Chapter 580 The second Wood Release Ninja?

“It was just a coincidence that we managed to capture the Iwagakure Ninja spies; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to win with fewer numbers so easily,” Muzuki replied humbly.

“How can it be a coincidence? This is simply your ability, Muzuki,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle, setting down the documents in his hand.

“If you, Muzuki, hadn’t mastered the Ninjutsu that can distinguish malice, then it wouldn’t have been a victory with fewer numbers, but another crushing defeat.”

Before Muzuki discovered those “Iwagakure Ninja spies,” even Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn’t realized that there was still a Transformation Technique in the Ninja World that could deceive Perception Ninja.

At that time, it wouldn’t have been just a simple defeat; the various spies would have caused widespread panic.

If another clan produced a spy, Hiruzen Sarutobi might just conduct a single investigation, but if Uchiha produced a spy, Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely wonder if Uchiha was planning a coup in conjunction with other Ninja Villages.

Towards Uchiha, all Konoha high-ranking officials were initially skeptical because Uchiha truly had a history of such actions.

“Without Kenbunshoku Haki, Iwagakure Ninja spies are indeed impossible to guard against, Sandaime-sama. I think we can select some Ninja with sensory talent to learn Kenbunshoku Haki,” Muzuki said proactively, seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi bring up the topic of Iwagakure Ninja spies.

“If only I master Kenbunshoku Haki, I won’t be able to cover too many areas.”

Since he was going to teach it anyway, it was better for him to be proactive, so everyone could save face.

“Your concerns are not unfounded, Muzuki, it’s just too much trouble for you,” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s smile deepened.

He was very satisfied with Muzuki’s performance.

“Indeed, Muzuki is a Ninja with The Will of Fire,” Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in his heart.

Muzuki truly had a great sense of the overall situation; he could proactively propose it without even being asked.

It wasn’t that he coveted Muzuki’s Ninjutsu, but Kenbunshoku Haki was truly very important.

If Muzuki hadn’t passed down Kenbunshoku Haki and then something unexpected happened, causing him to die on the battlefield, then Konoha would be completely blind when encountering Iwagakure Ninja spies in the future.

“This is what I, as a Konoha Ninja, should do,” Muzuki replied with a serious expression.

“Not every Konoha Ninja can make the same contributions as you, Muzuki. Are there any Ninjutsu you are interested in?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a smile.

“As long as it’s not some forbidden Ninjutsu, I can give you whatever you want.”

This time, Muzuki not only rendered a great service but also proactively contributed the sensory Ninjutsu he developed. As long as Muzuki didn’t choose ultimate forbidden Ninjutsu like Edo Tensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi was willing to give it to him.

Edo Tensei was indeed powerful, but it was too inhumane, not only toying with the souls of the dead but also requiring living people as sacrifices.

Unless Konoha was truly on the verge of life and death, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not allow anyone to research Edo Tensei.

“I want all the Wood Release data in the village,” Muzuki said after pondering.

He wanted to legitimize the source of his Wood Release.

His current persona was that of a Ninjutsu genius who surpassed Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he had a precedent for developing Ice Release. Developing another Wood Release could barely be justified.

Muzuki was mainly doing it for Yamato. If Muzuki’s Wood Release were brought into the open, it would also help Yamato escape his current predicament.

With Muzuki, the first Wood Release Ninja of the new generation, as a precedent, Yamato’s existence would not attract as much attention and would be more reasonable.

“Wood Release?” Hiruzen Sarutobi was a little surprised. Wood Release Ninjutsu could only be used by those with the Wood Release Bloodline Limit.

“Could it be that you, Muzuki, want to…”

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled the origin of Muzuki’s Ice Release.

Before completing the Land of Snow mission, Muzuki didn’t know Ice Release, but after going to Land of Snow and witnessing the snow secret techniques similar to Ice Release there, Muzuki developed Ice Release on his own.

“If it’s Muzuki, it might really work,” Hiruzen Sarutobi thought carefully, feeling that with the talent Muzuki had displayed, there was a real possibility of success.

If it were anyone else, even if Orochimaru came, Hiruzen Sarutobi would advise him not to waste his time.

Muzuki was different; Muzuki had already successfully developed Ice Release, so he had a track record of success.

“I want to see if I can draw on the experience of my predecessors to develop Wood Release,” Muzuki replied honestly.

It must be said that a persona is indeed a good thing. If Muzuki hadn’t established a genius persona, then if Muzuki used Wood Release, the Konoha high-ranking officials would probably only have two conjectures: the first being a Hashirama cells experiment, and the second being an illegitimate child of the Senju main lineage.

“I will have someone prepare it as soon as possible, and after it’s organized, I’ll have Anbu deliver it to you,” Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed.

