Learning and the Cloud Village
"Rogue Ninja? Forget about it. It's not like I'll never get it again. I'll have it sooner or later, so why become Rogue Ninja?"
Taiichi shook his head, retracting the yearning light from the scroll and placing it back onto the Spirit Transformation Technique scroll in his hand. This was the one that truly belonged to him; if it weren't for the inconvenient location, he would have opened it and started learning it long ago.
"You seem quite confident," Jiraiya couldn't help but tease, but then he thought about it and realized that Taiichi was right. Taichi was a legitimate member of the Hokage's faction, and his contributions during this wartime were certainly substantial.
At this rate, he might actually be able to exchange for Ninjutsu he wants from the Scroll of Sealing before the war ends.
Thinking of this, a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead. He didn't know if it was from shock or from feeling embarrassed about the Third Hokage's future situation. Having such a powerful grand-disciple was certainly a headache.
"What have you been doing these past two days, Taiichi? You haven't even come here to give me a mission report since you got back." Jiraiya collected his thoughts and asked, feigning seriousness.
Taiichi's mind was completely focused on the scroll at the moment, so upon hearing this, he instinctively replied, "They ambushed Sunagakure's Resupply. Today they ambushed another hundred-man squad's Resupply, killed a Jonin, and burned a batch of supplies."
Unfortunately, their Resupply teams are now growing larger, with Resupply consisting of hundreds of ninjas traveling to and from the area, making surprise attacks increasingly difficult.
As he spoke, he recounted Jiraiya detail how he had ambushed Sunagakure during this period.
Little did he know that his Versailles-like remarks left Jiraiya speechless. Although he had suspected something, he was still quite surprised after Taiichi confirmed it.
Even before today, ninjas who went to the rear of Sunagakure to cause trouble had been returning to report that Sunagakure's Resupply teams had recently changed; small-team Resupply had disappeared, and those that came out were now at least a company-sized or larger ninja team.
This made it impossible for these small teams to find suitable targets for ambush; the culprit behind all this was right in front of them.
However, according to Taiichi, the reason why Sunagakure had to expand its Resupply teams to prevent Konoha from launching a sneak attack was not solely due to Taiichi, but also because Minato had been carrying out sabotage operations behind Sunagakure.
Minato's fighting style is probably similar to Taiichi's: fight if he can win, and run if he can't; he can come and go as he pleases.
Having figured all this out, and knowing that the task assignments would need to be adjusted accordingly, he looked up at Taiichi, who was still engrossed in studying the scroll, and said impatiently, "You'd better get out of here and study your Ninjutsu. Don't get in my way!"
Upon hearing this, Taiichi immediately became happy, greeted them, and then vanished from the spot.
Jiraiya was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"This brat, is he in such a hurry!"
In the resting tent.
Taiichi sat cross-legged on the bed, the scroll already opened, and he was studying its contents word by word.
Compared to ordinary elemental Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu Spirit Transformation Technique, which involves the soul, is far more complex and difficult to execute than ordinary Ninjutsu.
Many of the novel uses and understandings of Chakra here were Taiichi had never encountered before, much less even imagined.
This Spirit Transformation Technique was like a key, opening a completely new door to the secrets of the soul for Taiichi, giving him many unique and novel insights into Chakra and the soul.
As he delved deeper into the subject, more and more ideas began to emerge, Taiichi unconsciously took out paper and pen to jot down those unique thoughts.
As time passed, one sheet of manuscript paper after another gradually piled up on Taiichi's right side, until Taiichi could no longer reach out and take out a single sheet. Only then did he recover from this state of complete absorption.
I glanced at the time and it was already past 10 p. m. I hadn't realized how late it was.
But looking at the thick stack of manuscripts, Taiichi felt so satisfied, like someone who hadn't eaten for three days and was now filling his stomach in one go, radiating a sense of fulfillment from body to mind.
His gaze fell upon the void, upon the invisible panel.
[Studying diligently, Spirit Transformation Technique Lv0 (42/100)]
[Diligent study and research, Yin Release Nature Transformation +200]
This is quite a leap forward. As expected of knowledge he's never encountered before, it has been of immense help to Taiichi. I estimate that Taiichi he fully masters this Ninjutsu, the feedback he receives will be even greater.
