Chapter 312 Kakashi Explodes Gold

Silence temporarily fell in the monitoring room, and Gengetsu breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the memory couldn’t be checked, things became simple. He would just insist that Akami Hideyuki was a spy and a traitor.

Gengetsu looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose expression remained unchanged, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.

Gengetsu knew clearly that this matter could be big or small, depending entirely on how Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to handle it. If Konoha wanted to pursue it and insist that Akami Hideyuki was a Mist Ninja sent to cause destruction, there would be no problem.

Just then, the door to the monitoring room was pushed open, and Danzo entered with two Root Ninja.

“How dare you Mist Ninja try to assassinate our Konoha’s genius Ninja!” Danzo sharply declared the moment he entered.

“If you want war with Konoha, we will fight to the end.”

Danzo launched into a tirade, as if Hidden Mist had officially declared war on Konoha.

Gengetsu calmly explained what had just happened, reiterating Akami Hideyuki’s identity as a spy.

“His brain being damaged by a Jutsu doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a spy. Perhaps you Mist Ninja are trying to get rid of your own suspicion,” Danzo said relentlessly.

“If you want to prove your innocence, then let all Mist Ninja undergo a memory search,” Danzo stated his solution.

“If you truly have no issues, this old man is willing to personally apologize.”

“Elder Shimura, are you joking? There’s no way I would agree to such a thing,” Gengetsu was starting to lose his composure. Danzo was thinking too optimistically.

Checking their memories could indeed prove their innocence, but then Konoha would know the color of Hidden Mist’s underwear.

As an Elder of Hidden Mist Village, Gengetsu knew too many Hidden Mist secrets. Even if he were to die in Konoha, he would destroy his own head before dying to prevent Konoha from obtaining his memories.

Not to mention himself, the Jonin he brought with him could not simply allow Konoha to see their memories. This would be equivalent to directly giving Konoha all of Hidden Mist’s secret Jutsu and Ninja training methods for free.

Compared to the confidential information in their heads, Danzo’s apology was worthless, not even worth Danzo committing suicide.

“Are you feeling guilty?” Danzo looked at Gengetsu with a chilling gaze.

“On this matter, my conscience is clear, but I cannot allow Hidden Mist’s secrets to be leaked,” Gengetsu retorted, staring back at Danzo without backing down.

“Don’t worry about that. Our Konoha Ninja are the most trustworthy. They won’t look at what they shouldn’t,” Danzo continued.

Gengetsu still smiled outwardly, but inwardly, he sneered. If he truly believed Danzo’s words, how could he have become an Elder of Hidden Mist Village? It would be a ghost if they didn’t look at free confidential information.

Gengetsu firmly disagreed with Danzo’s proposal, while Danzo pressed on, stating that if Gengetsu and his group didn’t agree, it meant they had something to hide.

“There are many suspicious points in this matter. Directly checking Elder Gengetsu’s memories is indeed somewhat inappropriate,” Hiruzen Sarutobi interjected at this moment.

“But that is the fastest and most accurate way,” Danzo replied with dissatisfaction.

Muzuki silently watched this scene, and he had a rough prediction of the outcome of this matter.

Konoha did not currently have the intention of starting a war. After all, they already had Iwagakure and Hidden Cloud Village to deal with. Even a hawk like Danzo did not want to face three great Ninja Villages simultaneously.

However, Konoha certainly wouldn’t swallow this insult. Whether Akami Hideyuki was a spy or not was not important; what was important was that Akami Hideyuki was a Mist Ninja, at least before his death, he had not been stripped of his Mist Ninja registration.

So it wouldn’t escalate to war, but Konoha would definitely not let Gengetsu and his group leave easily. They would at least extort some benefits.

Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi were clearly playing good cop, bad cop. First, Danzo would propose a solution that Gengetsu absolutely could not accept, and then Hiruzen Sarutobi would step in as the good Guy and propose a solution that would be somewhat uncomfortable for Hidden Mist but acceptable.

However, the monitoring room was not the place to discuss matters, so Hiruzen Sarutobi and Gengetsu quickly left the monitoring room to go to a dedicated conference room to discuss solutions.

Muzuki left a Shadow Clone in the monitoring room to continue watching the surveillance, while his main body went to the Central Tower’s cafeteria for dinner.

