https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-367-The-Mighty-Flying-Thunder-God/12558485/
Chapter 368: The Completed Breathing Technique
Chapter 368: The Completed Breathing Technique
The Water Country.
Within the Hidden Mist Village, in the conference room of the Mizukage's office building.
"According to the latest intelligence, Konoha has repelled Kirigakure forces in the Land of Hot Springs, forcing them to retreat and defend their homeland." The leader of the Kirigakure jonin team spoke up.
"Iwa and Konoha have clashed again in the Land of Grass, with Konoha maintaining the upper hand."
"The conflict between Kirigakure and Sunagakure..."
The leader of the Kirigakure jonin team calmly recited the latest war intelligence from the continent.
"Once again, Konoha has the advantage, and they're even winning consecutive battles against the attacks of two great ninja villages. Among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, how is Konoha so much stronger than Iwa and Kiri? Is Konoha exceptionally powerful, or are Iwa and Kiri just weak?" A stern-looking middle-aged ninja frowned and asked.
Due to the ocean's separation, the Water Country rarely involved itself in continental affairs, as traveling there was quite troublesome.
However, with the development of productivity and the changing times, this situation gradually changed.
"Although Konoha has been victorious, it doesn't mean they have the capability to take on two villages at once," analyzed a ninja with his lower face wrapped in bandages. "After all, neither Kirigakure nor Iwagakure have committed their full strength in these battles, so we shouldn't exaggerate Konoha's strength."
"But who can be sure that Konoha hasn't committed their full strength either?" The stern-looking middle-aged ninja rebutted.
"Konoha's strength is indeed formidable. If we want to gain a foothold on the continent, we must first weaken Konoha's power!"
"Mu Shi, what do you think of Konoha's strength?" The Third Mizukage, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, narrowed his eyes and turned to Mu Shi, who was sitting to his right.
As soon as the Third Mizukage spoke, the room fell silent, and everyone turned their attention to him and Mu Shi.
Although the Third Mizukage often appeared amiable and easygoing, those familiar with him knew that it was just a facade. Anyone who truly regarded him as a pushover would meet an unfortunate end.
"I can only offer my speculations," Mu Shi replied with a shake of his head. "Although I've visited Konoha, why would they reveal their true strength to me?"
Aside from being intimidated by the Third Hokage's aura, he had only witnessed the battles of the genin. He hadn't gathered much valuable intelligence.
"If we're discussing strength," Mu Shi began, "I believe that Konoha is currently the strongest ninja village in the shinobi world."
The Kirigakure high-ranks looked at Mu Shi, quietly awaiting his explanation.
It was only because it was Mu Shi who spoke those words that the other high-ranks refrained from refuting him. If it had been anyone else, there would have been arguments.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, admitting that another village was the strongest without any battles taking place would be tantamount to showing weakness before the fight.
Even if the other party was genuinely powerful, it shouldn't be stated so directly. Strategically, one must never underestimate the enemy.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had an encounter with the Third Hokage where we clashed in terms of aura and presence," Mu Shi explained diplomatically. "He is very strong, and his power is no less than that of the Third Mizukage."
In truth, Sarutobi Hiruzen was even stronger than the Third Mizukage, but this was a high-level meeting, and Mu Shi had to give the Third Mizukage some face.
Moreover, those who had reached such high positions weren't fools. They could understand the implication behind his words.
The faces of several high-ranking ninjas changed slightly, but they quickly recovered their composure.
At the level of the Kage, even if one was weaker, the difference wouldn't be that significant. Even if they couldn't win, they could still hold their ground, so it wasn't a major problem.
They subconsciously ignored the outlier that was Senju Hashirama, for there had only been one Senju Hashirama in all these years.
The Third Mizukage's expression remained unchanged, his eyes narrowed in a gentle smile, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
"Even though we brought along excellent genin from our village and gathered several young ninjas above the genin level, none of them made it to the final battle," Mu Shi continued. "In terms of our younger generation, we've already lost once."
He didn't know if Konoha had used the same method as Kirigakure, but from their appearances, Kakashi and his team looked no older than ten. Regardless of their ninja ranks, Kirigakure had already lost this competition.
Mu Shi went on to explain his speculations. The fact that Konoha dared to hold this Chunin Exam while fighting on two fronts was a testament to their confidence in their strength.
"It seems that Konoha is indeed very strong at the moment," the Third Mizukage said, closing his eyes. "Then, how should we deal with this powerful Konoha?"
...
Two weeks after teaching the Instant Stepping technique, Mu Yue had finished developing the breathing technique for training purposes.
This was faster than she had anticipated, and the enlightened state of mind had indeed been powerful, proving useful in her development efforts.
However, Mu Yue didn't immediately use it for training. Instead, she went to the Third Hokage's office.
"Mu Yue, have you encountered a problem with your work?" Sarutobi Hiruzen set down the documents in his hand and asked with a smile.
The fact that Mu Yue was willing to teach her excellent Instant Movement technique to the trainees indicated that she attached great importance to the training mission he had personally assigned her. This made Sarutobi Hiruzen even more satisfied with her.
