https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-544-A-New-Perfect-Level-Nature-Transformation/12558810/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-546-Different-Ways-of-Interacting/12558812/
Chapter 545: Konoha's Number One, Indeed the Best
Chapter 545: Konoha's Number One, Indeed the Best
"An unfamiliar ceiling."
When Sasori opened his eyes again, he found himself in a strange, sparse room.
Sasori rubbed his temples, still sore from the beating he took from Nagato.
He looked around, and the iron door immediately told him he was in a place akin to a prison.
"Sosuke is awake," he heard Nagato's voice say, and turned to see Mu Yue and Nagato approaching the door.
"What's the meaning of this, Root Organization? I didn't lift a finger in your Six Paths City, and I have a personal vendetta against the Konoha ninjas. Do you have to get involved?" Sasori asked, his expression unreadable.
Although he was a missing-nin from Sunagakure, he wasn't a well-known one. Sunagakure hadn't issued a wanted notice for him or publicized his desertion.
The reason for this was that Sasori's murder of the Third Kazekage had not been exposed. He was only considered a missing-nin for leaving Sunagakure without cause.
So, even with his true identity exposed, Sasori didn't feel that his status as a missing-nin was common knowledge.
"Sasori, grandson of Sunagakure's advisor, Chiyo," Mu Yue said, not bothering with riddles as she revealed Sasori's identity.
Sasori instinctively reached for his scroll to release his puppets, but found nothing.
Now that they had captured Sasori, there was no way Mu Yue would have left him with any of his belongings. Everything had been taken from him.
To ensure that Sasori hadn't hidden a puppet scroll inside his body, Mu Yue had even used her Byakugan to check.
Unable to access his puppets, Sasori tried to gather his chakra, only to find that it was like a stagnant pool within him, impossible to move. He had been sealed.
"Once a genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, now a missing-nin," Mu Yue continued.
Sasori's face twitched slightly as his identity was fully exposed, but he realized he had no power to resist at this moment.
"So, what do you want to do with me?" Sasori asked, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Mu Yue and Nagato.
The status of a missing-nin in the ninja world was lower than low, and the Root Organization didn't need any reason to take action against him. They could even kill him without fear of repercussions.
"That's a question we should be asking you," Nagato said sternly. "If you hadn't attacked the participants of the Young Ninja Competition, I wouldn't have taken action against you."
Of course, there was another reason, one that Nagato couldn't reveal—Sasori had not only attacked participants of the tournament but also Nagato's fellow students.
"Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father, the White Fang of Konoha, killed my parents on the battlefield. I wanted to kill him to avenge them. That's all," Sasori replied indifferently.
For Sasori, there was nothing left to hide. His life and death were now completely in the hands of the Root Organization.
Nagato was stunned and couldn't think of a response.
There was no refuting this reason, and he could even understand Sasori to some extent.
Nagato had personally experienced the pain of losing his parents before his very eyes, and that heart-wrenching agony was still clear in his memory.
"Based on the crimes you have committed, you will undergo ten years of labor reform in the Root Organization," Mu Yue announced, without offering any platitudes about mutual understanding or letting go of hatred. "If you don't commit any other offenses during this period, you will be released."
"Talking big" also required a foundation. Although Mu Yue understood Sasori, Sasori didn't understand her or Nagato.
If Mu Yue had talked about letting go of hatred and mutual understanding at this point, it wouldn't have convinced Sasori to truly give up his vengeance. Instead, it would have lowered her esteem in his eyes.
"Ten years, huh? That's not too late," Sasori accepted his fate.
In Sasori's mind, being at the mercy of his captors meant that simply staying alive was a victory. He could always seek revenge after his release; ten years wasn't too long to wait.
Of course, if an opportunity to escape presented itself, Sasori wouldn't hesitate to take it. He had killed the Third Kazekage; a prison break held no psychological burden for him.
"Nagato, he's in your care now. Take him to the construction team," Mu Yue said, turning to Nagato.
This was also a form of training for Nagato. If he could successfully guide Sasori away from his path of vengeance, it would be a significant growth experience for him.
"Alright," Nagato nodded, his gaze toward Sasori filled with determination.
