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Chapter 624: Balanced Breathing
Chapter 624: Balanced Breathing
"Why refuse? Is there something unsatisfactory?" Huang Tu couldn't help but ask.
Before they came, Ohnoki had emphasized to him the importance of deep cooperation with the Ninja Sect, indicating that this was an important step in Iwagakure's plan regarding Konoha.
"Iwagakure's terms are all very good, but they're not quite suitable for the Ninja Sect," Mu Yue replied with a faint smile.
"Expanding the scale of ninja training will increase the Ninja Sect's income, but for now, the Ninja Sect focuses primarily on training quality. A hasty expansion would conflict with the sect's development strategy.
The Ninja Sect has already negotiated with Amegakure to establish a ninja school together, and we lack the capacity to collaborate with Iwagakure on another school. The same goes for Iwagakure's request for protection. At present, the Ninja Sect simply doesn't have enough personnel to spare."
"As for protection, the Ninja Sect is confident in its ability to safeguard Amegakure, so there's no need for Iwagakure to worry," Mu Yue explained, point by point, leaving Huang Tu with no room to bring up cooperation again.
With a flat-out refusal, there was little room for further negotiation.
Huang Tu looked at the Iwagakure jonin beside him, wondering if this advisor had any solutions.
Ohnoki was well aware of Huang Tu's capabilities, which is why he had sent along this skilled negotiator to support him in addition to his role as a messenger.
The Iwagakure jonin shook his head slightly, indicating his own powerlessness in the face of this situation.
If they had objected to just one condition, Ohnoki would have had a backup plan—they could have adjusted the terms and offered more benefits.
But Sou Yuukai's clear dissatisfaction with the core requirements for deep cooperation left them unable to make decisions on their own, and thus, there was nothing more to discuss.
"I apologize for making you come all this way for nothing," Mu Yue said apologetically.
The Ninja Sect was profiting from Iwagakure, receiving support, and might even lure away their jinchuriki. Looking at it from a certain perspective, he had gained quite a lot from Iwagakure.
"Cooperation is about achieving a common goal," Huang Tu said with a smile. "Since we can't reach a consensus for now, it's only natural that you refuse."
After some thought, he realized that Sou Yuukai's refusal wasn't surprising at all. Sou Yuukai was never one to follow the conventional path, which was why he could accomplish so many unconventional feats.
The Iwagakure jonin gave Huang Tu a strange look. Normally, people would offer polite refusals at this point, but he sensed a genuine acceptance from Huang Tu, as if he was now considering things from Sou Yuukai's perspective.
Hey, you're the son of the Third Tsuchikage. Is this really appropriate?
After a friendly chat, Mu Yue politely saw the two guests out of the reception room.
Since Mu Yue wasn't interested in cooperation, there was no point in further discussion.
Back at the residence prepared for them by the Ninja Sect, the Iwagakure jonin carefully inspected their surroundings before turning to Huang Tu and saying, "Lord Huang Tu, the Ninja Sect's next move is crucial to our village's plans. We can't just give up like this."
The Ninja Sect was indeed an excellent piece on Iwagakure's chessboard. Not only did they share a good relationship, but they also had a common adversary in Konoha.
With the improving relationship between Amegakure and Iwagakure, the latter could leverage the Ninja Sect to influence the entire ninja force of Amegakure.
With powerful individuals like Sou Yuukai and the regular ninja forces of Amegakure, the overall ninja strength of Amegakure was unparalleled among regular ninja villages.
"But Sou Yuukai flatly rejected our terms and showed no interest in cooperation," Huang Tu said helplessly.
Despite his admiration for Sou Yuukai, Huang Tu's loyalty ultimately lay with his village.
"We should contact the Third Tsuchikage and report the situation," the Iwagakure jonin continued.
Since the current terms weren't acceptable, they would have to make major changes. However, whether to make changes and how to do so were decisions beyond their authority and had to be made by Ohnoki.
...
In Fire Country, within the walls of Konohagakure.
Training Squad Base.
"The Dark Calling Technique can enhance physical abilities by focusing your breathing in conjunction with a chakra burst. The more focused your breathing is, the greater the enhancement. This enhancement is quite comprehensive and can even accelerate the healing of injuries."
Mu Yue corrected the postures of the training squad members while explaining the various effects of the Dark Calling Technique.
His curriculum was structured as follows: for the first two months, regular squad members would have Dark Calling Technique classes three afternoons a week, while the rest of the time would be dedicated to learning intelligence-gathering and other abilities.
As for the squad leaders and above, they had to attend the Dark Calling Technique classes five days a week, from seven in the evening to ten at night. Additionally, they also had to fully participate in the Dark Calling Technique classes that the regular squad members attended.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi's demand for both speed and quality, Mu Yue had no choice but to intensify the training.
