Chapter 333: Students Striking Gold
Chapter 333: Students Striking Gold
Asuma stopped in his tracks, wondering if he had heard wrong.
Although it wasn't a compliment about being proud or impressive, it was still an acknowledgment Asuma had never received before.
When he had first achieved top marks in practical combat at the Ninja Academy, he had eagerly rushed home to tell Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't shown much reaction, merely uttering a lackluster "oh?" as if it were a trivial matter.
Initially, Asuma had hoped to hear his father say that he was proud of him. At that time, Asuma greatly admired his father, the Hokage—a position that everyone in the village aspired to and respected.
No matter what achievements Asuma garnered at the Ninja Academy, he couldn't earn Sarutobi Hiruzen's approval. Gradually, his expectations diminished. At first, he had wanted to receive praise from Sarutobi Hiruzen, but later, he would have been content with just a nod of acknowledgment.
Yet, that never happened. In Asuma's memory, Sarutobi Hiruzen only ever lectured him, urging him to learn from his steady older brother and to look up to Orochimaru during his time at the Ninja Academy.
"Who else would be teaching me if not you, Mu Yue?" Asuma replied with a twist of his lips.
Although Asuma still didn't have a favorable impression of Sarutobi Hiruzen, it was clear that the tension between them had eased.
"Feel free to ask me if there's anything you don't understand. I have quite a bit of insight when it comes to combination ninjutsu," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, exhaling a puff of white smoke.
"Can you really teach well?" Asuma was skeptical.
He didn't doubt Sarutobi Hiruzen's understanding of combination ninjutsu or his own strength—after all, the title of Hokage carried significant weight. However, whether he could teach well was another matter entirely.
"Then, I'll teach Mu Yue first, and then he can teach you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, exasperated, as his teaching abilities were once again questioned.
Perhaps the only person in Konoha who would dare to openly challenge his teaching abilities was Asuma.
"I think that's a great idea," Asuma said, his eyes lighting up as he felt that this arrangement might be better than having Sarutobi Hiruzen teach him directly.
"Go on and practice now," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, rubbing his forehead and urging Asuma to leave. This child was truly a source of constant worry.
Humming a tune, Asuma exited the Hokage's office, feeling rather pleased. He even closed the office door gently behind him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and continued with his paperwork.
Before long, the office door was opened again, and Danzo Shimura walked in.
"Hiruzen…" Danzo Shimura began to speak, only to be interrupted by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Why didn't you knock? And during work hours, address me by my title," Sarutobi Hiruzen said sternly.
Danzo Shimura was taken aback. Usually, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't mind his informal address, but today, he seemed as irritable as if he had swallowed a explosive tag.
"Hiruzen, you…"
"It's still work hours," Sarutobi Hiruzen emphasized again.
Danzo Shimura didn't know what had gotten into Sarutobi Hiruzen, but rank had its privileges. Finally, Danzo Shimura reluctantly addressed him as "Third Hokage."
Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression soften as he asked, "What is it?"
"I need Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito to join the Root Organization," Danzo Shimura stated his request directly.
"Your Root Organization still lacks two Chunin-level members?" Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of agreeing to Danzo's request.
"They are Chunin now, but they have great potential. The Root Organization needs ninjas like them," Danzo continued.
"This matter is not up for discussion. The Root Organization cannot continue to expand. If I find out that you are secretly developing illegal members again, I will cut the Root Organization's funding," Sarutobi Hiruzen warned.
He knew that Danzo was not an honest person, and even if he refused Danzo's request, Danzo might still pull some strings behind the scenes. Thus, he issued a warning in advance.
"Hatake Kakashi can be excluded, but Uchiha Obito must join the Root Organization. A Uchiha with his potential is too dangerous. We must remain vigilant to prevent another Uchiha Madara from emerging," Danzo revealed his true purpose.
Obito was his true target, and he had only included Kakashi to set up this statement.
Danzo Shimura always kept in mind his teacher Senju Tobirama's teachings—that the Uchiha clan was inherently evil and that they must always be vigilant towards them.
If it were an ordinary Uchiha, he wouldn't be so concerned. But Uchiha Obito, at the mere age of nine, had already awakened the Double Sharingan and possessed exceptional fire-style jutsu. This made Danzo Shimura uneasy.
Although he had been secretly cultivating a Wood Style user, that ninja was significantly younger than Obito. If Obito were to rebel like Uchiha Madara before the Wood Style user matured, it would spell disaster.
