Chapter 544 New Perfect Grade Property Changes

Muzuki was a little surprised to see the system’s sudden message, but on second thought, he found it very normal.

He and Nagato had spent a considerable amount of time together, if measured by his Crossing Ninja World.

During this period, they had both the mundane daily lives of ordinary teacher and student, and had also faced betrayal and encirclement together, experiencing life and death; they had gone through too many things together.

Muzuki’s actions, like a savior in times of trouble and gentle and approachable in daily life, continuously deepened Nagato’s trust in him, finally reaching its peak during this joyous occasion.

Logically, Muzuki should now give Nagato any gift.

This is because the system has a welfare mechanism: every disciple who levels up to Trust Level Four will have a chance to burst out a lot of gold, and the disciple return will definitely yield a Perfect-level skill.

All four of Muzuki’s current Perfect-level skills were rewards obtained from the increase in disciple trust levels.

However, based on Muzuki’s experience, there was no problem in giving the gift a little later, so Muzuki did not suddenly give Nagato a gift at this moment.

After all, the occasion and atmosphere were not suitable; talking about everyone’s struggles and then suddenly giving only Nagato a gift.

“Teacher Sōsuke, you are right, but Teacher Sōsuke, you are definitely the one with the greatest contribution,” Yahiko said with a serious expression.

In Yahiko’s eyes, not to mention the current Martial Arts Tournament, Sōsuke, as the founder of the Shinobi Sect, led the Shinobi Sect through various crises, and his contribution to the Shinobi Sect had already surpassed the sum of all others’.

The Shinobi Sect could exist without Yahiko, without Konan, and even without Nagato and Kakuzu, but it absolutely could not exist without Sōsuke.

Without Sōsuke, there would be no Shinobi Sect, and none of this would have happened.

Even if the Shinobi Sect had not appeared, Yahiko would still have pursued his ideal of developing the Akatsuki Organization.

However, based on Yahiko’s current experience, he would never have been able to reach the level the Shinobi Sect was at now.

He might have been able to develop a powerful Akatsuki Organization to maintain peace in the Land of Rain, but he would definitely not have been able to establish another Shinobi Sect.

“No, with my previous abilities, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to steadily expand the Akatsuki Organization.” Thinking of the encirclement that almost annihilated the Shinobi Sect, Yahiko sighed inwardly.

Although the Akatsuki Organization had Nagato as its trump card, Nagato needed time to grow.

Yahiko was very clear about his own abilities; he was very likely to lead the Akatsuki Organization into an abyss before Nagato completed his growth, just like what happened to the Shinobi Sect that time.

“This is nonsense. If Sōsuke hadn’t founded the Shinobi Sect, how could you all be sitting here talking?” Kakuzu said, taking a sip of wine.

As the sake went down, Kakuzu’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to the past.

He was a Ninja of Fortune, so how did he become a high-ranking member of the Shinobi Sect?

Kakuzu originally thought that after being betrayed by the Hidden Waterfall Village, he would never trust anyone again. After all, he regarded guarding the Village as a belief he must uphold, and if his own belief betrayed him, what else in this world could not be betrayed?

Sōsuke stepped forward and told him that there truly was something.

Sōsuke was the second strongest Ninja Kakuzu had ever fought, the first being Senju Hashirama.

In Kakuzu’s view, Senju Hashirama was a bit strange, and Sōsuke was even stranger.

Kakuzu didn’t know much about Senju Hashirama, so he couldn’t comment much, but Sōsuke was definitely the strangest top Ninja Kakuzu had ever seen; sometimes, he didn’t even feel like a Ninja to Kakuzu.

“Perhaps only a Ninja who doesn’t seem like a Ninja can create the current Shinobi Sect,” Kakuzu mused.

What attracted him to the Shinobi Sect was never the so-called sage art inheritance, nor Sōsuke’s strength, but the atmosphere of the Shinobi Sect, plus a little bit of Sōsuke’s personal influence.

“Haha, Leader Kakuzu, you also have a great contribution. This time, we owe a lot to you,” Yahiko, long accustomed to Kakuzu’s tone, said with a chuckle.

“Good to know. In the Ninja World, it’s impossible to move an inch without money,” Kakuzu calmly accepted the praise.

“Can origami sell for money?” Konan asked curiously.

Muzuki often praised her origami skills.

Kakuzu glanced at Konan, revealing a hint of regret: “If you were among the top four in the Martial Arts Tournament, you might be able to make a fortune with some seemingly complex origami.”

Because he occasionally exchanged money-making methods with Muzuki, Kakuzu’s horizons had broadened considerably now.

If Konan were in the top four, her origami would have the selling point of being the only female Ninja’s handmade work among the top four of the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, and coupled with Konan’s cuteness, that would be another big bonus.

