Chapter 571: Muyue, the Second Wood-Release Ninja

Chapter 541: Mu Yue, the Second Wood Release Ninja!

"Rejected..." Ōnoki looked at the message Kitsuchi sent back, lost in thought.

As the planner, he naturally knew the importance of the Ninja Sect and Sōsuke, so Ōnoki had put forward what he thought were very generous terms.

Ōnoki had considered that Sōsuke might refuse, but he hadn't expected Sōsuke to reject them so decisively—according to the report, he had accepted almost none of the conditions.

"Could there be some inside information I don't know about?" Ōnoki frowned deeply.

Sōsuke's reaction had exceeded his expectations.

Normally, Sōsuke should be in great need of Iwa's power right now.

Most people in the shinobi world had only noticed Shimura Danzō's death, but Iwa, which viewed the Land of Rain as a strategic step, had noticed something else: the legendary demigod of the shinobi world, Hanzo the Salamander, was also dead.

In Ōnoki's assumption, Hanzo's death was likely connected to Shimura Danzō and Konoha.

If Sōsuke had killed Hanzo, then Amegakure would no longer continue its friendly cooperation with him.

Although the possibility of a coup was also there, given Sōsuke's previous behavior, Ōnoki thought it very unlikely, and Amegakure's actions didn't seem like a coup had taken place.

Then, having lost such a powerful ally as Hanzo and having also offended Konoha, why was Sōsuke so straightforward in rejecting Iwa's goodwill? Ōnoki couldn't understand.

Was Sōsuke not worried that Konoha's ninja forces would invade the Land of Rain?

Konoha wouldn't even need to exert itself—just sending the ninja force stationed in the Land of Grass, which was meant to keep Iwa in check, to attack the Land of Rain would easily break through the border defenses.

"Or is he holding out for a better offer?" Ōnoki was momentarily uncertain.

Sōsuke was not like Hanzo; he had suddenly appeared and then become famous across the shinobi world. Ōnoki couldn't get a good grasp on Sōsuke's character or personality.

Just then, there was a knock on the Tsuchikage's office door.

"Lord Third, this is the latest battle report from Kumo and Konoha." After receiving Ōnoki's permission, the ANBU quickly opened the door and reported.

Ōnoki gave a slight nod, and the ANBU placed the intelligence on Ōnoki's desk before immediately leaving.

"Is Kumo trying to probe Konoha's depths this time?" Ōnoki was somewhat surprised after reading the report.

Kumo seemed to be getting serious this time—first they raided the northern part of the Land of Fire, splitting into numerous squads to cause havoc, then immediately sent ninja forces to clash with the Konoha ninja forces stationed in the Land of Hot Water.

Ōnoki pulled out a map of the shinobi world and saw that if Kumo's forces in the Land of Hot Water could take down Konoha's forces, the northern Land of Fire would become Kumo's playground, allowing them to come and go as they pleased.

"If Kumo succeeds, Iwa's room for maneuver will be huge." Ōnoki stroked his goatee.

Jiraiya had been stalling Iwa's ninja forces in the Land of Grass.

If the northern Land of Fire fell, then Konoha's ninja forces in the Land of Grass would also be severely affected, easily caught between two fronts.

At that point, Iwa could either charge the Land of Fire's front lines up close or take a large force by boat to the Land of Hot Water and stab Kumo from behind.

Ninja villages have no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. If the odds of stepping on Kumo were higher, Ōnoki would not hesitate to kick Kumo.

However, for now, Ōnoki still leaned toward dealing with Konoha, because Konoha was having too good a time—they had had the last laugh in the previous two great wars.

"I can try offering better conditions first." Ōnoki began writing new orders for Kitsuchi.

If they could pull the Ninja Sect over, they should still try.

If they later stationed a joint ninja force in the Land of Rain, even if they did nothing, they could still divert Konoha's attention.

Land of Fire, Konoha.

Minato Namikaze looked at the familiar giant wooden gate, let out a sigh of relief, and smiled.

Even a ninja like him felt pressure on the battlefield.

Thanks to Minato's voluntary request, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had taken most of the ninja force to support Orochimaru, while Minato himself returned to Konoha with the wounded from his unit.

The higher-ups' agreement was within Minato's expectations. Because of his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, Konoha's leadership had long used him as a firefighter, assigning him various S-rank missions.

If Konoha held a vote for the busiest jōnin in the war, he would definitely be on the list.

After being so busy for so long, asking for a little rest was not too much—and besides, his return to Konoha wasn't purely for rest; he had legitimate business.

Minato first went to the Hokage building to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi on the mission status.

