Chapter 388 Jiraiya and Naruto

“This guy’s vitality is so tenacious,” Obito couldn’t help but exclaim.

As the thick smoke dissipated, all three puppets released by An Lushan were blown to pieces. An Lushan’s own body was tattered, but he still didn’t fall, staring at Uzumaki Naruto and the others with gritted teeth.

“You forced my hand,” An Lushan said, seeing no hope of escape and deciding to fight to the death. Even if he died, he would take two down with him.

As An Lushan fully activated his Dragon Vein energy, the puppet fragments on the ground were all drawn to him, flying rapidly towards An Lushan.

The puppets he carried with him were not ordinary puppets; they were puppets strengthened by Dragon Vein energy, capable of fusing with him to become stronger.

After absorbing all the damaged puppet fragments, An Lushan’s form became enormous, no longer resembling a human, but rather a monster.

An Lushan glanced at the Queen of Loulan out of the corner of his eye, then feigned a charge towards Obito. Just as Obito used a Fire Release attack on him, An Lushan immediately changed direction and accelerated towards the Queen.

The two people he most wanted to kill now were Uzumaki Naruto and the Queen of Loulan. One of them had pursued him through time and space, and the other had led him into his current predicament.

But Uzumaki Naruto was clearly not that easy to kill, so An Lushan decided to capture the Queen of Loulan first. If he could use the Queen of Loulan to escape, he would flee and then kill her; if not, he would kill her immediately.

“These Konoha Ninja are only this capable; they don’t even know how to protect their client,” An Lushan sneered inwardly.

Uzumaki Naruto and their formation was loose, with only one blond Ninja standing beside the Queen of Loulan, while the others were at a certain distance from the Queen of Loulan.

That blond Ninja hadn’t made a move earlier, so An Lushan thought his strength shouldn’t be very high.

If he were truly strong, he would definitely be the main attacker in their battle, rather than being assigned to protect the Queen of Loulan.

Yamato, Kakashi, and Uzumaki Naruto all used Ninjutsu to attack An Lushan, but An Lushan stubbornly withstood all the attacks and continued to rapidly approach the Queen of Loulan.

If it were an ordinary Ninja, they would either have to give up attacking or simply die under Uzumaki Naruto and their Ninjutsu, but the current An Lushan was different; although he wasn’t having an easy time, he wouldn’t die.

Watching An Lushan charge directly towards Muzuki, Obito and the others had strange expressions on their faces. He was actively seeking death too much.

Muzuki had told them before the battle that An Lushan was within their handling range, so under normal circumstances, Muzuki would not make a move.

“Queen, you will regret your decision,” An Lushan said in a deep voice.

The Queen of Loulan was, after all, an ordinary person, and seeing this massive monster charging at her, she instinctively took half a step back.

But the Queen of Loulan quickly calmed down, because Muzuki was right beside her.

Muzuki was the captain of this Konoha squad, and his team members all had the strength to injure An Lushan. As the captain, Muzuki must be even stronger.

“Tile Breaker!”

Seeing An Lushan charging in recklessly, Muzuki didn’t hold back either. He used Rock Breathing to enhance his physical strength, flashed in front of An Lushan, and sharply chopped with his hand.

He hadn’t made a move earlier to get more rewards when the mission was settled, letting An Lushan be a whetstone for his disciples.

But if An Lushan was asking for a beating, he didn’t mind letting the other party know what true strength was.

Muzuki’s speed was very fast. An Lushan only felt a blur in front of his eyes, and then a blond figure appeared before him.

Bang!!

Boom!!

An Lushan only felt a terrifying immense force strike him, and then he was sent flying backward at an even faster speed, crashing heavily onto the ground and cracking it.

And where Muzuki had struck him, a hideous and terrifying wound appeared, as if he had been struck by a huge blunt blade.

An Lushan’s eyes turned to terror as he looked at Muzuki, realizing that Muzuki was actually the strongest.

After one strike, Muzuki continued to quietly stand beside the Queen of Loulan, not making another move.

They had arrived too early. An Lushan, having only absorbed this much Dragon Vein Chakra, had limited strength. Only An Lushan from the original movie could possibly have the strength to fight Muzuki.

A somewhat despairing An Lushan found that Muzuki had not continued to attack, and a glimmer of hope for survival emerged in his heart.