With a shared experience of losing their parents, Nagato was determined to pull Sasori out of his ocean of hatred. He wouldn't persuade Sasori to give up his revenge, but he would show him that there were better, more meaningful things to strive for.
...
After Might Guy had mostly recovered, Mu Yue and the others left the Rain Country and returned to Konoha.
As soon as they arrived, Mu Yue saw three familiar figures at the gate.
"Teacher Mu Yue," Terumi Mei, Izumo Kamizuki, and Anko Mitarashi greeted her together.
Mu Yue smiled in response.
"Why are you guys on door duty again?" Tobirama Senju asked curiously.
Although the mission was ranked B, Tobirama would have preferred a C-rank mission to subjugate bandits.
Guarding the door was just too boring—standing still at the entrance all day long.
"Although you are our big brother, Tobirama, I must correct you. This is not a door-guarding mission, but the protection of Konoha's main gate!" Izumo said solemnly.
"That's right," Terumi nodded in agreement. "We are guarding Konoha, shielding it from any invading enemies."
The two of them stood tall and proud on either side of the gate, their arms crossed and their expressions stern. If they weren't so short, they might have even looked the part.
Tobirama scratched his head, realizing they had a point.
He looked at them admiringly, his future Shadow Guards indeed weren't ordinary ninjas. Even a mundane task like guarding the door sounded so impressive coming from them.
"Actually, we just found out that this mission has good pay, and the other D-rank missions are pretty boring too, so we occasionally take this one," Anko, leaning against the wooden gate, revealed the truth.
After all, guarding the main gate was a B-rank mission, and the minimum pay for a B-rank mission was 80,000 ryo. For a newly graduated team like theirs, it was a substantial sum and would also make their mission resume look more impressive.
"Do you know about the Young Ninja Competition? It's a tournament that gathers all the talented young ninjas from across the ninja world," Tobirama said, clearing his throat as he thought of something.
Tobirama wasn't one to hide his achievements, and he didn't want his second-place finish to go unrecognized.
"Oh, I've heard of that. It's supposed to be an amazing competition," Terumi said, recalling the relevant memory.
Tobirama nodded, a proud smile on his face.
"Could it be that big brother Tobirama won first place?" Anko asked curiously.
Tobirama's behavior made her think of Terumi and Izumo, who always scored perfect on theory. She wondered if Tobirama had achieved the top spot in the competition.
"Er..." Tobirama's expression froze.
He hadn't expected Anko to jump straight to first place. This was a nature-type competition in the ninja world, and first place was no small feat.
Obito glared at him and quickly added, "Among all the Konoha contestants, I ranked first!"
Adding that qualifier, he was indeed telling the truth, as the only ones ahead of him were Long Mon and Nagato, who was a ninja from Amegakure.
"That still sounds impressive," Izumo chimed in, giving Obito a compliment.
This wasn't mere flattery, as ranking first among all the Konoha participants was indeed something to be proud of.
"Oh wow, big brother Obito is the best in Konoha!" Denki exclaimed excitedly.
Denki's loud voice drew the attention of passersby near the gate.
Obito felt exasperated. That wasn't how you were supposed to downplay things! Now, people might think he had become the number one ninja in Konoha.
"Hold on, hold on! I meant among all the young Konoha contestants in the tournament. Don't twist my words," Obito quickly clarified, noticing the curious stares from other ninjas.
While he loved hearing the praise from Denki, he knew it was a bit premature given his current standing.
"Obito, are you planning to join them on guard duty?" Kakashi teased.
Obito then realized that he had been so caught up in the conversation that he was still standing by the gate while Mu Yue and the others had already entered Konoha.
"I'll teach you guys some more moves when I have time."
Obito waved at the trio on guard duty and finally stepped into Konoha.
"You're free to do whatever you want today and tomorrow. But if you're available the day after, come to the Southern Border Forest for training. Obito and Tobirama, you two must be there. I have a new jutsu to teach you," Mu Yue announced.
Although this wasn't exactly a mission, it wouldn't be easy either, so Mu Yue decided to give them a couple of days off.
"A new jutsu?" Obito's eyes lit up as he latched onto the key phrase.
Although Mu Yue hadn't mentioned what type of jutsu it was or how powerful it would be, Obito had a feeling that it would be extraordinary.
