https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-252-Uchiha-From-Warring-States-Rivals-to-Clan-Annihilation/12558260/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-254-The-Idea-of-a-Human-Version-Tailed-Beast-Bomb/12558262/
Chapter 253: Konoha: Victory is Within Reach
Chapter 253: Konoha: Victory is Within Reach
On a regular day, Mu Yue, having finished training with her disciples, was walking back to her home in the main district.
Along the way, she noticed that the official Konoha newspaper was on sale and bought a copy out of curiosity.
The Konoha newspaper was established by Tobirama Senju during his tenure as the Second Hokage. However, it was not a daily or weekly publication but rather an occasional one, released at irregular intervals.
Typically, it was only published when significant events occurred, such as a war, a notable victory for Konoha, or the appointment of a new Hokage. These special editions would have a much higher circulation.
Upon returning home, Mu Yue sat down to read the newspaper, knowing that it only published important news that was worth reading.
"Frontline forces have dealt consecutive crushing blows to the Iwagakure ninja troops; victory is within reach!"
The bold headline immediately caught her attention, indicating that the newspaper primarily focused on the ongoing war.
"The Iwagakure ninja forces launched a premeditated and unprecedented assault on our frontline positions, deploying both the Jinchuriki of Four-Tails and Five-Tails, along with elite ninja like Iwa ninja bomber unit's Hunter. In the face of this sudden attack, our ninja demonstrated the Will of Fire, with the frontline commander, Jiraiya, personally leading an elite squad against the Jinchuriki..."
The main story detailed Jiraiya's embodiment of the Will of Fire as he protected the frontline ninja and severely wounded the Jinchuriki of Five-Tails, while also highlighting the exceptional skills of Konoha's elite jonin, Minato Namikaze, and his achievements in the war that earned him the moniker of "Yellow Flash."
It was through the newspaper that Mu Yue learned that shortly after their departure, Konoha and Iwagakure clashed once more. This time, Konoha took the initiative and drove the Iwagakure forces to the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass.
Mu Yue also spotted her name in the latter part of the newspaper.
The article portrayed Mu Yue as a bearer of the Will of Fire. Despite merely carrying out a C-rank food delivery mission, she chose to step onto the battlefield and fight for the protection of the village. During the battle, she defeated the powerful Explosion Style user, Hunter, and played a significant role in repelling the Jinchuriki.
Obito, Kakashi, and their team were also mentioned in the newspaper, but they were not named. Instead, they were collectively referred to as members of the squad led by Mu Yue.
"I won't be an unknown special jonin anymore," Mu Yue thought as she put down the newspaper.
As the official newspaper of Konoha, and with its track record of reporting major events, the publication had decent sales. Ninja would typically buy it, and even ordinary people interested in the state of the ninja world would purchase it.
Although Mu Yue's name was only mentioned briefly towards the end, it was not common for someone to be featured by their full name in the newspaper. Those in the know would understand the significance of her accomplishments, and while it might be difficult to gain fame directly in Konoha, it would certainly spark discussions within the ninja community.
Fame was a positive development for Mu Yue, as there were times when having a reputation could be advantageous.
However, there were also potential drawbacks. For instance, Danzo, who had previously been uninterested in Mu Yue, might now be reminded that he had a subordinate who had slipped away and was now becoming increasingly powerful.
Fortunately, Mu Yue was well-prepared, and there were no loopholes in her story. There was no way Danzo could force her to return to the Root Organization, as Hiruzen Sarutobi would make it clear to Danzo who the real Hokage was.
The newspaper did not significantly impact Mu Yue's life, as her main body maintained a simple routine, either teaching her disciples in the Southern Forest or studying sealing techniques and developing breathing techniques at her home in the main district.
However, it did create some buzz around her shadow clone that taught at the Ninja Academy.
Some of the teachers who saw the newspaper were shocked to find Mu Yue's name mentioned. They might not know the full extent of Hunter's abilities, but they could grasp the weight of her contribution in repelling the Jinchuriki.
To most ninja, Jinchuriki were the ace cards of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the most terrifying forces on the battlefield.
