Chapter 422: Joining the War

Muzuki had his disciples check their belongings to ensure nothing was left behind, then led them to the East Bank Battlefield in the Land of Fire.

“Rin, why did you vote for Kakashi?” Obito couldn’t help but ask Rin Nohara on the way.

Compared to Kakashi’s three votes and his zero, Obito was more bothered by Rin Nohara voting for Kakashi instead of him or herself.

Because it gave Obito the feeling that Rin Nohara trusted Kakashi more than him.

“I just feel like Kakashi would be a very reliable vice-captain,” Rin Nohara thought for a moment and replied with a gentle smile.

Rin Nohara trusted Obito in other matters, but when it came to leading a team, Rin Nohara still felt Kakashi was more dependable.

This wasn’t a baseless guess, but a conclusion Rin Nohara drew from their mission experience.

Kakashi could always analyze the most advantageous course of action based on the current situation, whereas Obito, while perhaps performing exceptionally against powerful enemies, was limited to combat; relying on Obito to devise tactics was impossible.

However, stating the facts directly might be a bit hurtful, so Rin Nohara just said it was a feeling.

Obito’s face immediately fell. What could be more agonizing than the girl he liked praising another boy to his face?

Of course there was: when the boy being praised was also his sworn rival.

“Damn you, Kakashi!” Obito roared in his heart with grief and indignation.

In Obito’s mind at that moment, Kakashi’s image transformed from a friend with a bad personality to the inherently evil Hatake brat.

The thought of losing to Kakashi in their recent internal competition and having to do a pile of questions made Obito feel even worse.

Then, realizing it would be even harder to catch up to Kakashi now that he had learned the powerful new moves Muzuki taught, Obito instantly felt the task had become even more difficult.

In just one minute, Obito recalled everything Kakashi had done to upset him.

“It’s all Kakashi’s fault! This time, I’ll definitely surpass him on the battlefield,” Obito secretly vowed, a fiery gaze burning in his eyes as he looked at Kakashi.

Feeling Obito’s gaze, Kakashi turned slightly, met Obito’s eyes for a second, then calmly turned back.

Obito’s thought process was too eccentric, he was often careless in his actions, and he easily got carried away. Kakashi suggested having a vice-captain to Muzuki precisely because he was worried about Obito’s safety.

With the identity of a vice-captain, even if Obito disagreed with him, he would have to obey, as this was personally approved by Muzuki, which might be even more effective for Obito than the Hokage’s words.

Seeing Kakashi’s indifferent expression, Obito grew even angrier. Kakashi’s demeanor was practically saying, ‘You’ve fallen before I even got serious.’

Shisui saw all of Obito’s expressions but, after opening his mouth, ultimately chose not to offer comfort.

Self-awareness is very important. If, merely to comfort Obito, he were to give Obito the illusion that he could also lead a team, it might cause problems in the future.

They were all fellow disciples who lived together day in and day out, so they understood each other quite well.

On the surface, the vote was a multiple-choice question, but to Shisui, there was only one answer: Kakashi.

Putting everything else aside, Kakashi’s experience alone far surpassed everyone else’s. Because he graduated early, Kakashi was already a Ninja with five years of Ninja experience.

After arriving at the Ninja forces’ camp, Muzuki was invited to a meeting before he could even speak much with his disciples.

As Muzuki entered the large tent serving as the meeting room, he saw many “familiar faces.”

The first he saw was Orochimaru-sama, the unit commander, sitting expressionlessly at the head of the long table.

Muzuki subtly appraised Orochimaru.

【Name: Orochimaru】

【Chakra: 142000】

【Potential: S】

【Skills: Yin Release (Mastery: 4800/15000), Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 3040/15000), Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 2008/15000), Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery), Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery), Hidden Shadow Snake Hands (Mastery)…】

Orochimaru’s panel was somewhat similar to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s, also mastering an incredible number of Ninjutsu, from S-rank forbidden Ninjutsu to D-rank ordinary Ninjutsu, very comprehensive.

However, unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru’s most proficient Ninjutsu were his self-developed snake Ninjutsu, rather than the five basic Nature Transformations.

From the panel, Orochimaru seemed to be the most promising to inherit Hiruzen Sarutobi’s full abilities, possessing many Mastery-level Nature Transformations.

As for why Orochimaru didn’t choose to inherit Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mantle, Muzuki thought there were two possibilities.

The first was that Orochimaru felt he was inferior to Hiruzen Sarutobi in Ninjutsu talent, and following Hiruzen Sarutobi’s path would only lead to becoming a ‘mini-Third Hokage,’ so Orochimaru chose to forge his own path.

This conjecture stemmed from the proficiency of Orochimaru’s skills; while there were many Mastery-level Nature Transformations, their proficiency wasn’t particularly outstanding.

