The Southern Front: A Critical Turning Point (1)

As everyone settled around the table, large and smaller, local and global, maps and documents spread out everywhere, Fugaku took the initiative to speak first, focusing on the broader strategic context they were facing.

He addressed the ongoing developments with the enemy Hokage Faction and the handling of their two main fronts—against Iwagakure and Kumogakure.

"Both fronts led by the Hokage Faction are performing relatively better now compared to our current situation against Sunagakure, which is not good...", Fugaku began, his voice steady despite the grim content of his briefing.

"While they are not decisively winning, they've managed to avoid the severe setbacks we've experienced here in the Southern Front presently and even reversed some of the losses they took during the beginning stages of the war for various reasons.",

"But, here we're at a critical point where enemy shinobi are on the verge of breaching even into the Land of Fire territory itself, and we're hopeless to stop it so far.",

"The only silver lining we have is the victory on the Eastern Front, thanks to Hikari's efforts, which has given us a strategic advantage we cannot afford to waste and bought us some reputation back for some time ahead. This makes it all the more crucial for us to reverse our fortunes here quickly.",

"Given these pressures, our focus must be on fortifying our defenses and strategizing counterattacks that can leverage our strengths effectively...", Fugaku's tone underscored the urgency of their task.

Hiashi, after Fugaku finished, leaned forward, his expression turned serious and his voice carrying the weight of his experience and the gravity of their situation, "We are committed to doing as much as possible to help reverse the situation here, even though this division is essentially led by your clan, the Uchiha.",

"At this point, we can't afford to see this as a separate issue. Given the rapid rise in strength of the Hokage's Faction and the improving conditions on their fronts, we are in the same boat now more than ever...", He emphasized.

Hikari nodded in agreement with Hiashi, his tone determined, "Indeed, I've even postponed some of my own training, which was intended to consolidate the battle experience I gained from fighting the Mizukage in our shared discipline you probably heard about in rumors.",

"Rather than refining those skills in isolation, I rushed here as soon as possible alongside others and plan to adapt and enhance those skills here now, amid combat, demonstrating our commitment to this cause.",

"This shows just how seriously we, the Hyuga clan, take the well-being and success of our closest allies...", He explained.

Takumi, with a hint of frustration evident in his tone, suddenly interjected too, "Whereas I personally, and likely all of us here, anticipated the total collapse of the Hokage Faction's led two fronts over time, they've somehow managed to turn things around over time.",

"Their elites are not only growing in power, but some are even acquiring new abilities, and we're seeing entirely new elites emerging in their ranks. Miraculously, they've managed to hold on...", He explained, his voice tinged with annoyance, reluctance, and deep concern.

Kiyomi, her face etched with displeasure and her tone laced with indignation, began detailing the developments on the Northern Front next,

"Yes, initially, Shinsuke Sarutobi took a significant contingent of Anbu to assist Jiraiya in holding off Kumogakure's intense onslaught around Shimogakure.",

"This move was in line with our predictions even before the first troops were dispatched for this war..." she explained, her voice steady despite her obvious frustration.

"However, the unexpected turn of events began when Tsunade, who was accidentally there with her medical unit, saved Jiraiya from a particularly deadly ambush led by the Raikage and managed to 'overcome' her phobia of blood.",

"In a critical moment, she saved his life, and from that point on, she assumed the role of Vice Commander on the Northern Front...", Kiyomi continued, her annoyance apparent.

Kiyomi's voice grew more intense as she continued to recount the events, her irritation palpable, "However, the most shocking development, on that front, involved a previously unremarkable genin named 'Might Duy'...",

"In a desperate battle to protect his son, who had just graduated from the academy and was thrust onto the front lines along with other children, Might Duy unleashed an ancient, somewhat forgotten taijutsu technique to everyone, known as the 'Eight Gates' opening...",

She paused, her disdain for the unexpected shift in the war's dynamics evident in her tone, "He opened the Seventh Gate, a part of that technique, showcasing what can only be described as Middle Kage level strength next right away. His actions not only saved his son, on that day, successfully, but turned the tide of several battles almost single-handedly.",

Kiyomi's expression darkened further as she added, "From then on, he was deployed across the Northern Front, reversing many losses for the Hokage Faction, who have since been treating him with high regard, courting him as a major asset and promoting him as a hero."

