Kakashi's Resolve

The Cloud ninja crossed the sea to attack, but it would take some time before they met up with Ikura and the others.

Yichen then took this opportunity to carefully read Danzo's Four Red Yang Formation.

The principle Four Red Yang Formation is not difficult. Although it is a very advanced barrier, it is not difficult for anyone to execute.

On the contrary, coordination between them is more troublesome.

The strength of the Four Red Yang Formation is determined by the caster, and depends on the weakest one.

For example, if three Kage and one Elite Jonin forces to use the Four Red Yang Formation, its power would not be much stronger than that of four Elite Jonin.

Yichen had expected this, so he wasn't surprised.

However, Yichen did not see a method for multiple people to cooperate in maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation's single key point.

"Hmm? Danzo something to himself?" Yichen muttered to himself, then denied it.

Danzo probably wouldn't dare offend him at this point. This can be seen from the fact that Danzo thoughtfully wrote down his insights on learning the Four Red Yang Formation.

So, this must be a new method devised by the Konoha Barrier Team.

Well, it's possible that he had already figured it out, but hadn't reported it to Danzo, the Hokage.

Yichen recalled the scene he had sensed that day: ten Elite Jonin Konoha forming a group, maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation, and then roughly analyzed the principle behind it.

Yichen felt that given the level of Sealing Jutsu in Iwagakure, it shouldn't be difficult for them to research it.

After this great battle, all Kage Level cultivators will be arranged to train under this barrier.

Even without considering the three ninjas —Sokai, Izumi Uchiha, Roshi— who possess Kage-level Combatant but lack the corresponding rank, Iwagakure could still assemble two sets of the Four Red Yang Formation.

If a method is developed that allows two people to perform the Four Red Yang Formation, then Iwagakure will be able to create Four Red Yang Formation even more powerful than the one performed by the four Kage of Konoha in the original story.

This thing can be used as Trump Card by the Hidden Iwagakure.

The more Yichen thought about it, the more excited he became, and he couldn't help but start studying.

However, Yichen's cultivation was soon interrupted by Ōnoki and the others who entered his tent.

"Yichen, the village is in position," Ōnoki said.

Yichen pulled his thoughts away from the Four Red Yang Formation and put away the scroll.

He glanced at Atsumi Akino, then said to Ōnoki, "Third Hokage, Cloud ninja to you."

Ōnoki nodded, then looked at Atsumi Akino.

Soon, Atsumi Akino activated her Flying Thunder God Technique.

Atsumi Akino used the Flying Thunder God to carry Ōnoki, Kawakita, and Han directly away from the Iwa Ninja Army camp.

The next moment, four figures suddenly appeared beside Ikura, who was far away on the coast of the Land of Earth.

It was Atsumi Akino three companions.

Ikura wasn't surprised. He nodded to Ōnoki and the other three, briefly inquired about their condition, and then said, "Third Lord, if there are no problems, we'll set off immediately."

"Teleport to the location of the Shark Swarm; they've already stealthily approached the Cloud Ninja Army."

Ōnoki nodded and said, "You know the situation here well, so I'll listen to you."

Then Kawakita remained, Ōnoki, Ikura, Kan, Roshi, and Deidara each put one hand on the shoulder of the next person.

Finally, Deidara placed his hand on Atsumi Akino's shoulder, while Atsumi Akino formed a series of complex hand seals.

The next moment, the six people saw a blur, and the Kawakita and Iwa Ninja Army that were standing in front of them vanished.

What came into view of the six people again was a vast ocean. When they looked down, they saw the enormous body of Yuko, the leader of the Shark Swarm, right beneath their feet.

At that moment, Yuko patted her tail and pointed it in a certain direction.

The six people on Yuko's back exchanged glances and understood what she meant.

Then Deidara created a giant Clay Bird. Ikura, Han, Roshi, who couldn't fly, stood on it with Deidara.

Ōnoki, on the other hand, used the Light-Weight Rock Technique to fly.

As for Atsumi Akino, her mission was complete. Hand Seals once more and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Yichen's side.

Upon seeing Yichen, Atsumi Akino said, "Teacher Yichen, the Third Hokage and the others have arrived near the Cloud Ninja Army."

Yichen nodded and said, "Akino, you should rest well and recover your Chakra. Don't worry about the upcoming battles. I'll let you know when I need to teleport."

Atsumi Akino nodded and left.

Yichen watched Atsumi Akino leave and sighed. Atsumi Akino's Chakra was almost completely depleted after just one trip using this long-distance teleportation technique.

Atsumi Akino's foundation is still too weak.

However, this is not the time to concern yourself with how much Chakra Atsumi Akino.

