Chapter 432: Eternal Genin? Elite Jonin!
Chapter 432: Eternal Genin? Elite Jonin!
This time, Orochimaru did not convene all the jonin of Konoha but only invited a few jonin who held important positions on the current battlefield.
For minor issues, they hold large meetings, but for major matters, they keep the gatherings small. Since the decisions made in these meetings would influence the entire battlefield's outcome, the content of the meetings themselves was confidential.
Aside from Mu Yue, Orochimaru only invited five jonin from Konoha to attend this crucial confidential meeting.
The five jonin were Hinata Hyuga, the leader of the Perception Squad, and the entire Ino-Shika-Cho trio. It is worth mentioning that Nara Shikaku was the deputy commander of the forces, and the last jonin was the leader of the Medical Squad in charge of logistics and medical support.
"Today, Mu Yue, Maito Guy, Mu Yue's disciples, and their team encountered and engaged in battle with Mizugashi Hyan and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." Orochimaru began without any preamble, sharing the recent developments.
"Mizugashi Hyan, Shenba the Pear, Tong Cao Leaf Two People, Hei Chou Thunderclaw, Qing Ti Wind Rain, and Xigua Mountain Pu all perished in the battle. Xigua Mountain Pu was killed by Mu Yue's disciple, while the rest were slain by Mu Yue himself."
Orochimaru did not beat around the bush but straightforwardly revealed Mu Yue's accomplishments. Everyone in the tent, aside from Orochimaru and Mu Yue, had their pupils constrict, and their faces showed unmistakable shock at this news.
This was coming from the commander of their forces, Orochimaru. If it had been anyone else, they might have questioned the veracity of these words.
There was no other reason for their reaction than the sheer incredulity of the news.
It was akin to being in the midst of a war and suddenly, out of the blue, learning that your side had annihilated the enemy's elite forces. It felt like a dream, too good to be true.
For an intelligent person like Nara Shikaku, this feeling was especially pronounced because he had not made any strategic arrangements, yet Mu Yue had achieved such remarkable results.
Warfare was not solely about strength; otherwise, the villages wouldn't need to send out so many ninjas. They could just dispatch a few top powerhouses to get the job done.
Even with strength, you had to be able to locate your target. If you couldn't find them, no matter how strong you were, you wouldn't be able to defeat them. This was where other war-related factors came into play.
"It was truly a battle where strength and luck went hand in hand," Nara Shikaku marveled inwardly.
It was Mu Yue's luck to have directly encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist without them having many additional ninjas by their side, and it was Mu Yue's strength that allowed him to emerge victorious. Both factors were indispensable, and lacking either one could have resulted in a very different outcome, perhaps even a loss for Konoha.
"It seems we need to reassess the strength of Mu Yue. His capabilities might not be far off from Orochimaru-sama, and he may even be able to hold off Kaji Yakura on the battlefield," Nara Shikaku instinctively thought of tactical arrangements.
While they had some intelligence on Mu Yue, the nature of ninjas was highly unpredictable. Initially, Nara Shikaku wasn't sure if Mu Yue could defeat Mizugashi Hyan or Kirigakure's elite jounin.
However, with Mu Yue's latest achievements, it was evident that his strength far surpassed that of Mizugashi Hyan and his companions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to engage Mizugashi Hyan and simultaneously take down four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Thus, Nara Shikaku assessed Mu Yue's strength to be only a notch below that of top powerhouses like Orochimaru and Kaji Yakura.
"What a frightening achievement," Yamanaka Inoichi exclaimed, his eyes widening as he looked at Mu Yue with a mix of awe and respect.
In terms of age, Mu Yue was his junior, yet this feat was something he felt he might never surpass in his lifetime.
After all, the secret techniques of the Yamanaka clan were primarily supportive in nature, and they rarely produced ninjas who excelled in solo combat.
Inoichi didn't think he could achieve this on his own, and he believed that even if their generation's Ino-Shika-Cho trio combined their efforts, they still wouldn't be able to replicate Mu Yue's feat.
He had a good grasp of their capabilities, and while they could temporarily hold off someone like Mizugashi Hyan or Kirigakure's elite jounin, actually defeating them was out of the question. If you added a few members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen into the mix, they would undoubtedly face a gruesome end.
Of course, achieving such a level of success in an encounter was something even Orochimaru would find challenging.
