https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-626-Mu-Yue-the-Second-Mokuton-Ninja-/12558916/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-628-The-Upper-Echelons-Join-the-Battle/12566281/
Chapter 627: You Remind Me of the Fourth Hokage
Chapter 627: You Remind Me of the Fourth Hokage
"Huh?!"
When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Mu Yue's words clearly, his displeased expression turned to shock. Forgetting about Mu Yue's lack of knocking, he stood up and asked, "What do you mean you seem to have developed Mokuton? Success is success, and failure is failure."
Mokuton, unlike ordinary Kekkei Genkai, was a bloodline limit that had only appeared in the Sage of the Six Paths, and it held a special significance.
If Mu Yue had truly mastered Mokuton, Hiruzen would have to overturn his previous arrangements for her.
Mu Yue silently formed hand seals to gather wood-style chakra, and a tender green branch suddenly protruded from the side of Hiruzen's wooden desk.
The moment the branch appeared, Hiruzen's pupils dilated, and he couldn't help but lean in for a closer look.
Although it was unscientific for a desk made of wood to sprout a branch, it was very much like a ninja.
Looking at the vibrant branch, Hiruzen's heart stirred with excitement.
"You've actually succeeded!" Hiruzen exclaimed in disbelief.
Even though Mu Yue had already displayed a level of genius that surpassed his own, he was still astonished.
This was Mokuton, the unique bloodline limit of the Sage of the Six Paths. In the decades since the Sage's appearance, and even centuries before that, there had been no trace of Mokuton.
How could Mu Yue, no matter how talented, be compared to the peerless Senju Hashirama, the first Hokage?
However, the fact that Mu Yue had successfully mastered Mokuton was right before his eyes. Now, Hiruzen had no choice but to consider a possibility—why couldn't Mu Yue be the next Senju Hashirama?
Senju Hashirama possessed Mokuton, and now so did Mu Yue. Senju Hashirama was a powerful ninja who shook the shinobi world in his youth, and Mu Yue was already renowned as the Fiery Mu Yue. So, why couldn't Mu Yue be the next Senju Hashirama?
Hiruzen's heart raced with excitement. Even if Mu Yue couldn't become the second Senju Hashirama, with her current performance, there was a high probability that she would become a stronger ninja than him.
To be able to surpass him at his peak, in this current era, would mean invincibility, after all, there was no Uchiha Madara in this era.
"This should be Mokuton," Mu Yue said as she released the hand seals.
"Yes, this is Mokuton!" Hiruzen affirmed without a doubt.
As he spoke, Hiruzen's eyes softened, and the way he looked at Mu Yue held a newfound gentleness that had never been there before.
With those eyes, that nose, and that hair, the more Hiruzen looked at Mu Yue, the more she reminded him of the Fourth Hokage.
"Although I have confidence in you, Mu Yue, I am still surprised to see that you have truly developed Mokuton. Your talent has surpassed mine and is approaching that of the First Hokage," Hiruzen marveled.
In the hopes of producing another Mokuton user, not only had the Senju clan's descendants tirelessly trained and attempted to awaken Mokuton, but Konoha had also spent a lot of manpower and resources researching Hashirama's cells, wanting to unravel the secrets of his Mokuton. Unfortunately, all their efforts had been in vain, yielding no results.
And here was Mu Yue, who had independently developed Mokuton simply by studying the materials left behind by Senju Hashirama.
It was a case of trying hard and failing, while succeeding without even trying.
"It's just a stroke of luck that I happened to catch a glimpse of enlightenment," Mu Yue said with a slight shake of her head.
Hiruzen's statement that she had surpassed him was a compliment, but Mu Yue couldn't directly accept it; otherwise, it would seem like she was being impolite.
There was a significant difference between acknowledging it herself and having others say it.
"Was mastering Hyouton also a stroke of luck?" Hiruzen asked jokingly.
"Perhaps I have a bit more insight than the average person," Mu Yue replied modestly.
"Haha, then that's your special talent," Hiruzen said with a laugh as he sat back down.
After a moment, Hiruzen remembered something and asked, "How's the training team's work going lately?"
"The teaching is going smoothly. We should be able to see some preliminary results in two months," Mu Yue answered.
"Good. With you as the captain of the training team, I'm very relieved. However, don't overwork yourself. It's also important to set aside time for your own improvement," Hiruzen said with a kind expression.
If Konoha could produce another Senju Hashirama, it would be far more meaningful than having another Root member or an enhanced version of Root. So, at the moment, Hiruzen hoped that Mu Yue would spend more time improving herself.
"I will," Mu Yue nodded.
