Chapter 481: Mu Yue Born at the Wrong Time

“What an adorable little fox,” Rin Nohara said, looking at the small, dark-grey fox Shisui held. She felt that Shisui’s Nin-Beast was even cuter than Kakashi’s Rockruff.

The little fox Shisui hatched had mostly dark-grey fur, with only the lower half of its legs, the area around its eyes, and the flame-like tufts of fur on its head being dark red.

The stark contrast between the dark-grey and the small amount of dark red made Rin Nohara really want to touch the protruding dark red fur on the little fox’s head.

Obito’s expression remained unchanged; as long as it wasn’t a mighty and strong Nin-Beast, he wouldn’t be envious.

“If it’s a fox, what’s the best food for it?” Shisui looked at the Zorua in his arms and fell into thought.

Shisui didn’t have any particular requirements for the type of Nin-Beast.

This was a Nin-Beast egg Muzuki had given him, and no matter what Nin-Beast hatched from it, Shisui would take good care of it and nurture it.

“You can buy special dog food from the Inuzuka clan. Foxes are also canids, but it’s best to look up some information,” Kakashi suggested.

Kakashi had truly put a lot of effort into raising Rockruff, researching information and consulting Ninja from the Inuzuka clan on how to raise Nin-Dogs.

At this moment, the newly born Zorua was curiously observing everything around it. It looked at Shisui and felt an immense sense of familiarity.

“Do you mean me by ‘fox’?” Zorua asked curiously.

Having just been born, it was still stupid stupid Understand Understand about everything.

“Of course, I mean you. Who else could I be talking about?” Obito replied as a matter of course, not seeing any problem with it, only thinking that Shisui’s Nin-Beast didn’t seem very smart.

Shisui and Kakashi exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other’s eyes.

There were many talking Nin-Beasts in the Ninja World, but Nin-Beasts that could speak right after birth were indeed rare.

And Zorua spoke so fluently, which made it even rarer.

“No, it’s not talking.”

Kakashi suddenly noticed a detail: Zorua hadn’t opened its mouth at all.

“Then why can’t it be you? Look, what’s the difference between us?” Zorua said, jumping down from Shisui’s arms.

A dark-red light flashed, and the next moment, Obito saw another version of himself.

“See, aren’t we the same? If I’m a fox, then you’re also a fox,” Zorua said, reasoning logically.

Obito:???

Obito was a bit bewildered. What was going on? Was this Nin-Beast trying to fool him into thinking he was an idiot?

“Transformation Technique?” Shisui showed a thoughtful expression.

Zorua’s Transformation Technique seemed unusual; Shisui had just felt a power of Yin Release Chakra from it.

“It’s a Genjutsu.”

Shisui quickly dispelled the Genjutsu. The other Obito in his vision disappeared, turning back into the small, delicate little fox it originally was.

“To be able to use Ninjutsu right after birth, and to have an unknown communication ability… Sure enough, the Nin-Beast eggs Sensei Muzuki gave us are all extraordinary,” Kakashi thought to himself.

Aside from the commonality of emitting white light when hatching, each Pokémon they hatched had its own unique characteristics.

Kakashi’s Manewra was born with stones around its neck and mastered Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation without any instruction.

Might Guy’s Riolu possessed unusual stamina and endurance. As a newly born creature, Riolu also trained intensely every day, just like Might Guy, and showed no discomfort, but rather was very healthy.

“Wait, how can you talk?” Only now did Obito belatedly realize that he had actually been talking to a newly born Nin-Beast.

That newly born Nin-Beast had even tried to trick him.

“Then why can you talk?” Zorua retorted.

“Because I’m a human,” Obito answered without thinking.

“I can talk, so I’m also human,” Zorua concluded.

Obito’s CPU was spinning rapidly, showing signs of overload.

“Stop playing around. Deactivate your ability,” Shisui said, feeling he had observed enough.

Hearing Shisui’s words, Zorua obediently canceled the Genjutsu and jumped back into Shisui’s arms.

… … … …

In the evening, at Kushina’s strong suggestion, Muzuki and the others booked a small restaurant within a barrier, and Muzuki cooked a lavish dinner.

Because of his agreement with Tsunade, Muzuki also invited Tsunade and Shizune over.

Finally, just before Muzuki finished preparing all the dishes, Hiruzen Sarutobi coincidentally passed by and joined them.

“Are you really just passing by? I feel like you secretly used that Ninjutsu to see where we were,” Kushina asked with a suspicious look.

“As the busy Hokage, how could I have the leisure to do such a thing?” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a serious expression.

He didn’t even need to monitor with the Telescope Technique; he could just ask the Anbu. Kushina was monitored by the Anbu 24/7.

Kushina was a bit skeptical of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s lies, but Minato Namikaze kept speaking up for Hiruzen Sarutobi, so Kushina, out of respect for Minato Namikaze, didn’t press the matter further.

“Tsunade, I heard you’ve been looking for information on Medical Ninjutsu and Sealing Technique recently. Are you encountering any problems? Do you need my help?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, looking at Tsunade, who was waiting for dinner to begin.

Tsunade was the Ninja Hiruzen Sarutobi considered most suitable to become Hokage, besides Jiraiya.

The granddaughter of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, the founder of Konoha, was Tsunade’s greatest advantage in the Hokage competition, an advantage no one else could possess.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi was someone who valued status and bloodline, then Tsunade would be his first choice for Hokage, because Tsunade’s bloodline and status were too noble.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi was someone who valued overall ability, so the person he most wanted to pass the position to was still Jiraiya.

However, while Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to pass it on, Jiraiya didn’t want it, so Hiruzen Sarutobi could only turn his gaze back to Tsunade.

