Chapter 358: Training the Root Organization
Chapter 358: Training the Root Organization
"Teacher Mu Yue, the name of this technique is quite peculiar. Why does it start with Milong Legend?" Might Guy asked Mu Yue during their break.
He could understand the latter parts of the technique's name, "Blade-Blocking Sword" and "Golden Horizon." The former referred to the use of a chain-linked staff in the move, while the latter described the effect of the technique. However, he was truly baffled by the initial part, "Milong Legend."
"It's named after a ninja by the name of Milong," Mu Yue explained after a moment's thought.
She then proceeded to tell Might Guy the story of Milong and his successor, which she had adapted to fit the context of the ninja world.
Milong, due to the circumstances of war, had been separated from his younger sister at a young age. Desperate to let his sister know that he was capable of protecting her and wanting her to return to him, Milong fabricated lies and collaborated with a dark ninja organization. He staged scenarios to portray himself as a powerful hero.
Milong's successor, the second Milong, had once coincidentally received help from the original Milong and deeply admired him.
However, the second Milong accidentally discovered Milong's collaboration with the dark ninja organization. They wanted to silence him, but Milong's strength was merely an illusion, and he couldn't protect the child who idolized him.
Milong felt immense guilt for his actions and couldn't bear to watch the dark ninja organization kill someone who revered him as a hero. So, he stepped forward and exposed the truth, admitting that he was not a hero but just an ordinary ninja.
In the end, Milong was severely injured and died amid the curses and contempt of the people. But the child he had saved vowed to carry on his name and fulfill his unaccomplished wish.
"To commemorate Milong, the second Milong named the taijutsu he developed after mastering Bajiquan as Milong Legend: Blade-Blocking Sword, Golden Horizon!" Mu Yue concluded.
"That's so inspiring!" Might Guy exclaimed, his fist clenched tightly.
Being emotionally rich, he had already been in tears even before Mu Yue finished her story.
"Such a taijutsu technique must be practiced with the most passionate and youthful attitude!" Soon, Might Guy channeled his emotions into motivation for his training and threw himself into his practice.
Mu Yue smiled and nodded, watching this scene. The Golden Horizon technique suited Might Guy well, as he never shied away from any challenging training.
"Perhaps the ninja world will truly come to know the legend of Milong," Mu Yue thought to herself.
After all, Might Guy actually shouted out the name of the technique while practicing it.
The day quickly passed by as Mu Yue focused on teaching and refining her Thunder God Technique.
The next morning, instead of going to instruct her disciples or heading to the Ninja Academy, Mu Yue arranged to meet with Kushina.
Minato was currently the only ninja in Konoha who had mastered the Thunder God Technique, and he was highly skilled in it. Mu Yue was eager to seek his guidance, but he had not yet returned from the battlefield.
Considering Kushina's close relationship with Minato, Mu Yue thought that he might have tried to teach her the technique as well. Therefore, she believed that Kushina could provide some insights or tips about it.
As always, Mu Yue arrived at the agreed-upon location fifteen minutes early, and Kushina was already there waiting for her.
"Good morning, Mu Yue," Kushina greeted her with a wave and a cheerful expression.
Even though they hadn't seen each other for a while, Kushina didn't feel the weight of their reunion. She attributed it to the fact that she had been enjoying the meals Mu Yue sent over every day.
"Morning," Mu Yue replied with a gentle smile as he approached.
As soon as Mu Yue drew near, Kushina eagerly stepped forward and took the lunch box he offered.
"It's different from last time," Kushina noted as she opened it to find ordinary Japanese sweets.
"It gets boring to eat the same snack all the time," Mu Yue explained, clarifying that it wasn't because he was tired of making them but that he genuinely wanted to switch things up.
Kushina smiled mischievously and said, "If you made them, Mu Yue, I feel like I could eat them forever without getting bored."
As she spoke, she popped a dumpling into her mouth, and her eyes lit up instantly. Even though it was a common snack, it tasted infinitely better than anything she had bought in the market.
Kushina continued snacking as they made their way to the small pavilion where they usually met.
"Ahem." Kushina sat down, straightened her posture, and said in a serious tone, "Although your snacks are delicious, Mu Yue, your progress in seal techniques hasn't met my expectations. I won't go easy on you."
"Then I'm in your care," Mu Yue replied. Although his primary reason for meeting Kushina was to inquire about the Thunder God Technique, he was also eager to learn more about sealing techniques.
