Chapter 493: Mugetsu’s Pokémon Egg (8k)

Land of Rain, Shinobi Sect headquarters.

Mugetsu, Yahiko, and the others were discussing the location for the Shinobi Sect’s main base.

Times were different now. The Shinobi Sect’s status was now equivalent to Amegakure’s, so they couldn’t just pick any random place to settle down; they had to consider it from multiple angles and aspects.

“How about a village in the central region of the Land of Rain? That would make it easier for our Shinobi Sect’s influence to radiate throughout the entire country, bringing better public security to the Land of Rain,” Yahiko said enthusiastically.

His top priority right now was to restore peace to the Land of Rain. Establishing the main base in the central region would allow Shinobi Sect Ninjas to reach any part of the Land of Rain the fastest.

“Are you suggesting that all of the Shinobi Sect’s actions should take place right under Amegakure’s nose?” Kakuzu retorted.

Amegakure was built in the central region of the Land of Rain. Given the disparity in manpower between the two sides, it wouldn’t be difficult for Amegakure to monitor the Shinobi Sect.

Although the two sides were currently coexisting peacefully, in Kakuzu’s eyes, an enemy you weren’t fighting at the moment was still an enemy and should be treated with caution.

“If we choose the central region, it’s inevitable that Amegakure will become wary of us,” Ikechou added.

During the peace talks, Hanzou had already shown deep wariness towards the Shinobi Sect. If the Shinobi Sect moved right next to Amegakure, Ikechou estimated that Hanzou might not even sleep soundly.

Although Hanzou’s sleep quality was none of their concern, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that Hanzou, seeing the Shinobi Sect growing stronger by the day, might become desperate and tear up the peace treaty, starting a civil war.

For the Shinobi Sect, the longer they could drag things out, the more advantageous it was for them.

“Then we shouldn’t choose the central region,” Yahiko said after listening, realizing his own lack of consideration. He turned his gaze back to the large map of the Land of Rain on the table, searching for a location more advantageous for the Shinobi Sect.

“Nagato, have you found any good spots?” Yahiko asked casually as he looked at the map.

“Since the goal is to restore peace, I think the eastern region is a good position,” Nagato replied after some thought.

Nagato had always kept Mugetsu’s words in mind: one must be clear about their purpose before taking action.

“The eastern region has been thrown into chaos due to the Konoha-Iwagakure war and the Sunagakure-Kumogakure war. If we can quell the chaotic situation in the east, it should provide significant help to the peace of the entire Land of Rain…”

As he spoke, Nagato noticed everyone was looking at him and thought he had said something wrong, his voice becoming cautious.

Yahiko happily patted Nagato on the shoulder. “Nagato, you seem to be improving so fast. You’re considering things much more comprehensively than I am.”

A slightly embarrassed smile appeared on Nagato’s face. He didn’t feel as capable as Yahiko; he just remembered more of what Mugetsu said and then analyzed it with the available information.

“If we can pacify the chaos in the east, it would indeed be a great benefit for the Land of Rain’s peace. However, the danger there might even exceed that of the central region,” Kakuzu reminded.

The eastern part of Amegakure was close to two battlefields: the Land of Grass battlefield above where Iwagakure was fighting Konoha, and the Land of Rivers battlefield below where Kumogakure was fighting Sunagakure.

Being sandwiched in the middle, the eastern part of the Land of Rain had become as porous as a sieve. It was normal to see Ninjas from any of the great Ninja Villages there.

Precisely because of this environment, the eastern part of the Land of Rain currently had the most rogue Ninjas and the most active Ninja organizations.

“After all, our Shinobi Sect currently lacks a large number of mid-level forces,” Kakuzu pointed out the Shinobi Sect’s most fatal current weakness.

Even as a Ninja Village, their high-level combat power wasn’t actually weak. They had strong individuals like Mugetsu, who could overpower a demigod like Hanzou, and promising young talents like Nagato.

But when it came to mid-level forces, they were far behind. Most Shinobi Sect Ninjas couldn’t defeat experienced Chunin from the Five Great Ninja Villages.

