https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-253-Konoha-Victory-is-Within-Reach/12558261/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-255-The-Disciples-Want-to-Improve-Their-Relationship-with-Mu-Yue/12558263/
Chapter 254: The Idea of a Human-Version Tailed Beast Bomb
Chapter 254: The Idea of a Human-Version Tailed Beast Bomb
Upon hearing Sarutobi's words, Tokai and Kamiyama Shohei, standing beside him, also greeted Mu Yue.
They hadn't known each other before, but having fought together against the jinchuriki, they had forged a good friendship over those few days.
"Sarutobi, you're back. Has the war at the front lines ended?" Mu Yue asked with a slightly surprised expression.
"It's not completely over yet," Sarutobi explained with a smile. "The Hidden Stone hasn't surrendered or signed a peace treaty, but we've driven their forces out of the Grass Country. The war has subsided for now, and my mission is complete. Jiraiya-sensei told me to come back first."
"It's only a matter of time before they're completely defeated. The Leaf is just stronger," Tokai said with a chuckle, filled with confidence from their repeated victories over the Stone ninja.
"I see," Mu Yue nodded. "That must have been tough on all of you. You successfully kept the enemy out of the Fire Country."
As Mu Yue had imagined, the war with the Hidden Stone had temporarily come to an end. Next, if all went as expected, Sarutobi would become the teacher of Obito and his team.
"Haha, Mu Yue, you were one of the key players too. We really had you to thank back then during the fight against the jinchuriki," Tokai laughed and patted Mu Yue's shoulder.
Tokai was deeply impressed by Mu Yue's ninjutsu. His fire release technique had nearly injured the Five-Tails jinchuriki when she was caught off guard, and he had even briefly held off the Four-Tails jinchuriki's lava release on his own.
"It was all thanks to everyone's combined efforts," Mu Yue said with a smile.
"Hey, isn't that Sarutobi?" A young female ninja with a ponytail, who looked very lively, suddenly brightened up at the sight of Sarutobi. She greeted him happily.
There were two other female ninjas of similar age beside her, and they all smiled and greeted Sarutobi as well.
"Hello," Sarutobi smiled back, though he wasn't very familiar with them, he returned the greeting politely.
"Sarutobi, you're so amazing! I just read the latest Konoha Post. You and Jiraiya-sama drove away the jinchuriki. You're a hero of the Leaf!" The ponytailed girl's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Sarutobi.
"It wasn't just me and Jiraiya-sensei," Sarutobi corrected her. "A lot of people contributed."
After all, there was also Mu Yue, Tokai, and Kamiyama Shohei, who had all faced the jinchuriki alongside them.
"Hey, who's this?" One of the three girls, a tall girl with straight black hair, noticed Mu Yue's appearance.
"So, Sarutobi, is he your younger or older brother?" The tall girl with black hair asked curiously after comparing the two men's smiles.
"I'm called Mu Yue. I'm not Asuma Sarutobi's older or younger brother because we're not related by blood or distant relatives," Mu Yue explained, accustomed to such questions.
Sarutobi's expression remained unchanged, and he had also gotten used to such reactions.
"Mu Yue? Isn't he the ninja who fought against the Tailed Beasts alongside Jiraiya-sama in the newspaper?" The ponytailed girl listened to the familiar name and immediately recalled. She looked at Mu Yue in surprise.
"Yes, that's me," Mu Yue smiled and nodded in confirmation.
"You must be tired from the battlefield. How about we treat you to a meal?" The girl with curly hair invited Sarutobi and Mu Yue with her hands together.
The tall girl with black hair and the ponytailed girl silently gave their good sister a thumbs up behind her back.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I have something to do later," Mu Yue politely declined with a gentle smile.
If it were just a meal, he wouldn't mind where they went, but he knew that going with them would involve more than just eating. There would be chatting, drinking, and a lot of time wasted.
He wasn't devoid of desires, but at this stage, he didn't feel like indulging in such distractions. He had a lot on his plate, and it was only thanks to his shadow clones that he could manage everything.
"I have something to do as well, but thank you for the offer," Sarutobi also politely declined with a smile.
He preferred Mu Yue's cooking to restaurant food, and he had just finished reporting his mission. He was planning to go to Mu Yue's place and then bring some of Mu Yue's dishes to find Kushina. He didn't have time to hang out with these unfamiliar female ninjas.
"That's a shame. Let's eat together next time we have the chance," The curly-haired girl said, looking disappointed but not pressing further.
The three girls waved goodbye to Mu Yue and Sarutobi and left.
"That Mu Yue is quite good-looking. Why don't I remember him?"
"He is handsome, but I still like Sarutobi better. It's a shame he didn't agree."
"I think Mu Yue is even better-looking. They both have that gentle and sunny aura, but Mu Yue seems more intelligent and refined."
Tokai and Kamiyama Shohei glared at Mu Yue and Sarutobi, feeling a bit left out.
