https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-588-Teaching-the-Observation-Eye/12558871/
Chapter 587: Minato: I Became a Decoy?
Chapter 587: Minato: I Became a Decoy?
"We're finally back. That was truly a dangerous mission."
Dekai gazed at the towering gates of Konoha in the distance, a smile spreading across his dark, chubby face.
"Indeed, we can never underestimate any of the Great Shinobi Villages."
Shouping nodded in agreement. The Hidden Stone Village had certainly given them a huge fright this time.
If it weren't for Jiraiya and Minato's strength, their entire unit might have perished.
"I hope this lesson will keep the Hidden Stone Village in check for a while," Minato sighed. "Jiraiya-sensei could also use some rest after all this time."
Due to the inactivity of the Hidden Stone Village, the higher-ups decided to relieve the ninjas who had been on the battlefield for an extended period, allowing them some much-needed rest.
As for Jiraiya, he should have returned to the village to rest as well. However, the higher-ups were still wary of the Hidden Stone Village's previous attempt to infiltrate the Land of Fire, so they decided to keep him stationed in the Land of Grass as the unit commander.
"That's true," Dekai nodded. "But with the heavy casualties the Hidden Stone Village suffered, they probably won't dare to send a large-scale attack on Konoha again anytime soon."
"Otherwise, the other Great Shinobi Villages would take advantage of their weakness," Shouping added.
"Well, you can't always expect things to make sense in reality," Shouping sighed. "In novels, readers can point out logical inconsistencies, but in real life, you can't exactly confront the Creator and tell them they did something wrong."
As they chatted, the group made their way into Konoha.
Out of habit, although Minato longed to see Kushina and Mu Yue, he first went to report their mission to Hiruzen as their representative.
Knock, knock.
Minato knocked on the door of the Hokage's office.
"Come in."
Hiruzen's voice came from behind the wooden door.
Minato opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.
"Lord Third!" Minato greeted Hiruzen with a respectful expression.
"Minato, you're back," Hiruzen said, setting down the documents he had been reading and stroking his small beard with a smile.
Many people respected him, and there were plenty of ninjas who would be polite when entering the Hokage's office.
But it was rare to find a young and powerful ninja like Minato who maintained such good manners.
His three disciples, when they were Minato's age, didn't have Minato's strength, but their tempers were certainly more fiery.
This was why Hiruzen looked upon Mu Yue and Minato with such favor—truly, comparison was the thief of joy.
If only Mu Yue or Minato had been born a decade earlier, he wouldn't be having this headache over the next Hokage.
After Minato finished his report, Hiruzen remembered what Mu Yue had said about already teaching Minato the Seeing-Hearing-Understanding jutsu, so he asked, "Minato, how is your progress with the Seeing-Hearing-Understanding jutsu?"
"I've managed to grasp a bit of the feeling, but I'm still some distance away from mastering it," Minato replied honestly.
"This sensory ninja technique is indeed extraordinarily difficult," Hiruzen praised. "Your progress is commendable."
Hiruzen wasn't exaggerating. As a master of over a thousand jutsu and a professor of ninjutsu, he had attempted to learn the Seeing-Hearing-Understanding jutsu himself and knew firsthand just how challenging it was.
"It's mostly because Mu Yue is an excellent teacher," Minato said.
It was only after Mu Yue's departure that Minato truly realized how exceptional her teaching abilities were as he continued to practice the jutsu on his own.
Even if they didn't make huge strides every day, Mu Yue ensured that they made some progress each day.
In her absence, Minato felt like his learning speed had slowed significantly.
"There's no need to be too humble, Minato," Hiruzen said with a nod. "I think it's a combination of both your talent and her teaching skills."
Mu Yue's teaching abilities had been recognized by the entire upper echelon after so many successful special training sessions.
Because of her exceptional talent for instruction, Hiruzen had been reluctant to send Mu Yue into battle.
After all, geniuses of the caliber of the Sannin didn't come along often, but they did appear from time to time.
But a teaching ability as extraordinary as Mu Yue's—Hiruzen had never heard of it before, let alone seen it.
In Hiruzen's eyes, even setting aside Mu Yue's strength, her value to Konoha exceeded that of a thousand-strong ninja force.
