Chapter 476: Muyue: Born at the Wrong Time

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"What a cute little fox." Rin Nohara looked at the black-gray little fox in Shisui's arms, feeling that Shisui's hatched ninja beast was even cuter than Kakashi's Rockruff.

The little fox Shisui hatched had mostly gray-black fur, except for the lower part of its legs, the area around its eyes, and the flame-shaped protrusion on its head, which were dark red.

The strong contrast between the gray-black and the small amount of dark red made Rin Nohara really want to touch the protruding dark red fur on the little fox's head.

Obito's expression remained unchanged—as long as it wasn't a mighty and strong ninja beast, he wouldn't be envious anymore.

"For a fox, what food is best?" Shisui looked at the Zorua in his arms and fell into thought.

Shisui didn't have any special requirements for the type of ninja beast.

This was the ninja beast egg that Mugetsu had given him; no matter what ninja beast hatched from it, Shisui would take good care of it and raise it.

"You can go buy the Inuzuka clan's special dog food—foxes are also canines—but it's best to look up some information." Kakashi gave a suggestion.

To raise Rockruff well, Kakashi had really put a lot of effort into it, both looking up information and seeking advice from Inuzuka clan ninjas on raising ninja dogs.

At that moment, the newborn Zorua was curiously observing everything around it. It looked at Shisui and felt an incomparable closeness.

"Are you calling me a fox?" Zorua asked curiously.

Having just been born, it was still ignorant about everything.

"Of course I'm talking about you; who else could it be?" Obito answered matter-of-factly, not seeing any problem, only thinking that Shisui's ninja beast didn't seem very smart.

But Shisui and Kakashi exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

There were many ninja beasts in the ninja world that could speak, but one that could speak right after birth was truly rare.

And Zorua spoke so fluently—that was even rarer.

"No, it's not talking."

Kakashi suddenly noticed a detail: Zorua's mouth hadn't moved at all.

"Then why can't it be you? Look, what difference is there between us?" Zorua said, jumping down from Shisui's arms.

A flash of dark red light passed, and the next moment, Obito saw another version of himself.

"See, aren't we the same? If I'm a fox, then you're a fox too." Zorua reasoned with evidence.

Obito: ???

Obito was a bit dumbfounded—what was going on? Was this ninja beast trying to fool him like he was an idiot?

"Transformation Jutsu?" Shisui looked thoughtful.

Zorua's Transformation Jutsu seemed unusual; Shisui had just sensed a power of Yin Release chakra from it.

"It's genjutsu."

Shisui quickly dispelled the genjutsu. The other Obito in his sight vanished and transformed back into the original small, delicate little fox.

"Being able to use jutsu right after birth, plus an unknown communication ability—as expected, the ninja beast eggs Mugetsu-sensei gave us aren't simple." Kakashi thought to himself.

Setting aside the common point that they all emitted white light when hatching, every Pokémon they hatched had its own unique traits.

Kakashi's Iwainu (Rockruff) was born with a rock around its neck and mastered the nature transformation of Earth Release chakra without anyone teaching it.

Might Guy's Riolu had extraordinary stamina and endurance. As a newborn creature, Riolu actually trained intensely every day just like Might Guy, showing no discomfort but instead being very healthy.

"No wait, how can you talk?" Only now did Obito belatedly remember that he had just been having a conversation with a newborn ninja beast.

And that newborn ninja beast had even tried to fool him.

"Then why can you talk?" Zorua countered.

"Because I'm human." Obito answered without thinking.

"I can talk, so I'm human too." Zorua concluded.

Obito's CPU was running at full speed, vaguely showing signs of overload.

"Stop messing around, release your ability." Shisui spoke after feeling he had observed enough.

Hearing that it was Shisui speaking, Zorua obediently canceled the genjutsu and jumped back into Shisui's arms.

In the evening, at Kushina's strong suggestion, Muyue and the others rented a small restaurant within the barrier, and Muyue cooked a luxurious dinner.

Because of a promise to Tsunade, Muyue also called Tsunade and Shizune over.

Finally, just before Muyue finished preparing all the dishes, Hiruzen Sarutobi happened to pass by and joined in.

"Did you really just happen to pass by? I feel like you used that ninjutsu to secretly check where we were," Kushina asked suspiciously.

"As a Hokage busy with countless affairs, how could I have the leisure to do such a thing?" Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a serious face.

He didn't even need to use the Telescope Technique to monitor; he could just ask the Anbu — Kushina was under 24-hour Anbu surveillance.

Kushina didn't quite believe Hiruzen's nonsense, but Minato Namikaze beside her kept defending Hiruzen, so Kushina, out of respect for Minato, didn't press further.

"Tsunade, I heard you've been looking for materials on Medical Ninjutsu and Sealing Techniques recently. Are you encountering any problems? Do you need my help?" Hiruzen asked, looking at Tsunade who was waiting for the meal to start.

Tsunade was the ninja Hiruzen thought most suitable to become Hokage, besides Jiraiya.

As the granddaughter of Konoha's founder, the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, that was Tsunade's greatest advantage in competing for Hokage — an advantage no one else could possess.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi were someone who valued status and bloodline, then the first choice for Hokage in his mind would be Tsunade, because her bloodline and status were too noble.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi valued all-around ability, so the person he most wanted to succeed him was still Jiraiya.

However, though Hiruzen wanted to pass the title, Jiraiya didn't want it, so Hiruzen could only turn his attention back to Tsunade.

