Chapter 131 – Gains
After the battle, Ishiro no longer cared what Namikaze Minato and his subordinates would do back at the Konoha camp.
He needed to return to his own camp and organize the gains he had made from fighting Minato.
The most immediate benefit Ishiro gained was a boost in actual combat experience.
Facing an elite jōnin from an enemy nation was incredibly valuable for him.
Especially since Minato was a ninja exceptionally skilled in close combat.
Throughout the fight, Ishiro realized that both his B-rank defensive sword technique and his blade aura usage had major shortcomings.
Next, he needed to carefully digest these insights and hopefully organize a battle style that suited him better.
Besides clarifying his future direction for improving his close-combat abilities, Ishiro had also experienced—up close—the life-threatening pressure from a powerful enemy who genuinely intended to kill him.
This was crucial.
Ishiro had a feeling that perhaps the growth of a shinobi was precisely a process of constant transformation through the sharpening of battles against powerful enemies.
However, the battle hadn't lasted long enough for him to feel he had reaped overwhelming gains.
Another important takeaway was witnessing Minato's Rasengan, the seal-less A-rank technique.
The method for developing Rasengan was one of the few in the original story that had a detailed description.
And the biggest obstacle in mastering Rasengan was chakra control.
Ishiro was confident that with his own chakra control ability, learning the Rasengan would not be difficult at all.
Previously, he had simply lacked a "proper reason" to learn it.
Now, having fought Minato, he could use that battle as a perfect excuse.
No one would suspect he was a transmigrator—they would just think he was a genius who, after seeing it once, managed to "steal" the enemy's secret technique.
After mastering the Rasengan, Ishiro planned to trade it to the village for something valuable.
Upon returning to the camp, Ishiro first gave a detailed report about the battle to Kitsuchi.
Since Kitsuchi was now in charge of the Eastern Division, Ishiro needed to report his movements to him.
Hearing Ishiro's description, Kitsuchi was astonished and repeatedly confirmed Ishiro's evaluation of Minato.
Quasi-Kage Level.
Minato, like Ikura, had already broken through that barrier, only needing time and accumulation to truly become a Kage.
And judging from Minato's age, he might have broken through even earlier than Ikura.
Whether it was before or after didn't matter—this was critical information that could alter the village's entire strategic layout.
Kitsuchi wasted no time.
He immediately dispatched Ishiro—the witness and fastest traveler thanks to his Light-Weight Boulder Technique—back to the village to deliver this intelligence directly to Ōnoki.
Since Ishiro was the one who had fought Minato personally, he understood the situation best. It was most appropriate for him to handle the report.
Receiving the task, Ishiro had no choice but to first find his three disciples, give them a few instructions, and then set off alone for Iwagakure.
Having just fought Minato and unleashed a massive chakra-consuming A-rank jutsu, then rushed over a long distance, Ishiro was exhausted when he finally returned to the village.
Had it not been for his ability to replenish chakra while fighting, he might not have made it back at all.
Dragging his tired body, Ishiro entered the Tsuchikage's office.
At that moment, only Ōnoki and three other advisors were present.
Saka, the former Eastern Division Commander, had already been transferred to the Southern Front.
The reason for the adjustment was simple—Kumo and Konoha were now in a standoff.
Thus, Iwagakure no longer needed to station so much power at the eastern border against Kumo.
Saka could be reassigned to reinforce the southern lines.
He was now the First Deputy Commander of the Southern Division, with Ōnoki himself nominally serving as the overall commander.
This was standard practice among the Five Great Nations: when facing Konoha, they often had their Kage personally oversee operations.
Seeing Ishiro's exhausted appearance, Ōnoki immediately realized that something must have happened on the Eastern Front—something even Kitsuchi couldn't handle alone.
Naturally, he became concerned.
After all, Kitsuchi was his son.
It was only normal for a father to worry.
The three advisors also immediately tensed up.
The youngest female advisor spoke first, anxiously asking:
"Ishiro, you rushed back... Did something happen on the Eastern Front?"
Ishiro didn't waste time and responded bluntly:
"There's no immediate danger.
I've returned to deliver an important piece of intelligence:
The commander of Konoha's Eastern Division—Namikaze Minato—has, like Ikura, broken through to quasi-Kage level."
"What?!"
"How is that possible?!"
It wasn't that they doubted Ishiro's words.
It was just that shock and envy overwhelmed them.
Shock that Konoha would soon have yet another Kage-level combatant.
Envy at Konoha's endless stream of talent.
Were Kage-level ninjas something they could mass-produce?
Understanding their feelings, Ishiro didn't keep them in suspense.
He briefly described how he had been thoroughly suppressed by Minato during their fight.
Hearing how Ishiro—who was considered one of Iwagakure's top talents—had been completely overwhelmed, the room finally fell silent, accepting the harsh truth.
Before continuing the discussion on Minato, Ōnoki immediately issued an order to the ANBU:
Send a message to Saka on the Southern Front—
Tell him not to provoke Konoha yet.
Why?
