A Real First Battle (Please Bookmark, Follow, Vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets)

Konoha Root Base.

Back at the base, Danzo still could not suppress the anger in his heart. He was not angry that he had failed to secure Taichi Matsushita as a "tool." After all, Konoha lacked everything except talent. Besides, the talent Taiichi had displayed so far was only on Kakashi's level. Danzo's Root had plenty of clan ninja and secret technique ninja. He truly did not lack one Taichi Matsushita. More importantly, a genius who had not yet grown up was nothing.

What truly enraged Danzo was Sarutobi's final remark: "I am the Hokage."

Back when everyone had been retreating, when Teacher Tobirama asked that question, Danzo had merely hesitated for a moment before Hiruzen Sarutobi beat him to it. Otherwise, the current Hokage would have been Shimura Danzō.

The more Danzo thought about it, the angrier he became. Only after another bout of smashing things did he finally calm the rage in his heart. Thinking of Hiruzen Sarutobi rejecting his request, he felt another surge of unwillingness. In the end, he decided to meet Taichi Matsushita himself. If the boy was willing to join Root on his own, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not possibly refuse, could he?

At that moment, Taiichi had no idea that Konoha's two higher-ups had erupted into an argument because of him.

After returning home, Taiichi rested for a while before strapping his Short Sword to his back again and preparing to head to the training grounds. Perhaps because the Ninja Academy was on break, he found the streets much livelier than usual.

Groups of children occasionally passed him by, leaving waves of laughter behind them. The people of this time probably could not imagine that another war would descend in the near future. Everyone was still enjoying this brief peace.

No, Konoha's upper ranks definitely knew. The upper ranks of every village definitely knew as well. Right now, the wolves were merely licking their own wounds. Once everyone had accumulated enough strength, the next war would erupt.

Summer was especially stifling. After leaving the bustling streets behind, the chirping of cicadas, laden with humidity, clung to his skin. As Taiichi walked through the shadows of the trees toward the Riverside Training Ground, he heard the sharp clang of metal colliding in the distance. Instinctively, he gripped his sword hilt, chakra flowing through his meridians to the soles of his feet—Kakashi had taught him just last week how to approach a target without making a sound.

In the clearing behind the bushes, three Anbu were besieging a man wearing a Mist Village Headband. The masked ninja suddenly flung out three kunai tied with Explosive Tags. Five Water Clones shot out from the dust kicked up by the explosions. Taiichi recognized the Mist Style Substitution Technique. Just as he was about to retreat, he caught sight of a Stone Village tattoo flashing beneath the man's sleeve. A fake Mist Ninja!

"Northwest!" The leading Anbu suddenly shouted toward Taiichi's hiding place. Taiichi rolled aside to evade the incoming Wind Blade, blades of grass brushing across his cheek. The spy disguised as a Mist Ninja leaped onto a tree trunk with the recoil, then closed in on Taiichi's position with several rapid jumps. The boy could clearly see the cold sweat beneath the enemy's headband, as well as the chakra threads wrapped around his fingers—it was a Sunagakure method of controlling puppets!

"Flame Bullet!" Taiichi's fingers were still trembling as he formed the hand seals. The Fireball barely grazed the enemy's clothes. Poisoned Senbon shot from the spy's sleeve. Taiichi drew his sword with a backhand motion and slashed fiercely at the critical moment. The shock of metal clashing traveled up the hilt to his shoulder blade, and he nearly lost his grip on the Short Sword.

[Hatake Style Kenjutsu Experience +1]

The instant the panel notification flashed across his vision, the spy's whip kick was already sweeping toward his face. As Taiichi leaned back, he recalled Guy's Leaf Whirlwind and spun with the motion, kicking the opponent squarely in the knee. Compared to his swordsmanship, Taiichi's Taijutsu was still stronger at this stage. The crisp sound of bone displacement made his stomach churn. He had seen a dislocated knee joint at the hospital just this morning.

But this time, he had caused it with his own hands.

After firing several ninjutsu, the chakra he had severely depleted that morning was now nearly exhausted. Taiichi did not hesitate. He quickly added one Attribute Point to his physique, and in an instant, his depleted stamina, mental energy, and even chakra were all fully restored. This gave Taiichi even greater confidence.

"Brat, you're courting death!" Wind Style mixed with shattered stones burst from the spy's mouth. Taiichi's hand seals suddenly changed into the Medical Seal Nonō had taught him. Green light wrapped around his left arm as he forcibly took the attack. Blood sprayed onto his eyelashes amid the sound of tearing cloth. Using the clarity brought by pain, he threw a smoke bomb. It was the tactic Asuma had used in their last spar.

As gray mist spread through the area, Taiichi held his breath. Kakashi's teaching echoed in his ears: "Listen to the wind to locate them." The resistance of his blade piercing flesh came through, but the recoil knocked him three steps back—it had struck an Earth Clone! The real shuriken came from behind him. Taiichi barely twisted aside, and the blade carved a bloody groove across his shoulder.

