071 Naruto Mobile Game

"Everyone, that's the situation."

Inside the Hokage's office, after the Third finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence.

Unlike usual, a rare number of people had gathered this time—figures with status and influence in the village.

High-ranking officials, clan heads, well-known shinobi, and more.

They had all come because of the Third's summons. The reason: a classified report.

"Didn't expect Iwagakure to go this far. Looks like that Tsuchikage is really putting in the full effort!" Nara Shikaku said with a sigh.

"No helping it. They're preparing for that competition that's about to sweep across the entire ninja world." Akimichi Chōza exhaled.

"The whole ninja world's already saying this is basically a new Ninja World War." Kakashi let out a small laugh.

"So what does the Hokage need us to do?" Aburame Shibi asked directly.

That was what everyone in the room wanted to know.

Though many sharp minds had already figured it out—spotting the pattern from a small clue.

Iwagakure was already making massive moves, clearly not hiding anything. Not only Konoha, but every other village had gotten wind of it.

After all, who in the world doesn't have a few spies? Without them, you wouldn't even sleep well.

Unless a place is unbelievably isolated and xenophobic, it's impossible for information not to leak out at all.

Rumor had it that Ōnoki was screening and dividing the entirety of Iwagakure's organization, then reorganizing them after layers of assessments.

For what? Anyone with a brain could guess.

"The Tsuchikage is consolidating strength, basically pre-deciding the champion and runner-up organizations for the Iwagakure server, right?" Yamanaka Haiichi said.

"Very bold of him. That move definitely offends people." Inuzuka Tsume licked her lips.

"Based on what we know, Iwa shinobi are incredibly enthusiastic during selection. Sure, some might get upset if they fail, but Ōnoki can keep them in line." Mitokado Homura said seriously.

"Truly impressive—deciding who wins and loses with his own power alone." Utatane Koharu spoke with deep gravity.

"Hmph! That's the best way! Just ensure the strongest and guarantee victory!" Danzō snorted and looked at the Third.

The Third's brows subtly knit. He could understand what Danzō was implying, but Ōnoki's method wasn't something Konoha could imitate.

What was Ōnoki doing exactly?

In truth, it was simple—he analyzed every member of Iwagakure's organizations and categorized them based on skill and battle power.

He grouped the strongest together and used that method to push out two top-tier organizations.

Under normal rules, everyone would just participate in the Organization Dominion Tournament, and whoever won would advance.

But Ōnoki believed that introduced too much luck and caused internal depletion.

Better to directly pick out the elite and manually designate Iwagakure's champion and runner-up organizations.

If you were chosen, you automatically won. Because you wouldn't need to fight—every opponent would forfeit, letting you glide straight into the cross-server tournament.

This avoided exhausting the players. Playing Ninja Mobile Game really drains your mind.

Match after match, finishing the local server then immediately fighting the cross-server tournament—you'd collapse.

Fair?

Doesn't seem fair. Those selected would celebrate, while those who weren't were essentially declared losers before even starting—zero sense of participation.

Even if the weaker players would most likely lose anyway, the feeling is completely different when you don't even get to try.

But is it truly unfair?

By removing uncertainty, Ōnoki guaranteed that the two organizations formed would be composed of the absolute strongest players.

Meaning this was pure technique—those without skill were eliminated, those with skill were acknowledged.

And every member was personally selected by Ōnoki.

Rumor even claimed that Ōnoki put himself into that massive Iwa player pool, and if someone stronger appeared, he'd eliminate himself.

Of course, no one knew if he cheated or added hidden rules.

But under Ōnoki's iron-fisted management, Iwagakure had already plunged full-scale into a frenzy of technical competition.

No one objected. No one dared to object.

Did they not understand the weight of being trained directly by the First and Second Tsuchikage?

Konoha could never pull off such an absolute authoritarian move.

"Still, temporarily consolidating our own forces to prepare for the tournament is indeed a good idea."

In mere moments, Shikaku's mind analyzed countless possibilities, and in the end, he had to admit it.

If you ignore the essence of shinobi and treat everyone purely as machines, this method undeniably yields the highest chance of victory—just like real shinobi warfare structures.

The Hokage's office suddenly fell silent again. Everyone turned toward the Third.

He wasn't smoking—just sitting motionless, his aged face heavy with thought.

He was clearly still deliberating. Danzō felt dissatisfied that the Third was still hesitating at such a time.

If they could consolidate the village's shinobi, it'd be the perfect opportunity to pull more talent into Root.

"Hiruzen, I propose we discard the shinobi identity system entirely and conduct strict investigations based solely on skill and combat capability. Choose two organizations!"

At those words, many faces stiffened—particularly the clan representatives.

Was he saying they should abandon clan structures entirely and convert into free agents directly under the village?

"Shikaku, you're Konoha's Strategist. What do you think?" Koharu—rarely—didn't immediately support Danzō, and instead asked for Shikaku's opinion.

"If the goal is only final victory." Shikaku replied concisely.

Exactly—if you ignore everything else except winning, then of course this method works.

The Third's eyelids lowered. For some reason, a strange, faint dread welled up inside him—as if he couldn't take his eyes off the Organization Dominion Tournament no matter what.

If this was truly a war involving the entire ninja world, then the lack of any stated rewards so far already hinted at something extraordinary...

After a brief pause, the Third made his decision.

"Let the village operate in wartime mode! Shinobi may register voluntarily. We will select based on ability as much as possible!"

"Hiruzen!" Danzō fumed.

He'd been happy hearing the first half—thinking the Third had finally come around—only for him to revert to his old ways again.

"Danzō, manage your Root well." The Third cast him a bland glance. Danzō ground his teeth but fell silent.

Root was, on paper, merely a subdivision of the ANBU, led by Danzō as squad leader.

"Though we are consolidating power, don't cross the line. Don't be restrained either. Everyone contributes—our goal is united effort and ultimate victory!"

"Yes!" xN

Nara, Yamanaka, Hyūga… all the clan heads and shinobi answered in unison.

Hyūga Hiashi, though present, hadn't spoken until the very end—only then declaring his compliance.

Suddenly, someone seemed to recall something. He looked around, scratched his head, and said:

"Wasn't Jiraiya back in the village?"