https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-627-You-Remind-Me-of-the-Fourth-Hokage/12562566/
Chapter 628: The Upper Echelons Join the Battle
Chapter 628: The Upper Echelons Join the Battle
Led by Kaju Yagura, over a thousand Mist Ninjas swiftly landed and launched an assault on Konoha's border defenses in the northeastern part of the Fire Country.
Due to Cloud Ninja Village's large-scale offensive, Konoha was closely monitoring the situation in the northeastern region of the Fire Country.
Thus, they quickly noticed the incoming attack from the Mist.
The Mist Ninja Village had a rather unique combat style, recognizable even without their distinctive headbands.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had been in high spirits lately. The village had discovered a second Wood Release ninja, Mo Yue, an extraordinary genius who was guaranteed to become a youthful version of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and might even surpass him to reclaim the title of Ninja God.
However, just two weeks after this joyous discovery, news of the Mist Ninja Village's invasion of the Fire Country reached Hiruzen's office.
Accompanying this unwelcome development was the Fire Country Feudal Lord's displeasure.
It seemed that the recent breaches in the country's defenses by ninja villages had not gone unnoticed, and the Feudal Lord had sent a letter to Hiruzen demanding that he swiftly deal with the intruders and ensure the country's safety.
Although the Feudal Lord was nominally superior to the Hokage, in this instance, Hiruzen could only acknowledge his mistake and provide assurances.
The foundation of Konoha's partnership with the Fire Country was its role as the country's military power, protecting it from external threats. Failing to stop the invading ninjas was, therefore, a dereliction of Konoha's duty.
"They certainly know how to pick their timing," Hiruzen muttered, a frown creasing his brow.
He had been hoping to divert some of his attention to investigating Danzo Shimura's death now that the Cloud ninjas in the Fire Country had been dealt with. But with the Mist's intrusion, even that seemed like a distant possibility.
With a soft sigh, Hiruzen regarded the closed door of the Hokage's office.
When he had first received news of Danzo's demise, he had been greatly shaken. However, the grief he felt wasn't as overwhelming as he had expected.
It was in the quiet moments after a tiring day of work, when his guard was down and his thoughts wandered, that the true weight of Danzo's absence hit him. A fleeting thought—wondering why Danzo had been so uncharacteristically quiet lately—would lead to the crushing realization that Danzo was gone.
In that moment of clarity, a wave of melancholy would wash over him, and he would find himself regretting and mourning the past.
"Notify the two advisors to come to the Hokage's office," Hiruzen instructed a passing Anbu.
As Hiruzen, he was determined to avenge Danzo. But before that, he was the Third Hokage of Konoha, and his first duty was to his village.
As the Hokage, his top priority would always be to ensure Konoha's safety and protect its interests.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door to the Hokage's office.
"Come in."
The two advisors entered, and the Anbu quietly closed the door, standing guard outside.
"The Mist Ninja Village has joined the battle once more," Hiruzen wasted no time in briefing them. "They've dispatched a ninja force that has landed in the northeastern region of the Fire Country."
"How dare they!" Homura exclaimed, his face grim. "Didn't we teach them a painful lesson last time?"
"The Feudal Lord is displeased," Hiruzen continued. "He demands that we swiftly eliminate the intruders and guarantee the country's security."
"Then we must give this matter extra attention," Koharu said, her expression turning solemn.
If they failed to handle this situation appropriately, the Feudal Lord would have every right to reduce the military funding provided to Konoha.
"To swiftly deal with the Mist ninjas, I believe it's necessary for one of the upper echelons to lead the troops into battle and boost morale," Hiruzen said, his gaze sweeping over the two advisors.
Minato Namikaze had been dispatched to the battlefront in the Country of Hot Water the day before. Compared to the Mist, the Cloud Ninja Village posed a more significant threat, so Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't plan to recall Minato to the Fire Country to reorganize a ninja force.
Mo Yue would have been an excellent choice as well, but he had only recently unlocked his Wood Release and needed time to cultivate it. Hiruzen wasn't inclined to send him into battle just yet.
With Minato and Mo Yue out of the question, the list of suitable candidates was short.
However, as members of Konoha's upper echelons, Homura and Koharu were more than qualified, and their presence on the battlefield might have a special effect on the troops.
"Well..."
Homura hesitated, unsure if the situation had deteriorated to the point where their presence on the battlefield was necessary. After all, their other duties as advisors were also crucial.
But he also didn't want Hiruzen to think that he was reluctant to return to the battlefield after such a long absence.
