Block the Door, Move the Camp

Konoha Camp, Central Command Tent.

The atmosphere in the tent was somber. Tsunade at the head of the table with a cold expression, while the many Jonin below her were frowning.

"Of the three pursuit teams, only one Jonin escaped. Since the start of the war, when have we ever suffered such a loss?"

You all fought very well in the previous battles, don't let me down now.

Tsunade tapped her index finger on the armrest of her seat, making a "thump thump thump" sound that seemed particularly loud at that moment.

Seeing that no one could come up with a solution, and that Tsunade, who was at the Tsunade of the table, was about to lose her temper, Taiichi and then stepped forward.

It's not that no one has come up with this idea; it's just that no one wants to talk about it or take responsibility for it.

"There are so many villages along the coast. Just counting those within 30 kilometers of the Coastline, there are more than 500. With so many villages, it's impossible to defend them all by simply guarding them."

We can't let Mist Village lead us by the nose. We have to take the initiative and, just like before, intercept Mist Village on the high seas."

Once Taiichi started, everyone else seemed to have their minds opened, and all sorts of useful suggestions were offered.

A battle plan was formulated within ten minutes.

No one mentioned that implementing this plan would inevitably require the redeployment of ninjas for reconnaissance and defense, which would inevitably cause more villages to suffer from the ravages of Mist Village.

After the meeting, everyone left the Central Army Tent, except for Taiichi was kept behind by Tsunade.

No one spoke in the tent; it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long silence, Tsunade finally broke it.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Weren't you just eager to speak? Why aren't you saying a word now?"

Tsunade looked at Taiichi, who remained silent, and kept rubbing her right hand together, suppressing the urge to slap him.

"Why are you angry, Master?" Taiichi said, feigning nonchalance. "Of course, the suggestion just now couldn't have come from you, Master, and the Jonin take on this responsibility, so naturally, it was up to me, as your disciple, to offer a suggestion."

"Bullshit!" Tsunade on the armrest of the chair, and the solid wood armrest shattered into two pieces.

Do I need you to take the blame for me?

If the old man has any objections, let him remove me as Commander and see who he can use then.

"I see you've grown wings now, daring to rush headlong into anything without even considering the consequences—"

Tsunade into a tirade, giving Taiichi thorough dressing-down.

After she finally finished yelling and seemed to have calmed down a bit, Taiichi took some tea that he had somehow gotten his hands on and served it to Tsunade like a lackey.

"Teacher, are you thirsty? Have some water to soothe your throat."

Tsunade chuckled at his cautious demeanor, but then realized her mistake and quickly composed herself. She took the tea he offered and drank it down in one gulp, displaying the spirit of a true heroine.

Seeing that Tsunade was no longer so angry, Taiichi then revealed his true thoughts.

"Teacher, there's really nothing wrong with this. Unlike those families that have to maintain their family reputation, I'm just an individual. It's just that my reputation is damaged. Would the village really punish me for something like this?"

At this point, Taiichi's confidence grew, and he no longer appeared as cautious as before.

"As ninjas, strength is fundamental. With my current strength, as long as I don't betray the village, even the Hokage-sama can only speak to me politely."

These stigmas are completely irrelevant to me.

Looking at Tsunade, Taiichi had become so confident and exuberant, Tsunade was somewhat mesmerized. At this moment, she seemed to see the shadow of her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, in Taiichi, both of them so confident and composed.

Perhaps this is the mindset of a top-tier ninja. Although Taiichi has not yet reached his grandfather's level, his mindset already bears a resemblance to his grandfather's.

Taiichi spoke for a long time without receiving a response, so he turned his attention back to Tsunade.

Only then did Taiyi realize that she was staring at him blankly. He was speechless Taiichi a moment, realizing that his whole performance had been for a blind person.

Tsunade realized her lapse in composure and quickly composed herself, continuing Taiichi's words, "Alright, since you have this kind of spirit, then I'm not worried anymore. Indeed, ninjas value strength above all else. As long as you don't care, what does it matter if the world turns upside down?"

After a heart-to-heart talk, the two reached a consensus, Taiichi was finally able to leave the Central Army Tent to begin carrying out his mission.

In the following days, Mist Village quickly noticed the changes in Konoha. Although they still maintained defenses over those villages, the intensity of their defenses had clearly decreased significantly.

Conversely, at sea, Konoha's extermination efforts were several times stronger. They even established simple outposts on islands as transit points, extending their influence to the open sea.

