Kakashi didn't notice Obito and went straight to Rin's gravestone.
After a long silence, Kakashi began talking to himself.
Obito looked at Kakashi, narrowing his eyes.
"Kakashi..."
Suddenly, Obito's pupils contracted.
Because from Kakashi's words, Obito learned a piece of information that he considered very important.
"Kushina-san is already pregnant?"
"Minato-sensei will soon become a father?"
However, Obito had no intention of offering congratulations. Instead, he saw this as an opportunity.
"Among the jinchuriki, Kushina-san is considered one of the most stable."
"After all, Kushina-san possesses a very impressive Sealing Jutsu."
"Under normal circumstances, capturing Kushina-san and releasing the Nine-Tails from her body would be difficult, but during the jinchuriki's childbirth, the seal will weaken."
"This is an excellent opportunity for me."
"Maybe I can give it a try."
"Even if I can't capture Kushina-san that day, I can still gain some experience."
"Moreover, the Nine-Tails' rampage will cause immense damage to Konoha."
"Then, the other ninja villages will certainly seize this opportunity."
In the original storyline, the Third Great Ninja War had already ended.
However, the sudden outbreak of the Nine-Tails' chaos caused significant losses to Konoha.
The village's strength was greatly weakened.
The conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha grew more intense.
Hidden Cloud Village seized this opportunity and launched another war against Konoha.
The day of the Hyuga Hinata incident was actually the day of the ceasefire negotiations between Hidden Cloud Village and Konoha.
"I need to get the exact date of Kushina-san's delivery."
Obito's gaze once again turned to Kakashi.
...
The older ninjas returned to the village, and new ninjas headed to the front lines.
Through this rotation, the ninjas were able to catch their breath, but this respite was limited to the ordinary ninjas.
The key and core ninjas had to remain steadfast on the front lines, like Fuguki and Juzo.
Because Konoha's surprise attack happened so suddenly, many of the Forging Island's guard force also went to the front lines.
Now, they finally returned to the village.
Soma held a list in his hand. It had the names of the casualties.
Soma was silent for a moment.
"Izumi, gather everyone together; I have a decision to announce."
"Yes, Chief-sama."
Soon, everyone in the Forging Department gathered. The guard squad and blacksmiths all came together.
Soma looked around. Compared to before, there were noticeably fewer members. Some could return, but others would never come back.
"Everyone, it is unfortunate that a few of our comrades will be leaving us forever."
"Perhaps this is the life of a ninja."
"For the village, for the mission, we go to dangerous places, unafraid of bleeding, unafraid of death."
"I've made two decisions."
"First, we will take a portion of the Forging Department's income to assist the families of the comrades who sacrificed themselves this time, to help ease their difficulties."
"Second, I plan to establish a casualty fund."
"I will regularly allocate a portion of the Forging Department's income to this fund."
"And you can also contribute part of your own income to the fund."
"In this way, we can create a pool of funds."
"If you get injured, the fund will provide you with some money for medical expenses."
"If you sacrifice yourself, the fund will provide some money to your family to help ease their difficulties."
"The membership fee for the fund is divided into two tiers."
"One is a higher tier, and the other is a lower tier."
"Ninjas who contribute to the higher tier will receive greater benefits."
"The benefits are also related to the length of time you contribute."
"Of course, all of this is entirely voluntary."
"If you want to join, you can join; if you don't want to, you don't have to."
"If you want to choose the higher tier, choose the higher tier; if not, choose the lower tier."
"It will absolutely not affect your regular work and life in any way."
Soma had wanted to implement this plan ever since Daida was injured.
Contributing a little during normal times can be very useful in critical moments.
After all, being a ninja is a profession with a very high risk of injury or death.
By spreading the risk among many ninjas, it benefits everyone.
If Konoha had such a policy, Gekko Hayate wouldn't have struggled so much after being seriously injured.
However, Soma understands the principle of "a favor of a drop of water can lead to a hatred as deep as the sea." Those who don't contribute have no right to enjoy the benefits. Otherwise, what starts as a good deed by Soma could eventually cause problems.
Having a threshold can avoid many risks.
"I will have Kaguya Izumi manage the casualty fund."
"This is not a mandatory order from me. When you make your decision, you don't need to consider my opinion. If you think it will benefit you, then join; if not, then don't."
Soma looked at Kaguya Izumi.
"Izumi, I'll leave this matter to you."
"Yes, Chief-sama."
Soma turned and left.
On the other side, Soma had other matters to attend to.
Kisame and Ryukame had already been waiting at the training ground for some time.
As they watched Soma leave, everyone started discussing.
"This seems to be a good thing for us."
"We each contribute some money, the Forging Department contributes some, and together we form a pool."
"Once we encounter any difficulties, we can get help from it."
"What we gain will definitely be more than what we contribute."
Some of the ninjas quickly figured out the benefits. However, when it comes to human nature, it's quite difficult to take money that's already in your pocket and give it away. It's not that they don't see the benefits, but they have a sense of wishful thinking.
"If I don't get seriously injured or die in the future, wouldn't that be a loss?"
"If I'm careful, those bad things definitely won't happen to me."
"Since Chief-sama said it's entirely voluntary, I think I'll pass."
Training ground.
Hearing footsteps, the two looked up.
"Soma."
"Chief-sama."
Soma nodded slightly.
The atmosphere at the training ground felt a bit off to Soma. Even though Kisame and Ryukame are cousins and used to play together closely as kids, now they seemed somewhat distant.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
It wasn't until Soma stepped closer that the atmosphere eased a bit.
"Ryukame, demonstrate the Stable Rock Style."
"Yes, Chief-sama."
Ryukame drew his broad sword.
Soma then looked at Kisame.
