If Naruto wanted to turn things around, mastering sage jutsu alone wouldn't be enough. He had to take full control of the Nine-Tails' power too. Back when the Sage of Six Paths split up the inheritance, he had deliberately handed the biggest share of chakra to the Nine-Tails.
The other Tailed Beasts had gotten what might as well have been scraps from the table.
So if Naruto wanted real strength, there were only two roads open to him. Either he mastered the Nine-Tails completely, or he became something like the First Hokage, with a monstrous sage body, Wood Style, and talent terrifying enough to make anyone blanch.
People always remembered Hashirama Senju as simple and easygoing, but that was just great wisdom wearing an ordinary face. His mastery of ninjutsu had been absurd.
He could throw out devastating jutsus as casually as breathing. Even without Wood Style, he would still have stood at super-Kage level.
And then there was Wood Style itself, something he had created with his own hands, with no one before him and no one after truly matching it.
Even with Asura's chakra involved, Black Zetsu had admitted that among all the incarnations throughout history, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were the most terrifying pair of all.
If Naruto couldn't get the Nine-Tails under control, then in this lifetime he would never even touch the edge of the First Hokage's shadow.
That was Akira's ruthless evaluation of Naruto.
Right now, the gap between Naruto and Sasuke was simply too wide.
If they fought for real, the result would probably look a lot like the battle at the Valley of the End three years ago.
And back then, Naruto had been beaten clean.
If he wanted to stand on equal footing with Sasuke, then he needed to fully master both sage jutsu and the Nine-Tails' chakra.
At the moment, he had neither.
So what exactly did he plan to fight Sasuke with?
Tsunade nodded again, finally accepting Akira's judgment completely.
After a while, a masked figure entered the office soundlessly.
It was Yamato.
He now stood at the top of the ANBU chain. With Kakashi absent, he had been the one managing most of that side of things.
And in terms of combat ability, he was a genuine elite jonin.
It could honestly be said that among the active members of ANBU, he was the strongest one they had.
The first thing Yamato noticed after entering was Akira.
He would have liked to greet him and exchange a few words, but this wasn't the time or place. In a setting like this, rules still mattered.
The name "Yamato" had originally been given to him by the Third Hokage. "Tenzō" had been his ANBU codename. Later, when Tsunade started calling him Yamato, it was because she wanted him to use that new identity to help Team Seven start over.
Whether it was Tenzō or Yamato, in the end, they were both just working names.
Tsunade looked at Yamato seriously.
"I have a mission for you. But this time, you won't be going as ANBU. From here on out, you'll use the name Yamato. Kakashi is still recovering, so you'll be filling in as acting captain of Team Seven."
Yamato removed his mask, revealing a face that looked more honest than intimidating, and answered earnestly, "It's an honor to take over for Captain Kakashi."
Truth be told, Yamato and Kakashi had always gotten along fairly well. He had just spent enough time under Kakashi's command in ANBU to develop the standard complaints any subordinate had toward a strict superior.
Nothing more than that.
From the side, Akira cut in with a grin.
"Yamato-sensei, those kids in Team Seven aren't exactly easy to manage. They're stubborn. You'll have your hands full."
Yamato looked at Akira and couldn't help feeling a bit emotional. Not that long ago, he had still thought of Akira as just a kid. Now, in the blink of an eye, the boy was sixteen, serving as the Hokage's personal guard, with strength no one could properly measure. He might already be Konoha's absolute ceiling in combat.
Even Jiraiya-sama might not be able to beat him with certainty anymore.
"I understand. Though honestly, I thought you would be leading this mission yourself," Yamato said.
Akira shook his head with a smile.
"When would I have the time for that? Still, this mission isn't only about finding someone. The important part is checking whether Orochimaru is plotting something again. The Third Hokage sealed his arms last time, and they were never fully restored. If they've recovered now, then there's a good chance he'll try something against Konoha again."
"As for whether Sasuke can be brought back, I'm not optimistic. Right now, Sasuke may be stronger than the three of you put together. Orochimaru knows the Sharingan inside and out. Sasuke's eyes may already have evolved to some forbidden stage."
"Kakashi-senpai explained the Mangekyo Sharingan to you before, didn't he?"
The instant those words came up, Yamato's expression tightened. He finally understood just how hot this mission really was.
If Sasuke truly had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, then it wouldn't matter whether it was him, Naruto, or Sakura. They would only be charging in to get cut down.
Truthfully, Sasuke wouldn't even need the Mangekyo for that. If he had fully mastered the three-tomoe Sharingan alone, they would still have a hard time beating him.
After all, Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan could suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra.
That clearly wasn't something ordinary.
It was likely tied to the nature of Sasuke's eyes themselves.
Maybe it was because of Indra's chakra, but Sasuke's Sharingan had always been more domineering than that of most of the other Uchiha.
In raw talent, he still didn't measure up to Itachi.
But his bloodline was pure, and his chakra had unusual qualities. Sasuke really was an anomaly even within the Uchiha Clan.
Even Madara Uchiha had thought highly of him.
Yamato thought for a while, then gave a solemn promise.
"I understand. No matter what happens on this mission, I'll protect those two kids with my life if I have to."
Akira turned to Tsunade and reminded her, "This won't end with just the mission. You'll probably have to deal with questioning from the two old advisors and Danzō too. Naruto is a jinchuriki. Sunagakure just lost the One-Tail. If you send Naruto out of the village now, you'd better be ready for the three of them to fight you on it."
Tsunade let out a cold snort.
"I know exactly what I'm dealing with. I'll handle them myself."