“If there’s no significant progress, don’t be too persistent. First, cultivate other abilities that can continue to make you stronger, and then research Wood Release when you have time later,” Hiruzen Sarutobi reminded him.

Although Muzuki’s displayed talent was extremely abnormal, Hiruzen Sarutobi still didn’t think Muzuki would definitely develop Wood Release.

Firstly, because Muzuki had only developed one Ice Release, there might be an element of chance.

Secondly, the only Ninja with Wood Release was the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama. Even his descendants couldn’t awaken Wood Release, so Konoha Ninja subconsciously felt that Wood Release was superior, more powerful, and more difficult than other Bloodline Limits.

As an experienced person, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t want Muzuki to waste his golden training time by getting stuck in a rut.

In his opinion, even if Muzuki didn’t develop Wood Release, Muzuki would still be the Ninjutsu genius who surpassed him.

If Muzuki trained for another ten years, even without a Bloodline Limit, he would still have the potential to become the strongest in the Ninja World.

However, if Muzuki developed Wood Release, his potential would be even higher, possibly even becoming the second God of Shinobi.

“The second First Hokage is still too exaggerated; after all, his Chakra is truly incomparable to ordinary people,” Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head inwardly.

Senju Hashirama’s Chakra was unrivaled, even within the Senju Clan.

“Thank you for the reminder, Sandaime-sama,” Muzuki thanked him.

“Muzuki, are there any other Ninjutsu you want?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a smile.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn’t asking Muzuki to make a single choice; as long as Muzuki had Ninjutsu he was interested in, Hiruzen Sarutobi would consider giving them to him.

“I don’t need anything else for now; I want to focus on researching Wood Release first,” Muzuki refused.

Even a genius shouldn’t be too exaggerated; things had to be done one at a time.

Moreover, the only Ninjutsu that interested Muzuki in Konoha right now were forbidden Ninjutsu like Edo Tensei, which Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t possibly give him.

“You can also come to me if you are interested in other Ninjutsu in the future. The village will hold a memorial service for the fallen heroes the day after tomorrow, and all the Ninja in the village will be present. At that time, you can see if there are any Iwagakure Ninja spies among them,” Hiruzen Sarutobi began discussing the matter of screening for spies with Muzuki.

Since ordinary sensory Ninjutsu was ineffective against Iwagakure Ninja spies, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other high-ranking officials were truly uneasy if Muzuki didn’t conduct a thorough check.

Muzuki nodded, indicating no problem.

Then, Muzuki reported some battlefield matters to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As he was about to leave the Hokage Office, Muzuki handed Hiruzen Sarutobi the scroll containing the Kenbunshoku Haki training method.

“Sandaime-sama, Kenbunshoku Haki has quite a difference from ordinary sensory Ninjutsu. It requires a certain level of proficiency to use Kenbunshoku Haki to sense good and evil,” Muzuki explained.

Since he was leaving a complete version of Kenbunshoku Haki, Muzuki naturally had to explain it clearly to avoid misunderstandings due to the difficulty of Kenbunshoku Haki.

“I see,” Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a thoughtful expression.

After Muzuki left, a curious Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll Muzuki had left behind.

As a Ninjutsu professor, he naturally had a good understanding of sensory Ninjutsu.

“What a genius idea! This kind of sensory Ninjutsu can not only be used for reconnaissance but also provide great help in combat,” Hiruzen Sarutobi was instantly amazed.

…………

“One copy of the latest Leaf Newspaper, please,” Kakashi said, walking into his usual bookstore and taking out a banknote from his wallet.

As Konoha’s official newspaper, the Leaf Newspaper could be bought in most large bookstores in Konoha.

“Konoha Ninja Might Displayed! Frontline Forces Win with Fewer Numbers, Crushing Iwagakure, Eliminating Over 1,600 Enemies!”

As soon as Kakashi picked up the newspaper, the eye-catching and imposing headline immediately caught his eye.

He continued to read downwards.

“Recently, Iwagakure, in order to achieve its evil invasion objectives, dispatched a large number of Ninja to assault our nation’s borders, with the total number of Ninja forces exceeding two thousand!”

“Compared to the Iwagakure Ninja Force, our forces only had twelve hundred Ninja, a huge disparity in military strength.”

“Even with such a massive numerical disadvantage, under the leadership and command of Hayate Mugetsu, our forces bravely faced difficulties and challenges, overcoming one obstacle after another with unwavering The Will of Fire, successfully protecting the Land of Fire and Konoha, and embodying The Will of Fire through their actions…”

“As expected, it’s mainly about Muzuki-sensei,” Kakashi thought without surprise.

Although Jiraiya and Muzuki were both commanders appointed by Konoha’s high-ranking officials, they still had to be ranked by their contributions.