"Kisame, use the Sword of Wisdom to attack Ryukame. Don't use Ninjutsu, just the sword."
"Understood."
In the next moment, Kisame charged at Ryukame.
"Ding!"
Kisame felt a strong force rebound against him, while Ryukame didn't even take a half step back. His stance remained the same as before.
Kisame could even sense that after Ryukame took his strike, an invisible force seemed to emanate from Ryukame's body. It was strange—something that couldn't be seen or touched, yet felt real.
"So this is the Stable Rock Style?"
Kisame was slightly startled, but his hands didn't stop moving. Instead, he launched an even fiercer attack.
Up, down, left, right—slashes, chops, thrusts, and jabs.
No matter from which direction Kisame attacked Ryukame, or what technique Kisame used, Ryukame was able to block every strike firmly.
"Ryukame-nii's swordsmanship is this strong?"
When they were kids, Kisame used to play by following Ryukame around. Since Ryukame became a ninja first, Kisame went through a short period of admiration for him.
But after Kisame became a ninja himself and gained the reputation of a genius, the family's evaluation of Ryukame was simply "mediocre."
But how could a mediocre ninja block all of his attacks?
"Maybe Ryukame-nii hadn't found the right path before."
"But now, he has unlocked his potential."
"Just like Konoha's Hatake Kakashi."
Kisame didn't think Kakashi was a match for him now, but he knew that Kakashi had grown much stronger compared to before.
Suddenly, Kisame felt an extremely dangerous aura.
The atmosphere around Ryukame shifted.
"Raging Tide!"
In Ryukame, Kisame saw something akin to an unstoppable force.
With his broad sword in hand, Ryukame advanced forward, the blade sweeping in a half-circle.
"Ding!"
Kisame felt as if his Sword of Wisdom was about to be wrenched from his grasp. He quickly gripped the hilt with both hands to steady himself, but his body was forced to retreat uncontrollably.
He only came to a stop after being pushed back several meters.
"What incredible strength!"
Kisame's expression grew serious.
"Kisame, are you alright?" Ryukame asked quickly.
"I'm fine," Kisame replied, shaking his head.
"Ryukame-nii, the power you just unleashed—it must have exceeded your actual strength, right? Is that the effect of the Stable Rock Style swordsmanship?"
Ryukame nodded.
"Yes."
"Very impressive." Kisame complimented.
Ryukame smiled and said nothing.
"Kisame, I wasn't wrong, was I?"
"Indeed," Kisame replied. "This Stable Rock Style seems to be the perfect counter to Taijutsu and sword-style ninjas, and my weakness is precisely Taijutsu and sword-style ninjas."
"Once I team up with a Stable Rock Style ninja, it will become very comprehensive."
"At that point, there won't be many people who can threaten me."
Ninjutsu is effectively countered by the Sword of Wisdom. It also has countermeasures against some Genjutsu. And Taijutsu and sword techniques are countered by Stable Rock Style.
"Ryukame, in your opinion, how many people are needed to ensure that Kisame isn't threatened by Taijutsu ninjas?"
Ryukame thought for a moment.
"At least three."
"Three, huh..."
This staffing arrangement is quite reasonable.
In fact, many guard teams in the ninja world are composed of three members. For example, in the original storyline, Minato Namikaze's guard team consisted of Shiranui Genma, Raido Namiashi, and Tatami Iwashi. The three learned the Flying Thunder God formation, a split version of Flying Thunder God Jutsu. Since one person couldn't master it alone, they divided it into three parts, with each person responsible for one part. When combined, it achieved an effect similar to Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
"Kisame, you can choose the candidates yourself. Once you've selected them, have Ryukame teach them."
"Understood."
Previously, Kisame had some reservations about the Stable Rock Style. But now that he has seen its effects, he became quite hopeful.
"During the transition period before I fully mature, the Stable Rock Style will be my support."
"Next time I encounter Orochimaru or Jiraiya, I won't be so awkward."
Kisame now had no thoughts of comparing himself to the younger generation. Instead, he aimed to be on par with the top ninjas who had already made a name for themselves.
"Ryukame, let me see your sword."
"Yes, Chief-sama."
Ryukame handed over the broad sword.
Soma took it and examined it carefully. It was covered in many scars, like a veteran who had been wounded countless times on the battlefield.
"Has it been damaged to this extent?"
The broad sword was a Skillful Grade Sword. Based on ordinary materials, it was significantly stronger than the mass-produced ninjato from the Land of Iron due to Soma's forging technique. Yet, it had still suffered this much damage.
"One reason is the intense battlefield conditions."
"The other reason is that the Stable Rock Style places even greater pressure on ninjato."
Soma gripped the hilt of the sword and, in the next moment, gathered chakra in his hand.
Since the broad sword was not made of chakra metal but ordinary materials, it could not conduct chakra. Thus, when Soma infused chakra into it, the chakra dispersed directly from the blade.
"Chakra metal is too rare."
"To forge a broad sword out of chakra metal is practically impossible; it's too extravagant."
"Forging other ninjato would be more cost-effective."
"But if we use only a portion of chakra metal to create the circuitry while the rest is made from ordinary materials, it should still have some effect."
Soma suddenly had this idea.
The Stable Rock Style had already proven its effectiveness through Ryukame. Using Ryukame as a template for replication could provide Hidden Mist Village with a number of excellent ninjas. However, Soma believed the Stable Rock Style could be even stronger.
Soma handed the broad sword back to Ryukame.
"Ryukame, if this ninjato could temporarily withstand a certain amount of chakra, what do you think its abilities would be?"
Ryukame thought for a moment and said, "Chief-sama, I hope to have an ability with a larger range that can also cover the area behind me. During the battle, I was constantly worried about how to handle attacks from behind me."
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