Unfortunately, Konan did not make it into the top four, and without being in the top four, the appeal was greatly diminished.

Because the Ninja World respects strength; being pretty isn’t enough, you have to be both strong and pretty.

Konan had a thoughtful expression, then her eyes lit up and she said, “Then how about we have Nagato make origami to sell? He’s number one.”

Nagato:…

“It won’t work. Nagato’s origami definitely won’t have as good an effect as yours,” Kakuzu said decisively.

Nagato’s image just didn’t match the style of origami.

Starting with various powerful Ninjutsu, and effortlessly using difficult-to-resist repulsive force, although Nagato’s physique wasn’t brawny, his combat style had a simple yet brutal beauty that didn’t align with items like origami.

“Oh, right, and Nagato doesn’t even know how to make origami. He’d have to spend time learning,” Konan realized that this suggestion was indeed not very good.

“Kojya!”

Ghost suddenly floated out, hovering in front of Nagato and emitting a confident sound.

“Ghost, do you want to help Nagato with origami? But you don’t even have hands, you know,” Konan reminded him.

Although Ghost didn’t look like something from the living world, Konan found Ghost quite cute once she got used to seeing it.

“Kojya?”

Ghost’s eyes widened, looking at its body in disbelief, as if it really didn’t have hands.

Nagato smiled, but remembering it was his Nin-Beast, he tried hard to control his expression, not letting his smile be too obvious.

“Hahaha,” Yahiko laughed loudly without restraint.

Ghost had scared him quite a bit back then.

“Kojya!”

Ghost, looking dejected, stuck out its tongue and licked Yahiko. Although it didn’t have hands, its tongue was very long!

As he was eating, Yahiko was unprepared and was caught off guard by Ghost’s lick.

Yahiko instantly felt his body go numb and then lost control, falling backward.

Nagato, who was beside Yahiko, moved extremely fast and timely pulled Yahiko, preventing him from falling.

“Sure enough, your body is poisonous, right? Just a lick and my body went numb,” Yahiko couldn’t help but complain.

Looking at Ghost, who was emitting purple mist around him, Yahiko couldn’t help but feel that Ghost was somehow tainted with poison.

In reality, Yahiko’s thought wasn’t wrong at all; as a Ghost and Poison dual-type Pokémon, Ghost naturally carried poison.

“Kojya!”

Ghost showed a proud expression; it had poison and it was proud!

Fortunately, Ghost had only just been born, and its power wasn’t strong. The feeling of paralysis came and went quickly, and Yahiko soon continued to eat, drink, and chat.

Happy times always passed by without realizing it.

When Nagato came to his senses, the banquet was over, and he was already on his way to the training room.

“It’s really good,” Nagato sighed in his heart.

No matter how many times he recalled it, Nagato felt that meeting Muzuki was truly good, and his current Shinobi Sect life was truly good.

Before meeting Muzuki and joining the Shinobi Sect, aside from his life before his parents’ death, what Nagato missed most were the days he spent learning Ninjutsu with Yahiko and Konan under Jiraiya.

Because, while it was called learning Ninjutsu, Jiraiya mostly acted as an elder, taking care of them and living with them.

Before meeting Jiraiya, Nagato had been wandering for a considerable period, often living hand-to-mouth. To once again feel the care of a reliable elder, his feelings for Jiraiya were understandable.

So, even now, if Jiraiya suddenly appeared before Nagato, Nagato would definitely be very excited and happy to greet Jiraiya.

But if Nagato had to choose the happiest and most meaningful time in his life, in his life up to now, it would be the present.

In his current Shinobi Sect life, Nagato had Konan and Yahiko, who had grown up with him and depended on each other, a teacher like Muzuki whom he could trust unconditionally, and a large group of Ninja who shared his goals and were moving forward together.

The time spent learning with Jiraiya was certainly happy, but it did not change the Land of Rain like the Shinobi Sect did, bringing peace to the people of the Land of Rain and preventing the creation of more war orphans.

Therefore, Nagato felt that the current Shinobi Sect life was more meaningful.

“Teacher Muzuki,” Nagato saw Muzuki in the lounge, observed his surroundings, and called out Muzuki’s real name.

Although names were just designations, Nagato still preferred to call Muzuki by his real name in private.

Muzuki nodded slightly, then began to guide Nagato in cultivating Yang Release Breathing.

Yang Release Breathing was very important to Nagato because Nagato’s Rinnegan was not his own.

If he just used it normally, Nagato wouldn’t be greatly affected due to the powerful Chakra within his body.

However, if he used the Rinnegan to fight with full power, the Rinnegan would cause damage to Nagato’s body.

For example, using Almighty Push, or activating the Gedo Statue.

Yang Release Breathing couldn’t completely cure Nagato’s problem, but if cultivated to a high level, it could alleviate the problem to a great extent.

