Chapter 154: The Problem Isn't the Barrier—It's Information Transmission
"Uchiha Ryuji or Uchiha Tatsuhata?"
Minato repeated both names once, then looked at Uchiha Fugaku. "Uchiha Clan Head, there's no harm in guessing wrong about this sort of thing. Other than wasting some time, there won't be any other losses. But if the attacker truly is one of these two, is there any possibility... you could persuade him to reform before he commits even graver errors?"
Even Hyuga Ritsu was momentarily stunned by these words.
Good grief—Minato was actually contemplating winning over Madara and Black Zetsu's chess piece!
That couldn't possibly work, right?
The Uchiha clan's obsessive madness was practically inscribed in their genes. Trying to persuade an Uchiha who'd already fallen into darkness to turn back—how the hell was that possible?
Not only did Ritsu think this way, but Uchiha Fugaku—the clan head—wasn't completely useless either. He too understood his clan's nature.
Facing Minato's expectant gaze, Fugaku hesitated, then steeled himself. "That's likely impossible. Whether Uchiha Ryuji or Uchiha Tatsuhata, neither father nor son has sufficiently close relationships remaining in the clan. Moreover, awakening our clan's Mangekyō Sharingan inevitably requires stimulation from extreme painful emotions. Persuading him to reform is nearly impossible—only physically destroying him remains viable!"
Minato lowered his gaze somewhat disappointedly, sighing softly. "So it truly won't work? It seems I was too greedy. I'd thought since this attacker hasn't yet committed any truly grave crimes, perhaps he could be persuaded to reform... It really won't work?"
The final question proved Minato hadn't given up—still harboring a thread of hope.
Uchiha Fugaku's attitude was resolute. He didn't say anything like "we could try, though success isn't guaranteed." Instead, he stated definitively, "I deeply wish I could answer 'yes,' but the fact is—it won't work. We Uchiha... once we've decided on something, we never regret it, even unto death!"
With matters stated so plainly, Minato listened and sighed deeply again.
Several seconds later, Minato's expression transformed. Regret and pity vanished completely, leaving only iron-hard coldness and severity. "Since reformation is impossible, we must seriously consider how to defend against... well, how to guard against attacks from Missing-nin Anonymous, and how to capture or kill Missing-nin Anonymous."
When he spoke the words "capture or kill," his killing intent grew so thick it nearly materialized.
Missing-nin Anonymous?
Was this a codename for the attacker? Hokage-sama truly trusted the Uchiha clan! Similar thoughts surfaced in everyone's minds almost simultaneously.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have devised a codename like "Missing-nin Anonymous."
Warmth surged through Uchiha Fugaku's heart—an impulse to die for one who understood him. The Fourth Hokage truly was their clan's ally, their hope for the Uchiha clan to genuinely integrate into Konoha.
He couldn't help silently vowing in his heart that his clan would support the Fourth Hokage unto death.
Hyuga Ritsu didn't dwell on such complications. Looking at Minato, he spoke bluntly. "Hokage-sama, whether defending against or capturing Missing-nin Anonymous, the difficulty lies in his mastery of stealth techniques that even my Byakugan cannot penetrate. Without targeted countermeasures, neither defense nor capture can be discussed."
Minato nodded, acknowledging Ritsu's counsel. "Hyuga Clan Head is correct. That's precisely Missing-nin Anonymous's most troublesome aspect. That's why we're sitting here deliberating. One person's wisdom is limited, but many minds make light work. Perhaps collectively we can devise some countermeasure."
Hyuga Ritsu blinked, remaining silent.
Black Zetsu relied on White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique to hide in the shinobi world's darkness for a thousand years, stirring up chaos without ever failing. Ritsu felt the possibility of those present devising a method to crack the Mayfly Technique approached zero.
How others fared aside, Ritsu himself couldn't conceive any viable method to crack it.
"How did Missing-nin Anonymous infiltrate Konoha Prison? I recall the prison should have barrier protections, right? Did his infiltration produce absolutely no disturbance?"
Nara Shikaku voiced his question.
Minato didn't answer. Instead, he said "one moment," then his figure vanished. Approximately nine seconds passed before Minato returned to the small conference room, now accompanied by a yellow-haired, long-bearded middle-aged man with an exhausted expression.
Minato directed his gaze toward Nara Shikaku. "Shikaku, repeat your question. Captain Kageyama will provide answers."
Nara Shikaku restated his inquiry.