Under such a large-scale attack, not only were many of the Mist Village's men wiped out, but their Camp was also found again.

Taiichi has been arranging for Shadow Clone to patrol around the Mist Village Camp for the past two days, so that the Camp can be notified immediately to make preparations in advance should they launch a large-scale attack.

After several attempts, Mist Village, having lost a large number of men, also discovered Taiichi constantly lingering outside the Camp.

Unfortunately, they couldn't hit it or catch up with it, leaving them with nothing but despair.

As a result, although the losses were significant in the early stages, no further reports of village attacks came in after Mist Village Camp Taiichi.

Mist Village Camp.

This time, the atmosphere was somber on the Mist Village's side. Although there were quite a few people in the tent, no one spoke. Some were counting on their fingers with their heads down, while others were deep in thought with their eyes closed.

Now that new supplies have arrived from the rear, the Camp is no longer short of Resupply, which should be a cause for celebration. However, new problems have arisen.

Their entire Mist Village unit was blocked at the door by just one person, and the worst part was that they couldn't do anything about it.

"They're all mute! Why aren't they saying anything now?"

The Third Mizukage, seated at the head of the table, could not contain his anger and slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, making a loud "bang" sound.

Karatachi Yagura was originally a confidant of the Third Kazekage. Although he has been dismissed from his post, the relationship is still there. Naturally, he can't just watch his boss perform a one-man show.

"Although Taichi Matsushita is formidable, he is ultimately just one person. We have more people, so at worst we can divide our forces into several groups and create a diversion that will surely mislead him."

The Third Mizukage glanced at Karatachi Yagura, understood his intentions, and refrained from commenting on his thankless suggestion, simply nodding in affirmation.

Seeing this, the others knew they could no longer remain silent and began to express their own thoughts.

"Why do we have to stay out to sea? Why not just set up Camp on land? We're so far from the mainland, there's nowhere to hide on this vast ocean. That's why Taichi Matsushita can monitor the entire Camp all by himself."

This was truly a brilliant suggestion. Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, recalling why they had chosen to set up Camp on the open sea.

It seemed—it appeared—all eyes turned to Karatachi Yagura and Mizunuki Asuka, their gazes filled with sympathy and—doubt.

It was the two of them who suggested that, in order to prevent harassment from the main force of Konoha, and given the recent defeat of the army and the urgent need for reorganization, the Camp should be located on the open sea.

In retrospect, this did indeed prevent the main force of Konoha from attacking, but it also restricted their own actions, allowing Konoha to keep an eye on the entire Camp's movements with just Taichi Matsushita.

The Third Mizukage took a deep breath, calming his inner turmoil. Times had changed; the situation was just too rapidly shifting.

Before the incident, no one could have imagined that Taichi Matsushita possessed such an ability: flight, Flying Thunder God, and Shadow Clone. It was a perfect combination for monitoring a fixed Camp.

"What do you all think?" The Third Mizukage scanned the crowd, trying to see if they had any better ideas.

Everyone looked at each other, and finally they all agreed on one sentence, "We will obey the orders of the Mizukage."

"In that case, let's prepare to break camp!" With that, the Mizukage stood up, walked to a large map hanging in the tent, pointed to a point, and continued, "While Taichi Matsushita is away tonight, let's set up Camp here."

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing, and their faces immediately showed surprise.

That place was more than a thousand kilometers away from the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, so it was practically a completely different battlefield.

Seemingly noticing the puzzled looks on her subordinates' faces, the Mizukage didn't wait for them to ask and began to explain on her own.

"This battlefield is now spies of Konoha, making it difficult for us to land and set up camp. In addition, that sea area is closer to the Land of Wind, so we can also use it to draw some of Konoha's attention."

Although everyone felt that the Mizukage's explanation was somewhat far-fetched, it did make some sense. In addition, since the leader had already made a decision, their ninja instincts prevented them from raising any objections.

Taiichi was unaware of Mist Village's decision. His Shadow Clone constantly hovered near Mist Village Camp, and as long as Mist Village didn't make any major moves, he wouldn't bother with it.

After all, he was just a Shadow Clone with limited Chakra. Maintaining flight for an extended period was already difficult enough, and he didn't want to waste his limited life doing anything else.

Meanwhile, Taiichi's true form remained secluded in the Camp, engaging in seemingly monotonous training day after day.