"Mo Yue is still in Konoha, isn't he? He also possesses the Flying Thunder God Technique, and his other abilities surpass even Minato's. He played a significant role in our victory over the Mist last time, and I believe he's up to the task," Homura suggested.
Hiruzen shook his head in refusal. "Mo Yue has just unlocked the Wood Release. He needs time to train and familiarize himself with this new power."
"Why, because he's unlocked the Wood Release? Wait, what did you say?" Homura's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized the implications of Hiruzen's words.
He would rather believe that he had misheard than accept that Mo Yue had indeed mastered the Wood Release.
"Mo Yue has mastered the Wood Release?" Koharu echoed, her eyes mirroring her companion's shock.
To her, this revelation was far more surprising than the Mist Ninja Village's invasion of the Fire Country.
The advisors' reactions were expected by Hiruzen. After all, the Wood Release was an extraordinary ability, and Mo Yue was only the second ninja to have independently developed it.
Hiruzen nodded calmly, confirming their suspicions. "You heard correctly. Ten days ago, I witnessed him using the Wood Release with my own eyes."
"Konoha has a second Wood Release ninja."
"How is that possible? Is his mother a descendant of the Senju clan?" Homura wondered aloud, his mind instantly jumping to the conclusion that Mo Yue must have Senju blood running through his veins.
While it sounded far-fetched, it was at least somewhat plausible.
"None of the First Hokage's descendants possess the Wood Release," Hiruzen refuted Homura's theory. "Do you think a random Senju lineage would be enough? Perhaps the Wood Release is an exclusive bloodline limit only accessible to once-in-a-century geniuses."
"Mo Yue also developed the Ice Release on his own, didn't he?" Koharu mused. "Maybe he's just that kind of rare prodigy."
With no other plausible explanations, however improbable, they had to accept the reality before them.
"In that case, it's clear that Mo Yue isn't suited for the battlefield at this time," Hiruzen conceded.
"I'll go, then," Koharu volunteered after a moment's thought.
Mo Yue needed to focus on cultivating his newly discovered power, and Homura seemed reluctant to return to the front lines. As the Hokage, Hiruzen couldn't afford to leave the village himself, so it fell to Koharu to step up.
"Be careful out there, Koharu," Hiruzen said, nodding in agreement.
Koharu was an excellent choice, not just because of her rank and experience but also because she was a formidable ninja in her own right.
"Don't overexert yourself on the battlefield," Homura added. "You're no longer the Koharu who used to train tirelessly every day."
As members of the village's upper echelons, they had not only distanced themselves from the battlefield but had also neglected their physical training. It was only natural that their strength would have diminished.
"I'll be careful. Wait for my good news." Mito Menyan offered a faint smile.
After the discussion regarding the ninja forces concluded, Mito and Danzo Shimura left the Hokage's office.
"I hope there won't be any more unexpected incidents." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed within the office.
At present, he just wanted to swiftly end the battle and avenge his old friend. Once Mu Yue had fully matured, he would pass on the position to her.
...
Southern Border Forest.
Mu Yue was instructing her disciples in their training.
She had deliberately staggered her teaching schedule to allow her to manage both her classes and the training team without neglecting either.
"Teacher Mu Yue, has Kakashi been busy with something lately? I feel like I haven't seen him in a while." During a break, Obito casually asked.
"He joined the training team." Mu Yue replied.
"What's the training team? Do they train ninjutsu?" Obito inquired curiously, having never heard of this department before.
"They do have that function. You can think of the training team as a special version of the Anbu." Mu Yue explained.
Although it was a confidential department, not all information pertaining to it was classified.
Hearing the word 'Anbu', Kakashi looked over, his expression one of surprise.
He didn't think the Anbu were particularly amazing, but to ordinary ninjas, it was indeed a very mysterious department, and Kakashi joining was no ordinary matter.
"He actually joined the Anbu!" Obito exclaimed, his expression a mix of astonishment and concern.
"I read a ninja novel with a similar plot. The protagonist joined the Anbu, carried out secret missions, and discovered the secrets of the higher-ups, and then..." Obito trailed off.
"So that's just a novel." Kakashi interrupted, rolling his eyes.
He didn't know much about the Anbu either, but they were directly under the command of the Hokage, so if they really did uncover something about the higher-ups, it would be because the Hokage willed it.
"I didn't say Kakashi would definitely encounter such a thing. I'm just surprised that he suddenly joined such a mysterious department." Obito retorted.
Rumble, rumble!!
In the midst of their bickering, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed from not far away.
"Is Guy practicing a new taijutsu again?"
