Chapter 395: Half-Hidden in the Rain Country
Chapter 395: Half-Hidden in the Rain Country
"Mu Yue, it seems I have to trouble you again today."
Seeing Mu Yue approaching with Asuma, Hiruzen Sarutobi removed his pipe and smiled.
Initially, Mu Yue was just a tutor he had hired, but due to various circumstances, Mu Yue hadn't been able to maintain a consistent teaching schedule. As a result, the relationship between Mu Yue and Asuma had evolved into more of a master-disciple dynamic.
"It's no trouble at all for a teacher to guide a student," Mu Yue replied with a gentle smile.
"I don't know if you have any free time today, but I've encountered some challenging issues in my Earth Release training that I'd like to discuss with you."
"How about right now?" Hiruzen agreed readily.
To prevent being outdone by his son, and knowing that Mu Yue's questions would likely be difficult, Hiruzen decided to meet with Mu Yue alone, leaving Asuma behind.
Among all the chakra nature transformations that Mu Yue had mastered, Earth Release was one of his weaker areas. This time, Mu Yue didn't ask about something he had already learned but instead sought guidance on a genuine issue he was facing in his training.
Hiruzen, the seasoned jonin instructor, demonstrated his knowledge by promptly answering Mu Yue's question and even providing a practical demonstration of the solution and the path forward.
"Mu Yue, how is your training with the Flying Thunder God Technique going? If it's not going well, I can help you switch to another jutsu," Hiruzen offered, remembering something.
It had been half a year since he had given Mu Yue the Flying Thunder God Technique as a reward, and if Mu Yue hadn't been able to master it by now, he probably never would.
Hiruzen wasn't too concerned about this, as he himself had never been able to learn the technique, and it was quite normal for someone to not be able to master it. After all, he, with his thousands of jutsu and secret techniques at his disposal, had never managed to learn it.
"I'm not as proficient as Minato, but I'd say I've more or less gotten the hang of it," Mu Yue replied.
He had intended to reveal that he had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, and now that Hiruzen had asked directly, it saved him the trouble of having to guide the conversation in that direction.
Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise at Mu Yue's response, but as the seasoned Third Hokage, he quickly regained his composure.
"Well, it seems I've underestimated your ninja talent, Mu Yue. After all, Minato has been training for many more years than you, so there's no need to compare yourself to him," Hiruzen said, stroking his goatee.
Whoosh!
Mu Yue withdrew two kunai from his ninja tool pouch, both already marked with the Flying Thunder God seal, and threw one toward his side, while the other landed at his feet.
Swish!
When the kunai had flown about seven or eight meters, Mu Yue activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, disappearing from his original spot and reappearing in the direction the kunai was flying.
Swish!
After a brief pause, Mu Yue swiftly used the technique again to return to his original position.
Hiruzen watched Mu Yue's effortless display with a glint in his eyes.
"Mu Yue, you've not just 'gotten the hang of it,' you've mastered it remarkably well," Hiruzen exclaimed, puffing on his pipe.
Although he didn't know the technique himself, Hiruzen could recognize skill when he saw it. Mu Yue's proficiency with the Flying Thunder God Technique far surpassed that of a beginner, and he could already be considered highly skilled in its use.
Of course, Mu Yue was also being modest, as he was indeed not as proficient as Minato.
Mu Yue smiled and humbly acknowledged the compliment. With the number of proficiency scrolls he had consumed, it was no surprise that he had mastered the technique so smoothly.
After achieving his goal, Mu Yue chatted with Hiruzen about the ninja academy and Asuma's development before taking his leave.
"He's even mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique," Hiruzen muttered, exhaling puffs of smoke as he watched Mu Yue's retreating figure.
He wished Mu Yue could split into two people—one a uniquely talented educator and the other an exceptionally gifted ninja—so that he could utilize them separately.
Although Konoha's situation hadn't deteriorated to a dire extent and they had been victorious in their battles thus far, Hiruzen knew that things were not as simple as they seemed.
The skirmishes they had faced so far were minor; if they were to engage in an all-out war, Konoha would have no chance against the three major ninja villages.
Unless someone like Hashirama Senju or Uchiha Madara were to be resurrected, as they could single-handedly suppress an entire ninja village. Konoha would only need to hold its ground and emerge victorious.
However, Konoha did not currently have ninjas of that caliber, and so the state of the ninja world left Konoha in a delicate and defensive position.
