"

The swarming dirt bombs crashed into the water curtain, creating countless splashes.

At this moment, Yohei and Saori also awkwardly hid behind the water curtain, finally gaining a chance to catch their breath.

Old ginger is spicier!

The same thought flashed through the minds of all three. As expected of a veteran Jonin, the Captain was incredibly experienced in combat. He quickly broke through their combined attack using various clever tricks and even managed to force them into such a sorry state.

Taiichi gestured to the two of them, indicating his intention, "Next, I will take the lead."

At this moment, both sides had finished their Ninjutsu. Yohei and Saori immediately Hand Seals, and Lightning Ball and Phoenix Sage Fire were scattered in large numbers towards the place where Captain Yamaguchi was standing.

Taiichi, taking advantage of his teammates 'Ninjutsu cover, rushed straight forward. Once he was at a sufficient distance, he launched a Body Flicker Technique.

At that moment, Captain Yamaguchi was busy dodging incoming Lightning Ball and Fireball. Yohei and Saori seized the perfect opportunity, releasing their Ninjutsu just as Captain Yamaguchi finished his Ninjutsu, forcing Captain to dodge the incoming Ninjutsu.

He watched helplessly Taiichi him, and by the time he finally freed his hands, Taiichi had already Body Flicker right in front of him.

"So fast!"

This was the first time Captain Yamaguchi had seen Taiichi's Chakra Enhanced Body Flicker Technique. The terrifying speed, which was almost beyond visual perception, sent chills down his spine!

What followed was Taiichi's storm-like slashes, each strike precisely blocking all of Captain Yamaguchi's possible dodge and counterattack routes.

The moment the blades made contact, Taiichi knew that this was the Captain's true form; his clones were not capable of withstanding his swordsmanship.

From the very beginning of this fight, the Captain had tried his best to avoid close combat with him. Now that Taiichi had finally seized the opportunity, he was not about to let the Captain escape.

"This is the original body!"

In the distance, the two who were maintaining the suppression with Ninjutsu, upon hearing Taiichi's words, were also delighted and pounced from both sides to join the close-quarters attack.

At this moment, Captain Yamaguchi was also inwardly groaning. He was a ninja who leaned towards Ninjutsu, and although his Taijutsu was not bad either, it was a clear weakness at this time.

Now that Taiichi is entangled with him, he doesn't even have a chance to unleash his Ninjutsu, and with Yohei and the other two catching up, the pressure on him is increasing even more.

As expected, the three attacked, and Captain Yamaguchi could not hold out for long. Finally, when Taiichi's cunning slash tore through his sleeve, and Yohei's Kunai pierced his waist—

"Stop! Stop!" Captain Yamaguchi shouted helplessly, his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and disappointment. "I surrender, I surrender."

Looking at the Kunai that was only an inch away from his kidney, Captain Yamaguchi broke out in a cold sweat. If he had been any later, his kidney would have been in danger.

After the battle ceased, the four huddled together, discussing the gains and losses of the fight. During this time, three of them even received praise from Captain Yamaguchi.

That's true, though. Team 8 was the easiest group Masasuke Yamaguchi knew, with each member being proactive and eager to learn.

Both Yohei and Saori have family traditions, so you don't need to worry about them.

Taiichi is a little monster who enjoys training every day and is also Tsunade's disciple.

Sometimes, Masasuke Yamaguchi would wonder if his Jonin the team leader Jonin was too easy.

"Sigh, I don't even know what else I need to teach you!" Masasuke Yamaguchi sighed deeply, what a happy trouble.

The three men looked at each other, puzzled by Captain Yamaguchi's words.

Yohei was the first to break the awkward silence. "Captain, you're not trying to shift the blame, are you?"

Upon hearing Masasuke Yamaguchi rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking of recommending that you participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

"Really, Captain?" Yohei was immediately excited upon hearing this; he could become Chunin!

"Captain, when is the next Chunin Ninja Exams?" Taiichi asked at this moment.

"Next year!" Masasuke Yamaguchi affirmed. "We've already held the Chunin Ninja Exams once this year."

"You all need to use this time to further improve your skills," Captain Yamaguchi instructed. "Especially you, Yohei, becoming Chunin isn't just about strength."

"As a Chunin, you need not only strength, but also intelligence gathering and analysis skills, teamwork and command abilities, battle situation analysis, and a strong sense of the big picture."

