Teaching Sealing Talismans, Returning Home in Glory

When Taiichi returned to his Resting Tent, it was already around 4 p. m. Yohei and Saori, who had gone out for exercise, had also returned and were chatting in the tent.

Judging from their conversation, it was Taiichi's insights on Genjutsu Taiichi afternoon. Yohei seemed to be planning to try learning Genjutsu again; he still couldn't let go of the Mangekyō Sharingan's enhancement to Genjutsu and wanted to challenge his weakness once more.

Upon seeing Taiichi enter through the tent, Yohei immediately became happy. He walked up to Taiichi, explained the situation, and wanted to hear Taiichi's opinion.

"This—" What could Taiichi say? The spirit of challenging oneself is commendable, but doing something knowing it's impossible is not a wise move.

"You can give it a try, but don't spend too much time on it. If it doesn't work out, know when to stop. Time is precious right now. Every bit of strength you gain increases your chances of survival on the battlefield."

Taiichi could only say that, and at the same time took out a scroll from his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it to Yohei, "These are some notes I took when I was learning Genjutsu. I hope they will be useful to you."

Yohei's smile vanished instantly upon seeing the scroll Taiichi handed him. He solemnly accepted Taiichi's notes, nodding emphatically, "I will definitely handle this carefully, don't worry!"

Taiichi patted Yohei on the shoulder, then walked past Yohei, ignoring him as he ran off to study the scroll. He went straight to Saori, took out the exchanged Seal Paper and ink from his Ninja Tool Pouch, and waved them around. "Saori, I'm going to make Sealing Talisman. Can you help me?"

Upon hearing Saori, Saori's eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded in agreement.

She naturally understood that Taiichi didn't really want her to help, but rather intended for her to learn from him; the process of creating Sealing Talisman of that level was something she should learn from.

"Yohei, do you want to come along?" Taiichi turned and called out to Yohei.

"You two go ahead. I recognize those Sealing Jutsu runes, but they don't recognize me. You might as well stay here and study your Genjutsu notes." Yohei didn't even look up, waving his hand to signal Taiichi and Saori to leave quickly and not disturb him.

Taiichi smiled and didn't mind. He led Saori out of the tent, and the two walked slowly, talking about their understanding of Sealing Jutsu. Of course, Saori did most of the talking, Taiichi occasionally chimed in to point out the shortcomings in Saori's understanding.

Back when Taiichi was learning Sealing Jutsu, the two of them discussed it together. However, at that time, it was Saori who was teaching Taiichi some basic Sealing Jutsu. Not long after, their roles have been reversed.

Saori sighed inwardly as the two of them arrived at a clearing in the grove, which was also where Taiichi usually trained. All the trees within a 30-meter radius had been cleared away, and apart from some potholes on the ground, everything else was in good condition.

Saori was puzzled. There wasn't a suitable place here to make Sealing Talisman. She wondered why Taiichi her here. Surely it wasn't for training? She looked at Taiichi, her eyes filled with doubt.

Taiichi smiled and offered no explanation. He stepped forward to the edge of the arena, Hand Seals, and channeled his Chakra into earth-attribute power before slamming his palm into the ground.

Instantly, the ground in front of Taiichi softened rapidly under the influence of Chakra, forming a muddy state similar to the Swamp of the Underworld, with one or two bubbles occasionally rising from it.

As Chakra continued to be poured in, the surface of the muddy ground quickly became flat and hardened, changing from yellowish-brown to dark brown. In just a few seconds, the entire muddy ground transformed back into a flat rock surface.

This is an application of Earth Style Nature Transformation. By Chakra to change the properties of the soil, you can make it take the shape you need. If your control is high enough, you can even turn it directly into a house.

Of course, this level of difficulty is undoubtedly much higher, and not everyone has this ability. Normal ninjas would prefer to use Ninjutsu directly, which is more convenient and faster, and do not need to go to this level.

Saori stared at the smooth ground sculpted by Ninjutsu, her mouth slightly agape. She understood that achieving this level of Chakra was far more difficult than directly unleashing Ninjutsu.

This kind of subtle showing off is what truly surprises experts. If it were Obito, he'd probably just widen his eyes and exclaim, "Ninjutsu is so convenient!"

"Taiichi, are you going to draw runes on this rock? Does it need such a large area?"

The rocky ground in front of them was already 15 meters in diameter. Saori never expected that the Sealing Talisman would be made of such a large Talisman Formation. It was truly an eye-opener.

