Chapter 340: War Mobilization, The Second God of Shinobi
The next day, Kyosuke handed the old man over to Saori. From the old man's mind, Saori extracted a limited amount of additional intelligence.
They already knew the enemy came from the Ninshu. Beyond that, they learned there were a total of five Ninshu members who had entered the world this time.
Upon learning that these five were heading to the major nations carrying the "Ninshu Decree," Kyosuke and the others lost any lingering hope for a peaceful resolution.
They knew that, unlike Konoha, the other factions didn't have the backbone to refuse the Ninshu Decree. More importantly, the other hidden villages would likely be thrilled to see this scenario unfold.
It was safe to assume that Konoha, having enjoyed peace for only a few years, was about to face war once again. And like before, it would be the few against the many.
Soon, upon receiving the news, Minato Namikaze began early war mobilization. The massive machine that was Konoha began to spin into high gear.
From the Fire Daimyo, batches of supplies were transported to Konoha without interruption, while weapon shops worked day and night forging ninja tools.
Aside from the standard preparations, Kyosuke made several unexpected moves.
First, acting in his capacity as a Village Elder, he issued an order to establish the "Konoha Ninjutsu Library." He threw in almost the entire collection of jutsu accumulated by the Uchiha and Hyuga clans over the years.
Any registered Konoha shinobi could use their past merits to freely exchange for corresponding ninjutsu. Even young ninja who had never seen war could use a "loan" system to learn techniques, provided they repaid the debt with merits earned in the coming war.
When this decree was released, the entire village went into a frenzy. Putting aside the attitudes of the various clans, the countless civilian ninja were overjoyed.
In reality, civilian ninja made up the majority of Konoha's forces—and the ninja world in general. However, unless they were willing to sell themselves to a great clan, their channels for acquiring ninjutsu were incredibly scarce.
One could easily imagine that after a period of assimilation, the overall strength of Konoha's army would far surpass any other faction. This would have a massive impact on the outcome of the war.
Second, Kyosuke gathered all the notable powerhouses in Konoha, intending to perform Hashirama cell transplants on them en masse. This would push Konoha's high-end combat power forward by a significant leap.
Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, Might Guy and his father Duy, as well as Fugaku, Ukyo, and Genbo—regardless of their closeness to him, they were all treated equally.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi raised objections, believing this was desecrating the First Hokage's legacy, he was powerless to stop it under Kyosuke's mandatory order.
With the release of the Ninjutsu Library decree, Kyosuke's prestige in Konoha had reached its zenith. Even Minato, the Hokage, was slightly overshadowed, let alone the retired Hiruzen.
Thus, the plan to transplant Hashirama cells was implemented smoothly.
Among those who received the transplant, the ones whose strength leaped the most were Minato Namikaze, Might Duy, and Uchiha Fugaku.
Minato's power increase was particularly jaw-dropping to those in the know.
Previously limited by his slightly weaker physical constitution, the enhancement allowed him to perfectly utilize the Yin Nine-Tails chakra sealed within him, finally unlocking Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Not only that, but Minato, who had always struggled to master Sage Mode, could now use it freely thanks to the boost from the Sage Body.
Imagine it: Nine-Tails Chakra Mode + Sage Mode. Minato's current power system was a replica of Naruto's during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Furthermore, with his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, his speed surpassed even Naruto in his "Kurama Sage Mode."
It could be said that in terms of true combat power, Minato, like Kyosuke, had reached the "Realm of Gods." Even if he were to face Uchiha Madara at his peak during the Warring States Period, he likely wouldn't fall behind.
Under Kyosuke's manipulation, Konoha possessed a second veritable "God of Shinobi" before the war even began.
Aside from Minato, Might Duy and Fugaku also saw massive improvements.
Fugaku's benefit was obvious. With the Sage Body acting as a "battery" for his Mangekyo Sharingan, he could use his dōjutsu frequently without fear of blindness, naturally boosting his combat prowess.
As for Might Duy, his frequent use of the Eight Inner Gates in the past had left his body riddled with old injuries. This procedure not only healed those injuries but also drastically enhanced his physical constitution. In this state, no one could predict how terrifying his full-power explosion would be.
With these pre-war preparations, Kyosuke had essentially played all his cards. His main goal was twofold: to counter the Ninshu, whose depths were unknown, and to seize this opportunity to cripple the other factions. Even if he couldn't conquer them all in one breath, he wanted to strip the other four great ninja villages of their ability to threaten Konoha.
Konoha did not intend to drag this war out. From every perspective, a blitzkrieg was the best outcome. Kyosuke and the others believed that the other villages, ignorant of these details, would never imagine that Konoha's strength had skyrocketed to this extent.
Kyosuke and Minato discussed the situation and divided Konoha's current high-end combat power into three tiers.
Tier 1: Uchiha Kyosuke, Minato Namikaze.
Tier 2: Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Cho, Hyuga Saori, Might Duy (7th Gate state).
Tier 3: Uchiha Fugaku, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Yamato, Anko Mitarashi.
Tier 1 needed no explanation. Two powerhouses who stood at the apex of the ninja world. If not for the uncertainty surrounding the enemy's hidden trump cards, their full power alone would be enough to beat back the great nations wave after wave.
Unfortunately, the location of the Ninshu's base remained unknown. To prevent a desperate enemy decapitation strike against Konoha, one of them had to remain in the village to guard it.
As for the four members of Tier 2, their importance in this war might be even greater than Kyosuke and Minato's.
Since Kyosuke and Minato had to reserve themselves to counter the enemy's top-tier experts and guard against surprise attacks, they couldn't move freely on the battlefield. especially since Minato needed to hide his true strength as a trump card, Kyosuke, the known "strongest," had to stay and hold the fort in Konoha.
Under these circumstances, the heavy responsibility of leading the armies and commanding the battles fell to the four powerhouses of Tier 2.
With their strength, they could hold their own even against the Ninshu members who had emerged. In a ninja world where strength reigned supreme, there was no one more suitable to be army commanders than them.
Although the ultimate victor of this war would be decided by the clash between Kyosuke's level and the enemy leaders, not even Kyosuke could predict what means the enemy possessed since their full capabilities remained unknown.
Therefore, the results of the Tier 2 battles were critical, as they would directly influence the outcome of the high-end confrontation.
This war of annihilation launched by the Ninshu was destined to be a battle of King vs. King, General vs. General. Both sides would be testing their pawns and their hidden cards.
Until the very end, no one could say for certain what the outcome would be.