Besides these obvious gains, there are naturally some benefits that are not yet visible.
For example, by saving Minato and Kushina, the benefits he can gain will definitely not be small.
Furthermore, he is undoubtedly a significant contributor to this Nine-Tails Attack.
Even if a representative were to be chosen, his rewards could not be withheld.
Therefore, from now on, his path to advancement should be unobstructed, and even if there is resistance, Minato will be able to handle it.
Moreover, the Nine-Tails Attack caused so many casualties, leaving plenty of open positions, and the Advisor cannot possibly control all of them.
And with his position elevated, some things will naturally be easier to do.
For example, investigating information about Yamato, and it's also time to find out where the Hashirama cells are stored.
Of course, it's not without its drawbacks.
The downside is that Minato's survival has caused the future world of Ninjutsu to change drastically from the original plot, and he probably won't be able to accurately predict the subsequent plot developments.
But in Takuno's current view, these issues are actually not significant.
Even if he doesn't know the specific plot, he still knows the hidden powers in Hokage and is generally clear about the characters' motivations; even if things change, the fundamental aspects won't.
Moreover, the plot, with his appearance, was bound to change sooner or later.
It's just a matter of time.
Additionally, Minato is not as old as the Third Hokage; some things he could hide from the Third Hokage, he might not be able to hide from Minato.
So, he needs to be more cautious in the future.
However, Takuno had already thought of this; his tasks within Konoha are almost complete, and he basically doesn't need to act within Konoha anymore.
If he wants to make a move on Yamato, it will definitely be outside the village, and by then, even if he's discovered, couldn't he just leave Konoha?
Anyway, once he has Yamato and the Hashirama cells, there's no need for him to stay in Konoha.
After Takuno finished his thoughts, he took out the scroll containing the Scroll of Seals and, finding the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, began to read it.
The Spirit Transformation Jutsu allows the user's mental energy to completely separate from their physical energy, materializing the mental energy into a "spirit body."
The spirit body disregards physical distance limitations, can instantly reach the target to attack, possess the target's body to control its actions, or even directly destroy its internal organs, leading to death.
The spirit body's actions cannot be detected by conventional sensory methods, and even Rinnegan users find it difficult to detect.
However, the Spirit Transformation Jutsu also has a fatal flaw, similar to the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu.
That is, when performing the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, the user's body is completely unconscious and lacks any defensive capabilities, and if no one guards it at that time, enemies can easily destroy the user's body.
As the inventor of the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, Dan Kato also died due to this flaw, with his internal organs directly destroyed.
From Dan Kato's experience, it can be understood that the spirit body produced after the Spirit Transformation Jutsu cannot remain in someone else's body for long.
Otherwise, after Dan Kato discovered his body was destroyed, he could have chosen not to return to his own body, but instead arbitrarily find an enemy, kill their spirit, and occupy their body to survive.
The most famous Ninjutsu capable of forcibly occupying another person's body is actually Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation.
Takuno frowned at this moment; it seems the Spirit Transformation Jutsu can only be learned by the main body.
No matter how miraculous a Shadow Clone is, it is a product of Chakra, and Chakra is a combination of physical and mental energy. Learning the Spirit Transformation Jutsu requires separating physical and mental energy—
Wouldn't that just dispel the Shadow Clone?
A Shadow Clone cannot be maintained by physical energy alone.
Furthermore, there's the Eight Gates; this Taijutsu also requires his main body to practice. Now he has two Ninjutsu that his main body needs to learn.
Takuno rubbed his head; not being able to use Shadow Clone means the learning speed will be slowed down.
However, he could still try, since the Shadow Clone's mental energy is actually his own mental energy. Even if the Shadow Clone dispels, perhaps that part of the mental energy could return to the main body?
Thinking of it, he decided to do it. Takuno began to try, splitting off Shadow Clones to learn according to the requirements of the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
Land of Lightning, Raikage's Office.
"What did you say?!"
The Fourth Raikage glared, looking at his secretary, Mabui.
Mabui, a little helplessly, once again reported that the Nine-Tails had attacked Konoha, causing severe casualties.
In this Nine-Tails Attack, many Jonin from Konoha died, not to mention the countless Chunin and Genin who suffered casualties.
"Is it really true?" The Fourth Raikage was somewhat dumbfounded by this news. He hadn't expected such a thing to happen in Konoha during this period of peace. It's truly—
Truly a godsend for Cloud Shinobi!
