Chapter 445: The Chakra-Absorbing Katana
Chapter 445: The Chakra-Absorbing Katana
"Obito has failed again," Mu Yue mused as she observed that only Kakashi had emerged from the promotion trial. She had expected as much, given Obito's theoretical knowledge gaps.
While Mu Yue did teach her disciples, her lessons primarily focused on politics and history, and the written exam for the Jonin promotion trial covered a much broader range of topics. For Obito to pass the written exam based on his own abilities, he would need a year of dedicated study under her guidance.
With the potential threat of Uchiha Madara looming, Mu Yue couldn't afford to have Obito neglect his cultivation in favor of theoretical studies, especially for the sake of a promotion reward. Besides, in times of war, there were plenty of opportunities for Obito to advance without solely relying on the Jonin promotion trial.
Setting aside her thoughts about Obito, Mu Yue turned her attention to Kakashi's promotion rewards.
The 2,400 chakra points were undoubtedly valuable, roughly equivalent to the chakra capacity of an average Chunin.
The remaining two rewards were more intriguing, but harder to evaluate. Mu Yue had no prior experience with the weapon scroll, and so she could only speculate about the quality of the weapons it could produce.
As for the Pokemon egg, Mu Yue was quite knowledgeable about Pokemon, having played the games and watched the anime. However, the system had rewarded an unknown Pokemon egg, and individual Pokemon could vary significantly.
"Even the most ordinary Pokemon have potential that surpasses the majority of summoned beasts," Mu Yue thought to herself.
In the world of Naruto, aside from the Three Great Dojutsu, the summoned beasts generally had low upper limits, with only a few exceptional cases.
With proper training, even a Beedrill could compete against those so-called quasi-gods.
Following her usual ritual, Mu Yue cleansed her hands before proceeding with the draw.
Weapon Scroll (Sword) Used. Obtained Weapon – Great Katana, Twenty-One Processes, Enma]
"This katana..." Mu Yue's expression turned pensive as she considered the weapon.
If her memory served her right, this was a sentient katana in the world of One Piece, known for absorbing the user's Haki. In the hands of an ordinary person, it could prove deadly, as their Haki would be drained, potentially leading to death.
Mu Yue suspected that the weapon would undergo some form of localization to fit the Naruto world, as Haki was unique to One Piece.
In Naruto, the Shinobi used Yin Release Secret Jutsu, which was fundamentally different from the innate Haki of One Piece.
To test the katana, Mu Yue used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the camp and find a secluded spot.
The Enma that appeared before her was almost identical to the one from her memories – a purple scabbard adorned with floral engravings, and a tsuba that resembled three interlocking rings.
With her left hand holding the scabbard and her right hand gripping the hilt, Mu Yue swiftly drew the katana.
A flash of white light streaked by, and in her hand appeared a tanto with a chillingly sharp blade.
Mu Yue felt an odd pulling sensation from the hilt, as if her chakra was being slowly drawn into the blade. Within a minute, she had lost 7,000 chakra points.
"This is interesting. It's adapted to absorb chakra instead," Mu Yue remarked with growing interest as she exerted full control over her chakra.
With her exceptional chakra control, she halted the flow of chakra into the blade.
Enma, seemingly dissatisfied, exerted an even stronger pulling force from the hilt, but to no avail.
Ignoring the katana's persistent attempts to absorb her chakra, Mu Yue gripped the hilt and slashed at a tree in front of her.
A flash of white light, and the tree before her was cleaved in two, toppling backwards with a loud crash.
"Its strength is impressive, but it's a bit dangerous," Mu Yue noted, surveying the fallen trees.
While the loss of 7,000 chakra points was negligible to her current reserves, it could prove fatal to a weaker Jonin, who typically had around 7,000 chakra points. In other words, Enma could drain a Jonin's chakra in a minute.
Mu Yue proceeded to test Enma's chakra conductivity, an important factor in the Ninja World. Infusing the blade with lightning-attribute chakra, she watched as dazzling blue arcs of electricity enveloped the katana, transforming its slashes into lightning-fast strikes.
Without pausing, she quickly infused fire-attribute chakra into the blade, causing it to ignite with fiery fervor.
"Its chakra conductivity is excellent," Mu Yue nodded in satisfaction.
Enma was, without a doubt, the finest chakra-infused katana she had ever seen. Its performance across the board was exceptional, and even without chakra enhancement, it remained a sturdy and sharp weapon.
"I'll find an opportunity to give this to Kakashi," Mu Yue decided, having no intention of keeping the blade for herself.
In terms of weapons, she already possessed the Staff of the Six Paths, which she hadn't needed to use thus far, not because it was inadequate or weak, but because she hadn't encountered a battle that required its deployment.
Her strongest opponent to date had been Hanzo, and his specialty in water jutsu held little threat against her. Instead, it was his poison that posed a greater danger, and the Staff of the Six Paths was ineffective against poison clouds.
The Staff of the Six Paths was an incredibly powerful artifact. Firstly, it possessed an astonishingly high level of hardness – Mu Yue's attacks, even when bolstered by tens of thousands of chakra points, had failed to leave a mark on it. Secondly, it held a unique ability to disrupt jutsu, which would be immensely useful to her until she reached the Six Paths level herself.
