Chapter 398: Mu Yue vs. Sand Hidden Heroes

Muzuki’s caution was correct, and it turned out that Obito and the others were truly unlucky, or rather, the Land of Rain was truly chaotic.

Just as Muzuki and his team were about to deliver the client to their destination, a group of Sand Ninja spotted them and immediately surrounded them.

Since Sunagakure had not yet declared war on Konoha, Kakashi did not immediately make a move and even stopped Obito with a look.

“What do you Konoha Ninja want?” the female Ninja at the forefront of the Sand Ninja squad asked with a hostile expression.

“Are you sick? You’re the ones who suddenly ran over and surrounded us, and then you ask us what we want,” Obito retorted, clearly annoyed.

Even though there were twelve Ninja on the Sunagakure side, Obito wasn’t flustered at all because Muzuki was right beside him.

“Brat, didn’t your parents teach you not to interrupt when adults are speaking? Lady Pakura wasn’t asking you,” a Sand Ninja next to Pakura scolded.

Pakura was a Ninja he greatly admired, and he couldn’t tolerate Obito’s disrespect towards her.

But Obito wasn’t easily intimidated and immediately glared back, “Do you think I’m talking to you? What are you even saying?”

The Sand Ninja directly drew a long sword, instantly making the atmosphere on the field tense and ready for conflict.

Kakashi silently drew his White Fang Short Blade. Although Sunagakure and Konoha had not yet gone to war, the other party had already shown hostility, so they certainly couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

Shisui and the others also focused their breathing, ready to act at any moment.

Clang!

Just then, a transparent surge of Chakra struck the long sword in the Sand Ninja’s hand, directly breaking it.

“Didn’t your teacher teach you not to point weapons at people randomly?” Muzuki slowly retracted his hand and said with a smile.

Muzuki didn’t like arrogant people who lacked strength.

The Sand Ninja stared at the broken long sword, his expression turning to one of horror as he looked at Muzuki.

This wasn’t made of wood; it was a long sword forged from steel. Even without the enhancement of Chakra, it was both sharp and sturdy.

With such destructive power, if it had hit his body instead of his long sword, what kind of severe injury would that have been?

The more the Sand Ninja felt fear, the more delighted Obito felt.

“I have Muzuki-sensei here, what do you have on your side?” Obito couldn’t help but grin.

He finally understood why the descendants of those great villains in Ninja novels were so arrogant. It was indeed very satisfying to have a strong backer.

Pakura looked at Muzuki with some surprise, not expecting that a Konoha Ninja they randomly encountered would possess such strength.

However, Pakura wasn’t flustered. She was a hero of Sunagakure after all, so this was a minor situation for her.

Pakura had the Sand Ninja whose sword was broken step back a bit, then looked at Muzuki. “Yesterday, a four-person squad from Sunagakure went missing, and nearby villagers only saw Konoha Ninja operating in the vicinity that day.”

Of course, Pakura wouldn’t stir up trouble for no reason. After all, Hidden Sand Village had experienced internal strife and was currently at war with Kumogakure, so its overall situation wasn’t good.

Muzuki could guess who did it without even thinking: it was either Iwagakure or Kumogakure. Those two troublemakers loved to do such things.

Anyone with a decent understanding of the Ninja World’s situation wouldn’t believe that Konoha Ninja did this. Konoha was already being declared war upon by three Great Shinobi Villages; they’d have to be crazy to provoke Sunagakure.

“As a Ninja, you should know how easy it is to deceive ordinary people. I think you should investigate Kumogakure or Iwagakure instead,” Muzuki replied.

Ordinary people don’t have the perception to see through the Transformation Technique. Even a Ninja with an average Transformation Technique is more than enough to fool ordinary people.

If they put in a little more effort and got some real Konoha headbands and vest uniforms, ordinary people would be even less likely to recognize them.

“Whether it’s true or false, the truth will come out after you cooperate with the investigation.” Pakura admitted that Muzuki’s words had some merit, but this could also be Muzuki defending his fellow villagers.

Normally, Konoha really shouldn’t provoke Sunagakure in this situation, but every Ninja has their own ideas. Pakura thought it was also possible that other reasons led to the Sunagakure squad’s battle with Konoha Ninja and their eventual demise.

【Name: Pakura】

【Chakra: 56000】

【Skills: Scorch Release (Proficient: 2800 / 15000), Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient), Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient), Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder (Proficient)】

As a Ninja, Pakura indeed had more reason to be arrogant than the Sand Ninja holding the long sword before. Her proficient Scorch Release combined with dual-proficient Nature Transformation meant her strength surpassed over ninety percent of Ninja in the Ninja World.

But unfortunately, she encountered Muzuki, a Ninja who had mastered hundreds of Ninjutsu and was proficient in all seven Chakra natures.

“What if I say no?” Muzuki said calmly, shielding his disciples behind him.

