Chapter 246: Competition with the Immortal (7k)

“Since you say you’re a Sage, do you have any particularly powerful abilities?” Obito asked, sizing up Jiraiya.

In Obito’s mind, only truly powerful individuals could be called Sages, like the Six Paths Sage, the creator deity recorded in textbooks, or the Sage Muzuki who always helped him.

If the Shadow Clone Technique could be used for homework and didn’t return memories, Obito might have called Senju Tobirama the Clone Sage, but after discovering the huge drawbacks of the Shadow Clone, he decided Senju Tobirama was not up to par.

“I can enter Sage Mode and use incredibly powerful Sage Jutsu!” Jiraiya said proudly.

As a child, he was unremarkable, and his teammates were Tsunade and Orochimaru. Tsunade was the granddaughter of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, possessing Senju blood and naturally powerful Chakra. Orochimaru, though a commoner like him, had exceptional talent and learned everything quickly. Compared to them, Jiraiya was as weak as a dead last.

But now it was different. All three had signed Summoning Technique contracts with the Three Great Sage Regions due to their respective opportunities, but only Jiraiya could use Sage Mode.

Although he needed the assistance of the two Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, to use it, being able to use it and not being able to use it was a fundamental difference.

He used to suffer alone in training, tied to a pillar, but now he had learned Sage Mode and a vast array of Sage Jutsu. He was confident he could defeat any Konoha Ninja except Hiruzen Sarutobi, including Tsunade and Orochimaru.

“What is that? It just sounds like mastering a very strong Ninjutsu?” Obito expressed that merely mastering a strong Ninjutsu wasn’t enough to be called a Sage, especially since he didn’t develop Sage Mode himself.

“I see you truly don’t understand a thing, but if you’re unconvinced, how about a one-on-one with my disciple?” Jiraiya suggested with a smile.

Explaining Sage Mode and Sage Jutsu to a child was too troublesome.

“Alright, Toad Uncle, call out your disciple then.” Obito thought Jiraiya’s disciple would be around his age and readily agreed.

“Minato, someone wants to challenge you to a one-on-one, come here!” Jiraiya shouted, laughing loudly at Minato.

“Huh?” Obito looked at the face that somewhat resembled Muzuki’s, a bit dumbfounded. How was he supposed to fight this?

He hadn’t seen Minato fight, but he had seen Minato use Flying Thunder God, disappearing in an instant.

Moreover, Muzuki had also said that Minato’s strength was very high, surpassing many Konoha Jonin.

Obito did have a record of defeating a Jonin, but he did it in cooperation with his teammates, not alone, let alone Minato, who was an elite among Jonin.

“How about it, Goggles Kid, scared now?” Jiraiya looked at Obito with a smile.

“I’m not scared, but your disciple has trained for many more years than me, it’s not fair.” Obito believed that if they were the same age, he might not necessarily lose.

“Jiraiya-sensei, don’t tease Muzuki’s disciple anymore.” Minato walked over helplessly and said. How could he possibly fight Muzuki’s disciple?

Jiraiya laughed a few times and stopped teasing Obito. He just found the child quite interesting.

“Muzuki, are you interested in discussing cooking with the Sages of Mount Myōboku?” At this moment, Jiraiya remembered his promise to Sage Shima, so he asked Muzuki.

“They are the two Sages I summoned during the previous battle.” Jiraiya briefly explained the existence of Mount Myōboku to Muzuki.

“Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku are Sages who have lived for over eight hundred years. They are knowledgeable, powerful, and have mastered various Sage Arts.” Jiraiya tried to emphasize the power of the two Sages to pique Muzuki’s interest.

A thoughtful look flashed in Muzuki’s eyes.

Based on Kurobane’s performance, the dishes made with his Chef skill were also very effective against Nin-Beasts, and should be useful for the toads of Mount Myōboku. It shouldn’t be difficult to gain their favor, but Muzuki was a little concerned about the Great Toad Sage.

