Chapter 175: The Level of the Mission
Chapter 175: The Level of the Mission
"Fire Style: Phoenix Firebird Technique!"
Mu Yue quickly formed the hand seals and cast a fire-style ninjutsu at Troy's body.
Boom!!
A barrage of tiny fireballs rained down on Troy's body, instantly reducing it to a charred and mangled mess.
It wasn't that Mu Yue was being overly cautious, but she wanted to ensure the body wouldn't be recognized.
At Troy's level, Mu Yue doubted he was a nobody. Defeating Gonximi would showcase her true combat capabilities to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
However, defeating a ninja of Troy's caliber was another matter. His current display of strength in the Leaf Village was insufficient for such a feat.
As the flames died down, Kakashi and Obito rushed over to Mu Yue to assess the situation.
Upon realizing that Mu Yue could handle the two jonin on her own, Kakashi joined Might Guy, and they teamed up with Obito to confront the Cloud ninja. Together, the three of them swiftly took care of the enemy.
Concerned about Mu Yue, they left one person to protect the client, while the other two hurried to her aid.
"Teacher Mu Yue, are you alright?" Obito asked anxiously upon seeing her.
Kakashi noticed the charred bodies beside Mu Yue and understood that she had taken care of both jonin. He reported, "Teacher Mu Yue, we've dealt with the Iwagakure ninjas over there, but something feels off about them."
Although the enemies dressed like Iwa-nin and wore their forehead protectors, Kakashi noticed that none of them used Earth Release; instead, they all relied on Lightning Release, which piqued his suspicion.
With two jonin and a chunin all using Lightning Release, they seemed more like Cloud ninjas than Rock ninjas.
"These ninjas are not only proficient in Lightning Release, but their skin also turned darker after death," Kakashi shared his observations. "I suspect they might be Cloud ninjas disguised using Transformation Techniques."
Mu Yue smiled and reassured Obito, "Don't worry, I've taken care of the enemies. I'm fine."
Then, she turned to Kakashi and nodded, agreeing, "These Iwagakure ninjas are indeed suspicious. Considering both Iwagakure and Kumogakure are at war with us, it's possible that Kumogakure ninjas are trying to escalate the conflict between us and Iwagakure."
"What? So, these guys aren't from Iwagakure? That's despicable of Kumogakure!" Obito exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.
He had been thinking about teaching the Iwagakure ninjas a lesson for their actions, but now it seemed the culprits were from the Cloud Village.
"Each ninja village has its unique ninjutsu heritage," Mu Yue explained, proceeding to educate Obito on the basics of the ninja world. "Ninjas from Iwagakure primarily use Earth Release ninjutsu, while those from Kumogakure excel in Lightning Release ninjutsu."
"And what about Sunagakure? What's their specialty?" Obito asked, intrigued.
"Sunagakure is known for their Wind Release and puppet techniques, while Kirigakure specializes in Water Release and assassination techniques," Mu Yue elaborated.
"What about our village, Konohagakure?" Obito inquired, realizing that Mu Yue had omitted their own village.
Smack!
Mu Yue playfully slapped Obito's head, teasing, "You're a Konohagakure ninja yourself, and you don't even know that?"
"Hehe, I'm still an intern, and I haven't met many ninjas yet," Obito scratched his head sheepishly. "But it does seem like everyone has their unique traits."
"Our village, Konohagakure, is quite diverse," Mu Yue explained. "We have ninjas specializing in various elements, but you can often identify them by their clan heritage. For example, the Uchiha clan is known for their Fire Release techniques."
Mu Yue then sealed the Cloud ninjas into scrolls, intending to bring them back to Konoha.
In situations like this, where unexpected developments arose during a mission, Konohagakure had specific policies in place. If the client withheld information or lied about the presence of enemy ninjas, the assigned ninja could choose to terminate the mission immediately and leave.
However, if the presence of enemy ninjas was an unforeseen circumstance beyond the client's control, during wartime, the village would adjust the mission's level and reward accordingly, based on the number and strength of the enemy ninjas encountered.
Mu Yue estimated that identifying the two jonin among the corpses might be challenging.