The exhausted-looking man Minato brought—who appeared long deprived of sleep, even lacking time to trim his beard—was named Kageyama Mamoru. He was the Barrier Team captain, one of the previous Nine-Tails jinchuriki Uzumaki Mito's students. In current Konoha Village, regarding barrier techniques alone, he and Uzumaki Kushina were jointly considered the strongest!
Kushina was the Nine-Tails jinchuriki with special status, inconvenient for Barrier Team work. Therefore, this somewhat slovenly man shouldered the Barrier Team's heavy responsibilities.
Hearing Nara Shikaku's inquiry, Kageyama Mamoru rallied his spirits, answering earnestly. "Konoha Prison naturally has barrier protection—quite powerful barriers, in fact. But regrettably, I just finished inspecting the prison's barriers. I found no traces whatsoever of damage or interference at entry and exit points. It was as if air simply passed through the barrier. If I hadn't witnessed it personally, I truly couldn't believe such sophisticated stealth techniques existed in the shinobi world."
Akimichi Torikaze frowned. "Meaning our barriers not only can't prevent enemy infiltration—they can't even sense intrusion?"
"Elder Advisor Akimichi, whether Konoha Prison's barriers or the village's great barrier—neither possesses capability to prevent enemy infiltration. Barriers capable of physical isolation without exception require extremely high-level barrier techniques. Not only is the execution difficulty tremendous, but chakra consumption is also staggeringly high—impossible to maintain long-term."
"Moreover, most importantly, deploying such barrier techniques would make village entry and exit extremely troublesome. Exits must inevitably be left for internal and external passage. But doing so renders the whole thing meaningless."
This explanation clarified everything.
Everyone frowned—because stated this way, apparently no viable solutions existed.
Konoha had inherited the vast majority of the Uzumaki clan's legacy. Regarding barrier and sealing techniques, Konoha's standards were undoubtedly foremost among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Meaning their barrier techniques were already the most excellent available. Yet even these most formidable barrier techniques couldn't block Missing-nin Anonymous's infiltration. What other methods existed?
Inuzuka Gaku spoke at this point. "I understand little about barrier techniques, so this question may seem amateurish. But I still want to ask Captain Kageyama—can the village's existing great barrier be improved?"
"Impossible."
Kageyama Mamoru decisively shook his head, his attitude so firm his head nearly rattled like a pellet drum. "In fact, during this period we've already adjusted the village's great barrier per Hokage-sama's orders. We've sacrificed the originally useless defensive strength, instead elevating sensory performance to its limits. Meaning the current great barrier already represents post-improvement results. It's now improved to the point where no further improvements are possible."
After finishing, he added, "If Master Mito were still here, perhaps she'd have methods. But my talents are insufficient—I truly have no way to proceed."
This answer plunged everyone into silence again.
However, Nara Shikaku raised an eyebrow at this point, an idea flashing through his mind. After thinking several seconds, he asked, "Captain Kageyama, you said the great barrier's sensory performance has been elevated to its limits? Meaning it can detect all chakra fluctuations within the village?"
"Correct. Any chakra fluctuations within the great barrier's coverage cannot escape our perception."
"If that's so, when Missing-nin Anonymous appeared at Konoha Prison to kill Shimura Danzo, did you sense him?"
"Naturally. Though Konoha Prison has an additional barrier layer, it was also deployed by us—originating from the same source as the great barrier. We immediately detected two chakra signatures suddenly appearing in the prison's serious criminal section. We also reported this at the first moment."
After hearing Kageyama Mamoru's answer, Nara Shikaku's face showed a hint of smile. Looking toward Minato, he said, "Hokage-sama, if that's the case, I believe there's no need to further modify the village's great barrier. What we need to improve is information transmission methods. As long as the Barrier Team can transmit intelligence to you at the first moment, with your Flying Thunder God technique, I believe you could arrive at incident scenes promptly. If Missing-nin Anonymous dares come again, perhaps we could capture him in one stroke."
Minato's eyes immediately brightened.
Vague notions had actually existed in his mind, but like a thin fog obscuring his thoughts, preventing him from clearly organizing his reasoning. Now Nara Shikaku's words were the gale dispersing the mist—instantly making him conscious of the problem's location.
