Chapter 434: Rewards for Merit
Chapter 434: Rewards for Merit
"I believe we should widely publicize this battle, just like how we publicized Minato Namikaze's stalemate against the AB Combo." Danzo Shimura was the first to voice his thoughts. "It will not only boost the confidence of our village's shinobi for future wars but also serve as a deterrent to our enemy villages."
As a member of the Root Organization, Mu Yue's rise to greater fame would benefit Danzo, granting him more influence and power within Konoha. After all, he was the head of the Root Organization, an entity that commanded Mu Yue's utmost respect. It would be difficult for her to refuse any arrangements he instructed.
"Boosting morale is one thing," countered Homura Mitokado, "but will this increase in morale truly compare to the value of keeping Mu Yue as a secret weapon? Let's not forget that he single-handedly defeated four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and Suigetsu Hozuki."
Homura believed that not only should Konoha refrain from publicizing Mu Yue's accomplishments, but they should also instruct their shinobi to keep his achievements a secret. This would allow Mu Yue to continue operating as a hidden assassin.
"Are you out of touch with the battlefield because you haven't been on one in a long time?" Danzo retorted bluntly. "Such achievements are not solely dependent on one's strength."
While Danzo was prone to rebutting others, his reasons for doing so varied. In the case of Hiruzen Sarutobi, it was due to the suppression he faced at Hiruzen's hands, which left him feeling resentful. As for Homura, Danzo's rebuttal stemmed from a deep understanding of his old classmate.
Homura and Danzo were both shinobi dedicated to serving Konoha. As long as their intentions were aligned with the village's interests or ultimately benefited Konoha, Homura would not dwell on minor details. Danzo's more aggressive rhetoric would only serve to better convey his unwavering loyalty to Konoha.
Upon hearing Danzo's words, Homura fell silent as she reflected on her absence from the battlefield. Indeed, it had been quite some time since she had last set foot on one. After Hiruzen became the Hokage, she had risen through the ranks to become part of Konoha's upper echelon. A powerful shinobi village like Konoha rarely required the involvement of its higher-ups in battles.
Noting Homura's reaction, Danzo nodded inwardly. Gaining Homura's agreement was tantamount to securing Koharu Utatane's support as well, as the two women typically acted in unison.
In truth, Danzo did not hold them in high regard. Although they could all be considered disciples of the Second Hokage, in Danzo's eyes, there was only Hiruzen—a shinobi he deemed to be on the same level as himself.
As Danzo had expected, after becoming part of Konoha's upper echelon, Koharu and Homura rarely voiced their own opinions. If they had simply kept quiet, it wouldn't have bothered Danzo as much. However, they had become yes-men to Hiruzen, and this irked him.
It meant that during high-level meetings, he found himself alone, without any allies.
Nevertheless, Danzo was aware that this was not due to any shortcomings on his part. It was simply because Hiruzen was the Third Hokage, while he was merely the Hokage's assistant.
If their positions were reversed, Koharu and Homura would become his yes-men instead.
Danzo turned his attention to Hiruzen, who had remained silent thus far. Given the personalities of Homura and Koharu, even if they tacitly agreed with Danzo at this moment, all it would take was for Hiruzen to present a logical counterargument for them to immediately side with him. Hence, Hiruzen's opinion carried significant weight.
Feeling Danzo's gaze upon him, Hiruzen did not speak immediately. Instead, he picked up his pipe, took a deep draw, and exhaled a stream of white smoke.
The question of whether to publicize Mu Yue's achievements did not require much thought from Hiruzen. His mind was occupied with other considerations, one of which was the current standing of the candidates for the next Hokage.
Currently, the weakest contender was Tsunade, who had not participated in the front lines of the war. Orochimaru and Jiraiya, on the other hand, were neck and neck.
Jiraiya had initially taken the lead in terms of popularity after his resounding victory in the Land of Grass. However, Orochimaru gradually caught up as he made his own contributions on the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water.
Even as the incumbent Hokage with the absolute right to choose his successor, Hiruzen could not ignore the voices of Konoha's villagers.
The First Hokage had been elected by a consensus of all the village's shinobi, and Hiruzen understood that appointing someone who lacked the support of the people could potentially undermine the prestige of the Hokage position.
