Chapter 478: A Mission Concerning Konoha’s Future (Two Chapters in One)

It was the first day of the second phase of Anbu training.

When Muzuki arrived at the Training Ground, all forty Anbu Ninja and Root Ninja who were to receive training had already gathered, waiting for the class to begin.

Muzuki walked up to the Ninja and, as usual, used Appraisal to scan everyone.

Some Ninja also looked at Muzuki with curious eyes.

Although Muzuki had only been appointed as a squad leader a few days prior and had no previous experience serving in the Anbu, he was already “known to everyone” in the Anbu before his fame on the battlefield.

On one hand, the fifteen Anbu who had been trained spoke highly of Muzuki; on the other hand, it was because of Muzuki’s identity as the developer of the Darkness Breathing Technique.

Due to the high practicality of the Darkness Breathing Technique and its low learning threshold, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very keen for all Anbu Ninja to learn it.

However, since no Ninja within the Anbu could be said to have mastered the Darkness Breathing Technique, its promotion had progressed slowly, with only a few talented Ninja having learned it.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi’s efforts to promote the Darkness Breathing Technique indeed made all Anbu remember the name Hayate Mugetsu.

“I am Hayate Mugetsu, and I am in charge of this training,” Muzuki introduced himself first.

“Today’s training will be conducted in two groups. Those who participated in the previous training, please move to the right to form a new line. The rest of you, stay where you are.”

Because both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were promoting the Darkness Breathing Technique, the Ninja receiving training generally had some progress in the Darkness Breathing Technique, but most had pitifully low proficiency, almost as if they hadn’t learned it at all.

For those Ninja who had already mastered the Darkness Breathing Technique or even reached the proficient level, Muzuki naturally couldn’t make them learn the previous content again with the new training members.

After all, everyone present was an Anbu and Root Ninja, so they acted quickly, instantly executing Muzuki’s command and dividing into two neat teams.

Coincidentally, each team had exactly twenty people, making the numbers equal.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Muzuki formed a hand seal and created a Shadow Clone, instructing the Shadow Clone to take the Ninja who had already learned the Darkness Breathing Technique to a slightly more distant location to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with each other.

During the last training, Muzuki barely taught on the first day because he spent a lot of time on practice battles with all the training Ninja to establish his authority.

This time, Muzuki didn’t need to go through such trouble and could teach normally on the first day.

Although his reputation was still a bit less than that of Hokage candidates like the Sannin, he could be said to be a powerful Konoha Ninja renowned throughout the Ninja World, and it was impossible for anyone in the Anbu not to know his strength.

“You should all know about the Darkness Breathing Technique, right?” Muzuki said.

This was something mentioned in the information the Anbu provided him; it wasn’t something Muzuki inferred from the Appraisal panel.

All the Ninja nodded in affirmation.

“Then I’ll skip some basic introductions and go straight into the detailed content of the teaching,” Muzuki continued.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Muzuki officially began the lesson, starting with the most Basic Breathing posture.

“Maintaining a specific posture for breathing will allow you to familiarize yourselves with the breathing rhythm of the Darkness Breathing Technique more quickly, and the breathing rhythm is one of the core elements of the Darkness Breathing Technique,” Muzuki reminded them.

Both the Anbu Ninja and the Root Ninja listened attentively.

After two hours, they had to admit that the legends about Muzuki circulating within the Anbu were not exaggerated at all; Muzuki was an excellent teacher.

“As expected of the developer of the Darkness Breathing Technique, no wonder Feitian and the others hold Squad Leader Hayate in such high regard,” an Anbu Ninja couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi was promoting the Darkness Breathing Technique in the Anbu, he had found a few Anbu who had practiced the Darkness Breathing Technique the best to teach, but after being taught by Muzuki, he found that the two simply couldn’t be compared; the difference was too great.

Muzuki’s lectures were not only simple and easy to understand, but when they practiced, he could often point out core problems and help them solve them quickly.