The second stage of the Chunin Exams lasted for five days. During these five days, both examinees and proctors had to stay within the Death Forest. Even if an examinee completed the requirements and arrived at the Central Tower on the first day, they still had to stay at the Central Tower until the last moment.

This was because after the exam ended, there would be rules related to the third stage of the exam to explain.

Additionally, if too many examinees passed the second stage, an additional test would be held to eliminate some examinees and improve the quality of examinees for the third stage.

The third stage of the exam was different from the first two. Konoha invited many officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants to watch the competition. To make the exam more exciting and demonstrate the strength of Konoha Ninja, both quantity and quality needed to be controlled well.

Not every Chunin Exams was conducted this way. Only large-scale Chunin Exams like this one would invite officials and nobles.

After all, Konoha held the Chunin Exams twice a year consistently, and inviting them every time would be too frequent.

“Muzuki-sensei, don’t you find other people’s food unpalatable when you eat it?” Obito asked curiously after dinner.

In Obito’s mind, there was only the best-tasting cuisine, never a second best. He felt that other people’s cooking was too far behind Muzuki’s, a gap even greater than the difference in strength between a Jonin and a Genin.

“It’s alright, I guess. After all, I can’t always cook myself,” Muzuki thought for a moment and replied with a smile.

He didn’t have much desire for food for the time being. Before transmigrating, he was quite happy to travel around and taste local delicacies, but he didn’t have that inclination before becoming invincible in the world of Naruto.

The impression this world gave Muzuki was too terrible: a backward feudal system, cruel Ninja wars. Under such circumstances, how could he leisurely pursue his desire for food?

“However, if you want to eat, I can spare some time tomorrow to prepare lunch for you,” Muzuki saw through Obito’s thoughts.

“Hehe, Muzuki-sensei, you really understand me,” Obito chuckled, admitting that he just wanted to eat Muzuki’s cooking.

“Muzuki-sensei, I think I entered the Transparent World state you mentioned today,” Kakashi began to tell Muzuki about his experience today.

“At that time, I didn’t know how I did it. My mind was very tired, every part of my body was in pain, but suddenly I entered a Transparent World, able to see my own body and the enemy’s body clearly.”

“But now that I’ve recovered, I can’t reach that state anymore. It’s just that my five senses are much stronger than before.”

After being healed by Muzuki, Kakashi tried many times, but no matter how he recalled the feeling at the time, he couldn’t enter that clear and Transparent World again.

“You did enter the Transparent World, but that doesn’t count as truly mastering it. You just accidentally entered the Transparent World state under extreme circumstances,” Muzuki explained.

“However, this is a good thing for you, because once awakened, you are not far from truly mastering it. Now you just need to strengthen your Breathing Technique, and then constantly search for the feeling of activating the Transparent World, and you will be able to truly master the Transparent World.”

Kakashi’s strike at that time even surprised Muzuki. He had originally prepared to step in and instantly kill Akami Hideyuki, but Kakashi walked over and instantly killed him with one strike.

【Name: Kakashi Hatake】

【Skills: Thunder Breathing (Beginner: 499/500), Transparent World (Beginner: 20/100)…】

Kakashi’s Breathing Technique proficiency soared, surpassing those disciples who had started learning earlier than him, only a little short of reaching the proficient level.

However, Muzuki estimated that Kakashi would have to grind for a long time for that last bit, because Kakashi’s proficiency soared due to the significant increase in his Breathing Technique’s upper limit, and Constant State required maintaining a weakened Full Concentration state all day, which Kakashi was not yet able to do.

Additionally, Kakashi’s Transparent World already showed proficiency, so Muzuki said that Kakashi mastering the Transparent World was only a matter of time.

The Mark and Transparent World are considered derivative skills of the Breathing Technique. They are automatically mastered once a certain realm is reached, but those with strong talent can master them earlier.

“I understand,” Kakashi nodded, preparing to dedicate all his time to strengthening his Breathing Technique to completely master the Transparent World as soon as possible.

Having experienced the Transparent World once, he knew how powerful it was. If he could fully master it, he was confident he could surpass his father in Ninja achievements.

“What are you two talking about? What Transparent World?” Obito asked with a bewildered expression.

Because the conditions for the Transparent World were too difficult to achieve, Muzuki only mentioned it to Kakashi when trying to solve Kakashi’s problem; he hadn’t told his other disciples.

Now that all the disciples were present, Muzuki briefly explained to them what the ultimate technique of the Breathing Technique, the Transparent World, was.