Because Konoha, aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi, already had four Kage-level fighters:
Danzo (Root leader)
Jiraiya
Tsunade (currently missing)
Orochimaru
Though Tsunade had been missing for years, in theory, Konoha still had three Kage-level fighters who could be sent to the front.
Initially, the other villages were betting—hoping they wouldn't encounter a Kage-level ninja on their front.
But with the Sand's rebellion and Konoha's inevitable response,
the odds shifted:
from a one-in-four chance of avoiding a Kage opponent
to a one-in-three chance.
Now, with Minato stepping up to Kage level, Konoha could easily assign one Kage-level fighter to each front.
This completely shattered the other villages' careful calculations.
Unless a village had already made up its mind to go to all-out war (like Sunagakure), they would hesitate.
Because no one could guarantee they could handle the losses.
Originally, Ōnoki's plan was to first stir up minor conflicts—
observe which Konoha Kage-level fighters appeared on the front lines—
then decide whether to escalate.
It was likely the Raikage and Mizukage had similar thoughts.
In fact, Ōnoki understood something critical:
In the early stage of war, being marked by Konoha's Kage was not necessarily a bad thing.
It was actually better than being left alone.
Because the "empty" front might seem easy at first—but would invite Konoha's eventual revenge.
In the past, the nations that preserved too much strength early in the war were always the ones that suffered most during Konoha's counterattacks.
This pattern had already played out during the Second Great Ninja War.
If you benefited early—you were targeted later.
This was why the four allied nations would eventually turn on each other by the war's end.
In the original timeline, Ōnoki had even orchestrated the death of the Third Raikage for this exact reason.
From analyzing both the current situation and bits of canon information, Ishiro deduced:
Iwagakure and Sunagakure fought Konoha fiercely in the early stages.
Kirigakure was slow to engage and became more active later.
Kumogakure remained unbowed until much later.
This fit the timeline suggested by the aftermath of the Kannabi Bridge operation and Obito's injuries.
Thus, in the present, the title of "Second Strongest Nation" remained vacant.
Previously, that title belonged to the Land of Wind.
But after the disappearance of the Third Kazekage—the strongest user of Magnet Release—Sand had declined sharply.
Meanwhile, the other major villages had only one standing Kage-level fighter each (excluding Jinchuriki).
As for the upcoming new Kages—
people like Yagura (Mist), Rasa (Sand), and A (Cloud)—
no one could say yet whether they had broken through.
Thus, the current ninja world had no clear second power after Konoha.
After sending the intelligence off to Saka, Ōnoki asked Ishiro for more details on Minato.
Ishiro carefully replied:
"Minato's reflexes are extraordinary.
He's a natural close-combat fighter.
But he's also well-rounded."
"When I fought him, he used B-rank Wind Release,
and his hand seal speed was astonishing."
"As Jiraiya's disciple, he inherited the Mount Myōboku toad summoning contract.
The giant toad he summoned possessed strength comparable to Kage-level."
"And lastly—he displayed a seal-less A-rank jutsu, likely of his own invention, based on the comments from the Konoha side."
Hearing this, the advisors couldn't stay silent:
"Seal-less ninjutsu?!"
"An A-rank seal-less ninjutsu?"
"You're sure?"
No one was surprised that much anymore—except that they were.
In the shinobi world, the value of seal-less techniques was universally understood.
Just Ishiro being able to use seal-less Body Flicker had already skyrocketed his combat power.
And Body Flicker was just a C-rank technique.
Imagine the impact of a seal-less A-rank ninjutsu like the Rasengan.
This was practically unheard of—
unless you were Hashirama Senju casually clapping his hands,
or the Uchiha using their mysterious ocular powers.
(And even those were special bloodline techniques.)
Seeing everyone's stunned expressions, Ishiro quietly added:
"Lord Tsuchikage...
When my Water Clone took a direct hit from Minato's Rasengan,
I was nearby and observed it carefully.
I think...
if you give me some time, I can replicate it."
"What?!"
Ōnoki, who had merely been frowning until now, jumped to his feet.
The gift Ishiro offered was simply too immense.
Adding a seal-less A-rank technique to Iwagakure's arsenal?
Unthinkable.
Without any hesitation, Ōnoki turned to the three advisors and said:
"If Ishiro succeeds in developing this Rasengan—and if it can be taught to others—I propose we reward him with access to an S-rank ninjutsu."
The advisors were stunned.
In Iwagakure, only those who reached Kage-level were normally permitted to learn S-rank jutsu.
For example, Ikura—after his breakthrough—was now studying an S-rank jutsu under Ōnoki's guidance.
Ishiro knew this well, being close friends with Ikura.
Previously, after helping Ikura awaken his fifth chakra nature, the two had grown even closer.
Though Ishiro didn't know which S-rank jutsu Ikura was learning,
he knew Ikura had been in closed-door training ever since.
The oldest male advisor was the first to nod in agreement.
After a moment's hesitation, the other two also approved.
Ishiro himself had originally only hoped to trade the Rasengan for an A-rank jutsu.
He had never expected it could be worth an S-rank jutsu!
This outcome completely stunned him.
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