It wasn't that Orochimaru lacked the strength, but such situations were simply hard to come by.
"Impressive," Choza Akimichi said, giving Mu Yue a thumbs-up.
He didn't link Mu Yue's accomplishment in this encounter to its potential impact on the entire battlefield. He simply felt that anyone who could defeat so many strong opponents was truly formidable.
Hyuuga Hiashi, the leader of the Perception Squad, also looked at Mu Yue with admiration. Although he had barely heard of Mu Yue before today, it didn't stop him from respecting Mu Yue now.
In the ninja world, strength was revered, and Mu Yue had not only displayed immense power but had also made significant contributions to Konoha. It was hard for Hiashi not to admire him.
If he possessed Mu Yue's level of strength, perhaps the Hyuuga clan could bring about some positive changes.
Orochimaru was unsurprised by the astonishment on the faces of the jonin present. After all, even he had been taken aback by this information.
"Before we discuss the next course of action, I want to ask, Mu Yue, how many of your disciples can still fight at full strength? And, Guy, how much power can you muster if you were to fight again?" Orochimaru inquired, looking at Mu Yue.
The battle today had revealed not only Mu Yue's prowess but also the surprising capabilities of his disciples and Maito Guy.
Despite being only chuunin, they had managed to repel the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, even killing one of them, without a significant numerical advantage.
If Mu Yue's disciples were uninjured, it meant that Orochimaru's side essentially had a squad that could rival the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Nara Shikaku wore an expression that suggested he was deep in thought.
Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to Orochimaru's mention of Maito Guy and Mu Yue's disciples.
As the deputy commander of the forces, Nara Shikaku was well-versed in the capabilities of the powerful combat squads, and Kakashi's squad was obviously not among them.
Moreover, if Nara Shikaku recalled correctly, Maito Guy had been a long-time genin in Konoha, known for his less-than-stellar reputation.
However, Orochimaru's specific inquiry made him wonder if perhaps Kakashi, Maito Guy, and their team had contributed more than he thought and weren't just along for the ride.
The other jonin present looked at Orochimaru with confusion, unsure why he brought up Kakashi and Maito Guy.
Those who didn't know Maito Guy were merely perplexed, but those who were familiar with him were even more bewildered. After all, who would've thought that a long-time genin would possess a terrifying forbidden technique like the Eight Gates?
Although they were puzzled, no one interrupted. When in doubt, it was best to listen and learn.
"Shizuku, Obito, and Yahiko should be able to recover their fighting capacity after about ten days of rest. Kakashi's injuries are more severe; he'll need at least three weeks to recuperate. As for Guy, his condition is the most serious, and he won't be able to participate in any battles for at least a month and a half. I plan to send him back to Konoha to recover," Mu Yue replied after a moment's thought.
Although Obito and Rin looked badly injured, their wounds were mostly external, and with the aid of medical ninjutsu, they would recover swiftly.
If it weren't for the excellent training effects of Rock Lee's Chakra Mode and Might Guy's diligent practice, an ordinary Chunin's physique would never be able to withstand such terrifying pressure. Even striking a single punch would result in broken bones.
"The fact that they were able to repel the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was due to an extraordinary burst of power. They don't usually possess such strength," Mu Yue explained briefly.
This time, it was mainly Might Guy who carried the team, but he would need some time to practice and transform the gains from this life-and-death experience.
"As for Maito Dai, when he goes all out, he can hold off two Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist simultaneously, but he can't maintain that level for too long."
When Might Dai opens the Death Gate, he can single-handedly take on the entire Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but using the Death Gate as an extreme measure cannot be the norm.
After hearing Mu Yue's explanation, Nara Shikaku was shocked once again. The development of this encounter was completely different from what he had imagined.
He had assumed that Mu Yue, who wasn't assigned any combat missions, had gone out with his disciples and encountered Mizugashi Hyan, leading to a battle. He thought that Mu Yue had killed Mizugashi Hyan and other Kirigakure jonin, and that Mu Yue's disciple had slain Xiguashan, while Biwa and Kuriyama had escaped in the chaos and weren't captured.
This was the most reasonable battle sequence Nara Shikaku could deduce based on what Orochimaru had said about the outcome.