The reason he was willing to let Mu Yue go to the battlefield was mainly because she had mastered the Flying Thunder God jutsu, ensuring her safety even in dire situations.
"Mu Yue will be organizing a long-term special training session focused on the Seeing-Hearing-Understanding jutsu, and I've added your name to the list, Minato. When you're not on a mission, you can join them."
Minato nodded in gratitude.
Given his relationship with Mu Yue, even if he didn't attend Mu Yue's special training sessions, Mu Yue would still make time to teach him.
However, Minato felt it wasn't good to take up too much of Mu Yue's personal time, as he noticed that Mu Yue never seemed to have any free time.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Minato went to find Kushina Uzumaki.
Based on his experience, he knew that Mu Yue would be teaching his disciples in the afternoon, and it wouldn't be a good time to disturb him.
Minato planned to visit Mu Yue at dusk when he would most likely be at home.
Minato quickened his pace and soon arrived at the Whirlpool Seal House, specially built for the Jinchuriki.
The ANBU guards recognized Minato and did not reveal themselves to stop him.
Minato sensed briefly and found Kushina in the bedroom, so he walked to her room and knocked on the door.
Kushina, who had been studying sealing technique documents in her room, paused upon hearing the knock. Remembering what she and Mu Yue had talked about during their shopping trip, she quickly got up and opened the door.
When she confirmed it was indeed Minato, Kushina threw her arms around him and said, "That old coot, Hiruzen, actually had you out on a mission for so long. Does he want to work you to death?"
Minato smiled helplessly, "This has nothing to do with the Third Hokage. To keep the flames of war from reaching the Fire Country, it's the duty of every Leaf Ninja to do their part."
Kushina pouted, but she wasn't truly angry. She was just venting, as she wasn't the type to throw a tantrum.
Shush!
Kushina nuzzled her head against Minato's body, inhaling his scent.
Only after ensuring that Minato didn't carry the scent of other women did she let go of him and pull him into the bedroom.
It wasn't that Kushina didn't trust Minato, but he had a face that seemed prone to attracting attention, and she worried that honest Minato might be deceived by a wicked woman.
"Kushina, how's your training with the Rasengan going?" Minato asked.
The Rasengan was very compatible with the Flying Thunder God Technique, but Minato hadn't developed it for himself. His initial intention was to help Kushina unleash the vast chakra within her.
The Rasengan might appear to be an unimpressive small ball of chakra, but it was actually very chakra-intensive to use, requiring a large amount of chakra to be compressed and spun.
"I've got it down!"
Kushina proudly extended her right hand and channeled her chakra.
Soon, a ball of chakra the size of five basketballs appeared in her hand.
Minato's eyes lit up. As the inventor of the Rasengan, he could tell at a glance that not only had Kushina mastered it, but she had also become quite proficient.
"Thanks to Mu Yue. His ability to teach ninjutsu is just a tad bit better than yours when it comes to sealing techniques," Kushina said as she ceased her chakra output and retracted her hand.
To repay the debt of the sealing technique, Mu Yue would teach Kushina the Rasengan in his free time.
"Then I'll have to thank Mu Yue later. It's truly wonderful to be neighbors with him," Minato said with a smile.
He felt that one of the luckiest things that had happened to him in recent years was buying a house next to Mu Yue's and becoming friends with him.
Although, given Mu Yue's talent and abilities, even if they hadn't become neighbors and met by chance, they would have eventually crossed paths.
However, it wasn't guaranteed that they would have become such close friends.
It was their proximity as neighbors that quickly turned them into friends who frequently shared meals.
And from there, their relationship deepened as they progressed to teaching sealing techniques, and with constant interaction, they became the kind of friends who could trust each other absolutely.
"Indeed, you really struck gold with that house purchase," Kushina agreed.
Putting everything else aside, just the opportunity to taste those unparalleled culinary masterpieces made Kushina feel like she had gotten her money's worth.
"Ah, when will I be able to move freely? I also want to eat freshly cooked meals," Kushina said as she clenched her fists and rubbed her head against Minato's chest, spinning wildly.