"Check these against yourselves and see what you're missing."

The three nodded frequently in agreement with Captain Yamaguchi's guidance, each reflecting on their own shortcomings and areas where they needed to improve their skills.

Looking at the three deep in thought, Captain Yamaguchi was also very pleased. This kind of team member who could improve on his own was exactly the type that every Captain loved most.

"Alright, let's not think about that now. Our goal today is to train our teamwork. The Chunin thing is still a long way off; let's not waste time on the present."

"Okay!"

The shouts and cheers rang out again. Apart from lunch, the three of them had been training all day long, making even the lazy Masasuke Yamaguchi feel ashamed.

The days of training were uneventful yet fulfilling. Before he knew it, Taiichi's vacation was coming to an end. Just then, Taiichi received the long-awaited news that Minato and Jiraiya had successfully completed their mission and returned to the village.

The message came from Kushina; she had already arranged a time with Minato and Jiraiya so that Taiichi could come to them tomorrow to discuss things in detail.

Upon receiving this news, Taiichi was filled with gratitude. Kushina was truly loyal; calling her "sister-in-law" was well-deserved, as she genuinely cared about this matter. Thinking of this, Taiichi secretly resolved that he would do everything in his power to help Kushina crises.

The next day, Taiichi prepared everything early and arrived at Minato's house half an hour ahead of time.

Minato opened First Gate Minato to greet them, his blond hair gleaming in the morning light, his smile as gentle as ever. When Taiichi followed Minato into the house, he found Jiraiya already waiting inside.

"Haha, how about it?" Jiraiya saw Taiichi and proudly gestured with his chin towards Minato and Kushina. "I knew this kid wouldn't sit still and would come over early! Minato, this drink is on you!"

"Jiraiya- sensei, isn't this just human nature? It's a shame Minato was so foolish as to make a bet with you." Kushina stood up for Minato from the side.

Minato, however, smiled without saying a word. After leading Taiichi to his seat, he sat down next to Kushina.

Taiichi looked at the three laughing and joking, took a deep breath, and solemnly bowed to Jiraiya and Minato: "Jiraiya- sensei, Senior Disciple Brother Minato, I was indeed presumptuous this time, but since it concerns Sister Nonō's life, I have no choice but to stake everything."

As he spoke, Taiichi took out Tsunade's letter and presented it with both hands, "This is a letter from Teacher Tsunade. Although she cannot come back in person, she is willing to do her part in this matter."

Jiraiya took the letter and quickly glanced at it, his brow gradually relaxing. "I have a general understanding of what happened. Tsunade also wrote to me, asking me to step in and help you."

As he spoke, Jiraiya help but feel a pang of sadness. Teammates were never as close as disciples. For Taiichi's sake, Tsunade had asked the Katsuyu Sage to use the connections between the Three Great Sage Regions to deliver the letter to him via Mount Myoboku.

This involved a lot of favors, since Summoning Animal aren't servants of ninjas; they have an equal cooperative relationship.

However, this bitterness came and went quickly. Putting aside the fact that Taiichi and he had a master-disciple relationship, just based on Taiyi's loyal and righteous character, he should still help him out.

Thinking this, Jiraiya waved the letter in his hand and said to Taiichi, "The treacherous schemes are indeed Danzo would do; he'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals."

As he spoke, he handed the letter in his hand to Minato, who was standing next to him, gesturing for him to take a look, and then continued.

"However, this matter isn't as simple as you think. It involves personnel transfers between departments, especially since it involves the special existence of Root Fiends. Just because of my and Tsunade's connections, the old man doesn't have a sufficient reason to directly ask Danzo for them."

"You know, Danzo is also very good at using the 'rules' as an excuse to evade and prevaricate."

After reading the Minato, Minato's azure eyes flashed with a sharp glint. "Lady Tsunade's judgment is accurate. In such matters, either do nothing, or act swiftly and decisively, without giving Danzo any more time to react."

"Taiichi, do you have any other bargaining chips? For example, the unreasonable demands Root has placed on Nonō, or some reason that would allow the Hokage to intervene directly."

"If we have nothing, it's best if we remain inactive and wait until we have enough strength before launching a full-scale attack. Otherwise, Nonō."

Minato reminded Taiichi not to act impulsively.