They had perished in a rather gruesome state—one was burned beyond recognition by flames, while the other had been finished off by her Phoenix Firebird technique, leaving little intact.
But this was precisely the effect Mu Yue had intended. Who would believe that these were the remains of two jonin? It was more plausible to attribute the scene to an upper jonin leading a group of chunin, especially given the number of chunin corpses present.
Mu Yue and her three disciples took turns keeping watch, enduring an uneasy night.
The next morning, Numata Yoshikata woke up with his biological clock, feeling dizzy and groggy, probably due to the lack of quality sleep.
He carefully exited the tent, not wanting to disturb his still-sleeping wife and daughter. But when he stepped outside, the sight before him left him stunned.
To the north of the tent was a lush forest with vibrant greenery, while to the south lay a charred, blackened landscape.
The flames had devoured the trees' green leaves, leaving behind nothing but blackened, bald trunks and branches. The ground was covered in ash and burnt remnants, resembling a post-apocalyptic scene.
"Is this the power of ninjas?" Numata Yoshikata swallowed, his worldview shaken to the core.
He knew ninjas were strong, which was why he had specifically sought out the ninja village to request a protection mission.
However, his conception of their strength was limited to physical prowess, like punching down trees or using ninjutsu to shatter rocks. He never imagined that just one night could transform their surroundings from a forest into a burnt-out wasteland.
Numata Yoshikata felt a strange emotion welling up within him. Were these ninjas, with their destructive capabilities, even the same species as him?
"Good morning, Uncle," Deidara cheerfully greeted Numata Yoshikata.
"Good morning," Numata Yoshikata replied with a smile.
Regardless, these ninjas had protected him, and he was now assured of a safe journey home.
During the rest of their journey, the group did not encounter any more ninjas, only encountering bandits wielding knives, and they smoothly entered the Land of Earth's capital.
"If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely request your team again. You all were incredibly reliable," Numata Yoshikata said with a smile upon returning home.
In Konoha, it was possible to request specific ninjas for missions, provided they were available.
Mu Yue smiled and humbly brushed off the compliment, then turned to leave with her disciples.
"Goodbye, big brothers," the little girl waved goodbye to Mu Yue and the others.
"Goodbye," Deidara enthusiastically waved back.
"This mission was so exciting! I wish every mission could be like this one," Deidara reminisced about the previous night's intense battle as they traveled back, especially Mu Yue's combination ninjutsu, which left him thrilled.
"What are you dreaming about? This was an extremely unusual situation. Normally, a mission of this caliber would be at least rated as an A-rank," Kakashi shook his head.
As he had not directly faced the two jonin, he was unsure of their true strength and thus erred on the side of caution in his assessment.
"So what if it's an A-rank mission? We still won," Deidara boasted, proud of their accomplishment.
Kakashi was left speechless, and he rubbed his forehead before speaking, "We were able to defeat the enemies because Teacher Mu Yue is extraordinarily powerful. You shouldn't let it get to your head."
In Kakashi's opinion, the battle had been extremely dangerous, and if their teacher hadn't been Mu Yue but an ordinary jonin, he doubted anyone would have made it out alive.
"Why can't I be proud? Mu Yue-sensei is my teacher, and I can't be proud of her strength?" Deidara retorted, tilting his head up slightly.
"And if we're talking about contributions, I probably played a bigger role than you. At least I held off one of the enemies. If not for Teacher Mu Yue protecting you, you would've been taken out by the enemy," Kakashi said, his eyes shifting. The memory of that night's battle resurfaced in his mind, and he knew Deidara was right. In that fight, he had become a burden to Mu Yue, who had shielded him from numerous attacks.
"Would I have protected my teammates if I were in her position?" Kakashi wondered.
If faced with enemies of unknown strength and an unknown ninjutsu that controlled his teammates, he suspected he would have prioritized eliminating the threat and completing the mission over protecting his teammates.
"Teacher Mu Yue, is your conviction also to protect your comrades?" Kakashi recalled their first meeting and Mu Yue's words about true ninjas embodying their convictions.
(End of Chapter)
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