Hikari, meanwhile, absorbed Kiyomi's words, reflecting internally, 'Yeah, Might Duy's matter was unexpected, but somewhat anticipated given what I know from the original timeline...',

'Also, thankfully, he seems like he is a level below Might Guy in every gate opening level for some reason, either lack of accumulated experience Guy had from him later or a slightly weaker physique.',

'After all, any skilled Strong First external taijutsu practitioner could discover the reason why opening your Inner Gates like that could be beneficial, but few get any guidance or training in doing so.',

'As seen from Hokage's Faction's lack of knowledge about him, it seems that Duy did it completely on his own, unlike his son, who got Duy's own decades of experience to use for assistance.',

Hikari's unique knowledge of the original events gave him insights into potential outcomes, yet the unpredictable nature of his interventions reminded him continuously of the complex and often unforeseen consequences they could cause, just like the ones Kiyomi mentioned.

Eventually, Hikari responded to Kiyomi's concerns with a calm and analytical tone, aiming to provide a broader perspective on the strategic situation,

"Don't worry, Kiyomi. Even with that individual named Might Guy now emerging as a significant force on the Hokage's side, it will still be a considerable challenge for them to contain Kumogakure's elites on that front.",

"This includes the Third Raikage and his two sons, their other Jinchuriki of the Two Tails, and other elite shinobi, not to mention their substantial ordinary standing shinobi army. Kumogakure is often considered the second strongest great shinobi village after Konoha for good reason.",

He paused to ensure his point was clear, then continued, "However, we also have to remember the recent truce I negotiated between Konoha and Kirigakure, who were previously allies of the Raikage.",

"This means Kumogakure now needs to be cautious and may need to divert some of its forces to watch over their border with Kirigakure, potentially weakening their main front against Jiraiya's forces.",

Hikari concluded with a strategic forecast, "This redistribution of Kumogakure's resources is beneficial for Jiraiya's front, leading me to expect that particular conflict might become more passive for the time being in the best case scenario for Jiraiya and his Division.", 

"What personally worries me more is everything that has been happening on the Western Front..." Hikari's voice trailed off as he clasped his hands near his face.

He leaned over the table in an uncharacteristic gesture of contemplation and concern for someone usually so composed; this departure in his demeanor indicated the depth of his unease.

This worry stemmed largely from Minato's continuous rapid improvements, which deeply troubled Hikari.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but his intuition had been signaling alarm about Minato for a long time.

There was an underlying feeling, an inexplicable sense that Minato could become a significant obstacle to him in the future—perhaps even one of the greatest he would face.

Hikari's thoughts deepened, reflecting on Minato's recent achievements that further compounded his concerns,

'Mastering the perfect Sage Mode already in the meantime after this war started, and showing it recently for the first time in battle, utilizing it together with many senjutsu techniques mastered too.',

'Rasengan, too, showcased frequently by him, as expected—probably after observing Kushina's or some enemy Jinchuriki's Tailed Beast Bombs, so developing it like in the original, maybe even earlier than there.",

He paused, considering the possibilities of Minato's capabilities expanding even further, 'And who knows if he even stumbled upon the Rasenshuriken by now in this timeline too, and is just not showing it for some reason, or is close to stumbling upon it... Flying Raijin constantly improving as always in terms of capability, speed, and utility. There's no doubt that he is even stronger than me now and is probably around Late Kage level of strength.',

Hikari's expression darkened slightly as he contemplated the broader implications, 'What's even scarier is that it's probably not even his full potential... I need to get stronger as soon as possible... The weight of power is shifting toward the Hokage's Faction significantly once again, and he is the biggest example of that...' He felt full of wariness and urgency internally.