Scorch Release’s lethality is considered strong among many Bloodline Limits. At Pakura’s level of Scorch Release, a Jonin would be instantly killed if touched by her Scorch Release. To be safe, he needed to ensure his disciples maintained a safe distance from Pakura.

“Then we’ll just have to defeat you and then investigate,” Pakura assumed a fighting stance, simultaneously ordering her subordinates to block their positions.

Several Sand Ninja flickered and appeared behind Muzuki and the others.

However, Pakura underestimated the strength of Kakashi, Obito, and the others.

Obito highly concentrated his breathing to enhance his physical abilities and improve his Nature Transformation, while also activating his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. With just Taijutsu, he quickly knocked down two Sand Chunin.

Shisui also activated his Sharingan.

“Phantom Body Flicker Technique!”

In the eyes of the Sand Ninja, dozens of Shisuis immediately appeared on the field.

Just when they thought it was all Shadow Clones, those Shisuis’ fists actually struck them.

Two Sand Chunin were quickly knocked down without even finding Shisui’s real body.

Kakashi directly concentrated his breathing to the extreme, entering the state of Transparent World.

The Sand Village Jonin wanted to deal with Kakashi first, and then go after Obito and the others, but he quickly abandoned that idea because he felt immense pressure from Kakashi.

All of his attacks were seen through by Kakashi, yet he couldn’t withstand Kakashi’s attacks.

In just over a minute, five Sand Ninja were incapacitated.

The remaining Sand Ninja were all blocked by Muzuki. Whenever a Sand Ninja tried to bypass Muzuki to deal with Kakashi and his team, Muzuki would flash over, knock them out, and throw them to the ground.

Pakura’s expression turned grim. This Konoha squad’s strength exceeded her imagination.

“Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!”

After witnessing Muzuki’s Taijutsu, Pakura was not planning to engage in close combat with Muzuki and directly activated her Bloodline Limit, Scorch Release.

Pakura unleashed a large amount of Chakra, condensing six head-sized fireballs around her, which flew rapidly towards Muzuki.

Muzuki did not underestimate this technique because of the size of the fireballs. Scorch Release was different from ordinary Fire Release.

“Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!”

Muzuki condensed a large amount of Chakra and spewed out a terrifying, waterfall-like torrent of water towards the Sand Ninja.

“A Water Release Ninja, huh? A bit troublesome, but not a big problem.” Pakura’s expression remained unchanged as she watched the terrifying torrent of water approach.

Scorch Release, as a Bloodline Limit formed by the fusion of Wind and Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation, had a significant difference from ordinary flames. Water Release couldn’t greatly counter Scorch Release.

Under Pakura’s control, the fireballs, in a straight line, ignored the Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique’s torrent and charged straight towards Muzuki.

The water was rapidly evaporating, and Pakura’s fireballs were slowly shrinking, but they didn’t extinguish like ordinary flames.

“Freezing Ray!”

Muzuki lightly leaped onto the water’s surface, then raised his hand and released a beam of cold air into the water, instantly freezing the torrent. Pakura’s Scorch Release flames dissipated in the struggle against the ice.

“Ice Release?” Pakura looked at Muzuki with some surprise. Konoha actually had such a powerful Ice Release Ninja.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Muzuki threw out a large number of Flying Thunder God Kunai, making sure to target all the Sand Ninja, including Pakura.

Of course, Pakura wouldn’t be hit by such an ordinary Kunai; she simply dodged it with a sidestep.

“Scorch Release: Blazing Wave!”

Pakura decided to change tactics and use a wider-range Ninjutsu for her attack.

A large amount of Scorch Release flames were spewed from Pakura’s throat, forming a small sea of Scorch Release flames that surged towards Muzuki.

Although her opponent also possessed a Bloodline Limit, Pakura still had confidence in winning.

Strictly speaking, there isn’t a direct elemental advantage or disadvantage between Bloodline Limits like there is with single elements, but Pakura felt her Scorch Release still had an advantage over Ice Release. It’s common for flames to melt ice, but not for ice to freeze flames.

Facing Pakura’s Scorch Release Ninjutsu, Muzuki neither released a Ninjutsu nor dodged, but simply condensed Chakra in place.

“What is this guy doing?”

Muzuki’s actions set off alarm bells in Pakura’s mind.

With the strength Muzuki had displayed, he clearly wouldn’t be scared into immobility by her Ninjutsu. He must have some method she didn’t know about.

Pakura cautiously scanned her surroundings with her peripheral vision, finding no abnormalities. The other Konoha Ninja also made no moves.

Just as Pakura was utterly confused, Muzuki moved.

Whoosh!

Pakura felt a blur before her eyes. She subconsciously kicked forward.

But how could Pakura’s reaction speed and attack speed be faster than Muzuki’s?

Bang!