In just two hours, the Anbu Ninja had already understood several issues they had been confused about before.

“Next, take a fifteen-minute break,” Muzuki said, then left a Shadow Clone and went to the other squad.

Although the Shadow Clone’s understanding of the Darkness Breathing Technique was the same as the original, the Shadow Clone did not have the teaching skill buff.

Muzuki planned to teach in a balanced manner, teaching one team for two hours or half a day, then going to the other team to teach for the same amount of time, so that all Ninja could benefit from the teaching skill’s buff.

After the break, Muzuki’s main body began to guide the veteran squad.

While the Shadow Clone was guiding the veteran squad, it didn’t begin teaching the Darkness Burning Technique, but rather led them in practicing the Darkness Breathing Technique, warming them up for Muzuki’s main body to teach later.

“Next, what you will learn is an advanced technique of the Darkness Breathing Technique—the Darkness Burning Technique,” Muzuki said directly, without any preamble.

Unlike Breathing Technique Chakra Mode, the Darkness Burning Technique doesn’t require very high proficiency; even those with less than proficient level in Darkness Breathing Technique can succeed in practicing it, though it will be more difficult.

The Ninja below were somewhat surprised; their initial thought was to improve their Darkness Breathing Technique during this training, but they hadn’t expected there would also be an advanced technique to learn this time.

“The Darkness Burning Technique can significantly enhance your strength and speed by consuming your Chakra. You can think of it as temporarily amplifying the effects of the Darkness Breathing Technique,” Muzuki explained.

The Anbu Ninja all showed expressions of anticipation.

Although Muzuki’s explanation was plain, the Darkness Breathing Technique itself could already boost explosive power, and with further amplification, it would be a power-up on top of a power-up.

Muzuki successfully ignited the desire to learn in all the veteran students with just two sentences; they wished they could learn the Darkness Burning Technique immediately and try out its enhanced effects.

“Try to push your breathing to its limit, but don’t let it become chaotic,” Muzuki, having set the stage, began the formal instruction.

Although this so-called Darkness Burning Technique had only been developed by Muzuki recently, its essence was a degraded version of the Breathing Technique Chakra Mode, and he still explained it as smoothly as he did the Darkness Breathing Technique.

“Originally, the Darkness Breathing Technique was already powerful enough, and with this Darkness Burning Technique, it truly is a secret technique developed that could allow a Ninja clan to establish itself in the Ninja World,” Sarutobi Shinji sighed in his heart.

He felt that if Muzuki’s Darkness Breathing Technique and Darkness Burning Technique were passed down as family secret techniques, and if their development went smoothly, in over a hundred years, there might be another powerful Habsheng clan in the Ninja World.

“Thankfully, I was chosen again; otherwise, I would have lost out big time,” Feitian Xinzhi thought with relief.

According to common sense, even if he hadn’t participated in the training, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had promoted the Darkness Breathing Technique, would certainly have offered an opportunity to learn the Darkness Burning Technique.

However, the standards and requirements would be hard to say, and without Muzuki’s guidance, learning it would also be very difficult.

【Completed a Mid-Level Lecture】

【Evaluation: S】

【Rewards: Breathing Technique Understanding improved, Darkness Breathing Technique +48, Basic Breathing +22, Thunder Breathing +11】

After the day’s class ended, the class rewards popped up on the panel.

Muzuki focused on the first item, “Breathing Technique Understanding improved,” which was the reward he had chosen to grind for.

This was a reward only available for an S-rank evaluation in a mid-level class, and it could increase his understanding of the essence of Breathing Technique.

After briefly organizing the knowledge in his mind, Muzuki walked towards Tsunade’s house.

Just one class reward wasn’t enough to significantly improve his Breathing Technique level; to develop the Yang Release Breathing he envisioned, he would need to grind more class rewards.

…

Root Base.

“What did Muzuki teach today? Was there any difference between what the Root and Anbu learned, and how well did he teach?” Danzo Shimura asked the Root Ninja who had just finished training.

