https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-687-Dust-Style-World-Separation-vs-Unreachable-Infinity/12937982/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-689-Yu-Sheng-Mu-Yue-s-Firm-Stance/12937984/
Chapter 688: High-Level Conflict
Chapter 688: High-Level Conflict
Orochimaru shook his head at Yellow Earth and the other Iwagakure shinobi, gesturing for them to disperse, then turned to Son Ryouka and spoke weakly, "The Shinso Master is indeed as formidable as the legends say. Truly admirable."
Son Ryouka's victory over Enma was a testament to his strength, but Orochimaru never imagined that Son Ryouka would be this powerful.
He hadn't even figured out Son Ryouka's methods, yet he had already lost miserably.
It was only because Son Ryouka held back; otherwise, he might have been killed in a real battle.
Orochimaru was no longer curious about how Son Ryouka defeated Enma; instead, he wondered how Enma managed to return to Konoha alive after facing Son Ryouka.
Even Son Ryouka's Boundary Stripping Technique, which was supposed to be unstoppable, seemed ineffective against Enma.
"For the sake of Shinshu." Orochimaru believed that Son Ryouka didn't want to engage in a full-scale war with Konoha, so he spared Enma's life.
Son Ryouka's strength was undeniable, and even if Konoha gathered its elite ninjas, Orochimaru wasn't confident they could defeat him.
However, no matter how strong Son Ryouka was, he was still just one person, and Konoha had numerous elite ninjas.
Son Ryouka could protect himself with his power and kill many enemy ninjas, but he couldn't safeguard every Shinshu ninja.
If Shinshu went to war with any of the Great Ninja Villages, the outcome would inevitably be mutually destructive, leaving both Shinshu and the Great Ninja Village in a dire situation.
Most of Shinshu's ninjas would be killed by the Great Ninja Village, and the village would still face the threat of Son Ryouka, a terrifyingly powerful ninja.
"Dust Transformation is indeed worthy of being above Bloodline Limits. It has truly opened my eyes," Yu Sheng Mu Yue politely replied, giving Orochimaru some face.
Orochimaru's lips twitched; although Son Ryouka was praising him, he couldn't bring himself to be happy.
After witnessing the battle, Orochimaru had reason to suspect that Son Ryouka was being sarcastic.
What was so eye-opening about a battle where he didn't even break through his defenses? Or was the eye-opening experience referring to the fact that Dust Transformation, known for its ability to disintegrate everything, couldn't even damage his clothing?
"I won't bother you any longer; village affairs are pressing," Orochimaru said with a slightly dark expression, declining Shinshu's offer to see him off and leaving with the support of his subordinates.
Due to Orochimaru's insistence, Yu Sheng Mu Yue and the others could only watch him leave from a distance.
"What a stubborn old man," Old Violet sighed.
Orochimaru's arm injury was severe, yet he stubbornly refused Son Ryouka's offer to treat him, insisting on saving face.
He was a bit confused; after such a humiliating defeat, what face was there to save? Was it embarrassing to be treated by his opponent?
"Do you know the Fifth Mizukage well, Yuhiko?" Nagato Yuhiko asked curiously.
Very few people in Shinshu knew Old Violet's true identity; only Yu Sheng Mu Yue, Nagato, and Kuju Yacang were aware that Old Violet was the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure. Others only knew his surface identity.
"I know a little," Old Violet nodded, not elaborating further.
He didn't mind people knowing his identity, but he was concerned about potential trouble.
The Tailed Beasts were like the lifeblood of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and if Iwagakure found out that he had joined Shinshu under the alias of Yuhiko, they would still find ways to deal with Shinshu, despite fearing Son Ryouka's strength.
Nagato Yuhiko didn't think too much about it and quickly put the matter behind him, eagerly asking Yu Sheng Mu Yue questions that arose from watching the battle.
Meanwhile, after walking a short distance, Orochimaru signaled for the medical ninjutsu specialist from Iwagakure to treat his injuries.
The specialist had been ready to treat Orochimaru as soon as the battle ended, but Orochimaru stopped him.
"Mizukage-sama, are we still going to cooperate with Sunagakure?" Yellow Earth asked after a moment of silence.
After witnessing the battle between Son Ryouka and Orochimaru, Yellow Earth understood why news of Enma's defeat had spread throughout the ninja world, yet Konoha showed no reaction.
Son Ryouka's strength was so overwhelming that Konoha could do little in response.