Of course, Hiruzen was not one to make rash decisions. If he believed that the popular choice was unfit to be Hokage, he would still appoint the person he deemed suitable, even if it meant sacrificing the prestige associated with the position.
"Jiraiya, why are you so averse to becoming Hokage?" Hiruzen sighed inwardly as he thought of his old teammate.
If only Jiraiya were willing to take on the mantle, Hiruzen wouldn't have had to worry so much. He had already paved the way for Jiraiya, but the latter simply refused to walk down that path.
From Hiruzen's perspective, Jiraiya's choice was difficult to comprehend.
This was the position of Konoha's Hokage, a role that bestowed supreme authority upon its holder.
While the Hokage was nominally one rank lower than the Fire Country's Feudal Lord, in reality, they stood on equal footing. The Feudal Lord could not order the Hokage to do something against their will.
Hiruzen's thoughts then turned to Mu Yue. If only Mu Yue had been born five or six years earlier, Hiruzen would have eagerly taken him on as his disciple and groomed him to become the next Hokage.
Mu Yue was the ideal disciple in Hiruzen's eyes—a young man with extraordinary ninjutsu talent, a gentle and humble demeanor, a profound understanding of the Will of Fire, and unparalleled teaching abilities. He was like a stronger, younger version of himself.
Comparing Mu Yue's character to that of his three students, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel envious of Mu Yue's students.
Hiruzen set down his pipe after exhaling the smoke. "Even if we were to conceal this information, it would be difficult to replicate such a feat, especially since two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen managed to escape. Kirigakure will soon learn of this incident, so there's no point in keeping it under wraps. Let's use this opportunity to showcase our strength and widely publicize this victory."
Mu Yue's accomplishments on the battlefield had far exceeded Hiruzen's expectations. Previously, during Mu Yue's battle against the hero of Sunagakure, Yaku, Hiruzen had requested that Mu Yue keep the matter a secret to spare Sunagakure from losing face. This time, however, Hiruzen would not ask Mu Yue to make such a compromise again.
The fame Mu Yue currently held was grossly disproportionate to his abilities.
After Hiruzen voiced his decision, Homura and Koharu expressed their agreement, and a satisfied smile appeared on Danzo's face.
"What reward should we give to Might Guy?" Koharu asked as she glanced at the documents in her hand. "Should we promote him to jonin? But he doesn't seem to know any ninjutsu, so promoting someone who can't use ninjutsu to jonin status seems a bit irregular."
Konoha had strict criteria for selecting jonin. In times of peace, a shinobi had to not only possess the requisite achievements for promotion but also undergo evaluations in various areas before they could be considered for the rank. Those who failed to pass would have to continue studying until they met the requirements.
This time, the merit was indeed significant; otherwise, Tohu Small Spring wouldn't have considered promoting Might Guy.
Despite possessing such a powerful forbidden jutsu, he had pretended to be a lower-ranking ninja for an extended period, and she believed that he lacked the Will of Fire.
Danzo Shimura remained silent, as Might Guy's promotion was none of his concern.
"Rules are dead; Konoha has changed its rules from the very beginning. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu are all essentially part of a ninja's strength. Might Guy's ability to defeat two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen is sufficient for the rank of jounin," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, offering a differing opinion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was familiar with Might Guy and had even briefly sparred with him, so he had a good understanding of his character.
He believed that based on Might Guy's temperament, he was more than qualified to become a jounin of Konoha.
Moreover, Might Guy had made remarkable contributions this time. If it weren't for his timely support, Kakashi and the others wouldn't have been able to repel the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, hold out until Mu Yue's arrival, and achieve this great victory.
"What you say makes sense, Hiruzen. Sometimes, we can't blindly adhere to the rules," added Mito Menyan, showing her agreement.
"Then let's promote him to jounin," Tohu Small Spring said, changing her stance.
A fleeting trace of disdain flashed in Danzo's eyes. If Hiruzen had refuted his opinion, he would have argued back.
"Since Might Guy is being promoted to jounin, what about Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy's team?" Mito asked again.
"Most of them, apart from Kakashi, have only recently become chunin. Hiashi Hyuga, Ebisu, and Itachi Uchiha were promoted to chunin just this year."
If Kakashi's team were also promoted to jounin, it would be quite startling to have several young jounin in Konoha, especially since Itachi was only eight years old this year.