No matter how chaotic the east was, no one would be foolish enough to provoke Mugetsu or Kakuzu. However, other Shinobi Sect Ninjas wouldn’t have that privilege. If conflicts arose, battles would be inevitable.

Nagato’s expression instantly became hesitant, and he opened his mouth, about to retract his own proposal. He didn’t want his companions to face danger.

“Of course, I’m not saying we can’t go. A dangerous environment can hone abilities; perhaps it would be even better for the entire Shinobi Sect,” Kakuzu interrupted Nagato and then fell silent.

Hearing Kakuzu’s words, Nagato hesitated again. He couldn’t decide immediately whether going east was good or not.

“Let’s put it to a vote and let them decide for themselves,” Mugetsu spoke up.

Going east was actually more beneficial for Mugetsu personally because Konoha was located to the east of the Land of Rain. The eastern part of the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Fire and was relatively close to Konoha, making travel convenient.

But as the leader of the Shinobi Sect, Mugetsu naturally couldn’t decide the location based on such personal reasons.

In the end, as Mugetsu suggested, they explained the pros and cons to all Shinobi Sect Ninjas and let the over hundred Shinobi Sect Ninjas vote together.

When the votes were tallied, Nagato was somewhat surprised because the clearly more dangerous eastern region received the most votes.

Nagato didn’t quite understand. Most people in the Shinobi Sect weren’t as strong as Yahiko or Konan. Why were they willing to go to the most dangerous eastern region?

In the past, Nagato would have kept such thoughts to himself, pondering alone.

But now he had a trustworthy teacher by his side, so Nagato chose to ask Mugetsu directly.

“If you want to know the answer, you shouldn’t ask me. You should ask those who voted,” Mugetsu said, taking Nagato to find the Ninjas who had voted for the east.

“I’m originally from the eastern part of the Land of Rain. Actually, that place has been chaotic not just now; it was like this during the Second Shinobi World War too. If the Shinobi Sect can bring peace there, it would be my small contribution to my hometown. As for danger? When is being a Ninja not dangerous?”

To Nagato’s greater surprise, many of the voters were Ninjas originally from that area and were well aware of the dangers of the east.

“Although the east is dangerous, there are also many Ninjas there, which is beneficial for strengthening the Shinobi Sect’s power.”

Some believed that danger also presented an opportunity for the Shinobi Sect’s development.

“Did you get the answer you wanted?” Mugetsu asked Nagato after asking around.

Nagato nodded, then lowered his head. “Compared to them, I seem indecisive and too conservative.”

A smile appeared on Mugetsu’s face as he patted Nagato’s head. “Perhaps you’re just too kind-hearted and don’t want to see your companions get hurt. That’s not a bad thing.”

“The east is indeed dangerous. We can suspend Shinobi Sect activities for the next two months and conduct special training to improve our strength. I will serve as the special training instructor. We can even invite Amegakure Ninjas to join, which would also make them contribute to the eastern region’s affairs.”

Mugetsu wanted to test Amegakure’s attitude and then pull off something big, seeing if he could sprint for a higher-level teaching reward.

He thought if he could get seventy percent of Amegakure’s Chunin and above to attend classes, plus all the Shinobi Sect Ninjas, the probability of success was quite high.

If that still didn’t work, then he would truly have to convene a Five Kage Summit and hold classes to aim higher. Amegakure was already among the stronger Ninja Villages below the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Besides the location issue, the Shinobi Sect actually had a pile of miscellaneous matters, such as determining the organizational structure and conducting Ninja rank assessments for Shinobi Sect Ninjas.

Mugetsu was naturally the unanimously chosen leader of the Shinobi Sect. As for other departments, since the Shinobi Sect was still small, Mugetsu didn’t make things too complicated. He only tentatively established a Military Department, with Kakuzu serving as its head.

“The purpose of everyone gathering together is for the peace of the Land of Rain and the peace of the Shinobi World. This is exactly what the Shinobi Sect is doing, so the Akatsuki Organization is no longer necessary.”