Obito stood up and looked towards the source of the sound. Might Guy's hands were shaped like eagle claws as he continuously attacked the surrounding trees and ground.
"The Eight Inner Gates and Rock Lee's Rock Body are too violent when combined. Even a simple claw attack has tremendous power." Obito remarked.
Ever since Might Guy's potential exploded on the Kirigakure battlefield, his strength had soared, directly dominating the disciple civil war and consistently ranking first.
Only Kakashi, after comprehending the Lightning Chakra Mode, had made the battles more competitive, preventing Might Guy from being the absolute first.
However, even among the disciples, only Kakashi could pose a slight threat to Might Guy. The rest faced slim odds against him.
Once upon a time, Obito and Might Guy had been evenly matched, and Obito felt both happy and unsatisfied with the current state of affairs.
He was glad that his good friend's hard work was paying off, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at not being able to reach the top himself.
"After all, it's a forbidden technique that can only be learned through grueling training." Kakashi sighed.
The amount of training Might Guy did in a single day was already daunting, and he had persevered for years. Moreover, Might Guy was only twelve years old, which meant that most of his short life had been dedicated to training.
Obito stopped bickering with Kakashi and focused on refining his chakra. Once he had accumulated enough, he immediately began cultivating the Blue Flame.
In their younger days, when their bodies hadn't fully matured yet, Shisui Uchiha had dominated the disciples with his superhuman talent.
Kakashi, too, had once consecutively defeated all the disciples with his unique Transparent World.
As for Obito, he occasionally shone in battle, but he had never reigned supreme within the team.
How could he, Uchiha Obito, not want to become the strongest disciple and make Mu Yue proud? Unfortunately, his early- to mid-stage Fire Release techniques had been inferior.
The Blue Flame was powerful, but he had started learning it too late and had not yet fully mastered it.
At this moment, Obito had only one desire: to become stronger and reach the top.
If he never managed to reign supreme in the disciple civil war, even if he achieved his dream of becoming the Hokage in the future, he knew he would still feel unfulfilled.
Once Kakashi had recovered his stamina, he quickly resumed his training in the One-Sword Style and the Body Armament Chakra Mode.
He only had a chance of defeating Might Guy, and in terms of overall strength, Might Guy was still far superior.
Oblivious to how his training was spurring on Obito and Kakashi, Might Guy was thrilled with the encouraging progress of his new taijutsu.
"With this level of completion, it's time to give it a name." Might Guy began pondering a name for his new technique.
He believed that the name of a taijutsu was important; it had to sound impressive.
"I thought of this taijutsu idea in the morning, and I was inspired by Black Feather. So, let's call it Morning Hawk!" Might Guy didn't deliberate for too long before settling on a name.
Might Guy had his own style for naming techniques. Sometimes, he would base it on the characteristics of the technique, like 'Whirlwind'.
Other times, he would combine the time of day he thought of the technique or when he first gained inspiration, with the name of a fierce beast, like 'Noon Panther'.
After training ended in the afternoon, Mu Yue once again walked home with Yamato.
"I've taken care of the matter with the Ninja Academy. You can just go to school on next Monday." Mu Yue said.
Although he didn't go to the Ninja Academy often, he was technically the vice-principal, so arranging things for Yamato was a simple matter.
"School...?" Upon hearing Mu Yue's words, Yamato suddenly remembered that he had to attend school.
"Yes, thank you." Yamato expressed his gratitude to Mu Yue.
"It's just a small matter. You're at an age where you should be going to school." Mu Yue smiled.
After dinner, Mu Yue stayed and chatted with Yamato for a while before leaving.
"School... What will it be like?" Seeing Mu Yue off, Yamato began to ponder.
Danzo Shimura had only taught him ninjutsu and about the responsibility of protecting Konoha. His understanding of the Ninja Academy came solely from the occasional reminiscing of Obito and the others.
According to Obito, school was a strange place—somewhere you wanted to go when you couldn't, and didn't want to go when you could.
Might Guy had once said that school was a place that changed lives, and he had put in a lot of effort to get into the Ninja Academy.
As for Kakashi, Yamato had rarely heard him talk about school.
"Wood Release: Flying Leaf Quick Draw!"
Yamato stopped thinking and began cultivating.
Once he actually went to school, he would naturally discover what kind of place it was.
But for now, he needed to focus on his training. After all, his seniors were so strong, and they still diligently trained every day. As the weakest, he couldn't afford to slack off.
PS: There will be another chapter later, but the timing is uncertain, so it's recommended to sleep early and read it tomorrow.
Trying to update more
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
