Chapter 463: Obito's Jonin Promotion Reward

【Disciple Uchiha Obito worked hard to cultivate and accumulate merits to advance to jonin, receiving rewards: Chakra +2400, Item Extraction Scroll, Unknown Pokémon Egg (only hatchable by Uchiha Obito).】

On the way home, Mu Yue passed by a clear river, washed his hands in it, and then clicked to extract.

【Item Extraction Scroll used, reward obtained—Unknown Pokémon Egg.】

Mu Yue was slightly stunned upon seeing the extraction info; he hadn't expected that Obito's single mission would contribute two Pokémon Eggs, and the one drawn wasn't locked like the system reward.

Mu Yue had thought he would draw an item related to Obito's abilities.

"Then I'll give it to Rin when she becomes a full-fledged jonin," Mu Yue thought to himself.

All the other disciples had one, and only Nohara Rin didn't—that would indeed be quite awkward.

If the system hadn't rewarded it, Mu Yue wouldn't have had a way, since he couldn't just conjure a Pokémon Egg out of thin air to give Rin as a gift.

Since the system gave two, Mu Yue would definitely spare one for Nohara Rin.

Although Nohara Rin could sign a contract with Shikkotsu Forest to summon slugs, good summoning beasts are never too many; a ninja can sign contracts with multiple summoning beasts.

Moreover, compared to slugs, Pokémon generally have decent combat abilities, which can make up for some of Nohara Rin's weaknesses in combat.

The only one at a loss is Obito, as his reward became Nohara Rin's.

However, Mu Yue figured that if Obito knew everything, he might even be quite happy, because this would ensure Rin's safety even more.

When Mu Yue got home, he found a letter in the mailbox sent by Minato Namikaze.

Mu Yue sat in the living room and opened the envelope to read.

"In this early winter, hearing about your deeds on the Eastern Front, Mu Yue, I was immensely excited. The enemy who invaded our country has finally been driven out of our land. With this fervor, even the cold winter wind hitting my body cannot quell the heat within."

Mu Yue nodded slightly. This was exactly the effect Hiruzen Sarutobi had deliberately promoted—to boost the morale of Konoha ninja on other battlefields.

"Since our parting at Loulan, roughly calculating the time, we haven't seen each other for over half a year. A few months ago, I returned to Konoha for a rest period, but unfortunately, you were on the Eastern Front at that time, Mu Yue."

The past six months have been some of the harder times for Konoha since the war began: Kirigakure's landing invasion of the homeland, the pressure from the Land of Fire's daimyō—powerful ninjas find it hard to have any free time.

"Probably because the battles between Kumogakure and Sunagakure are fierce, the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water where I am stationed has had few skirmishes lately. I might return to Konoha again in two or three months. I hope we both won't be too busy by then, so we can have a chance to meet."

Then Minato Namikaze briefly talked about his recent situation and some events on the Land of Hot Water battlefield.

"If you return to Konoha and have time, Mu Yue, please take care of Kushina. She really likes your cooking. It's been so long since she tasted your food that I'm afraid she has been dreaming about it."

Upon reading the end, Mu Yue showed a subtle expression. Minato Namikaze truly loved Kushina deeply, even thinking about her daily life while on the battlefield.

After putting away the letter, Mu Yue tidied up the house, then went out and activated his Byakugan to see if he could run into Kushina on the street.

Mu Yue had no way to contact Kushina directly; in the past, Kushina would send messages to Mu Yue through ANBU.

But Mu Yue couldn't be sure if Kushina would learn of his return to Konoha immediately, so he chose to first try to encounter her on the street.

Because of the Nine-Tails, Kushina's area of movement was limited. With Mu Yue's Byakugan abilities, as long as Kushina was out and about, Mu Yue could encounter her.

If Kushina happened not to come out that day, then Mu Yue would have to go to Hiruzen Sarutobi and ask if he had any news of the "missing" Kushina.

Although it was a bit roundabout, it couldn't be helped, because on the surface, Mu Yue wasn't supposed to know Kushina's identity as the Nine-Tails jinchuriki.

Mu Yue was lucky; Kushina was out shopping today. Judging by her lip movements, she seemed to be humming a little tune while browsing, looking in good spirits.

Mu Yue thought for a moment, then pretended to be aimlessly strolling, slowly approaching Kushina's direction. It made perfect sense for a ninja just off the battlefield to relax by going shopping.

