Uchiha's personal opinion

What insights have you gained from your research into immortal arts?

Uchiha Tokumitsu did not shy away from the presence of the attendant ninjas, and asked casually.

"The natural energy seems to have loosened quite a bit..."

This was also Orochimaru's most direct impression.

As one of Konoha's elite Jonin, and having once been a ground walker of Ryuchi Cave, he was no stranger to natural energy and Sage Mode. However, he was unable to learn Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode because he could not withstand the White Snake Sage's venom injection.

However, during his month-long seclusion at home, under the blessing of Uchiha Tokumitsu's Sage Art Seed, he also experienced the wonderful feeling of the natural energy that was originally indifferent suddenly becoming coy and even somewhat "reluctant".

However, during the practice just now, Orochimaru discovered that the natural energy, which was somewhat "aloof" to him and required some effort to control, was particularly proactive in front of Uchiha Tokumitsu. Even after the Sage Technique was cast, natural energy continued to actively absorb onto the Sage Technique to amplify its power.

This is so enviable...

"After the Akatsuki was destroyed, Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave must not be willing to accept defeat, right?"

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu's words carried a hint of rhetorical question, his tone was incredibly certain.

"really."

Orochimaru nodded and said respectfully, "I don't know anything about Mount Myōboku, but given the White Snake Sage's stubborn and extremely unwilling-to-suffer-loss nature, he won't let this go."

"Therefore, the joint counter-terrorism force needs to be further strengthened."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded and stated his judgment: "Moreover, Ryuchi Cave has lost a goddess, so their future counterattack will definitely be more ferocious and more unpredictable."

"Or so."

Although Orochimaru didn't understand why Uchiha Tokumitsu suddenly brought this up with him, he still nodded in agreement.

"Kisame-kun, would you be interested in going out for some training?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu suddenly turned to Kisame Hoshigaki and said.

"ah!"

Kisame Hoshigaki was overjoyed upon hearing this, "I will obey all of Lord Tokumitsu's arrangements!"

“Under the joint counter-terrorism force, I plan to add another main combat brigade, gathering powerful ninjas from various departments as future assault and support forces. I think you are very suitable.”

"Uchiha Tokumitsu said."

This is why the "hostages" were willing to serve the ninjas wholeheartedly.

Although daily affairs and various greetings and farewells are tedious and boring for ninjas, they can come into contact with many high-ranking officials of the Shogunate and Konoha. Moreover, if given the opportunity, Uchiha Tokumitsu will always take care of those around him.

At least in terms of opportunities, the treatment of attendant ninjas was almost the same as that of ninjas from the Uchiha clan.

"I will certainly live up to my mission! I will faithfully fulfill my duty and serve the Shogunate to the best of my ability!"

Kisame Hoshigaki immediately knelt down and thanked him.

The ninja servants cast envious glances at him, secretly encouraging themselves to stand out next time.

"Do a good job from now on! Take Samehada with you when you take up your post, don't let me down!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said with satisfaction.

This is also the result of his "bringing the heroes of the ninja world into my trap" strategy, which he has been quietly implementing since the reform of the police department.

With the shogunate's immense power spanning Konoha, Kirigakure, and even encompassing the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and numerous smaller nations, confronting the so-called Holy Land is not a difficult task.

It's just that they are in the dark while we are in the light, making it a bit troublesome to wipe them out.

As for high-end combat power, Uchiha Tokumitsu felt that he could dominate the ninja world in this era without Senju Hashirama. Even if the great sages of Ryuchi Cave or Mount Myōboku personally came out, he would have the strength to be on par with them.

Moreover, as time goes on, the shogunate's power will only grow stronger under the incentive of a mechanism that promotes talent without being bound by convention.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Uchiha Tokumitsu felt that—

"The advantage is in my hands!"

……

"The advantage is in my hands!"

Inside the mushroom house on Mount Myōboku, the sage Fukasaku, his expression fervent, said to Jiraiya, whose demeanor was still somewhat dejected, "Even if the Akatsuki suffers a temporary setback, for the two great holy lands, as long as they go all out, the mere Uchiha clan is no match for them!"

"Yes... Jiraiya, don't blame yourself anymore, none of us are blaming you."

Shima Senjin, who was standing nearby, quickly added, "The defeat in this battle was not due to a lack of skill; it was simply because the shogunate's traitors were too cunning!"

"The Great Immortal said that the Holy Land's support for you has no limit!"

Fukasaku the Hermit patted his chest and said, "For the Holy Land, casualties are nothing!"

Although a goddess from Ryuchi Cave died, and the two sides are now allies, Fukasaku Sage still felt a sense of satisfaction deep down.

There's nothing more satisfying than having your old nemesis get "shot down"!

"Two immortals..."

Jiraiya's voice was choked with emotion.

She then covered her face.

"We all believe in your abilities; whether in combat or strategy, you are one of the top talents in the ninja world..."

Fukasaku stood on tiptoe and patted Jiraiya's shoulder, who was squatting on the ground, saying, "Everything will pass, everything will get better..."

