Chapter 390 The unexpected effect of dragon vein energy

Uzumaki Naruto stood rooted to the spot, taking a long time to react, and then wandered aimlessly through the streets of Loulan.

He wished Jiraiya was just playing a joke on him, and that Jiraiya hadn’t actually left, but was just hiding nearby using Ninjutsu.

“Why did he do that? Wouldn’t it have been better to just know the future?” Uzumaki Naruto muttered to himself, looking lost.

Uzumaki Naruto felt that changing Jiraiya’s future would be simple, because he knew the complete cause and effect and the time of Jiraiya’s death in battle.

“He just needed to not go investigate the intelligence…”

“Want some ramen?” Muzuki suddenly appeared beside the disheartened Naruto and asked.

“Eat,” Uzumaki Naruto answered subconsciously, looking at Muzuki.

Muzuki quickly led Uzumaki Naruto back to the rented house.

As soon as Uzumaki Naruto walked in, he smelled a very rich aroma; he looked at the dining table, where two large bowls of steaming ramen were already laid out.

Uzumaki Naruto, drawn by the aroma, walked to the table and found that the ramen was exactly his favorite pork miso chashu ramen.

“I wasn’t sure if the ramen flavors here in Loulan were the same as in Konoha, so I made it myself,” Muzuki explained, sitting next to Uzumaki Naruto.

Looking at Muzuki’s gentle smile, Uzumaki Naruto felt a warmth in his heart; even though they were indoors, he felt the warmth of sunbathing.

Uzumaki Naruto thanked Muzuki, then said, “Itadakimasu,” and picked up his chopsticks to savor the incredibly tempting ramen.

As the incredibly delicious ramen entered his mouth, Uzumaki Naruto felt as if he were sunbathing on a wonderfully fresh beach, his whole body filled with warmth.

After a few bites of ramen, Uzumaki Naruto took a sip of the broth, and the warmth in his body intensified.

If this were normal, Uzumaki Naruto would immediately praise Muzuki’s delicious ramen with excitement, but thinking that Jiraiya might still die, this incredibly delicious ramen seemed to lose some of its luster.

“Brother Muzuki, Ero-Sennin is very strange, right?” Uzumaki Naruto suddenly said while eating.

“He always brags about his reputation, but he can’t get rid of his perverted habit. When he teaches me Ninjutsu, he always makes me practice alone and then runs off to play. He knows it’s dangerous but still insists on investigating intelligence alone. He even claims to treat me to popsicles that I bought with my own money…”

Uzumaki Naruto incessantly complained about Jiraiya’s various bad habits, as if he had a grudge against Jiraiya.

But Uzumaki Naruto’s gradually moistening eyes proved his true feelings.

Muzuki sighed softly, placed his hand on Uzumaki Naruto’s head, and gently stroked it twice without speaking.

Reality is incredibly cruel; even if Uzumaki Naruto told Jiraiya everything, and this world’s Jiraiya survived, the Jiraiya in Uzumaki Naruto’s world would still not be resurrected.

Because they were not in different times, but in two different worlds.

After pouring out everything, Uzumaki Naruto felt much better, and the ramen in his mouth regained its original deliciousness.

“This is truly the best ramen I’ve ever eaten, even better than Ichiraku’s ramen,” Uzumaki Naruto said after finishing, still savoring the taste of the ramen, everything was just right.

Although Uzumaki Naruto loved Ichiraku Ramen, he had to admit that the taste of the ramen Muzuki made had reached the pinnacle of ramen; he felt it was impossible to have any ramen better than this.

“As long as you like it,” Muzuki said with a smile.

Looking at Muzuki’s smiling face, and then recalling Yamato’s earlier speculation about Muzuki, Uzumaki Naruto’s heart sank again.

He felt it was truly unfair; why couldn’t people like Jiraiya and Muzuki live to the end?

“Brother Muzuki, if we go back, is it possible to come back again?” Uzumaki Naruto asked.

He wasn’t clear about the principle of their time travel, but Uzumaki Naruto really wanted to travel again after returning.