As Mu Yue was about to bid Hiruzen farewell and leave the Hokage's office, she paused, turned, and apologized, "I'm sorry, Third Hokage. I was so excited that I forgot to knock just now."
Hiruzen smiled and shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind.
If Mu Yue could truly become the next Senju Hashirama, he would be willing to let her enter the Hokage's office without knocking from then on.
However, he didn't think she would do that, as Mu Yue was not like Danzo.
"The second Mokuton user..." As he watched Mu Yue's departing figure, Hiruzen couldn't help but recall Senju Hashirama's mighty power as he created a vast forest with just a clap of his hands.
To Hiruzen, the news of Mu Yue developing Mokuton was even more important than the war intelligence that Namikaze Minato had sent back.
The deterrence of a second Senju Hashirama far outweighed that of a jinchuriki.
After leaving the Hokage building, Mu Yue returned home.
Usually, Mu Yue would go directly to the training team, but now that Namikaze Minato was learning the Wind Release: Breath of Wind, she had to set aside some of her free time for teaching him.
Mu Yue first spent an hour in the living room explaining the theory to Namikaze Minato, then she made lunch, and after they had eaten, she took him to the training ground to practice.
Namikaze Minato had a good talent for breathing techniques and had already cultivated the Basic Breathing Technique to a high level. With this excellent foundation, he picked up the Wind Release: Breath of Wind very quickly.
Coupled with Mu Yue's proficient teaching and her increasing familiarity with the technique, Namikaze Minato soon successfully mastered the Wind Release: Breath of Wind and continued to make rapid progress.
"This is truly an extraordinary secret technique. Perhaps, Mu Yue, you will leave a profound mark in the history of ninjutsu because of this technique," Namikaze Minato said with a smile.
In his opinion, Mu Yue had created an entirely new category of secret techniques. Each breathing technique had its unique characteristics and was incredibly powerful—they were all techniques worthy of being a clan's secret technique.
"Sometimes, being too well-known is not a good thing," Mu Yue said as she thought of some of the drawing games from her past life that had turned historical figures into female versions.
Not just people, but even ships were turned into female versions and added to the gacha pool.
Although she had played games in her past life, the thought of possibly becoming one of the characters in those games made Mu Yue a little uneasy.
If it was a game that made fun of her, like "Fiery Mu Yue has a dark side," then she could somewhat accept it.
"I don't think so," Namikaze Minato said, a little perplexed.
He felt that as long as it wasn't a notorious reputation like Uchiha Madara, who had defected and tried to destroy Konoha for mysterious reasons, any other kind of fame would be fine.
Mu Yue didn't explain, merely smiling as she continued with the lesson.
It was incredibly difficult to explain the gacha mechanics of a mobile game to someone who had never played video games before.
However, with the current technological level in the Naruto world, Mu Yue believed that smartphones and the like should be achievable within a hundred years.
Being so close to her own era, she figured no one would have made a game about her yet, but who knew about the future?
Since she didn't need to teach the regular members that afternoon and only had to teach the captain and above of the training team in the evening, Mu Yue continued teaching until dinnertime.
Finally, after having dinner with Namikaze Minato, she made her way to the training grounds.
Upon arriving, she noticed that Itachi Uchiha was still there and called him into the captain's office.
"Itachi, you can skip the Dark Chanting Technique classes from now on. It's a bit of a waste of time for you," Mu Yue said.
After all, Itachi had been practicing breathing techniques for several years and had already mastered the Fire Breath to the Proficient level. Learning the Dark Chanting Technique, a downgraded version of the breathing techniques, would be too simple for him.
"But if I'm the only one, won't it reflect poorly on you, Teacher Mu Yue?" Itachi expressed his concern.
He was worried that his actions might affect Mu Yue's reputation, as everyone else was attending the classes while he was exempted.
"Don't worry, I'll explain the situation. If anyone else reaches the standard in the Dark Chanting Technique, they can also be excused from the classes," Mu Yue reassured him.
She was teaching these captains and squad leaders in the evenings precisely to quickly improve their Dark Chanting Technique. If they reached the required level, there was no need for further classes.
"Don't overthink it; it'll just add unnecessary pressure. Everything will be fine," Mu Yue said as she patted Itachi's head gently.
She felt that Itachi and Obito could balance each other out, creating a harmonious equilibrium.
"Thank you, Teacher Mu Yue," Itachi nodded gratefully.
With this extra time saved, Itachi could either enrich himself by reading or focus on other forms of training, both of which were excellent options.
After returning home, Itachi pondered for a while before finally making his way to the Uchiha compound to see Sasuke Uchiha.
He greeted the Uchiha couple politely and then made his way to Sasuke's side.
"Big Brother Itachi," Sasuke greeted Itachi happily.
