Chapter 579: First Place, Starting Today
Chapter 579: First Place, Starting Today
In the Land of Grass, Mu Yue was instructing a group of ninjas, including her students and allies, on the perception-type Haki.
In addition to her inner circle, which included Obito and Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze had also joined Mu Yue's tutelage to learn this rare ability. Mu Yue had proactively suggested his inclusion, reasoning that identifying Iwagakure spies single-handedly would be a challenging task, and having Minato's help would lighten the burden.
Mu Yue was well aware that once news of their success in the Land of Grass reached the higher-ups in Konoha, even a supportive figure like Hiruzen Sarutobi would likely insist that she hand over the knowledge of this Haki. It didn't matter if it was her, Minato, or even Jiraiya who possessed this ability—the outcome would be the same.
Any technique with such immense potential to influence the outcome of wars must be submitted to the village, or one would be deemed lacking in the Will of Fire and loyalty to Konoha.
Since it was only a matter of time before she had to relinquish it, Mu Yue naturally chose to impart this knowledge to Minato, with whom she shared a good relationship.
Mu Yue wasn't particularly opposed to the idea of spreading the perception-type Haki. After all, once localized, this type of Haki had a much higher threshold than the armament-type, and the requirement for a strong perception aptitude alone would deter many from pursuing it.
Even those with the necessary aptitude might not be able to master it, further reducing the number of potential candidates.
And among those who managed to learn it, only a handful would be able to utilize it effectively and unlock its special abilities.
With Konoha's limited number of ninjas and multiple layers of selection, it was likely that only a minuscule number would be able to enhance their combat capabilities through the perception-type Haki in the past few years.
By the time Mu Yue potentially became invincible in a few years, she wouldn't have to worry about such restrictions anymore.
If she truly wanted to keep the perception-type Haki a secret, she had plenty of options at her disposal.
The first and most straightforward method would be to simply not use the perception-type Haki to detect White Zetsu's malicious intent, thus never revealing her ability.
The second option would be to refrain from teaching it to Minato, allowing her to modify and submit a watered-down version of the Haki to the village.
"In the initial stages of training, try to rely less on your eyes and more on sensing your opponent's chakra to dodge their attacks," Mu Yue instructed, emphasizing the key aspect of perception-type Haki training.
Since there weren't any formidable beasts in the area, Mu Yue had her students create shadow clones to train with each other.
For instance, Jiraiya's shadow clone would attack Obito, while Obito's shadow clone would engage with Jiraiya, facilitating a mutual exchange of training.
Due to the difference in rank between Minato and Obito's group, Mu Yue's shadow clone assisted Minato with his training.
However, this arrangement presented a problem—with Mu Yue occupied, the number of ninjas in the perception-type Haki training squad became odd, leaving someone without a partner.
This was because Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake had not joined in on the Haki training.
"Damn, does this mean Kakashi has to create a shadow clone to train with little Lin?" Obito grimaced at the thought.
Mu Yue wanted to point out that a person wasn't limited to creating only one shadow clone, but she refrained from saying anything, wanting her students to interact harmoniously among themselves.
In the end, Obito chose to forgo training with Jiraiya and instead paired up with Kakashi's shadow clone, embracing the "If I don't go to hell, who will?" mentality.
Perhaps due to the importance of the training, Kakashi and Obito managed to put aside their differences and worked together without any quarrels.
"Mu Yue's talent in developing jutsu is just as remarkable as her ability to learn them. To think she could create such a perception jutsu," Minato marveled during a break in their training.
Minato possessed strong perception abilities himself and was well-versed in perception jutsu, so he had a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the perception-type Haki than Obito and the others.
In terms of difficulty, Mu Yue's perception-type Haki was, without a doubt, the most challenging perception jutsu Minato had ever encountered. Even for someone with his natural perception aptitude, the Haki's complexity was evident.
According to Konoha's classification system for jutsu, the perception-type Haki was undoubtedly an S-rank jutsu.
What surprised Minato the most, however, was the potential he saw in the Haki.
Although he had only been training for a short while, Minato could already sense, through his own practice and Mu Yue's explanations, that this was a jutsu that could be extensively developed in various directions.