"Obito is an Uchiha with the Will of Fire. He isn't dangerous. I believe that under Minato's guidance, Obito will become the next Uchiha Kagami," Sarutobi Hiruzen said as he placed a smoking pipe in his mouth and took a puff.
Based on Obito's current performance, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't consider him dangerous at all. On the contrary, he had high hopes for Obito, and he trusted that Minato would guide Obito far better than Danzo could.
"Have you forgotten the teachings of Sensei?" Danzo asked, dissatisfied.
"Those Uchiha are too dangerous. Despite how well the village treats them, they still harbor thoughts of rebellion."
Danzo attempted to remind Sarutobi Hiruzen of the Uchiha clan's treacherous nature by bringing up the coup d'etat attempt during Senju Tobirama's reign, led by a faction of the Uchiha clan.
"Sensei also said that the Uchiha clan needs proper guidance," Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.
"Instead of focusing on that, you should direct more of your attention to gathering intelligence on enemy nations," Sarutobi Hiruzen flatly refused Danzo's proposal.
Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't going to budge, and considering his initial attitude, Danzo's anger burned within him.
"Hiruzen, you will regret this!" Danzo left those cold words behind as he slammed the door of the Hokage's office shut.
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained unperturbed and continued with his paperwork, feeling much more at ease.
Can't handle your own son? And you can't handle me, Danzo, either?
Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of allowing the Root Organization to continue expanding. If the Root Organization grew too powerful, it would become a tail that wagged the dog.
The Root Organization was a department established by Danzo Shimura under the pretext of cultivating ANBU. Initially, it was just a small affiliate of the ANBU, but under Danzo Shimura's efforts, its influence had steadily grown to the point where it was becoming a hidden force within the shadows of Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen would not let this situation continue. If the Root Organization's strength surpassed that of the ANBU, it would be a recipe for disaster.
While Sarutobi Hiruzen felt relieved in his office, Danzo Shimura seethed with anger after leaving.
In his youth, he had been no less talented than Sarutobi Hiruzen, yet now he was suppressed by him at every turn.
"If Sensei had chosen me back then, Konoha would surely be even stronger today!" Danzo Shimura thought bitterly.
At that moment, Danzo suddenly thought of his subordinate, who was no longer a member of the Root Organization.
It seemed that Mu Yue was Uchiha Obito's mentor and held his respect. Danzo surmised that Mu Yue must have a good understanding of Obito.
Without further ado, Danzo immediately returned to the Root Organization and wrote a letter to be delivered to Mu Yue.
He needed Mu Yue's assessment of Obito to determine his dangerousness, and he also instructed Mu Yue to keep a close eye on Obito. Should Obito display any intentions detrimental to Konoha, Mu Yue was to report back immediately, thus giving Danzo a reason to bring Obito into the Root Organization.
As for why he chose Mu Yue instead of directly assigning other Root members to tail Obito, it was because Minato Namikaze possessed sensory abilities, making it difficult for Root members to remain undetected. Additionally, as Obito's teacher, Mu Yue was someone Obito trusted and had no reservations around.
Currently, Obito's strength didn't warrant exclusive surveillance. With the ongoing war, only a handful of ANBU from the entire Uchiha clan were assigned to monitor him.
[...]
[Disciple, Kakashi Hatake, diligently trained and achieved perfect results in the Chunin Exams, advancing to the rank of Chunin. Rewards: Chakra +1800, Random Bloodline Limit Scroll]
[Disciple, Might Guy, diligently trained and achieved excellent results in the Chunin Exams, advancing to the rank of Chunin. Rewards: Chakra +1500, Taijutsu Extraction Scroll·S (Mastery Level)]
[Disciple, Uchiha Obito, diligently trained and achieved excellent results in the Chunin Exams, advancing to the rank of Chunin. Rewards: Chakra +1200, Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll·A (Mastery Level)]
[Extraction Scrolls: The higher the level, the greater the chance of obtaining excellent rewards.]
The rewards this time could be described as abundant, even beyond Mu Yue's expectations. The three disciples combined had contributed a total of 4,500 chakra, bringing Mu Yue's chakra to over 70,000.
As for the remaining rewards, Mu Yue couldn't immediately discern if they were good or bad. The extraction process was highly unpredictable, and drawing a duplicate or useless skill would render even a Mastery Level useless.
However, according to the system's introduction, higher-level extraction scrolls were less likely to yield useless skills.
Mu Yue thought for a moment, then went to the bathroom to wash his hands. Afterward, he silently prayed to all the gods he knew—from Taoist ancestors to Buddha and God—before beginning the extraction process.