Danzo Shimura was very dissatisfied with this training.

Of course, it had nothing to do with Muzuki; this dissatisfaction was directed at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Because Hiruzen Sarutobi had actually arranged for twenty-five Anbu to participate in the training, while Root was still only able to send fifteen people, just like last time.

Danzo Shimura naturally couldn’t tolerate such blatant double standards, and upon receiving the detailed arrangement documents, he immediately rushed to the Hokage Office.

Being quite angry, Danzo Shimura overlooked some details this time and was immediately reprimanded by Hiruzen Sarutobi for not knocking before entering. Subsequently, Hiruzen Sarutobi continuously targeted some minor issues of Danzo Shimura, making him extremely unhappy.

What annoyed Danzo Shimura the most was that even after he confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi still didn’t increase the number of Root members for the training.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s reason was truly unrefutable for Danzo Shimura.

“Root is a subordinate organization of Anbu. If Anbu only has twenty-five participants, why should Root be on par with Anbu?” Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

What more could Danzo Shimura say? He could only leave with a muttered “You’ll regret this” and slam the door shut.

“Teacher Muzuki taught the Darkness Breathing Technique and its corresponding advanced technique, the Darkness Burning Technique, today. There was no difference in learning content between Root and Anbu, and Teacher Muzuki taught as excellently as always,” the Root Ninja answered each question.

Danzo Shimura nodded slightly, asked a few more detailed questions to confirm everything was in order, and then dismissed the Anbu Ninja.

“Hiruzen, you’ve changed. Indeed, it was the right choice for me not to tell you about the Wood Release Ninja,” Danzo Shimura couldn’t help but curse inwardly, recalling the anger he had endured in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Previously, Danzo Shimura had considered whether to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about the existence of the Wood Release Ninja, to ensure the Wood Release Ninja received the maximum possible training.

For Konoha, Wood Release was a special existence. Many Konoha Ninja believed that no Bloodline Limit could compare to Wood Release, and that the strongest Ninjutsu was Wood Release Ninjutsu.

This was because Konoha, from its creation until today, had only seen one Wood Release Ninja: the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, known as the God of Shinobi.

This couldn’t help but lead to endless speculation; perhaps any Wood Release Ninja could reach the heights of the God of Shinobi.

Even those who were slightly more rational would make a mistaken judgment due to Senju Hashirama’s terrifying power, thinking that even if they couldn’t reach Hashirama’s height, they should at least achieve two-thirds or half of it.

Now, Danzo Shimura had completely abandoned the idea of sharing information with Hiruzen Sarutobi, because Hiruzen Sarutobi would surely use various excuses to snatch the Wood Release Ninja from Root and never return him.

Danzo Shimura would never let such a thing happen. He wasn’t simply trying to strengthen Root’s power, but rather for the sake of Konoha.

Because Danzo Shimura believed that only within Root could the strongest Wood Release Ninja be trained; if the Wood Release Ninja went to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he wouldn’t be able to further unearth his own power, which would be a great pity for the entire Konoha.

“It’s time to check on his training.”

Danzo Shimura, accompanied by two Root confidants, headed to a secret location near Konoha.

The Wood Release Ninja that Danzo Shimura possessed was actually the only successful subject of Orochimaru’s Hashirama cells experiment. However, due to an unexpected factor, Orochimaru thought all subjects had failed, and Danzo Shimura managed to acquire him by chance.

Arranging the Wood Release Ninja outside the village was not only to prevent Hiruzen Sarutobi from discovering him but also to prevent Orochimaru from discovering him and demanding him back.

Although Danzo Shimura felt that someone like Orochimaru probably wouldn’t remember what his former experimental subjects looked like, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Lord Danzo,” Yamato greeted Danzo Shimura respectfully.

“Mm, perform your strongest Wood Release Ninjutsu for me to see,” Danzo Shimura nodded faintly and ordered.