“I thought Kakashi was possessed by you, Muzuki-sensei. So he learned a new ability,” Obito showed a look of sudden understanding.

“This ability is really strong, Teacher Muzuki, do you think I can learn it now?” Obito looked at Muzuki expectantly.

“Most likely not,” Muzuki shook his head and replied, “Kakashi’s situation is extremely unique.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to dampen his disciples’ enthusiasm, but this thing was truly difficult. Kakashi being able to awaken Transparent World early was something Muzuki hadn’t expected.

This was an ability that could only be stably awakened after cultivating a Breathing Technique to the perfect level. Obito and the others, even with his teaching, had only cultivated the Breathing Technique for a year and hadn’t even reached the proficient level, let alone the perfect level. It required a full 15,000 proficiency points to go from mastery to perfect.

“Is that so…” Obito’s expression showed a hint of disappointment; Kakashi had it, and he didn’t.

“It’s fine, I still have the Sharingan, which Kakashi will never have,” Obito immediately comforted himself.

If he couldn’t learn Transparent World now, it didn’t mean he couldn’t learn it in the future, but Kakashi, who wasn’t an Uchiha, would never be able to have the Sharingan.

“Obito, you don’t need to envy Kakashi. Haven’t you noticed that your Breathing Technique also changed during the battle?” Muzuki said, patting Obito’s head.

“Name: Uchiha Obito”

“Skills: Flame Breathing (入門: 497/500), Flame Breathing Mark (入門: 10/100)”

Even the perfect Transparent World could be awakened early, and the Mark was no exception. After all, the localized Mark in Hokage primarily burned Chakra, so the physical strain wasn’t as great.

The reason Obito and Kakashi performed so differently in battle wasn’t that Transparent World was far superior to the Mark; these two abilities actually had their own merits.

However, the Mark had a drawback: it required a lot of Chakra. Unfortunately, Obito was still young and didn’t have much Chakra. During his fight with Akami Hideyuki, his already limited Chakra was mostly depleted beforehand, which resulted in Obito appearing to have no significant changes apart from being more resilient and not being burned by his own flames.

At that time, Kakashi had fully entered the state of Transparent World, while Obito, due to insufficient Chakra, had not entered the true Mark state.

“If you train diligently, you can enter the Flame Breathing Chakra Mode early,” Muzuki gave the Mark a more Hokage-like name, as nothing grew on the forehead now.

“At that time, all Fire Release will not require hand seals, and the power of Fire Release will also greatly increase.”

“Mm-hmm.” Obito nodded like a pecking chick, already fantasizing about himself transforming into a Fire Release cannon and bombarding Kakashi.

“As expected of my rivals, you’ve all made great progress!” Might Guy gave Kakashi and Obito a thumbs up.

Both Transparent World and the Mark were abilities whose effects immediately suggested they could make one very strong.

“Guy, you just need to continue your Constant State training; you can put the Eight Gates aside for now,” Muzuki said with a smile, outlining Might Guy’s next training focus.

Although Kakashi and Obito had made considerable progress, if it were a one-on-one battle, Kakashi was hard to say, but Obito was truly in doubt. Rock Breathing combined with Eight Gates was truly simple and brutal.

“Understood!” Might Guy showed his shining white teeth and smiled confidently.

Although he hadn’t learned Transparent World early nor the Mark early, he believed that he was no worse than Kakashi and Obito.

Muzuki chatted with his disciples for a while and then went to work. As the chief examiner of the second exam, he couldn’t openly slack off too much.

However, before leaving, Muzuki gave Kakashi and Obito some cultivation insights and experiences regarding Transparent World and the Mark. Knowing that his disciple would have a chance to get a perfect-level reward when reaching trust level four, Muzuki gave it to Kakashi first, then Obito.

“You gifted your disciple the Transparent World Training Manual. Your disciple is extremely grateful and received a super critical reward—Water Breathing (Perfect Level).”

Muzuki stared at the system’s reward, stunned. He hadn’t expected the system to actually drop the Water Breathing he was developing.

After organizing the vast amount of Water Breathing cultivation memories in his mind, Muzuki found that his overall approach to developing Breathing Techniques was basically sound, with only minor differences in details.

Comparing the Breathing Technique he had envisioned with the perfect-level Water Breathing that had appeared in his mind, Muzuki gained a completely new understanding of Breathing Techniques.

