Chapter 603: Changing the Future

As soon as he returned to Konoha, Orochimaru went straight to the Hokage's office to report on the mission.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a sense of foreboding when he saw Orochimaru striding in with a hurried demeanor.

Orochimaru had returned too quickly, and his appearance didn't look like the mission had been a success.

"Sarutobi-sensei, the negotiations broke down and the mission failed. The attitude of the Ninshu side is very abnormal," Orochimaru said with a grave expression.

Even though he had anticipated it, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh inwardly upon hearing Orochimaru's words.

"Describe the negotiation process in detail," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

Understanding the reason for the breakdown was crucial, as it would determine whether they could have a second round of negotiations or plan their next move.

"Ninshu was very stubborn, stubborn for no reason, acting as if they weren't afraid to go to war with Konoha."

Orochimaru recounted all of his exchanges with Kakuzu during the meeting.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as soon as he heard Kakuzu's first sentence; Kakuzu's attitude was indeed suspicious.

Since when did a small-nation power dare to say to a major ninja village, "Whether we go to war is up to you"? Where did that courage come from?

Was it because they had fewer ninja, or because their ninja were weaker?

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but take out his pipe, light it, take a few puffs, and exhale a cloud of smoke.

"A bluff, is it…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the desk rhythmically with his right hand, his expression turning thoughtful.

Of course, Konoha could intimidate Ninshu, threatening them with war.

Because Konoha truly had the strength; it was just that Hiruzen Sarutobi sought stability and wanted to hunker down and develop.

If Ninshu was trying to bluff Konoha, that was pure gambling—gambling that Konoha's gun had no bullets.

"Sarutobi-sensei, I think we could first dispatch a team to conduct a detailed investigation of Ninshu," Orochimaru suggested.

There was no benefit for Konoha to rush into war with Ninshu, and besides, he could tell Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't inclined to start a war with Ninshu either.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

Before preparing the next move, they had to figure out whether Ninshu was genuinely confident or just putting on a show.

After returning to Konoha, Shisui used a shadow clone to split off and act separately, inviting Kakashi and the others to the southern border forest to discuss the matter of Ninshu together.

"What do you think we should do?" Shisui asked after explaining the whole story.

The four of them fell into thought, and for a while, no one spoke.

"Actually, the Ninshu problem might be even more serious than you imagine, Shisui," Kakashi said after thinking it over.

"The leader of Ninshu killed a high-ranking official of Konoha. Even if what the Ninshu ninja said is true—that Shimura Danzo was plotting something and was killed in self-defense—that result still won't change."

What is a ninja village? It's a military group that accepts employment from everyone, not a righteous guardian of the ninja world.

When a high-ranking official is killed, regardless of the circumstances, Konoha will hold Ninshu responsible.

"This level of conflict is irreconcilable. Either Ninshu yields, or war breaks out between the two sides."

When news of Shimura Danzo's death was spreading everywhere, Kakashi had already thought about Ninshu.

But back then, Konoha was busy with war, so Kakashi didn't bring it up. Compared to the issues between Ninshu and the future Akatsuki, Muyue's safety was more important.

"Then isn't Ninshu definitely doomed?" Obito said with a look of regret.

He actually had a pretty good impression of that Yahiko from Ninshu.

"Pretty much. Even if Muyue-sensei stepped in, it would be the same—it would only cause problems for his position," Kakashi said with a nod.

If Ninshu and Konoha had just a minor friction, Muyue, as the Hokage's Assistant, stepping in to mediate would be fine. But what Konoha lost was a former Hokage's Assistant.

Shisui thought it over carefully and found that, as Kakashi said, Muyue really wasn't suited to stop the conflict between Ninshu and Konoha.

Muyue had only been promoted to Hokage's Assistant after Shimura Danzo's death; logically, he should be actively seeking revenge for his predecessor.

"Damn it, if only I were Hokage. If someone privately assassinates the leader of another faction, I'd be the first to step up and clean house!" Obito ran his hands through his hair.

This feeling of knowing something bad was going to happen but being unable to stop it was really frustrating.

Moreover, the war had just ended, and another war might break out—and it was their own village that started it. This made Obito even more uncomfortable.

"If you were put in charge of Konoha, I'm afraid Konoha would be forced to reduce the number of ninja within a few years." Kakashi sighed.