Although Danzo Shimura couldn’t use Wood Release, he had Wood Release Ninjutsu data left by Senju Hashirama.

Danzo Shimura mainly taught Yamato Chakra control techniques and various assassination techniques.

Yamato seriously formed hand seals, then condensed Chakra and transformed it into Wood Release Chakra to activate his Ninjutsu.

Under the effect of Yamato’s Wood Release Chakra, a tender sprout broke through the ground and rapidly grew into a tree slightly taller than Danzo Shimura.

After releasing the Ninjutsu, Yamato looked at Danzo Shimura with anticipation.

Danzo Shimura frowned slightly, “This is no different from before. Yamato, have you not been training diligently during this period?”

Danzo Shimura had sent multiple Root Ninja to keep an eye on Yamato, with daily reports on Yamato’s actions and whether any suspicious individuals were present nearby.

The reports stated that Yamato trained according to his plan every day.

But based on Yamato’s performance, Danzo Shimura felt that Yamato might have been putting on a show and not seriously dedicating himself to training.

Yamato’s hands hung down, clutching the hem of his clothes, his expression a little nervous as he explained, “No, I haven’t been lazy, Lord Danzo. If you look closely, it’s actually five centimeters taller than before.”

He had just practiced not long ago, and he was certain he had made some progress since Danzo Shimura’s last visit.

Until Danzo Shimura spoke, Yamato had expected praise.

“Yamato, you are the elite of the Root’s elite. Your goal is to surpass the Root’s current most perfect creation, Hayate Mugetsu. In two weeks, you’ve only made this much progress. Are you worthy of the cultivation and expectations I have for you?” Danzo Shimura said sternly.

Having witnessed the magnificent sight of the First Hokage conjuring a vast forest with a wave of his hand, Danzo Shimura naturally couldn’t be satisfied with Yamato’s five-centimeter progress.

In his opinion, this wasn’t progress at all; it could only serve as proof that Yamato hadn’t been training diligently.

“I… I…” Yamato opened his mouth, wanting to continue explaining, but looking at Danzo Shimura’s stern face, he finally lowered his head, “Lord Danzo, I’m sorry.”

Although he felt he had trained diligently, since Lord Danzo, who had saved him, said he hadn’t trained diligently, perhaps he had been lazy without realizing it.

“It’s good that you know your mistake. As long as you train according to my arrangements, you will definitely become the strongest Ninja in Root—no, the strongest Ninja in Konoha, and even the entire Ninja World,” Danzo Shimura subconsciously triggered his ‘drawing a big picture’ combo.

Yamato nodded blankly.

Actually, he didn’t know the significance of being the strongest Ninja in Root or the strongest Ninja in the Ninja World, but he felt that whatever Danzo-sama said must be correct and should be done.

“But I also understand your hard work. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I brought you some food.” Danzo Shimura patted Yamato’s head and had his subordinate bring out two dinners.

Yamato’s somewhat dim eyes brightened again, “Yes, thank you, Danzo-sama!”

While eating, Danzo Shimura became much more amiable, not saying any harsh words to Yamato, but instead showing concern for his life.

After dinner, Danzo Shimura patted Yamato’s shoulder and said, “Yamato, no matter what, I hope you will cultivate diligently. This isn’t for me, but for yourself, for Root, and for Konoha.”

Yamato nodded heavily, “I will definitely not let down your expectations, Danzo-sama.”

Danzo Shimura put on a kindly smile, patted Yamato’s head, and then turned to walk back to Konoha with his subordinates.

After walking a certain distance, the amiable expression on Danzo Shimura’s face disappeared, returning to his usual coldness.

As the leader of Root, Danzo Shimura knew too well how to cultivate his subordinates.

Let alone a child under ten like Yamato, Danzo Shimura was confident he could train adult Ninja to be loyal to Root within five years.

“Even a Wood Release Ninja needs enough time to accumulate power?” Danzo Shimura pondered.

