Chapter 624 Balanced Breathing

“Why refuse? Is there something you’re not satisfied with?” Kitsuchi couldn’t help but ask.

Before coming, Ōnoki had emphasized to him the importance of deep cooperation with the Shinobi Sect, stating that it was a crucial step in Iwagakure’s plan against Konoha.

“Iwagakure’s conditions are all very good, but none of them are suitable for the Shinobi Sect,” Muzuki replied with a faint smile.

“While expanding the scale of Ninja training can increase the Shinobi Sect’s income, the Shinobi Sect’s primary focus is currently on training quality. Rashly expanding would conflict with the Shinobi Sect’s development strategy.

The Shinobi Sect has already negotiated with the Amegakure to jointly build a Ninja Academy, so it is unable to cooperate with Iwagakure in establishing another school. The same goes for Iwagakure’s commission; currently, the Shinobi Sect simply doesn’t have enough manpower to accept Iwagakure’s kind offer.”

“As for protection, the Shinobi Sect is confident in protecting the Land of Rain, so Iwagakure doesn’t need to trouble itself.”

Muzuki explained each point, putting an end to Kitsuchi’s thought of discussing cooperation further.

If he completely denied everything and said no, how could they even talk?

Kitsuchi looked at the Iwagakure Jōnin beside him, wondering if this strategist had any solutions.

Ōnoki was aware of Kitsuchi’s abilities, so in addition to preparing him with talking points, he also specifically dispatched an Iwagakure Ninja skilled in negotiation to assist him.

The Iwagakure Jōnin shook his head slightly, indicating that he was also helpless.

If it was just dissatisfaction with a single point, Ōnoki had prepared contingencies; they could appropriately relax conditions and offer more benefits.

But Sōsuke was clearly dissatisfied with the core requirements for deep cooperation, and they had no authority to make decisions on that, so there was nothing to discuss.

“My apologies for making you come all this way for nothing,” Muzuki said apologetically.

The Shinobi Sect earned money from Iwagakure, received support, and might even abduct Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki. All things considered, he had gained quite a lot from Iwagakure.

“Cooperation is about achieving common goals together. Since we can’t reach a consensus at the moment, your refusal is only natural,” Kitsuchi said with a smile.

Upon reflection, Sōsuke’s refusal wasn’t surprising; Sōsuke was never a person who followed conventional wisdom, otherwise he wouldn’t have done so many unconventional things.

The Iwagakure Jōnin looked at Kitsuchi somewhat strangely. Normally, at this point, people would just say polite pleasantries, but he felt as if Kitsuchi had genuinely accepted it and was starting to think from Sōsuke’s perspective.

“Hey, hey, you’re the Third Tsuchikage’s son. Is this really appropriate?”

After a few friendly words with Kitsuchi, Muzuki politely escorted the two out of the reception room.

Kitsuchi and his companion were there to discuss cooperation, so since Muzuki wasn’t planning to cooperate, there was nothing left to talk about.

After returning to the living quarters specially prepared for them by the Shinobi Sect, the Iwagakure Jōnin first carefully checked the surroundings, then couldn’t help but say to Kitsuchi:

“Lord Kitsuchi, this move by the Shinobi Sect is very important for the Village’s upcoming plans. We cannot give up just like that.”

The Shinobi Sect was truly an excellent chess piece for Iwagakure now. Both sides had a good relationship and a common enemy in Konoha.

The gradually mending relationship with the Amegakure allowed Iwagakure to leverage the entire Ninja force of the Land of Rain through the Shinobi Sect.

With strong individuals like Sōsuke, plus the ordinary Ninja of the Land of Rain, the overall Ninja power of the Land of Rain was in a league of its own among ordinary Ninja Villages.

“But Sōsuke completely rejected our conditions; he has no intention of cooperating at all,” Kitsuchi said helplessly.

Although he admired Sōsuke, Kitsuchi’s priority was definitely still the Village.

“Let’s contact Lord Sandaime and report the situation,” the Iwagakure Jōnin continued.

Since the current conditions were unacceptable, they would have to be drastically changed. However, whether and how to change them was not within their authority; only Ōnoki could make that decision.

…

Land of Fire, Konoha Village.

Training Squad Base.

“The Darkness Breathing Technique can enhance physical abilities through concentrated breathing combined with Chakra bursts. The more concentrated the breathing, the greater the enhancement. This enhancement is very comprehensive, and it can also accelerate wound recovery when injured.”

Muzuki corrected the training squad members’ postures while explaining the various effects of the Darkness Breathing Technique.

His course schedule was as follows: for the first two months, regular members had three afternoons a week for Darkness Breathing Technique lessons, with the rest of the time dedicated to learning other abilities like intelligence gathering.

Squad leaders and above, however, had Darkness Breathing Technique lessons five days a week, from 7 PM to 10 PM, and they also had to fully participate in the Darkness Breathing Technique lessons attended by the regular members.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s request this time was for both speed and quality, so Muzuki could only increase the intensity.

After all, Muzuki wasn’t a true immortal; he couldn’t conjure two divisions of elite Ninja out of thin air for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

To become stronger, one had to spend time training and learning.

Fortunately, the support Hiruzen Sarutobi provided matched his demands, with ample funding and cultivation elixirs.

