In the underground cavern, Shinji carried out a large-scale modification for Ryuzetsu and Chino, but the final effect was still a bit short.
Although Ryuzetsu and Chino were only half a step behind Haku and Yakumo and were now very excellent shinobi, it was precisely this half-step gap that created an insurmountable chasm between them and Six Paths level combat power.
Ryuzetsu sensed something and asked with a face full of shame: "Leader, did we not do well enough?"
Shinji shook his head: "No, it is just that my previous estimations had some deviations."
Chino lowered her head: "We let you down!"
"It is not a matter of being let down!" After a pause, Shinji said: "It was just one attempt; you do not need to care too much."
Ryuzetsu thought for a moment and asked: "Leader, besides guarding this place, do you have any other missions that need us?"
Chino said: "Yes, yes! We can start accumulating chakra from now on. As long as you give a mission, we will certainly work hard to complete it!"
"Accumulating chakra..."
Shinji murmured in a low voice.
Ryuzetsu hurriedly explained: "We heard from Yakumo that the Hokage knows a technique called the Yin Seal, which can accumulate chakra that is not used normally. So Chino and I want to learn this kind of technique, to accumulate some chakra usually and prepare for when we fight!"
Shinji smiled: "I have thought of a way!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino were completely confused, not understanding what way Shinji had thought of.
Shinji did not explain and directly brought Ryuzetsu and Chino back to the Flying Fortress. He then instructed Ryuzetsu and Chino to go back and rest, while he himself went to the laboratory.
...
What Ryuzetsu said just now reminded Shinji.
If merely modifying the environment could not amplify the combat power of Ryuzetsu and Chino to the Six Paths level, then he could also use techniques like the Yin Seal to allow Ryuzetsu and Chino to obtain a massive boost in combat power within a certain period.
Thinking of this, Shinji began optimizing the Yin Seal.
With his current strategic understanding of chakra, modifying a Yin Seal was an easy task. So in just a moment, he optimized Tsunade's Yin Seal, greatly increasing the upper limit of the chakra it could store.
Besides optimizing the Yin Seal, Shinji also optimized the Eight Inner Gates.
The Twelve Palaces he developed himself had actually already surpassed the Eight Inner Gates in terms of practicality, but the Twelve Palaces was balanced and peaceful, placing great emphasis on protecting the body. Therefore, in terms of the upper limit of explosive power, it was inferior to the Eight Inner Gates.
In the original timeline, Might Guy, who opened the Gate of Death, kicked away half of the body of Six Paths Madara with one foot, causing Madara to call him the strongest in Taijutsu. This showed that the limit output of the Eight Inner Gates could touch the Six Paths level.
Therefore, as long as Ryuzetsu and Chino could master the Yin Seal and Eight Inner Gates before the war, let alone their normal output, at least their limit output for a short time could steadily reach the Six Paths level.
Not long after, Shinji summoned Ryuzetsu and Chino again and handed them the Yin Seal with the optimized chakra storage limit and the Eight Inner Gates with the optimized chakra explosion limit: "These are the Yin Seal and Eight Inner Gates. If you can master these two techniques, you two will be qualified to guard a critical node!"
Chino had a look of surprise: "Really?"
Ryuzetsu was also very excited, but she did not act like Chino; instead, she cautiously took the secret technique scrolls recording the two techniques and began to flip through them.
Shinji said: "To learn these two techniques, one not only needs extremely strong chakra control ability but also mastery of the body's pressure points and meridians, as well as extremely high Taijutsu attainments. Coincidentally, you two lack none of these, so it should not be difficult for you!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino nodded repeatedly.
Chakra control, the various pressure points and meridians of the human body, and so on—these were all the foundations of cultivating the Twelve Palaces. Since they had mastered the Twelve Palaces, these were naturally not a problem.
...
Carrying the secret technique scrolls, Ryuzetsu and Chino went down to cultivate, while Shinji began arranging the guarding of the nine critical nodes.
Haku would guard one, Yakumo would guard one, and if Ryuzetsu and Chino could master the Yin Seal and Eight Inner Gates, they could also guard one.
In this way, Shinji only needed to arrange the guarding personnel for the remaining six critical nodes.
"Shion has experience guarding a critical node and is herself at the Six Paths level; guarding one critical node should be no problem!"
"Sasuke and Naruto are both at the Six Paths level, and their combat instincts are among the most outstanding in the Shinobi World; they can each guard one critical node!"
"Toneri, coordinated with the Giant Tenseigan, should be more than enough to guard a critical node."
With a thought, Shinji arranged four critical nodes.
Shion, Sasuke, Naruto, and Toneri were all at the Six Paths level. Combined with the amplification effect of the critical nodes, their strength could advance further, and they were more than sufficient as guarding combatants.
"Two left..."
Shinji began to weigh the options.
He still had quite a few available people at hand, so guarding the remaining two critical nodes was not much of a problem.
It was just that one of these two critical nodes was the core node, which required planting the God Tree, so he had to consider it carefully.
Reasonably speaking, Shinji himself guarding the core node and commanding the other eight critical nodes would be the most stable plan. Furthermore, Shinji was also the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, and it should originally be him who plants the God Tree in the core node and activates the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
While this was stable, it would also restrict his actions.
Therefore, Shinji prepared to do the opposite, publicly announcing that he would personally guard the core node and plant the God Tree in front of everyone to deceive everyone. But secretly, he would let Karin—this Kekkei Mora who was also a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki—disguise herself as him and guard the core node.
"As for the final critical node..."
Shinji thought for a moment and decided to let Neji and Kimimaro guard it together.
Actually, both Neji and Kimimaro possessed the strength to guard a critical node individually. Although the Karma on their bodies had been turned into White Karma by Shinji, even so, they were the existences closest to the Six Paths level after activating the Karma. Combined with the amplification effect within a critical node, it would be easy for them to step into the Six Paths level.
But after thinking about it, Shinji felt that splitting them up only yielded two Six Paths level combatants, but if they were allowed to guard one location together, once they fused and combined all the power of the Karma from the two Otsutsuki, Momoshiki and Kinshiki, it was possible for them to exert the strength of a Kekkei Mora!