https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-471-Might-Guy-s-Pokemon-Hatching/12558648/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-473-Jiraiya-Lacks-Ambition-Tsunade-is-Indolent-Only-Orochimaru-/12558650/
Chapter 472: Yang Release Chakra Mode
Chapter 472: Yang Release Chakra Mode
"Although some of them are a bit skinny, thankfully I came prepared."
Might Guy set Leo down on the ground and took out a pile of green bodysuits from somewhere unknown, selecting the smallest one to place in front of Leo. It turned out to be a perfect fit.
"What's with your dogs? They just keep getting weirder. Why is this one standing on two legs like a human?" Obito couldn't help but comment as he looked at Leo standing upright.
"And Guy, your obsession with green bodysuits is a bit much. Are you seriously making your summoning beast wear one too?" Obito felt there were just too many things to point out; he didn't know where to start.
"It's not an obsession," Guy said, giving Obito a thumbs-up. "This outfit is genuinely great for training and combat!"
"Obito, why don't you give it a try? Trust me, once you wear it, you'll love it."
Guy turned around and picked out a green bodysuit similar in size to Obito from the pile, offering it to him.
Obito shook his head rapidly like a rattle, clearly expressing his strong resistance to the idea.
"Just give it a try. It's really comfortable," Guy continued to persuade him nonchalantly.
He genuinely believed in the merits of the green bodysuit. If given the chance, Guy wanted to promote this outfit throughout Konoha, the Fire Nation, and even the entire ninja world, spreading this comfort far and wide.
"Guy, why don't you go find Kakashi? I see him wearing a green vest every day. He might really like this shade of green." Obito quickly threw Kakashi under the bus.
It wasn't that Obito had any color discrimination; it was just that Guy's choice of color was a deadly shade of green. Obito felt that even if he had a handsome face, wearing this color would make him look bad.
Kakashi: ???
He wore the standard vest provided by Konoha to Chunin and Jonin, and all Konoha ninjas wore green. How did that equate to him liking the color green?
"Kakashi, you..."
Before Guy could finish his sentence, Kakashi cut him off.
"I once went to a temple to have my fortune told. The master there said that I'm destined to be unlucky with the color green, so I shouldn't wear green clothes, or it could be dangerous for my life."
"If that's the case, then I suppose there's no other way." Guy stroked his chin and didn't press the issue with Kakashi any further. Instead, he turned his attention back to Obito.
Obito was speechless. Kakashi was obviously pulling his leg, and Guy actually believed it!
If Kakashi were destined to be unlucky with the color green, then he might as well be Uchiha Madara, who hated the color green due to his injuries from wood release and avoided wearing green clothes.
"Obito, if you don't try it once, you'll never know how comfortable this outfit is," Guy insisted.
"Guy, don't waste your breath. I'm quite happy with my current clothes. You'd be better off waiting for Itachi to come back and asking him to try it," Obito suggested, bringing Itachi into the conversation.
Itachi had been mysteriously busy these past few days and hadn't come to train as often.
Obito recalled that Itachi had become like this after going to participate in some kind of martial arts tournament. Obito had wanted to join too, as there were rewards involved.
Obito was always up for participating in events with rewards; freeloading was a joyful thing.
However, Itachi had told him that he had important business to attend to and asked Obito not to go. So, Obito hadn't gone.
While freeloading was enjoyable, a brother's request was even more important.
Guy thought about it and found some logic in what Obito said, so he decided to continue training and recommend the bodysuit to Itachi later.
Since Leo had just been born, Guy didn't have him accompany him during training. Instead, he placed Leo on his back and continued doing one-finger push-ups.
Leo sensed Guy's pure desire to train and couldn't help but want to train with him.
However, as he had just been born, Leo was still a bit clumsy and not only couldn't effectively train but also kept falling over. Fortunately, Guy's quick eyes and fast hands ensured that he always caught Leo in time, preventing any injuries.
"That's so nice. It feels very heartwarming," Hinata commented as she witnessed this scene.
Even though Leo had just been born, the interaction between him and Guy truly gave Hinata a sense of family.
"Hinata, don't be envious. We'll have our own soon enough," Obito decided, making up his mind that when he obtained a ninja beast egg, he would never let it out of his sight to ensure the fastest possible hatching.
"Mhm." Hinata nodded gently with a soft smile.
After a day of training, Mu Yue went to the market as usual to buy ingredients and then headed to Tsunade's place to cook dinner. After the meal, they chatted for half an hour about Mu Yue's ideas for improving the Yang Seal.
She then declined Tsunade's invitation to join the Ninja Corps and returned home to study sealing techniques and cultivate the Yang Release Chakra Mode.