Yamato’s growth was slower than he had imagined. Although he could be called a genius, he wasn’t as outstanding as Danzo had envisioned.

“Or perhaps it’s because there isn’t a suitable teacher?” Two ideas quickly formed in Danzo Shimura’s mind.

The best solution, of course, would be to directly use Edo Tensei on First Hokage Senju Hashirama and have him teach Yamato.

Senju Hashirama was not only the God of Shinobi but also the strongest Wood Release Ninja, making him the most suitable teacher in Yamato’s ideal.

Danzo Shimura quickly dismissed the idea, focusing all his thoughts on the other one.

Nothing else; this was simply too rebellious, something that couldn’t even be thought about too much.

Edo Tensei, a forbidden Ninjutsu involving the deceased, was already a taboo in Konoha, and the chosen individual was Senju Hashirama, a founder of Konoha. If Danzo Shimura truly dared to do that, he would be untraceable the next day.

“If it were Muzuki, it should also accelerate Yamato’s growth,” Danzo Shimura thought.

Muzuki’s teaching ability was very strong, so strong that Hiruzen Sarutobi would worry about Muzuki’s safety and consistently reject Danzo Shimura’s suggestion to send Muzuki to the battlefield.

The performance of Muzuki’s disciples on the battlefield proved Muzuki’s ability to teach disciples; all five of his disciples, including Rin Nohara, performed exceptionally like geniuses.

“If Yamato enters Konoha, the danger increases.” Danzo Shimura began to weigh the pros and cons in his mind.

Yamato actually had an identity in Konoha. Danzo Shimura had arranged a Ninja identity for Yamato, so Yamato was a genuine Konoha Ninja, not an unregistered person.

The danger Danzo Shimura spoke of did not refer to Yamato encountering danger, but rather the danger to Root if Yamato’s Wood Release Ninja identity was exposed and he was taken by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“With a proper plan, there should be no problem.” After careful consideration, Danzo Shimura decided to bring Yamato into Konoha.

After repeated probing by Danzo Shimura, he was confident that Muzuki was incredibly loyal to him.

With the loyal Muzuki and his Root influence, it would be very difficult for Yamato to be discovered.

Danzo Shimura was a person of strong action. After confirming his idea, he dispatched his most trusted subordinate the next day to bring Yamato into Konoha, and then summoned Muzuki to the Root Base that evening.

“Danzo-sama.” Muzuki greeted him respectfully.

This time, before Muzuki arrived at Root, he couldn’t quite guess what Danzo Shimura wanted him for.

Because he already had an important public mission that occupied most of his time, leaving no time for other things.

However, after sweeping the entire Root Base with his Byakugan before arriving at the Root Base, Muzuki had a slight guess, though he wasn’t very sure.

Looking at Muzuki’s expression of respect, which had been consistent for decades, Danzo Shimura was very pleased.

“I have a very important mission to entrust to you, one that concerns the future of Konoha!” Danzo Shimura said in a deep voice.

As the second Wood Release Ninja after Senju Hashirama, Danzo Shimura believed Yamato’s importance was no less than that of a Tailed Beast.

“For the future of Konoha, I am willing to give everything.” Muzuki said without hesitation.

“I’ll immediately have a Shadow Clone apply to the Sandaime to cancel the training mission.”

With that, Muzuki immediately formed hand seals and split off a Shadow Clone, which then instantly rushed towards the door, seemingly eager to charge towards the Hokage Building.

Danzo Shimura’s eyelids twitched. If Muzuki suddenly told Hiruzen Sarutobi he wouldn’t do the mission, given Hiruzen Sarutobi’s attention to Muzuki, such an abnormal event would surely lead to an investigation. If something was truly discovered then, it wouldn’t be good, as Root couldn’t withstand an investigation.

“Muzuki, release your Shadow Clone and listen to me first. Don’t be too hasty.” Danzo Shimura quickly stopped him.

While he was thinking, the Shadow Clone had already run out of the office. He was worried that if he didn’t speak now, the Shadow Clone would run out of the base and sprint towards the Hokage Building.