Finally, Mu Yue took out the Pokemon egg and attempted to use her White Eye to discern its contents. However, perhaps because it was meant specifically as Kakashi's reward and hadn't reached his hands yet, she couldn't perceive anything.
After her unsuccessful attempt, she returned the egg to the system space, intending to give it to Kakashi as a Jonin gift when he arrived at the battlefield.
That evening, after the war council meeting concluded, Orochimaru sought out Mu Yue for another private conversation.
"Kirigakure's recent behavior has been somewhat abnormal," Orochimaru remarked. "While they continue to maintain a defensive stance overall, there's a slight shift in their strategy. I suspect they may have received reinforcements from the village."
"If it's just a regular ninja unit, it's manageable. But if Kirigakure has gained a jinchuriki among their ranks, things could get tricky," Mu Yue replied.
Even a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber would find it challenging to defeat a jinchuriki in direct combat during a war.
The destructive power of the tailed beasts was immense, capable of inflicting catastrophic damage to both individuals and ninja units.
Of course, given the opportunity, Orochimaru would not hesitate to eliminate such a threat. He had already demonstrated this by taking out the jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, Burami, from Kumogakure.
Nodding, Rin Nohara smiled back. "Good morning, Obito. How are you?"
"I was just about to get some breakfast. Would you care to join me?" Obito asked, his eyes sparkling with delight.
"That's very kind of you. I was just heading out for breakfast myself," Obito replied without hesitation, despite having already eaten. But how could he refuse a meal with Rin? It would be like turning down a feast.
Rin led Obito to a small eatery she had visited before and enjoyed. Once they were seated, she spoke up, offering comfort and reassurance. "It's perfectly normal not to pass the exam. Most ninjas don't pass the Chunin Exam on their first try."
She had sought him out intentionally, knowing about the Jonin exam results and that Kakashi had passed while Obito hadn't.
"Kakashi has years of experience as a Chunin, so it's no surprise he passed. Don't be discouraged, Obito. If you keep trying, I know you'll succeed too," she encouraged.
Although they were the same age, Kakashi had far more experience as a ninja. When they were in their first year, Kakashi was already a Genin, and by their second year, he had become a Chunin.
As Obito savored the breakfast Rin had offered, her gentle voice soothed his ears, and his heart swelled with gratitude. She had gone out of her way to cheer him up.
"Don't worry, Rin. I won't let this get me down. Kakashi might have read more books, but during the practical exam, I even defeated one of the examiners! Kakashi could only last until the exam ended, and the messenger ninja said I had the skill but fell short in the written test," Obito boasted, his confidence brimming.
In that moment, he felt like the true victor, and Kakashi, the loser.
"You defeated an examiner in the Jonin exam? That's amazing!" Rin praised, her fingers clasped together in front of her chest.
Although she didn't fully understand the details, she knew that Jonin examiners were no pushovers, and defeating one was indeed impressive.
"Heh, it was nothing much. With a little more training, you could do it too, Rin," Obito said, scratching his head sheepishly.
"I still have a long way to go to catch up with you guys. My strength pales in comparison," Rin acknowledged, well aware of her current limitations and the supportive role she often played.
"Obito, are you free this afternoon? Would you like to come to the park with me? The one with the cherry blossom trees," Rin asked suddenly, her eyes shining with anticipation.
"This afternoon..." Obito fell into thought.
He had planned to train that afternoon, but Rin's invitation might mean...
"Could it be... a date?!" Obito's eyes widened, and he couldn't contain his excitement.
The idea of Rin asking him out on a date was like a dream come true.
"If you're busy, then—" Rin started to say, but Obito quickly cut her off.
"I'm free! I have the whole afternoon free," he asserted, his voice eager.
For a date with Rin, Obito would clear his schedule for the entire day.
"Then let's meet at the cherry blossom tree in the park at 2 p.m.," Rin suggested with a smile.
"I'll be there on time. You can count on me," Obito assured her, his expression earnest.
"I trust you, Obito," Rin said with a nod, bidding him farewell as she turned to leave.
As Obito watched her walk away, he couldn't help but grin like a lovestruck fool. The prospect of a date with Rin made the disappointment of not becoming a Jonin fade into insignificance.
In the hours that followed, Obito found it hard to focus on anything but the impending date under the cherry blossom tree. Even his training suffered as his mind wandered.
"I need to take a shower and change clothes so I don't smell sweaty. Should I bring a gift? Maybe some flowers or snacks?" Obito debated with himself.
After some contemplation, he decided on snacks, reserving the idea of giving her roses for when he confessed his feelings.
"What if we run into snooty shopkeepers or bullies while we're out? How should I handle them...?" Obito imagined various scenarios of their date.
"Wait, what if Rin invites Kakashi too?" Obito's expression turned serious.
It wasn't paranoia; Rin often included Kakashi when she invited Obito to hang out.
Obito clasped his hands together and silently prayed that this would be one day when Kakashi was absent.
As Obito's mind raced with these thoughts, time flew by, and soon it was time for their rendezvous. To his relief, Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, but the situation turned out to be more complicated than he'd expected.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
