Kyuushin's ability to reach Kage-level expert at such a young age was naturally due to a combination of factors.
But if one were to meticulously analyze it, the Gene Lock's role was undoubtedly the greatest.[5]
The first stage Gene Lock granted Kyuushin superb combat intuition, allowing him to not fall behind anyone in terms of combat experience, even without having undergone actual combat.[7]
The second stage Gene Lock further bestowed upon Kyuushin an exceptionally strong physique, enabling him to instantly unleash speed and strength exceeding that typically possessed by jonin in taijutsu.
However, this was merely on the surface; the true reason for Kyuushin's rise was the synergy between the Gene Lock and the chakra system.
With the assistance of the Gene Lock, Kyuushin possessed extraordinary chakra control, which ordinary shinobi would only achieve after decades of training. This allowed Kyuushin to use chakra without any hindrance, manifesting as the ability to cast ninjutsu without hand seals.
After Kyuushin opened the second stage Gene Lock, his even deeper control allowed him to rapidly analyze nature transformation. Ordinary shinobi often require several years of training to fully master a single nature transformation.
For example, Kakashi in the original work graduated at five, reached chunin at six, but only became a jonin at twelve. Even a recognized genius shinobi like Kakashi in the original work needed a full six years to reach jonin.
However, with the aid of the second stage Gene Lock, Kyuushin mastered four nature transformations in just a few months, surpassing an achievement that ordinary shinobi would take decades to accomplish.
Currently, Minato and Nawaki's strength has almost reached the limit of chunin, but they are also stuck at the hurdle of nature transformation.
The shinobi profession is inherently a glass cannon. The strength of a combat shinobi is primarily measured by the offensive capabilities they can achieve.
Without mastering nature transformation, it's generally impossible to learn ninjutsu above B-rank, and offensive capabilities will inevitably be limited.
B-rank ninjutsu is called jonin-level ninjutsu precisely because it requires mastering nature transformation to learn, which is the most iconic characteristic of a jonin.
Of course, this isn't absolute; A-rank ninjutsu like Rasengan, and S-rank ninjutsu like Flying Thunder God Technique, do not require mastering nature transformation. If one can master them early, they can naturally possess jonin-level offensive power.
Although in the Naruto world, jonin, chunin, and genin are just shinobi ranks, seemingly unrelated to actual strength.
However, this ranking system has been passed down for many years, and while there are no explicit rules defining what strength each rank possesses, the current shinobi world naturally has a basic method of discernment.
And Kyuushin, having mastered four nature transformations and multiple B-rank or higher ninjutsu, undoubtedly possesses jonin-level strength purely in terms of power.
Now, Kyuushin has also mastered the Ice Release kekkei genkai, making his attack forms even more diverse. Coupled with the assistance of the Flying Thunder God Technique, he can naturally be said to have crossed the threshold of a Kage-level expert.
In this process, the Gene Lock still played a significant role. Originally, Synthesized Kekkei Genkai required mastering nature transformation as a prerequisite.
Furthermore, without the aid of the Gene Lock during the synthesis process, success would be even more impossible.
The Flying Thunder God Technique is similar; normally, Kyuushin has no talent for sensing space-time fluctuations. Only with the Gene Lock's enhancement could he successfully master the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Imagine if Kyuushin didn't have the Gene Lock; he might still be struggling with the first nature transformation, at most having only a Rasengan to rely on, and certainly wouldn't possess such a luxurious array of ninjutsu enhancements as he does now.
Comparing the two, the effect produced by the Gene Lock is evident. Simply using the Gene Lock for combat would undoubtedly be inferior; it's the combination with chakra that allowed Kyuushin to achieve such accomplishments at only ten years old.
Inside the house, Mito nodded upon hearing Kyuushin's words, but she also couldn't help but feel a little emotional, as only four years had passed since Kyuushin first arrived in Konoha.
But she never expected that in just these four years, a child who had just stepped into the shinobi world had grown to this extent.
While he couldn't be called the peak of the shinobi world, the shinobi who could take Kyuushin's life were undeniably few and far between.
After a moment of silence, Mito said to Kyuushin:
"You're right, you've grown up. You can make your own decisions, and Grandma will just support you."
"Grandma..."
Mito's words caused an inexplicable panic in Kyuushin's heart, and he suddenly didn't know what to say.
"Grandma is just getting old and feeling a bit sentimental, don't take it to heart," Mito continued.
Kyuushin nodded, but the heaviness in his heart didn't alleviate in the slightest. Although he didn't know when Kushina sealed the Nine-Tails in the original work, based on the timeline, it must have been shortly after the Second Great Ninja War.
And after this battle between Konoha and Sunagakure, the Second Great Ninja War was almost coming to an end, which meant that not much time was left until Mito had to separate from the Nine-Tails.