He wanted to find Kakashi-sensei to ask for a clear explanation, bring all the causes of death back to the past, and then let Muzuki and the others live.

“It’s possible, but it should be very difficult,” Muzuki thought for a moment and replied.

Muzuki found this question difficult to answer, as he also hadn’t fully understood the mechanism of the Dragon Vein allowing people to traverse time and worlds.

Perhaps Uzumaki Naruto triggering the Dragon Vein’s power again would only transport him to another parallel world, or perhaps he would truly travel back to the past of their own world.

Uzumaki Naruto’s gaze became firm; since it was possible, he would definitely try.

“Brother Muzuki, let’s continue our lesson,” Uzumaki Naruto said.

Not only were there things he needed to resolve in the past, but there were also many problems waiting for him to solve in his own time: the Akatsuki Organization, the rogue Sasuke; to solve these problems, he needed greater strength.

Muzuki smiled and nodded, leading Uzumaki Naruto back to continue their lesson.

Although Uzumaki Naruto only needed to follow the routine to become the savior of the Ninja World, mastering Yang Release Breathing would make his path less arduous.

Uzumaki Naruto didn’t mention his meeting with Jiraiya, but Yamato noticed that Uzumaki Naruto was somewhat different after returning.

Yamato didn’t ask Uzumaki Naruto for specifics, but continued training as usual.

He knew that Uzumaki Naruto’s mood was definitely not good right now.

“How could a Ninja like Jiraiya-sama accept this kind of help?” Yamato sighed inwardly.

When Uzumaki Naruto first said he wanted to see Jiraiya, Yamato had already guessed this outcome.

But he couldn’t stop Uzumaki Naruto; with such an opportunity presented to Uzumaki Naruto, not trying it wasn’t Uzumaki Naruto’s style.

During his break, Yamato racked his brain for various funny jokes, trying his best to cheer Uzumaki Naruto up.

Unfortunately, Yamato’s face was not suited for telling jokes; even the funniest joke, when spoken by him, could only turn into a cold joke.

“Does Wood Release affect the humor cells in the body?” Obito thought seriously.

“I don’t think so, he’s just bad at telling jokes,” Kakashi commented.

“Kakashi, how can you say that? This is your future junior,” Obito said, as if speaking up for Yamato.

“Alright then, it’s probably just that he doesn’t have many friends, no one to tell jokes to, which leads to his terrible joke-telling skills,” Kakashi re-commented.

Yamato:…

It hardened, his fist hardened.

He really wanted to beat up the two people in front of him; how could they gang up on him like that?

“Don’t say that, Captain Yamato,” Uzumaki Naruto stepped forward to speak for Yamato.

But Uzumaki Naruto’s next words made Yamato unable to hold back.

“He’s just a bit dull, that’s all,” Uzumaki Naruto said seriously.

Yamato covered his face in exasperation, “Oh no, I’ve turned myself into the joke.”

Yamato’s face flushed, followed by some difficult-to-understand words, like “one’s appearance is not by choice” and “Anbu Ninja,” which made everyone laugh, and for a moment, the atmosphere became lively.

Although he sacrificed himself, seeing Naruto’s smile, Yamato felt it wasn’t a total loss.

After a short break, the few quickly returned to training.

“The most important thing for Water Release is Chakra Nature Transformation; don’t be confined to one form,” Muzuki told Yamato.

“Use Water Formation Wall.”

Yamato nodded, formed hand signs, gathered Chakra, and then rapidly transformed all the Chakra into Water Release Chakra, creating a wall of water from the ground up to block in front of him.

“Such a Water Formation Wall can only block attacks from one direction, but if you use Water Formation Wall like I do, you can block attacks from all directions,” Muzuki said, beginning to form hand signs to demonstrate.

“Water Release: Water Formation Wall!”

Muzuki expelled a massive stream of water from his mouth; the water rapidly spun in a circle around Muzuki, quickly forming an impenetrable dome of water that enveloped both Muzuki and Yamato.

Yamato also tried to follow Muzuki’s procedure, but failed due to insufficient Nature Transformation ability.

