Main World.
Konoha Year 21, winter.
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku's room.
It was late at night. The cold wind howled outside, whipping fine grains of ice against the window frame with a soft, dense rustling. Kinkaku sat in a stone chair, holding a map of Kumogakure. The Second Raikage's residence, the conference room, and several vital locations in the village were marked in vermilion. Ginkaku stood beside him, holding an intelligence scroll densely covered in writing.
The two had been there for a long time. Neither spoke; they only looked.
"Brother."
Ginkaku finally spoke, his voice low.
"How many men do we have?"
"The Kinkaku Force has a full complement of three hundred."
Kinkaku put down the map and leaned back in his chair.
"A dozen or so Jonin, nearly a hundred Chunin, and the rest are all Genin."
Ginkaku's brow furrowed slightly.
"Can a dozen or so Jonin, plus me and Ginkaku, handle the Second Raikage and Tobirama Senju?"
Kinkaku fell silent for a moment.
"I don't know."
He finally said it.
"But Master said that ninja strength is actually divided into very specific ranks. It isn't simply Jonin and Kage Level. There are many tiers."
Ginkaku's brow furrowed even more.
"Master? Taishang Laojun?"
"Yes. Taishang Laojun."
Kinkaku nodded.
"He sent me a detailed breakdown of the Shinobi World's strength ranks through a dream."
He took a folded sheet of paper from inside his clothes and unfolded it.
The paper was densely covered in writing.
Apprentice Ninja, Genin, Elite Genin, Chunin, Elite Chunin, Jonin, Elite Jonin, weak Kage, ordinary Kage, strong Kage, peak Kage, super Kage, Six Paths.
Ginkaku's pupils contracted slightly.
"That many ranks?"
"Yes, that many."
Kinkaku nodded.
"We used to think that above Jonin was Kage Level, and that Kage Level was the