Given their current abilities, ordinary jutsu wouldn't do much for them, and the fact that Mu Yue had specifically mentioned it ahead of time made Obito even more curious.
"Is it a Fire Jutsu?" Tobirama guessed.
Mu Yue had mentioned both of them, and the most obvious commonality between them was their Fire Release affinity.
Obito's eyes dimmed slightly.
If it was a Fire Jutsu, he honestly couldn't say if it would be strong or not. Fire Release always felt inferior to him.
Even the Fire Shadow of Konoha didn't seem to have any impressive Fire Jutsu up his sleeve.
"Yes, it's a Fire Jutsu, and a powerful one at that," Mu Yue confirmed with a nod.
Mu Yue's response rekindled the hope in Obito's heart. After all, this was the almighty Mu Yue; even if Fire Release was inferior, he might be able to turn it into something extraordinary.
"Teacher Mu Yue, how does it compare to the No Mind's Blade?" Obito asked directly.
He was tired of feeling inferior to Kakashi. Even when they argued, he felt like he had to hold back, lacking the confidence to stand his ground.
"It's on the same level," Mu Yue replied.
Obito clenched his fists in excitement, his eyes sparkling. Finally, his days of feeling inferior due to his Fire Release were coming to an end. Once he mastered this new Fire Jutsu, he'd show Kakashi who was boss!
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly at Mu Yue's words. Just from that description, he could sense the overwhelming power of the jutsu.
The No Mind's Blade was an ultimate Lightning Release sword technique that could bring even Kakashi himself to his knees.
"Is Teacher Mu Yue really a sage reincarnated?" Kakashi wondered aloud, struggling to find words to describe Mu Yue's abilities.
As a 21-year-old ninja, Mu Yue was simply defying common sense.
He had invented countless breathing techniques, secret techniques, the Golden Line, the No Mind's Blade, and who knew what other powerful abilities he possessed.
Kakashi couldn't wrap his head around how Mu Yue had developed all these jutsu, techniques, and physical skills in such a short time.
Typically, developing powerful jutsu and techniques took years.
Even if Mu Yue had only invented the Breath of Flames at his current age, he would still be considered a super genius.
And that was just one of the breathing techniques; it offered multiple benefits, including physical enhancement, the Chakra Mode, and the ability to see the world in a whole new light.
"What kind of terrifying situation could kill someone like Teacher Mu Yue?" Kakashi pondered, thinking about another intriguing aspect of Mu Yue.
In Kakashi's opinion, Mu Yue's strength was on par with the Sannin, but he was at the very peak of that level due to his diverse set of skills.
It was hard for Kakashi to imagine how someone with Mu Yue's wide array of abilities could have possibly died in battle.
No ninja could counter all of Mu Yue's skills, and even if they somehow managed to, Mu Yue could always escape with his space-time ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kakashi truly couldn't fathom what kind of situation could lead to Mu Yue's demise.
His mind drew a blank. Could it be that a super-powerful figure like Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama had come back from the dead and killed Mu Yue?
"The most important thing right now is to train," Kakashi said, pushing those thoughts aside as he headed straight toward the Southern Border Forest.
With enough strength, he would be able to help Mu Yue no matter what kind of trouble he faced. On the other hand, if he lacked power, even knowing about Mu Yue's potential fate might not be enough to change anything.
Obito and Tobirama also made their way toward the Southern Border Forest without hesitation.
As the relatively weaker members of Mu Yue's group, they had always been striving to catch up with Kakashi and Might Guy, and maybe even surpass them.
"See you guys. I'm going to visit Teacher Tsunade," Rin waved goodbye as she headed in a different direction.
While strength was important to Rin, she saw her primary role as a medical ninja, a supporter.
The battle with Sasori had made her realize that she needed to improve her knowledge of poisons, so she wanted to learn more about antidotes from Tsunade.
Might Guy also bid farewell to the group and returned home. His injuries hadn't fully healed yet, so intense training was out of the question for now; he could only focus on recovery.
PS:
The Third Ninja World War is just one part of the story, not the entirety of it! Don't worry, there's more to come, and I'll definitely include the elements that I might have missed.
The main story will definitely cover all the important events, and I'll also consider writing some side stories or filling in any gaps to make the narrative more complete and interesting.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