Kakashi quickly finished reading the entire content of the newspaper.

Although the newspaper reported on the battle that took place in Land of Grass, it didn’t explain the process, mainly promoting how powerful the Konoha forces were and how excellent the unit commander, Hayate Mugetsu, was.

This was also within Kakashi’s expectations; how could war details be written in a newspaper? Wouldn’t that be actively providing intelligence to other Ninja Villages?

Issuing newspapers was to boost morale and give confidence to Konoha residents, not to facilitate intelligence gathering for hostile forces.

What surprised Kakashi was that they were mentioned again in the most inconspicuous corner of the newspaper.

Due to this being a super large-scale chaotic battle, Kakashi and his team did not use their Chakra-burning trump cards like Breathing Technique Chakra Mode for sustained combat, so their performance on the battlefield was not particularly outstanding.

“It’s probably because of Muzuki-sensei and the others,” Kakashi closed the newspaper.

In addition to Muzuki, who occupied the main content, Minato Namikaze also had a certain amount of space in this issue of the Leaf Newspaper.

With two capable teachers and their performance being not outstanding but not bad either, giving them some coverage was considered normal.

After finishing the newspaper, Kakashi sped up his journey to the South Border Forest.

When Kakashi arrived at the South Border Forest, he only saw Yamato and Might Guy.

However, shortly after Kakashi arrived, Shisui also reached the South Border Forest.

As for the others, they arrived relatively slowly.

Obito arrived half an hour after Kakashi, and Rin Nohara was even slower, arriving fifty minutes after Kakashi reached the South Border Forest.

If it had been before, Kakashi might have still been interested in teasing Obito about coming later, but now Kakashi had no energy for such things.

Because Kakashi was using the Shadow Clone training method.

Of course, with Kakashi’s body and Chakra, he definitely couldn’t withstand the feedback after multiple Shadow Clones were dispelled.

So, Kakashi only trained Lightning Release sword techniques with his main body, while one Shadow Clone studied the Yang Seal information.

Even so, when Kakashi dispelled the Shadow Clone after a certain amount of time, he could still feel a noticeable sense of fatigue.

“But this level is acceptable,” Kakashi thought to himself.

The benefits were sufficient; he could endure this much fatigue.

Kakashi wanted to learn the Yang Seal as soon as possible and also improve his Lightning Release sword techniques, so he had to work a little harder.

On the other side, after finishing their Fire Release training, Shisui and Obito exchanged Shadow Clones to practice Kenbunshoku Haki.

Whoosh!

The Obito Shadow Clone showed no mercy; every punch and kick was powerful and heavy, stirring up gusts of wind.

And the closed-eyed Shisui seemed to have practiced with the Obito Shadow Clone in advance; the Obito Shadow Clone didn’t hit Shisui even once.

“Shisui, did you succeed!?” the Obito Shadow Clone asked, looking at Shisui with surprise.

Shisui shook his head, “Not a success, just a little feeling.”

The main reason he could dodge everything was that Obito’s attacks were not only straightforward but also quite noisy.

“That’s still very impressive,” the Obito Shadow Clone gave a thumbs up.

While his main body was still getting beaten up, Shisui was already on the right track.

“Obito, you can make your attacks more compact and varied; I need higher intensity,” Shisui said after thinking.

His talent in Yin Release seemed to be even better than his Fire Release. Shisui felt that he could also lead in Kenbunshoku Haki training, just like with Armament Haki.

When it was dinner time, the disciples returned to their respective homes for dinner.

After dinner, Obito chatted with his grandmother for a while, then went upstairs, slid open the door, and entered his bedroom.

He then took out a book titled “One Hundred Common Squad Combat Tactics” from the bookshelf and walked to his desk, beginning to read it intently.

After failing the Jonin exam’s written test, Obito bought a pile of books to enrich himself.

However, he only lasted a few days before giving up.

Coupled with his return to the battlefield later and becoming a Jonin through military merits, he didn’t read much after that.

Recently, Obito’s desire to enrich himself had rekindled.

Even an excellent Ninja like Minato Namikaze had to try his best to do everything he could to become Hokage.

With his current abilities, if he didn’t study, how could he compete with others?

Losing to others was one thing, but if he lost to Kakashi in their competition and let Kakashi become Hokage, Obito would be furious.

That inherently evil white-haired guy could already use his authority to pressure him just by being a captain; if Kakashi became Hokage, what would happen then?

PS:

The temperature has been soaring recently, and I caught a cold from running the air conditioner too much.

Thankfully, I wrote a portion last night, otherwise, I wouldn’t have finished my full attendance today.

For tomorrow, Xiao Ju will try hard not to take a leave of absence.

Xiao Ju hasn’t taken a single leave this month so far, and wants to stick it out until the end of the month.