Naruto: Tenseigan Eye

As the announcement spread across the ninja world, many rogue ninjas who had been living in hiding, tired of their rat-like existence, began joining the coalition forces.

These rogue ninjas arrived cautiously, fearing that the invitation might be a trap. But to their surprise, it was legitimate!

The coalition did not make things difficult for them. They simply had to sign a strict agreement with severe penalties for betrayal and received a personal warning from the Third Raikage.

With the intimidating presence of the Third Raikage, these rogue ninjas and prisoners behaved more obediently than ever. No one dared to step out of line when faced with his authority.

Only a fool would risk defying him—and if they did, the punishment would be swift and final.

"Hey, this guy is here too?"

Scanning the list of names in the coalition's cannon fodder unit, Shinki stopped at a particular name and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Kakuzu? Is this person famous?"

Orochimaru, seated nearby, glanced over casually.

"He is indeed quite famous. In fact, you might learn a thing or two from him," Shinki replied with a peculiar expression.

Kakuzu had a reputation in the past. A rogue ninja from Takigakure (the Hidden Waterfall Village), Kakuzu was infamous for accepting an assassination mission to kill Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage.

Taking on such a mission was an act of audacious bravery—perhaps bordering on foolishness—but Kakuzu not only dared to do it, he escaped alive. That alone was extraordinary.

Of course, it was highly likely that Hashirama simply didn't bother to finish him off. Otherwise, no matter how many hearts Kakuzu had, it wouldn't have been enough to save him.

Due to the assassination attempt occurring so early in history and Kakuzu's tendency to keep a low profile in recent years, his name was not widely recognized in the current ninja world.

"Study? Study what?"

Orochimaru, unfamiliar with Kakuzu, was intrigued by Shinki's comment.

Seeing his confusion, Shinki clarified, "Kakuzu is a rogue ninja from Takigakure who once accepted a mission to assassinate the First Hokage. He failed, but he managed to escape."

"…"

Orochimaru froze, his mind struggling to process the information. After a few seconds, he latched onto the most interesting detail.

"You mean… this Kakuzu is from the era of the First Hokage? An antique ninja still alive today?"

"Exactly," Shinki replied, nodding. "And he remains surprisingly youthful."

Orochimaru's eyes lit up with fascination, his vertical pupils gleaming. He licked his lips in anticipation. "How interesting…"

Knowing where Orochimaru's thoughts were heading, Shinki issued a warning.

"Kakuzu uses a unique secret technique to transplant hearts from others into his own body. As long as one of the hearts inside him remains intact, he cannot die. By replacing his heart, he has survived all this time."

"That's the general information I know. If you want details, you'll have to investigate yourself. But don't underestimate him—Kakuzu is extremely strong. If you try to attack him, it won't be easy to win."

Orochimaru nodded with a sly grin. "Understood. I won't make a move during the coalition war, but I hope you can assist me afterward."

"If there's an opportunity, I'll help. But only if the timing is right," Shinki replied.

While helping Orochimaru capture Kakuzu wasn't out of the question, the coalition had made a promise to treat rogue ninjas fairly. To violate that trust would create a bad precedent.

Satisfied with Shinki's response, Orochimaru departed eagerly, already planning his next steps to study Kakuzu.

Meanwhile, Shinki turned his focus back to the coalition's main force.

Looking over the list of participating ninjas, he was surprised to see that the five major ninja villages had only sent 40,000 elite troops—a stark contrast to the 80,000 shinobi gathered during the Fourth Ninja War in the original timeline.

This reduction in numbers was staggering. Half the force was missing.

In the ninja world, where strength often outweighed numbers, even a small decrease in troops could have significant implications. Losing half was a monumental shift.

Shinki quickly deduced the reasons.

First, the current timeline was decades earlier than the Fourth Ninja War in the original series. Over those years, the ninja villages had experienced considerable growth in their numbers.

Second, the successive ninja wars had greatly reduced the number of elite ninjas in every village. Konoha had fought Suna, then Iwa joined the conflict. Years of warfare left both villages severely weakened.

Later, Iwa, Cloud, and Mist engaged in another major war, dragging Konoha and Suna back into the fray. This time, the losses were catastrophic for Iwa, Cloud, and Mist.

With little time to recover before Uchiha Madara emerged as a threat, the villages could only send their remaining elites to the coalition.

Finally, Shinki had insisted on selecting only the strongest and most capable ninjas. No one wanted to pad the coalition forces with weak or inexperienced individuals who might become liabilities.

Smaller villages contributed few, if any, combat-ready shinobi. Most were relegated to logistical roles, such as transporting supplies.

Shinki preferred quality over quantity—and that choice brought the total combat force down to 40,000.

However, the looming threat was enormous.

Madara's White Zetsu army numbered 100,000—more than double the coalition's forces. If the coalition leaders were aware of this disparity, they would likely conscript every available shinobi, including cannon fodder from small villages.

But no one, aside from Shinki, knew the exact size of the White Zetsu army.

Even with 100,000 White Zetsu, the ninja forces of the five major villages were highly skilled and could maintain an impressive kill ratio. However, sheer numbers alone could overwhelm them.

To put it simply, 100,000 enemies—whether they were White Zetsu or pigs—would still exhaust the coalition forces. And White Zetsu were no pigs. They were formidable opponents with dangerous abilities.

Despite these concerns, the coalition camp grew stronger by the day. More ninja troops arrived, and supplies poured into the front lines.

Interestingly, many ninjas from small villages were delighted with their logistical roles.

They weren't selected for combat, and instead, their job was simply to transport supplies. To them, this was an ideal arrangement.

Though it was a blow to their pride, it kept them far from the battlefield—and alive.

After all, who wants to die when they can live?