After all, he wasn't a real immortal who could magically produce two squads of elite ninjas for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To become stronger, one had to put in the time to train and learn.
Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu allowed her to bring her body closer to that of a beast, and a beast's breathing capacity far surpassed that of a human. This combination would surely create a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
Inuzuka Midori was so excited that she immediately entered the state of Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu to enhance her body, taking in large gulps of air.
"You're doing it wrong; focusing doesn't mean breathing in large mouthfuls. It requires skill and technique," Danzo said, shaking his head in guidance.
Although the Dark Calling Technique had absorbed the characteristics of the Lightning Breath instead of the Flame Breath, there were many similarities between the various breathing techniques.
Having already cultivated his breathing techniques to the Proficient level, Danzo's guidance was invaluable to a beginner like Inuzuka Midori.
"Indeed, that's what I thought as well, Midori. I was testing to see if you, Danzo, could spot my mistake," Inuzuka Midori said, nodding in agreement.
"As expected, Danzo, you didn't disappoint."
Danzo: "...!"
Why am I being tested now?
Danzo finally understood why Mu Yue often tapped Obito on the head. At that moment, he, too, felt like tapping Inuzuka Midori.
However, as he glanced at Inuzuka Midori's head, Danzo ultimately decided against raising his right hand, which was already pinched between his thumb and forefinger.
After teaching for two hours, Mu Yue decided to improve efficiency by assigning Danzo as an assistant instructor to help point out the squad members' mistakes.
Although Danzo, the youngest person present, looked a bit like a child trying to act mature in adult clothing, he did not show any signs of dissatisfaction.
On the one hand, Danzo's fame as a ninja surpassed most of the ninjas in the room, and on the other hand, they could tell that Danzo truly had valuable insights to offer, and it wasn't just Mu Yue trying to boost his disciple's reputation.
[Complete an Intermediate Lecture]
[Evaluation: S]
[Rewards: Enhanced Understanding of Breathing Techniques, Dark Calling Technique +60, Basic Breathing +30, Lightning Breath +19]
Later that evening, after the class for the squad leaders had also concluded, Mu Yue began to tally up the lecture rewards.
After slightly organizing some of the ideas that had been floating in his mind, Mu Yue returned home.
Lecture rewards were different from disciple advancement rewards and life tasks; their effects were gradual and accumulated over time.
For example, a B-rated lecture only added twenty points to chakra, but for Mu Yue, who had just crossed over, lecturing ten times a week would still result in a gain of two hundred chakra points, which was not a small amount.
"I still need to develop a more powerful transformation technique," Mu Yue thought, considering the new ninjutsu he wanted to teach the Training Squad.
While the Dark Calling Technique enhanced their combat abilities, a more advanced transformation technique would provide them with superior disguise capabilities, proving useful in a variety of intelligence-gathering scenarios.
It was unrealistic for Mu Yue to teach others his Transformation technique, as it was too powerful and even more outrageous than the White Zetsu's Impersonation Technique. Moreover, Mu Yue himself didn't know how to teach it, as it was an extremely complex skill.
However, Mu Yue could draw on some of the basic elements of transformation and develop a new technique with superior disguise capabilities.
This way, he could definitely satisfy Hiruzen Sarutobi's requirements, and the Training Squad he was cultivating would be able to make up for the losses incurred by the elimination of Root.
Furthermore, it wouldn't be much trouble for Mu Yue, as he could develop it in his spare time.
Instead of immediately working on the new transformation technique, Mu Yue took out his records on breathing techniques.
The Training Squad had just started learning the Dark Calling Technique, so the transformation technique could wait.
Seeking enlightenment, Mu Yue began his immersive development of the Sun Breath.
Since the Flame Breath in "Demon Slayer" was the breathing technique closest to the Sun Breath, Mu Yue's primary approach was to further develop the Flame Breath by absorbing the characteristics of other basic breathing techniques, gradually bringing it closer to the true Sun Breath and ultimately transforming it into the Sun Breath.
The explosiveness of the Lightning Breath, the power of the Rock Breath, the agility of the Water Breath...
In Mu Yue's opinion, a complete Sun Breath should encompass the strengths of all other breathing techniques—combining the speed of the Lightning Breath with the power of the Rock Breath, thus replicating the formidable might of the Sun Breath in the "Demon Slayer" world.
As his research entered a critical phase, Mu Yue continued his contemplations until two o'clock in the morning without rest.
Seated at his desk, Mu Yue closed his eyes in deep thought.
Breathing techniques were not like other ninja techniques and secret arts; they were abilities that the system had localized from other worlds.
This meant that Mu Yue, who had mastered multiple Proficient and Perfect-level breathing techniques, was the person in the ninja world who understood breathing techniques the best. He couldn't seek answers from others and could only rely on his own insights.