"Did the newly appointed Fourth Hokage die?" The Fourth Raikage looked at Mabui with some anticipation.
Mabui shook her head and said, "According to reports from our spies, both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage survived this Nine-Tails Attack." Mabui understood the Fourth Raikage's meaning.
Whenever war is waged, Minato is an unavoidable and difficult obstacle to overcome.
If Minato had died here, attacking Konoha would definitely be several times easier.
"He didn't die?" The Fourth Raikage sighed with a bit of regret, then angrily said, "I think they were afraid of death, letting their subordinates charge while they themselves survived!"
Mabui was a little amused by the Fourth Raikage's complaint but wasn't worried that he would lose his mind.
The Fourth Raikage only appeared to be rough in demeanor, but in reality, he was quite shrewd. He wasn't like his simple-minded Eight-Tails brother.
It's not that Killer B is bad; his lack of intellect seems to get along well with the Eight-Tails, making the Eight-Tails much more stable.
"Lord Raikage, what should we do next?" Mabui inquired.
The Fourth Raikage thought for a moment, then sighed. If Minato had died, he would have unhesitatingly ordered an attack on the Land of Fire, determined to carve out a piece of the Land of Fire no matter what.
But now, Minato is alive, and his threat on the battlefield is simply too great. Plus, there's the Third Hokage who can oversee the rear and coordinate resources.
It wouldn't be easy to bite off a piece of the Land of Fire now; they might even break their teeth if they're not careful.
"First, send a portion to harass their mission system and test Konoha's reaction," the Fourth Raikage finally said.
"Yes!"
Compared to the reaction from the Cloud Shinobi, the reaction from the Stone Shinobi was much calmer.
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, also gloated for a while after learning about Konoha's situation.
However, after learning that Minato was still alive, he abandoned the idea of attacking Konoha.
Because during the Third Shinobi World War, their family suffered the most at the hands of Minato, and he was most aware of his power on the battlefield.
Therefore, after learning of this matter, he didn't even consider starting a war.
However, some things can be acquired without war. Konoha's situation might allow them to snatch some missions that originally belonged only to Konoha.
While the profits might not be as high this way, it's relatively safer.
As for the other two countries, one lost its Kazekage in the Third Shinobi World War and is still recuperating, while the other is still in extreme internal chaos, so they naturally couldn't concern themselves with external matters.
...
Konoha a few days after the Nine-Tails Attack.
At this time, Konoha was in ruins awaiting reconstruction, with many Shinobi already acting as laborers, diligently helping to restore the various houses.
Takuno walked on the roads of Konoha, feeling a bit emotional as he saw the destroyed houses.
No matter when, the most unfortunate ones are always the common people.
Actually, within Konoha, it's not bad; the environment is suitable, and the leaders above are quite concerned about their reputation, so they wouldn't openly do anything to harm civilians.
He didn't go to work today, because the entire Sealing Team also had their own things to do. Although they didn't need to set up Barriers, they still needed to contribute.
In this Nine-Tails Attack, some members of the Sealing Team still suffered casualties; they were unlucky individuals who were hit by debris sent flying by the Nine-Tails.
Or they were directly in the path of that terrifying Tailed Beast Ball and were instantly turned to dust by it.
However, as the leader of the Sealing Team, he had some privileges and didn't need to do these things.
Moreover, Shinobi are indeed the highest labor force in this world. With their efforts, Konoha, which was nearly half destroyed, was miraculously close to restoring its complete appearance.
Takuno looked towards the Hokage Building at this moment.
These past few days, Minato had barely closed his eyes. From battle reports from the front lines to negotiating with various wealthy individuals to convince them to continue trusting Konoha's strength and not transfer missions to other countries, everything had taken a toll on him.
And today was a special day.
Takuno was not wearing his usual green vest today, but a black outfit.
This was the attire worn to express mourning.
On this day, everyone in Konoha stopped their activities and walked towards Konoha's largest cemetery.
As Konoha's highest leader, Minato had already put on his black mourning attire and stood at the very front.
Takuno also quietly found his place and stood there.
They were all mourning the Shinobi and civilians who sacrificed their lives in the Nine-Tails Attack.
This was a ceremony, a ceremony filled with a sorrowful atmosphere.
Such an atmosphere made even a hard-hearted person like Takuno feel a bit sad, yet this sadness could not shake his resolve to do what he had decided.