The following day, Taiichi left behind three Shadow Clones: two were sent to the Medical Camp, and the third remained in the tent to learn the Spirit Transformation Technique.
As Ninjutsu involving the soul, Shadow Clone cannot be used alone, but it is perfectly fine for learning.
Taiichi's true form, on the other hand, used the Flying Thunder God to arrive at the laboratory located on the border of the Land of Wind.
The laboratory today is quite different from what it used to be. After this period of expansion and a large investment of money, it is now fully equipped with all kinds of basic research equipment.
Taiichi's research on White Zetsu also officially began not long ago. Compared to normal humans, White Zetsu, a special life form that combines the characteristics of both plants and animals, has indeed brought Taiichi many novel discoveries.
Take its energy intake as an example. White Zetsu does not need to replenish its energy by eating like ordinary people. It can transform itself like a plant and draw nutrients from the earth and sunlight.
They can also use the Spore Technique to absorb Chakra by parasitizing their own bodies and then transfer the pure energy to themselves or other White Zetsu.
In short, there are Taiichi things about this creature that are worth exploring, but unfortunately, there is only one White Zetsu alive, so he must study it carefully; otherwise, his research methods could be even more unconventional.
After checking the progress in the laboratory, Taiichi left behind another clone, while his main body used the Flying Thunder God to travel to the heart of the Land of Wind, the place he had left yesterday.
He hadn't forgotten his original job: to cause trouble behind Sunagakure's lines.
A massive city came into Taiichi's view ahead; it was Mingsha City, one of the few cities in the Land of Wind built on a great oasis.
According to the tacit understanding formed during the great war between the Ninja World nations, ninjas are not allowed to cause damage in such large cities.
This is easy to understand. What ninjas are fighting for is nothing more than resources and mission assignments, and a large portion of those who issue missions often live in these large cities.
Although they are located in the Land of Wind, the missions they issue are not limited to Sunagakure. Even now, Konoha is accepting their mission orders.
If you destroy this city now, you might end up killing your current or future employer.
Taiichi in coming here was not to cause destruction, but to gather intelligence. Large cities like this are often hubs for various kinds of intelligence.
When Taiichi disguised himself and entered the city, the security was not as strict as he had imagined.
The city's well-organized streets divide the entire city into various functional districts. Taiichi had previously visited cities in the Land of Fire, and this was his first time visiting a city in the Land of Wind.
This urban landscape, so different from that of the Land of Fire, truly broadened Taiichi's horizons. The abundance of earthy yellow and the unique round house designs were things Taiichi had never seen before.
The streets were bustling with people, not as busy as Konoha, but still comparable to some cities in the Land of Rivers.
As Taiichi walked along the wide street, he noticed from the conversations and actions of the people passing by that the war did not seem to have a significant impact on the area. Apart from rising prices, no one seemed to feel any urgency about the impending war.
However, this is understandable. This is not a war zone or a ninja village. The passing ninjas all follow the tacit agreement not to fight here, so it's no wonder that no one feels any tension of war.
Taiichi arrived at a bustling izakaya. Although it was still early, there were already quite a few customers sitting there, indicating that the business must be booming during mealtimes.
Taiichi a few local desert delicacies, eating them idly while simultaneously using his Chakra Perception to gather any useful information.
I heard that grain prices are going up again today----
"The City Lord of Wind Erosion City was reportedly assassinated for opposing the Daimyo's imposition of war taxes—"
"Rōran is becoming more and more prosperous; it doesn't seem like a city in the desert at all—"
"Remember that caravan that came a couple of days ago? I found out, it was a caravan from the Land of Lightning, and they were probably escorting people from the Cloud Village. They were all so arrogant----"
Each conversation and each scene appeared in Taiichi's perception. He carefully collected this information, afraid of missing any useful intelligence.
The Land of Lightning, the Cloud Village —why would they appear so openly in the Land of Wind at this time?
In the original story, it seems that Cloud Village did send someone to attack Sunagakure after the death of the Third Kazekage, but in this timeline, no such incident has occurred so far.
Could this be a prelude to a sneak attack by the Cloud Village?
Taiichi raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and then revealed an expression of great interest. Anyway, at this time of year, whether it's Sunagakure or...