Yichen stepped out of his tent and issued an order to the Command Center, urging the entire army to enter War State.

Yichen didn't know if Konoha had received the news, nor was he sure if they would attack, but he still needed to take precautions.

Meanwhile, at the Konoha Army Command Center, Kakashi had already summoned all the high-ranking officers.

"Just now, Namiashi Raidō reported that someone used Space-Time Ninjutsu to teleport away from the Iwa ninja camp," Kakashi said.

"The number of ninjas teleported away should not be large; barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be the top combatants of Iwagakure."

"Although Namiashi Raidō cannot confirm the whereabouts of those people, it is highly likely that they went to the Second Battlefield that the Cloud ninja is about to open up."

As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, Shikaku Nara's heart skipped a beat.

As expected, my premonition was correct; the Iwa ninja's target was not Konoha.

He quickly asked, "Lord Hokage, have you notified the Cloud ninja?"

Kakashi said, "We notified the Cloud ninja immediately, but we don't know if it will be in time."

Everyone fell silent.

Shikaku Nara analyzed, "This time, the Iwa ninja probably didn't use a fixed-point teleportation Teleportation Array; it was likely the Flying Thunder God."

"Teleportation Array couldn't have been set up so quickly, and it wouldn't only teleport a few people. Only the Flying Thunder God Technique is limited by the Chakra, only teleporting a few people."

"If it really is the Flying Thunder God, then the Iwa ninja wouldn't need to teleport people to Iwagakure and then transfer them from Iwagakure to the Cloud ninja battlefield."

"They can even descend directly upon the Cloud Ninja Army."

Shikaku Nara didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the gist: the Cloud ninja were too late.

After a pause, allowing everyone to process the information, Shikaku Nara continued in a deep voice, "This isn't the worst part. The worst part is that the Iwa ninja have already mastered a method for rapidly mobilizing top-tier combat power."

"In future wars, the locations of the Kage Level ninjas from Iwagakure that we've identified will be meaningless."

"In other words, we can no longer divide our forces to deal with the Iwa ninja."

"And none of our families are as strong as Iwagakure."

After listening to Shikaku Nara's analysis, everyone was confused, but they understood what Shikaku Nara meant.

Next, Iwagakure needs to do is leverage its speed and mobility advantage, concentrate all the village's Kage Level units, and wipe them out one by one to achieve unification.

Shikaku Nara relied on his outstanding intelligence to establish himself in Konoha, was completely panicked.

Hyuga Hiashi clenched his fists and said, "Can you confirm who the Iwa ninja Flying Thunder God is? We can kill them outright."

Shikaku Nara calmed his turbulent emotions and said, "Regarding this, the Intelligence Department analyzed it before. The ninja in Iwa ninja who was in charge of researching Space-Time Ninjutsu might be Atsumi Akino, a disciple of the Tsuchikage."

"The village's intelligence cannot confirm this; it's all just speculation."

"This Atsumi Akino a student of Team Five the Tsuchikage, and a teammate of Uzumaki Riori."

"There's something strange about this Atsumi Akino. Her strength isn't outstanding; she's probably only Chunin at the moment, or at most Special Jonin."

"However, she holds a very high position in Iwagakure; her status is actually above that of Uzumaki Riori."

"When the documents from Iwagakure mention both Atsumi Akino and Uzumaki Riori, Atsumi Akino is always listed first."

"This wouldn't have been a problem before Uzumaki Riori rose to prominence. But intelligence indicates that Uzumaki Riori is now Elite Jonin and has made significant contributions in the war."

"Yet, despite her outstanding talent, Uzumaki Riori has always been ranked after Atsumi Akino in the official Iwa ninja documents. This is the biggest point of suspicion."

"Besides, we know that many projects in Iwagakure are overseen by the Tsuchikage's disciples. The Tsuchikage has cultivated many research talents."

"For example, Kawakita, who is skilled in swordsmanship. And immortal Senjutsu, which should be related to Matsutani Shinya, a disciple of Yichen."

"Some intelligence suggests that the Flame Release technique wasn't developed by the Tsuchikage, but rather by his disciple, Ogura Saki."

"And there's Yoshimura Kazumasa, Katsuya, Kawazoe Yura; they're all research-oriented ninjas."

"As for Atsumi Akino, our intelligence ninjas judged her to be a research-oriented ninja, but they were never able to confirm what she was researching."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "Regardless of whether it's true or not, this Atsumi Akino must be eliminated. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time before Iwa ninja Unifying the Ninja World."

"Shikaku, is there any hope that the intelligence ninja that the village has placed in Iwagakure can eliminate Atsumi Akino?"