As the Shinobi Sect officially got on track, Yahiko formally announced the dissolution of the Akatsuki Organization. From then on, there would only be the Shinobi Sect, and no more Akatsuki Organization.

Yahiko’s thinking was simple: the Shinobi Sect itself was an organization, and the entire Akatsuki Organization had joined the Shinobi Sect. Wouldn’t that make the Akatsuki an organization within an organization? It was completely unnecessary.

“Are you sure, boss? If that’s the case, then you won’t be our boss anymore,” Kyusuke teased.

He was a founding member of the Akatsuki Organization, but at this moment, he had no objections because he felt the Shinobi Sect was just a larger version of the Akatsuki Organization, only with a name change.

“Not necessarily. Teacher Sōsuke said he would form a special operations squad codenamed ‘Akatsuki.’ If I become the captain and transfer you to be a member, wouldn’t I be your boss again?” Yahiko laughed.

“If we compete, I won’t just give it to you,” Kyusuke retorted, unwilling to back down, expressing his desire to overthrow and become the boss.

Besides Kyusuke, Nagato and Konan, the other founders of the Akatsuki Organization, also had no objections to Yahiko’s decision.

The more they truly wanted to fulfill the Akatsuki’s ideals, the less anyone would oppose this resolution, because the Shinobi Sect was already walking the path envisioned by the Akatsuki Organization.

Mugetsu didn’t change the Ninja ranking system; it remained the universally used Genin, Chunin, and Jonin across the Shinobi World.

However, Mugetsu didn’t adopt Amegakure’s standards; instead, he used Konoha’s standards for assessment.

Since the organization was just starting, Mugetsu theoretically lowered the standards. Those with sufficient strength could mostly become Jonin.

In the end, five people officially became Jonin: Mugetsu, Kakuzu, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato.

Additionally, there were two Special Jonin, one of whom was Kyusuke from the Akatsuki Organization.

Fifty-two people became Chunin. Most of the Ninjas who had traveled the Land of Rain with Mugetsu now had Chunin-level strength.

There were a total of sixty-eight Genin.

【Disciple Nagato diligently trained and studied, achieving significant growth within the Shinobi Sect. Reward obtained—Chakra +3000, Sealing Technique Mastery Scroll, Unknown Pokémon Egg (Only Nagato can incubate).】

【Disciples Nagato, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Uchiha Obito, and Uchiha Shisui diligently studied under your guidance, achieving significant overall growth. Reward obtained—Unknown Pokémon Egg (Only Hayate Mugetsu can incubate).】

After handling the Shinobi Sect matters, two messages soon popped up before Mugetsu’s eyes.

Mugetsu calmly returned to his room, which was set up with Sealing Techniques, and took out the Pokémon Egg that belonged to him.

Based on past experience, once the Pokémon Egg reached the bound incubator, a faint outline could be seen. Mugetsu was quite curious about what type of Pokémon the system would give him.

The starter Pokémon from various regions? Or those pseudo-legendaries with high base stats? Or perhaps a legendary?

But when Mugetsu activated his Byakugan and looked at the large egg, something unexpected happened. He couldn’t see what was inside; intense green light obstructed his vision.

Mugetsu deactivated his Byakugan and stored the Pokémon Egg back in his system space. For him, not being able to see was also a good thing; it proved that the Pokémon inside was likely not simple.

Of course, it was also possible that because this was the teacher’s Pokémon Egg, the system had enhanced anti-peeping measures, hence the inability to see.

Mugetsu’s mindset was fairly good; he could accept either outcome.

Because as long as it was a Pokémon, it was enough to surpass most summoning beasts in the Naruto world.

Next, Mugetsu didn’t immediately give the Pokémon Egg to Nagato. Instead, he announced he was going out for a trip and told the Shinobi Sect Ninjas to be careful.

From the perspective of the Shinobi Sect Ninjas, Sōsuke had been staying at the Shinobi Sect all along, so the origin of this Pokémon Egg was a question.

Actually, if not for Black Zetsu lurking in the shadows, Mugetsu wouldn’t care because his disciples definitely wouldn’t probe deeply into its origins.