"Mu Yue, long time no see! I really did run into you." When Mu Yue was about ten meters away, Kushina spotted his familiar blond figure and immediately smiled, waving and calling out.

"Long time no see." Mu Yue responded with a just-right amount of surprise, then walked toward Kushina.

Kushina jogged over to Mu Yue, patted his shoulder, and said smugly:

"A few days ago, I saw the newspaper promoting your battle achievements, so I guessed you might be coming back to Konoha soon. I thought I might run into you if I went out for a stroll, and I really did!"

"Pretty impressive, right? If it were Minato, he might not even think of that." Kushina put her hands on her hips and smiled smugly.

"Impressive." Mu Yue nodded in praise. It wasn't easy for Kushina to think of that.

"Mu Yue, you're pretty impressive too. I didn't think you were that strong—you even killed a jinchuriki. It scared me." Kushina gave Mu Yue a thumbs-up.

As the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Kushina deeply understood the terror of tailed beasts. Even for her, becoming a jinchuriki was so difficult; fighting a fully manifested tailed beast would be extremely dangerous.

In the past, Mu Yue's impression on Kushina mainly had three aspects.

First, he was very good at teaching, and was recognized by Hiruzen Sarutobi for his great contributions in the field of education.

Second, he was a good friend with a gentle personality, and his cooking was superb.

Third, he was a disciple with great talent in sealing techniques, comparable to her in that regard.

Kushina had been worried that Muyue would lose his life in such chaotic times, so she taught him sealing techniques very seriously each time, hoping to improve his ability to handle crises.

But recently, Muyue had given Kushina a completely new impression, as a powerful ninja who could wreak havoc on the battlefield.

"Lately, your fame has even surpassed Minato's. If I hadn't read the newspaper bought by the Anbu, I would have thought there was a ninja with the same name but with the surname Lieyang. Now in Konoha, many people often talk about 'Lieyang Muyue'." Kushina complained.

Maybe "Lieyang Muyue" sounds smoother. Usually, when people refer to Muyue by his title, few use his full name; they just use the title plus his given name without the surname.

Muyue and Kushina chatted as they walked, and eventually, without realizing it, they arrived at the restaurant where he had once cooked for her.

"This place is still open." Kushina looked at the restaurant's sign as some memories surfaced in her mind.

At that time, she had just become the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails not long ago. She had also been wandering and ran into Muyue, who then chose a struggling restaurant and borrowed its kitchen to cook for her.

Kushina remembered clearly because at that time, the Nine-Tails' chakra was making her irritable, and Minato had gone out on a mission, making her even more annoyed. It was that incredibly delicious meal that temporarily made her forget her troubles.

"And it looks like business is good." Muyue observed after taking a look.

Compared to its previous desolation, the restaurant now seemed bustling, with all seats filled.

Kushina turned to leave, thinking that since business was so good, they probably wouldn't lend out the kitchen. She didn't want to disturb their business.

"Lord Muyue!" At that moment, the owner saw Muyue and his eyes lit up as he called out.

When the restaurant owner shouted, all the people in the restaurant looked at Muyue. By now, Muyue's reputation in Konoha was huge; even ordinary people knew of his deeds, aware that among Konoha's ninja, there had emerged a powerful figure named Habu Muyue.

The ninja in the restaurant all called out "Lord Muyue" with respect.

Muyue had played a huge role in the Eastern Front battlefield. That they could stay safely in the rear was the result of the efforts of ninja like Muyue, so they genuinely respected strong individuals like him.

Muyue responded to each of them with a smile.

The restaurant owner ran over to Muyue and said with gratitude:

"I am so grateful to you. Back then, if I hadn't perceived the mysteries of the culinary path from your cooking, my restaurant would probably have closed down due to poor business."

The restaurant owner had once tasted Muyue's cooking, exchanging temporary use of the kitchen for it. The flavor remained unforgettable to this day.

Although many people now praised his culinary skills, the restaurant owner still believed he had not reached even one percent of Muyue's level.

"There's no need to thank me. This is all due to your own efforts." Muyue shook his head and replied.

The cooking skill could not help the person who ate the food improve their culinary ability; it was mainly that the restaurant owner himself had practiced and developed some skill.

"You're too modest." The restaurant owner glanced at Kushina, who hadn't spoken, and then took the initiative to ask:

"Would you like to borrow the kitchen again? I can lend it to you anytime."

"You must be quite busy here. We won't disturb you." Muyue politely declined the owner's offer.

