Chapter 626 Mu Yue, the second Wood Release Ninja!

“He actually refused…” Ōnoki fell into deep thought as he read the message from Kitsuchi.

As the planner of the scheme, he naturally understood the importance of the Shinobi Sect and Sōsuke, so Ōnoki offered what he considered to be excellent terms.

Ōnoki had considered that Sōsuke might refuse, but he hadn’t expected him to refuse so decisively. According to the message, Sōsuke virtually rejected all conditions.

“Is there something I don’t understand about this?” Ōnoki frowned.

Sōsuke’s reaction was beyond his expectations.

Normally, Sōsuke should be in great need of Iwagakure’s power right now.

Most people in the Ninja World only noticed Danzo Shimura’s death, but only Iwagakure, who viewed the Land of Rain as a strategic step in their plan, noticed one thing: Hanzo, the legendary demigod of the Ninja World, had also died.

In Ōnoki’s estimation, Hanzo’s death was most likely related to Danzo Shimura and Konoha.

If Sōsuke had killed Hanzo, then the Amegakure could not possibly continue to cooperate amicably with Sōsuke.

Although there was also the possibility of a coup, given Sōsuke’s previous performance, Ōnoki felt this probability would be very small, and the Amegakure’s demeanor did not suggest it had undergone a coup.

So, having lost Hanzo, a powerful teammate, and having offended Konoha, why did Sōsuke so decisively reject Iwagakure’s goodwill? Ōnoki couldn’t understand.

Didn’t Sōsuke worry about Konoha Ninja Force invading the Land of Rain?

Konoha wouldn’t even need to exert themselves; they would only need to send the Ninja Force stationed in the Land of Grass, which was there to deter Iwagakure, to attack the Land of Rain, and they could easily break through the border defenses.

“Or is he holding out for a better offer?” Ōnoki was momentarily unsure.

Sōsuke was not like Hanzo; Sōsuke had suddenly appeared and gained fame in the Ninja World, and Ōnoki was not confident he fully grasped Sōsuke’s character and personality.

Just then, a knock sounded at the Tsuchikage Office door.

“Sandaime, these are the latest battle reports from Kumogakure and Konoha.” An Anbu quickly opened the door and reported after receiving Ōnoki’s approval.

Ōnoki nodded slightly, and the Anbu placed the intelligence on Ōnoki’s desk before immediately leaving.

“Is Kumogakure trying to test Konoha’s strength this time?” Ōnoki was somewhat surprised after reading the intelligence.

Kumogakure seemed to be serious this time, first launching a surprise attack on the northern Land of Fire, dispatching numerous small teams to cause destruction there, and then immediately sending a Ninja Force to engage the Konoha Ninja Force stationed in the Land of Hot Springs.

Ōnoki took out a Ninja World map and realized that if Kumogakure in the Land of Hot Springs could defeat the Konoha Force, the northern Land of Fire would become Kumogakure’s playground, where they could come and go as they pleased.

“If Kumogakure succeeds, Iwagakure will have more room to maneuver.” Ōnoki stroked his goatee.

Jiraiya had been hindering the Iwagakure Ninja Force’s advance in the Land of Grass.

If the northern Land of Fire fell, then the Konoha Ninja Force in the Land of Grass would also be greatly affected, easily becoming vulnerable to attacks from both front and rear.

At that time, Iwagakure could either push towards the Land of Fire’s defenses or sail with a large force to the Land of Hot Springs to attack Kumogakure from behind.

Ninja Villages have no absolute enemies, only absolute interests. If stomping on Kumogakure had a higher chance of success, Ōnoki would not hesitate to give Kumogakure a kick.

However, at present, Ōnoki still leaned towards dealing with Konoha, because Konoha had been living too comfortably, having emerged victorious in the previous two great wars.

“We can try to offer better terms first.” Ōnoki began writing new orders for Kitsuchi.

If they could bring the Shinobi Sect over, they should definitely try.

At that time, with the combined Ninja Force stationed in the Land of Rain, even if they did nothing, they could still tie up Konoha’s energy.

…

Land of Fire, Konoha.

Minato Namikaze looked at the familiar giant wooden gate, a sigh of relief escaping him, and a smile gracing his face.

Even a Ninja like him felt pressure on the battlefield.

Due to Minato Namikaze’s proactive request, Ino–Shika–Chō took most of the Ninja Force to support Orochimaru, while Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha with the wounded from the force.

The approval of the higher-ups was within Minato Namikaze’s expectations. Because of his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had long been assigned various S-rank Missions by the Konoha higher-ups as a firefighter.