Obito had indeed improved compared to before, but his thinking was still too idealistic.

If they only accepted "righteous" missions, how would Konoha ever develop and grow?

Rin Nohara seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she couldn't get the words out.

In the past, it was enemies invading Konoha; now, Konoha was targeting other forces.

"Don't think about that. Let's have a battle of youth and passion! No matter what, being strong is always a good thing." Might Guy, sensing the depressed atmosphere, suddenly stood up, revealing his sparkling white teeth with a smile.

He didn't have the meticulous thinking of Kakashi or Shisui, but he believed in Muyue and he believed in his teammates. As long as they kept working hard, they would surely succeed.

"Come to think of it, for various reasons, it really has been a long time since we've had an intra-team battle." Obito showed an interested expression.

Their intra-team battles weren't just for fighting; they were to motivate each other and promote growth in strength.

So after the intense war period, these internal battles were put on hold.

The killing on the battlefield was far more thrilling than intra-team battles, and it satisfied their need to improve their strength.

Now that the great war was over and the ninja world had temporarily returned to peace, his strength had also greatly increased. It was the perfect time for an intra-team battle.

"You're not planning to use Kamui in the internal battle, are you? There's a pretty affordable glasses shop on Konoha's shopping street. Want me to take you there later?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

He wasn't worried about losing the battle; he was worried that Obito would misuse his Mangekyō Sharingan, ruining his good eyesight into nearsightedness and eventually going blind.

"I don't need it! I don't need any glasses." Obito couldn't help but glare at Kakashi. He felt looked down upon—he wouldn't recklessly use his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"My Kamui is very flexible to use. If I only use the right eye's ability a few times, the side effects are very small."

Although both eyes had the ability of Kamui, due to their different effects, Obito gave them separate names to distinguish them.

For example, the right eye's Kamui, which allowed him to transfer between the real space and the Kamui space, Obito named it Intangible Kamui.

The left eye's Kamui, which could forcibly twist part of an enemy's body from a distance and send it into the Kamui space, Obito named it Warping Kamui.

Based on Obito's experience using it in battle, Warping Kamui consumed far more than Intangible Kamui, both in terms of ocular power and chakra.

If Obito controlled the number of times he used Intangibility, didn't use Kamui to suck people in, and didn't use Warping Kamui, then the ocular power consumed in a battle was actually very little.

"And besides, even without counting Kamui, my strength far surpasses what it was before!" Obito couldn't help but show a triumphant smile.

The evolution of his Sharingan brought him more than just the dojutsu of Kamui—his chakra had also increased, and the basic capabilities of the Mangekyō itself were far stronger than those of the Three Tomoe.

Moreover, he had recently unearthed another power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, and when the time came, he would definitely catch Kakashi off guard.

"As long as you know your limits." Seeing that Obito already had a plan in mind, Kakashi didn't continue to taunt him further.

Then Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "How about this: add a new rule. Abilities that cause too much harm to the user cannot be used in internal battles."

"I think that works." Obito nodded.

Although he really wanted to beat Kakashi, he hadn't planned on using Warping Kamui in a battle with him anyway.

"I have no problem with that." Shisui also showed an expression of agreement.

Tsukuyomi consumed a fair amount of ocular power; in theory, Shisui was a victim of the rule, but he thought the rule was very necessary—safety was the most important thing.

"Then what about my Eight Gates?" Might Guy scratched his head and asked.

"You cannot open gates that cause major harm to yourself." Kakashi explained.

If they outright banned the Eight Gates, then Might Guy wouldn't be able to fight at all; he'd have to sit in the audience with Rin Nohara.

"So that means I can only use the first through fifth gates. I have no problem with that either." Might Guy stroked his chin and said.

If he just used the Sixth Gate alone, it would be fine, but if he used the Sixth Gate and the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode at the same time, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Actually, even if Kakashi hadn't said it, he hadn't planned on using the Sixth Gate plus the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode against his teammates anyway. There was no need to push his limits in a fight with them.

"Since no one has any issues, let's have an intra-team ranking battle this week. I'll ask Muyue-sensei when he's free this evening." Kakashi said.

Their current strength had already far surpassed that of ordinary jonin. If they fought at full power without a strong person watching, accidents could easily happen.