Muzuki was not surprised by this; this wasn’t something that could be grasped instantly; it required long-term practice and a certain level of talent.

Ninjutsu isn’t like play-doh, where a Ninja can mold whatever shape they want.

Just like Yamato doesn’t use Wood Release: World of Trees, is it because he doesn’t like using it? No, it’s because he can’t use it.

“Try to use Water Breathing while using Water Release,” Muzuki continued to instruct.

Yamato had only been practicing Water Breathing for a relatively short time, and his proficiency had just barely exceeded ten, so he could only barely use it.

Yamato performed Water Formation Wall again as Muzuki instructed; although he still didn’t succeed, it felt a little different from before.

【Lecture Completed】

【Evaluation: S】

【Reward: Yang Release Chakra Nature Transformation +8, Yang Release Breathing +3, Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation +2, Water Breathing +1, Chakra Nature Transformation ability slightly increased】

After the day’s lesson was settled, Muzuki had many more ideas about Yang Release Breathing in his mind.

Perhaps it was because Uzumaki Naruto had a surge of hidden potential, but today’s experience for Yang Release Breathing was a bit more than usual; normally, it was a stable two points, and other aspects had no change.

As the development of Yang Release Breathing gradually moved towards a cultivable prototype, An Lushan finally couldn’t bear Muzuki’s torture and told Muzuki his secret method for absorbing the Dragon Vein.

“All the power of the Dragon Vein is yours; just let me go,” An Lushan pleaded.

Muzuki looked at An Lushan with indifferent eyes, then began to read the secret method An Lushan had personally written.

“It seems I was too kind to you,” Muzuki sighed, walked out of An Lushan’s confinement, and intensified the torment.

In fact, he didn’t know the authenticity of the secret method An Lushan wrote, as this was an area he wasn’t skilled in, but that didn’t stop Muzuki from being suspicious of An Lushan.

Facing someone like An Lushan, Muzuki wouldn’t show any mercy; even if he was wrong to suspect him, he wouldn’t feel guilty.

“This guy hasn’t even become a rogue Ninja yet; he must be planning something,” An Lushan was dumbfounded, looking at the merciless Muzuki.

Muzuki gave him the feeling that he was nothing like a stable and honest Ninja.

Leaving the detention area, Muzuki went to see the Queen of Loulan.

Because Muzuki had helped Loulan solve a huge problem, the Queen of Loulan agreed to let him research her ability to control the Dragon Vein.

However, this time it was different from An Lushan; the Queen of Loulan would only control a tiny bit of Dragon Vein power to Muzuki’s side for him to research.

If Muzuki hadn’t already known about the existence of the Dragon Vein, the Queen truly wouldn’t have wanted to agree to Muzuki’s request; she was worried that Muzuki would become the next An Lushan.

With the Queen’s help, Muzuki’s research into the Dragon Vein became smoother.

“Solving the Chakra problem still requires more reward brushing and developing the Yang Seal.” The more Muzuki researched the Dragon Vein, the more he realized that Dragon Vein energy couldn’t be directly put into the body like a Tailed Beast as a power bank; this thing was too dangerous.

However, Muzuki did find another use for Dragon Vein energy: strengthening Chakra Armor.

After Muzuki sealed Dragon Vein energy into the Chakra Armor from Land of Snow, the armor’s amplification of Ninjutsu power received a huge boost.

However, this boost still had a limit; Muzuki tried to fully unleash a perfect-level Nature Transformation Fire Release, and the Chakra Armor’s amplification became negligible.

But this was still a good discovery; Muzuki couldn’t use it, but he could give it to Kakashi and the others.

…

“Brother Muzuki, I think I feel that difference you mentioned,” Uzumaki Naruto said to Muzuki with joy on the first day of officially practicing Yang Release Breathing, around noon.

Muzuki used Appraisal Technique to look at Uzumaki Naruto.

