https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-252-Uchiha-From-Warring-States-Rivals-to-Clan-Annihilation/12558260/
Chapter 251: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Surprise
Chapter 251: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Surprise
On the fifth day of his return to Konoha, Mu Yue received his certificate to the Ninja Arts Center, where he could choose new jutsu to learn.
He could select ten jutsu of his choice, and if he picked wisely, it would greatly enhance his apparent strength.
There weren't many impressive jutsu that he could openly use. Typically, he relied on traceable jutsu; the Fire Dragon Bullet and Fire Dragon Flame Bullet were gifts from Danzo, and the Vacuum Jade was a reward from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Additionally, he had legitimized the use of some more common jutsu through various opportunities. For example, he had used the Water Formation Wall and Water Dragon Bullet while teaching Asuma, and since he was being watched by the Third Hokage and the Anbu, those jutsu were now on his record. He had also used the Water Wave Jutsu in his battle against the tailed beasts.
However, this method only worked for very basic and common jutsu. Hiruzen wouldn't care about him using jutsu that many others could also perform.
Konoha's management of jutsu mainly focused on advanced and forbidden jutsu. After becoming a ninja, it wasn't difficult to learn ordinary jutsu.
Moreover, in battles, most ninjas relied primarily on taijutsu and ninja tools for damage. Learning too many jutsu was pointless, as one wouldn't have enough chakra to use them all.
Using a jutsu like the Water Cutter Jutsu, however, would be problematic. This was a high-level Water Release jutsu developed by Tobirama Senju, and it wasn't accessible to the general public, not even to Root members.
Mu Yue didn't know if the Ninja Arts Center had the Water Cutter Jutsu, but if they did, he intended to choose it. It was a challenging jutsu to master, and if he could learn it, it would prove his innate talent for Water Release.
At first, Mu Yue had assumed that the Ninja Arts Center would be hidden in some secluded location, guarded by barriers. But when he arrived, he found that it was simply underground, with a ninja standing guard at the entrance.
Mu Yue presented his certificate to the guard, who examined it carefully before nodding and opening the door.
Inside, there was another middle-aged ninja on duty. Mu Yue handed his certificate to this ninja.
"You can choose any ten jutsu, regardless of their level, from our collection. However, I suggest you pick jutsu that suit you rather than focusing solely on their rank," the middle-aged ninja advised as he took the certificate.
It was rare for someone to have the opportunity to choose ten jutsu at once, and seeing how young Mu Yue was, the ninja felt it was important to offer this reminder.
The ranking of jutsu was based not on their power but on the difficulty of learning them. Thus, higher-ranked jutsu were more challenging to master, and selecting a bunch of advanced jutsu could lead to issues with learning them or the time required.
Of course, that didn't mean that advanced jutsu weren't powerful. In fact, they tended to be quite strong, as they incorporated complex nature and shape transformations, as well as advanced ninja knowledge. The main challenge was in mastering them, which could take a significant amount of time.
"Thank you for the advice," Mu Yue replied with a smile.
Although the suggestion didn't apply to him, it was polite to acknowledge the ninja's good intentions.
Mu Yue scanned the entire Ninja Arts Center, which resembled Konoha's library in layout but was significantly smaller.
The shelves, standing at two meters tall, were filled with various jutsu scrolls. In front of each scroll was a small plaque that provided a brief introduction to the jutsu.
Mu Yue first headed to the Water Release jutsu section. Out of the five basic natures, he could currently use Wind, Fire, and Water Release jutsu openly, so he prioritized these three.
As he browsed, he indeed found the Water Cutter Jutsu, with a small plaque warning of its extremely high difficulty. It was not recommended for those who hadn't mastered Water Release and weren't adept at shape transformation.
Mu Yue took the scroll for the Water Cutter Jutsu and continued browsing. He spotted other Water Release jutsu developed by Tobirama but decided against selecting them. With the Water Cutter Jutsu in hand, he left the Water Release section and moved on to Fire Release.
After searching for a while, Mu Yue couldn't find the Headache Jutsu, so he proceeded to the Wind Release section. His current repertoire of Fire Release jutsu was sufficient.
Perhaps the Wind Blade Jutsu was unique to Sunagakure, as he didn't find it here. However, he did come across the Cyclone Jutsu and immediately picked it up.