For Mu Yue to have played a significant role in such a high-level battle was, in the eyes of the jonin teachers, simply astonishing.
"Teacher Mu Yue, you actually went to the battlefield and helped Jiraiya-sama repel the Jinchuriki!" exclaimed Sakuta Kimura, his face a picture of astonishment.
If one day Yuu Ikegami were to tell him that a beautiful girl was pursuing him, the impact would likely be similar to the shock he felt from the newspaper article.
Although Sakuta knew that Mu Yue was different from them and recognized her exceptional teaching abilities that had caught the Hokage's attention, leading to her rapid promotion to assistant homeroom teacher within a year of joining the academy, he still couldn't help but be amazed.
"No wonder you took a leave of absence recently, Teacher Mu Yue. Was it because you were busy on the battlefield and didn't have time to replenish your shadow clones?" Ueda Aya guessed.
Mu Yue nodded. To prevent fatigue from building up, she regularly dismissed the shadow clone she kept at the Ninja Academy, maintaining it at a state where even a memory feedback wouldn't cause too much of an issue. Sometimes, if a mission took too long, she had no choice but to take a leave of absence.
"Although it sounds a bit exaggerated, it's reasonable if we're talking about Teacher Mu Yue," Ikehata Isamu said, initially surprised but quickly accepting it.
After all, Mu Yue was the kind of person who would use a shadow clone to teach her students while also taking interns on missions.
While the Shadow Clone Technique was indeed a convenient ninjutsu, no one would want to use it to do double the work because it was genuinely exhausting. Even oxen used for plowing fields weren't worked that hard.
Given Mu Yue's diligence, it made sense for her to be a bit stronger, and the only questionable point was why someone with her strength would be teaching at the Ninja Academy.
"It's really nothing. I was just assisting Jiraiya-sama in battle. He was the one doing most of the work," Mu Yue humbly replied with a gentle smile.
"That's still impressive. Your opponent was a jinchuriki; the battle must have been extremely dangerous," Kimura Ki exclaimed.
If he possessed such strength, he wouldn't be teaching at the Ninja Academy; instead, he would choose to become an instructor for jonin.
"With such an achievement, you'll probably be promoted to a formal jonin soon."
Witnessing a colleague younger than himself progress from a chunin to a special jonin and now potentially a jonin, Kimura Ki felt not a hint of jealousy. The gap between them was just too vast for him to even contemplate such a feat.
Moreover, Mu Yue had a pleasant personality. Even though she was now part of the Ninja Academy's upper management, she continued to stay in their small office, maintaining her initial demeanor toward them, ordinary teachers, without any hint of status affecting her behavior. Facing such a Mu Yue, Kimura Ki couldn't bring himself to be sour-grapeish and instead felt only blessings for her.
Curiosity came and went swiftly, as Mu Yue was someone they saw every day. The teachers were excited for a few days, but soon, things returned to normal.
Mu Yue's accomplishment on the battlefield didn't create any waves among the student body because no student would buy a newspaper to read. Although the paper wasn't expensive, wouldn't it be better to spend that money on snacks?
Unless the news spread extremely widely and many villagers were discussing it, then the students might become aware.
But Mu Yue's performance this time didn't seem to reach that level, as even Minato wasn't mentioned in the report—the protagonist of the article was Jiraiya.
As Mu Yue walked down the street, she could hear many people discussing how Jiraiya had driven back two jinchuriki. Even non-ninjas seriously debated the strengths of the Sannin and jinchuriki, and some even argued about it, reminiscent of the scenes from her previous world where netizens argued about the battle prowess of various characters.
Such an impact was due not only to the report but also to Jiraiya's high reputation in Konoha as one of the Sannin.
Although the title "Sannin of the Leaf" was given to them by their enemy, it didn't imply shame or disgrace because it was bestowed by Shima, the boss of the Amegakure.
Even though he wasn't a Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, Shima's formidable strength granted him high fame in the ninja world, and he was recognized as a top-tier ninja. Some even believed that Shima might be stronger than the current Kages.
A title given by such a formidable figure naturally wasn't shameful but instead represented acknowledgment from a top-tier ninja of the ninja world.