The perception-type Haki could be used for wide-area chakra sensing, just like regular perception jutsu, but it also had a multitude of applications in combat. It could be used to predict an opponent's attacks and, with further refinement, sense their intentions—distinguishing between goodwill and malice.
If it weren't for the high threshold of requiring a strong perception aptitude and the demanding training, Minato believed that some members of the Hyuga clan might find themselves out of a job.
Additionally, the value of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan would also decrease.
"Mu Yue, I have some good news and some bad news," Jiraiya suddenly interjected, a playful smile on his face. "Which one would you like to hear first?"
The group turned their attention to Jiraiya, curious about the bad news despite their resounding victory.
Could it be that the intelligence squad had discovered Iwagakure sending additional reinforcements into the Land of Grass?
"The good news," Mu Yue replied after a moment's thought.
She figured that neither the good nor the bad news would be of significant consequence, or else Jiraiya wouldn't be so casual about letting her choose.
"The good news is that the higher-ups are going to reward you handsomely," Jiraiya began. "You can expect a substantial sum of money, and if you desire, there might even be an important position waiting for you in one of the departments."
Money was essential for a ninja's path to strength. Aside from the various training resources, the sheer cost of ninja tools and equipment was considerable, so it was common for ninjas who made outstanding contributions to receive substantial monetary rewards in Konoha.
With a salary increase often came a promotion as well.
However, due to the unique nature of ninjas, not everyone was keen on desk jobs, so such offers were usually optional.
Take Jiraiya himself, for example. Despite being one of the legendary Sannin of the ninja world, during times of peace, his position in Konoha was limited to that of a jounin.
This was because Jiraiya had to travel the ninja world in search of the Child of Prophecy, whom he would then mentor. Naturally, he couldn't be tied down to an office job in Konoha.
"The higher-ups at Root want Mu Yue to take some ninjas back to Konoha, and they're leaving tomorrow," Jiraiya sighed.
"That should be good news, right?" Minato said, confused.
Returning to Konoha would certainly be more comfortable than staying in a dangerous battlefield.
"Once Mu Yue leaves, where are we going to find such delicious food?" Jiraiya slapped Minato on the shoulder, frustrated at his lack of culinary skills.
Minato had grown so much, yet his cooking skills lagged far behind. It would be great if he could cook even half as well as Mu Yue.
Minato scratched his hair and had to admit that Jiraiya made sense. Mu Yue's departure would indeed be bad news for them, as it would mean a significant downgrade in their meal quality and the loss of a powerful ally who could suppress the jinchuriki.
"It's almost lunchtime, so I'll go prepare lunch," Mu Yue said with a faint smile.
Jiraiya was practically spelling out that he wanted to mooch a meal, and yet Minato still didn't get the hint.
"You guys can stop training too. Take a break after lunch before resuming your cultivation," Mu Yue said, turning to her disciples.
Everyone, including Genma, stopped obediently. Those who could help out in the kitchen did so, while the others quietly waited for lunch to be served.
When it was finally time to eat, the atmosphere became even more subdued.
When eating Mu Yue's cuisine, only newcomers would chat. The regulars knew better than to waste time talking; they focused on eating as much as possible because speaking would only reduce the amount of food they could consume.
"That hit the spot," Jiraiya said contentedly after finishing his meal.
Although Mu Yue would be leaving tomorrow, he was happy in this moment.
The others nodded in agreement.
"With such a significant contribution, the new issue of the Konoha Post will undoubtedly feature you as the protagonist. Now you're truly the number one rising star in Konoha," Jiraiya said, picking his teeth.
Minato had appeared in the Konoha Post numerous times, but mostly as a supporting character.
Once the newest issue of the Konoha Post was published, Mu Yue's fame would undoubtedly surpass Minato's.
At that time, statements like "the two strongest of Konoha's new generation" would disappear, and there would be no comparison between "Southern Mu Yue and Northern Minato." Mu Yue would become the undisputed strongest of the new generation.
Of course, if Minato were to quickly score a major victory and defeat a famous and powerful ninja, the tide of public opinion could shift back in his favor.
However, realistically speaking, that would be quite challenging to achieve.
