Ch. 81The Power of Science! Blossoming Across Every Front!
Chapter Summary
Key Plot Points and Events
- Tobirama summons Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sarutobi Asuma, the sons of the defected Hiruzen Sarutobi, and tests their willingness to fight their own father.
- Both brothers renounce Hiruzen as their father and condemn him as a traitor who disgraced the Sarutobi clan. They beg for permission to kill him and restore their family’s honor.
- Tobirama praises their hatred but orders them to wait. He plans to break through the Allied Forces’ defenses before allowing them to confront Hiruzen.
- Three days later, the Third Ninja World War has transformed into a war for unification. The Anti-Konoha Allied Forces field one million troops against Konoha’s 150,000.
- In the First War Zone, 40,000 technologically equipped Konoha shinobi face 300,000 Allied troops. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Konoha adopts an offensive formation.
- Hatake Sakumo orders Konoha’s troops to remove their weapon restrictions. Their Chakra Pulse Rifles unleash overwhelming beams that annihilate the Allied vanguard almost instantly.
- Chakra Exoskeletons enhance ordinary shinobi, while Power Armor and Chakra Cannons destroy defensive earth walls and heavily armed opponents. Within ten minutes, the Allied advance collapses into panic.
- Jiraiya witnesses the battle and realizes that scientific equipment has radically altered warfare: even a Genin can now kill groups of experienced Chunin.
- In the Second War Zone, Madara dominates the battlefield with his Perfect Susanoo. He effortlessly crushes Kumogakure forces and defeats the Fourth Raikage, dismissing the Allied Forces as weak and disorganized.
- In the Third War Zone, Orochimaru uses an advanced steel warship and mechanical shark weapons to devastate Kirigakure’s forces at sea, turning the ocean red.
- The chapter concludes by emphasizing that science and chakra technology have overturned traditional assumptions about ninja warfare.
Character Developments
- Asuma and Shinnosuke: Their identities have been reshaped by six years of indoctrination and training under Tobirama. They now view their father not with affection but with hatred and believe killing him is necessary to cleanse the Sarutobi name.
- Tobirama: He appears manipulative and militaristic, deliberately cultivating the brothers’ hatred while treating them as weapons for a future dramatic confrontation with Hiruzen.
- Hatake Sakumo: Demonstrates calm authority as he commands Konoha’s technologically enhanced army and initiates the devastating rifle barrage.
- Jiraiya: Experiences a moment of shock and realization, recognizing that scientific advancement has permanently changed the balance between ordinary and elite shinobi.
- Madara: Remains arrogant, bloodthirsty, and dissatisfied even while single-handedly destroying enemy forces. His contempt for the Allied troops highlights the vast gap between him and conventional soldiers.
- Orochimaru: Displays enthusiasm for experimentation and technological warfare, proudly using mechanical weapons to demonstrate science’s destructive potential.
Significant Themes
- Science versus traditional ninjutsu: Technology eliminates the need for hand seals, exceptional chakra reserves, or years of specialized training, allowing ordinary shinobi to wield devastating power.
- The revolution of warfare: Armor, rifles, cannons, warships, and mechanical weapons make numerical superiority nearly meaningless against technologically advanced forces.
- Indoctrination and manipulated loyalty: Tobirama has transformed Hiruzen’s sons into loyal instruments by turning family shame and grief into hatred.
- Power and dehumanization: The battles portray armies as mass targets and soldiers as expendable, emphasizing the horrifying efficiency of modernized warfare.
- The collapse of old hierarchies: Traditional distinctions between Genin, Chunin, and elite shinobi are being undermined as technology allows weaker fighters to kill stronger opponents.
- Overwhelming superiority: Konoha’s technology, Madara’s Susanoo, and Orochimaru’s weapons all demonstrate different forms of power that render conventional tactics obsolete.
Character Interactions
- Tobirama psychologically pressures Asuma and Shinnosuke by reminding them that Hiruzen was their father, prompting their fierce declarations of loyalty and hatred.
- Tobirama reassures them that they will eventually face Hiruzen, but only after he destroys the Allied Forces’ defensive “shell.”
- Sakumo coordinates Konoha’s army through communications technology, directing thousands of soldiers to unleash synchronized firepower.
- Jiraiya observes the technological massacre and reflects on its implications for the shinobi world.
- Madara clashes with the Fourth Raikage, mocking his strongest attack and dismissing him after effortlessly overpowering him.
- Orochimaru contrasts Kirigakure’s primitive water attacks with his own advanced mechanical weapons, presenting science as the superior method of combat.