Shikaku Nara shook his head and said, "There's no hope. The Iwa ninja have done a very good job of keeping Atsumi Akino's identity a secret."

"It's obvious that the Iwa ninja must have arranged for Anbu to protect her."

"Furthermore, if the person who researched Space-Time Ninjutsu really is her, then she should be able to Flying Thunder God."

"To kill the user of Flying Thunder God..."

Shikaku Nara shook his head and didn't continue.

Konoha has produced two users of the Flying Thunder God Technique: Senju Tobirama and Minato Namikaze, both of whom could Flying Thunder God without hand seals.

So everyone thought that Flying Thunder God was originally without hand seals, but little did they know that Atsumi Akino needed to form Hand Seals to Flying Thunder God.

When teleporting someone, a long series of hand seals must be formed.

Furthermore, the Konoha ninja were unaware that Atsumi Akino's combat strength was probably not even as good as that of a Genin.

The first two ninjas who mastered the Flying Thunder God were simply too outstanding, which made the Flying Thunder God synonymous with power in everyone's eyes.

Therefore, after Shikaku Nara's analysis that his cleverness backfired, Konoha temporarily abandoned the idea of killing Atsumi Akino at all costs.

Kakashi then said, "Alright, let's put aside the Iwa ninja Space-Time Ninjutsu for now and discuss what to do next."

That being said, Kakashi's thoughts were distracted by the words "Flying Thunder God Technique."

Kakashi was thinking about one thing: whether he could learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Kakashi didn't have this idea before, but it changed as he developed Obito Uchiha's Sharingan to the Mangekyo level.

And after figuring out the Dōjutsu for that eye, his thoughts changed.

He knew perfectly well that the Dōjutsu contained within it was Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Moreover, it is very likely Space-Time Ninjutsu that surpasses the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Having used Kamui several times, Kakashi was no longer completely ignorant of Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Chakra is truly amazing; it can help Yichen fuse with Light Release and also help Kakashi understand Space-Time Ninjutsu.

However, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan will disappear, and the burden on the Mangekyō Sharingan is also very heavy.

Thinking of this, Kakashi couldn't help but think of Obito Uchiha and Danzo.

Kakashi deduced that Obito Uchiha was able to continuously use the Mangekyou Sharingan without experiencing the side effect of blindness because he had received Hashirama's cells as a transplant.

Danzo also transplanted the Mangekyō Sharingan, and his method was to suppress it with the First Hokage's Cells, seeking a balance between the two.

Therefore, Kakashi believed that transplanting the First Hokage's Cells could not only solve the problem of the Mangekyō Sharingan power depletion, but also reduce the burden on the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Fortunately, when Danzo was expelled from the village, his experimental data was preserved, and these materials are now in the Anbu Archives.

Furthermore, the materials also contain Danzo's Wood Style Experience Release techniques, which Danzo obtained from Iwa ninja.

You could easily take advantage of Danzo and use what's readily available.

Just then, Kakashi, who was lost in thought, suddenly heard someone calling him.

Turning around, I saw it was Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned at Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, you're the Hokage now. How can you be distracted at a time like this?"

Shikaku Nara tentatively asked, "Lord Hokage, have you thought of a way to deal with the Space-Time Ninjutsu of the Iwa ninja?"

Shikaku Nara gleaned a clue from Kakashi's expression.

The others, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at Kakashi expectantly after hearing this.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment under everyone's gaze before speaking his mind.

After hearing what Kakashi said, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

There's so much information here, involving space-time ninjutsu, Mangekyou Sharingan eye techniques, and even the First Hokage's cells.

No one in the meeting room dared to speak.

One of the charges they leveled against Danzo was the First Hokage's Cells transplant experiment, which was both disrespectful to life and a desecration of their ancestors.

The Trump Card that the Iwa ninja have revealed are truly terrifying. If Kakashi's suggestion is feasible, it might be their last hope.

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly sighed and said, "Alas, actually, the village had already conducted research on the First Hokage's Cells when the Second Hokage was alive."

"After the Second Hokage died in battle, we continued our research for a while, but it didn't yield any results, so I stopped it."

"I sealed away all the experimental data, but Danzo later restarted it behind my back."

Everyone felt a surge of contempt for Hiruzen Sarutobi; he actually dragged the Second Hokage into the mess to take the blame. One word: awful!

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, carefully avoiding the most sensitive words, and then everyone cautiously offered their opinions.

The result was predictable: everyone present supported Kakashi's transplantation of the First Hokage's cells to research the Mangekyou Sharingan eye technique.

I spent ages writing four thousand words, and I'm posting it now.