Although Kyuushin was unwilling to accept it, he knew it was inevitable and something he couldn't change, so he could only remain silent.
Mito didn't say anything more; she knew Kyuushin had a mature personality, and some things he naturally had to face.
The silence between them lasted until Minato and Nawaki returned in the evening, breaking it. Nawaki was naturally shocked by the scene at the training ground and quickly came to ask Kyuushin what had happened.
To this, Kyuushin naturally used Mito's previous explanation, but in the end, he couldn't help but say:
"Nawaki, remember to hone your chakra control techniques more, and you also need to learn sensing ninjutsu."
After speaking, he looked at Minato beside him and said, "Minato, the same goes for you."
But after he finished, both of them looked at him with puzzled eyes, and he couldn't help but continue:
"There's a reason I'm telling you to train these two abilities. Don't ask too many questions for now; you'll understand in the future. I wouldn't harm you, would I?"
Since Kyuushin had said that, Nawaki naturally nodded in agreement. From the beginning of their team, almost everything Kyuushin said had been correct, so Nawaki naturally trusted Kyuushin greatly.
Minato, on the other hand, seemed to vaguely sense something but didn't ask further, also nodding in agreement.
In the following days, Kyuushin continued to focus on his training. He wouldn't stop just because he made a small improvement. Compared to others, he knew how terrifying future enemies would be.
Even characters like Uchiha Madara were merely supporting roles, and Kage-level experts were nothing more than slightly larger ants on such a battlefield.
A week later, the Third Hokage's order finally arrived. He needed to lead the previously selected genin to the frontline's logistics camp, where they would be immediately integrated into combat units to participate in the upcoming battles.
However, the more than one hundred genin who passed wouldn't all be entrusted to him alone. The small squad he led consisted of only about twenty to thirty people; the rest either went with the main force or had other arrangements.
Minato and Nawaki naturally went with him. As Kyuushin's teammates and chunin themselves, they could help Kyuushin manage, and also gain some experience.
At the gates of Konoha, Kyuushin handed the pass to the guards. The guards looked at the squad composed of half-grown children, but showed no disrespect, as they recognized Kyuushin.
Minato finished counting the numbers, and Nawaki was explaining the precautions for marching to the genin. Most of these genin had never left Konoha Village or undertaken long marches, so they naturally needed prior instruction.
After the guard verified the roster was correct, he stamped it and returned it to Kyuushin. Kyuushin looked back and saw that Nawaki had finished explaining, and Minato nodded at him. Kyuushin then wasted no more words and shouted:
"Depart!"
Initially, these genin who had never left the village were somewhat excited, but after marching for a while, they gradually quieted down.
Kyuushin naturally deliberately controlled the marching speed to ensure no one fell behind. However, these genin were indeed of good quality; at least they could maintain an average speed.
Although still within the Land of Fire, Kyuushin didn't forget to use his sensing ninjutsu. After every stretch of travel, he would first sense to ensure there were no problems before continuing onward.
Compared to before, the path to the Land of Wind was more difficult this time. Due to the previous destruction by the Sunagakure squad in the Land of Fire, many citizens of the Land of Fire became displaced, and quite a few also became bandits and robbers blocking the roads.
Although they were ordinary citizens before, once they became bandits and robbers, they became targets for Konoha. In this era, there wasn't such a strong rule of law.
Kyuushin naturally had no other choice and wouldn't have a change of heart. Whenever he encountered these bandits, although he didn't personally act, he would have Nawaki and Minato lead the genin to eliminate them.
This was a rare good opportunity for these genin. Previously in school, they had never truly encountered enemies, nor had they killed anyone.
Now that they were going to the battlefield, adapting to it beforehand would naturally increase their survival rate.
Although they didn't need to fight on the front lines, even the Land of Rain knew to attack logistics, and Sunagakure naturally knew as well, so the logistics camp was not absolutely safe. They could become enemy targets at any time.
Having combat experience beforehand, even against ordinary people, would at least make them much better when encountering enemies later, ensuring they wouldn't even be unable to hold a kunai steady.
However, this group of genin indeed didn't disappoint him. Although their strength was insufficient, they were very decisive and showed no resistance to killing. This was very different from the shinobi who grew up in peaceful times in later generations.
As they got closer to the battlefield, more and more bandits appeared on the road, and there were even some wandering shinobi stirring up trouble. Besides this, Kyuushin also had to guard against potential attacks from Sunagakure.
Although the decisive battle on the front lines hadn't yet begun, there was no shortage of such mutual ambushes in private.
"Stop!"
Kyuushin raised his hand, stopping the team from moving forward. Within his senses was a clearly visible chakra reaction.
The enemy has arrived!
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