Mu Yue shook her head and respectfully handed two scrolls to Sarutobi Hiruzen. "These are the taijutsu techniques I've developed. I wish to offer these two techniques to the village."
The two taijutsu techniques that Mu Yue had developed were indeed powerful, but what impressed Sarutobi the most was Mu Yue's willingness to share them with the village.
Previously, the five D-rank ninjutsu that Mu Yue had created were also added to Konoha's ninjutsu library.
"My contribution is insignificant compared to the rewards the village has given me," Mu Yue replied humbly.
By teaching this breathing technique to the ANBU and Root, he was essentially offering it to Konoha, so Mu Yue decided to submit it to Sarutobi first and hopefully earn some additional rewards.
Konoha did not force its ninjas to hand over their self-created ninjutsu, but those who did so received rewards, and the strength and effectiveness of the ninjutsu affected the size of the reward.
Mu Yue intended to submit the technique not only to Sarutobi but also to Danzo, thus maintaining his persona.
Hearing Mu Yue's response, Sarutobi unfurled the two scrolls, one containing the Instant Stepping technique and the other, a technique called 'Dark Calling'.
Sarutobi quickly scanned through the contents of the scrolls and found 'Dark Calling' to be particularly intriguing.
As Sarutobi began reviewing the scrolls, Mu Yue started his explanation.
Although Mu Yue suspected that Sarutobi might already be aware of the Instant Stepping technique, he couldn't assume that his superior knew everything, so he diligently explained both taijutsu techniques.
Since Instant Stepping was much simpler, Mu Yue swiftly concluded his explanation of it and focused on elaborating 'Dark Calling'.
"Dark Calling enhances the body by absorbing a large amount of oxygen. The more focused the breathing is, the greater the enhancement. It can boost the body's overall strength and accelerate the healing of injuries," Mu Yue explained.
"Once mastered, Dark Calling can also store breathing power to increase burst attacks, allowing one to unleash strikes far beyond their normal capabilities," he continued.
Enhancing the body and accelerating recovery were basic abilities of breathing techniques, but Mu Yue's most significant alteration was the removal of the training enhancement, opting instead to increase the bonuses received while using the technique. As a result, Dark Calling had no 'constant' state.
Compared to regular breathing techniques, Dark Calling resembled a burst-type secret technique.
Sarutobi, a master of over a thousand ninjutsu, was also adept at taijutsu. He quickly surmised that the optimal application of Dark Calling was in stealth and assassination missions.
Using power beyond one's physical limits would undoubtedly incur corresponding strain, and thus, Dark Calling couldn't be sustained for extended periods.
Of course, this burst-type ninjutsu would still be immensely useful in regular combat, but it was even more valuable for stealth and assassination missions.
"This is truly a taijutsu filled with ingenious ideas," Sarutobi praised.
Mu Yue's Dark Calling was quite different from most taijutsu in Konoha, and to develop a technique of this caliber indicated that Mu Yue's talent in creating techniques was even stronger than Sarutobi had imagined.
"Instant Stepping can be classified as a B-rank taijutsu, while Dark Calling can be considered an A-rank taijutsu," Sarutobi said after some thought.
The ranking of ninjutsu in Konoha was based solely on the difficulty of learning the technique.
Generally, the more challenging a ninjutsu was to learn, the more powerful it tended to be. It wasn't entirely inaccurate to assume that high-difficulty ninjutsu were stronger, but lower-ranked ninjutsu weren't necessarily weak.
For example, the Fireball Jutsu was only a C-rank ninjutsu, yet it was frequently used by Uchiha clan members, from students at the Ninja Academy to jonin.
Mu Yue nodded, expressing his agreement with Sarutobi's assessment.
He had intentionally developed Dark Calling to be simple, and it would be problematic if it were rated as an S-rank technique.
"I plan to use Dark Calling for training purposes. This technique is well-suited for the ANBU and Root," Mu Yue shared his thoughts.
"Haha, then I shall look forward to the test in two months," Sarutobi said, exhaling a puff of smoke.
Obviously, the members of Root and ANBU didn't have much time to participate in tests, so Mu Yue only scheduled an exam on the last day of the special training to showcase the results of his instruction.
"After the test in two months, if you wish to learn ninjutsu, you can either go directly to the Ninja Library or come to me if the technique you seek isn't available there," Sarutobi said.
Sarutobi ultimately decided to grant Mu Yue permission to access any ninjutsu in the Ninja Library.
Normally, Mu Yue's current achievements wouldn't be sufficient to earn such a privilege, but he was a ninjutsu prodigy, and Sarutobi was highly satisfied with him in all aspects.
"Granting you this privilege now might invite criticism. It will be more appropriate after everyone witnesses your capabilities during the training," Sarutobi explained the timing of the reward.
While the reward still exceeded Mu Yue's accomplishments, it was at least more reasonable, and it would also motivate Mu Yue to perform even better during the training.
"Thank you, Third Hokage," Mu Yue said with a grateful smile, expressing his understanding.
"From now on, you won't need to conceal most ninjutsu, except for certain particularly special ones," Mu Yue thought to himself. Sarutobi was more generous than he had anticipated.
(End of Chapter)
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