"The large number of Kumo squads in the northwest and north-central areas were only meant to distract us. After we successfully intercepted the elite squad led by the A-B Combo, they quickly withdrew..."

Although the intelligence had been reported once before, the debriefing after returning was a different matter—it was a necessary procedure.

After listening, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a sip of tea, then said with a chuckle:

"Thanks to your quick actions, Minato, otherwise the forces near the Land of Hot Water might have suffered a setback."

Konoha has many renowned strong ninja, but the ones that currently satisfy and reassure Sarutobi Hiruzen the most are ironically the youngest—Muyue and Minato Namikaze.

Their only problem might be that they are too young, lacking a bit in seniority.

"It was mainly due to Shikaku's timely discovery," Minato Namikaze said modestly.

After finishing the mission debriefing, Minato Namikaze did not stay long and quickly left the Hokage's office.

"What position should I arrange for Minato after the war ends?" Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Minato Namikaze's back, lost in thought.

Since among Jiraiya's generation those with qualifications were either slacking off or not recognized by Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had now completely given up on his own disciples and was preparing to choose between Minato Namikaze and Muyue.

Because Muyue and Minato Namikaze were too young, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not intend to pass on the title too early and wanted to train them for a few years.

After returning home,

Minato Namikaze first tidied up the house, then went to knock on Muyue's door.

"Not home? Then I'll go find Kushina first." Seeing no response for a long time, Minato Namikaze decided to first visit his girlfriend whom he hadn't seen for a while.

After all, it was daytime, so it was normal for Muyue to be out.

Finding Kushina was quite smooth; at this time, she happened to be in her room studying sealing techniques.

"Minato, you're back!" Seeing her boyfriend, Kushina revealed a delighted smile.

"The ninja world seems to be more chaotic lately, and the atmosphere in the village has changed. I thought you'd be busier."

While speaking, Kushina pounced on Minato and gave him a big hug.

"That was supposed to be the case, but I applied for a short leave, so I can stay in Konoha for a little while," Minato Namikaze said with a smile, stroking Kushina's beautiful red hair.

Normally, he would either be sent to support Orochimaru in the Land of Hot Water, or return to the Land of Grass to carry out the investigation mission against Iwagakure.

"Hehe, you missed me that much?" Kushina couldn't help putting her hands on her hips, showing a proud smile.

Her boyfriend took leave to rest, what else could it be for if not for his beautiful girlfriend?

"Uh, actually, it's because I need to learn a technique from Muyue," Minato Namikaze said honestly.

The smile froze on Kushina's face, her eyes wide open, staring at Minato Namikaze in disbelief.

What the heck? Was her charm inferior to Muyue's taught ninjutsu?

Kushina puffed out her cheeks, looking displeased at Minato Namikaze. Couldn't he have said it was both because he needed to learn a technique from Muyue and also really wanted to see her?

"My speed is sufficient, but against ninja with special abilities, my power is inadequate," Minato Namikaze explained.

Actually, he had noticed this problem during the battle on the Iwagakure battlefield—his Rasengan couldn't break through the lava armor of Rōshi's Lava Release Chakra Mode.

However, Rōshi was after all a Jinchuriki capable of full tailed beast transformation, which was very rare, so Minato Namikaze hadn't paid much attention at the time.

This time, the Rasengan was blocked again in the fight against the AB Combo, prompting Minato Namikaze to reflect deeply.

If that attack had succeeded, the outcome of the battle would have been very different.

"Once I make up for this weakness, I can better protect the village, and... you," Minato Namikaze said earnestly.

When Kushina goes to the battlefield, her opponents are either Jinchuriki or top-tier ninja.

If the opponent was a Jinchuriki capable of full tailed beast transformation, or a powerhouse like the Third Raikage, Minato Namikaze would feel powerless.

The enemy couldn't harm him, but he also couldn't effectively damage the enemy.

The little frustration in Kushina's heart vanished completely, and her face gradually matched the color of her hair, "Why are you suddenly saying such mushy things, about protecting and all."

After saying that, Kushina couldn't help swinging her small pink fist and gave Minato Namikaze a punch on the chest.

It scared her for a moment—she thought she had lost to Muyue in Minato's heart.

But after all that talk, it was still for her sake.

With his quick reflexes, Minato Namikaze promptly gathered chakra in his chest to firmly withstand the punch.

The minor misunderstanding was successfully resolved, and the atmosphere between the two became even sweeter as they began their daily activities as a young couple.

At 5:30 PM, Namikaze Minato went to Mu Yue's house again.