To her surprise, Kushina was astonished by Mu Yue's progress in sealing techniques. Whether it was the Five Elements Seal or the Four Symbols Seal, Mu Yue displayed proficiency in both. He answered various challenging questions with ease, leaving Kushina perplexed.
"Most people get slower as they learn more, but it seems like the opposite is true for you, Mu Yue," Kushina remarked, puzzled.
But soon, realization dawned on her, and she struck her right fist into her left palm, a look of comprehension on her face. "Could this be a case of making rapid progress after long accumulation?"
Mu Yue offered a faint smile but remained silent.
He had just revealed most of his proficiency in sealing techniques, so Kushina's astonishment was expected.
Having reached such a level of skill, there was no need to hide his abilities so deeply. It was more plausible to showcase them a little more.
"As expected of someone taught by me, Kushina Uzumaki!" Kushina's chin lifted slightly, and she wore a proud smile.
At that moment, she felt immensely satisfied with her teaching abilities. After all, she had only taught sealing techniques to two people: Minato and Mu Yue. Despite starting his lessons much later, Mu Yue's skill was enough to surpass most of the ninja in Konoha's sealing class.
Kushina's delight prompted her to teach Mu Yue a few more sealing techniques unique to the Uzumaki clan.
Mu Yue quietly absorbed the knowledge, and after Kushina finished teaching, he steered the conversation toward the Thunder God Technique.
"I'm currently learning the Thunder God Technique, but I'm having some difficulties. I wish Minato were in Konoha," Mu Yue shared, expressing his struggles with the technique.
"The Thunder God Technique is indeed challenging to master," Kushina acknowledged. "Minato tried to teach it to me, but I couldn't grasp it at all."
Recalling those days of attempting to learn the technique, Kushina ruffled her hair.
"I think Minato also shares some of the blame," she continued, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "When I asked him for tips, he would just say something like, 'I just whooshed over,' without explaining how to 'whoosh' properly."
Kushina's words caused Mu Yue to fall into deep thought. This was not a good sign. If what Kushina said was true, he might not be able to gain any insights into the Thunder God Technique from either her or Minato.
Mu Yue and Kushina chatted for a while longer, but ultimately, they concluded that Kushina couldn't offer much help regarding the Thunder God Technique.
Mu Yue then steered the conversation back to sealing techniques.
In the afternoon, Mu Yue headed to the Southern Forest to instruct his disciples in their cultivation.
Kakashi had thought that Mu Yue would teach him a new ability today, especially since Obito and the others had already learned theirs. However, after waiting for a long time without any movement, Kakashi began to feel anxious.
Both Obito's Great Serpent Slash and Might Guy's Golden Horizon seemed incredibly powerful, especially Golden Horizon, which had immense might.
Kakashi didn't have to wait for too long, though. During the afternoon training session, Mu Yue called out to him midway through.
"Although you can now use the Transparent World, resolving the issue with your reaction speed, you still need to learn the technique of enhancing your cells with Lightning-style chakra," Mu Yue said.
Upon reaching the Constant state in Lightning Breath, one could not only strengthen their nerves but also enhance other parts of the body, further increasing physical explosiveness and, by extension, the power of techniques.
The good news was that Mu Yue indeed taught him a new ability; the bad news was that it wasn't what he had expected.
He had thought it would be a powerful ninjutsu or taijutsu like Obito's Great Serpent Slash or Might Guy's Golden Horizon. Instead, it turned out to be an advanced cultivation method for Lightning Breath.
Although it wasn't what he had anticipated, Kakashi remained diligent in his training.
He knew that this was probably the most suitable technique for him at the moment, and if there was something more appropriate, Mu Yue would definitely teach it to him. After all, Mu Yue had directly taught him powerful secrets like the breathing technique and the Armor-Colored Aura.
If Mu Yue knew what Kakashi was thinking, he would certainly nod in agreement.
In terms of Lightning Release ninjutsu, Kakashi already possessed the powerful Purple Electricity and Pseudo-Darkness. As for Earth Release ninjutsu, Kakashi generally used them as support, and he had practiced them extensively on his own.
With his Lightning Breath reaching the Constant state, his mastery of the Transparent World, and the ninjutsu he knew, Kakashi actually had quite a few tricks up his sleeve.
Mu Yue believed that the most important thing for Kakashi right now was to enhance his physical capabilities and increase his chakra and bodily strength. Otherwise, with Kakashi's current chakra levels, if he used Thunder Clap and Purple Electricity back-to-back, he would be spent. In such a situation, having more ninjutsu wouldn't help.