He had encountered this jutsu twice while teaching and found it more useful than the Grand Breakthrough, whether for combining with other jutsu or using it independently.
Next, Mu Yue chose the Thunderclap Jutsu, a Lightning Release technique, followed by the Earth Flow Wall, an Earth Release jutsu. He also selected the Mystical Palm Technique and a series of other jutsu.
Being able to use the Mystical Palm Technique openly was important to him, as it would allow him to treat his disciples without secrecy. Additionally, it could provide him with an opportunity to get closer to Tsunade as a medical ninja.
After making his selections, Mu Yue went to the entrance to register his choices with the duty ninja.
Looking at Mu Yue's choices, the middle-aged ninja's composure faltered slightly. Out of the ten jutsu, six involved different chakra nature transformations, and they were all advanced jutsu ranked B or higher.
"Are you sure about these choices? You can still change your mind now, but once I register them, it will be final," the middle-aged ninja said, offering one last chance to change his selections.
"I'm sure. Thank you for your help," Mu Yue replied with a nod and a smile.
Seeing Mu Yue's nod, the ninja said nothing further and helped him complete the registration process.
After choosing his jutsu, Mu Yue returned to the Southern Border Forest to continue instructing his disciples. In his spare time, he practiced the Water Cascade Jutsu that Hiruzen Sarutobi had taught him.
To further establish his image as a genius ninja, he would seek Hiruzen's guidance on jutsu and then demonstrate the techniques the Third Hokage had taught him.
Perhaps due to his innate proficiency in Water Release chakra nature transformation and the memories of training in Water Release jutsu, Mu Yue's progress was swift. It was much faster than he recalled from his original self's training in Fire Release jutsu. In about a week, he had achieved a basic level of proficiency in the Water Cascade Jutsu.
On the night he achieved this milestone, at seven o'clock, Mu Yue paid a visit to Hiruzen Sarutobi's home.
"Teacher Mu Yue!" Asuma exclaimed, his face lighting up with a smile as he greeted Mu Yue.
"Teacher Mu Yue, what brings you here at this late hour? Surely not for a tutoring session?" Asuma asked curiously.
It had been a while since they had trained together, and he missed it.
"Mu Yue must have come to seek my guidance in jutsu," Hiruzen said calmly from his seat.
Before Mu Yue could respond, Asuma gave his father a skeptical look and asked, "You're teaching him? Really? What can you teach him?"
Hiruzen's face darkened slightly at his son's lack of faith in him. He was the Third Hokage, renowned throughout the ninja world, and a jutsu master with knowledge of over a thousand secret techniques. Teaching a young jonin like Mu Yue was well within his capabilities.
"The Third Hokage is going to teach me the Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu and the Water Cascade Jutsu, both A-rank jutsu with considerable power," Mu Yue explained with a smile. "The Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu is even an original creation of the Third Hokage."
Hiruzen glanced at Asuma, his eyes conveying a silent message: Even the teacher you respect so much respects me.
"It's certainly not on par with the First's Wood Release, but you'll soon see its power," Hiruzen Sarutobi decided as he prepared to teach Mu Yue, intending to give Asuma a lesson as well.
Hiruzen Sarutobi led the two of them to the backyard and threw a shuriken into the air.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly performed a series of hand seals after throwing the shuriken.
Shhhhh!
The shuriken split into two and then four, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into thousands of shuriken that pierced the ground.
As the thousands of shuriken hit the ground, the earth erupted in a spray of grass, mud, and sand, and the ground was littered with shuriken.
"Well?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his goatee and looked at Mu Yue and Asuma with a smile.
This jutsu was one of his proud creations, and its power was immense.
A shuriken thrown by a ninja was far more powerful than a concealed weapon thrown by an ordinary person. A shuriken thrown by a ninja of his caliber could pierce through boulders, and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu could turn one shuriken into a thousand or ten thousand, making it difficult for enemies to dodge.
"It's indeed quite powerful," Asuma had to admit that this seemingly unimpressive jutsu was actually quite formidable.
"Mu Yue, have you been studying the ninjutsu scrolls I gave you these past few days?" Seeing that his jutsu had impressed his son, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and asked Mu Yue.
"Yes, I've started learning them and can use them to a certain degree, but I'm not as proficient as you, Third Hokage-sama," Mu Yue replied after some thought.