Should they send a massive ninja army to eliminate Shinshu?
It would be a huge loss of face, and they would also risk incurring the wrath of an unparalleled powerhouse.
"Let's put it on hold for now," Orochimaru replied after some thought.
His motivation for dealing with Shinshu was that their continued growth would affect Iwagakure's interests.
If they joined forces with Sunagakure to take on Shinshu now, they would offend Son Ryouka without being able to kill him, which might not bode well for Iwagakure in the end.
Fortunately, Iwagakure had not openly declared their stance, so they didn't need to explain anything to Sunagakure.
"Why hasn't Iwagakure produced such a genius?" Orochimaru sighed inwardly.
He had thought that after the God of Ninjas passed away, there would never be another ninja of such extraordinary caliber, but he never expected that someone like Son Ryouka would appear so soon, along with the potential monster, Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Orochimaru was truly frustrated. Why was Konoha so exceptional among the Five Great Ninja Villages? First, there were Senju Tsunade and Uchiha Madara, and now Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
After half an hour of treatment, fearing further complications, Orochimaru didn't linger and immediately returned to Iwagakure.
Upon his return, the first thing Orochimaru did was to convene a high council meeting and share the intelligence they had gathered with the village elders.
The Iwagakure elders were all shocked by what they heard.
If it weren't for the fact that the speaker was their own Mizukage, they might have doubted the veracity of the information.
"Konoha is indeed cunning. No wonder they kept it so secret. They probably wanted us to fall into a trap by using Shinshu," Elder Mizuhoto Monen immediately realized the sinister intentions behind Konoha's actions.
If Iwagakure had blindly clashed with Shinshu, the consequences would have been dire.
"Yes, we are fortunate that the Third Hokage was cautious," Elder Heavy Crystal added, still shaken.
If Iwagakure had been severely weakened because of this, they would have become the village's scapegoats.
"I think we can turn this to our advantage and use this information to pit other ninja villages against Shinshu, resulting in mutual destruction," suggested the leader of the Jonin Class, Hui.
If Iwagakure hadn't anticipated this, it was likely that the other ninja villages hadn't either, giving them an intelligence advantage.
"Sunagakure has shown interest in Shinshu, but instead of joining them in attacking Shinshu, we can cooperate with Sunagakure in other areas, misleading them and causing them to fight Shinshu to mutual destruction."
Orochimaru considered the plan carefully and then nodded in agreement.
If this plan succeeded, it would be a twofold victory, eliminating the threat of Shinshu and weakening Sunagakure.
...
Fire Country, Konoha Village.
Shadow Lord Building.
Upon learning about the high council meeting, Chojirou Kamizuru and Mizuhoto Monen rushed to the meeting room.
Regardless of their personal feelings towards the new Hokage, they maintained a professional demeanor, as this was the first high-level meeting chaired by the new Hokage.
Just before reaching the meeting room, the two encountered Enma.
The three greeted each other and entered the conference room together.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue and Water Gate had arrived early, and upon seeing the arrival of the high command, Mu Yue nodded in acknowledgment.
After taking his seat, Enma curiously glanced at the documents on the table. There were files at every position except for Mu Yue's.
"Ninja Academy Reform..."
Enma's curiosity piqued as he read the title of the document.
The Ninja Academy was where he had discovered Mu Yue, and he knew that Mu Yue had an inexplicable passion for the role of a teacher.
Perhaps it was this very passion that led Mu Yue to deeply consider the Ninja Academy and propose numerous beneficial suggestions for its improvement.
For instance, the establishment of the medical specialization program, although only two years old, had received widespread praise from the village's ninjas, who considered it a wise decision.
However, this time, Mu Yue had brought the Ninja Academy to the high command meeting, and Enma suspected it wasn't just about the medical specialization program.
Enma was intrigued by the nature of the proposed reform.
"Water Gate, I'll leave it to you," Mu Yue said, turning to Water Gate.
Water Gate nodded and cleared his throat. "I will now present a plan for the reform of the Ninja Academy."
Although Mu Yue was more familiar with the plan, as the Hokage, he couldn't handle every detail personally. That was why they had Water Gate as the Hokage's assistant.
"The current six-year Ninja Academy will be changed to a four-year primary school, and a new three-year middle school will be established. Graduates of the primary school will not become ninjas immediately, as in the past, but must continue their studies in middle school to become official ninjas."
As Water Gate explained, Enma and the others also examined the documents on the table.