But considering White Zetsu’s surveillance, Mugetsu had to put on a show because his alternate identity couldn’t be exposed yet.

With his transformation skills, even if Sōsuke and Hayate Mugetsu shared some similarities, Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara would never imagine they were the same person.

To prevent accidents, Mugetsu left a Shadow Clone at the Shinobi Sect to guard against Black Zetsu causing trouble.

After leaving the Shinobi Sect, Mugetsu’s main body hurried back to Konoha overnight. He still had to teach the Anbu class tomorrow morning. An S-rank evaluation for an intermediate class was also a reward he couldn’t pass up… After becoming Mugetsu’s disciple, Yamato visited the South Border Forest more frequently, not just on Sundays.

Yamato was happy because this meant he could spend more time with Mugetsu each day, not just those two or three hours at night.

However, what Yamato didn’t expect was that the Mugetsu at the South Border Forest was actually a Shadow Clone.

At first, he didn’t know because the Shadow Clone’s various behaviors made it indistinguishable from the real one.

It wasn’t until after a training session when Mugetsu turned into white mist and disappeared before his eyes that Yamato realized the Mugetsu who had been teaching him was a Shadow Clone.

“When Teacher Mugetsu is busy, he sends a Shadow Clone to teach us,” Kakashi explained, seeing Yamato’s confusion.

As someone who had been through it, Kakashi could even guess what Yamato was thinking.

“Are you thinking how responsible Teacher Mugetsu is and how great it is to be his disciple, right?” Kakashi said calmly.

Yamato covered his heart area, looking at Kakashi with surprise. How could this person read minds?

“Actually, you should be covering your brain. Essentially, it’s your brain that’s thinking,” Kakashi corrected.

Yamato immediately changed his posture, covering his head and looking at Kakashi warily.

“You and Obito should have more in common,” Kakashi concluded.

Yamato looked at Kakashi with a puzzled expression, not understanding his meaning.

Obito, who was about to go home but got dragged into this, was furious. He wasn’t that dumb.

“You’re the one who has more in common with him!” Obito couldn’t help but curse.

Seeing Obito’s indignant expression, even if he didn’t fully understand, Yamato felt somewhat insulted.

“You don’t admit it? Then let the facts prove it,” Kakashi said nonchalantly.

Ever since the Fire Dragon hatched, Obito had been getting a bit cocky. Kakashi wanted to let Obito know who the deputy team leader really was.

Kakashi took out three test papers from his Ninja tool pouch.

“These are test papers I compiled from the questions Teacher Mugetsu covered. Let’s settle this with our pens,” Kakashi said, waving the papers.

Obito was dumbfounded. Playing dirty, huh? Putting test papers instead of Ninja tools in the Ninja pouch.

Yamato scratched his head, a bit confused by this turn of events.

Even though the incident started because of him, why did he feel like he had become an innocent bystander who got dragged in?

“These are all questions Teacher Muzuki explained. Surely no one would be unable to answer questions that have already been taught, right?” Kakashi said while looking at Rin Nohara.

“Isn’t that right, Rin?”

“Even if they are taught questions, getting them all correct is quite difficult, right? After all, it’s been a while, and people’s learning abilities differ. But passing shouldn’t be too hard, should it?”

Rin Nohara looked at Kakashi and then at Obito, speaking somewhat uncertainly.

Kakashi put on a sighing expression. “You’re right, Rin. I didn’t consider the ability issue. Comrades should leave each other a little face. This test paper should…”

Kakashi made a motion as if preparing to stuff the test paper back into his Ninja pouch.

Obito couldn’t take it anymore. A brand-new test paper, he truly might not pass. But could he possibly fail a test with all familiar questions? Absolutely impossible!

He would pass!

“Wait, Kakashi! Today, I’ll let you witness the true value of scoring eighty points on the Chunin Exam written test!” Obito confidently grabbed Kakashi’s hand.

At the same time, Obito also grabbed Yamato, who was preparing to go home. He would use his score to prove he was smarter than Yamato.