"You can already use them? Show me," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, a little surprised.
The Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu was more difficult than the regular Shadow Clone Jutsu because creating shadow clones of solid objects like shuriken was harder than creating clones of oneself. It was considered one of the more challenging A-rank ninjutsu.
If Mu Yue could learn it in half a month, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have been impressed, but Mu Yue had mastered it in just a week, which left him astonished.
Mu Yue took out a shuriken and threw it into the air before quickly gathering chakra and performing hand seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Shhhhh!
The shuriken quickly split into clones, turning into several dozen shuriken that pierced the ground.
Hiruzen Sarutobi blew out a puff of smoke, his gaze at Mu Yue filled with appreciation. He had initially thought that keeping an educator in Root was a waste of talent, but he had unexpectedly discovered a ninjutsu prodigy.
"Amazing! You learned it in just a few days. As expected of Teacher Mu Yue," Asuma said happily.
"Cough, cough." Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was smoking, was choked by Asuma's words.
He had created over a thousand shuriken clones, and Mu Yue had only created a few dozen, yet Asuma thought Mu Yue was impressive. Just whose son was he anyway?
"Asuma, go take a bath," Hiruzen Sarutobi, feeling that out of sight was out of mind, shooed Asuma back into the house.
"Teacher Mu Yue, keep it up! When you've mastered it, teach me. This old man doesn't know how to teach," Asuma said to Mu Yue before leaving, taking the opportunity to disparage his father.
"Mu Yue, don't mind him," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a headache, rubbing his forehead and looking at Mu Yue helplessly.
His own son had just called him out in front of his face for being a bad teacher.
"Asuma is at that rebellious age, and his heart and mouth don't align. Deep down, he still respects you," Mu Yue said with a smile.
In Mu Yue's opinion, it was almost inevitable that Asuma and Hiruzen Sarutobi would clash when Asuma was younger. There were just too many factors at play.
There was a conflict between Asuma's personality and Hiruzen Sarutobi's, and the pressure of being the son of the Third Hokage would create many points of contention between them.
While Hiruzen Sarutobi was adept at being a politician, he was only an average father.
"I know he's still young, so I don't take it to heart. When he grows up, he'll understand everything I've done for him," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, setting down his pipe and smiling.
Then, he began to teach Mu Yue the secrets to stabilizing the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu to create even more clones.
"Mu Yue, what do you think about working at the Ninja Academy?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked.
"If you don't want to work at the Ninja Academy, I can make you a mentor jonin. You can keep your current team of interns," Hiruzen Sarutobi added.
Now that Mu Yue had displayed the ability to defeat Kaku and an extraordinary talent for ninjutsu, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to focus on cultivating his talents.
Compared to teaching at the Ninja Academy, being a mentor jonin offered more freedom in teaching schedules, allowing one to decide when to teach their disciples and thus having more time to improve their strength. Additionally, one could take on missions to earn money to buy cultivation resources.
Mu Yue shook his head and politely declined the Third Hokage's offer, explaining, "Thank you for your kindness, Third Hokage-sama, but I truly enjoy teaching at the Ninja Academy and being with the students there. It brings me joy and a sense of relaxation."
"But rest assured, Third Hokage-sama, I am also working hard to improve myself outside of teaching. The more knowledge I gain, the better I can educate my students," Mu Yue added.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say that teaching at the Ninja Academy didn't require such high standards, but he ended up encouraging Mu Yue instead, as it was Mu Yue's choice after all.
He guessed that Mu Yue might have seen too much darkness in Root, which was why he favored the innocence of the children at the Ninja Academy.
"Danzo, you almost ruined a genius," Hiruzen Sarutobi thought, feeling fortunate that he had pulled Mu Yue out of Root. He decided that after the war, he would strengthen his control over Root.
In addition to demonstrating the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu he had learned, Mu Yue also asked Hiruzen Sarutobi some questions about the Great Waterfall Technique, setting the stage for his next display of Water Release ninjutsu.
...
The next day, after finishing their morning training, everyone began to rest. Mu Yue selected some of Tobirama's problems and explained them to the entire class, including the students from other teams.
4k words, maybe because I've been staying up late to write recently, often until 2 or 3 in the morning. I feel a bit sluggish today, so I might not reach 10k words, maybe around 7k. Just in case I suddenly drop dead.
(End of Chapter)
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