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Chapter 245: Victory in Battle
Chapter 245: Victory in Battle
As Jiraiya and his companions returned to the camp, the Jonin from the camp swarmed forward to inquire about the battle situation.
"We achieved a minor victory against the jinchurikis. Only the five-tails jinchuriki was severely injured, while the four-tails jinchuriki escaped unscathed," Jiraiya reported, giving an honest account of the outcome of the battle at the elite battlefield.
"However, overall, we have won a major victory!" Jiraiya added with a smile, knowing that it was important to boost the morale of the troops.
Upon hearing that the five-tails jinchuriki had been injured, the Jonin heaved a sigh of relief. If they had suffered a setback at the elite battlefield, their previous advantages would have been wiped out.
The good news of Jiraiya's group gaining the upper hand against the jinchurikis quickly spread throughout the entire Konoha camp. Excited by the news, the Konoha ninjas felt that they were finally seeing a glimmer of hope for victory in the war.
The fact that the enemy had deployed two jinchurikis and yet failed to gain the upper hand against Konoha gave the impression that Konoha's mild retaliation was already the best Iwagakure could muster.
Of course, those who were overly optimistic tended to be mostly Genin or young Chunin, while the Jonin and more experienced Chunin knew that neither Iwagakure nor Konoha had yet shown their full strength.
Only one of the Konoha Sannin, Jiraiya, had arrived at the battlefield, and they had not dispatched any other well-known powerful ninjas.
Although Iwagakure had sent out two jinchurikis, they only had those two jinchurikis and the strongest among them was the Explosion Release ninja, Kakku, and they had not deployed a large number of ordinary ninjas either.
Mu Yue, who was very familiar with the plot, knew that Iwagakure was holding back and that their current display of military strength was likely a feint.
By putting herself in Onoki's shoes, Mu Yue could easily understand everything.
In this war, he had dispatched two jinchurikis, which, from the perspective of other ninja villages, showed that Iwagakure was taking the war seriously.
However, in reality, Iwagakure was hiding a large number of ninjas, including a force of over ten thousand ninjas and a group of elite ninjas like Kitane.
If they lost this battle, Onoki could cause the other ninja villages to underestimate Iwagakure's strength, making them more cautious of Konoha, who had been dominating the war so far. For example, Kumogakure, who was also at war with Konoha, might lower their guard against Iwagakure and commit more of their forces against Konoha.
If they won the battle, it would be even better, as it would prove that Konoha was already weakened, and Onoki could then directly launch a large-scale invasion into the Fire Country, marching straight towards Konoha. This would allow him to seize the title of the strongest ninja village from Konoha, proving his village's strength and gaining more commissions and military funds from the daimyo.
Either way, Onoki had a fallback plan, as even if the two jinchurikis lost, they were unlikely to be captured due to their combined might.
"Teacher Mu Yue, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" As Mu Yue found her disciples, Obito asked with concern.
Although he didn't know the full extent of the jinchurikis' powers, the impact of the Tailed Beast Bomb was immense, and Obito could sense the terrifying strength of the jinchurikis just by witnessing the blinding explosion from a distance.
Kakashi and Might Guy also looked at Mu Yue, awaiting her response.
"Do I look injured?" Mu Yue asked with a smile.
"No," Obito answered honestly. Aside from the dust that had settled on her, Mu Yue's clothes were intact, with no signs of injury.
"Well, there might be internal injuries that aren't visible," Obito explained, still concerned.
"I'm fine," Mu Yue reassured them as she ruffled Obito's hair affectionately. "Come with me, and I'll heal your injuries."
Aside from Might Guy's injured fist, Kakashi and Obito had only sustained minor injuries, though not as severe as Might Guy's.
Mu Yue led them to a secluded area where she began using medical ninjutsu to treat their wounds.
Currently, her medical ninjutsu hadn't been 'cleansed' yet, so she couldn't use it in front of other ninjas.
While it was possible to explain the powerful effects of her ninjutsu as a result of her diligent training, neither Sarutobi nor Danzo had taught her medical ninjutsu, so it would be suspicious if she suddenly displayed mastery over the Mystical Palm Technique.
"Teacher Mu Yue, who is stronger, the jinchuriki or the candidate for the Raikage?" Obito asked curiously.
"It's hard to compare, but in terms of overall strength, the jinchuriki is slightly stronger at this point," Mu Yue replied after some thought.
In fact, if the Fourth Raikage were to face off against the five-tails jinchuriki in a one-on-one battle, Mu Yue wasn't sure who would emerge victorious.
Aside from the Tailed Beast Bomb, the five-tails jinchuriki's main method of attack was taijutsu. However, the Fourth Raikage's speed made it difficult for the Tailed Beast Bomb to hit him. The Raikage had the advantage of speed, while the jinchuriki had greater chakra reserves and endurance.
Compared to the Fourth Raikage, the current Mizukage was slightly less effective when it came to dealing with tailed beasts or jinchurikis due to his lack of powerful offensive techniques.
However, in a one-on-one fight against a strong opponent, the Mizukage would be more efficient and would be able to hold his ground for longer.
"I wonder when I'll be able to become as strong as you, Teacher Mu Yue," Obito said longingly.