A slight smile played on Kakashi’s lips. Obito was just too easy to read.

Then, Kakashi showed Obito and Yamato three identical test papers and gave one to each of them.

Yamato looked at the black characters on the white paper before him, gradually beginning to doubt his life. Why did he recognize every character individually, but when combined, they became unfamiliar?

Was this the language of the Land of Fire? It must be a foreign language, just looking very similar.

Seeing Yamato on the verge of fainting, Obito couldn’t help but snicker. This was an unavoidable part of becoming a disciple of Muzuki.

“Should I suggest to Teacher Muzuki that we restart the problem-solving training?” Obito kind of wanted Yamato to taste the hellish mountain of papers where you do problems in installments, only for the problems to multiply.

Thinking of that hellish period, Obito’s body subconsciously shuddered, and he quickly shook his head.

This was absolutely a Pandora’s box that must never be opened. Once opened, the suffering wouldn’t be Yamato’s alone, because Muzuki always treated everyone equally. If there were test papers, everyone would get to do them.

Just as chaotic thoughts kept rising in his mind, Obito glanced over unintentionally and discovered Kakashi had already finished several questions.

This instantly startled Obito, who hadn’t even started one question, and he hurriedly began working.

However, once he started, Obito discovered a serious problem. He had some memory of these questions, but he couldn’t remember what Muzuki had said about how to solve them, only recalling his own problem-solving approach from back then.

“Damn it, so I only remember the wrong methods?” Obito felt a wave of desolation in his heart.

His previously firm belief that he could pass began to waver.

Obito took a deep breath. He still had one trump card left. Although somewhat shameless, it could guarantee a passing grade and prevent him from being embarrassed by his earlier words.

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

A thin wall with dog heads rose between Kakashi and Obito, blocking Obito’s line of sight.

Obito:… Trump card gone.

He had originally thought that if things got really bad, he could secretly activate his Sharingan to copy a little.

Obito felt somewhat irritated and subconsciously started scratching his head and ears.

But when Obito saw Yamato next to him, who had already fallen into the three philosophical questions, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud, and the irritation in his heart lessened considerably.

Looking at Yamato now, Obito seemed to see his past self.

Next, Obito tried his best to answer the questions. Drawing from past experience, he avoided using his own way of thinking, hoping to make fewer mistakes.

“I’m finished.” An hour later, Kakashi put down his pen and used Chakra to control the earth wall back into the ground.

There weren’t many questions on this test paper, and they were all taught before, so Kakashi finished relatively quickly.

“Senior Kakashi, please take away this paper written in some unknown foreign language.” Yamato, who had been trying to contemplate the test content, was already somewhat delirious.

Obito looked at Yamato with pity in his eyes. This is what it’s like the first time you’re tortured by a test paper.

*Thump.*

Kakashi brought his index and middle fingers together and rapped Yamato on the head. “What nonsense are you talking? This is clearly the language of the Land of Fire.”

“Obito, are you done?” Kakashi turned to look at Obito.

Seeing the completely filled test paper in Kakashi’s hand, Obito instantly felt pressure and hurriedly picked up his pen again, thinking rapidly to continue answering.

And so, Yamato and Kakashi watched Obito work on the questions for an hour.

Feeling the gazes on his back and the occasional gurgling sounds, Obito didn’t dare pause for a moment. After finishing, he didn’t even dare to check his work before declaring he was done.

*Gurgle~*

Yamato’s stomach inappropriately made another sound.

However, neither Obito nor Kakashi noticed; they were busy grading each other’s papers based on the answers Kakashi had recorded.

“The competition among Teacher Muzuki’s disciples is so intense,” Yamato sighed inwardly.

Even when he was receiving secret training from Danzo Shimura in the Root, he had never been this hungry. The Root Ninjas delivering meals were quite punctual.

“One hundred points,” Obito said reluctantly as he handed the test paper back to Kakashi.

Although he really wanted to give Kakashi a low score, he had to admit Kakashi had substance, remembering all the content Muzuki taught, basically spot-on.