His fruitless trip to Konoha Prison involved two issues. First, the opponent obviously guarded against his Flying Thunder God, deliberately using Wood Release to block the passage, forcing him to use Earth Release burrowing to detour—delaying him an additional five seconds. Though arriving five seconds earlier might not have necessarily stopped Missing-nin Anonymous, it still counted as a reason.
The second reason was Shikaku's point—not that the Barrier Team or guards watching Danzo lacked dedication, but information transmission consumed excessive time. This despite him being in his office at the time, responding promptly. Otherwise, even more time might have been needed to contact him.
The first problem made him keenly aware of his shortcoming—insufficient breakthrough capability. Rasengan worked well against human bodies, but attempting to penetrate such dense, solid forest proved completely inadequate. He needed to master stronger attack methods.
The second problem required utilizing Hokage authority to effect change.
After several seconds' contemplation, Minato spoke. "Shikaku, you're correct. Information transmission methods are somewhat outdated... Shikaku, your mind works well. This matter will trouble you to create a planning proposal. I need to establish a direct liaison and communication channel with the Barrier Team. That way, once the Barrier Team makes discoveries, they can transmit intelligence to me at the first moment."
As long as he received intelligence, Minato could appear anywhere in Konoha Village within the next second (excluding clan compound interiors). He'd already left Flying Thunder God formula marks in many village locations previously. During this period, he'd added many more everywhere, simultaneously having people install his trident kunai inscribed with formula marks in various village departments and institutions.
However, thinking of clan compounds, Minato looked toward Kageyama Mamoru. "Captain Kageyama, I want to ask—can the great barrier detect situations within the village's various clan compounds?"
Hearing this question, Hyuga Ritsu, Uchiha Fugaku, Akimichi Torikaze, Nara Shikaku, and Inuzuka Gaku all looked over in unison.
"Impossible."
Kageyama Mamoru shook his head like a pellet drum. "The great barrier cannot detect situations within the village's various clan compounds. Because each clan's barriers are individually deployed—completely independent relationships with the village's great barrier. In the great barrier's perception, each clan compound appears as blank spaces."
Hearing Kageyama Mamoru's words, everyone's expressions changed distinctly.
Because stated this way, their major clans actually found their circumstances becoming dangerous. Once Missing-nin Anonymous infiltrated their compounds for assassination, their clan barriers would not only fail to provide any protection—they'd actually help conceal Missing-nin Anonymous's movements.
But should they dismantle their clan barriers?
Without barrier separation, wouldn't the clan lack any secrets? Every movement under the great barrier's surveillance. After Konoha Village's establishment but before the village-wide great barrier's deployment, major clans had already used barriers to screen their compounds. This was a tradition passed down hundreds of years...
"This matter is simple! Hokage-sama, I'll have people dismantle our clan's barriers immediately upon returning. Whenever you have time, you can come to our compound anytime to leave formula marks."
Just as others remained thinking and struggling, Hyuga Ritsu decisively chose to remove the barriers and open the compound.
From the start, he'd never thought maintaining such a barrier served any purpose. When the Main Family still existed, perhaps barriers were needed to conceal their oppression of Branch Family members. But now with no Main Family remaining, these barriers standing there created a dozen or so employment positions but otherwise served no damn purpose.
He simply hadn't thought of this matter until now. Otherwise, without Minato even mentioning it, he'd have dismantled this thing long ago.
Minato looked at Ritsu, a pleased smile appearing on his face. He said in a deep voice, "Hyuga Clan Head, rest assured. Once this meeting concludes, I'll visit your esteemed clan."
Others like Uchiha Fugaku and Nara Shikaku didn't speak. Even though they understood that keeping their clan barriers might cause more harm than good—potentially pushing their clans into quite dangerous circumstances—they still needed to return and consult with clan members before making decisions.
Minato didn't continue this topic further. Seeing others remain silent, he directly skipped past it, instead saying, "There's one more point. Missing-nin Anonymous possesses considerable skill. I've also reviewed Mangekyō Sharingan intelligence..."
At this point, he paused.
The First and Second Hokages' notes both mentioned the Mangekyō Sharingan. Especially the Second Hokage—practically an expert on Sharingan research. His remaining notes detailed the Uchiha clan's Sharingan capabilities at different stages, especially the Mangekyō Sharingan, spending tremendous ink elaborating on the Mangekyō's ocular jutsu and the terrifying might called Susanoo!
Of course, he'd also mentioned the Mangekyō Sharingan's instability—frequent use caused blindness. However, advancing to the higher-level Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan would erase this weakness.
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