"It's just an empty title. It doesn't mean much," Mu Yue shook his head.
He truly didn't care about such things. Having a reputation comparable to Minato's was already enough; there wasn't much benefit to further increasing his fame.
After all, Mu Yue didn't have the ambition to become the Hokage.
If he had a system like the Konoha Prosperity System, then striving for the position of Hokage to gain more power would make sense. But as someone with the Teacher System, becoming Hokage would only create unnecessary trouble for himself.
At the end of the day, Mu Yue was a time traveler, and he had only traveled back three years in time.
Mu Yue didn't care about Konoha itself. He had many reasons for going to the battlefield, but none of them included fighting purely for the sake of protecting Konoha.
Compared to the village as a whole, Mu Yue cared more about the people within it—those he was familiar with.
The students who affectionately called him "Teacher," his trusted disciples, and his helpful friends.
"It's not entirely meaningless. These titles can be quite useful when it comes to becoming Hokage," Jiraiya explained.
While Konoha selected its Hokage based on qualifications and experience, exceptional contributions and high prestige could, to some extent, override considerations of lineage or other restrictions.
In other words, Mu Yue wasn't part of the main Hokage lineage, and he didn't have a master-disciple relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi or Jiraiya.
Otherwise, with his current influence, as long as he had the ambition, Mu Yue could almost certainly secure the position of either the Fifth or Fourth Hokage.
"So, Minato, you have to work harder. Otherwise, you might not be able to compete with Mu Yue for the position of Fifth Hokage in the future," Jiraiya said encouragingly to Minato.
Jiraiya knew that Minato had always strived to become the Hokage.
"Yes, although Mu Yue is excellent, I won't give up either," Minato nodded seriously.
He acknowledged that he currently fell short of Mu Yue in terms of strength and leading a team of ninja in battle.
However, Minato was not one to easily give up. Just because he was inferior to Mu Yue now didn't mean he always would be.
If he still couldn't beat Mu Yue even after putting in his best effort, then Minato would accept the outcome.
It would be more comfortable to lose fairly after giving it his all than to regret not trying hard enough.
Tobirama fiddled with his hair, his heart feeling a bit heavy.
According to the information provided by future Yamato and Naruto, Minato became the Hokage, and not just the Fifth Hokage—he was the Fourth.
If they succeeded in changing the future and Mu Yue survived, would that mean Minato wouldn't be able to compete with Mu Yue and wouldn't become the Fourth Hokage?
Tobirama had no doubt that Minato would lose to Mu Yue.
After all, no matter how powerful Minato was, he was still a mortal, and his opponent was the omnipotent Mu Yue, a sage.
"For the sake of Teacher Mu Yue, I guess we'll just have to make Teacher Minato suffer a little," Tobirama thought apologetically.
Compared to Mu Yue's life, Minato's position as Hokage was a minor matter.
Tobirama would even be willing to give up his own dream of becoming Hokage for Mu Yue.
In the afternoon, Mu Yue received a mission from Root, asking him to find the body tissue of an Iwagakure spy. The mission was sent by Danzo Shimura.
Mu Yue chose to ignore this task.
...
The next day, Mu Yue and his group left amidst the reluctant gazes of Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze.
Due to the uncertain attitude of Iwagakure, Mu Yue didn't take many ninjas with him, only a few dozen who had been on the battlefield for some time.
Among the ninjas from the support team, only Mu Yue and his disciples left, while the others stayed behind.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen had ordered them to return to Konoha as soon as possible, Mu Yue and his group hurried back, quickly reaching the village.
"It hasn't even been half a month, but it feels like a long time has passed," Obito remarked as he once again saw the peaceful scene at the gates of Konoha.
This wasn't his first time participating in a war, but the impression it left on him was no less than his first time on the battlefield.
It was also the first time he had seen the Konoha ninja forces looking like a pack of beaten dogs.
When they had first regrouped, the morale of the Konoha ninja forces had been visibly low.
This was also the first time Obito had participated in a large-scale ninja war with a total of over three thousand participants.
With 1,200 ninjas from Konoha and nearly 2,000 from Iwagakure, the two sides combined had a staggering 3,200 ninjas.