Muzuki, with such strong power, yet not participating in the battle and constantly protecting the Queen of Loulan, was clearly not because he valued the client, but rather to train his disciples.

Although this made An Lushan feel humiliated, it was indeed his opportunity.

If Muzuki had also joined the fight, he would have no hope of survival.

But An Lushan quickly realized he had overthought things; Obito and the others’ strength was not as simple as he had imagined.

Seeing An Lushan injured by Muzuki, Obito immediately entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, pushing his own power to the limit.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Obito’s Chakra erupted, and his entire body suddenly ignited with high-temperature red flames, with the flames on his right hand being particularly intense.

Under Obito’s control, the flames from his entire body rapidly flowed towards his right hand. The fire on Obito’s right hand suddenly intensified and then compressed and shrank. Through continuous compression and strengthening, the flames on Obito’s body disappeared, but the flames on his right hand became very deep.

“Fire Style: Orochi Nagi!”

Obito compressed the flames while charging, and finally directly threw the compressed flames at the rising An Lushan.

Since this enemy was very large, Obito did not use Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, but instead used Fire Style: Orochi Nagi, which had a smaller range but greater power.

An Lushan was not blind and could tell that the Fire Release Obito was using this time was not simple, so he had no intention of taking it head-on. He unleashed the Dragon Vein Chakra on his body, intending to dodge.

But when he was sent flying by Muzuki, the others weren’t idle either.

“Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!”

Kakashi had just completed his hand seals, turning the ground where An Lushan was into a swamp, trapping An Lushan within it.

“Wood Release: Thorns of Murder Technique!”

Under Yamato’s Wood Release Chakra activation, many wooden thorns suddenly grew around An Lushan, binding his body and causing An Lushan, who was struggling to break free from the swamp, to pause.

“Wind Release: Rasengan!”

At this moment, Uzumaki Naruto’s Shadow Clone was also forming a Wind Release Rasengan and charging towards An Lushan.

This Ninjutsu was a prototype of Rasenshuriken. Rasenshuriken required too much Chakra, which a Shadow Clone couldn’t produce.

In this situation, he couldn’t have his main body form the Rasengan and charge forward, as he would also be affected by Obito’s Fire Release.

Whoosh!

Boom! Boom!

Uzumaki Naruto’s Wind Release Rasengan and Obito’s Fire Style: Orochi Nagi simultaneously struck An Lushan’s massive body. Terrifying high-temperature flames instantly engulfed An Lushan completely, and Uzumaki Naruto’s Wind Release Rasengan had an unexpected effect, carrying Obito’s flames to form a fiery storm that enveloped An Lushan.

Uzumaki Naruto’s Wind Release Rasengan combined with Obito’s Flame Breathing Chakra Mode Fire Style: Orochi Nagi had a power that exceeded Obito’s expectations. The wooden thorns binding An Lushan were quickly burned away, and the muddy ground beneath An Lushan also rapidly dried up under the terrifying high temperature.

“Big Brother Naruto, our combo is so strong!” Obito said with a chuckle.

Uzumaki Naruto also laughed proudly; he hadn’t expected such an effect.

After the flames dissipated, An Lushan, charred and tattered, came into view.

Because he was no longer a real person but a human puppet, An Lushan looked terrible but was not dead.

As a human puppet, he would not die as long as his core energy remained.

“Since I can’t live, you won’t have an easy time either,” An Lushan decided to self-destruct after realizing his terrible condition.

He definitely couldn’t win, and given what he had done, he certainly wouldn’t live, so An Lushan chose to commit suicide, perhaps even taking a few others down with him.

“Purple Lightning!”

But just as An Lushan had this thought, Muzuki directly flashed behind An Lushan and gave him an electrotherapy.

When Muzuki used Tile Breaker on An Lushan, he had conveniently placed a Flying Thunder God Mark on him.

“Zhou Tian Sealing!”

Immediately after, Muzuki extended his palm and grabbed An Lushan’s core, applying a Sealing Technique to it.

Zhou Tian Sealing was Muzuki’s strongest achievement in learning Sealing Technique over the past two years. He had originally intended to develop the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style following Minato’s ideas, but he had no clue with the Four Symbols Sealing, instead having continuous inspiration with the Five Elements Seal, finally modifying it into a Zhou Tian Sealing.

Zhou Tian Sealing had no fancy special effects; its sealing power was simply strong, much stronger than even the Four Symbols Sealing.