If Konoha were to select the busiest Jonin during the war, he would certainly be among them.

After being busy for so long, it would be too much if they didn’t even allow a short rest, and his return to Konoha wasn’t purely for rest; he had important business.

Minato Namikaze first went to the Hokage Building to report the mission status to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“The large number of Kumogakure small teams in the northwest and north-central areas were only meant to attract our attention. They swiftly retreated after we successfully intercepted the elite team led by the AB Combo…”

Although the intelligence had been reported once before, a debriefing upon returning was another matter, a necessary procedure.

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

“Thanks to your swift action, Minato, otherwise the force in the Land of Hot Springs might have suffered a setback.”

Konoha had many renowned powerhouses, but at present, the ones who satisfied Hiruzen Sarutobi the most and put him most at ease were the youngest among them, Muzuki and Minato Namikaze.

Their only problem might be that they were too young, lacking a bit in experience.

“It was mainly because Shikaku discovered it in time,” Minato Namikaze said modestly.

After reporting the mission, Minato Namikaze did not linger and quickly left the Hokage Office.

“After the war concludes, what position would be best to arrange for Minato?” Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into thought, looking at Minato Namikaze’s retreating figure.

Since those of Jiraiya’s generation who were qualified were either slacking off or not recognized by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi had now completely given up on his disciples and intended to choose between Minato Namikaze and Muzuki.

As Muzuki and Minato Namikaze were too young, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not plan to pass on the position too early, intending to train them for a few years.

Upon returning home,

Minato Namikaze first tidied up his house, then knocked on Muzuki’s door.

“Not home? Then I’ll go find Kushina first.” Seeing no response for a long time, Minato Namikaze decided to go see his girlfriend, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

After all, it was daytime, so it was normal for Muzuki not to be home.

Finding Kushina was smooth; at this time, Kushina happened to be in her room studying Sealing Technique.

“Minato, you’re back!” Seeing her boyfriend, Kushina showed a joyful smile.

“The Ninja World seems to be even more chaotic lately. The atmosphere in the Village has become a bit different. I thought you’d be even busier.”

Kushina said as she threw herself at Minato, giving Minato Namikaze a big hug.

“It should have been, but I applied for a short leave, so I can stay in Konoha for a short while,” Minato Namikaze said with a smile, stroking Kushina’s vibrant red hair.

Normally, he would either be sent to the Land of Hot Springs to support Orochimaru or return to the Land of Grass to carry out the mission to investigate Iwagakure.

“Hehe, you missed me that much?” Kushina couldn’t help but put her hands on her hips and show a smug smile.

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

“Uh, actually, it’s because I need to learn a Ninjutsu from Muzuki,” Minato Namikaze said honestly.

Kushina’s smile froze, her eyes widened, and she looked at Minato Namikaze in disbelief.

What the hell was this? Was her charm inferior to the Ninjutsu Muzuki taught?

Kushina puffed out her cheeks and looked at Minato Namikaze with dissatisfaction. Couldn’t he have said that it was because he needed to learn Ninjutsu from Muzuki, and also really wanted to see her?

“My speed is enough, but against some Ninja with special abilities, my power will be insufficient,” Minato Namikaze explained.

In fact, Minato Namikaze had discovered this problem during the Iwagakure battlefield: his Rasengan couldn’t break through Roshi’s lava armor in his Melting Style Chakra Mode.

However, Roshi was a Jinchuriki who could fully transform into a Tailed Beast, which was very rare, so Minato Namikaze hadn’t paid too much attention at the time.

This time, his Rasengan was blocked again during the battle with the AB Combo, and Minato Namikaze reflected deeply.

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

“By making up for this weakness, I’ll be able to protect the Village better, and also… you,” Minato Namikaze said with a sincere expression.

When Kushina went to the battlefield, she would either face a Jinchuriki or a top-tier powerhouse.

If the opponent was a Jinchuriki who could fully transform into a Tailed Beast, or a powerhouse like the Third Raikage, Minato Namikaze would feel very helpless.

The enemy couldn’t harm him, but he also couldn’t inflict effective damage on the enemy.

All of Kushina’s slight irritation dissipated, her face gradually approaching the color of her hair. “Why are you suddenly saying such cheesy things, about protecting me so hard?”

After saying that, Kushina couldn’t help but wave her small pink fist and give Minato Namikaze a light punch to the chest.

She was startled, thinking that her position in Minato Namikaze’s heart had lost to Muzuki.

But after all that, it was still for her.

Minato Namikaze, with his extremely quick reactions, immediately condensed Chakra in his chest and steadily withstood the punch.

