https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-450-Dreaming-of-Being-a-Dragon-Before-Even-Slaying-One/12558607/
Chapter 451: Kakashi's Promotion Gift
Chapter 451: Kakashi's Promotion Gift
"Since everyone has fully recovered, it's time for us to return to the Eastern battlefront." Kakashi said.
There had been no urgent orders from the front lines; this was Kakashi's own decision.
Even though everyone was alive and well now, Kakashi hadn't forgotten that their future wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
In that less-than-ideal future, Mu Yue was absent. The Nine-Tails incident would claim Minato's life, and Yahiko and Rin would not live to see Naruto grow up.
To prevent that future from becoming a reality, they needed to become stronger, and war was an excellent training ground.
War was dangerous, but it was also a crucible that forged strength—a fact Kakashi couldn't deny.
Even now, Kakashi found it hard to imagine Mu Yue dying unnaturally.
This was Mu Yue, the master who had mastered numerous breathing techniques, the Body Flicker Technique, and the Flying Thunder God Technique. What kind of ninja, or even ninja squad, could take him down?
With so little information, Kakashi struggled to analyze anything useful. The only certainty was that weak links would only hold Mu Yue back.
Hearing Kakashi's words, Obito's expression turned serious. He didn't want to die before Kakashi, nor did he want to see Rin killed, and even more so, he couldn't bear the thought of their amazing teacher, Mu Yue, not living a long life.
"I'm all set and ready to go anytime," Might Guy replied enthusiastically.
Might Guy had a talent for simplifying complex issues. If the Five Gates and Rock Lee's chakra mode weren't strong enough, then he would keep training until he mastered the Eighth Gate, Rock Lee's chakra mode, and on top of that, the Body Flicker Technique.
After a long period of arduous training, coupled with Mu Yue's enlightenment and skill-boosting abilities, Might Guy had finally grasped the prerequisite for the Body Flicker Technique—the transformation of Yin-attribute chakra nature. He could now begin his formal training in the Body Flicker Technique.
However, compared to the time it took Kakashi and the others to master the Body Flicker Technique and Yin Release, Might Guy's path to the Body Flicker Technique would be challenging.
"Alright, let's head out together with Rin, then," Kakashi nodded.
Since they had recovered earlier than Might Guy, they had already discussed this beforehand.
Soon after, the four of them packed their belongings and set off for the Eastern battlefront.
"This time, we must defeat Kirigakure alongside Teacher Mu Yue and get promoted to jonin!" Obito declared passionately as they stepped out of Konoha's gates.
The last time they had left, he was just a somewhat famous jonin exam participant. Now, he had returned as a renowned genius of Konoha, and this time, he intended to take it a step further and become a renowned jonin!
"Obito, focus on the mission and save the chatter," Kakashi said bluntly, emphasizing Obito's position.
"And here he is, trying to act all high and mighty as the squad's vice-captain just a few meters outside of Konoha," Rin teased, not wanting Obito to get ahead of himself.
"Alright then, Obito, a mere chunin, don't waste any more time," Kakashi retorted, poking Obito with a kunai, emphasizing his ninja rank.
Obito's expression turned slightly awkward. Not only was his position within the team lower than Kakashi's, but his ninja rank had also been one-upped.
"Kakashi only became a ninja earlier than me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a jonin so quickly," Obito consoled himself, feeling a bit better after considering Kakashi's longer tenure as a ninja.
Thinking about Rock Lee and Genma, who were still chunin, Obito felt more at ease. After all, most of Mu Yue's disciples were still at the chunin level.
"Ahem, let's get going then," Obito coughed lightly, trying to dispel the awkwardness, and then he started walking briskly.
By the time Obito and his team arrived at the camp, it was already evening, and familiar ninjas had gathered to eat and chat.
"Konoha is truly thriving. We have young and powerful leaders like Minato and Mu Yue, as well as incredible talents like Might Guy, the Green Beast of Konoha, and the Instantaneous Stop user, Genma," one ninja exclaimed.
The ninja world was in a state of chaos, with Konoha engaged in simultaneous wars against the three great ninja villages. Such a situation would typically be a cause for concern, but the emergence of strong individuals and geniuses within Konoha had its ninjas feeling optimistic.
"That's right. I heard that Uchiha Shisui is only eight years old this year. It's unbelievable! At the same age, even the legendary Uchiha Madara wouldn't have been able to surpass him, having slain three Kirigakure jonin in a single battle," another ninja added, impressed.
When he was eight, he had still been in the Ninja Academy, and even a simple display of skill by a chunin teacher would have left him in awe.
"Hatake Kakashi is also very strong. He killed one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Mangetsu Hozuki, and he's now Konoha's youngest jonin. Who knows, he might even surpass White Fang in the future," someone else chimed in.