Although Itachi hadn't visited him recently, they didn't have a set schedule for meetings, so Sasuke was delighted to see him, his joy far outweighing any disappointment.
"I've been busy with work lately, but I'm free today," Itachi explained with a smile.
"What kind of work?" Sasuke asked, curious.
"It's confidential, so I can't tell you the details. But I can tell you a story instead. That's not confidential, right?" Itachi offered.
"Okay! Where did we leave off last time?"
"We were about to embark on a mission to subjugate mountain bandits," Sasuke recalled.
...
In the Land of Water, within the Mizukage's office.
"The Cloud-Hidden Village and the Leaf-Hidden Village are engaged in a massive battle in the Land of Hot Water," the Third Mizukage said, a smile tugging at his lips as he perused the latest intelligence regarding Konoha.
At that moment, he couldn't help but feel pleased with Kumogakure for always stirring up trouble. First, they breached the Fire Nation's defenses, and now they were locked in a fierce battle with Konoha's border forces.
Unlike Iwagakure, who was dragging their feet and hadn't even managed to breach the Fire Nation's defenses yet.
"In that case, should we let Ya Kura take action?" the Third Mizukage mused, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Initially, he had intended to wait and see, but a new idea struck him. If Kirigakure made a move now, it might prompt Kumogakure to increase their efforts or even attract other Great Shinobi Villages to join the fray.
The Third Mizukage closed his eyes, deep in thought, before picking up a brush and beginning to write an order.
For Kirigakure to win against Konoha on their own was a difficult proposition, so they had to seize opportunities like this.
While this surprise attack carried risks, the potential gains far outweighed them, making it a high-value proposition.
Other Great Shinobi Villages might be hesitant to make a move for fear of being backstabbed by the other observing villages, but Kirigakure didn't share this concern.
That was because any other ninja village planning to attack Kirigakure would have to travel by ship for a long time, and the inland villages were ill-equipped for naval battles, making it challenging to invade the Land of Water.
Even if Kirigakure's strategy backfired and they suffered another defeat, they would only lose some of their shinobi on the battlefield.
The Third Mizukage's order soon reached Ya Kura, who had only recently arrived in the Land of Waves.
Ya Kura held the Third Mizukage's secret missive in his right hand, his left fist clenched tightly, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
The opportunity had come faster than he anticipated; he had expected to linger in the Land of Waves for another two or three months.
"Hanyu Mu Yue, this time, I won't be as embarrassed as last time," Ya Kura vowed silently.
During Kirigakure's previous stealth attack, they had initially held the upper hand, but Mu Yue turned the tide by casting a ninjutsu that transformed night into day and suppressed water-style jutsu. She further tipped the scales by slaying one of Kirigakure's strong shinobi.
This time, Ya Kura had specifically researched Kirigakure's secret scrolls and found a technique that could create rainy weather by manipulating chakra.
If Mu Yue attempted to use her blazing sun jutsu again, Ya Kura would counter it by changing the weather to a downpour, negating her jutsu to some extent.
"Assemble the troops! We march on the Land of Fire!" Ya Kura called out to the gathered jonin, outlining his invasion plan. "Let's go!"
"Yes, Lord Ya Kura!" the jonin nodded in agreement, exiting the conference room and swiftly relaying the orders to their respective subordinates.
Soon enough, ships carrying ninja forces set sail towards the Land of Fire.
Meanwhile, the people of the Land of Waves breathed a collective sigh of relief, grateful that the mist-shrouded village wasn't planning to wage war on their shores.
Their small island nation was already impoverished and lacking in resources, and being caught in the crossfire would make their lives even more unbearable.
Previously, Ya Kura had chosen to land on the southeastern coast of the Fire Nation, an underdeveloped and neglected region with minimal defenses.
However, this time, Ya Kura selected a northeastern coastal area as their landing point.
This decision was influenced by the Third Mizukage's strategy, which wasn't focused on a single decisive strike against Konoha but on portraying a gradually weakening Leaf-Hidden Village.
From Ya Kura's landing point, if they traveled a little further north, they would reach the battlegrounds of Kumogakure and Konoha in the Land of Hot Water.
To prevent their rear from being exposed, Konoha would undoubtedly dispatch forces to intercept the invading Kirigakure forces.
However, instead of engaging in direct combat, Kirigakure would employ guerrilla tactics and drag out the battle.
Their primary objective was to wear down Konoha's forces and attract other ninja villages into the fray.
Ideally, they wanted to fight Konoha together with other villages, but even if other villages chose to fight among themselves, it wouldn't be a bad outcome for Kirigakure. The more chaotic and vicious the continental strife became, the more it would benefit the mist-shrouded village.
(End of Chapter)
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