Muzuki added Yin and Yang natures on top of the original five elements, which not only made the seal more stable but also greatly increased the difficulty of releasing the Sealing Technique.

Firstly, it was impossible for the person himself to forcefully break through it. In Muzuki’s estimation, only a Six Paths-level Ninjutsu nullification effect might be able to directly break the Zhou Tian Sealing.

As for using Sealing Technique knowledge to decipher the Zhou Tian Sealing, the difficulty is almost three times that of deciphering the Five Elements Seal, and to use Zhou Tian Sealing Release, one must also master seven types of Chakra Nature Transformation.

Although one only needs to be able to use them and doesn’t need to cultivate them to a profound level, even so, very few people in the Ninja World can meet this requirement.

“What’s going on? My power!”

The moment Muzuki completed the Sealing Technique, An Lushan felt as if the Dragon Vein energy within his body was like stagnant water, no matter how he tried to mobilize it, it wouldn’t stir even a ripple.

“To ensure your safe return, I will now research Hundred Feet and the Dragon Vein power within him,” Muzuki explained.

“I’ve already sealed him with a Sealing Technique, so he won’t be able to escape now.”

Uzumaki Naruto and Yamato both nodded without objection. They were still at a loss as to how to return, as they hadn’t done anything special when they arrived.

“Thank you all very much for your contributions to Loulan. Tomorrow, I will hold a grand assembly to publicly expose An Lushan’s crimes,” the Queen of Loulan said, bowing slightly in thanks after An Lushan was defeated.

Things had somewhat exceeded her expectations. She hadn’t anticipated that An Lushan would be such a cruel and vicious person, and possess such terrifying power. If not for the help of Muzuki and the others, An Lushan’s destruction of Loulan would have been immeasurable.

The Queen of Loulan then sincerely invited Muzuki and the others to attend tomorrow’s assembly as heroes, to receive the blessings of the people of Loulan.

As there was still ample time, Muzuki accepted the Queen of Loulan’s invitation.

He would still need the Queen’s help later, and giving her a little more face would be beneficial to both sides.

“We saved another country, that’s great!” Obito said excitedly.

He felt he was getting closer and closer to being a hero from a Ninja novel; not only had he saved two countries, but he had also met Ninja from the future.

Perhaps he would even need to save the future someday.

“Obito, don’t you want to meet the princess of Loulan? Weren’t you very interested in the princess last time in Land of Snow?” Rin Nohara asked with a smile, posing two questions in a row.

“It definitely won’t be as perfect as in the novel,” Obito replied with a sigh.

After the last mission in Land of Snow, he no longer held any expectations for real-life princesses.

“Maybe this is the price of maturity,” Obito felt as if he had grown a lot.

“Because novels are inherently fictional. Only someone with a problem in their head would demand that real-world people be as perfect as fictional characters,” Kakashi attacked unceremoniously.

“Haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘Fiction comes from reality!'” Obito retorted.

Seeing Obito and Kakashi fall into an argument again so quickly, Uzumaki Naruto laughed. He and Sasuke often did the same, but now…

Since An Lushan was sealed and imprisoned, there was no need to investigate further that night, so Uzumaki Naruto used this time to teach Obito the Rasengan.

Since Obito wanted to learn, Uzumaki Naruto genuinely taught him.

“The primary factor of the Rasengan is rotation; the essence of the Rasengan is high-speed rotating Chakra!” Naruto began by simply explaining the principle of the Rasengan.

“Mm-hmm, and then what?” Obito asked, nodding excitedly.

“Rasengan!”

Uzumaki Naruto didn’t say anything more and immediately began to demonstrate, gathering a large amount of Chakra in his hand and forming a Rasengan, which he then slammed directly into a large tree created by Yamato’s Wood Release.

Bang!

A huge gap instantly appeared in the tree, and wood chips flew everywhere.

“The Rasengan isn’t a complete Ninjutsu yet. Adding Nature Transformation can make it even stronger,” Uzumaki Naruto briefly mentioned his Rasenshuriken.

Because the Rasenshuriken was too powerful and would also cause damage to his body, Uzumaki Naruto didn’t demonstrate it, only briefly explained it.

Obito became even more excited. He thought of the combined attack he and Uzumaki Naruto had unintentionally performed today. If he could complete it alone, it would mean he had another powerful Ninjutsu.