With Konoha's strength, they could easily defeat one of the major ninja villages in an all-out war, but they dared not make such a move. The other two villages weren't foolish; they would simply gang up on Konoha.
If Konoha were to concentrate its forces on one battlefield, the defenses elsewhere would inevitably be weakened, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from unexpected quarters.
Since they couldn't afford to appear too dominant, their only option was to play defense, keeping the enemies at bay outside the Fire Country and minimizing losses while seeking opportunities.
As Mu Yue left, he used his transformation skill to scan Hiruzen's information.
Perhaps due to the sheer number of jutsu and secret techniques he possessed, Hiruzen instantly became the ninja with the most information that Mu Yue had scanned so far—even surpassing the combined information of Kushina and Tsunade.
The amount of chakra required to transform into Hiruzen was also astonishingly high.
After completing the transformation, Mu Yue looked at the dense list of skills and felt that it was reasonable, given the sheer number of techniques Hiruzen had mastered, many of which he had honed to a high level of proficiency.
After a period of normal training with his disciples in Konoha, Mu Yue accepted a B-rank mission that would take him to the Rain Country.
However, this time, in addition to Tobirama, Kakashi, and Rin, Genma would also be joining the mission.
During the time Mu Yue had spent on his mission in Loufan, Genma had graduated and become a genin. Due to his exceptional performance, he had even contributed a jutsu proficiency scroll to Mu Yue.
Even though he had graduated, Mu Yue had pulled some strings to ensure that Genma wasn't assigned to a regular three-man genin team. Instead, he followed Mu Yue on missions, much like Tsunade and Shizune.
Unlike Genma, Anko and Tenten had opted to continue their studies and advance to the third year at the ninja academy, rather than graduating early.
This was per Mu Yue's suggestion, as while they were indeed more talented than the average graduate, they couldn't compare to Genma, and in the current state of the ninja world, it was best to avoid graduating early if possible.
After all, the ninja academy had already shortened the standard six-year curriculum to account for the turbulent times.
With Genma joining Mu Yue's team, their composition was now one jonin, three chunin, and one genin, which was perfectly in line with Konoha's regulations for accepting B-rank missions.
"This is your first B-rank mission, Genma, but don't worry. With me here, everything will be fine," Tobirama said, trying to sound like a seasoned senior.
Due to their connection as Mu Yue's disciples, Kakashi and Itachi had interacted quite a bit. Itachi was the only peer who made Kakashi feel inferior in terms of ninja talent.
While Obito's current strength might be superior to Itachi's, that was about where it ended.
"What's the problem? I've taken on plenty of B-rank missions, haven't I?" Obito said defiantly.
"It's nothing," Kakashi said flatly. "It's just that a lack of self-awareness is a scary thing."
"You're the one who's lacking self-awareness, Kakashi," Obito retorted, feeling slighted.
Rin smiled helplessly at Itachi, as this was a common occurrence within their team.
Itachi nodded in understanding, as similar scenes had played out numerous times in the Southern Border Forest.
"I am indeed a newcomer to missions, so please guide me along the way," Itachi said, stepping in to end the argument, mindful of not wanting to hold Mu Yue back.
Obito chuckled and draped his arm around Itachi's shoulders, feeling that the two of them, as Uchiha brothers, could join forces against Kakashi.
"Let's do one more check," Mu Yue said. "If there are no issues, we can go and find the client."
This mission was one that Mu Yue had carefully selected.
Once again, the Rain Country had become a battleground for the great nations, though it hadn't descended into the kind of large-scale chaos seen during the Second Great Ninja War. Nonetheless, the domestic situation was tumultuous.
As a small country that hadn't yet become a full-blown battlefield, the Rain Country didn't boast many powerful ninjas, which made it an ideal fit for Kakashi and his team.
In addition to training his disciples, Mu Yue also intended to check in on Nagato, testing whether his transformation could be seen through by the Rinnegan, and if his transformation could replicate the Rinnegan.
Mu Yue also planned to collect some intelligence on the Rain Country while he was there, as he would need to take action within the country if he wanted to make Nagato his disciple.
"Our destination is the Rain Country, let's go!" Obito exclaimed excitedly after they had finished their checks.
The Rain Country was a place he had never been to, and Obito wondered if there would be sights there that he had never seen before, like the deserts of the Wind Country or the glaciers of the Snow Country.