The Great Toad Sage possessed a very mystical ability: he could see the future in his dreams. In the original work, almost all of his prophecies came true, which could be said to be quite accurate.

Muzuki found it somewhat incomprehensible to grasp the ability of prophecy. At this point, he was already considered a Ninjutsu master, having mastered many Ninjutsu of various properties. He could understand why the Tailed Beast Ball had the terrifying power to destroy a city in one strike, and why Amaterasu could burn continuously, but no matter how much Muzuki thought, he couldn’t understand why one could see the future.

Muzuki felt that being able to see the future was a very terrifying thing. If the future could be observed, then was everything predetermined, even the act of observing the future itself?

“Whether the future can be changed will soon be known.” Muzuki stopped his divergent thoughts and stabilized his mind.

In a future without him, Might Duy would open the Gate of Death and die for Might Guy, Obito would turn into a lunatic, causing Minato and Kushina’s deaths, and Shisui would be ambushed by Danzo and then commit suicide.

But if he continued to cultivate at his own pace, by the time the Hidden Mist and Konoha went to war, Might Guy would at least be at Constant State of Breathing Technique plus the Fifth Gate of Eight Gates, so Might Duy certainly wouldn’t need to open the Gate of Death.

Shisui’s matter was easy to resolve. By that time, not to mention what level of strength Muzuki would have developed, even Shisui would be far beyond his original counterpart, not so easy to ambush.

Muzuki felt that the most difficult thing to deal with was Obito, because what happened to Obito wasn’t due to war; the fundamental reason was that he was targeted by Uchiha Madara.

At this stage, Muzuki also had no foolproof solution, he could only try to improve the strength of Obito and Kakashi as much as possible. Stronger power could deal with more dangers, which was beneficial and harmless.

“Very interested. A Sage who has lived for over eight hundred years must have a very insightful perspective on cooking.” Muzuki smiled and nodded.

Although he was a little wary of the Great Toad Sage’s prophetic ability, contact with Mount Myōboku was more beneficial than harmful.

To improve his strength, Sage Mode was an excellent choice, and among the Three Great Sage Regions where one could learn Sage Jutsu, Muzuki believed Mount Myōboku was currently the optimal solution.

As for Shikkotsu Forest, he would have to build a good relationship with Tsunade, which was not easy, and there was no clear mention of Shikkotsu Forest’s Sage Mode in the original work.

As for Ryūchi Cave, Orochimaru was too dangerous. Muzuki had many secrets, and he temporarily didn’t want to attract Orochimaru’s interest.

After comprehensive consideration, Muzuki agreed to Jiraiya’s proposal for a cooking discussion.

It wasn’t even certain if Mount Myōboku would sign a contract with him, so if there was a chance to gain favor, he would take it. Having more friends was never a bad thing.

“Summoning Technique!” Seeing Muzuki agree, Jiraiya performed the Summoning Technique to summon the two Toad Sages.

“Little Jiraiya, why did you summon us at this time?” Sage Fukasaku asked with a puzzled expression, realizing it wasn’t for battle.

“Yes, I was just about to go to sleep. I have to get up early to make breakfast tomorrow.” Sage Shima yawned and said.

“Didn’t I say I’d introduce you to a culinary master after the battle? His name is Hayate Mugetsu. I’ve traveled the entire Ninja World and haven’t tasted any dish better than his.” Jiraiya solemnly introduced Muzuki to the two Sages.

He genuinely believed that Muzuki’s cooking had reached an unsurpassable peak. Let alone being as delicious as Muzuki’s, Jiraiya even felt that he had never tasted a dish even half as good as Muzuki’s.

“His cooking level is enough to be called the best in the Ninja World!”

“The best in the Ninja World?” Sage Fukasaku showed a surprised expression, not expecting Jiraiya to praise Muzuki’s cooking skills so highly.

“I wouldn’t dare claim to be the best. Perhaps there’s an unknown mountain where a stronger culinary master exists.” Muzuki said modestly, as admitting he was the best would be a bit too arrogant.

