Chapter 116: Goodwill from the Third Hokage (45)
Chapter 116: Goodwill from the Third Hokage (45)
Upon returning home, Mu Yue unfurled the scroll that the Third Hokage had given him for inspection.
Mu Yue discovered that it served as an appointment letter for a special jonin, complete with the signature of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage. It was more formal than the promotion to chunin, which had merely been a sheet of paper according to the original owner's memories. In contrast, this special jonin appointment was inscribed on a scroll.
Casually setting the scroll aside in his study, Mu Yue turned his attention to the sealing jutsu materials that Kushina had provided.
The Five Elements Seal was significantly more challenging than he had anticipated, befitting its status as an extremely difficult jutsu. Twelve days had passed since he had begun learning the Five Finger Seal, yet Mu Yue found himself stuck at a proficiency level of around eighty, unable to progress further.
Mu Yue contemplated using the Ninja Skill Proficiency Scroll on the Five Finger Seal, certain that it would allow him to instantly master the Five Elements Seal.
However, after some thought, he decided against it. It would be a waste to use the scroll on a practice jutsu with little practical application, especially since he was already making progress, albeit slowly. Indeed, his talent for sealing jutsu was undeniable.
Mu Yue wanted to reserve this scroll, which could boost any jutsu straight to a proficient level regardless of its complexity, for a high-level jutsu.
If he ever had the opportunity to acquire the Flying Thunder God jutsu and successfully master it, that would be the ideal time to utilize the scroll.
According to the system, obtaining the same jutsu multiple times would increase proficiency. Perhaps using several proficiency scrolls consecutively could even result in mastery of a jutsu.
After some time, Mu Yue heard a knock on the door downstairs and went to answer it.
"Special Jonin Mu Yue, these are the items that the Third Hokage asked me to deliver to you," said the ninja, handing over three scrolls.
Mu Yue expressed his gratitude and invited the messenger inside for tea, but the ninja politely declined and took his leave.
Mu Yue mused that the ninja working under the Third Hokage seemed to be of a higher caliber than Danzo's underlings. At the very least, they had the decency to knock instead of silently infiltrating his home.
Opening the first scroll, Mu Yue found it contained two jutsu: Water Style: Water Vortex, and Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique.
Both jutsu were quite impressive. Water Vortex required fewer hand seals and offered both offensive and defensive capabilities. It could create a protective water vortex or unleash a powerful waterfall-like assault on enemies. Meanwhile, Great Dragon Fire was a versatile fire jutsu.
However, Mu Yue had already mastered Great Dragon Fire, and he had previously learned Water Vortex during a lecture.
Nonetheless, he was pleased because it meant he could now openly use these jutsu without raising suspicions.
The second scroll contained a substantial sum of 300,000 ryo.
Considering that a teacher at the Ninja Academy earned 100,000 ryo per month, this amount represented about three months' salary from the Third Hokage.
Mu Yue accepted it without hesitation, feeling that he had earned it.
After all, he had single-handedly taught eight classes of fourth-graders, along with some exceptional students from other grades and recent ninja graduates. Even if the Third Hokage had given him ten times this amount, it would have been warranted.
The third scroll detailed the Third Hokage's plans for Mu Yue's upcoming work.
The Ninja Academy would commence its new term in nine days, and teachers were expected to start a week earlier than students. Mu Yue would be heading to the Academy in a couple of days.
The Third Hokage intended to promote Mu Yue to the position of assistant homeroom teacher, but given Mu Yue's brief tenure at the Academy, he had only served as a regular teacher so far, which might invite criticism. Thus, the Third Hokage suggested that Mu Yue first take on the role of grade director for a semester before becoming the assistant homeroom teacher in the third term.
This third scroll was the one Mu Yue valued the most. He didn't care about the salary increase that came with the promotion, but he recognized how he could leverage his newfound authority to secure more rewards for himself.
During the summer intensive training, he had learned that teaching larger classes doubled the rewards compared to regular classes.
With that in mind, he planned to propose a curriculum reform at the Ninja Academy, incorporating more large classes to maximize his earnings.
Additionally, increasing the number of large classes would alleviate the workload on the Academy's teachers. For instance, a teacher like Isamu Izumo, who handled two classes, would have a nearly full schedule.
Of course, not all classes could be large. Mu Yue believed he could manage teaching a hundred or even several hundred students in ninjutsu or taijutsu, but an average jonin teacher wouldn't possess such capability and would likely end up teaching a chaotic class.
Mu Yue intended to request adding large theory classes for subjects like ninja world history, Konoha history, and mathematics.
Theory classes were relatively easier to teach than ninjutsu or taijutsu, as they didn't vary much in content regardless of class size. As long as the students paid attention, the outcome wouldn't differ drastically.
Through this scroll, Mu Yue sensed the goodwill that the Third Hokage was extending to him.
The Third Hokage might tolerate a Root member quietly working as a regular teacher, but he wouldn't proactively promote a Root ninja to a high-ranking position within the Academy.
Mu Yue suspected that he would soon be free from Root's grasp, perhaps without even needing to remove the curse seal himself. Danzo might have to personally lift the seal for him.
Within Konoha, Danzo couldn't compete with the Third Hokage, who wielded absolute authority as the Hokage.
During dinner that evening, Mu Yue casually shared the news of his promotion to special jonin with Kushina and Minato.
"I didn't think the old Third would act so swiftly," Kushina remarked, surprised that the Third Hokage had processed Mu Yue's promotion to special jonin so quickly after the conclusion of the exams.
"Let's all go together the next time there's a meeting," Minato suggested with a gentle smile, happy for Mu Yue's achievement.
There was a significant difference between the ranks of chunin and jonin, even a special jonin. They might seem similar in daily life, but during times of war, their authority and influence were on entirely different levels. Jonin could lead squads and undertake crucial missions.
"I was thinking that your talent in sealing jutsu might get you promoted to special jonin, but it seems I underestimated you, Mu Yue," Kushina said with a laugh.
After testing Mu Yue's sealing jutsu talent, she had intended to give him a nudge in that direction. However, Mu Yue's exceptional teaching abilities had already secured him a special jonin rank before he could even fully develop his sealing jutsu skills.
"Compared to you and Minato, I still have a long way to go. My goal for now is to become a formal jonin," Mu Yue replied with a cheerful smile.
"Keep training hard, and you'll definitely get there," Minato encouraged him.
Since Kushina had brought up the topic of sealing jutsu earlier, Mu Yue smoothly steered the conversation toward the subject, sharing some of the challenges he had encountered in his studies.
He wouldn't rely solely on others; he intended to continue his research and persist in learning sealing jutsu.
The more skills he acquired, the stronger he would become. Even if he didn't need to break Root's curse seal, mastering advanced sealing jutsu would enhance his overall prowess.
(End of Chapter)
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