Hiruzen pondered for a moment before speaking, "Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Might Guy will undergo jounin evaluations upon returning to the village. If they pass, they can be promoted to jounin. Rin Nohara will be directly promoted to special jounin, and the rest will remain unchanged for now."
The reason Hiashi and Ebisu were not on the promotion list was simple: although they had put in effort, their contributions in the battle were minimal, and they lacked the prowess to become jounin.
It was a frightening prospect for a ninja's abilities to fall short of their rank; it could not only tarnish the reputation of the ninja village but also increase the likelihood of the ninja perishing on missions.
Although Itachi possessed the necessary prowess, his achievements were lacking, and he hadn't undertaken enough missions to meet the requirements for jounin.
The distinction between Rin and the others was also due to their abilities. Rin's current prowess wasn't sufficient to serve as a jounin, but her exceptional medical skills and achievements were more than enough to warrant a direct promotion to special jounin.
Mito and Tohu nodded in agreement, acknowledging that Hiruzen had considered all aspects.
...
After the meeting, Mu Yue visited her injured disciples.
Each of her disciples had sustained injuries, some more severe than others.
"Teacher Mu Yue!" Upon seeing Mu Yue, Obito waved excitedly.
Itachi, less exuberant than Obito, also sat up and greeted Mu Yue.
Kakashi, who was slightly more injured, lifted himself up a bit and softly greeted his teacher.
Might Guy, who was severely wounded, could only slightly lift his head to locate Mu Yue and greet her with a weak voice.
"Are you all doing alright?" Mu Yue asked gently, a warm smile on her face, as she moved to her disciples' sides to examine their injuries.
This time, Mu Yue had used a transformation jutsu to turn herself into Tsunade, checking their conditions and providing further treatment.
Due to the black-rimmed glasses, none of the disciples noticed the change, only feeling that their bodies were recovering faster under Mu Yue's treatment.
"Teacher Mu Yue's medical ninjutsu has improved tremendously," Kakashi thought in surprise as he received treatment.
As her disciples grew stronger, sparring and injuries became more frequent, and Mu Yue was usually the one to treat them, with Rin providing assistance. Thus, Kakashi had a good understanding of his teacher's medical ninjutsu skills.
There was a period when Mu Yue's medical ninjutsu improved by leaps and bounds, which she attributed to her studies with Tsunade.
This time, Mu Yue's progress was evident, even to Kakashi, who wasn't well-versed in medical ninjutsu.
"Teacher Mu Yue is indeed a genius, having developed the Body Flicker and Breath Control techniques," Kakashi attributed the progress to Mu Yue's talent and hard work.
He didn't deny Tsunade's role but believed that Mu Yue's prowess was the main factor. Otherwise, if Tsunade were to open a medical ninja training class, she would be able to produce a batch of medical ninjas on par with herself.
"Teacher Mu Yue, how long will it take for us to recover?" Obito couldn't help but ask.
During the battle against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had shown his mettle, especially when he teamed up with Kakashi to defeat the Ghost Shark of Kirigakure. Obito wanted to surpass Kakashi, and so he was eager to recover and rejoin the battle.
"You, Itachi, and Rin will take about ten days to recover. Kakashi will need three weeks, and Guy will need a month and a half," Mu Yue replied after some thought.
Although Tsunade's medical skills were formidable, Mu Yue wanted to ensure her disciples' bodies were free from any lingering issues, and so she opted for a longer recovery period.
"It'll take that long?!" Guy exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"You can start rehabilitation exercises after resting for half a month. Just don't overdo it," Mu Yue added.
Guy heaved a sigh of relief. The thought of being unable to train for an extended period was distressing, and he didn't want Kakashi and the others to surpass him during this time.
"The battles ahead will become even more intense. I plan to send you, Guy, back to Konoha. Does anyone else want to return with him?" Mu Yue asked, looking at the rest of her disciples.
With Kirigakure having invaded the mainland of Fire Country, as long as they didn't retreat, Orochimaru would surely lead his ninja forces into a fierce confrontation with them.
Mu Yue had created this opportunity for Orochimaru, and he wouldn't let it slip by. The intensity of the battles on the eastern front would only escalate from here.
(End of Chapter)
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