With his extensive experience in developing breathing techniques and possessing two perfect-level breathing techniques and two proficient-level ones, Mu Yue made rapid progress in cultivating the Yang Release.
He entered the Yang Release Chakra Mode in a second, and in just one day, he went from a novice to a skilled practitioner. After two weeks, his proficiency had reached 2,400, just 600 points shy of the proficient level, which would grant him mastery of the Yang Release Chakra Mode.
"However, this isn't the Yang Release I envisioned. Even if I reach proficiency, I won't be able to combine it with the Flame Release to create the Sun Release," Mu Yue shook his head slightly in disappointment.
He had initially envisioned the Yang Release as a technique that could be combined with a specific chakra attribute and corresponding breathing technique, such as the Fire Attribute Flame Release. By adding the Yang Attribute Yang Release, he had hoped to create an even stronger fire release technique.
However, the current Yang Release wasn't as he had expected. Its effect was to enhance Yang Release techniques, and the Yang Release Chakra Mode allowed for instant healing of the body and, to some extent, caused the body to enlarge, similar to the Akimichi Clan's Expansion Technique.
While this Yang Release wasn't necessarily weak, as it enhanced Yang Release techniques and inherently incorporated the Akimichi Clan's secret techniques and the Eight Gates Technique, it was still far from what Mu Yue had envisioned. This discrepancy made him wonder if he had made a slight mistake in his approach.
At around 9:30 p.m., someone suddenly knocked on Mu Yue's door.
Mu Yue put down the manuscript he was holding, activated his Byakugan, and glanced at the door, only to see Orochimaru standing there.
"What could he be doing here at this hour?" Mu Yue wondered as he made his way downstairs, trying to guess Orochimaru's purpose for visiting.
After returning to Konoha, Mu Yue hadn't actually met with Orochimaru that often, as the latter seemed rather busy, and Mu Yue rarely caught sight of him.
Opening the door, Mu Yue feigned mild surprise, "Orochimaru, please come in."
"Mu Yue, I apologize for the intrusion," Orochimaru said with a slight smile as he followed Mu Yue into the house.
Mu Yue led Orochimaru into the living room and poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of his guest.
"After returning to Konoha, I've been caught up with various trivial matters, and I haven't had the chance to chat with you as often as we did on the battlefield," Orochimaru commented as he picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Initially, he wasn't entirely sure, but since Orochimaru started by trying to build a connection, Mu Yue surmised that he probably had something important to ask of him.
Setting down his teacup, Orochimaru said, "Now that the ninja world is in chaos, it's not just about me. Konoha needs all the help it can get."
Mu Yue assumed a listening posture.
"Although Kirigakure has been repelled, they have shown no intention of signing a peace treaty with the village, and war may break out again at any time," Orochimaru began by explaining the current situation between Kirigakure and Konoha.
An unspoken understanding had formed between the two villages, and neither side had any immediate plans for hostilities.
However, this truce was only temporary, as Konoha was dealing with pressure from other battlefronts, and Kirigakure was recovering from their losses.
Once either side resolved their internal issues, the war could easily erupt once more.
"The battle between Kumogakure and Sunagakure is intense, and I plan to take this opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Kumogakure, thus relieving some pressure on Konoha," Orochimaru elaborated.
Rather than waiting for Kirigakure to recover and strike again, Orochimaru intended to alleviate the pressure from other battlefronts and gather enough strength to confront Kirigakure.
Even if his forces fell short of retaking Kirigakure's homeland, he wanted to ensure they wouldn't dare to invade Konoha again.
Mu Yue understood Orochimaru's intentions—he was offering him the chance to join the battle and make a name for himself.
Orochimaru, visiting him late in the evening to analyze the ninja world's situation, was clearly not just passing the time. He was trying to recruit Mu Yue for a mission.
"Orochimaru, your foresight is admirable. I am truly impressed," Mu Yue praised, feigning that he hadn't caught the underlying message.
Orochimaru's plan wasn't bad, but Mu Yue had no intention of joining him on the battlefield.
The situation with Kumogakure was far more dangerous than Kirigakure. On the one hand, Kumogakure was stronger than Kirigakure, and on the other, the Raikage was notoriously reckless.
If a major battle broke out, there was a high likelihood that the Third Raikage himself would appear on the battlefield.
While Mu Yue wasn't afraid of the Third Raikage, he acknowledged the Raikage's formidable defense, which even a Spiraling Sphere Shuriken might struggle to penetrate. However, with his array of powerful techniques, including the Perfect-level Armed Color and Perfect-level Breathing Technique, Mu Yue was confident that he could breach the Raikage's defenses with his full power.
