https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-310-The-Power-of-Interconnected-Worlds/12558404/
Chapter 311: A New Disciple
Chapter 311: A New Disciple
The forest fell into an eerie silence as everyone present was stunned by Kakashi's sudden action. In the quiet that followed, his final words rang out clearly to all who heard them.
"How is this possible? How could Ajimi Hukuda be killed just like that?" Momochi Zabuza exclaimed in disbelief as he stared at the two halves of Ajimi Hukuda, split in half by Kakashi's blade.
This wasn't some genin or chunin; Ajimi was a fairly well-known jonin in Kirigakure, and yet he had been dispatched in an instant.
"Is this the power of protection?" Zabuza's worldview was shaken to its core.
He was certain Kakashi hadn't possessed this strength before. If he had, their previous battle wouldn't have been so difficult. If Kakashi could take out Ajimi in a second, he could have done the same to Kisame Hoshigaki, but their fight had dragged on for a while.
Zabuza couldn't comprehend the motivation to protect others that had driven Kakashi to unleash such terrifying power.
"Is this guy really a genin? I'm starting to doubt it," Kurotsuchi said, her expression one of disbelief.
She now suspected that Kakashi might be a powerful Konoha ninja in disguise, pretending to be weak during their earlier battle.
"As expected of my dear friend. I can't wait for our next battle," Might Guy exclaimed, giving Kakashi a thumbs-up after his initial surprise.
Guy was genuinely perplexed by Kakashi's performance. Despite appearing to be on the verge of collapse from his injuries and not exuding a powerful aura, Kakashi's strike had been enough to take down a jonin.
"I knew you would succeed," Yahiko Nohara said softly, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at Kakashi and Obito.
She knew that her own strength wasn't enough to end the war, so she did what she could—providing unwavering support to Kakashi and Obito from behind the scenes.
"So that's how it ended," Shika Nara said, his expression a mix of surprise, relief, and contemplation.
He deeply agreed with Kakashi's final statement—the Kakashi before him was indeed the most brilliant genius.
Obito quickly moved to support Kakashi, who was about to collapse, and shook his body gently. "Kakashi, are you alright? I admit, that last move of yours was brilliant."
Kakashi, his eyes closed, didn't have the energy to speak. The last strike had drained the very last bit of his strength, and now he was truly exhausted. However, Obito's words brought a faint smile to his face.
"What do we do now? Can you still heal him, Yahiko?" Obito asked anxiously, his eyes darting between Yahiko and Kakashi.
Although they had won the battle, everyone was in a dire state, with severe injuries and exhaustion. Most of them were so badly hurt that they couldn't even walk.
Yahiko shook her head and took out some bandages. "I used the last of my chakra to heal you, Obito. All I can do now is bandage his wounds."
If she had more chakra, Yahiko would have started healing immediately, but she was still injured herself.
"Let me heal them," Mu Yue said, appearing suddenly among the group.
"Teacher Mu Yue!" Obito exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy at the sight of Mu Yue. Her medical ninjutsu was even more advanced than Yahiko's.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Mu Yue formed the necessary hand seals and created nine shadow clones, each using the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the nine Konoha examinees.
As for Kisame and the others, Mu Yue left them be for the moment. Given the circumstances, it was already a blessing that she didn't tie them up and imprison them.
"Teacher Mu Yue, your timing is impeccable," Obito said with a relieved smile, his earlier tension melting away.
From now on, he wasn't afraid of any Kirigakure jonin, or even the Mizukage, showing up. He trusted that Mu Yue would protect them.
"I'd say I'm not too late rather than timely. Being timely would've meant resolving this at the very start, before any danger arose," Mu Yue said, shaking her head.
She was a rational person, but that didn't mean she was devoid of emotion. Standing in the shadows and watching her disciples get injured one after another had not been easy for her.
"Well, the end result is the same. And if it weren't for you, Teacher Mu Yue, we would've been in grave danger," Obito said nonchalantly.
After all, both outcomes meant their enemies were dealt with and they were safe, just that one path was a bit more challenging.
"Exactly," Guy said, giving a thumbs-up in agreement.
Under Mu Yue's healing, Kakashi's condition gradually improved, and he regained some of his strength. When he heard Obito address Mu Yue as 'Teacher,' he finally relaxed, knowing that everything would be fine from now on.