Muzuki’s initiative was too strong, almost to an extreme.

“Danzo-sama, don’t you have a mission concerning Konoha’s future to give me? If I don’t end this training mission, I won’t have time to carry out your mission.” Muzuki asked, releasing his Shadow Clone while looking puzzled.

Danzo Shimura’s emotions were a bit strange now. Although what Muzuki did was disadvantageous to him, he was deeply relieved in his heart.

“He even used a Shadow Clone to find Hiruzen to end the mission after hearing just one sentence from me.”

Danzo Shimura felt that every action Muzuki made now exuded loyalty.

“Cough, cough.” Danzo Shimura lightly coughed twice and explained, “Although this mission is very important, it doesn’t require too much of your time at this stage. You can proceed with your normal training mission.”

Muzuki made an expression of sudden realization, then stood obediently in place.

“Your mission this time is to instruct Root’s Wood Release Ninja.” Danzo Shimura stopped being enigmatic and stated the specific mission.

Muzuki looked at Danzo Shimura in shock, as if he had heard something incredible.

Danzo Shimura couldn’t help but show a triumphant smile. No Konoha Ninja would not be surprised to hear this news.

“You are the most outstanding Ninja I have cultivated since Root was established. I believe you are capable of bearing the important responsibility of instructing a Wood Release Ninja.” Danzo Shimura said with an approving look.

Danzo Shimura felt that Muzuki’s loyalty to him should have reached its peak at this moment, after all, he had entrusted even such an important existence as a Wood Release Ninja to Muzuki for cultivation.

Muzuki cooperatively showed a grateful expression, thinking to himself that Danzo Shimura’s audacity was truly extraordinary. From Danzo Shimura’s perspective, his current strength should have been Hiruzen Sarutobi’s credit, yet Danzo Shimura still said such words without batting an eye.

Then, Danzo Shimura walked out of the office to the adjacent room and brought Yamato into the office.

“This is the person you will be instructing next. His codename is ‘Yamato’.” Danzo Shimura introduced him.

Yamato had no name with Danzo Shimura, only a codename.

On one hand, Danzo Shimura truly didn’t know Yamato’s name, but more importantly, Danzo Shimura wanted to use this method to make Yamato see Root as his everything, and to treat the Root codename as his name.

Otherwise, when it came to names, couldn’t Danzo Shimura just casually pick one?

“He is Hayate Mugetsu, whom I mentioned to you before, the most perfect Ninja in Root.” Danzo Shimura looked at Yamato and said.

He had previously told Yamato some of Muzuki’s deeds, encouraging Yamato to strive to surpass Muzuki.

Yamato looked up at Muzuki blankly, and Muzuki also looked at Yamato and smiled slightly.

“So bright.”

Yamato only felt that Muzuki’s smile, like the morning sun, and his golden hair, seemed to make the somewhat dim office even brighter.

That bright and warm feeling made Yamato instinctively develop a fondness for Muzuki, even though it was his first day seeing him.

Unfortunately, this light quickly moved away from Yamato, as Danzo Shimura immediately had a Root Ninja take him to the next room.

“This teaching must be kept secret. I will arrange for him to live in a remote area in the southern suburbs of Konoha. You can teach him at the nearest Training Ground then. You decide the teaching time and specific teaching projects.” Danzo Shimura continued to explain his arrangements for Yamato.

Since he was having Muzuki teach Yamato, Danzo Shimura would not interfere with teaching-related matters, as Muzuki truly had authority in that area.

What Danzo Shimura had to do was maintain secrecy, ensuring that Yamato’s Wood Release Ninja identity was not exposed to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“I will certainly not fail your trust, Danzo-sama.” Muzuki said with a sincere expression.

After discussing the mission details, Danzo Shimura gave Muzuki a large amount of Wood Release Ninjutsu data and cultivation experience, asking Muzuki to plan the best learning program for Yamato.