But once on the battlefield, there would be no room for one-on-one duels. Anything could happen.
Even now, Mu Yue still found the events of the Kirigakure battle suspicious. Although Konoha had emerged victorious, it was only due to the unexpected variable that he had introduced.
Kirigakure's final move had been exceedingly strange; they suddenly possessed superior intelligence, nearly wiping out Konoha's main forces in one fell swoop.
With his Flying Thunder God technique, Mu Yue wasn't concerned about his own survival, but protecting his disciples was another matter entirely—a more complicated problem. Thus, he had no desire to go to the battlefield.
At this moment, his disciples had just made a breakthrough and were at a crucial stage of their new training regimen. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi himself asked him to go to war, Mu Yue would find a way to wriggle out of it, let alone for Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's fingers stroked the teacup as he maintained a neutral expression and said, "Mu Yue, we worked very well together during the Kirigakure battle, so I'd like to invite you to join me in the Land of Hot Water to annihilate Kumogakure."
Orochimaru knew that finding a subordinate with both strength and capability like Mu Yue was a difficult task, so even if he suspected that Mu Yue had been feigning ignorance, he wasn't ready to give up.
Orochimaru sensed that Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned more toward Jiraiya, but he believed that as long as he accumulated enough achievements and gained sufficient support, Hiruzen would have no choice but to choose him in the end.
Mu Yue put on a look of sudden realization, then shook his head regretfully and said, "Orochimaru, although I would love to join you in establishing our names in history, I'm afraid I'm a bit tied up at the moment."
Mu Yue's outright refusal did not dampen Orochimaru's expression.
With a slight smile that carried a hint of apology, Orochimaru said, "My apologies. I didn't consider your current situation."
Instead of leaving immediately after Mu Yue's refusal, Orochimaru stayed and chatted with him about the ninja world's situation for a while longer before taking his leave.
"Is Danzo suspicious of my actions and trying to warn me?" Orochimaru wondered as he left Mu Yue's house, a cold glint in his eyes.
Normally, if he wanted to take Mu Yue to the battlefield, he would first need to notify Danzo Shimura, as Mu Yue was one of Danzo's men.
The last time Mu Yue went to assist Orochimaru was also due to Danzo's intervention.
So, why did Orochimaru bypass Danzo and come directly to him this time?
Orochimaru's primary purpose was to test Mu Yue's allegiance. If Mu Yue had agreed readily, it would have indicated his willingness to detach himself from Danzo and stand by Orochimaru's side. On the other hand, if he refused, it meant that he was still maintaining his position within the Root Organization.
Orochimaru didn't want Danzo to have too much power within his grasp.
It wasn't that Orochimaru was already plotting to become Hokage and wanted to curb Danzo's influence. Rather, if Danzo accumulated too much power, their cooperative relationship would become unbalanced, which would be unfavorable for Orochimaru.
To investigate whether Mu Yue's display of loyalty was his genuine sentiment or a result of Danzo's influence, Orochimaru indirectly probed Danzo by asking about Mu Yue.
Orochimaru was cautious and only inquired about trivial matters, using the pretext of being curious about Mu Yue, the talented ninja with whom he had gotten along well.
However, Orochimaru had underestimated Danzo's caution.
Danzo immediately sensed that something was amiss with Orochimaru and promptly sent people to investigate his movements. He discovered that Orochimaru had, on multiple occasions, initiated contact with Mu Yue without his knowledge.
"You've got some nerve, Orochimaru, trying to poach even my Root Organization's most perfect creation," Danzo thought, a hint of anger creeping into his voice.
He had gone to great lengths to support Orochimaru's bid for the Hokage position, repeatedly negotiating with Hiruzen Sarutobi to send Mu Yue to the battlefield to assist Orochimaru.
And this was how Orochimaru chose to repay him—by trying to poach his man even before becoming Hokage.
If it weren't for their deep-rooted connection and mutual knowledge of each other's dirty secrets, Danzo would have loved to reprimand Orochimaru severely in his capacity as the Root Organization's leader.
But he couldn't, because Orochimaru was nominally a Root Organization ninja, his subordinate. Yet, in reality, they stood on equal footing as collaborators.
"Hmph, Mu Yue is loyal to me, heart and soul. Your efforts are in vain," Danzo thought, a cold smile playing on his lips. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't been able to sway Mu Yue, and he didn't believe that Orochimaru could either.
Of course, despite his confidence, Danzo still thoroughly investigated Mu Yue, always trusting in the notion of 'it's better to be safe than sorry.'
Upon discovering that Mu Yue never took the initiative to contact Orochimaru, Danzo finally felt relieved, convinced that Mu Yue remained the devoted subordinate he had always been.
(End of Chapter)
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