As Kakashi opened his eyes again, his vision returned to normal, free from the previous disturbance. However, instead of dwelling on that, he asked Mu Yue, "Teacher Mu Yue, has something happened in Kirigakure or the village?"
Hearing Mu Yue's words, Kakashi fell into deep thought, unable to fathom Kirigakure's motives.
The reason for assassinating Konoha's genius genin was a bit far-fetched, as Kirigakure wouldn't know which ninjas would participate in the Chunin Exams. Moreover, sending their own village's genius ninja on such a mission seemed incredibly foolish.
"Just get some rest, and don't think too much about it," Mu Yue said with a smile. "As examinees, you've already done your best."
Even Mu Yue couldn't accurately predict how this situation would unfold. Although he suspected Uchiha Madara was behind it, this guess was obviously something he couldn't voice out loud. In the minds of Konoha's ninjas, Uchiha Madara had long been killed by Senju Hashirama.
Mu Yue instructed his shadow clones to continue healing his disciples while he walked over to Kisame Hoshigaki and the others.
"Tell me everything you know," Mu Yue said, his gentle smile fading as he spoke in a flat tone.
He didn't expect to get any useful information from the three, but this was a necessary procedure.
"Unfortunately, I'm just a discarded pawn, and I know nothing," Zabuza Momochi replied nonchalantly, having recovered from his initial shock.
He didn't have any favorable feelings towards Kirigakure's higher-ups, but he truly knew nothing. His only instruction was to perform well in the Chunin Exams and suppress the Konoha ninjas.
"My mission was simply to achieve good results in the exams. As for how you deal with me, that's up to you. I honestly have no idea why a jonin would infiltrate the exams," Haku added, echoing Zabuza's sentiments.
Kisame's response was similar to Zabuza's and Haku's; all three of them feigned ignorance.
As Mu Yue had expected, he didn't gain any valuable information from them. However, he didn't seem concerned, as his focus was elsewhere—on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After ensuring that Kakashi and the others had been fully healed, Mu Yue decided to escort them back to the central tower.
However, since Nara Shikamaru's squad hadn't gathered the Heaven and Earth scrolls yet, they didn't accompany Mu Yue and instead continued with the exam.
Mu Yue didn't terminate the Chunin Exams, but he dispatched ninjas to monitor all the Kirigakure examinees. If any of them acted suspiciously, they were to be arrested immediately.
Once they reached the central tower, Mu Yue's disciples began discussing the recent events, while Mu Yue opened the panel to check his rewards.
['Disciple Hatake Kakashi's trust level has increased. Current trust level: 4.'
'Four disciples have reached trust level 4. Reward: Additional disciple slot +1.']
A smile appeared on Mu Yue's face as he saw this reward, which he valued more than a perfect-level skill.
If he started cultivating a disciple from below the age of ten and they developed well, the rewards would be immense. They would not only gain various skills but also provide a large amount of chakra through the 'Tutor's Return.'
Mu Yue intended to return and carefully consider whom to bestow this additional slot upon.
This reward was hard-earned, and Mu Yue wasn't sure if there would be further increases in the future, so he wanted to be prudent in his choice.
Continuing to view the system messages, Mu Yue noticed that Kakashi had not only increased his trust level but had also unlocked a growth reward.
['Disciple Hatake Kakashi has diligently trained under your guidance and made significant progress. Reward: Earth Release: Lightweight Rock Technique (Mastered).']
Mu Yue nodded in satisfaction, as this was a very useful reward, perhaps even more valuable to him than the previously acquired 'Heavy Rock Technique.'
The Lightweight Rock Technique would allow him to fly, a rare ability in the world of ninjas, usually achieved through summoning creatures.
While the Heavy Rock Technique was also a high-level earth jutsu, it focused more on offense, and Mu Yue already possessed other potent offensive capabilities.
…………
Through the use of the Telescope Technique, Sarutobi Hiruzen observed that Yuan Shi was having tea with several Kirigakure ninjas in a tearoom in Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered most of the Anbu to wait outside and then entered the tearoom with several elite Anbu members, making their way to the private room where Yuan Shi was located.
"Hokage, what brings you here?" Yuan Shi asked, a hint of unease in his voice as he noticed Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Konoha Anbu trailing behind him.