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

At 5:30 PM, Minato Namikaze went to Muzuki’s house again.

However, to his surprise, Muzuki was still not home. Minato Namikaze then checked Muzuki’s doorstep every ten minutes, continuing until 6:30 PM, but Muzuki still didn’t appear.

This surprised Minato Namikaze, but he didn’t rush to the Third Hokage to ask if Muzuki was on a mission. Instead, he calmly read a book, waiting while he read.

It was past 10 PM when Minato Namikaze finally heard movement next door, so he walked over.

Muzuki had just entered the door and hadn’t closed it yet. Seeing Minato Namikaze approaching, he smiled and invited Minato Namikaze inside.

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

“The training squad just got on track recently, so I’ve been a bit busy, working late. Did you return to Konoha today, Minato?” Muzuki said as he poured tea for Minato Namikaze.

He spent little time at home, so he specifically set up a small kitchen at the training squad base just for cooking.

“Yes, I arrived at noon today,” Minato Namikaze said softly, thanking him and nodding.

“Do you need something from me, Minato?” Muzuki asked directly.

“Yes, but you’ve been busy so late…” Minato Namikaze thought of coming back to see Muzuki tomorrow. He had only come in because he wanted to know why Muzuki was back so late.

“It’s fine. The actual work hours aren’t that long, so it’s not tiring.”

Since Muzuki said so, Minato Namikaze no longer hesitated and stated his purpose.

“Muzuki, I’ve completed the Constant State training for the Basic Breathing Technique you taught me. I’d like to learn about its advanced secret techniques.”

“You have three choices: Wind Release Breathing, Flame Breathing, and Yang Release Breathing,” Muzuki said after thinking for a moment.

Although Minato rarely used Wind Release or Fire Release Ninjutsu in battle, his proficiency in Nature Transformation was actually quite high, much higher than that of an average Jonin.

“Flame Breathing has all the enhancements of Basic Breathing and can also strengthen the power of Fire Release…”

Minato Namikaze listened intently to Muzuki’s explanation of the Breathing Technique.

“So Obito and the others could cast spells quickly without hand signs because of the Breathing Technique.” Minato Namikaze showed a surprised expression upon hearing about the effects of the Breathing Technique Chakra Mode.

“Muzuki, what do you think about me practicing Wind Release Breathing?” Minato Namikaze asked after some thought.

Fire Release didn’t quite fit Minato Namikaze’s current combat style.

And while the Yang Release Breathing Chakra Mode looked powerful, with its no-hand-sign healing and Akimichi clan secret technique effects, it still didn’t suit Minato Namikaze.

Because most people couldn’t even touch Minato Namikaze, so no-hand-sign healing would be useless.

If he could use instant Wind Release, it would bring new changes to Minato Namikaze’s combat abilities.

Wind Release’s attack power was considered strong among the five elements; sufficiently sharp wind blades could cut through various hard materials.

“That’s fine.” Muzuki nodded in approval.

Among the existing Breathing Techniques, Wind Release Breathing indeed suited Minato Namikaze better.

Then, at Muzuki’s strong insistence, they went to the nearest Training Ground and began their training.

“Given the current situation in the Ninja World, you won’t have much time in Konoha. On the other hand, I should be much more relaxed after this period of busyness,” Muzuki explained.

Minato Namikaze had gone through a lot to teach him the Flying Thunder God Technique before, so Muzuki didn’t mind spending time on Minato Namikaze.

They trained until 1 AM, and since it was so late and they had just trained, Muzuki even made a late-night snack.

“It’s really great to have a friend like Muzuki.” Minato Namikaze couldn’t help but sigh with emotion after returning home.

After finishing his late-night snack, Muzuki didn’t rest immediately. He studied Sealing Technique for half an hour before washing up and going to bed.

Studying Sealing Technique and Breathing Technique had become his habit; if he didn’t study them at night, it felt like something was missing.

“It’s about time. I can appropriately demonstrate Wood Release,” Muzuki thought as he lay in bed.

It had been a while since he had requested the Wood Release data, and as Konoha’s strongest genius, it was time for him to make some moves.

The next day, in the morning, after attending his Kenbunshoku Haki class, Muzuki went to the Hokage Building.

Muzuki then put on an excited expression and opened the Hokage Office door without knocking.

“Hmm?” Hiruzen Sarutobi looked towards the door with some displeasure, seeing someone enter without knocking.

When he saw it was Muzuki, he felt a bit strange. Surely he hadn’t become like Danzo Shimura and disliked knocking after inheriting Root’s legacy, had he?

“Sandaime, I seem to have successfully developed Wood Release!”