"Phoenix Sage Fire!" He formed hand seals through the pain and spat out fireballs that blocked the enemy's retreat. The scorching air current blew off the spy's disguise mask. That scar-covered face reminded Taiichi of the wounded patients admitted to the hospital, and his hands paused for a moment. In that instant of hesitation, a chain shot from the Sunagakure ninja's sleeve and wrapped around his ankle.

The sound of metal grinding suddenly stopped as three kunai precisely severed the chakra threads. The Anbu captain appeared behind the spy with a Body Flicker. Taiichi could almost see the curve of his smile beneath the mask. When the tachi pierced through the enemy's shoulder, Taiichi was pressing down on his bleeding wound, the green light in his palm much dimmer than usual.

"Medical Team!" The captain's roar startled weary birds from the woods. Taiichi slid down the tree trunk and sat on the ground, watching the Anbu place chakra-sealing shackles on the unconscious spy. Morning light shone on the bloodstained sword guard, and he realized he was actually smiling—so this was what real combat smelled like: disinfectant mixed with rust.

"Kid, your swordsmanship's decent, and your Taijutsu isn't bad either. But you keep getting distracted in a fight." As the captain tossed him a hemostatic bandage, Taiichi noticed the faded flame pattern at the edge of his headband. The Anbu's gloves were stained with both enemy blood and his own, but the hand that patted his shoulder was exceptionally warm. "What's your name?"

"Taichi Matsushita."

The Anbu captain then questioned Taiichi for a while, mainly asking why he had come here and what he was doing here. When he learned that Taiichi was still a Ninja Academy student, he looked surprised. Were students these days all this fierce?

After the questioning ended, Taiichi looked at the unconscious spy on the stretcher and suddenly remembered the child in the hospital whom he had comforted with Healing Technique. The morning breeze swept over his sweat-soaked back, and the hand gripping his sword finally stopped trembling. The panel notification quietly flickered in the corner of his vision, its entries slowly increasing.

[You have fought an enemy. Relevant experience has increased.]

[Your skill Basic Taijutsu has improved. Experience +1.]

[Your skill Hatake Style Kenjutsu has improved. Experience +1.]

[Your skill Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire has improved. Experience +1.]

...

[You have fought a ninja. Combat experience has increased. Genin class experience +50.]

A single short battle had caused all his stats to surge forward by a significant amount. The effect was even better than a full day of training. As expected, only real combat could accelerate the growth of one's strength. Unfortunately, such opportunities were hard to come by.

After moving away from the Anbu and arriving by the small river, Taiichi did not continue training. He had just gone through a major battle, and both his body and mind had been greatly exhausted. Although the injuries he had suffered were healed on the spot with Medical Ninjutsu, he still should not engage in intense exercise for a while.

Thinking back on the battle, Taiichi realized that he had made quite a few mistakes. He had let his thoughts wander during the fight, and his timing when casting ninjutsu had been wrong. Fortunately, the Anbu had arrived in time to save him. Otherwise, he might have been the one lying on the ground. It seemed there was still quite a gap between him and a real ninja. It was not merely a difference in strength; what he lacked even more was the experience of facing an enemy in a crisis.

After finishing his review, Taiichi looked at his panel. Basic Taijutsu and Basic Meditation were both about to level up. If they had leveled up earlier during the battle, perhaps he would not have needed to spend one Attribute Point. Still, he did not regret it. When life and death hung by a thread, who had the luxury of worrying about such things?

Taiichi then slowly practiced the restorative exercises of Basic Taijutsu and cultivated Basic Meditation. First, to recover his body; second, to make the two skills level up as quickly as possible.

Sure enough, the notifications arrived before long.

[Congratulations, your skill Basic Taijutsu has increased to Lv9 (0/1600).]

[Congratulations, your skill Basic Meditation has increased to Lv9 (0/1600).]

With the insights that came with the two level-ups, Taiichi finally confirmed that his Taijutsu had reached Chunin level. From here on, he only needed to digest those insights through constant combat.

Elsewhere, after handing the spy over to the Interrogation Department, the Anbu captain went to the Hokage's Office to report the situation.

"You're saying that you encountered a Ninja Academy student during the battle, and that student was the one who stopped the spy from escaping?" the Hokage asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. He is a first-year student named Taichi Matsushita. I have already verified it. There is no problem with his identity."

"All right, I understand. Go and rest first."

"Yes!"

After the Anbu left, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the pipe on his desk, packed it full of tobacco, lit it, and took a deep drag before exhaling in satisfaction. His entire body was soon obscured by smoke.

That morning, Danzo had come to demand the boy from him and questioned whether his training would bury Taiichi's talent. Then that afternoon, the Anbu reported Taiichi's outstanding performance in battle. Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help wondering whether Taichi Matsushita was his lucky star. Every time he heard the boy's name, something good happened.