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JST Chapter 127: The Art of War
🕑 Added 2024-12-09 23:17:35 +0000 UTCKazuki's attitude towards him was something that greatly puzzled Orochimaru.
Ever since he took command of the Root, Kazuki had sent an invitation letter to Orochimaru, saying that he was one of Konoha's greatest geniuses, a talent unmatched even throughout the world, and that he hoped to cooperate with him.
The letter contained no demands or threats as Danzo would. Rather, it was an open invitation for Orochimaru to visit the facility, explore the Root's scientific tools and equipment, and learn about future development plans.
He even offered him complete freedom: if he didn't like the conditions, he could simply consider it a visit to give recommendations.
This made Orochimaru very pleased.
After all, Kazuki was not just Kazuki. To Orochimaru, he also represented Senju Tobirama to a certain extent.
Orochimaru had always deeply admired Tobirama.
Now, seeing that Kazuki, at the height of his power, still treated him with courtesy and enthusiasm, Orochimaru couldn't help but compare his style to Danzo's. The difference was simply abysmal.
On the other hand, Hiruko arrived at the meeting with a mix of nerves and excitement.
Despite being a jonin, Hiruko was dissatisfied with his current level. He aspired to reach the strength of the Three Sannin and overcome his own natural limitations. To do so, he developed the Kinjutsu, Chimera Technique.
That was why Kazuki's invitation had filled him with enthusiasm and expectations.
After some hesitation, Hiruko, who had never been truly valued by Konoha's higher-ups, decided to attend.
As she entered the meeting room, Hiruko felt a mix of uncertainty and excitement.
Kazuki looked at him briefly and, in a calm voice, said: "Welcome, Orochimaru and Hiruko, to this meeting to discuss the strategic plans for the Third Great Shinobi War. I hope you can listen and guide us with your comments."
"A round of applause for them!"
Those presents began to applaud, while directing strange and respectful glances at Hiruko.
Although he was just an ordinary jonin, the fact that he was personally invited by the leader of the Root was already a sign of his exceptional abilities.
Hiruko timidly raised a hand in greeting, clearly uncomfortable with so much attention. Although he was a Konoha ninja, those present were the elite of each clan, far above a lineage-less shinobi like himself.
Orochimaru, for his part, received the applause naturally, showing a slight smile.
Kazuki slowly stood up. His gaze alone was enough to make the applause cease immediately.
"Comrades, after the establishment of the new Root, we will face our greatest test: the impending Third Great Shinobi War."
He snapped his fingers, and behind him a huge map of the shinobi world appeared.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly. That level of genjutsu was something even he hadn't seen before.
In front of the map, projections of the shinobi village leaders, high advisors, Jinchuriki, and other Kage-level shinobi began to appear...
"We must understand one thing. It is likely that in this war, Konoha will be attacked by all four major shinobi villages at the same time." Kazuki said, his voice echoing in the room.
The atmosphere became tense.
"Even if they don't attack us as a whole, Konoha's current strength will always be a target for these predators. That's why we must strike them hard, once and for all. Make them afraid to even look directly at us."
Kazuki looked around at those presents.
"However, one question arises: how do we achieve that goal?"
His tone changed as he looked at the assembled shinobi, "Konoha's shinobi are valuable. But basing our strategy solely on courage or brutality, indiscriminately sacrificing lives, would be an unforgivable mistake."
He paused, before continuing: "Konoha's shinobi are our greatest treasure. I don't want anyone to become a meaningless sacrifice."
The assembled shinobi nodded silently. They knew he was right. Brute force and unbridled courage were not enough.
Orochimaru, in the corner, curled his lips into a smile. He could sense that Kazuki was about to reveal something really interesting.
Kazuki, with a determined gesture, proclaimed: "Konoha can no longer rely on traditional shinobi warfare tactics. It is time to evolve!"
Extending a hand toward the map of the shinobi world spread out behind him, he explained: "The Root will lead the technological transformation necessary to confront a modern conflict in the shinobi world."
“What will modern warfare be like?” Kazuki continued. “First, we must understand its nature. Breadth and complexity: When the five great shinobi villages engage in war, the battlefield will span vast territories. The lines between the front and the rear will blur, and operations will be chaotic and ever-changing. To maintain the initiative, we will need unprecedented rapid reaction capability.”
Kazuki pointed at the map, where simulations showed the threats Konoha would face when fighting four villages simultaneously. The shinobi's faces darkened as they imagined such a scenario.