【Name: Uzumaki Naruto】

【Skills: Yang Release Breathing (1/100)】

Perhaps it was because he had studied the theory for a long time, or Uzumaki Naruto’s own talent, but Uzumaki Naruto’s progress was very fast, and he gained proficiency in just a few hours.

Uzumaki Naruto, having found the right training path, immediately used the Shadow Clone training method, splitting into more than twenty Shadow Clones to practice Yang Release Breathing together.

After training for a period, Uzumaki Naruto dispelled the Shadow Clones to consolidate his training memories; in Muzuki’s appraisal, Uzumaki Naruto’s Breathing Technique proficiency rapidly soared to six points.

Although more than twenty Shadow Clones couldn’t give Uzumaki Naruto twenty times the training speed, this training efficiency was indeed exaggerated.

Muzuki had anticipated this; in the original work, it didn’t take Naruto long to go from knowing nothing about Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation to developing an S-rank Wind Release, so it could only be said that Naruto truly had a cheat compared to ordinary Ninja.

On the second day of Uzumaki Naruto’s official Yang Release Breathing training, his proficiency had already surpassed Yamato, who had started practicing Water Breathing earlier, and he could initially use the Breathing Technique to enhance his strength in combat.

Around four in the afternoon, Muzuki called a halt to Uzumaki Naruto and Kakashi’s training, having them engage in combat training.

The three of them, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, were full of enthusiasm; it had been a while since their first battle, and while they couldn’t say they’d defeat Uzumaki Naruto, they definitely wouldn’t lose as badly as before.

Uzumaki Naruto was also very willing; during class, besides learning the theory of Yang Release Breathing, Muzuki also gave him many pointers on Taijutsu, which was a good opportunity for him to test his training results.

This time, Uzumaki Naruto didn’t directly use the Shadow Clone swarm tactic, but instead faced all three of them head-on first.

In this month, Obito’s Flame Breathing Chakra Mode had made great progress; he could also clap his hands like Muzuki and use whatever Ninjutsu he wanted.

In battle, Obito directly transformed into a Fire Release turret, unleashing several powerful Fire Release techniques, causing Uzumaki Naruto no small amount of trouble.

Kakashi’s speed became even faster, and his powerful Lightning Release slashes forced Uzumaki Naruto to dispatch a large number of Shadow Clones to distract Kakashi.

Rin Nohara’s displayed monstrous strength reminded Uzumaki Naruto of Sakura.

Watching Uzumaki Naruto and their battle, Yamato, who was observing from the side, couldn’t help but nod; everyone had made visible progress.

Yamato glanced in Muzuki’s direction, filled with immense admiration for Muzuki’s teaching abilities.

This glance made Yamato a bit confused.

“Two Mu Yue, senior?” Yamato just realized there was a man standing next to Muzuki who looked very similar to him.

Noticing Yamato’s gaze, Minato Namikaze turned and smiled at Yamato.

After clearly seeing Minato Namikaze’s face, Yamato instantly confirmed that this was the Fourth Hokage.

Muzuki wore black-framed glasses, while Minato did not, and with this point, Yamato could still distinguish them quite well.

Yamato could somewhat understand Obito’s feelings now; they looked so similar and had similar temperaments, no one would doubt if they were called biological brothers.

“Should I call a stop?” Muzuki asked.

“No need, the battle is almost over,” Minato replied with a gentle smile, shaking his head.

Although Obito with Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and Kakashi with Transparent World activated were not weak, they couldn’t maintain it for too long, while Uzumaki Naruto was different; as long as he didn’t use Rasenshuriken, his Chakra was very abundant.

But Uzumaki Naruto would certainly not use Rasenshuriken in a training battle; it would really kill people.

“Big Brother Naruto, you’re still stronger,” Obito conceded defeat wholeheartedly.

Kakashi took a few heavy breaths, thinking that they still had a considerable distance from such powerful Jonin.

“After all, I’m so much older than you guys,” Naruto said with a chuckle, scratching his head.

After a very harmonious post-battle discussion, Uzumaki Naruto turned to look at Muzuki, wanting to know his thoughts, and then saw Minato Namikaze standing next to Muzuki, smiling gently at him.