"The opportunity is finally coming!" Obito laughed inwardly.

More than four years have passed. It's time for Uchiha Obito to become Muyue's strongest disciple.

On the surface, Kakashi has benefited from version advantages, being the only disciple who can use all his techniques, but that is precisely proof of Kakashi's weakness—he is so weak that he isn't even restricted by the rules!

Shisui's Tsukuyomi cannot be used due to rule restrictions, and the Divine Imperial Birth Spirit Lord is too important to be used in disciple infighting, so he cannot display his full strength.

Although Might Guy with the Five Gates combined with Rock Breathing is powerful, as long as one avoids Might Guy's Golden Horizon and Daytime Tiger, he is not a concern.

"It seems you've already secured first place once." Watching Obito's uncontrollable smile, Kakashi teased.

Obito then realized his inner smile had appeared on his face, and quickly adjusted his expression.

"Ahem, I don't know what you're talking about." Obito cleared his throat twice and said with a serious expression.

Next, they discussed whether or not to tell Muyue about those matters.

Finally, they reached a consensus: they could tell Muyue about future events, but not everything—only a part.

They could talk about the Nine-Tails Riot and the Uchiha Clan Massacre, but not about the evil Akatsuki organization for now, to prevent Muyue from being caught in a conflict of positions and humanity.

In the evening, the disciples went together to Muyue's house to find him.

If it were just asking Muyue to watch their fights, Kakashi alone would suffice, but they were planning to confess about the future, so having more people would be better.

At this time, Muyue had just returned from having dinner at Tsunade's house.

"Why are you coming at this hour? Have you eaten?" Muyue smiled as he welcomed the disciples in and asked.

It must be said that Daikokuten is indeed a very convenient dojutsu. Because it's time-frozen inside, it's perfect for preserving hot dishes.

Muyue had stored many freshly cooked dishes inside, so he could take them out whenever he wanted to eat.

The disciples shook their heads. They already felt guilty, how could they impose for a meal? They had deliberately eaten before coming.

"Master Muyue, we're sorry." The disciples said in unison.

"We betrayed your trust. At Loulan, we secretly asked Captain Yamato and the others about future events." Kakashi explained.

Muyue was still wondering what it could be. Upon hearing Kakashi's words, he brought his index and middle fingers together and quickly tapped each disciple on the head, then gave a helpless smile and said:

"I thought it was something serious. Since you know, you know. Just don't spread it around. It's not like you would use this information to do anything bad anyway."

In fact, he knew that Kakashi and the others had some misunderstandings about the other world, but Muyue found it hard to explain.

Because from Kakashi's perspective, the other world had Namikaze Minato and the Third Hokage, and was so similar to theirs—if not the future, then what?

As for why Naruto and the others didn't recognize Muyue, that was easy to explain: Muyue died early in history, and Naruto didn't even know Namikaze Minato was his father, so not knowing Muyue was perfectly reasonable.

Since there was no harm in it, Muyue just let them continue with their mistaken belief.

"Hehe, I said Master Muyue is magnanimous and wouldn't blame us." Obito rubbed the spot where he was tapped and chuckled.

"Master Muyue, rest assured. We won't tell anyone except you."

"In normal history, the Third Great Ninja War ends when Master Minato is twenty-three. Then Master Minato becomes Hokage, but one year after he becomes Hokage, the Nine-Tails goes berserk and causes chaos, and Master Minato sacrifices himself."

"Eight years after the Nine-Tails' rampage, Uchiha Itachi will, for unknown reasons, kill everyone in the Uchiha clan except his younger brother."

Obito quickly explained the relevant information about the Nine-Tails Riot and the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

"Master Muyue, Shisui and I can help with the Uchiha situation, but the Nine-Tails rampage—we really have no clue. We'll have to rely on you." Obito said seriously.

Seeing Obito like this, Muyue's expression was subtle.

He lightly tapped Obito's head with his finger. "The things you're worried about won't happen. I'll handle everything."

Given the current situation, even if Muyue did nothing, the Nine-Tails Riot would be unlikely to happen.

As for the Uchiha, Muyue had also formulated a new plan to ease the conflict, aiming to help the Uchiha integrate into Konoha as soon as possible.

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