Chojirou Kamizuru's eyebrows gradually furrowed.
The proposed changes were significant, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they would completely overturn the original Ninja Academy.
Moreover, the new Ninja Academy would require a greater investment from Konoha, and the process of training ninjas would be extended.
"Assistant Water Gate, please pause for a moment. I'd like to ask, what is wrong with the current Ninja Academy that warrants such a major reform?" Chojirou asked bluntly, showing no deference to Water Gate.
Although she knew that Mu Yue had proposed the reform, it didn't stop her from challenging Water Gate.
"The six-year program has become a seven-year program. Have you considered the additional costs and the potential decrease in the number of ninjas? Furthermore, the middle school requires students to master a C-Rank Jutsu, which also raises the bar for teacher qualifications. The cumulative increase in costs is not a small number."
Water Gate's expression remained unchanged, and Mu Yue allowed him to continue, confident in their well-prepared plan.
"Currently, the Ninja Academy's teaching is too relaxed, and the quality of Genin varies greatly..." Water Gate calmly explained.
Before the meeting, Water Gate had not only gathered the Ninja Academy's documents but also personally visited the school for inspection. Afterward, he had prepared a summary report and sought Mu Yue's advice.
Water Gate had thoroughly memorized the issues with the current Ninja Academy.
Chojirou was surprised that Water Gate could so eloquently point out the problems with the Ninja Academy, but she wasn't ready to give up.
"If the Ninja Academy has so many issues, how is it that Konoha has produced so many exceptional ninjas?"
Chojirou hadn't paid attention to the Ninja Academy since her graduation, and she couldn't judge the truth of Water Gate's words.
However, with the continuous emergence of talented ninjas in Konoha over the past few decades, she felt that the Ninja Academy should be fine.
Water Gate suddenly didn't know how to respond to Chojirou.
Chojirou's words were emotional and illogical, but they were also true.
"Advisor Kamizuru, is it possible that we could have had even more outstanding ninjas?" Mu Yue asked calmly.
"Or do you believe that Konoha's current state is sufficient, and we don't need to strive for better?"
This time, it was Chojirou who was at a loss for words.
Mu Yue had thrown a heavy accusation at her, and she dared not agree, for it would mean admitting to being a lazy and unambitious high command member.
"Regardless, we can't change the past. Let's continue discussing our current reform," Enma said with a smile, signaling Water Gate to continue his explanation.
In Enma's opinion, both Mu Yue and Chojirou were somewhat off.
Mu Yue was too sharp and lacked respect for the esteemed elders, while Chojirou showed a lack of respect for the new Hokage by opposing the reform so strongly at the first high command meeting.
Water Gate instinctively looked at Mu Yue, who nodded, and he continued his explanation.
Enma had treated him well, and Water Gate respected him, but at this high command meeting, Mu Yue was his true companion.
After Water Gate finished his explanation, Mizuhara Monen spoke up:
"I believe that the reform can indeed improve the quality of graduating Genin, but is this improvement worth the cost of the reform?"
After careful consideration, Mizuhara decided to side with his old friend Chojirou.
Mu Yue's display of ambition was too strong, and if they backed down now, their influence in the village might significantly diminish.
Mizuhara didn't want this to happen, as his initial support for Mu Yue was based on Enma's promise of a six-year term in the high command.
During these six years, if Mu Yue tried to remove them, Enma would intervene.
But if they lost their voice in the high command meetings, what was the point of being a high command member?
Moreover, he wasn't making baseless claims; these were real issues within the proposed plan.
Enma silently continued reading the documents without saying a word.
If this had been someone else's plan, Enma's attitude might have been similar to Mizuhara's. However, this was Mu Yue's Ninja Academy reform plan, and he had never been wrong about the Ninja Academy.
So, Enma was actually inclined towards the reform, but in the current situation, he found it difficult to express his support.
If he did, it would mean that the new and old Hokage were in agreement, rendering Chojirou and Mizuhara's opinions irrelevant.
That would be like stepping on his old friend to help Mu Yue, and Enma didn't want to do that.
Besides, they weren't rejecting the reform outright; they could always approve it at the next meeting.
PS:
Apologies for the slight delay in this update due to some personal matters.
The previous bonus update was just a warm-up, and in one day, we'll be entering the exciting seven-day National Day update marathon!
The plan is to provide updates of at least 7-8k words each day, and if possible, even more.
(End of Chapter)
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