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Chapter 566: Intelligence and Mu Yue's Worth
Chapter 566: Intelligence and Mu Yue's Worth
"The troops have begun to assemble at Training Ground 11," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Due to the sudden turn of events, an emergency assembly was called to form a unit, skipping many formal procedures for the sake of speed.
Just a few minutes before Mu Yue entered the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been in a high-level meeting.
The defeat of the Konoha forces in the Grass Country came as a sudden shock. Not long ago, they had pushed the Iwagakure forces to the border of the Earth Country, only to suddenly find themselves on the losing end.
The Konoha higher-ups had no time to search for the reason behind their defeat and quickly decided to form a support unit to be sent to the Grass Country during the meeting, displaying exceptional efficiency.
They had no choice—inefficiency was not an option. If the forces in the Grass Country were completely defeated, the northwestern part of the Fire Country would be in danger.
The Iwagakure ninja forces could directly enter the Fire Country from the bordering Grass Country.
Not only would that be difficult to explain to the Daimyo of the Fire Country, but Konoha's reputation within the country would also be affected, and they might even face a threat from within.
After all, that Iwagakure ninja force in the Grass Country had two Jinchuriki who could fully transform into their Tailed Beasts.
Even Danzo Shimura, who often disagreed with Hiruzen, did not cause trouble this time. He only had a slight dispute with Hiruzen over the choice of the commander.
Initially, Danzo wanted Orochimaru, who was stationed in the Land of Hot Water, to lead a group of ninja to the Grass Country directly, while Konoha would send some additional personnel.
Hiruzen believed that this was robbing Peter to pay Paul.
While the Cloud Village hadn't caused much trouble recently, Hiruzen didn't trust that they would remain quiet.
If the news of Konoha's defeat got out, the Cloud Village would surely try to test their strength, and without Orochimaru, the defenses in the Land of Hot Water would be vulnerable.
So, Hiruzen decisively refused Danzo and shared his own arrangement—Mu Yue would be the commander of the support unit.
With the thought that Mu Yue was one of their own and the situation being indeed critical, Danzo did not continue to argue for Orochimaru.
"Are my disciples on the list for the support unit?" Mu Yue asked after a moment's thought.
With the ninja world becoming increasingly chaotic, Mu Yue felt that his disciples would be safer by his side.
While Konoha was safe, it was a time of war, and with Obito's abilities, Hiruzen would not let them idle, as it would be a waste of their strength.
Currently, Obito was considered an elite even among jonin, and such a level of power was rare even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Rather than leaving Obito in Konoha and risking him being manipulated by Uchiha Madara during a mission, it was better to take him directly to the battlefield.
While the battlefield was dangerous, at least Mu Yue could ensure their safety.
Even if they couldn't win, Mu Yue could still get them out.
"They are," Hiruzen replied.
Considering the grim situation in the Grass Country, the support unit had to be strong, or they would just be sending people to their deaths.
Kakashi and the others were not only excellent in terms of strength but also had a special relationship with Mu Yue, making them the best choices for jonin in the support unit.
Of course, if Mu Yue wanted Kakashi and the others to stay in Konoha, Hiruzen would agree.
Compared to Kakashi, Mu Yue was undoubtedly more important, and it was only natural for the commander to have some special privileges.
Moreover, Kakashi and the others could stay in Konoha as an elite squad, still contributing to Konoha.
"Once the troops are assembled, I will immediately lead the unit to the Grass Country," Mu Yue nodded and prepared to leave the Hokage's office.
Aside from his disciples, he had no other special requests.
"Here is the intelligence on the Grass Country battlefield. Be sure to read it on your way," Hiruzen handed a scroll to Mu Yue.
They didn't have much time, and going into detail about the Grass Country battlefield would take too long, so Hiruzen just gave a brief overview.
Mu Yue took the scroll, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.
"I'm counting on you, Mu Yue," Hiruzen said, seeing Mu Yue out.
If they lost again, Konoha's situation would become dire.
...
After leaving the Hokage's office, Mu Yue hurried to Training Ground 11.
When he arrived, he saw that the number of ninja in the unit was still small.
The assembly of the unit and the notification to Mu Yue had happened around the same time, but Hiruzen had taken some time to brief Mu Yue on the intelligence.
"Commander Mu Yue, I am your deputy commander, Mebuki Hazekawa. Currently, the unit has assembled over a hundred ninja, including 15 jonin and 15 special jonin, all of whom are present," Mebuki reported to Mu Yue.