Immediately after, Mu Yue started channeling his chakra, as the localized breathing technique required the use of chakra to unlock its true power.
"Is something wrong? Instead of gathering their unique traits, this seems to have made each of them mediocre," Mu Yue frowned slightly as he felt the state of his body, switching his breathing back to the Rock Breath.
His idea was for the Flame Breath to absorb the strengths of all the basic breaths and evolve, but the actual result was that these breaths balanced each other out, ultimately producing a breath that was even more mediocre than the Water Breath.
This new breath was weaker than the Rock Breath and slower than the Lightning Breath, with no particular strengths.
"Could this path also be wrong?" Mu Yue rubbed his eyebrows and fell into deep thought again.
Half an hour later, Mu Yue sighed softly and organized his notes, placing them into a scroll.
Undoubtedly, he had failed to successfully develop the Sun Breath once more.
However, compared to his previous attempts, this time he had not failed completely, and it was not a total loss.
While the new breath had no particular strengths, it also had no weaknesses. Its power was inferior to the Rock Breath, but it was faster. Its speed was not as swift as the Lightning Breath, but its strength surpassed that of the Lightning Breath.
Mu Yue decided to name the new breath the Balanced Breath, as all its enhancements were roughly equal.
"I'll research this further when I have the time," Mu Yue said, refusing to give up on this path entirely.
Firstly, he had already spent a considerable amount of time on it, and secondly, the Balanced Breath had just been developed, so there was still room for improvement. Perhaps this breath would turn out to be more remarkable than he imagined.
...
Might Guy, who had been investigating Iwagakure's movements in the Grass Country, was looking forward to some rest after completing his mission. However, unexpectedly, a new task came his way.
Might Guy didn't even have time to return to Konoha. Instead, he hurried with a portion of the Leaf ninja forces stationed in the Grass Country to the northern part of Fire Country.
Konoha was in a hurry and wanted him to quickly deal with the Cloud ninja in the northern region.
Upon arriving in the north, Might Guy first met up with the support team sent by Orochimaru and the team dispatched by Konoha to understand the situation.
"This time, the Cloud ninja don't seem to be preparing for a legion war. There are traces of them all over the north, but they're all small teams, and the total number of troops shouldn't be too high," Nara Shikamaru, the deputy commander, explained the currently known intelligence to Might Guy.
"Currently, the Cloud ninja are most active in the northwest, and the AB team has also shown up there recently. It seems the Cloud ninja have something planned for the northwest," Shikamaru added.
Might Guy thought for a moment and said, "Divide some of the teams to cooperate with the border squads and strike against the active Cloud ninja squads."
In this situation, Might Guy didn't have a better plan either. The initiative was in the hands of the Cloud ninja, and if they didn't want to engage in a large-scale war, Might Guy could only disperse his forces.
However, Might Guy kept a trump card up his sleeve. He didn't directly scatter all his troops but only divided two-thirds of his forces to deal with the active Cloud ninja.
A few days later, news of the squads completing their missions gradually arrived, but Might Guy and Shikamaru's faces remained grim.
"The AB team hasn't shown up at all. Where did they disappear to? Could they have returned to the Cloud ninja village?" Shikamaru pondered, staring at the map on the table.
For a war between the Great Shinobi Villages, a few squads or even a dozen squads were insignificant. The outcome of a major battle didn't depend on these small teams.
In the afternoon, Might Guy and his team received a weighty piece of news, though it had little to do with their current mission. It was reported that groups of Cloud ninja had gathered in the Land of Hot Water.
However, at that moment, Shikamaru's eyes darted to the map, and suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had a eureka moment, his expression turning serious.
"The disappearance of the AB team, infiltrating from the north, and their activity in the northwest..."
"Could the large number of Cloud ninja squads in the northwest be a decoy, and their main target not be the Leaf ninja within Fire Country, but our ninja forces in the Land of Hot Water?" Shikamaru quickly voiced his thoughts.
Might Guy's face also changed slightly. If the Cloud ninja dispatched a large force to the Land of Hot Water and the AB team led an elite squad to strike from the rear, it would indeed pose a significant threat to Orochimaru's ninja forces.
"Shikamaru, Chouza, Toudo... follow me!" Might Guy quickly selected elite ninja to accompany him to the Land of Hot Water to intercept the Fourth Raikage's elite team.
Although the Fourth Raikage might have departed a few days ago, they would have to avoid Konoha's informants, which would slow them down. Additionally, the battle situation on Orochimaru's side was another variable.
If they hurried, they might just make it in time.
PS: This is the first chapter, and there will be another one later, but the timing is uncertain. It will definitely be before 2 a.m.
(End of Chapter)
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