“That’s right, the cooking skills of the housewives in our mountain are not to be underestimated either.” Sage Shima looked at Muzuki with a much more favorable gaze.

Jiraiya recalled the dishes Sage Shima had once made for him and couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. In a sense, they were indeed not to be underestimated.

“Since Little Jiraiya says you’re the best in the Ninja World, then let me, a housewife, compete with you, the best chef in the Ninja World.” Sage Shima became interested.

Muzuki smiled and nodded in agreement.

Hearing that the two were going to compete in cooking, Jiraiya instantly felt a bad premonition. He was very happy to eat Muzuki’s dishes, but Sage Shima’s insect feast was out of the question.

“Then I and Little Jiraiya will be the judges.” Sage Fukasaku said with a smile, finding it quite interesting.

As soon as Sage Fukasaku said this, Jiraiya knew he couldn’t escape tonight. He had just summoned them during the day to fight a Tailed Beast, so how could he refuse?

“Minato, Dekai, Izumo, since you’re all idle, come and be judges too.” Jiraiya coughed twice and extended an invitation to his disciples.

“Such good fortune!” Dekai instantly beamed with joy, feeling that Jiraiya was too good to them, never forgetting them when there was food.

He was just savoring the taste of Muzuki’s cooking, and now he could eat it again.

Kamizuki Izumo smiled and nodded. Although not as excited as Dekai, his thoughts were similar.

Minato also smiled and agreed. Being able to enjoy Muzuki’s cooking was naturally a good thing.

Although Minato had signed a contract with Mount Myōboku, he had never been there, so he didn’t know that Sage Shima made insect feasts.

After pulling all three disciples into it, Jiraiya thought of Obito, who had been challenging him earlier.

“Anyway, it’s your teacher’s competition, so you come and be a judge too.” Jiraiya extended an invitation to Obito.

Upon hearing this, Obito immediately agreed and pulled Might Guy and Kakashi along to support Muzuki.

Jiraiya couldn’t help but snicker when he saw this, as if he could already foresee their expressions when they saw Sage Shima’s insect dishes later.

“I’m going back to cook. Summon me again in about an hour and a half.” Sage Shima said.

Although there were insects here too, Sage Shima believed that only the insects from Mount Myōboku tasted the best, and for a competition, she would definitely use the best ingredients.

Jiraiya released the Summoning Technique, sending the two Sages back to Mount Myōboku.

With the two Sages gone, Muzuki thought for a moment, then quickly began to find ingredients and start cooking.

During this time, Jiraiya and the others followed Muzuki closely. Some wanted to help, while others were curious about how Muzuki made such delicious dishes.

“It feels like everything is just incredibly smooth and proficient, but there doesn’t seem to be anything too special about it.” Kamizuki Izumo became even more confused after watching.

“Yeah, Jiraiya-sensei, do you understand it?” Dekai looked at Jiraiya.

“This is a technique that has reached its peak, returning to its original simplicity. Every step is just right. It’s like practicing Ninjutsu; when every practice step is done to the extreme, the Ninjutsu becomes incredibly powerful.” Jiraiya thought for a moment and replied.

“I see, as expected of Jiraiya-sensei.” The two felt that Jiraiya’s words made a lot of sense.

“Toad Uncle, you do have good taste in this regard. Muzuki-sensei’s cooking level is that of a cooking Sage.” Seeing Jiraiya praise Muzuki, Obito looked at Jiraiya with much more approval.

Jiraiya was already too lazy to correct Obito’s address. Let the child call him whatever he wanted; Muzuki’s cooking skills were indeed undeniable.

An hour later, several people sat in a tent with a long table. Jiraiya used the Summoning Technique to summon the two Sages again.

“You’re in for a treat; I usually only cook for my husband.”

Sage Shima proudly brought her insect feast to the table.

Dekai looked at it. There were dishes and soup, but the soup’s color was a bit strange, purple, with gray-green insects as thick as an arm floating in it. The dish consisted of pink insects as thick as a finger, drizzled with an unknown brown sauce.