Although the meals were delivered promptly and didn't have time to get cold, Kushina still yearned for the taste of freshly cooked food.
Minato took a sharp breath, feeling that having a strong girlfriend like Kushina came with its own set of challenges. Her playful antics were physically exhausting for him.
Minato stayed with Kushina until dusk before finally leaving for Mu Yue's house.
"Wash and peel the potatoes, then..."
Mu Yue didn't stand on ceremony and assigned Minato some relatively simple tasks.
Once the meal was ready, Mu Yue and Minato brought the dishes to the table and prepared to eat.
"Mu Yue, thank you for taking care of Kushina and teaching her the Rasengan. I really appreciate it." Minato smiled sincerely and expressed his gratitude.
When eating Mu Yue's cooking, Minato usually remained silent. However, there was one exception: when only Mu Yue was present at the table.
"It's no trouble at all. Don't mention it," Mu Yue replied with a shake of his head.
Minato and Kushina had truly been a great help to Mu Yue.
If it weren't for their assistance, he wouldn't have been able to find a way to learn sealing techniques so soon.
Minato had also played a significant role in helping him get started with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Additionally, Minato's connections and influence had provided Mu Yue with invaluable support.
Without Minato as an intermediary, introducing him to Jiraiya and requesting Tsunade's help would have been much more challenging.
"Have you encountered any problems with your training in the Seeing-Hearing-Understanding jutsu?" Mu Yue asked after dinner.
"When sensing attacks outside of my field of vision..." Minato naturally brought up the issue he had been facing.
Only after speaking did he realize that he hadn't intended to occupy Mu Yue's personal time. He had planned to figure it out on his own during special training.
However, they had discussed various training topics so frequently that Minato subconsciously answered Mu Yue's question.
By the time Minato realized what he was doing, Mu Yue had already begun explaining.
Mu Yue's explanation was so excellent that Minato didn't want to interrupt, and he quickly became engrossed.
It was only when Minato excitedly shared his insights from the lesson that he remembered his initial intention, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"If you think I'm taking advantage, then teach me some of the Flying Thunder God Technique," Mu Yue said, seeing through Minato's thoughts.
"Have you encountered a problem with the Flying Thunder God Technique, Mu Yue?" Minato asked immediately.
In other aspects, Minato lacked confidence when compared to Mu Yue, but the Flying Thunder God Technique was different—it was his specialty.
Mu Yue nodded slightly. Originally, he didn't have the talent for the Flying Thunder God Technique, and it was only after drawing the Flying Thunder Battle Formation from the system that he solved this problem.
Without the corresponding talent, it was extremely difficult for him to further improve his proficiency in the Flying Thunder God Technique, which he had only cultivated to the Proficient level.
Regardless of the skill, once it reached the Proficient level, progressing further became significantly more challenging.
This time, the roles were reversed, with Minato as the teacher and Mu Yue as the inquisitive student.
After the explanation, Minato felt much more relaxed.
He preferred this mutual exchange, as constantly receiving Mu Yue's help made him feel uncomfortable.
Subsequently, Minato didn't disturb Mu Yue further and returned to his home to read.
Minato was an avid reader, and during his free time, he often chose to spend it with a book.
Moreover, his reading preferences were diverse, ranging from dry and boring ninja knowledge books to thrilling ninja novels.
The next morning.
Minato inquired about Obito's group and then headed to the Southern Forest with Mu Yue.
After all, he was their team leader, and although he hadn't had the time to guide them on the battlefield, he wanted to personally escort them back to Konoha.
Otherwise, he would be neglecting his duties as their teacher.
Due to the time spent chatting with Minato, Mu Yue arrived at the Southern Forest to find that all his disciples had already gathered.
"Teacher Mu Yue. Hey, Teacher Minato, why are you here?" Obito instinctively greeted Mu Yue first and then noticed Minato by his side.
From a distance, he had even mistaken Minato for one of Mu Yue's shadow clones.
Minato scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Is there a possibility that Teacher Minato is actually our instructor?" Kakashi mused.
Kakashi had to admit that Obito hadn't caused much trouble this time, as they had mostly been following Mu Yue.
Even he, upon seeing Minato approaching, had been momentarily stunned.
(End of Chapter)
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