"Yes, there's no flat ground, so we had to make one ourselves." Taiichi said, taking out a Sealing Scroll, Hand Seals to retrieve its contents—three palm-sized Seal Paper and a large amount of ink.

These are all top-quality items specially made by the Logistics Department. The cost of just these two items alone would be close to 100,000 taels of silver. This is only because of Taiichi's achievements; otherwise, you wouldn't be able to buy them even if you wanted to.

Saori stepped forward and stood behind Taiichi, watching him place Taiichi Seal Paper in the center of the rock. Then, she picked up a pen, dipped it in special ink, and began writing the central rune of the Talisman Formation on the Seal Paper, expanding outwards one rune at a time.

His writing was steady and fast, clearly showing that he had a thorough understanding of the runes and did not need to think at all when he wrote.

Saori watched carefully from behind him. It was a complete demonstration of the Talisman Formation. Taiichi had written down all its structure and secrets in order, so that even someone like Saori, with her level of Sealing Jutsu, could understand most of it.

Such opportunities are rare, and not all Sealing Jutsu masters are as generous as Taiichi in teaching others everything he has learned without reservation.

About an hour later, Taiichi wrote the last rune, then put down his pen and stood up. He braced his back, and a series of crisp "crack" sounds rang out.

"That felt great! I was really lucky this time, I finished it on the first try. I thought I'd have to fail several times!" Taiichi exclaimed, then turned to Saori: "Was there anything you didn't understand?"

Saori blushed, unsure of where to begin. At first, she could understand about 70-80% of what she was reading, but after half an hour, she could only understand about 50%.

Seeing her like this, Taiichi comforted her, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Just ask if you don't understand. I called you here to teach you this."

Upon hearing this, Saori put aside her shyness and began to ask about the things she didn't understand. Taiichi was a good teacher and answered all her questions one by one. If she still didn't understand, he told her to put it aside for now and come back to it later when her Sealing Jutsu was more advanced.

They continued asking and answering questions until Saori had no more problems for the time being. Another hour had passed. Taiichi looked at the sky and knew that he could not delay any longer. He then walked to the center of the Talisman Formation to prepare for the final step of the process.

Saori also retreated outside the formation, carefully watching Taiichi's every move inside. She saw him rapidly Hand Seals, his massive Chakra surging. As the last seal was completed, the Chakra flowed into the Seal Paper through his hand, which was pressed against the central rune.

At this moment, the entire Talisman Formation seemed to come alive, twisting and turning, constantly shrinking towards the central rune. In just two or three seconds, the entire Talisman Formation finished shrinking, and when Taiichi stood up, he was holding a jade-like Sealing Talisman in his hand.

Taiichi walked towards Saori with a faint smile and handed her the newly made Saori Sealing Talisman. "So, what do you think?"

Saori smiled, but her face also showed distress. "It's so difficult. I've discovered that even if I master the drawing of the entire Talisman Formation, I'll have to wait until I reach the Jonin before I can even attempt to create it. This Sealing Talisman consumes just too much Chakra."

Taiichi nodded, affirming Saori's statement, "You can improve this later. Besides, it's something used for survival, so it needs to be portable. It's understandable that it consumes a lot of energy."

Saori thought about it and realized that it was indeed true. Nothing is perfect unless your skills are extraordinary, but such a Talisman Formation is not something that ordinary people can draw.

Next, Taiichi finished making the remaining two rune papers. Unfortunately, he succeeded once and failed once, bringing his success rate to two-thirds, which was much better than before. Taiichi nodded in satisfaction.

When Taiichi and Saori returned, it was already 10 p. m. After saying goodnight to each other, they quickly fell asleep, as tomorrow was the day Taiichi would return to the village.

The next day, Taiichi got up early and finished his daily morning prayers at 7 a. m.

When Taiichi returned to the Camp, the entire Camp was bustling with activity, especially the Medical Camp. A large number of wounded soldiers were placed on large carts, and they would be escorted back to the village for treatment by Taiichi and 100 other ninjas who were returning to the village.

"Taiichi, what are you still doing here? Come with me quickly, Lord Jiraiya is looking for you everywhere."

Taiichi had only taken a few steps back to camp when he heard Yohei's voice from not far away. Judging from his anxious appearance, he had obviously been looking for him for a long time.

