Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
In order to honor the heroes who died on the battlefield, Konoha held a memorial ceremony.
Aside from the ninjas responsible for security and public order that day, all other ninjas were required to attend.
Normally, only after a war is won will such a large-scale memorial be held, but given that this victory was significant enough, and quite a few ninjas had indeed sacrificed themselves before, no ninja felt it was unreasonable.
A large number of ninjas stood solemnly beneath the massive Memorial Stele, dark clouds hanging overhead—both people and sky were steeped in grief.
In such an atmosphere, even Obito found it hard to pull an unserious face.
"So the war has already taken the lives of so many people."
Looking at the densely packed names on the Memorial Stele, a strange emotion rose in Obito's heart.
"They are the backbone of the Land of Fire, the pride of Konoha…" Standing before the crowd, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to recite the eulogy with a grave expression.
Down below, Mokgetsu was rapidly using Identification Jutsu to check every ninja present.
Most of the ninjas who weren't here belonged to special departments and had already been inspected by Mokgetsu beforehand. As long as he appraised everyone at the memorial site, he could complete the identification of all Konoha ninjas.
Although Zetsu wasn't a Hidden Rock Spy, he did indeed have reason to infiltrate Konoha.
If he could take the opportunity to drag a White Zetsu lurking among the ninjas out into the open, that would count as a good deed.
[Name: Tsunade]
[Chakra: 186000 (??)]
[Potential: SS- (Basic Talent + Six Paths Bloodline)]
[Skills: Yang Attribute Chakra Nature Changes (Mastery: 5500/15000), Water Attribute Chakra Nature Changes (Mastery: 2600), Fire Attribute Chakra Nature Changes (Mastery: 1500), Earth Attribute Chakra Nature Changes (Master Level), Lightning Attribute Chakra Nature Changes (Proficient Level), Mystical Palm Jutsu (Master Level)…]
Taking another look at Tsunade's status panel in passing, Mokgetsu felt that Identification Jutsu still had room to be upgraded.
Whether it was the Yin Seal or a Tailed Beast sealed within the body, Identification Jutsu couldn't reveal their specific chakra; only when the target used it could he probe it.
As for potential—compared to Tsunade's actual strength, you could say it was the kind of "bloated stats" that come with an exceptional bloodline.
So far Mokgetsu had only seen four ninjas at the SS tier: Shisui, Tsunade, Kushina, and Naruto. All of them had the bonus of Six Paths Bloodline, and Kushina and Naruto had the additional boost from Tailed Beasts.
Among the four, the one with the highest potential was Naruto at SS+, followed by Kushina at SS, while Shisui and Tsunade were both SS-.
"If she were willing to cultivate a bit more, her strength should be able to grow quite a lot," Mokgetsu thought to himself.
Although potential isn't the same thing as talent, and high potential doesn't guarantee you'll be strong in the future, there is still a certain correlation.
If Tsunade stopped slacking and cultivated diligently, Mokgetsu estimated that her strength still had plenty of room to improve.
But Mokgetsu felt that Tsunade suddenly becoming diligent was unlikely.
Because everything Tsunade currently possessed was already enough for her to live comfortably without worrying too much. Add in all the upheavals she'd been through, and rekindling the desire to grow stronger would be very difficult.
In more xianxia terms, her dao heart was shattered.
"Where the leaves dance, there the fire burns. The fire's light will continue to illuminate the village and help new leaves sprout. Let us observe three minutes of silence for these heroes who lived and died by the Will of Fire."
Sarutobi Hiruzen used his own summation of the Will of Fire as the conclusion to the eulogy, and the moment of silence began.
Because most of the village's ninjas had to participate, and they couldn't disrupt Konoha's normal operations, every segment of the memorial was kept short, and it ended quickly.
Ninjas with missions returned to their posts; those without tasks decided their next move according to their mood.
Mokgetsu, naturally, belonged to the group with missions. He followed Sarutobi Hiruzen to the Hokage Office.
"I did not detect any trace of Hidden Rock Spies." Mokgetsu reported truthfully.
Among the crowd at the memorial, he really hadn't identified any White Zetsu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression didn't change as he gave a slight nod, but inwardly he let out a breath of relief.
Konoha failing to detect Hidden Rock Spies was the best outcome; it suggested that the production of those spies might be even more difficult than they had imagined.
"Mokgetsu, take a look at these plans for teaching Observation and tell me which one you prefer." Sarutobi Hiruzen handed Mokgetsu a Scroll.
Mokgetsu accepted it and began reading without betraying any emotion.
The first plan was to upgrade Mokgetsu's nominal Anbu position from special squad captain to special captain, have him form a training unit, and select ninjas to whom he would pass on Observation.
The second was like before: Sarutobi Hiruzen would personally spearhead a training program and designate certain qualified ninjas to participate.
"Anbu Squad Captain…" Mokgetsu put on a thoughtful look.
The first plan clearly had a reward attached to it; that much was obvious.
Anbu Squad Captain was no small position. Back when Shimura Danzo found an excuse to form Root, it only had the structure of a single squad.
Of course, Root now has far surpassed the strength a single squad should possess.
The second plan, on the other hand, was more hassle-free: Mokgetsu would only need to teach and wouldn't have to think too much about other things.
"The training unit would be a special Anbu structure. On paper its rank is at Anbu Squad Captain level, but it answers only to the Hokage and isn't under the authority of the Anbu Squad Commander or deputy commanders," Sarutobi Hiruzen reminded him.
"As for filling out the team roster, you can make your own judgment. Just submit the final list to me for approval. If necessary, I can also help transfer outstanding ninjas from other departments."