But regardless, the casualty count for the Konoha Ninja had recently seen a sharp decline.
Aside from the first two or three days when there were a large number of wounded to handle and he was swamped, Uchiha Gen now had enough time for his daily training.
Since he wasn't in Konoha and had no other Uchiha with an awakened triple tomoe Sharingan to guide him, he focused his energy on replicating Young Kakashi's abilities after gaining initial proficiency with Ninja Path Sasuke's.
With the triple tomoe Sharingan, he could not only experience these ninjutsu firsthand but also see through them completely, inside and out.
Except for techniques involving Ninjutsu Nature Transformation, everything else was copied by the Sharingan in just one day.
Uchiha Gen's training focus was also on the Nature Transformation of Lightning Release and Earth Release.
The former was used for explosive attacks and short bursts of speed, while the latter was more versatile and focused on defense.
He didn't lack offensive means right now; although Chidori was very effective, the defensive capabilities of Earth Release were what he needed most.
Currently, the only proper defensive technique Uchiha Gen had was Rashomon.
The defensive power of two Rashomon gates was sufficient at the Jonin level, and the activation speed was very fast.
Once proficient, he only needed a bit of blood on his hand and a slap on the ground to summon them.
They were excellent for life-saving in critical moments and had a high ceiling; once he reached the third gate, they could play a role even in Kage-level battles.
However, this technique actually had a cooldown; once destroyed, the summoning had to be released so the gates could return to the Pure Land for repairs before they could be used again.
Earth Release ninjutsu didn't have these issues.
Although the startup time might be longer, the potential was not low.
They were convenient, practical, and could be applied in many scenarios, greatly enriching his tactical resources and enhancing his self-preservation during combat.
By the river.
"Failed again, huh."
Uchiha Gen pulled his hand out from the water, holding a mud brick with slightly crumbling edges in his palm.
The second stage of successful vitrification in Earth Release was condensing solid soil that wouldn't be washed away by the current.
In reality, bricks are made by mixing clay with water, pressing it into shape, naturally drying and dehydrating it, and then firing it at high temperatures.
The first two steps are for shaping; one only needs sufficient chakra control and a certain level of Shape Transformation to pass.
The latter two steps are the keys to achieving the brick-like nature of Earth Release.
He needed to use Earth Release chakra to complete these two lengthy processes in an extremely short time, instantly creating earth and stone with brick-like characteristics.
Although he failed again this time, Uchiha Gen could feel his progress.
"At this rate, I'll be able to successfully master the training for Earth Release's Brick-like Nature Transformation by next month at the latest."
"If I had a Cultivation Acceleration Card, this time could be shortened significantly."
Uchiha Gen casually tossed the mud in his hand onto the ground, looked up at the sky, and thought silently.
When training skills already mastered by a Character Card, the speed is much faster than normal training.
It was different from Fire Release ninjutsu.
In Fire Release, he had a very deep foundation, which allowed him to succeed in just one month.
And that was thanks to the Cultivation Acceleration Card; the actual training time was equivalent to three months.
If even Fire Release took that long, for Earth Release, where he had no foundation, he might really have to train for years.
This also matched his past estimation of his true talent back at the Ninja Academy.
Being in the Elite Class and having the potential of a Jonin, his talent could barely be considered top-tier, but there was definitely a gap between him and the true geniuses.
Without the Gacha System as a cheat, if he grew steadily without dying young, his ultimate achievement would likely be becoming an ordinary Uchiha Jonin in adulthood.
If he happened to awaken the triple tomoe, he might have a chance to become an Elite Jonin, though the probability would be much smaller.
According to Konoha's statistics, the average time required for a Jonin to master one Nature Transformation is about two years.
Of course, with a Character Card, it's different; it's like a reincarnation retraining something already known, retracing the path.
The training speed would only be faster than when he first learned Fire Release Nature Transformation.
Before Uchiha Gen could finish his training for the day, a figure arrived from a distance using the Body Flicker Technique to inform him of a meeting.
Just this morning, Hanzo's envoy returned to Amegakure, and the alliance between Konoha and Amegakure was established.
This meeting was to redefine and arrange the combat plans within the Land of Rain based on the terms of the alliance.
A Special Jonin was eligible to participate in this meeting, not to mention that Uchiha Gen's track record was right there.
Aside from lacking in hard metrics like military merit and seniority, others already treated him as a true Jonin.
"Our alliance with Amegakure is not a seamless one like the one with Uzushiogakure."
"Strategically, both sides will cooperate, but in reality, we won't truly join forces on the same battlefield."
"We simply won't be hostile to each other; both sides will still fight their own battles while following the agreed-upon strategic guidelines."
The person presiding over the meeting was Kome Aki.
This meeting was simply to assign the requirements agreed upon between Homura Mitokado and Hanzo.
As for Orochimaru and the others, they were still processing the gains from that battle and weren't handling affairs.
However, Uchiha Gen would still visit them from time to time, and it was estimated that they would finish their initial processing soon.
"According to the alliance, Hanzo will establish a defensive line in the northwestern part of the Land of Rain to completely blockade the Hidden Stone."
"We will also continue to maintain pressure on the Hidden Sand, following the original plan to launch a pincer attack from the north and south alongside Sakumo Hatake and the others from the direction of the Land of Wind."
Kome Aki read out the terms of the alliance step by step, while also assigning tasks to each team according to the specific requirements broken down from the treaty.
"First Combat Unit—"
"The mission of the Third Combat Unit is to break in from the side of the position and take the Asuka Mountains in the south, maximizing the disruption of enemy connections between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain."
"I will personally lead the team—"
Uchiha Gen sat below, looking in the direction Kome Aki was pointing on the map hanging on the wall.
The total number of Jonin in Konoha Village did not exceed two hundred, and the total number of Jonin on the Land of Rain battlefield was only about thirty.
Among them, the Third Combat Unit had seven official Jonin, with a total ninja count exceeding one thousand.
Such a powerful force certainly had a good chance of taking a mountain range.
But the real difficulty lay in how to hold it after capturing it.
This place was considered a strategic location of great importance.
Once taken, the Sand would be forced into a decisive battle to ensure their retreat wasn't cut off and their logistics remained stable.