"To handle this, the Nara clan will take responsibility for gathering and analyzing intelligence. The Yamanaka clan's ninjutsu will be enhanced to receive comprehensive information on the conflict. Additionally, Tsunade-sensei's slugs will serve as a perfect communication link to consolidate this data."
"Second, mobility and continuity: Modern warfare will have no temporal or spatial limits. Clashes can arise at any time and place, affecting both politics and the economy."
Kazuki paused, looking at the group. "We need a spy team to penetrate deeper into the other villages. The Yamanaka clan shinobi will decipher crucial information from the prisoners' brains, revealing the enemy's intentions."
"Third point, capacity for mass destruction." Kazuki raised three fingers. "Most shinobi, except for the most talented, are extremely vulnerable. My proposal includes three main approaches..."
"And most of the ninjas who make up a legion are special jonin and below. At present, I have the following ideas."
"Biological Warfare: With the Aburame clan's secret techniques, even enemy corpses will become a strategic resource."
"Chemical Warfare: Tsunade-sensei is developing extremely lethal toxins, equipped in ninja tools to eliminate enemies with a single wound. These toxins can also be dispersed using Wind Release to create large-scale destructive attacks."
"Air Warfare: Mastery of the sky will be crucial. Inspired by the Super Beast Imitating Drawing and the technology of the Land of Sky, we will lead the era of aerial warfare with innovative capabilities."
Everyone's expression turned serious.
“Individual flight capability, large-scale flying fortresses… These are all part of gaining aerial dominance.” Kazuki added, a glint in his eyes. “Furthermore, we will combine this with weapons of mass destruction and saturation attacks. My preliminary idea is to modify the explosive tags into longer-range bombs, capable of wiping out enemy shinobi troops.”
“However, production is limited by our industrial capacity, so we have an alternative plan: the Iwagakure Explosion Release. If we combine this with Hiruko’s secret technique for stealing Kekkei Genkai and Orochimaru-san’s body modification technology, we could create our own Konoha Explosion Corps.”
“At that point, once we have located most of the enemy positions, we will be able to carry out precise bombings from the air.”
[It is detected that Hiruko is deeply shocked by the host. He has been targeted.]
Hearing these words, Hiruko began to tremble slightly, though she tried to hide it. How was it possible that Kazuki knew about the darkest and deepest of his secrets?
All the Root shinobi, including Orochimaru, looked at Hiruko in astonishment.
"Hiruko, do you still have this trick? And here I thought you were just my old classmate...." Orochimaru patted Hiruko on the shoulder and said jokingly: "The shinobi invited by Kazuki-kun are indeed Konoha's elite..."
Hiruko, however, was mired in internal chaos.
His technique was an absolutely forbidden Kinjutsu that required mass human experiments. Not even he himself had spoken about it, knowing that he would be severely punished by Konoha.
"Jonin Hiruko…"
Hearing Kazuki's voice, Hiruko stood up abruptly, nervously.
Now that he was in the Root's headquarters and all his secrets had been revealed, Hiruko could imagine his future...
"There's no need to be alarmed." Kazuki's voice was calm, almost comforting. "In my opinion, your Chimera Technique is an incredibly creative and practical technique. I like it very much."
Smiling, he continued: "Jonin Hiruko, I formally invite you to join the Root. You will be free to request any Kekkei Genkai from the Five Great Shinobi Villages to hone your technique."
"I give you my word: as long as you remain a Konoha ninja and serve the village, your personal freedom will not be affected. Your reputation will be protected by the Root. All I ask of you is that you work alongside us to use the bones and blood of our enemies to strengthen yourself and your comrades."
"The new Root hopes to see more and more geniuses emerge in our village. Even if the jutsu we wield seem dark, as long as we keep the Will of Fire in our hearts, everyone will understand."
Hiruko blinked several times, dazed.
Then his eyes swept around the room: Orochimaru, wearing an enigmatic smile; Aburame Shikuro, whose body was infested with extremely poisonous insects; a member of the Yamanaka clan, with the edges of his robe stained with blood; Uchiha Yashiro, whose eyes shone with a crimson glow…
And Kazuki's words about biological weapons, chemical weapons, aerial bombardments...
Suddenly, Hiruko felt a weight ease on her chest.
Compared to these people’s techniques, his Chimera Technique didn’t seem all that terrifying. In fact, it was even relatively harmless; at least it didn’t require so many victims.
Comments
Lord Xavier
This shit is getting good, he even has Orochimaru interested in working with him!