Mu Yue nodded slightly. The jonin would have been the first to be notified and would have arrived the fastest.
"Teacher Mu Yue, I was just thinking about you, wondering if you would be the commander. I guess my guess was pretty good," Obito said with a chuckle as he greeted Mu Yue.
As soon as Mu Yue had left, the jonin assembly notice had been sent to them, and everyone except Yamato had arrived at Training Ground 11 as instructed.
Kakashi glanced at Obito calmly. He didn't think there was any need to guess.
It was too much of a coincidence that Mu Yue had just gone to the Hokage's building, and then they were suddenly summoned. It was obvious that Mu Yue had been given an important task.
Mu Yue smiled in response, surveying the jonin present.
Among the 15 jonin, five were his disciples, and Mu Yue knew almost all the rest, as the circle of jonin in Konoha wasn't large.
There were Nara Suzaku and Aburame Shiki, who had gone with him to the Grass Country to strike against the Grass Ninja Village, as well as Hyuga Nichi, who had fought alongside him in the Mist Village, and Inuzuka Tsuyu, whom he had met through Minato Namikaze in a jonin meeting.
Most of the formal jonin were ninja from various clans, while the special jonin were mostly ordinary ninja.
As Mu Yue surveyed them, the ninja were also sizing him up.
Aside from the jonin who held important positions in the ninja forces and had been personally notified, the others didn't know what was going on and certainly didn't expect the commander to be someone as young and inexperienced as Mu Yue.
"Currently, aside from the higher-ups and Tsunade-sama, the person most qualified to lead a ninja unit is Commander Mu Yue," thought Nara Suzaku.
If Nara Shikamaru were in Konoha, he might have been a contender, as while his strength wasn't remarkable, he was exceptionally intelligent and would have the support of the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans.
But with the Pig, Deer, and Butterfly trio absent from Konoha, and even Minato Namikaze, who was on par with Mu Yue, not present, Mu Yue was the most suitable choice.
"I can't believe it. He's only been a jonin for a couple of years, and now he's already a commander," Akimichi Touichi marveled at Mu Yue's rapid growth.
If he remembered correctly, it had been just over two years since Mu Yue became a jonin.
"Having Mu Yue as the commander really puts my mind at ease.
Hyuuga saw nothing amiss with this arrangement. Although Mu Yue had only recently become a Jonin, his achievements far surpassed many veteran Jonin with decades of experience.
Mu Yue silently observed the rapidly assembling ninja forces without saying a word.
His disciples, including Dodai, understood the solemnity of the occasion, so aside from greeting their master upon his arrival, they remained quiet and stood in the front row of the ninja forces.
After waiting for the ninja forces to gather, Mu Yue spoke, "The Konoha forces in the Grass Country have been defeated, and this happened not long ago."
Mu Yue's words were like a bomb dropped into a calm pond, instantly stirring up unease among most of the ninja forces.
Some wore looks of shock, surprised by the unexpected turn of events in the Grass Country, while others wore worried expressions, concerned for their family members or friends who might be on the battlefield.
"Something's wrong in the Grass Country! I think Jiraiya-jiji and Minato-sensei are with the ninja forces there," Dodai immediately thought of Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, feeling anxious.
Although Jiraiya tended to boast and often acted irresponsibly, he had treated Dodai well. As for Minato, he was Dodai's second most respected teacher.
"They should be fine," Kakashi quietly shook his head.
Based on future information, Minato would become the Hokage and die later, while Jiraiya would only perish at the hands of the evil Akatsuki organization when Naruto Uzumaki was in his teens.
Although the future would undoubtedly change due to their actions, such as Yamato becoming Mu Yue's disciple, their current impact on the ninja world should not be significant.
However, among all his concerns, Kakashi worried most about Mu Yue.
This defeat came too suddenly, even for someone like Kakashi, who kept a close eye on the ninja world's dynamics. He had detected no signs of this impending loss.
In his recollection, Konoha's forces should have held a significant advantage in the Grass Country.
For the Iwagakure forces to turn such a huge disadvantage into an advantage, they must have employed some formidable strategy, perhaps the very same strategy that could lead to Mu Yue's demise in the future.
"We're still too weak," Kakashi sighed inwardly. With their current strength, only Might Guy might be of some assistance to Mu Yue.
Although they had been diligently training, their practice time was still insufficient. After all, most of them were only eleven years old, an age when they would still be in the Ninja Academy during peacetime.