"Then perhaps you can explain why, just now, Kakeru Higurashi infiltrated the Chunin Exams venue and launched an attack on our Konoha examinee team?" Hiruzen Sarutobi inquired, his gaze fixed on Yuan Shi as he released a powerful aura, his anger barely restrained.
Yuan Shi's face twitched slightly. Despite Sarutobi's calm tone, he could sense the fiery rage emanating from the renowned Third Hokage of the ninja world.
"As expected of the Hokage, this terrifying aura... Your strength surpasses that of the Third Mizukage," Yuan Shi thought to himself, internally comparing Sarutobi to the leader of his own village.
Beside Yuan Shi, the jonin accompanying him trembled, cold sweat dripping from his forehead as he struggled to withstand the oppressive aura.
"Hokage, there must be some misunderstanding," Yuan Shi said calmly. "Our visit to Konoha was never intended as an act of hostility."
Second only to the Mizukage in terms of authority within Kirigakure, Yuan Shi was privy to all the village's plans and arrangements. He was certain that no orders had been given to assassinate the Konoha examinees.
"Misunderstanding? Let's go and see if it truly is a misunderstanding," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, rising to his feet and gesturing for Yuan Shi to follow him towards the Forest of Death. There, not only would they find surveillance records, but also the corpse of Kakeru Higurashi.
Sarutobi found the situation peculiar, and though he was furious, he refrained from taking immediate action, curious to hear Yuan Shi's explanation.
As they exited the tearoom and encountered the surrounding ANBU, Yuan Shi's belief in Sarutobi's earlier statement solidified. Kakeru Higurashi had indeed attacked the Konoha examinees during the Chunin Exams.
If something like this hadn't occurred, Konoha wouldn't have initiated such a large-scale operation against them, especially considering they were already at war with two other major ninja villages. It would be sheer madness to provoke Kirigakure at this time.
"Who could be behind this? Could it be the work of the hawkish faction?" Yuan Shi wondered.
He desperately wanted to avoid a conflict with Konoha, especially since he was still within their village.
Sarutobi led Yuan Shi to the central tower of the Chunin Exams venue and pulled up the surveillance records of Kakeru Higurashi's attack on Obito and his team.
Yuan Shi's brows furrowed as he watched the footage of Kakeru relentlessly assaulting Obito and the others.
Sarutobi allowed the footage to play for a few minutes before turning to Yuan Shi. Without a satisfactory explanation, Yuan Shi and his companions would not be leaving Konoha.
"I deeply apologize for what has transpired," Yuan Shi said, handing his cane to the Kirigakure shinobi beside him before bowing deeply to Sarutobi.
"However, I can assure you that Kirigakure has no involvement in this matter. Kakeru Higurashi must be a spy from another ninja village, hidden within our ranks, aiming to sabotage the friendship between our villages!" Yuan Shi asserted firmly.
He couldn't fathom why Kakeru would act in such a manner, but in this situation, the best explanation was that Kakeru was a spy.
"Third Hokage, here is the body of Kakeru Higurashi," Mu Yue stepped forward and presented a sealed scroll containing Kakeru's corpse to Sarutobi.
Sarutobi nodded. Whether Kakeru was a spy or not wasn't something Yuan Shi could decide with mere words. The truth would lie in the memories stored within his corpse.
For efficiency and accuracy, Sarutobi summoned the clan leader of the Yamanaka clan to use their secret technique to examine Kakeru's memories.
Yuan Shi maintained his composure, confident that even if Konoha discovered who had manipulated Kakeru, he would be able to launch a cleansing operation upon his return.
Sarutobi found Yuan Shi's self-assured demeanor intriguing, and a thought crossed his mind, "Could this unexpected incident during the Chunin Exams truly have nothing to do with Kirigakure's plans?"
The Yamanaka clan leader placed his hand on Kakeru's head, closed his eyes, and began employing his secret technique.
Although Kakeru's body had been split in two, as long as his brain remained intact, his memories could still be accessed.
However, as the clan leader delved deeper into Kakeru's mind, his brows furrowed, and he opened his eyes.
"Third Hokage, his brain has been damaged by a jutsu, and his memories are inaccessible," the Yamanaka clan leader reported.
(End of Chapter)
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