Once the disciples had all confirmed their readiness, Mu Yue led them to meet the client. It was an escort mission.
During the journey, Obito often struck up conversations with the client, curious about the Rain Country.
"There's nothing particularly special about the Rain Country," the middle-aged client replied. "It rains all the time, so it's not exactly a scenic place."
Obito's expectations took a slight dip, but he remained excited. Even without unique scenery, there should be some interesting flora, he thought.
The middle-aged client they encountered on this mission was quite talkative, and he willingly shared a lot about the Rain Country once Obito initiated the conversation.
"Hanzo is a failed leader of a ninja village," the client said, his dissatisfaction with Hanzo evident. "He's partly responsible for the Rain Country's current state."
"The Rain Country used to be only slightly weaker than the five great nations, but now they can't even maintain domestic peace and security."
For people like him, ninja warriors weren't much of a threat, as their battles had little impact on ordinary folks like himself.
However, rogue ninjas were a different story. They were like the shoeless unafraid of those with shoes, just happy to get by day by day.
As a meeting point for the three great nations, the Rain Country needed strength to maintain stability, and that was something it currently lacked.
Hanzo's failure had also led to many Rain Ninjas losing faith in him and leaving the village.
Some of these ninjas joined ninja organizations, while others embraced a more carefree lifestyle as rogue ninjas, further contributing to the deterioration of law and order in the Rain Country.
"Hanzo... The name sounds vaguely familiar," Obito said, scratching his head as he tried to place the name.
"He's a very strong ninja," Itachi explained to Obito. "Some say he's a demi-god in the ninja world. If you can survive a battle against him, you'll gain immense fame."
This wasn't because Itachi knew too much, but rather because Hanzo's reputation in the ninja world was indeed formidable.
Although the Rain Ninja Village had suffered a crushing defeat in the Second Great Ninja War, Hanzo's fame among ninjas hadn't diminished much, as he himself hadn't lost in that war—it was the other Rain Ninjas who had been defeated.
"He sounds really strong," Obito said, stroking his chin.
He was curious—who was stronger, a demi-god like Hanzo or Mu Yue, the immortal?
Although they hadn't directly compared their strengths, Obito's intuition told him that Mu Yue would be the winner.
"Lady Tsunade once lost to him in the Second Great Ninja War, and she was fighting alongside Orochimaru and Jiraiya," Rin said, concerned that Obito might get it into his head to challenge Hanzo.
While Rin thought highly of Obito and Kakashi, she knew they were still too young.
"He beat Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya?" Obito said, his eyes lighting up.
Obito made a mental note to challenge Hanzo in ten years and then brag about it to Jiraiya if he won.
Although Jiraiya was his grand-teacher, Obito found it hard to see him as such due to his eccentric behavior.
Obito still remembered the time Jiraiya had made him and Minato spar.
As they entered the Rain Country, Mu Yue activated his Byakugan.
Thus far, Mu Yue had visited quite a few small countries, and the Rain Country was by far the most chaotic one he had ever seen.
Obito and the others might not have the same perception, but Mu Yue, with his far-reaching vision, saw far too much.
In Mu Yue's view, describing the Rain Country as chaotic would be an understatement.
Mu Yue had noticed several rogue ninjas loitering nearby, only to retreat after realizing who they were. And this was despite the fact that Mu Yue and his team were clearly dressed as Leaf Ninjas.
In addition to rogue ninjas, Mu Yue also spotted Cloud Ninjas disguised as Stone Ninjas, Stone Ninjas disguised as Cloud Ninjas, and Sand Ninjas investigating them.
All Mu Yue could say was that the people of the Rain Country were incredibly fortunate, perhaps a little too fortunate for their own good.
After traveling a certain distance into the Rain Country, Mu Yue's main body separated from the team, leaving his shadow clone to lead the mission.
The cautious Mu Yue wanted to ensure that nothing went wrong, so he searched for traces of the Akatsuki organization within the maximum distance he could teleport using the Flying Thunder God Technique, so that he could immediately support Kakashi if needed.
PS: My sleep schedule has been a mess lately. I hope I can fall asleep before 2 a.m. today. It's really hard to write when I don't have the energy, and I worry about side effects when I take medicine. One of my author friends is drinking Chinese herbal medicine, but he says that when he stops, the insomnia returns.
(End of Chapter)
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