"I hope I can learn the Yang Seal before that day comes."
If he could master the Yang Seal, Kakashi's combat prowess would increase exponentially, even if he didn't improve in any other area.
Shizune's expression turned grave, as she shared a similar conjecture with Kakashi.
"Time is still too short."
Compared to Kakashi and the others, Shizune was even younger, not yet ten years old.
Without giving the ninja forces much time to react, Mu Yue continued, "Our mission is to support the ninja forces in the Grass Country and prevent the Iwagakure forces from entering the Fire Country."
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not require Mu Yue to defeat the Iwagakure forces. His instruction was to defend and ensure that the Iwagakure forces did not breach the Fire Country's borders.
As long as Mu Yue could hold the line and prevent the Iwagakure forces from advancing, he would have accomplished his task. Repelling and inflicting heavy casualties on the Iwagakure forces would be considered additional achievements.
"Move out!" About a minute later, Mu Yue scanned the entire force with a solemn expression and shouted.
No one questioned or complained; they silently followed Mu Yue, quickly leaving Konoha and heading towards the Grass Country.
For ninjas, this was not an unusual operation.
When there was an urgent task to be executed, they were often given minimal information and expected to get straight to work.
This time, it could be considered a large-scale emergency mission.
Moreover, Konoha's education in fostering village loyalty had been quite successful, as the ninjas possessed a strong sense of responsibility for protecting their village.
Upon hearing that the Iwagakure forces might invade, many ninjas were determined to keep them out of the Fire Country at all costs and prevent any harm from befalling Konoha.
Along the way, Mu Yue perused the intelligence provided by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
If Mu Yue were traveling alone at full speed, he wouldn't have had the leisure to read while running. However, since he was moving with the ninja forces, he could afford to read as they advanced.
After all, their pace was relatively slow for him.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen betrayed and attempted to assassinate Jiraiya, displaying abilities similar to the Iwagakure assassination squad," Mu Yue's expression turned thoughtful as he read this piece of intelligence.
Hiruzen had briefly mentioned the Iwagakure assassination squad in the Fire Country, but he hadn't elaborated on Sarutobi Hiruzen's betrayal and attack.
Initially, when Hiruzen spoke, Mu Yue had suspected it was the work of the White Zetsu. Now, after reading the detailed war intelligence, he was almost certain, to the extent of ninety-eight percent, that the White Zetsu was behind this incident.
The ninjutsu used to erase one's presence was the Mayfly Technique, and the reason Sarutobi Hiruzen betrayed them was because he wasn't the real Sarutobi Hiruzen at all; it was a White Zetsu using the Transformation Technique.
In reality, an ordinary White Zetsu wasn't strong. If they had the proper intelligence, even a capable Chunin could defeat a White Zetsu.
What made the White Zetsu formidable was their skill set; their abilities could only be described as top-notch.
The Transformation Technique was the most powerful transformation ninjutsu in the entire ninja world, allowing them to mimic a ninja's very essence—their chakra.
Coupled with the Mayfly Technique, the most advanced stealth and mobility ninjutsu, the White Zetsu could merge with the earth, erase their presence, and move at high speeds.
These two skills made the White Zetsu the most formidable intelligence ninja in the ninja world and an extremely challenging assassin to guard against on the battlefield.
Mu Yue thought that it was understandable for Jiraiya to lose against the White Zetsu. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, even the eighty-thousand-strong ninja alliance, comprised of many powerful ninjas, had been plagued by the White Zetsu. Not to mention Jiraiya's ninja forces.
"However, for me, this isn't too much of a problem," Mu Yue thought to himself.
Mu Yue possessed an inconspicuous yet powerful skill—the Appraisal Technique.
Regardless of how perfectly the White Zetsu disguised themselves, the Appraisal Technique would see through their skills and expose their true nature.
The only drawback of the Appraisal Technique was that Mu Yue had to see the target to use it, and so far, he hadn't encountered any White Zetsu bold enough to appear before him.
If the White Zetsu dared to play the infiltration game within his ninja forces, Mu Yue would teach them the meaning of the word "intelligence."
Jiraiya's intelligence only existed in theory, but Mu Yue truly possessed the Appraisal Technique that could see through chakra and skills.
PS: The story has reached a relatively crucial juncture, and I've been editing and rewriting a lot, so today's update is a bit shorter. This chapter is around 4k words.
(End of Chapter)
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