However, to his surprise, Mu Yue was still not home. For the next ten minutes, Namikaze Minato checked at Mu Yue's door every ten minutes, continuing until 6:30 PM, but Mu Yue still hadn't appeared.

Namikaze Minato was a bit surprised, but he didn't rush to go ask the Third Hokage whether Mu Yue was on a mission. Instead, he calmed down and read a book, waiting while he read.

When it reached around 10 PM, Namikaze Minato finally heard activity next door, so he walked over.

At that moment Mu Yue had just entered the door and hadn't closed it yet. Seeing Namikaze Minato walk over, she smiled and invited him inside.

Namikaze Minato didn't stand on ceremony and walked straight in.

"The training squad has just gotten on track recently, so I've been a bit busy and working late. Minato, did you return to Konoha today?" Mu Yue asked as she poured tea for Namikaze Minato.

Since he spent relatively little time at home during the day, he had specially set up a small kitchen at the training squad base just for cooking.

"Yeah, I arrived at noon today." Namikaze Minato softly thanked her and then nodded.

"Minato, is there something you need from me?" Mu Yue asked directly.

"There is something, but you've been busy so late..." Namikaze Minato thought about coming back the next day; he had only come in because he wanted to know why Mu Yue was back so late.

"It's no trouble. The actual work time isn't that much, so I'm not tired."

Since Mu Yue put it that way, Namikaze Minato didn't hold back any longer and stated his purpose.

"Mu Yue, I've completed the constant practice training for the Basic Breathing Method you taught me. I'd like to learn about its advanced secret techniques."

"You have three options: Wind Breathing, Flame Breathing, and Sun Breathing." Mu Yue said after thinking for a moment.

Although Minato rarely used Wind Release or Fire Release jutsu in battle, his nature transformation proficiency was actually not low—much higher than that of an ordinary jonin.

"Flame Breathing has all the bonuses that Basic Breathing possesses, and it can also enhance the power of Fire Release..."

Namikaze Minato showed a serious expression as he listened to Mu Yue's explanation of the Breathing Method.

"So it's because of the Breathing Method that Obito and the others can perform hand seal-less rapid casting." Upon hearing the effects of the Breathing Method Chakra Mode, Namikaze Minato revealed a surprised expression.

"Mu Yue, what do you think of me training in Wind Breathing?" Namikaze Minato asked after thinking it over.

Fire Release wasn't really compatible with Namikaze Minato's current combat style.

And the effect of the Sun Breathing Chakra Mode looked impressive—hand seal-less healing along with the effect of an Akimichi Secret Technique—but it still didn't suit Namikaze Minato.

Because ordinary people couldn't even touch Namikaze Minato, hand seal-less healing would be as good as having nothing.

If it were a Wind Release that could be unleashed instantly, that would bring a new change to Namikaze Minato's combat ability.

Wind Release's attack power is considered strong among the five basic elements; sharp enough wind blades can cut through all kinds of hard substances.

"Okay." Mu Yue nodded in approval.

Among the existing Breathing Methods, Wind Breathing was indeed the most compatible with Namikaze Minato.

Then, under Mu Yue's strong insistence, they went to the nearest training ground and began their training.

"With the current situation in the ninja world, you don't have much time left in Konoha. On the other hand, once I get through this busy period, I should be much freer." Mu Yue explained.

Previously, Namikaze Minato had also put considerable effort into teaching him the Flying Thunder God Technique, so Mu Yue didn't mind spending time on Namikaze Minato.

They trained until 1 AM. Since it was so late and they had undergone training, Mu Yue also made a late-night snack.

"It's really great to have a friend like Mu Yue." Namikaze Minato couldn't help but sigh to himself after returning home.

After eating the late-night snack, Mu Yue didn't rest immediately. He studied sealing techniques for half an hour before washing up and going to bed.

Studying sealing techniques and Breathing Methods had become a habit for him; not studying them at night felt like something was missing.

"It's about time—I can show off Wood Release to a moderate extent." Mu Yue thought as he lay in bed.

It had been quite a while since he had asked for Wood Release materials; as Konoha's strongest genius, he ought to start making some moves.

The next day, in the morning, after finishing his Observation Haki class, Mu Yue went to the Hokage Tower.

Immediately after, Mu Yue made an excited expression and opened the door of the Hokage Office without knocking.

"Hm?" Sarutobi Hiruzen saw someone enter without knocking and looked toward the door with some displeasure.

Seeing that it was Mu Yue, they felt a bit puzzled—it couldn't be that after accepting the legacy of Root, they had become like Danzo Shimura and didn't like knocking on doors, right?

"Third Hokage-sama, I seem to have successfully developed the Wood Release!"