"Sigh, I shouldn't have stood with you two. Maybe I would've gotten some female attention too," Tokai sighed.
Despite there being three girls, none of them had paid him any mind and instead focused all their attention on Mu Yue and Sarutobi.
"Being approached isn't always a good thing. If Minato gets chatted up by a girl and Kushina finds out, she might get upset if he doesn't explain things properly," Mu Yue said, recalling a previous conversation with Kushina about her concerns over Minato.
Kushina had once asked Mu Yue if any girls had come to visit Minato in her absence, revealing her insecurities.
Minato was relieved that he was someone who knew how to refuse such advances, as Kushina could be difficult to appease when angry, and it would pain him to see her upset.
After a brief chat, the four of them parted ways, with Minato and Mu Yue heading in the same direction as they were neighbors.
Minato returned home and created a shadow clone to clean up while he himself went to Mu Yue's place to help with dinner.
"I've been imposing on you for a long time now. I really appreciate it," Minato said with an apologetic smile as he washed the vegetables.
He felt guilty for not only being unable to join them for dinner but also for the trouble of having Mu Yue package the food for him to take away.
"We're friends; it's only natural to help each other out. Besides, you and Kushina have helped me a lot with sealing techniques, and Kushina even taught me the Four Symbols Seal recently," Mu Yue waved it off with a casual smile.
"Only after learning it did I realize just how powerful that sealing technique is. If not for Kushina, I doubt I would've had the opportunity to learn such an advanced technique."
"The value of a technique lies in it being passed on and used. You have the talent, Mu Yue, and I'm sure Kushina was happy to teach you," Minato said earnestly as he carefully broke the vegetables into pieces.
He was a little surprised at Mu Yue's progress, as the Four Symbols Seal was already a top-tier standard sealing technique.
To celebrate Minato's return, Mu Yue had specially prepared Kushina's favorite braised pork, but as it was a time-consuming dish, they chatted as they waited.
"Compared to us humans, the tailed beasts are truly blessed. They possess an immense amount of chakra and can use terrifyingly powerful jutsu like the Tailed Beast Ball," Mu Yue remarked.
"The Tailed Beast Ball..."
Mu Yue's words brought Minato's thoughts back to the battlefield, and he recalled the blinding white light and the deep crater left by the explosion.
The reason the battle with the tailed beasts was so vividly etched in Minato's memory wasn't because the Tailed Beast Ball had left him traumatized, but because his girlfriend, Kushina, was also a jinchuriki, and the tailed beast within her was the strongest of them all—the Nine-Tails.
The thought of his girlfriend harboring such a fearsome monster within her never failed to make Minato sigh.
"Once the war intensifies, jinchuriki will undoubtedly be sent to the front lines," Minato said, his voice laced with worry.
While Konoha was doing its best to keep Kushina hidden for now, it was only to ensure she gained control over the Nine-Tails and became a usable asset in the war.
Minato was under no illusions about the role of jinchuriki in a ninja village—they weren't meant to be coddled but deployed in times of conflict.
In the midst of such chaos, Minato couldn't guarantee that Konoha would maintain its dominance, and he feared that one day, Kushina might be forced to fight.
Moreover, her opponents wouldn't be ordinary ninjas but other jinchuriki or the elite shinobi of enemy villages.
"It would be great if we had a jutsu as powerful as the Tailed Beast Ball," Minato sighed.
The Tailed Beast Ball was so formidable that even his sensei, Jiraiya, in Sage Mode, could only evade its full force. If Kushina were to face a jinchuriki who could use the Tailed Beast Ball before she mastered it herself, she would be at a severe disadvantage.
"Then why don't we create a jutsu similar to the Tailed Beast Ball?" Mu Yue suggested with a smile.
Minato froze at Mu Yue's words, his eyes widening in surprise.
"If we want a jutsu with similar power, directly imitating and improving upon it might be the fastest way," Mu Yue continued.
"Of course, I'm just joking. The Tailed Beast Ball isn't something that can be easily replicated," Mu Yue added, a hint of humor in his tone.
But Minato's eyes sparkled with excitement as a thought occurred to him. "I think your idea is brilliant, Mu Yue! They're both jutsu, so there's no reason why we can't develop a human version of the Tailed Beast Ball!"
"Theoretically, it's possible," Mu Yue nodded in agreement.
"The Tailed Beast Ball is spherical, and it doesn't seem to be a nature transformation of the five basic natures. We can start by creating a regular chakra ball to imitate it and then..."
Minato's eyes shone with inspiration, and he became increasingly convinced that humans could indeed create their own version of the Tailed Beast Ball.
"I've packed the food for you. You should head out soon," Mu Yue said, bringing Minato back to the present as he handed him the packaged meal.
Minato thanked Mu Yue and hurried off to see Kushina.
(End of Chapter)
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