Compared to Jiraiya, the current Minato naturally fell a bit short in the eyes of most people, seen merely as a promising young man.
"Why are they all discussing Jiraiya-sama? I think Teacher Mu Yue is amazing as well," Obito said during a training break, having not read the newspaper but sensing the village's atmosphere.
"Are you talking about Jiraiya-sama, Obito? Why do you call him 'Toad Hermit'?" Yahiko thought for a moment and asked curiously.
"Because he calls himself a Toad Hermit, but I don't think he's worthy of the title, so I call him 'Toad Hermit Obito' instead," Obito explained.
Obito believed that to be called a hermit, one had to possess some abilities that others didn't. For example, the hermit named Fukasaku and the hermit named Shima had lived for a long time, and the Six Paths Hermit was a mythical existence.
"It's a newspaper published in Konoha, documenting all the major events that happen here. This particular issue is about the war in the Land of Grass," Kakashi explained briefly.
"So, will we be mentioned in it?" Obito's eyes lit up, and he immediately became interested in this Konoha newspaper.
"If we really had to say..." Kakashi trailed off.
Before he could finish, Obito interrupted, "Do you have it with you, Kakashi? Let me see it."
Noticing Obito's eagerness, Kakashi didn't explain further and instead tossed the folded newspaper to him.
"Little Rin, you haven't read it either, have you? Let's read it together and see what it says about me." Obito quickly ran over to Rin and invited her to join him as he sat down.
"Mhm." Curious and equally uninformed, Rin nodded in agreement.
Obito placed the newspaper on their laps and lowered his head to scrutinize the content.
"As expected of our Konoha! We're on the verge of victory in the war!" Obito exclaimed with a smug smile as he took in the boldest, most prominent headline.
However, his smile soon faded as he continued reading. Most of the article focused on Jiraiya, followed by accounts of how the Konoha ninja forces persevered through the Will of Fire to defeat their enemies. Further on, there was mention of Minato Namikaze, and only toward the end did he find Mu Yue's name.
"Kakashi, did you buy this without even reading it? Our names aren't mentioned at all," Obito said indignantly, intending to show off.
"That's what I was about to say before you interrupted. We are mentioned, but not by name," Kakashi replied, walking over and pointing to a particular paragraph.
Obito looked at where Kakashi was pointing and unconsciously read aloud, "'In addition to Mu Yue, the members of her squad also contributed to the war effort, with the entire team embodying and practicing the Will of Fire.'"
Obito was bewildered. When had he ever understood and practiced the Will of Fire? He had no recollection of it, and whenever it came up on exams, he tended to lose marks on those questions.
"Why didn't they write our names then?" Obito asked, puzzled.
"Take a closer look at the content. See how many names you can find," Kakashi calmly advised.
Obito examined the newspaper more carefully and realized that in the entire issue, only five Konoha ninja were mentioned by name, and two of them appeared only once. Mu Yue's position in the article was relatively prominent, placing her in the top three in terms of coverage.
"That's how this newspaper works," Kakashi said as he took the paper back and folded it. "Unless you're an important figure, your name usually won't be mentioned."
"One day, I'll be the one they write about at length," Obito declared, thinking of the extensive coverage Jiraiya had received. He felt a spark of ambition, envisioning himself replacing the Sannin one day.
"If you work hard, anything is possible," Mu Yue said with a smile as she finished teaching her disciples the Great Waterfall Technique.
"Your graduation exam is coming up soon, in just two weeks. This time, there won't be a theoretical exam, so showcase your strengths," Mu Yue encouraged, patting Obito on the shoulder.
The graduation exam for the ninja school didn't test theoretical knowledge but rather practical application of a randomly selected basic ninjutsu.
"As long as there's no theory, I'll be fine," Obito boasted, patting his chest confidently.
Mu Yue nodded. With the enhancement of the Upgrade Professor, even Might Guy could master these simple techniques to a decent level. Passing the ninja school exam would be a breeze for them.
After finishing her lesson with her disciples, Mu Yue returned home as usual. However, on her way back, she ran into an acquaintance.
"Mu Yue," Minato called out with a warm smile, having also noticed her as he conversed with his teammates.
(End of Chapter)
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