“Ugh.” Obito’s throat convulsed, and he felt like vomiting. He quickly glanced at Muzuki’s dishes a few times to calm himself down.

Dekai and Kamizuki Izumo both looked at Jiraiya, and even Minato couldn’t help but cast a puzzled glance at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya’s eyes drifted upwards; as long as he couldn’t see it, it was as if nothing had happened.

“Jiraiya-sensei, I suddenly feel very full from dinner and can’t eat anymore.” Dekai looked at the purple soup and gray-green bugs, and cold sweat instantly trickled down his forehead, wanting to back out.

“If you’re full, then eat a little less. Opportunities to taste Shima’s food don’t come often.” Jiraiya indicated that running away was impossible.

“No, will drinking this soup really not kill us?” Obito couldn’t help but ask.

He even felt that the soup might have poison in it; otherwise, why would it be this color?

“It’s not necessarily poison; it could also be that the bugs themselves are poisonous.” Looking at Shima’s bug feast, even Might Guy, who was usually not picky, couldn’t help but shiver.

He believed that a man shouldn’t be picky, but Shima’s cooking truly didn’t look fit for human consumption.

“How rude! This is a special tonic soup I made. Eating it after training and fighting can greatly replenish energy,” Shima said with dissatisfaction.

“That’s right. Shima’s cooking is very beneficial for training. You all must eat more,” Jiraiya said, nodding in agreement, then reached for Muzuki’s dish with his chopsticks.

Muzuki made two dishes and one soup: the soup was Emerald Jade Soup, and the dishes were fried Tempura and stir-fried fresh wild vegetables with meat, sourced locally.

“I’ve already eaten a lot during my previous training, so I’ll take the loss and eat more of Muzuki’s dishes, leaving Shima’s dishes for you all.” Jiraiya tasted a bite of Tempura, and illusions immediately appeared in his mind.

Kakashi: …

Jiraiya’s image continued to crumble in his mind. He couldn’t even imagine how Orochimaru and Tsunade behaved in private.

“Jiraiya-sensei, please don’t say that. You are one of the Konoha Sannin, someone who has the chance to become Hokage in the future. Your strength is too important to Konoha. Let us take this loss instead,” Kamizuki Izumo said with a smile, picking up a wild vegetable and putting it in his mouth.

Kamizuki Izumo immediately felt as if he had transformed into a green blade of grass, merging with nature. Everything was so comfortable and harmonious.

“Hokage? There’s no way I’m becoming Hokage,” Jiraiya said with a laugh, continuing to pick up food. If Hiruzen really wanted him to be Hokage, he would flat-out refuse.

Jiraiya had no desire to become Hokage in his heart, not only because he felt the Hokage’s work was too heavy and would interfere with his research, but also because he believed he had a more important mission: finding the Child of Prophecy.

“Toad Uncle, why are you so lacking in ambition? I think I can become Hokage,” Obito said proudly.

“Then you’ll have to train hard. You can’t become Hokage the way you are now,” Jiraiya said with a chuckle, not minding Obito’s words. He was encouraging him.

Although he himself didn’t want to be Hokage, he didn’t think the dream of becoming Hokage was bad.

“Of course! With Muzuki-sensei teaching me, I’ll definitely be stronger than your disciples, and even stronger than you,” Obito said with a mischievous laugh.

“Youth means not being picky! A man should be brave enough to challenge!” Might Guy self-hypnotized, and finally, with courage, picked up a red bug and put it in his mouth to chew.

Although he also wanted to eat Muzuki’s cooking, Might Guy felt that Shima’s hard work of an hour shouldn’t go to waste.

A bitter, sour, and a very strange but incredibly unpalatable taste exploded in Might Guy’s mouth. He clenched his teeth with all his might to keep from spitting out the food.