A dull thud sounded as Pakura’s face and body made intimate contact with the ground, creating a crater.

“Lady Pakura!” The Sand Ninja behind Pakura looked at Muzuki with disbelief.

Pakura was a hero of the Sand Village! There were many Ninja in Sunagakure who admired Pakura. During the period when the Third Kazekage was missing, Pakura was also a strong candidate for the Fourth Kazekage.

“It’s Yellow Flash!” A Sand Ninja remembered the Yellow Flash, who had recently become famous on the Land of Grass battlefield and in the Land of Hot Springs war.

“Shouldn’t he be on the battlefield? Why is he in the Land of Rain?” The Sand Ninja were incredibly confused.

Muzuki had always been a kind-hearted person. Seeing the Sand Ninja so worried about Pakura, he immediately had them join Pakura in lying on the ground.

Whoosh whoosh!

Muzuki activated Flying Thunder God again, appearing beside the Sand Ninja, and in a very short time, dealt with all of them.

“These Sand Ninja aren’t strong enough. Besides that green and yellow-haired female Ninja, did the others last more than ten seconds combined?” Obito commented.

Since Muzuki had them retreat, Obito and the others didn’t go forward to help Muzuki, even after dealing with the Sand Ninja behind them.

Obito wanted to fight alongside Muzuki, but he didn’t want to cause trouble for Muzuki. Muzuki telling them to retreat must have had a reason.

“It’s not that the Sand Ninja aren’t strong enough, it’s that Muzuki-sensei is too strong,” Kakashi corrected.

Kakashi looked at Obito, “Do you know who that green and yellow-haired female Ninja you mentioned is?”

Obito scratched his head, then shook it. “Is she a famous Ninja? She doesn’t seem particularly strong.”

Strictly speaking, Muzuki only used three Ninjutsu to defeat Pakura, making it seem effortless and simple.

“That’s why you should brush up on your Ninja World common knowledge,” Kakashi sighed.

“Her name is Pakura. She’s a Ninja known as the Hero of Sunagakure, and she possesses the Scorch Release Bloodline Limit. If touched by her Scorch Release flames, one will instantly turn into a dried corpse. She’s a well-known powerhouse in the Ninja World,” Kakashi explained to Obito.

Although Pakura was defeated by Muzuki in just a few moves, Kakashi knew this was due to multiple factors.

The biggest factor was information. Kakashi didn’t think Muzuki would be like Obito, not knowing about a famous Ninja like Pakura, so Muzuki had information on Pakura.

But Pakura couldn’t possibly have information on Muzuki because Muzuki was too low-key.

Pakura didn’t know that Muzuki had mastered Flying Thunder God, so being instantly killed by Flying Thunder God at close range was a very normal occurrence.

Muzuki’s fight with Pakura looked simple, but if Kakashi and his team had to fight, Kakashi thought all four of them combined might not be able to defeat Pakura.

The power of Scorch Release was too strong; if hit by Scorch Release, Rin Nohara’s Medical Ninjutsu might not be able to heal in time.

“Is this really common knowledge, Kakashi? Where did you learn it?” Obito couldn’t help but ask.

Obito felt this was not common knowledge at all.

“Not only is this common knowledge, it’s also a basic skill for Ninja. Don’t you know the importance of information to a Ninja?” Kakashi looked at Obito speechlessly.

“Observe more, listen more, and pay more attention to major events in the Ninja World,” Kakashi reminded him.

Then, Kakashi stopped wasting words with Obito and walked towards Muzuki. Shisui had already gone over while they were discussing Pakura.

“So what if she’s the Hero of Sunagakure? She still got utterly crushed by us and Muzuki-sensei,” Obito muttered, and also walked over.

“Does this count as a clear investigation? If Konoha truly wanted to deal with Sunagakure, do you think you’d still be alive right now?” Muzuki said, watching Pakura slowly get back to her feet.

Although Rasa certainly didn’t like Pakura, if Rasa knew Muzuki had killed Pakura, he might even open champagne to celebrate.

However, Pakura’s status in Sunagakure was indeed not simple. Killing her could easily escalate into a diplomatic incident. Muzuki didn’t want Konoha to quickly progress to being ganged up on by the Four Great Shinobi Villages; that wouldn’t be a good thing.

“You should pay more attention to Kumogakure or Iwagakure.”

“Yellow Flash truly lives up to his reputation. This was my mistake. I will re-investigate when I return,” Pakura apologized and accepted Muzuki’s suggestion.

“My name is Hayate Mugetsu. Don’t mistake me next time.” Leaving that remark, Muzuki took the somewhat startled client to their destination.

Pakura and the other Sand Ninja stood frozen in place, all looking bewildered.

There’s another 4k chapter later, but it will be very late, probably 3 AM. I recommend reading it tomorrow. Also, the previous chapter has been revised and is available for subscription.