When it comes to the overall strength of shinobi, Hidden Leaf Village stands head and shoulders above the rest of the shinobi world. Compared to minor villages like Hidden Grass or Hidden Waterfall, it's no contest. Even among the five great shinobi villages, Hidden Leaf holds a commanding lead.
Otherwise, in the previous shinobi world wars, where Hidden Leaf was constantly besieged, it wouldn't have emerged victorious every time.
Thus, if we narrow the scope to Hidden Leaf Village and focus only on marking the shinobi with the highest overall prowess, even if Mumei's "Yachihoko" mark count is limited to ten thousand, the effect would likely rival marking twenty thousand ordinary shinobi.
That's equivalent to covering a full fifth of the shinobi world's forces.
This amount of chakra is no small matter. Whether it can go toe-to-toe with the Ten-Tails' chakra, Shinji isn't certain yet, but it's undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.
If Shinji is ultimately forced to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, this power might be the key to suppressing it.
"Mumei has 'Yachihoko.' Digesting the First Hokage's cells will likely be faster for her than for me. Perhaps in a week or two, she'll see results."
"Before, when she transferred chakra to me, Mumei overexerted her Sharingan. Even now, she hasn't fully recovered. But with the First Hokage's cells implanted, nourished by the 'All Creation Power,' her Sharingan's recovery should speed up considerably."
Tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, Shinji assessed Mumei's condition.
Digesting the First Hokage's cells and restoring her Sharingan can happen simultaneously. Barring any surprises, in a week or two, Mumei's dojutsu power should reach the mid-to-late stage of its explosive growth.
Though her dojutsu power will continue to grow slowly over time, by then, it should be close to her ultimate peak.
This means Shinji's time is running short. He must start devising his "Infinite Tsukuyomi" plan now.
"Marking so many targets at once without being detected—that's no easy feat."
At this thought, Shinji furrowed his brow.
From Mumei's previous covert marking of Karin, Haku, and Neji, it's clear that shinobi with sufficient strength or those proficient in techniques that detect subtle chakra fluctuations can sense when they're marked by "Yachihoko."
With over ten thousand targets, there are bound to be many such shinobi. If the operation is too conspicuous and exposed prematurely, Hidden Leaf will surely take countermeasures.
Shinji never underestimates Hidden Leaf. Who knows what kind of response they'd muster?
He needs a method to mark a large number of targets while remaining completely undetected.
"Marking on a massive scale and staying unnoticed—how can I possibly pull that off?"
After pondering for a long while, Shinji came up empty.
Compared to the challenge of large-scale marking, staying undetected is far more critical. After all, he doesn't want his plan to draw the attention of figures like Black Zetsu or the Sage of the Six Paths before it's even set in motion, sparking unpredictable variables.
Since he couldn't come up with a solution, Shinji decided to set the issue aside.
Ideas don't always come from forcing them. Instead of wrestling with it, he might as well skip this step and focus on other matters. Perhaps an idea would spark in a sudden moment of clarity.
With that, Shinji reined in his scattered thoughts and flipped to a new page in his notebook.
As his gaze followed the turning page, it landed on the section labeled "Ten-Tails Jinchuriki Plan."
"Infinite Tsukuyomi" is, after all, just his backup plan. His true trump card against the Hegemon is becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki—a method proven by Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito in the original timeline to guarantee ascension to Six Paths-level power!
"One-Tail, Two-Tails, Four-Tails…"
Shinji began tallying the tailed beasts already captured by the Akatsuki.
So far, aside from the Three-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails, all other tailed beasts are in the Akatsuki's hands.
The Three-Tails and Eight-Tails aren't major issues.
The real problem is the Nine-Tails. Naruto, as the "Child of Prophecy" foretold by the Great Toad Sage, is under the special attention of the Sage of the Six Paths. If he dies at the Akatsuki's hands, it could directly summon the Sage, disrupting their plan to revive the Ten-Tails.
To ensure the Akatsuki can smoothly resurrect the Ten-Tails, the best approach is to avoid Naruto entirely.
Shinji's thoughts began to wander again.
This problem isn't too hard to solve. After all, sealed within Naruto's body is only half of the Nine-Tails.
The other half was sealed by the Fourth Hokage using the "Reaper Death Seal" within his own body.
And the conditions for reviving the Ten-Tails aren't as strict as one might think. With the other eight tailed beasts secured, half of the Nine-Tails should suffice.
So, Shinji only needs to undo the "Reaper Death Seal," extract the half of the Nine-Tails sealed in the Fourth Hokage, and the problem is solved.
"Orochimaru."
At this thought, a name surfaced in Shinji's mind.
To deal with the "Reaper Death Seal," Orochimaru is unavoidable. The Uzumaki clan is long extinct, and few shinobi in the world today know the "Reaper Death Seal" technique. The only one who has studied it deeply enough to uncover a way to break it is likely that madman, Orochimaru.
"Looks like I'll have to stick to the original plan and try to strike a deal with Orochimaru!"
Shinji closed his notebook.
Over the next few days, while staying in the village, Shinji noticed an increase in the subtle, almost imperceptible gazes watching him.
Heh.
He chuckled silently.
Without a doubt, these fleeting glances were from the village's surveillance.
His recent battle with Danzo had once again revealed his formidable strength. While it intimidated the village's higher-ups, it also undoubtedly sparked intense wariness.
The only reason things remained calm was the looming threat of the Akatsuki. Once that threat is resolved, the village won't be so lenient with him.
After contacting Haku and Karin, Shinji confirmed they were also under the village's covert surveillance.
As for Mumei, whose identity is questionable, she was an even greater focus of the village's attention. Fortunately, her status as an ANBU member shielded her from much trouble, and Shinji's strength kept Tsunade from acting rashly for now.
Sasuke, however, wasn't so lucky.
His surgery was postponed, and restoring his dojutsu power became a distant prospect.
Recalling his promise to help Sasuke restore his dojutsu—only to have handed over Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan, meant for Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo fusion, to Mumei—Shinji resolved to find a way to help Sasuke recover his dojutsu power first.