The second was that Orochimaru’s desire for immortality surpassed his craving for strength. Was Hiruzen Sarutobi’s path strong? Of course it was, rarely encountering an opponent unless they were cheating. But Combination Ninjutsu clearly couldn’t grant eternal life, so Orochimaru abandoned Combination Ninjutsu to research forbidden Ninjutsu instead.

These were Muzuki’s guesses based on his understanding of Orochimaru’s level in the original work.

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement,” Muzuki thought, recalling the panel he had appraised for Orochimaru during the previous Jonin meeting.

Perhaps the war, which forced them into frequent battles with equally strong opponents, allowed even powerhouses like Orochimaru and Jiraiya to improve, though not as dramatically as younger Ninja like Minato Namikaze.

Muzuki’s gaze shifted slightly. To Orochimaru’s right sat Nara Shikaku, with his pineapple-shaped hair, one of the current Ino–Shika–Chō.

【Name: Nara Shikaku】

【Chakra: 23000】

【Skills: Yin Release (2600/15000), Shadow Imitation Technique (Mastery)…】

To the left was Hyuga Hizashi, the younger brother of the current Hyuga Clan head.

【Name: Hyuga Hizashi】

【Chakra: 28000】

【Skills: Gentle Fist (Mastery: 2640/15000)…】

“Lord Mu Yue, please take a seat,” Orochimaru was the first to speak, his magnetic voice echoing through the tent.

“I believe you all know Lord Mu Yue, so I don’t need to give a special introduction,” Orochimaru asked, looking around.

The Jonin in the tent nodded and greeted Muzuki.

“Of course I know him, Jonin Muzuki is so young and promising, an excellent Jonin of our Konoha.”

“I was fortunate enough to hear about Jonin Muzuki’s achievements in the Land of Grass war…”

Although Muzuki’s feat of defeating Pakura was not widely publicized, Muzuki still had a certain degree of renown in Konoha. After all, he taught more and more people, and he had also achieved some merits on the battlefield.

Since it was a meeting, the Jonin didn’t say much and quickly quieted down.

Then Orochimaru looked at Nara Shikaku.

Nara Shikaku nodded and then stood up.

“Next, I will explain the current battlefield situation. Feel free to ask any questions,” Nara Shikaku said with a serious expression.

In fact, half of the Jonin in the meeting room had only recently been transferred, including the commander, Orochimaru.

Ninja of Orochimaru’s caliber were naturally entitled to various detailed intelligence provided by Konoha, while some ordinary Jonin did not receive this treatment. Of course, this was also for a certain degree of secrecy.

Nara Shikaku’s job today was to inform them of the battlefield situation and the tasks they needed to complete.

Nara Shikaku first circled the Hidden Mist’s landing points and main activity areas on the large map, explaining the approximate number of Hidden Mist forces in the Land of Fire and their combat methods.

“Mist Ninja forces are usually equipped with at least one Mist Ninja proficient in the Hidden Mist Technique. When outnumbered and without a sensory Ninja, try to avoid direct confrontation,” Nara Shikaku reminded.

He didn’t explain the effects of the Hidden Mist Technique; the Hidden Mist Technique was the most famous Ninjutsu of the Hidden Mist Village, and all the Konoha Jonin present would not be unaware of such common knowledge.

A Konoha Jonin frowned slightly. The Hidden Mist Technique was indeed troublesome, directly turning a normal battlefield into a situation where the enemy was hidden and they were exposed.

Hyuga Hizashi’s expression remained unchanged. This was precisely why Hiruzen Sarutobi dispatched a large number of Hyuga Ninja to the Hidden Mist Village battlefield; their Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan was the best sensory Ninjutsu.

Finally, Nara Shikaku spoke about the notable Hidden Mist powerhouses on the battlefield.

“Yagura Karatachi, extremely proficient in Water Release. He appears young on the surface but is actually an experienced veteran Ninja, and is currently the strongest Mist Ninja that has appeared on the battlefield.”

“Haku, a Hidden Mist Village Ice Release Ninja of the Yuki Clan, skilled in the Ice Release Bloodline Limit, and very powerful.”

“Hozuki Mangetsu, a Hidden Mist Village Ninja of the Hozuki Clan, proficient in Water Release, capable of using the Hydrification Technique which grants immunity to physical attacks, and very strong.”

“All members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist need to be watched out for. Every Ninja among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist is an elite among Jonin, and their strength should not be underestimated. When all seven work together, they are extremely dangerous; please be very careful if you encounter them on the battlefield,” Nara Shikaku said with a serious expression.

In terms of individual strength, no single member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist could compare to the three he listed individually, but the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist often acted as a team for assassinations, which Yagura Karatachi and the others did not.