Once his chakra increased, and he learned the Armor-Colored Aura, even if he only used the Transparent World of Lightning Breath and the Armor-Colored Aura, his strength wouldn't be weak.
Due to the difference in the new abilities they had learned, Kakashi became even more diligent in his training, hoping to achieve another breakthrough in his breathing technique soon.
Mu Yue had already explained the breathing technique in detail, and it was divided into four stages. Kakashi was currently at the beginning of the second stage.
Once he reached the third stage, he would be able to enter the Lightning Breath Chakra Mode, and his strength would increase significantly.
That evening, instead of cultivating the Thunder God Technique, Mu Yue chose to research sealing techniques.
The Yin Seal obtained from Tsunade was Mu Yue's primary research target.
This was a brand-new challenge for Mu Yue because, instead of learning it, he aimed to research and break down the Yin Seal and then develop a similar ninjutsu.
The Yin Seal was also a Whirlpool-style sealing technique, and with his tutelage under Kushina, Mu Yue's research progressed smoothly, feeling much easier than learning the Thunder God Technique.
While learning the Thunder God Technique, he couldn't feel any progress, but although researching the Yin Seal was difficult, he could sense that he was making headway.
……
Root Organization Office.
Bang!
"Jiraiya is too conservative. At a time like this, he's still thinking about restraining Root's power," Danzo Shimura slammed his fist on the table in anger as his proposal was rejected.
Due to the increasingly chaotic state of the ninja world, Danzo Shimura had repeatedly requested Jiraiya to expand Root's influence, thereby gaining more advantages for Konoha in the war. However, all his requests were denied, and he was only allowed to replenish losses without expanding, with the reason being that Konoha's current situation was good and there was no need.
This left Danzo Shimura speechless. He believed that because Konoha currently had the advantage, they should expand their gains in the war and secure greater benefits to solidify their position as the top ninja village.
But Danzo Shimura truly had no recourse. Not only did Jiraiya oppose this, but the two advisors also firmly stood by Jiraiya's side.
"Can I only develop power quietly outside of Konoha?" Danzo Shimura furrowed his brows.
He had two trump cards for developing Root: one was to illegally increase Root's members, and the other was to secretly cultivate Root's power outside of Konoha.
The former option was off the table for now since Jiraiya had just reprimanded him for it. So, he could only choose the latter.
However, the latter was the most troublesome option. Ninjas cultivated in this way would not only lack Root's official status but also any affiliation with Konoha, and they couldn't receive funding from the village.
Although Danzo Shimura was a bit reluctant, he couldn't think of a better solution at the moment. Due to the restriction on expansion, he could only supplement losses, and the war had even led to a decline in Root's overall strength, as the elders who had been sacrificed were stronger than the new recruits.
Oil User Ryuuma, sitting beside him, noticed Danzo's dilemma and spoke up, "Leader Danzo, without expansion, we can still strengthen the organization's overall power by enhancing the capabilities of our existing members."
He was also one of Root's high-ranking members, his position only below Danzo and Orochimaru. Thus, he was aware of some of Root's current issues.
"Hmm, how about getting Uzuki Mugen to try training the new recruits?" Oil User Ryuuma offered a suggestion.
"Uzuki Mugen..." Danzo Shimura's eyes flickered as he fell into thought.
He didn't actually think that Mugen had such capability, as teaching students at the Ninja Academy was different from instructing Root ninjas, who were at least elite jonin.
"Bring me Uzuki Mugen's records since he entered the Ninja Academy," Danzo Shimura said after a moment.
Kakashi and Obito's performances during the Chunin Exams had left a deep impression on Danzo Shimura, and Mugen had taught them, although he wasn't sure how much of an impact Mugen had made. After all, one was the son of the White Fang, and the other was an Uchiha with the Sharingan.
Soon, a Root ninja brought over Mugen's teaching records from the Ninja Academy, including both his class performance and holiday training results.
Danzo compared Mugen's results with those of other teachers, and he instantly understood why Jiraiya had wanted to recruit Mugen. Even if he had only kept him as an instructor at the Ninja Academy, he would have been an invaluable asset.
Danzo decided to give Mugen a try. If it succeeded, he would save a lot of money, and if it didn't, there wouldn't be much loss.
With that in mind, Danzo picked up a scroll and began to write.
There will be another chapter later, but it will be quite late, so it's recommended to read it after waking up tomorrow morning.
(End of Chapter)
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