After all, it was a risk-free endeavor. If the rewards turned out to be useful, it would be a huge gain; if not, there was no loss.
Mu Yue first used the lowest-ranked Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll·A.
A massive roulette wheel appeared before Mu Yue, and with just a glance, he could see the myriad of abilities from myriad worlds.
"So, it's not just the Fire Shadow's ninjutsu, but I can also draw skills from other worlds and localize them." Mu Yue realized his initial misconception.
Since the Proficiency and Mastery Scrolls couldn't upgrade skills like Nature Transformation, Mu Yue had assumed that the Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll would only contain the Fire Shadow's ninjutsu.
Mu Yue clicked on the center of the roulette wheel, and as it spun with dazzling lights, it gradually slowed down. The chosen skill was enlarged on the roulette screen, and its information appeared in Mu Yue's mind.
[Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll·A has been consumed. Obtained Skill—Orochi Slash (Mastery Level)]
Orochi Slash was a deadly technique of the Kusagakure-ryu ancient martial art. Mu Yue wasn't sure how it fared in the King of Fighters world, but after localization, it became a powerful fire-style jutsu, perfectly suited for those who practiced the Breath of Flame.
Mu Yue then proceeded to use the Taijutsu Extraction Scroll·S.
[Taijutsu Extraction Scroll·S has been consumed. Obtained Skill—Mylon Legend·Blade Severing Sword·Golden Horizon Line (Mastery Level)]
Upon seeing this reward, Mu Yue was surprised. He quickly searched his memory and confirmed that it was indeed the extremely powerful taijutsu he remembered.
Golden Horizon Line was somewhat similar to the Third Raikage's Hell Stab, as they both utilized finger attacks. However, the similarities ended there, as Golden Horizon Line's power didn't depend on the number of fingers used, nor did it involve nature transformation.
After localization, Golden Horizon Line became an extremely pure taijutsu. Once mastered, one could unleash its tremendous power even without chakra.
Mu Yue was quite pleased with this reward. This taijutsu was not only powerful but also perfectly suited for Might Guy. As for the other disciples, Mu Yue believed that it would be challenging for them to learn.
Finally, Mu Yue turned his attention to the Bloodline Limit Scroll, which had no level and truly relied on luck.
Both the Rinnegan and Sharingan were considered bloodline limits, and there was a chance to draw them. However, regular Byakugan and Sharingan were also possibilities, as well as other bloodline limits like Blast Release and Boil Release.
Without hesitation, Mu Yue clicked to draw.
[Random Bloodline Limit Scroll has been consumed. Obtained Reward—Ice Release]
Mu Yue sighed inwardly. It seemed that his luck wasn't extraordinary.
Then, he thought again. Even if he had drawn the Rinnegan or Sharingan, he couldn't use them at the moment because he lacked sufficient chakra. Although those dojutsu greatly enhanced one's strength, without ample chakra to support them, they would be useless.
For Mu Yue, not drawing the Mangekyo Sharingan was already a relief. At this stage, the Mangekyo Sharingan would bring more harm than good. The regular Mangekyo Sharingan had severe side effects, and unless one possessed a powerful ability like Kamui, it wasn't worth the risk.
In comparison, Ice Release was a decent draw, and it could even be used to make ice cubes for cooling off during hot weather.
Mu Yue glanced at his current panel.
[Name: Mu Yue Hanyu]
[Chakra: 72,800]
[Skills: Golden Horizon Line (Mastery), Orochi Slash (Mastery), Ice Release (Entry Level),...]
Mu Yue decided that after the special training, once he had mastered the Earth and Lightning nature transformations and brought them to the Mastery Level, he would shift his focus to obtaining different types of rewards to increase his chakra.
He already possessed several Proficiency-level ninjutsu in each chakra attribute, along with numerous lower-level and quite a few Mastery-level skills. This meant that he was already well-equipped to handle a wide range of situations. Therefore, Mu Yue planned to increase his chakra to 100,000 and then decide on the direction of his rewards based on the situation.
If there was a clear and formidable enemy to face, he would either focus on increasing his chakra or obtaining rewards that specifically countered that enemy. Otherwise, he would continue to enhance himself comprehensively, striving to become a well-rounded warrior.
That evening, Mu Yue received Danzo's letter and smiled slightly upon reading its contents. Asking him to catch Obito off-guard was indeed a good idea from Danzo.
(End of Chapter)
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