Although Tsunade suffered from hemophobia, it was a psychological condition that could be overcome; in Hiruzen's view, it wasn't a huge problem.

The thing Hiruzen worried about most was that Tsunade would continue to slack off after becoming Hokage.

When he heard that Tsunade showed signs of recovery, Hiruzen took it very seriously.

"I won't trouble the busy Third Hokage with this," Tsunade refused sarcastically.

Although they were master and disciple, currently Tsunade was annoyed with Hiruzen.

Hiruzen sighed softly and chose not to continue asking.

If this were in the Hokage's office, he could have shamelessly chatted with Tsunade to probe further, but this was Muyue's celebration banquet. The hot-tempered Tsunade never held back, and if they argued, it would be disrespectful to Muyue.

"Tsunade hasn't let go, and seems to have no interest in the Hokage position. Must I only wait for the new generation of ninja to continue growing?" A trace of loneliness crossed Hiruzen's face.

In this vast Konoha, with so many prodigy ninja and so many famous strong ninja in the ninja world, he still couldn't find a Hokage candidate that satisfied him.

Hiruzen subconsciously looked at Muyue and Minato Namikaze.

Speaking of Konoha's new generation of ninja, Muyue and Minato Namikaze were absolutely unavoidable. The two of them were like the Sannin of the Second War — the most brilliant geniuses of Konoha's era.

Sometimes Hiruzen thought, if either Muyue or Minato had been in the same generation as Jiraiya and the others, he wouldn't have to worry now. Both Muyue and Minato were very suitable to become Hokage.

But there was no if. These two similar geniuses, Muyue and Minato, were born in the same era. They both shared one problem: lack of seniority.

If Hiruzen wanted to promote either Muyue or Minato to Hokage, he would have to serve as Hokage for at least another seven to ten years to help them gain seniority.

Although the Hokage had unlimited authority in Konoha, Hiruzen had been Hokage for decades. He had enjoyed glory for long enough; he didn't care about that, and even felt a bit tired.

If there were a suitable candidate, Hiruzen would want to abdicate directly after the war ended.

After retirement, he could go fishing by the river when free, and when in the mood, he could go to the Ninja Academy to instruct students and give speeches. No mountain of paperwork, no need to ponder the ninja world situation late at night. The only missing pleasure might be not being able to tell Danzo Shimura, "I am the Hokage."

Just thinking about it, Hiruzen felt that retirement life was the real life.

"Let's eat first." The silence was broken by Muyue as he brought the dishes he had prepared, each one looking, smelling, and tasting delicious, to the table.

At that moment, the atmosphere among the people sitting around the table became incredibly harmonious. Kakashi and Obito didn't argue. Tsunade's mood became cheerful. The cluttered thoughts in Hiruzen's mind were suppressed, and all his attention was drawn to the tempting dishes before him.

"Let's eat."

After performing the unnecessary ritual, everyone began to eat immersed in the food.

No one spoke, afraid that in the moment they talked, their favorite dish would become an empty plate.

"This roasted chicken is truly an otherworldly delight." After wiping his mouth with a tissue, Hiruzen was still savoring the exquisite dish.

"Your taste is acceptable." Hearing Hiruzen praise her favorite dish, Tsunade found him slightly more agreeable.

Hiruzen was speechless. Asking if she needed help earned sarcasm, but praising a dish actually raised his likability a bit.

"Tsunade grandma, Hokage uncle, you think so too?" Obito gave a thumbs up and chimed in, as he also liked roasted chicken.

Rin Nohara and Shizune looked at Obito with amazement. How did this person dare?

Kakashi and Shisui, sitting on either side of Obito, silently moved their positions to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Brat, what did you call me?" Tsunade cracked her knuckles, ready to throw a heavy punch.

Tsunade had already forgotten who the last person was that dared call her aunt. Obito actually went double or nothing by calling her grandma.

Realizing what he had said, Obito's forehead beaded with sweat.

Obito had basically never met or spoken with Tsunade before. He had inherited the title "Granny Tsunade" from Naruto Uzumaki, so he blurted it out without thinking.

Obito looked pleadingly at the all-powerful Immortal Muyue. In such a crisis, only Immortal Muyue could save him.

"He's still a child," Muyue said with a slight nod to Tsunade.

"And?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, arms crossed.

"But he still needs to save some face. Take him outside," Muyue continued.

Obito's face instantly turned green. This wasn't right. Wasn't it supposed to be 'kids will be kids, let it slide' next?

Tsunade walked toward Obito with a sinister smile. Obito tried to escape but was grabbed by the scruff of his neck, dragged outside by Tsunade, and then thrown back in.

"Because of Muyue, I'll let you off today. Next time you talk nonsense, I'll show you what an iron fist is." Tsunade shook her little fist twice as a warning of her Monstrous Strength.

Tsunade had been enjoying her meal a lot today, otherwise, given her usual temper, Obito would have certainly taken a punch.

"Big Brother Naruto, you've ruined me." Obito nodded rapidly, silently complaining about Naruto Uzumaki.

Everyone seated around the table couldn't help but smile at this scene. Kakashi laughed out loud.

In the end, the dinner concluded in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

The next day, at dusk.

After finishing dinner at Tsunade's house, Muyue went to the training ground in the Southern Forest. The coaching time he had arranged with Yamato was in the evening, and the exact end time would be decided by Muyue based on the lesson progress.