Yohei walked up to Taiichi in a few steps, grabbed his hand, and pulled him towards the Central Army Tent, muttering to himself, "Lord Jiraiya to look for you early this morning, but you had already gone out, so he sent me out to look for you too."

Taiichi now understood the situation, but wondered why they wanted to see him now. He quickened his pace to catch up.

Before Yohei even reached the Central Army Tent, he spotted Jiraiya, and the Shikaku halfway there.

"Lord Jiraiya, I've brought Taiichi with me." Yohei then released Taiichi Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya- sensei," Taiichi greeted him.

"Very good, Yohei Uchiha, I was just worried about not being able to find this guy." Jiraiya thanked Yohei with a smile, then turned to look at Taiichi seriously.

"Knowing they were going back to the village today, they disappeared early this morning without even telling their companions where they were going. They're completely disorganized and undisciplined!"

Taiichi was completely bewildered by Jiraiya's words. "You're taking this rare opportunity to lecture me, aren't you?" He didn't argue and just stood there, lost in thought.

Jiraiya Taiichi's nonchalant attitude, Jiraiya was amused and suddenly recalled how his teacher used to scold him, and how similar the scene was to the present. He wondered if Teacher Sarutobi had felt the same way back then.

He paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and stopped lecturing Taiichi, instead getting down to business, "I'm planning to make you the leader of the team returning to the village this time. What do you think?"

"Let me?" Taiichi was a little surprised. This was his first time leading so many people, so it was inevitable that he would feel uneasy. It wasn't that he was afraid of any danger, but rather that he was worried that he was too young and that others might not listen to him.

"Yes, it's you. I believe you can do this well!" Jiraiya was full of confidence, and Shikaku and the others beside him smiled in response.

Seeing that they were all like this, what did Taiichi have to worry about? It was just an escort mission, and there were just a few more people. With his abilities, it was a piece of cake.

"Okay, no problem, watch me, I'll definitely bring everyone back to the village safely!"

"That's right, that's how a disciple of Jiraiya should be!" Jiraiya laughed heartily, patting Taiichi's arm forcefully. "Come on, let's go to the camp gate. Time's almost up. I'll go and arrange your appointment."

The group followed Jiraiya toward the Camp gate.

"Taiichi, have you packed everything? Judging from the situation, you'll be leaving after the appointments are made," Yohei whispered to Taiichi.

"I put them all into the Sealing Scroll yesterday, and I carry them with me." Taiichi patted the Ninja Tool Pouch strapped to his outside thigh, indicating that everything was inside.

Yohei quietly gave a thumbs up, praising Taiichi for being so well-prepared.

Before long, the group arrived at the Camp gate. Sure enough, it was already packed with people. When Taiichi entered earlier, there was no one there; these guys were really quick.

The noisy crowd quieted down with the arrival of Jiraiya and the others, and everyone looked at Jiraiya, who was at the head of the group, with respect and gratitude in their eyes.

Jiraiya waved to Taiichi, signaling him to step forward, then addressed the ninjas preparing to return to the village. "This gentleman, I'm sure you all know him, no need for introductions."

A cacophony of noise immediately erupted from the crowd.

"Of course, it's Lord Taiichi; he's the one who killed the Tailed Beast."

"Taiichi, he saved my life."

"Alright, alright!" Jiraiya everyone's high spirits, Jiraiya had to speak up to calm them down. "It's good that you all know each other. This time when we return to the village, I've appointed Taichi Matsushita as your leader. Just follow his orders on the road."

"Yes!" everyone answered loudly, clearly showing that they had great faith in Taiichi as the Captain.

Jiraiya waved for Taiichi to rejoin the group. After seeing Taiichi standing at the front of the line, he stepped forward and addressed all the ninjas who were about to return to the village.

"We have achieved an unprecedented victory in this war. The Hokage-sama has specifically ordered that the hundred ninjas who have been on the front lines the longest, as well as the ninjas who are seriously injured, be allowed to return to the village. This is firstly to allow you to represent all the ninjas on the front lines and receive the cheers of the villagers, and secondly, Hokage-sama has felt the hardships you have endured during the long war, he wants you to go back and take turns resting."

Seeing the excited looks in the eyes of the crowd Jiraiya him, Jiraiya took two more steps forward and shouted, "Now, raise your heads high and straighten your backs! Go back to your villages happily and let your families back home know that a hero from the front lines has returned home!"

"Go home!"

"Go home!"