Obito paused in his tracks, waiting for a particular statement.
"They're all disciples of Teacher Mu Yue, too. At this rate, they might become the next Sannin."
Obito's forehead creased into a frown. How could there be only three Sannin among Mu Yue's disciples? There should be at least five, and he and Kakashi had defeated Mangetsu Hozuki together. How had it become solely attributed to Kakashi?
As Mu Yue wasn't out on a mission at this time, they quickly located her in the camp.
"Teacher Mu Yue," all the disciples greeted Mu Yue.
"It seems like you've all recovered nicely," Mu Yue replied with a smile. "Also, congratulations, Kakashi, on your successful promotion to Jonin. I suppose this congratulations is a bit late."
Kakashi smiled faintly, "It's not too late, Teacher Mu Yue. You're the first to congratulate me."
Mu Yue, as the deputy commander of the battlefield, had a heavy responsibility and couldn't leave the warzone at will. So, in Kakashi's opinion, her congratulations weren't late, and he appreciated that she kept it in mind.
"Whether it's early or late doesn't matter," Mu Yue said mysteriously. "But I'm sure you can't guess what gift I have for your promotion."
This piqued Kakashi's curiosity. Mu Yue was not one to make empty statements, and since she said it was hard to guess, it must be something he wouldn't expect.
"Could it be a ninja novel?" Kakashi wondered to himself, trying to guess something unlikely.
The next moment, he dismissed the idea. Mu Yue wasn't like Obito, who would give such an absurd gift.
If Mu Yue were to give him a ninja novel, there could only be one reason: the novel wasn't ordinary, and it contained profound insights.
Obito glared at Kakashi with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and hatred. He also wanted a gift from Teacher Mu Yue!
Obito realized that failing the Jonin exam was a terrifying event that could rank among the top ten failures in life. Not only had it put him a step behind Kakashi, making him too ashamed to play with Rin, but now he could only watch as Mu Yue gave Kakashi a promotion gift.
Mu Yue entered her tent, pretending to retrieve something, and then took a Pokemon Egg from her system space before stepping out.
"This is my gift to you for your Jonin promotion," Mu Yue said, handing the egg to Kakashi.
"What a huge egg," Obito said curiously. "What kind of egg is this? Are we going to have an all-egg feast to celebrate?"
He had never seen such a large egg before, bigger than their heads.
Smack!
Along with a crisp knocking sound, Mu Yue's finger made intimate contact with Obito's forehead.
"This isn't for eating," Mu Yue said, retracting her finger. "It's an egg that can hatch a Summoning Beast."
"So Summoning Beasts hatch from eggs?" Obito rubbed the spot where he'd been hit, feeling like he'd learned something new.
Kakashi was speechless. Obito really deserved to fail the Jonin examination.
"That depends on whether they're oviparous or viviparous, not on whether they're Summoning Beasts or not," Kakashi explained.
In Kakashi's opinion, the difference between Summoning Beasts and ordinary animals was like the difference between a ninja and a regular person—there were special cases, but most were similar.
"Teacher Mu Yue, what type of Summoning Beast is inside this egg?" Kakashi asked after examining the Pokemon Egg for a few moments.
Biology classes didn't teach them how to identify specific animals from their eggs.
"You'll know when it hatches," Mu Yue maintained her enigmatic attitude. "But I can tell you that this Summoning Beast is very strong and has extremely high growth potential. If nurtured carefully, it will become a great asset in your battles."
Of course, this was mainly because Mu Yue herself didn't know what Pokemon would hatch from the egg.
However, based on the system's past behavior, Mu Yue believed that the Pokemon would likely be well-suited to Kakashi.
It could be a Ground-type or Electric-type Pokemon, similar to Kakashi's chakra nature, or a Water-type Pokemon that could combine with Kakashi's ninjutsu and sword techniques.
"Very strong..." Kakashi subconsciously hugged the Pokemon Egg tighter.
To a ninja, a Summoning Beast with exceptional combat abilities was even more important than a powerful secret technique.
"I wonder what it could be," Kakashi speculated. "A bird, perhaps?"
Birds were oviparous, but Kakashi hadn't heard of any particularly strong bird-type Summoning Beasts.
[You gave your disciple a Pokemon Egg, and your disciple is extremely grateful. As a result, you receive a Critical Hit reward: Ninjutsu - Kirin (Proficient)]
Perhaps it was because it had been a long time since they last met, or perhaps it was because Mu Yue gave such a generous gift, but Kakashi also received a Critical Hit of gold coins, resulting in him learning an S-rank Proficient level of Lightning Release.
Mu Yue didn't take out the Yanmo, believing that the current Kakashi wouldn't be able to wield this demonic blade safely. There would be risks if he tried to use it.