Then Might Guy took another sip of the purple soup. He had initially drunk it with the courage to faint afterward, but he found that the soup tasted a bit better than the pink bugs. Although it was still unpalatable, it was much better than the bugs he had just eaten.

If Might Guy had to describe it, the taste of the bugs just now was like making unwashed smelly socks into a sauce, then pouring it over rotten mud and eating it directly. That was pretty much the taste.

“Thank you for the meal!” Might Guy smiled and gave Shima a thumbs-up.

“Your taste isn’t bad after all.” Shima, who had been somewhat displeased, saw Might Guy give her a thumbs-up and her mood began to improve.

Jiraiya didn’t actually eat only Muzuki’s cooking. He was just joking with his disciples. He was on such good terms with the Toads, how could he not eat it? After a few bites of Muzuki’s cooking, Jiraiya also took a sip of the bug soup, then quickly added another piece of Muzuki’s Tempura into his mouth.

“Hundreds of years, and it’s still as delicious as ever,” Fukasaku said with a smile after eating the bug dish, praising it.

He wasn’t praising her just because Shima was his wife, but because he genuinely found it quite delicious.

After all, it was a competition. Although Fukasaku didn’t particularly like those strange human foods, he also picked up a wild vegetable and tasted it.

With that one bite, Fukasaku was instantly astonished. In that moment, he felt as if he was no longer a Toad, but a thriving green blade of grass growing in nature.

“Dear, the food that person made isn’t as good as mine, is it?” Shima asked.

Fukasaku savored the experience he had just had, then shook his head and said:

“Although your cooking is delicious, little Muzuki’s cooking can allow one to comprehend the true meaning of nature. The difference between you two is like that between ordinary Ninjutsu and Sage Mode.”

The moment he ate it, Fukasaku was truly shocked. He had lived for over eight hundred years and had never eaten such a dish. The sensation was so real; he felt as if he could sense the stirrings of natural energy.

“Is it that amazing?” Shima felt a bit unconvinced hearing her husband praise an outsider so much.

So she also picked up the wild vegetable that Fukasaku had just picked.

After eating it, Shima’s feeling of unconvinced immediately vanished, and the displeasure on her face turned into shock.

“When did human cooking become so delicious?” Shima said with a surprised expression.

“And that feeling just now was so real. How did he do that?” After her surprise, Shima developed intense curiosity.

However, Shima quickly stopped being surprised. She had to hurry and eat, or else it would all be eaten by the others.

Soon, Muzuki’s dishes were completely devoured, and Shima’s bug feast was also finished after everyone adopted expressions of resigned determination.

“Little Muzuki, what do you think of my cooking?” Shima asked Muzuki about his feelings after eating her food.

“For a homemaker, it’s quite excellent in all aspects, but it’s not suitable for general human consumption,” Muzuki adjusted his expression and commented with a smile.

“It really can’t compare to your cooking, little Muzuki,” Shima said, quite satisfied with Muzuki’s evaluation.

“Little Jiraiya, what do you think of little Muzuki?” Fukasaku suddenly asked Jiraiya.

“Very excellent, both in terms of strength and other aspects,” Jiraiya thought for a moment and replied.

Although he hadn’t interacted with Muzuki much, Muzuki had left a very good impression on Jiraiya.

If it had been in the past, perhaps Jiraiya would have taken Muzuki as a disciple. After all, having two disciples who were very similar and excellent in all aspects would indeed be great.

However, now Jiraiya was only thinking about finding the Child of Prophecy. After the war ended, he would continue his journey and wouldn’t have time to teach Muzuki.

“Then when you have time, you must bring little Muzuki to Mount Myōboku as a guest. I’m really looking forward to him making a feast using Mount Myōboku’s ingredients,” Fukasaku said with a smile.

Jiraiya somewhat understood Fukasaku’s meaning and nodded with a big laugh, saying, “I’ll definitely go when I have time.”

Muzuki heard their conversation and had some guesses. Perhaps the two Sages found him quite agreeable and thought he could become a Mount Myōboku contractor, but since they weren’t familiar, they asked Jiraiya to observe him. If he passed, he could be brought to Mount Myōboku.