The Jonin in the tent all wrote down the information Nara Shikaku provided.

The Hidden Mist Village was the most low-key of the great Ninja villages, as it rarely participated in wars on the continent, so other Ninja villages knew less about their intelligence.

For example, many Konoha Jonin had only heard the name of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but they didn’t know their specific abilities or specialties.

Muzuki showed a thoughtful expression.

Reality and the manga ultimately had their differences. Even within Konoha, he had met some excellent Jonin who weren’t in the plot. It was reasonable for two unknown powerhouses to emerge from the rarely detailed Hidden Mist.

After speaking, Nara Shikaku sat down and nodded to Muzuki.

Due to his position, Nara Shikaku had received specific strength information about Muzuki, specially provided by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After all, he was the strategist; if he didn’t even know the strength of his own personnel, he wouldn’t be able to formulate the most suitable battle plan.

After reading the information provided by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Nara Shikaku was somewhat surprised.

Nara Shikaku was not unfamiliar with Muzuki, as Muzuki had been mentioned in the Leaf Newspaper once for facing a Tailed Beast alongside Jiraiya in the Land of Grass war.

But the information Hiruzen Sarutobi provided still shocked Nara Shikaku regarding Muzuki’s strength.

Assisting Jiraiya in repelling a Jinchuriki was completely different from Muzuki single-handedly defeating the Hidden Sand hero, Pakura.

Nara Shikaku wasn’t present at the Land of Grass war. According to the Leaf Newspaper article, Jiraiya was the main force, Minato Namikaze was the strongest assistant, and then came Muzuki.

Moreover, judging by the article’s length, Muzuki, as the second assistant, was quite a bit behind Minato Namikaze.

What was the significance of Muzuki single-handedly defeating Pakura? Pakura’s reputation in the Hidden Sand Village was stronger than Minato Namikaze’s in Konoha. The difference in meaning represented by the two achievements was too great.

Nara Shikaku believed that if Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn’t been concerned about the Hidden Sand Village’s reaction, Muzuki would have already become famous throughout the Ninja World by stepping on Pakura’s reputation.

Muzuki wouldn’t even need to say anything himself; Konoha would actively promote Muzuki, as this was a Ninja from their own village, and promoting them could attract missions.

But the situation was a bit awkward now. The Hidden Sand Village was the only major Ninja village that hadn’t gone to war with Konoha. If the Hidden Sand Village got upset over this matter and declared war on Konoha, Konoha would truly be losing the bigger picture for a small gain.

So Konoha currently not only couldn’t promote Muzuki, but also had to be careful that this information wasn’t known by too many people, to prevent widespread dissemination.

In Nara Shikaku’s mind, Muzuki was the second strongest person on the battlefield, with strategic importance second only to the commander, Orochimaru.

However, Nara Shikaku also couldn’t judge whether Muzuki could defeat Haku or Hozuki Mangetsu; it’s impossible to determine the outcome between Ninja without a direct confrontation.

As for Yagura Karatachi, Orochimaru would handle him.

Muzuki smiled in response. Nara Shikaku was a smart person, and dealing with smart people was easier.

“Lord Mu Yue, please wait,” Orochimaru called out to Muzuki alone after the meeting ended.

Nara Shikaku had intelligence on Muzuki’s strength, while Orochimaru had even more detailed information on Muzuki; he even knew that Muzuki was previously a Root Ninja.

The source of this intelligence was none other than Orochimaru’s partner, Root leader Danzo Shimura.

In the information Danzo Shimura transmitted, Muzuki was described as a good assistant whom he had strenuously argued for and angrily confronted the Third Hokage to secure for Orochimaru, someone who would definitely help Orochimaru achieve merits and military achievements.

“Orochimaru-sama, is there another mission you need to give me?” Muzuki asked calmly, turning back.

Before departing, Muzuki had received instructions from Danzo Shimura.

Danzo Shimura stated that Orochimaru was also a member of the Root family, and Muzuki and Orochimaru should communicate and spend more time together, then help each other.

Additionally, Danzo Shimura’s mission for Muzuki was to help Orochimaru gain military achievements, emphasizing that this was Muzuki’s most important and highest priority mission on the battlefield.

Muzuki, of course, wouldn’t take Danzo Shimura’s words to heart. His strength was already sufficient to disregard Danzo Shimura, and he was only willing to put on a show to avoid trouble.

But with Muzuki’s strength, simply making a few moves on the battlefield would be helping Orochimaru, so he didn’t need to pay special attention. Therefore, Danzo Shimura’s mission was effectively no mission at all.

PS: Another day of visiting relatives for New Year’s. Today’s meal could be described as a battle; I feel like there were thirty people. You really need some serious eating skills.