“Learning the Rasengan consists of three parts. First, practice with this water balloon.” Saying this, Naruto took out a water balloon filled with water.

“Then, you go’splat!’ and ‘pop!’ and make it explode.”

As Naruto finished his onomatopoeic words, the water balloon in his hand burst in response.

“Whoa, whoa, Big Brother Naruto, how did you do that just now?” Obito’s eyes widened, feeling like he hadn’t understood.

“I said’splat!’ and ‘pop!'” Uzumaki Naruto repeated, thinking that Obito hadn’t heard him earlier, so he intentionally spoke a little louder.

Obito:…

Obito looked at Uzumaki Naruto with a bewildered expression.

Seeing Obito’s reaction, Naruto scratched his head and pulled out another water balloon.

“It’s just’splat!’ and ‘pop!’ It’s so simple.”

The water balloon burst again, accompanied by Naruto’s onomatopoeic words.

Obito was dumbfounded. Could anyone really learn Ninjutsu this way?

Obito felt that it might be faster if he wrote down Uzumaki Naruto’s words, then told Muzuki, let Muzuki develop it, and then teach him.

…

Land of Grass, Konoha Camp.

“Muzuki, why are you here? What mission did you take on?” Jiraiya asked with a hearty laugh when he saw Muzuki approaching.

The more powerful Ninja there were on the battlefield, the easier it would be for him. He naturally welcomed Muzuki’s arrival.

Muzuki didn’t immediately answer Jiraiya but scanned the surroundings.

Jiraiya, understanding Muzuki’s meaning, entered the meeting tent with Muzuki for a private discussion.

“It’s not a mission, it’s a private matter related to you, Lord Jiraiya,” Muzuki said.

“Oh, what kind of private matter would make you come all the way to the front lines to find me, Muzuki?” Jiraiya asked, puzzled.

For a moment, he couldn’t think of any private matter that would bring Muzuki all the way to the battlefield.

“A Ninja from the future. He really wants to see you,” Muzuki didn’t play a guessing game and directly revealed the existence of Uzumaki Naruto.

“A Ninja from the future? I didn’t realize you were so humorous, Muzuki,” Jiraiya said, laughing heartily.

But then Jiraiya’s smile gradually faded and disappeared, because Muzuki’s expression hadn’t changed at all; he didn’t look like he was joking.

Actually, Jiraiya didn’t think Muzuki would be bored enough to make such a joke, but this matter was indeed hard to believe.

This was not the same as a prophecy. If one could travel through space and time at will, wouldn’t history be thrown into chaos?

“Who is he? Since he wants me to see him, he must have a name, right?” Jiraiya asked calmly.

“Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of future Konoha, and a disciple of future Kakashi,” Muzuki replied after thinking for a moment.

“Uzumaki? Jinchuriki?” Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

Currently, there was only one person named Uzumaki in Konoha: Minato’s girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina.

But this Uzumaki Naruto might not be related to Minato and them. After all, Minato’s descendants should be named Namikaze. Perhaps he was a surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan who joined Konoha.

However, the point about being a Jinchuriki was worth Jiraiya’s deep consideration. A Jinchuriki would only be replaced in one situation: the death of the previous Jinchuriki. This meant that Kushina had died for this Uzumaki Naruto to become the Jinchuriki.

“I think he might be Minato’s child,” Muzuki stated his ‘conjecture’.

“He knows a Ninjutsu that Minato is currently developing, and he also bears some resemblance to Minato.”

Currently, Uzumaki Naruto himself didn’t know that his father was Minato Namikaze, so Muzuki could only say it was his conjecture.

Jiraiya frowned tightly. He looked like Minato, knew a Ninjutsu Minato was developing, and had the Uzumaki surname—it was almost confirmed.

If it were just the first two points, they could also apply to Muzuki, as the current Rasengan was nominally developed by him and Minato together. But the Uzumaki surname had nothing to do with Muzuki.

“The war is at a critical juncture; I can’t leave,” Jiraiya said after clearing his thoughts.

Muzuki didn’t speak. There was a way to meet without delaying battlefield matters, and he believed Jiraiya could think of it.

“Let my Shadow Clone go with you then,” Jiraiya said, forming a hand seal and creating a Shadow Clone.

Being stretched thin doesn’t apply in Hokage, because people here can truly create clones.

I’m very stuck today and only managed to write 5k after much procrastination.