During the battle, Obito had felt like there was an endless stream of enemies, and he hadn't dared to enter the Flame Control Chakra Mode.
He was worried that if he ran out of chakra, he would become a burden to the others.
"Because the pressure this time was greater than any previous mission," Kakashi replied.
When they were on the battlefield in Kirigakure, they didn't need to think about anything else; they just had to follow Orochimaru's orders.
But this time, in the Land of Grass, it was different.
First, they had been urgently assembled to support Jiraiya's forces, and at that time, they didn't know what had happened on the front lines; they only knew that their forces had been defeated.
Such an unknown and powerful enemy could easily cause psychological pressure.
Moreover, Mu Yue had later involved them in the ambush plan, making them some of the few who knew about it, and they had participated in the troop's affairs.
"Maybe," Obito replied, his heart heavy as he recalled the gruesome scenes of blood and severed limbs on the battlefield. "I really wish wars would disappear completely."
With his Sharingan, Obito had a unique perspective on the horrors of war.
Even when he saw a stranger, an uncle he had greeted just a few hours ago, pierced through the heart by a sharp kunai, Obito couldn't help but feel disturbed.
"Then you'll have to study and work harder," Kakashi said, his voice devoid of his usual mocking tone, opting instead for encouragement.
Obito looked at Kakashi with surprise, taken aback by his uncharacteristic words.
"Look at Mu Yue-sensei and Minato-sensei, and then look at yourself. Do you think you're worthy of them right now?" Kakashi continued, his tone shifting back to the familiar one that Obito knew.
Obito felt a surge of familiarity as the Kakashi he knew seemed to be back, and with it, the urge to punch Kakashi also returned.
"Dismissed," Mu Yue said as they entered Konoha, addressing everyone. "I will report the mission details to the Third Hokage."
"Goodbye, Mu Yue-sensei," the ninjas waved goodbye to Mu Yue and quickly dispersed.
Many of them hadn't seen their families in a long time and were eager to catch up with their loved ones.
"As for you, you're dismissed as well. If you want to go home, go home. If you want to cultivate, you can go to the Southern Forest," Mu Yue said to his disciples who were still standing behind him.
"You can rest according to your preferences for the next two days. If there are no other matters, we will gather as usual for cultivation on the third day."
Obito and the others had recently reached a critical stage in their training, and once they mastered the new abilities Mu Yue had taught them, each of them would experience significant growth.
Therefore, even though they had just returned from a major battle, Mu Yue didn't give them much rest and explicitly stated that they should resume their cultivation afterward.
With Uchiha Madara's actions becoming increasingly brazen, Obito and the others needed to become stronger to protect themselves in the upcoming chaos.
"Okay, Mu Yue-sensei, I understand," Obito nodded.
He was definitely going to cultivate, especially after being mocked by Kakashi.
However, Obito planned to visit his grandmother first before heading to the Southern Forest for cultivation.
The other disciples also nodded in agreement.
Their plans were similar to Obito's.
Kakashi, on the other hand, didn't intend to go home. Instead, he planned to buy a copy of the Konoha Post and then head to the Southern Forest for cultivation.
He was curious about how the newspaper would report their overwhelming victory and how they would portray Mu Yue.
After giving his instructions, Mu Yue made his way to the Hokage's office.
Knock, knock.
Mu Yue gently knocked on the door of the Hokage's office.
"Come in."
The voice of the Third Hokage echoed from behind the door.
Mu Yue opened the door and stepped inside.
"Lord Third," Mu Yue greeted respectfully.
"Mu Yue, you are indeed a man full of surprises," Sarutobi replied with a beaming smile. "I chose you as the commander despite opposition because I valued your calm and steady demeanor, believing that you could turn the tide.
And you truly surprised me. You annihilated over 1,600 enemies, even surpassing the number of ninjas in your own forces."
Sarutobi chose to focus on Mu Yue's achievements rather than bring up the Byakugan incident.
PS: 5k, is it difficult to continue from here?
I will write more, but I won't stay up too late. If I don't finish by 2 a.m., I'll find time to sneak in some writing tomorrow and then post it.
Not staying up too late does make me feel much better. I feel more energetic now.
(End of Chapter)
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