“This is good too. Now I can focus all my efforts on researching Sealing Technique,” Muzuki’s mood gradually calmed.

The reward for teaching disciples was too random. A perfect-level Breathing Technique was better than a perfect-level Ninjutsu, and it also saved him time in developing Water Breathing.

Each Breathing Technique has its own characteristics. Water Breathing consumes less Chakra and is more durable compared to other Breathing Techniques. Additionally, Water Breathing has a unique effect: it can enhance Chakra shape transformation abilities, making Water Release more versatile.

Upon reaching the perfect level of a Breathing Technique, one automatically comprehends Transparent World. Although Muzuki already had a perfect-level Thunder Breathing, after another Breathing Technique reached the perfect level, Muzuki noticed that his Transparent World had changed somewhat.

“What would Sun Breathing be like?” Muzuki pondered.

According to the current system’s localization model, after Sun Breathing is localized, it will most likely also be related to fire.

However, Flame Breathing was already related to fire, and Sun Breathing would only be much stronger than Flame Breathing. Muzuki was a bit curious about what the effect of Sun Breathing would be.

…

At night, Obito woke up in an unfamiliar room. As he was about to go to the bathroom, he saw Rin Nohara’s figure by a large French window.

“Rin, you’re still not asleep so late?” Obito asked, scratching his head.

“Perhaps too much happened today, I’m not very sleepy yet,” Rin Nohara turned and replied with a smile.

“After all that happened, I don’t really feel like sleeping either,” Obito chuckled and walked over to Rin Nohara’s side.

Looking at the bright moon outside the window, Rin Nohara sighed, “It feels like everyone else is so amazing, even defeating a Jonin.”

Might Guy defeated Kisame and held back Akami Hideyuki. Obito also endured Akami Hideyuki’s pressure for a long time. Kakashi, who instantly killed Akami Hideyuki with one strike, was the biggest contributor. Even Nara Shiosui’s team, whom they initially rescued, made a miraculous contribution and nearly defeated Akami Hideyuki.

“No way, Rin, your role was also very important. Without your healing, we would have collapsed long ago,” Obito believed that Rin Nohara also played a crucial role in this battle.

If Rin Nohara hadn’t used her last bit of Chakra to heal him, he might not have lasted until Kakashi awakened Transparent World. Moreover, Nara Shiosui’s team was also able to recover somewhat and join the battle because of Rin Nohara’s healing.

“But if I were stronger, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so difficult,” Rin Nohara sighed, looking at the bright moon outside the window.

Seeing the constant addition of injuries on Obito and Kakashi while she didn’t even have Chakra for healing, Rin Nohara couldn’t forget that feeling of powerlessness even now. If Kakashi hadn’t erupted at the crucial moment, Rin Nohara wouldn’t dare to imagine what would have happened to them.

In terms of combat, she didn’t defeat a single enemy, and in terms of healing, she didn’t feel like she healed much. Rin Nohara felt that she really couldn’t keep up with Obito and Kakashi, even as a pure Medical Ninja.

“But Rin, you’re already excellent! None of the Chunin Exams candidates should have learned Mystical Palm Technique, right? And didn’t Teacher Muzuki say that you have great talent in Medical Ninjutsu, and you’re just starting now?” Obito said, looking into Rin Nohara’s eyes encouragingly.

When he was a dead last, Rin Nohara always encouraged him and believed in him. Obito also believed that Rin Nohara would definitely not be worse than them and would make a name for herself in her own field.

“Look at me, when I first entered the Ninja Academy, I only scored five points on the theory exam, but during the Chunin Exams, I still got eighty points on the theory. In the past, Guy would always be instantly defeated by Kakashi when he challenged him, but later, Guy also defeated Kakashi. Nothing is impossible.” To motivate Rin Nohara, Obito didn’t hesitate to use his own theory exam score as an example.

“Five points, that’s truly hard to imagine how you scored that,” Rin Nohara couldn’t help but smile when she saw Obito even mention his five-point score.

“That’s not important, Rin. Anyway, you’re already really amazing. You have to believe in yourself and believe in Teacher Muzuki!” Obito said with clenched fists and a serious expression.

“Mm,” Rin Nohara nodded, showing a gentle smile.

This chapter is a 5k large chapter. I heard that combining chapters can increase average subscriptions, so I’m giving it a try.

What do you all think? Will the update be too late, or will one chapter seem a bit short?