"I understand……"

After venting his emotions for a bit, Jiraiya wiped away the tears in his eyes, put the frustration of being betrayed behind him, took a deep breath and said, "I won't give up!"

"That's great!"

The immortal's eyes were filled with satisfaction.

"By the way, the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave wants to see you. You should go see him when you have time."

"It was something that Master Fukasaku said casually."

"The White Snake Immortal..."

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, but nodded nonetheless: "Then let's go. But is there anything I should be careful about?"

"It's nothing."

Immediately, the immortal Fukasaku took out a black scroll from his robes, unfurled it, and summoned a runic spell. "This magic array can take you directly to the Ryuchi Cave Temple without having to go back and forth."

"And this too, tearing up the scroll will allow you to return directly to Mount Myōboku."

Master Shima then handed over another scroll.

Although it was quite sudden, Jiraiya still took the scroll and then walked into the rune incantation.

What a blessing it is to have two holy sites serving me alone!

As the spell's light flashed, Jiraiya thought to himself.

Chapter 363 New Type of Ninja Army

After Orochimaru's testing, Uchiha Tokumitsu confirmed the safety of the Sage Seed.

Furthermore, according to his secret perception, the various hidden techniques originally left in the Sage Seed were not only not erased, but became stronger and more concealed as Orochimaru's strength increased. Under such circumstances, as long as Uchiha Tokumitsu did not take the initiative to launch a hidden attack, Orochimaru would never discover that there was anything unusual about the Sage Seed he had given him.

Of course, as long as Orochimaru remains loyal throughout his life, Uchiha Tokumitsu will not treat him with any disrespect; it's a two-way street.

The reason for sending Kisame Hoshigaki out was due to Uchiha Tokumitsu's idea of ​​a new type of ninja army.

Even under the shogunate, the structure of the ninja army was still largely the same as that of traditional ninja warfare.

However, due to their superior strength, the Shogunate's ninja army would often temporarily assemble a group of Jonin to form a separate combat unit, using a similar mobile force model to break through on the battlefield.

However, these Jonin units are usually temporary.

After all, even within the Uchiha clan, Jonin are valuable high-level combatants who often hold important positions in various departments. Removing them from the ranks would inevitably lead to a weakening of grassroots forces or a loss of command.

Ultimately, although the rank-and-file ninja army, composed of junior and junior ninja, is well-trained, the fundamental gap in combat effectiveness cannot be bridged by training alone.

This is also a major reason why the Konoha ninja army, which held an absolute advantage in the Akatsuki's purge, suffered heavy casualties.

In order to cope with this situation and make up for the lack of combat echelons, Uchiha Tokumitsu, based on the concept of "intermediate power bullets" from his previous life, planned to form an "intermediate combat force" as a supplement to the combat power of the ninja army.

Following the governor's orders, Kisame Hoshigaki was able to assemble an enhanced ninja force of 150 men within three days.

Moreover, they are all elite ninja troops at the Chunin level or above!

After several rounds of joint exercises, Kisame Hoshigaki led this new ninja army north to the Land of Waterfall and joined the Uchiha Shiina army.

Uchiha Tokumitsu went to great lengths to support his cousin.

……

"Commander-in-Chief, Kisame Hoshigaki, a Jonin of the Shogunate, has arrived with his troops to report for duty! Please inspect him!"

Uchiha Shiina gave Kisame Hoshigaki a great deal of face by coming out of the camp to greet him. Having been trained as a servant of the shogunate, Kisame Hoshigaki was also very shrewd and knew how to behave. He greeted him with the same respectful manner he had shown when facing Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"Very good! Very energetic!"

Uchiha Shiina was very satisfied with this ninja army.

He was already aware of Uchiha Tokumitsu's tactical plans, and thus had long been looking forward to the arrival of the new ninja army.

Judging from their appearance, Kisame Hoshigaki's ninja army is composed of highly skilled and capable individuals from top to bottom.

"There are quite a few warriors from Kirigakure..."

Among Kisame Hoshigaki's subordinates, nearly fifty were recruited from Kirigakure, making it the unit with the highest proportion of Kirigakure ninja in the current joint counter-terrorism force.

"The Kirigakure has always been loyal to the Shogunate, and when Lord Tokumitsu calls upon them, they will naturally respond in droves."

Kisame Hoshigaki immediately said.

"Very good! The ninja army has had a long and arduous journey. Rest for two days at the camp, and begin combat drills on the third day!"

Uchiha Shiina was even more satisfied.

……

Over the next three months, the joint counter-terrorism force organized its 24 subordinate detachments to participate in the exercise in rotation.

Kisame Hoshigaki lived up to expectations, securing an overwhelming record of 19 wins and 5 losses in 24 battles.

The main reason for the five defeats in the exercises was that one of the five detachments was the guard detachment of Uchiha Shiina, while the other four detachments were ninja armies with a large number of Uchiha clan ninjas. In addition, although Kisame Hoshigaki's newly formed ninja army was powerful, it had considerable problems with coordination due to its hasty participation in the exercises. Therefore, the Uchiha detachment commanders of these five detachments led their troops in a surprise attack to carry out a "decapitation".