If there's any change, it's that during this period, whenever Kai and the other two have free time, they shamelessly come to train with Taiichi.

Of course, this is something Taiyi Ichiraku to see. Helping these friends grow better is something that benefits Taiichi from any perspective.

In the Training Ground, screams of pain could be heard from time to time, which showed how hard Kai and his team trained.

However, none of this affected Taiichi's own efforts.

With shoulders relaxed and elbows dropped, waist and stance in perfect harmony, one can move with extraordinary power even within a small space.

With mind and breath in harmony, breath and intention in harmony, and essence, energy, and spirit united, Taiichi was now completely immersed in the training of Advanced Taijutsu.

Every punch and kick is an extension of willpower and mental strength, with every muscle in the body moving together in a coordinated and orderly manner.

At a certain moment, Taiichi threw a punch with all his might, and his entire body seemed to achieve a kind of unity. An indescribable feeling of comfort arose from within his body and then swept through his entire body like an electric shock.

A tingling, numbing sensation ran through his body, and once it subsided, Taiichi discovered a thin layer of oil seeping from his skin.

If you hold your hand to your nose and smell it, there's a faint fishy odor.

Could this be the legendary "Cleansing the Marrow," though it looks like a severely weakened version?

Even so, it was still impressive. Clenching his fists, Taiyi felt a significant increase in power within his body and Taiichi genuine smile appeared on his face.

However, this slight smile was quickly overshadowed by an unusual feeling throughout her body; the greasy sensation was indeed quite uncomfortable.

He formed a hand seal, and a swirling stream of water rose from his feet, quickly engulfing his entire body from bottom to top.

The rapidly rotating water flow was like invisible little hands, scraping away every bit of grease from Taiichi's body.

With Taiichi wave of his hand, Taiyi sent water carrying away the filth to the open space beside him. Taiichi changed his hand seal, and flames swirled around his body. In less than a minute, he was dry again.

Only then did Taiichi have time to look at his own panel.

[You have engaged in Advanced Taijutsu training, and your related understanding has improved!]

[Your Advanced Taijutsu skills have been upgraded, experience points +1]

[Congratulations, your Advanced Taijutsu have been upgraded to Lv8 (1/9000)]

[Congratulations! After a long period of training, your Strength +1 and Agility +1]

It was truly a fruitful experience. Although Taiyi did not enter that special state where he could observe Natural Energy again this time, he was Taiichi very satisfied.

Every bit of growth in his physical attributes was solidifying the foundation of Taiichi's body. He believed that if his physical attributes reached a certain level, mastering Natural Energy would be a piece of cake.

The following day, when Taiichi's Shadow Clone reappeared above the Mist Village Camp, he immediately noticed that the island below was now completely empty.

Has the Mist Village given up in the face of difficulty?

An unrealistic idea popped into Taiichi's mind.

He folded his wings and swooped down toward the island. As he approached the ground, he unfolded his wings again, and a whirlwind surrounded him, allowing him to land steadily on the ground.

Entering the abandoned Camp, Taiichi carefully examined the remaining traces—cold charcoal fires, messy footprints,

And the leftover food.

All indications suggest that the Mist Ninja departed shortly after he left yesterday; calculating the time, it has been 9 days since then.

Hours.

Taiichi didn't dare to be negligent. His Shadow Clone used the Flying Thunder God Technique again to return to the Camp. He didn't stop and headed straight for the Central Army Tent.

Meanwhile, the Central Army Tent was also bustling with activity. In the past two days, apart from the ninjas on their days off, everyone in the Camp had been running around at Tsunade.

The staff officers in the camp were also extremely busy. Intelligence reports were collected and compiled, then analyzed and deployed, and finally issued as orders.

This entire team is the foundation upon which Konoha was able to accurately snipe the Mist Ninja; it's not something that can be achieved by Taiichi working hard on the front lines.

Meanwhile, our Commander Tsunade, in this environment where everyone was busy, sat comfortably in her special chair, watching her subordinates' work with great interest.

They euphemistically call it: giving them a stage to fully display their talents.

You know what, those few words really got his staff officers working like they were on steroids, giving them 200% of their usual enthusiasm, which really left Taiichi speechless.

At that moment, Taiichi rushed into the tent, immediately attracting Tsunade's attention.

"Lady Tsunade, the Mist Village Camp is empty and its whereabouts are currently unknown!"