It would prevent Nagato from directly shortening his lifespan by using a full-power Almighty Push.

A few hours later, Muzuki let Nagato rest for a while and then left the training room.

When Muzuki returned, he carried two steaming bowls of ramen.

Muzuki handed one bowl to Nagato and smiled, “Eat it while it’s hot. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

Nagato thanked him and took the ramen, instantly captivated by its enticing aroma.

Nagato, who was already a little hungry from training, quickly picked up his chopsticks and continuously lifted the ramen into the air. After a few bites of noodles, he took a sip of the warm ramen broth.

The warmth spreading through his body swept away Nagato’s fatigue, instantly invigorating him.

The only thing that made Nagato feel a bit regretful was that the ramen, which looked like a large bowl, seemed to disappear after only a couple of bites.

Nagato knew this was his illusion; there was indeed a lot of ramen, but because it was so delicious and he ate so engrossed, he had the illusion that he finished it in just a couple of bites.

“You’ve really gone to so much trouble, Teacher Muzuki,” Nagato thanked Muzuki again.

With the Shinobi Sect’s numerous affairs, Muzuki not only guided his training but also made him a late-night snack. Muzuki was so good to him that Nagato felt embarrassed.

“It’s no trouble at all. I was hungry too,” Muzuki said with a smile, telling Nagato not to worry about it.

【You gifted your disciple a handmade bowl of top-tier ramen. Your disciple is immensely grateful and receives a Super Critical reward, obtaining — Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Perfect-level)】

As the reward appeared, a large amount of Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation memories surfaced in Muzuki’s mind. Muzuki’s understanding of Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation rapidly increased, and his Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation ability was greatly enhanced.

Muzuki’s smile on his face became even more pronounced.

Disciple returns were actually a bit dependent on luck; it was possible to be rewarded with a certain Chakra Nature Transformation, or perhaps a certain Ninjutsu.

Compared to a certain Perfect-level Ninjutsu, a Perfect-level Nature Transformation was undoubtedly more valuable and provided a greater increase in strength.

“If it were Lightning Release, then it would be truly perfect,” Muzuki thought as he glanced at the panel.

【Skills: Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Perfect-level), Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Perfect-level: 1), Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery-level: 7060)…】

One Thought Cut was also a product of the S+ extraction scroll. If Muzuki’s Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation could reach Perfect-level, the power of One Thought Cut would be greatly enhanced.

Another point was that Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation only needed five thousand more proficiency points to reach Perfect-level, while Lightning Release Chakra required eight thousand proficiency points, making self-leveling more difficult.

The next second, Muzuki stopped thinking about the Perfect-level Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation.

Although drawing Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation would be the most profitable, Perfect-level Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation was also pretty good luck.

After all, the proficiency of skills becomes harder to increase the further along you go. If Muzuki were to cultivate it himself, he might not be able to make up the missing five thousand proficiency points even after thirty years of cultivation.

After organizing his memories, Muzuki didn’t let Nagato continue training but instead chatted with him.

After all, the late-night snack was finished, and it was almost bedtime, so further training was unnecessary.

“I wonder when I’ll get to eat ramen again,” Nagato was still savoring that bowl of ramen.

The ramen Muzuki made was definitely the best ramen Nagato had ever eaten; no, it was the best food.

It was so delicious that Nagato felt regret that Konan and Yahiko hadn’t tasted such a delicacy.

However, Nagato couldn’t do anything about it. Muzuki was the leader of the Shinobi Sect, not the head chef of the Shinobi Sect.

It was already his good fortune that Muzuki was willing to take the time to make him a bowl of ramen. Should he then push his luck and ask Muzuki to make a portion for Yahiko and the others too?

Nagato couldn’t say such words, nor was he willing to.

Because only he knew that, as the leader of the Shinobi Sect, Muzuki was busier than anyone imagined, because Muzuki not only had to develop the Shinobi Sect but also had to consider Konoha.

PS:

Today, while looking for typos in the comments, someone said that Azure Flame felt instantly inferior after being compared to Amaterasu.

Although Amaterasu doesn’t really have any impressive battle records, it’s set to be very strong, like the strongest physical attack or something.

Of course, due to various reasons, its performance is indeed disappointing, as being the strongest is actually a debuff (plot armor).

Xiao Ju personally thinks Azure Flame is quite strong. After all, using Azure Flame doesn’t cause eye bleeding or blindness, and it comes with Kagutsuchi and growth potential.

As for suppressing power or anything, the protagonist has only been transmigrated for three years and already has such strong power. How can it be anything but a semi-invincible novel?

Also, regarding the slow timeline, this book’s initial concept was actually quite different from most Ninja World novels. Most of the content is in the Third Shinobi World War. Once the Third Shinobi World War ends, there’s not much content left. Xiao Ju also wants to write thousands of chapters, but it’s basically impossible.