Iwagakure and Cloud Village are enemies of Konoha, so Taiichi needs to go and take a good look at this group of ninjas from Cloud Village.
Having made up his mind, Taiichi finished the "delicacies" on the table in a few bites. To be honest, they were too "unique" and didn't suit Taiichi's taste. If it were an ordinary Civilian from the Land of Fire, they definitely wouldn't be able to eat this kind of food.
Taiichi left the izakaya and began to wander around the city using his Chakra Perception. Based on the information he had heard before, the caravan should still be in the city, so Taiichi wasn't in a hurry and leisurely searched for it.
Sure enough, after Taiichi had traversed half the city, he found the Taiichi near the city's south gate around noon. It seemed they were preparing to leave.
Why were we so sure it was them? It was because they were so conspicuous, dressed in the distinctive clothing of the Land of Lightning, completely out of place with their surroundings.
Having found his target, Taiichi stopped wandering and found a teahouse some distance away to sit down, constantly observing the movements of the group through his Chakra Perception.
Taiichi didn't need to keep an eye on them for long; with just a simple observation, Taiichi knew that this was not a caravan at all. The entire group consisted of Jonin, and Taiichi could even identify two Jonin among them.
"Hehe, they really are here to cause trouble. It seems I need to get involved."
Before long, the caravan left Mingsha City. Judging from the direction, it seemed to be heading towards the Kyoto of the Land of Wind. Taiichi didn't care about anything else and just trailed far behind the caravan.
Once they were far from the city, something unusual happened. The caravan, which originally consisted of more than thirty people, immediately split into two groups and dispersed, leaving only ten people in the original group continuing on their way.
Taiichi decisively created two Shadow Clones, sending each of them to track a caravan, while his main body continued to follow the reduced caravan.
He's not in a hurry to cause trouble for this team; instead, he wants to see what their true purpose is.
They followed until evening, and the teams that had dispersed during the day gradually returned, along with Taiichi's Shadow Clone.
With the dissolution of the Shadow Clone, Taiichi's memories returned, and he finally understood their true nature.
It seems that Cloud Village does indeed have a plan to attack Sunagakure. This Cloud Village is actually a Sunagakure outpost that came to gather intelligence, including information on various unique mineral mining sites and so on.
And if they encounter Sunagakure Ninja that they can handle, they will not hesitate to take action.
It truly has the domineering style of the Kumogakure.
However, an interesting plan then came to Taiichi's mind: using someone else to do the dirty work, substituting one person for another, and sowing discord. Thinking about the whole plan, it seemed quite feasible.
Taiichi immediately became excited, looking at this "caravan" from the Land of Lightning with the gaze of a cat seeing a mouse, a mixture of desire for food and interest in playthings.
Now, all that's missing is the right opportunity.
The caravan in the distance had already begun setting up camp, and it seemed they wouldn't be leaving today. Taiichi left a Shadow Clone to continue monitoring, while his main body used Flying Thunder God to return to the Konoha Camp.
As soon as he appeared, Taiichi immediately ran towards the Central Army Tent.
It was still necessary to report his plans to Jiraiya, since this could potentially trigger a conflict between the two countries, and it was important to prepare the higher-ups.
Upon entering the tent, they found only Jiraiya and Shikaku inside, which was perfect, allowing Taiichi give his report alone.
Sure enough, when Taiichi told the two of them his plan, not only Jiraiya but also Shikaku felt that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If the plan succeeds, it will be extremely beneficial to Konoha's current situation!
"Taiichi, go ahead and do it, but be careful not to reveal your identity." Jiraiya didn't forget to give his final instructions.
Taiichi nodded hastily, indicating that he understood. This feeling of secretly doing things behind the scenes excited every nerve in his body. No wonder so many people like to hide behind the scenes; it feels so good.
Back in his Resting Tent, he found that Yohei and Saori hadn't returned yet. It seemed the Camp had been quite busy lately, but since they all had their own Flying Thunder God Kunai, he wasn't too worried.
After studying the Spirit Transformation Technique with his Shadow Clone, Taiichi released all the Shadow Clone in the Camp and fell into a deep sleep, conserving his strength for the battle the next day.