However, according to Mu Yue's words, the correct sequence of events should be that Mu Yue's disciple squad went on a mission, unfortunately encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and burst into battle. Mu Yue's disciple squad, along with Might Dai's extraordinary burst of power, gained a certain advantage and killed Xiguashan, repelling the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. At this point, Mu Yue and Mizugashi Hyan arrived, leading to the astonishing outcome.
After piecing everything together, Nara Shikaku was truly stunned. He had no idea that there were so many powerful ninjas on their side in this battlefield.
These were the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure. Any ninja squad capable of repelling them, even with the factor of extraordinary bursts of power, could be considered strong.
"Maito Dai..." Nara Shikaku murmured the name to himself.
He intended to meet this ninja after the meeting, as he never expected that the legendary eternal genin actually possessed the strength to rival two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
The other ninjas present also wore expressions of surprise and bewilderment.
In Yamanaka Inoichi's heart, he lamented the prowess of the younger generation, as even Mu Yue's disciples had attained such remarkable strength.
After all, Mu Yue himself was only twenty years old, so how old could his disciples be?
"That eternal genin actually has such power," the leader of the medical squad exclaimed in shock.
Although Might Dai had been promoted to Chunin for some time, due to his previous exploits being widely circulated, the first impression many ninjas had of him was still that of an eternal genin.
However, the leader of the medical squad believed that after this encounter became known, this perception would change. In the future, when people mentioned Might Dai, they would first think of how he, as a Chunin, had faced off against two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
"I see," Orochimaru nodded, abandoning the idea of forming an elite assassination squad with Kakashi and the others.
According to the information provided by Mu Yue, the main combat power of the squad was Might Guy, followed by Kakashi, and then the others.
Since the strongest members, Might Guy and Kakashi, needed such extended periods of rest, it would be difficult to utilize them in the upcoming war.
Orochimaru's initial plan was to take advantage of Konoha's previously weak position on the eastern battlefield to feign the exposure of their camp's location, luring Kirigakure into launching a large-scale offensive.
However, Kirigakure wasn't foolish. They wouldn't fall for Orochimaru's ploy after losing several elite ninjas in one go.
Orochimaru's plan was premised on Kirigakure perceiving Konoha as weak on the eastern battlefield, allowing them to assemble their forces and eliminate a large number of Konoha's forces to wear down their overall strength.
Now that Mu Yue had not only eliminated Kirigakure's well-known strong ninja, the leader of the Yuki Clan, Mizugashi Hyan, but also reduced their signature assassination squad, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, to a duo, Kirigakure wouldn't consider Konoha weak.
Therefore, Orochimaru's latest plan was to provoke Kirigakure to the extreme by sending out a large force to hunt down and kill Kirigakure ninjas, forcing them to engage in an all-out war.
If there was a squad capable of rivaling the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Orochimaru would undoubtedly send them into battle without hesitation.
"It's inevitable to be injured after such a major battle. I will report your achievements to the higher-ups," Orochimaru said, not showing any regret but instead comforting Mu Yue.
After all, they weren't in a desperate situation yet, and Orochimaru wouldn't send unrecovered ninjas into battle. Since they couldn't be utilized, he might as well say something nice to increase Mu Yue's favorability towards him.
Although Orochimaru appeared cold and distant, it didn't mean he didn't know how to employ people skills.
It was just that most of the time, not many ninjas were worth Orochimaru's effort in this regard.
However, Mu Yue was someone worth Orochimaru's attention and effort. He possessed not only formidable strength and capable of getting things done but was also a Root member, making him Orochimaru's ideal subordinate.
Orochimaru was already considering how to poach Mu Yue to his side. To become the Hokage, having excellent confidants was essential.
Currently, Mu Yue wasn't his subordinate and could be considered a temporary aid lent by Danzo.
Although Orochimaru had a deep cooperation with Danzo, he was clear about their relationship. He didn't want to be overly influenced by Danzo after becoming the Hokage, and Danzo expecting equal footing was simply wishful thinking.
Orochimaru was confident about recruiting Mu Yue, as he was very familiar with the tactics Danzo used on Root members, being a high-ranking member himself.
Orochimaru believed that all he needed to do was reveal Danzo's true nature of putting himself before Konoha and showcase his own charismatic personality, and Mu Yue would most likely switch allegiance to him.
Subsequently, Orochimaru and Nara Shikaku formally discussed the specific battle plans, with most of the decisions being made between the two of them, while the others supplemented various details.
(End of Chapter)
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