Setting aside combat styles, sword techniques, and the like, the person most suited to Yanmo was someone like Nagato, with his abundant chakra.
The White Fang was just an ordinary chakra blade, and its extraordinary reputation in the ninja world was solely due to the exceptional prowess of its owner, Sakumo Hatake. The blade itself was unremarkable.
Moreover, Mu Yue had field-tested the Yanmo once, and it could absorb chakra from those it slashed, growing stronger with each kill, without relying entirely on its owner's supply.
In that case, Kakashi would only face two issues with using Yanmo: the initial activation requiring a substantial amount of chakra, and the difficulty of absorbing enemy chakra in a one-on-one battle.
Overcoming these challenges necessitated a substantial chakra reserve, and since Kakashi had to be meticulous in his management of skills, Mu Yue decided to hold off on giving him the blade until he reached the next stage of his development.
"Teacher Mu Yue," Obito said, suppressing the longing for a summoning beast that stirred within him. "When I was on my way here, I overheard someone mention 'Instantaneous Stop.' What's that all about?"
Genma should have had the upper hand in unexpected encounters, yet now his reputation paled in comparison, and he even had a cool nickname to boot.
Genma, who had just finished a mission and was on his way to find Mu Yue, happened to overhear Obito's question and replied, "It's nothing. I've just been doing a lot of missions lately, and they gave me a nickname."
Obito twitched his lips. He, too, wanted a cool nickname like that.
"While you and Rin were recuperating in the village, Genma has been constantly on missions," Mu Yue explained briefly. "On one occasion, he was deeply trapped by the enemy, but he relied on his personal abilities to consecutively defeat three Jonin-level ninja from Kirigakure, emerging victorious."
Obito's mind conjured up an image of a resilient, vibrant green plant. He felt a twinge of regret for having returned.
His failure to advance to Jonin rank, his preoccupation with training, the embarrassment of that failure preventing him from deepening his relationship with Rin, and now being forced to celebrate Kakashi's promotion to Jonin—all of these thoughts made Obito feel like his life in Konoha was akin to hell.
Contemplating Genma seizing the opportunity to establish his reputation as 'Instantaneous Stop' only made Obito's emotions more turbulent.
If Obito had to describe his feelings, it would be akin to a friend who diligently studied during the holidays, while he pursued girls, only to end up failing to win their hearts and having his friend achieve excellent grades.
"It's all in the past," Obito consoled himself adeptly. "Once I start taking on missions again, things will get better."
Subsequently, Mu Yue briefed Kakashi's team on the latest developments on the battlefield and reassigned Genma to Kakashi's squad.
Genma had no objections, as while he had gotten along well with Uchiha Itachi's team, Kakashi and his teammates held a more significant place in his heart.
Nonetheless, having fought alongside the squad for over a month, Genma bid farewell to Uchiha Itachi's team after explaining the situation and expressing his gratitude.
"Teacher Mu Yue," Kakashi said before leaving. "Obito mentioned that he feels very unsatisfied due to his theoretical knowledge being insufficient for the Jonin exam. He hopes that you can give him some challenging practice tests to improve his written exam abilities. He also aspires to become a well-rounded Jonin, excelling in both intelligence and bravery."
Since Obito refused to be a decent human being, Kakashi saw no reason to hold back.
"Oh?" Mu Yue smiled, glancing at Obito.
The probability of Obito voluntarily requesting practice tests, especially difficult ones, was akin to Black Zetsu turning himself in—it was clearly Kakashi's doing.
"Of course, I am an ambitious person," Obito asserted, his hands shaking slightly as he forced the words out.
In that moment, Obito was cursing Kakashi in his mind. Kakashi had put him in a position where disagreeing would imply a lack of ambition and a preference for being a simple-minded ninja.
In front of Mu Yue and Rin, Obito couldn't bring himself to admit it, as that would be too disappointing.
"But now that I think about it, my previous thoughts were too immature," Obito continued, frantically trying to salvage the situation. "You're the deputy commander of the battlefield, Teacher Mu Yue, and you must be exhausted. I shouldn't add to your burden with such trivial matters."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Whenever situations like this arose, Obito's brain seemed to be lubricated, functioning smoothly.
With Obito appealing to Mu Yue's consideration, Kakashi couldn't very well argue against it.
"It's no trouble," Mu Yue assured him with a smile. "For an experienced teacher like me, it's a simple matter. I'll do my best to provide tests that will help you improve, Obito."
Kakashi couldn't contain his smile any longer. He rarely smiled, only doing so when he couldn't help it.
"This world is fake... It's hell," Obito muttered, his face etched with sadness as he stood frozen in place.
(End of Chapter)
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