“Probably just over fifty points. Shouldn’t have spaced out and overthought. If I had been focused on the questions the whole time, I should have passed.”

While grading Kakashi’s paper, Obito also graded his own. After all, he had just finished the test and definitely remembered what he wrote.

Obito was glad Rin Nohara had already left. Failing would at most lead to some ridicule from Kakashi.

“Sixty, just passing,” Kakashi also announced Obito’s score.

Obito looked incredulous. Had he misremembered his own answers earlier?

“Tsk, almost could have rubbed your face in the dirt,” Kakashi whispered softly with a look of regret.

Although Kakashi spoke very softly, they were close, and Obito still caught a bit of it.

“Hey, hey, you just said something absolutely unforgivable, didn’t you?” Obito nearly turned red with anger.

However, because he had passed today based on his own ability, Obito was in a good mood and didn’t bother arguing with Kakashi.

“So, can I go home to eat now?” Yamato asked weakly.

He was truly hungry and just wanted to leave the South Border Forest quickly to buy some food.

“What do you want to eat? My treat,” Obito, in a good mood, prepared to play the generous benefactor for once.

After all, they shared the bond of having suffered through test paper torture together. A meal was nothing.

“Saury, and Yakitori,” Kakashi answered first.

“No problem at all,” Obito replied with a look of bravado, only then realizing the speaker was Kakashi.

“No way, no Saury, and definitely no Yakitori,” Obito’s expression changed rapidly.

Yamato felt a bit numb. He felt like he wouldn’t be eating anytime soon again.

Based on his recent experience, once these two started opposing each other, it usually took about ten minutes to reach a stalemate.

Kakashi silently pulled out a photo. “Treat me to a meal, and I’ll give you this photo.”

Obito immediately lunged for the photo but was deftly dodged by Kakashi.

“Fine, I’ll treat you. But you absolutely cannot go back on your word,” Obito patted the dust off his clothes and reluctantly compromised.

During their internal conflict, accidentally getting photographed in an ugly picture by Kakashi was a pain in Obito’s heart. He desperately wanted to burn that photo to ashes.

“As everyone knows, I, Kakashi, am a man of my word,” Kakashi gave his assurance.

In fact, Kakashi did plan to give the photo in his hand to Obito, because he had another hundred identical photos at home. Giving away ninety-nine more wouldn’t matter.

Since Kakashi killed the argument with one photo, the struggle ended much earlier than Yamato had imagined.

“Finally, I can eat,” Yamato felt grateful towards Kakashi.

Next, Obito and Kakashi took the famished Yamato to eat.

As it was already evening, various food stalls selling snacks were out. Obito simply didn’t take Yamato for a proper meal, instead flitting between various stalls.

Before starting the test, Obito had sent a Shadow Clone home to notify his grandmother, so it was okay to return a bit later.

Although he didn’t get a proper dinner, the various unfamiliar snacks satisfied Yamato quite a bit. His meager living expenses weren’t enough for him to afford these.

“Senior Obito isn’t so bad either,” Yamato acknowledged Obito inwardly.

Even though Obito dragged him into doing a test, he also treated him to many delicious snacks. He was a good guy.

“Kakashi, you’re full, right? Hurry up and give me the photo,” Obito stared at Kakashi’s Ninja pouch.

At this moment, he even wanted to blast Kakashi’s Ninja pouch with a Great Fireball. Not putting proper Ninja tools inside, but test papers and secretly taken photos? How ridiculous.

“Here, take it,” Kakashi said nonchalantly, handing the photo to Obito.

Obito immediately snatched it, then backed away two meters, looking warily at Kakashi. He thought Kakashi might give it to him and then snatch it back when he wasn’t paying attention.

After all, this was the naturally evil white-haired Kakashi. Obito had every reason to believe Kakashi would do that.

“Could I have misjudged him?” Obito muttered to himself, seeing Kakashi make no move.

He felt today’s Kakashi was a bit un-Kakashi-like.