"Then let's start training right now! Youth is all about seizing every opportunity to improve yourself!" Might Guy immediately began doing handstand push-ups after his injuries were healed.
"I just feel that if the three of us were as strong as you, Teacher Mu Yue, we could probably end this war and prevent so many deaths," Obito confessed, voicing his true thoughts.
In the past, whenever they encountered enemies on missions, Obito would kill them without much emotion because he knew that if he didn't, they would try to kill him instead.
Kakashi was taken aback by Obito's words; he never expected to hear such sentiments from his companion.
"If you want to end wars, having strength like I do now is not enough. You need to be stronger!" Mu Yue said, lifting her head slightly to gaze at the sky.
"To restore peace in the ninja world, either everyone must fight to the point of mutual exhaustion and then retreat to recover, or someone like Hashirama Senju must emerge, possessing power that surpasses all others and deterring anyone from acting against them."
"To achieve lasting peace, even the power of Hashirama Senju may not suffice. After all, there's also Uchiha Madara lurking in the shadows, along with Black Zetsu and the sealed Kaguya Otsutsuki."
"But if you continue to work hard, there will come a day when you succeed." Mu Yue offered an encouraging smile.
Inspired by Mu Yue's words, Obito became energized, and he began training with Might Guy as if he had been injected with adrenaline.
Naturally, Kakashi wouldn't just stand by and watch; he joined in the training as well.
Due to their resounding victory and the timely arrival of food supplies, the Konoha ninjas indulged in a grand feast that evening to celebrate.
Mu Yue also showcased her culinary skills by preparing several delicious stews.
"Am I hallucinating, or is this food incredibly delicious? I feel like the enemy must have cast an illusion technique on me." One Konoha ninja exclaimed after tasting Mu Yue's cooking, his expression one of awe.
"I feel the same way. I thought the food just tasted better because we won," another Konoha ninja chimed in.
"You guys are lucky. Not many people get the chance to taste Mu Yue's cooking." Jiraiya laughed heartily.
He was in high spirits; if they weren't on the battlefield, he would have loved to drink some alcohol.
Minato didn't say anything; he silently devoured his food at an incredible speed. Ever since arriving at the battlefield, he hadn't had the opportunity to enjoy Mu Yue's cooking, and he often dreamed of returning to Konoha and eating her meals every day.
"Minato, there's no need to rush at a time like this," Jiraiya remarked as he noticed Minato had already finished two bowls of rice and a substantial amount of the dishes.
Before he could tease his student further, Jiraiya joined him in the rapid consumption of food.
After the meal, the group sat together and chatted.
Mu Yue shared with Minato some details about Kushina's life in Konoha.
"Kushina misses you dearly. My disciple, Uchiha Obito, happens to have a camera. How about I ask him to take some photos of you to bring back to her?" Mu Yue suggested with a smile.
Minato's eyes lit up at the idea, and he thanked Mu Yue.
"Let me take the photos. I'll make sure to capture your handsome looks, just like Teacher Mu Yue," Obito volunteered enthusiastically.
"Then I'm grateful to you, Obito," Minato agreed with a smile.
Minato stood in place, his expression serious as he posed for the photos.
"Why aren't you smiling? You look better when you smile," Obito asked, confused as he held the camera.
He had noticed that Minato, like Mu Yue, often smiled, but now he wasn't for the photos.
Minato forced his lips upward, trying his best to maintain a smile.
"Haha, I never knew you could be so humorous, Minato," Jiraiya said, laughing as he watched Minato's strained expression. He quickly rushed to Obito's side and took several photos of Minato.
To Jiraiya, Minato now looked like someone with a stiff face trying to force a smile.
"He's probably taking it too seriously. Trying to smile when you're forcing it can make it look unnatural," Deidara analyzed.
"Damn white-haired old man, what a weird sense of humor," Obito said, looking at Minato's image on the camera and rolling his eyes.
"You're too young to understand. This is how we record joyful moments," Jiraiya said proudly.
"I'm not that young. I've already completed two A-rank missions, and today, I even saved several comrades on the battlefield," Obito retorted.
"A-rank missions? I've done over twenty S-rank missions," Jiraiya boasted, indicating that he had lost count of how many A-rank missions he had undertaken.
"You're that strong?" Obito asked, his eyes widening in surprise. S-rank missions seemed like a distant dream to him.
"Of course. I'm one of the Sannin, known as Jiraiya of the Toads!" Jiraiya boasted, puffing out his chest.
Minato watched Jiraiya and Mu Yue's student banter and couldn't help but smile wryly.
Obito, seizing the opportunity while Jiraiya was talking, managed to capture Minato's natural smile.
"What toad?" Obito turned to ask.
"You brat! It's Jiraiya of the Toads, not just any toad!" Jiraiya corrected him.
Watching the legendary Sannin and Obito bicker over who had more snacks, similar to how they were comparing the number of missions they had completed, and even going as far as to flaunt his title, Kakashi couldn't help but feel like a celebrity whose image had been shattered.
While Kakashi didn't idolize any of the Sannin, they were highly renowned in Konoha, and he had always assumed they were incredibly dependable ninjas. However, it seemed that reality didn't quite match his expectations.
(End of Chapter)
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