Although Tsunade suffered from hemophobia, it was a psychological illness that could be overcome, and in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s view, it wasn’t a major problem.

One thing Hiruzen Sarutobi worried about most was Tsunade maintaining her slacking attitude after becoming Hokage.

When he heard that Tsunade showed signs of recovery, Hiruzen Sarutobi took it very seriously.

“That won’t trouble you, Third Hokage, you busy person,” Tsunade refused sarcastically.

Although they had a teacher-student relationship, Tsunade was very annoyed with Hiruzen Sarutobi at the moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed slightly and chose not to ask further.

If this were in the Hokage Office, he could still shamelessly chat with Tsunade and probe her, but this was Muzuki’s celebration banquet, and the hot-tempered Tsunade never held back. If they started arguing, it would seem a bit impolite to Muzuki.

“Tsunade hasn’t let go yet, and she seems to have no interest in the Hokage position. Do I have to wait for the new generation of Ninja to continue growing?” A touch of loneliness flashed across Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face.

In the vast Konoha, with so many genius Ninja and so many famous powerhouses in the Ninja World, he couldn’t find a Hokage candidate that satisfied him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously looked at Muzuki and Minato Namikaze.

Speaking of Konoha’s new generation of Ninja, Muzuki and Minato Namikaze were absolutely unavoidable presences. They were like the Sannin during the Second Great Ninja War, the most brilliant geniuses of Konoha in this era.

Sometimes Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered if either Muzuki or Minato Namikaze had been contemporaries with Jiraiya and the others, then he wouldn’t have to worry now. Both Muzuki and Minato Namikaze were very suitable to become Hokage.

But there were no ‘ifs.’ Muzuki and Minato Namikaze, two similar geniuses, were born in the same era. They both had the same problem: insufficient seniority.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to promote one of Muzuki or Minato Namikaze to Hokage, he would have to serve as Hokage for at least another seven to ten years to help them gain seniority.

Although the Hokage held unlimited power in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been Hokage for decades. He had been in the limelight for a long time and didn’t care about it anymore; he even felt a bit tired.

If there was a suitable candidate, Hiruzen Sarutobi even wanted to retire directly after the war ended.

After retirement, he could go fishing by the river when he had nothing to do, or give speeches and guide students at the Ninja Academy when the mood struck him. There would be no mountains of official duties, no need to ponder the Ninja World situation late at night. The only missing pleasure might be not being able to tell Danzo Shimura, “I am the Hokage.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi just thinking about it made him feel that retirement was the true life.

“Let’s eat first,” the silence was broken by Muzuki, who brought the colorful, fragrant, and delicious dishes to the table one by one.

At this moment, the atmosphere among the people gathered around the dining table became incredibly harmonious. Kakashi and Obito didn’t argue, Tsunade’s mood became cheerful, and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s chaotic thoughts were also suppressed, all his attention drawn to the tempting dishes in front of him.

“I’m digging in.”

After an unnecessary ritual, everyone began to eat immersively.

No one spoke, fearing that their favorite dish would turn into an empty plate in the interval of speaking.

“This roasted chicken is truly a delicacy beyond compare,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, still savoring the exquisite dish he had just tasted.

“Your taste isn’t bad,” Tsunade said, her opinion of Hiruzen Sarutobi improving slightly upon hearing him praise her favorite dish.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless. He was sarcastically rejected when he offered help, but praising a dish actually earned him a little goodwill.

“Granny Tsunade, Hokage Uncle, you think so too!” Obito said, giving a thumbs-up. He also really liked roasted chicken.

Rin Nohara and Shizune looked at Obito with surprised expressions, wondering how he dared to say that.

Kakashi and Shisui, sitting to Obito’s left and right, quietly shifted their positions to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

“Brat, what did you just call me?” Tsunade kneaded her fingers, preparing for a heavy punch.

Tsunade had forgotten who the last person who dared to call her ‘auntie’ was. Obito actually dared to double down and call her ‘granny.’

Realizing what he had said, Obito’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

Obito had basically never met or interacted with Tsunade. He had inherited the address “Granny Tsunade” from Uzumaki Naruto, so he just blurted it out.

Obito looked at the omnipotent Sage Muzuki with pleading eyes. In such a dangerous situation, perhaps only Sage Muzuki could save him.

“He’s still a child,” Muzuki said, nodding slightly, then speaking to Tsunade.

“And?” Tsunade raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

“But he also needs some face. Take him outside,” Muzuki continued.

Obito’s face instantly turned green. This wasn’t right! Shouldn’t the next line be, “The child doesn’t know any better, so let it go”?

Tsunade walked towards Obito with a sinister grin. Obito tried to escape but was directly caught by the scruff of his neck, dragged out by Tsunade, and then thrown back in.

“For Muzuki’s sake, I’ll let you off today. If you dare to speak carelessly again, I’ll let you know what an iron fist is,” Tsunade said, waving her two pink fists as a warning of her monstrous strength.

Tsunade was quite happy today; otherwise, with her usual temper, Obito would have taken at least one punch.

“Big Brother Naruto, you’ve really messed me up!” Obito quickly nodded his head, complaining about Uzumaki Naruto in his heart.

The people sitting around the dining table couldn’t help but chuckle at this scene. Kakashi burst out laughing.

Finally, the dinner ended in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

The next day, in the evening.

After having dinner at Tsunade’s house, Muzuki went to the Training Ground in the South Border Forest. His agreed time to guide Yamato was in the evening, and the specific end time would be decided by Muzuki according to the progress of the lesson.

PS: This chapter is 3.4k. There will be another 5k chapter later, probably around three or four o’clock.