Finally, there were the benefits. For the loyal Muzuki, Danzo Shimura certainly couldn’t skimp on his benefits. What if he was poached by Hiruzen Sarutobi or Orochimaru?

First, Danzo Shimura stated that he would raise his authority within Root to squad leader level, and not just an ordinary squad leader. Ordinary squad leaders could only mobilize Ninja within their own squad, while Muzuki could mobilize all Root Ninja below squad leader level.

However, since Muzuki was no longer officially part of Root, Danzo Shimura could not directly assign him to the Root organization, but instead gave a verbal command.

Danzo Shimura had it all figured out. If Muzuki ever had second thoughts in the future, his authority would be gone with just one word from Danzo.

Besides the position, the rest were money, secret medicines, and Ninjutsu.

Muzuki calculated and found that the most meaningful thing for him among them was the Wood Release Ninjutsu in the teaching materials; all other Root authorities were superficial.

Although Muzuki had a skilled Wood Release, he hadn’t learned a single Wood Release Ninjutsu yet.

【Name: Yamato】

【Chakra: 12000】

【Potential: S (Hashirama cells + Basic Talent)】

【Skills: Wood Release (Beginner: 420/500), Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient: 200/3000), Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient)…】

On the way home, Muzuki recalled this world’s Yamato’s stats.

Perhaps because he hadn’t been cultivating for long, Yamato’s stats, apart from Chakra and potential, were simply terrible in the skills section.

“If there were another slot, he would be a good choice,” Muzuki thought.

Yamato, to Danzo Shimura, was a useless little kid who hadn’t grown up, but to Muzuki, he was an unpolished gem lacking refinement.

Due to the system’s reward mechanism, the younger the disciple Muzuki took, the greater the benefits he received. Yamato’s low strength was actually a good thing for Muzuki.

The only pity was that Muzuki currently had no disciple slots.

The system was too strict with disciple slots. Muzuki had been transmigrated for nearly three years and had only received a disciple slot once.

Muzuki didn’t even know if he would be able to get more disciple slots in the future.

After returning home, Muzuki hadn’t been studying Yang Release Breathing for long when Minato knocked on his door.

“I can confirm the combat time now. Tomorrow afternoon is very free.” Minato said, a bit embarrassed.

That day, he said he might be busy for a few days, but it ended up being almost two weeks.

“Sunday works for me too.” Muzuki thought for a moment and replied, then brought the poured tea to Minato.

The training wasn’t every day; it was only six days a week, with no training on Sunday.

“Alright then, you can decide the venue, Muzuki.” Minato took a small sip of tea and said.

Muzuki nodded, indicating no problem. “Minato, if you don’t mind, I’ll choose the place where I usually teach my disciples. My disciples will be watching then.”

Watching powerful individuals fight is beneficial for cultivation. On one hand, it provides a clear understanding of higher-level strength, and on the other hand, one can learn the fighting styles of stronger individuals from the battle.

“It’s fine, after all, most of them are my disciples too.” Saying this, Minato Namikaze became even more embarrassed. He had been back for over ten days, but had only visited Obito and the others five or six times, not even half the days.

Minato Namikaze himself was a bit overwhelmed and decided that after he finished his busy work, he would properly fulfill his responsibilities as a teacher and not let Muzuki shoulder all the burden alone.

“A battle with the Yellow Flash, truly exciting.” Muzuki teased slightly.

“A battle with Raging Sun Mu Yue is equally exciting.” Minato’s face returned to a smile as he said.

He was indeed looking forward to this battle. To make the fight fairer, Minato hadn’t even discussed developing Ninjutsu with Muzuki. His Ninjutsu, inspired by the Tailed Beast Ball, was in its final stages, just a little bit away from successful development.

PS: I checked, Yamato’s codename in Root is ‘Yamato’, and his later Anbu codename is Tenzo. The setting book says the Sandaime gave Yamato his name, but for ease of reading, I’ll just write Yamato.