“I had a pretty good time eating today. You keep the photo as a souvenir. I can’t be bothered snatching it back,” sensing Obito’s thoughts, Kakashi waved his hand and turned to leave.

Kakashi’s magnanimous attitude made Obito feel his own caution was awkward. But to avoid complications, Obito still directly set the photo on fire and burned it to ashes.

“Yamato, quickly use Earth Release to make a pit. I’ll bury the ashes inside,” To prevent the photo from ever reappearing, Obito even considered the possibility of a Ninjutsu that could restore items.

Yamato didn’t really understand, but since he had eaten Obito’s food, he obliged and did as Obito said.

Seeing the photo’s ashes buried underground, never to see the light of day again, Obito finally showed a smile.

From today onwards, he finally wouldn’t fear Kakashi threatening him with that ugly photo anymore.

On the way home, Obito walked with a spring in his step. Not only did he pass the test, but he also completely destroyed that sinful photo. He was really great today… That night, Muzuki began developing the Shinobi Sect’s specialized Breathing Technique.

A single Breathing Technique wouldn’t expose his alternate identity, because the Ninja World wasn’t limited to Hayate Mugetsu understanding Breathing Techniques; others had also developed techniques related to Breathing Techniques.

If Sōsuke suddenly used Great Sunny Day, that would expose his alternate identity, as this Ninjutsu was too distinctive, and such a secret technique had never appeared in the Ninja World before.

Of course, it would really only be exposed in front of Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu, as they knew more about Muzuki’s information.

Others would at most think Great Sunny Day wasn’t a technique uniquely created by Muzuki, or that one of them had stolen the other’s technique.

The development direction for the Shinobi Sect’s specialized Breathing Technique was similar to the Darkness Breathing Technique for Muzuki.

Because orthodox Breathing Techniques were truly difficult to master. Don’t be fooled by how Kakashi and the others progressed rapidly, achieving Constant State in a year or two, with some even awakening the Chakra Mode of their Breathing Technique early.

There were multiple reasons for this. First, the Breathing Techniques they practiced were all suited to themselves, and they also had good talent.

Second, they had Muzuki’s main body frequently teaching them, benefiting from his teaching skill buffs, and later from the enlightenment skill buffs.

Even with so many buffs, Kakashi and the others’ journey wasn’t easy. Many times, they broke through only when their potential was unleashed in life-or-death situations.

If normal people tried to practice Rock Breathing or Thunder Breathing, first, mastering the basics would stop a large group, and achieving Constant State would require a lot of time to practice.

Even reaching the Constant State step, the Breathing Technique Chakra Mode was a realm the vast majority could never attain.

As for the Transparent World, it was even more impossible. Among Muzuki’s current disciples, he didn’t dare guarantee everyone could awaken the Transparent World.

To awaken the Transparent World, one either needed talent like Kakashi’s, encountering a desperate situation and unleashing potential with a probability of awakening, or one had to master the Breathing Technique to a perfect level. A perfect-level Breathing Technique guaranteed awakening the Transparent World.

Each condition was extremely difficult, something that could be encountered but not sought.

If they couldn’t even learn it, then Muzuki’s teaching would be meaningless. So for ordinary students, Muzuki still leaned towards developing simpler, easier-to-learn Breathing Techniques for them to practice.

After all, what he wanted was universal (popularization), not selecting the best.

When developing the Darkness Breathing Technique, it was based on Thunder Breathing as a blueprint, with the core pursuit being instantaneous break out (burst).

To differentiate from the Darkness Breathing Technique, Muzuki this time chose Rock Breathing as the blueprint.

As a branch under Rock Breathing, the new Breathing Technique would mainly focus on enhancing physical quality (fitness/attributes).

Muzuki’s current idea was to further divide the new Breathing Technique into two minor directions. One would focus on strengthening strength (strength), modifying Rankyaku (Rankyaku) as a Supporting (matching) taijutsu.

The other would place emphasis on Defense (defense), using Tekkai (Tekkai) as the Supporting (matching) technique.

After all, it was already a weakened Breathing Technique. If it remained balanced, the effects wouldn’t be strong.