Of course, it was also possible that Fukasaku was genuinely craving his cooking and simply wanted him to visit Mount Myōboku.

For Muzuki, it was a win-win situation anyway. He was just making a few dishes, which was no trouble for him.

To prevent Iwagakure from pulling any stunts, Muzuki stayed in the war camp for a few days. Nothing happened, and only then did he bid farewell to Minato and Jiraiya.

“Minato, do you have anything you want me to tell Kushina? I can go back and tell her for you,” Muzuki asked with a smile.

Minato thought for a moment. He indeed had many things he wanted to tell Kushina. He wanted to ask Kushina if it was tiring to have a monster living inside her, and if she felt lonely when training alone. But if all of this had to be relayed by Muzuki, it would probably require a ten-thousand-word essay. Minato condensed a thousand words into one sentence:

“Tell her I’m doing well, to take care of herself, not to stay up late, and to eat on time.”

“I will relay it verbatim,” Muzuki said, remembering every word in his mind, then nodded.

“Muzuki, all the merits you earned on the battlefield have been reported back. There might be a surprise when you return,” Jiraiya said with a big laugh, bidding farewell to Muzuki.

On the first day after the battle ended, he had already sent back the news of the great victory. Jiraiya specifically wrote a separate letter to Hiruzen Sarutobi, detailing Muzuki’s performance in the war and suggesting that Muzuki be further nurtured.

“Thank you, Jiraiya-sama,” Muzuki said with a gentle smile, thanking Jiraiya for requesting recognition for his contributions.

“If you want to thank me, then make me a big meal when I get back. Also, your three disciples are all very good; continue to train them well.”

Obito and the others had grown accustomed to following Muzuki, training wherever they went. These past few days in the camp, they had also continuously kept up their training. Jiraiya noticed this and realized that all three were extremely excellent, among the strongest of their age group.

“If they keep this up, they might have a chance to become the next Sannin, but it feels strange that it’s not two males and one female,” Jiraiya thought to himself.

“Minato-senpai, Toad Uncle, goodbye.” Obito waved goodbye to Minato and Jiraiya.

Minato, like Muzuki, was humble and excellent. After spending a few days with Minato, Obito had a very good impression of him. As for Jiraiya, although he could be annoying sometimes, Obito felt he was still a very good person.

“Dekai-senpai, if there’s a chance in the future, let’s have another youthful battle together!” Might Guy gave Dekai a thumbs-up.

After discovering that Dekai was a master of Lightning Release Ninja Body Technique, he tried to initiate a challenge. Although he was soundly defeated, the two got along well.

“Haha, if you can pick a good time, then there’s no problem,” Dekai agreed with a hearty laugh.

“Jiraiya-sama, Minato-senpai, goodbye.” Kakashi politely bade farewell to each of them.

After saying their goodbyes, Muzuki took his disciples and the supply convoy back to Konoha.

On the way, Obito kept fiddling with his camera, looking at the photos he had taken.

“So there are so many kinds of plants. If you don’t look closely, you really wouldn’t notice,” Obito realized that what he had considered similar green trees actually had many varieties, with different kinds of leaves.

When he flipped to the photo of Minato’s smiling face taken by Jiraiya, Obito couldn’t help but laugh out loud and say:

“Muzuki-sensei, do we really have to show this to Minato-senpai’s girlfriend?”

Obito felt that if a photo like that of himself were shown to Rin Nohara, he might not dare to show his face in front of her for two days.

“This is the most precious one. She should like it,” Muzuki replied with a smile.

7k. I’ll see if I can write another chapter tonight. If I finish it before 2:30 AM, I’ll post it; otherwise, I’ll post it tomorrow. I’ll definitely hit 10,000 words tomorrow.

The protagonist will develop his own Sage Mode later, but such an advanced ability certainly can’t be conceived on a whim. He will first interact with existing Sage Modes.

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