It was peak dining hours at the restaurant; borrowing the kitchen would take a lot of time and might upset some customers. Konoha wasn't the only place where one could cook, so Muyue felt it was unnecessary.

"No disturbance. I have a small kitchen here that I rarely use, only for researching cooking. Today, I just stocked it with some fresh ingredients." the restaurant owner explained.

Muyue glanced at Kushina from the corner of his eye. Kushina seemed to want to say something but then closed her mouth.

"Then I'll trouble you." Muyue nodded and agreed, seeing that the owner had made such an offer.

Since it wouldn't affect the restaurant's business, Muyue had no reason to refuse the owner's kindness, and Kushina also looked eager to eat.

After leading Muyue and Kushina into the small kitchen, the restaurant owner left. Muyue glanced at the ingredients and quickly decided what dishes to make.

Kushina, feeling a bit embarrassed to freeload, proactively helped Muyue as an assistant.

As she watched the ingredients transform into delicious dishes with perfect color, aroma, and taste under Muyue's hands, Kushina could hardly keep from drooling.

"Braised pork belly, sweet and sour mandarin fish..." Kushina looked at the finished dishes with longing eyes.

Just yesterday, she had dreamed of eating Muyue's Mei Cai Kou Rou (pork belly with preserved vegetables).

Muyue didn't make Kushina wait long. When he felt it was about right, he stopped and started eating with Kushina in the small kitchen.

"I'll start eating." Although the setting was not a typical dining environment, Kushina still said it with a sense of ceremony.

When Kushina picked up a piece of braised pork belly and put it into her mouth to chew, an uncontrollable happy smile appeared on her face.

In a trance, Kushina seemed to have arrived in a land of freedom, and an immensely refreshing feeling surged in her heart.

At this moment, Kushina just wanted to say, "It's back, it's all back."

Then Kushina first took a bite of each dish, savoring the flavors carefully. Only after that did she unleash her true meal-devouring power, swiftly obliterating the food before her like a whirlwind sweeping away the clouds.

"Mmm, so delicious! Compared to your cooking, Muyue, the food the Anbu buys me is practically inedible." Kushina was almost moved to tears.

Sometimes Kushina wondered why there wasn't a long-distance teleportation ninjutsu, so that even when Muyue was on the battlefield, she could still get a taste of his cooking.

But Kushina only thought about it — in the battlefield environment, how could she bother Muyue to spend energy cooking for her?

"It's too bad Minato isn't here. He hasn't had your cooking in a long time, Muyue." Kushina thought of Minato Namikaze, who was far away in the Land of Hot Water.

Although she was happy now, Kushina felt that the happiest times were still when the three of them ate and chatted together.

"You two really are of one mind," Muyue said teasingly.

"Minato sent me a letter. In it, he asked me to cook a meal for you when I return to Konoha, saying that since you haven't had my cooking for so long, you must miss it so much that you dream about it."

"What? That makes me sound like someone who only thinks about food. I think Minato was the one who dreamed about it," Kushina said, her cheeks slightly red and her expression flustered.

Kushina was a little panicked, because she actually had dreamed about it yesterday.

At that moment, Kushina felt the embarrassment of a child whose secret fantasies had been exposed.

"Maybe so," Muyue said with a smile, not continuing the topic.

"Let's go for a walk. We need to digest after eating, and I'll test whether you've been studying sealing jutsu seriously lately," Kushina quickly changed the subject.

Muyue nodded in agreement. The two then walked together to a small pavilion in the park, where Kushina asked Muyue several questions about more advanced sealing jutsu knowledge.

Muyue's performance exceeded Kushina's expectations. He answered all her questions calmly, completely unlike a ninja who had only studied sealing jutsu for a little over two years.

"Muyue, you must be really tired usually, having to train and also spend a lot of time learning sealing jutsu." Kushina believed this was the result of Muyue putting in a lot of effort and time.

"It's not too bad," Muyue replied.

He had indeed spent considerable time on sealing jutsu, but his training in other areas was not as Kushina imagined — most of it was directly allocated by the system.

Then Kushina taught Muyue some more sealing jutsu knowledge. She had a feeling that perhaps before long, she would have nothing left to teach him. Muyue was both talented and hardworking.

When they parted at last, Muyue told Kushina that if she wanted a hot meal, she could directly send a ninja to notify him.

The next morning, when Muyue went to the South Forest, he saw Obito standing there with an expectant look.