“What an amazing secret technique! It’s actually related to breathing. Doesn’t that mean it pairs perfectly with my Medical Ninjutsu!” Inuzuka Midori learned with great excitement.

Medical Ninjutsu allowed her body to resemble a Nin-Beast, and Nin-Beasts had stronger breathing capabilities than humans. This had to be a case of one plus one being greater than three.

Thinking of this, Inuzuka Midori became so excited that she couldn’t help but use Chakra to enter the Medical Ninjutsu state to strengthen her body, taking deep breaths of air.

“You’re doing it wrong. Concentrated doesn’t mean just breathing in large gulps; there’s a technique to it,” Shisui said, shaking his head as he pointed out her mistake.

Although the Darkness Breathing Technique was developed by incorporating characteristics of Thunder Breathing rather than Flame Breathing, there were many commonalities between Breathing Techniques.

Shisui, who had already mastered Breathing Techniques, had no problem guiding a beginner who had just started learning a Breathing Technique.

“Mmm, Midori thought so too. I was just testing you, Squad Leader Shisui, to see if you could tell,” Inuzuka Midori said, deeply convinced.

“As expected, Squad Leader Shisui, you didn’t disappoint!”

Shisui:…

How did he end up being tested?

Shisui finally understood why Muzuki used to like to tap Obito’s head. Now he also wanted to tap Inuzuka Midori’s.

However, after glancing at Inuzuka Midori’s head, Shisui ultimately didn’t raise his right hand with two fingers pressed together.

Inuzuka Midori was taller than him; if he wanted to tap Inuzuka Midori, he would have to stand on his tiptoes and raise his hand, which would look very un-intimidating.

After teaching for two hours, to improve efficiency, Muzuki made Shisui his assistant, and together they pointed out and corrected the members’ mistakes.

Although Shisui, the youngest person present, looked a bit like a child wearing adult clothes and trying to act mature, he didn’t show any signs of dissatisfaction.

On one hand, Shisui’s reputation as a Ninja surpassed most of the Ninja present. On the other hand, they could tell that Shisui truly had knowledge, and Muzuki wasn’t just trying to establish his disciple’s authority.

【Completed one intermediate lecture】

【Evaluation: S】

【Rewards: Breathing Technique comprehension increased, Darkness Breathing Technique +60, Basic Breathing +30, Thunder Breathing +19】

The lecture rewards were only settled after the squad leaders’ evening lessons also concluded.

After briefly organizing some small ideas in his mind, Muzuki returned home.

Lecture rewards were not like disciple improvement rewards or life quests; they required long-term accumulation to see results.

For example, a normal course with a B evaluation only added twenty Chakra points, but for Muzuki, who had just transmigrated, if he did it ten times a week, that was two hundred Chakra points, which wasn’t too little.

“I still need a stronger Transformation Technique,” Muzuki pondered the new Ninjutsu he needed to develop for the training squad.

The Darkness Breathing Technique could enhance the training squad’s combat abilities, while a stronger Transformation Technique would give the training squad better disguise capabilities, playing a significant role in various intelligence gathering scenarios.

It was unrealistic for Muzuki to teach his own Transformation Technique; this skill was too powerful, even more exaggerated than White Zetsu’s mimicry technique, and most importantly, Muzuki himself didn’t know how to teach it as it was an extremely complex skill.

However, Muzuki could draw a tiny bit from his Transformation Technique to develop a Transformation Technique with stronger disguise capabilities.

In that case, he could definitely satisfy Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the training squad he trained would be enough to compensate for the losses caused by Root’s demise.

Moreover, it wasn’t a problem for Muzuki; he could develop it in his spare time.

Then, Muzuki didn’t immediately develop the new Transformation Technique, but instead took out his recorded Breathing Technique development data.

The Ninja of the training squad had just started learning the Darkness Breathing Technique, so there was no rush for the Transformation Technique.

Giving himself an enlightenment boost, Muzuki began to immerse himself in developing the Sun Breathing.

Since Flame Breathing was the closest Breathing Technique to Sun Breathing in Demon Slayer, Muzuki’s current main approach was to re-develop Flame Breathing, absorbing the characteristics of other Basic Breathing Techniques, thereby continuously bringing Flame Breathing closer to the true Sun Breathing, and finally making it Sun Breathing.

The burst of Thunder Breathing, the strength of Rock Breathing, the agility of Water Breathing…

In Muzuki’s view, a complete Sun Breathing had to excel in all aspects of other Breathing Techniques; it had to be as fast as Thunder Breathing while possessing the strength of Rock Breathing. Only then would it align with the power of Sun Breathing in the Demon Slayer world.

As his research had reached a relatively critical stage, Muzuki continued to research until two in the morning without sleeping.

Muzuki sat at his desk, eyes closed in thought.

Breathing Techniques were unlike other Ninjutsu or secret techniques; these were techniques that the system had localized from other worlds.

This meant that Muzuki, who had mastered multiple perfect-level Breathing Techniques, was the person who understood Breathing Techniques the most in the Ninja World. He couldn’t seek answers from others; he could only think for himself.

“Let’s try it first.”

Muzuki opened his eyes and began to adjust his breathing, which became regular and deep.

Immediately after, Muzuki began to use Chakra; localized Breathing Techniques had to use Chakra to be powerful secret techniques.

“Did something go wrong? This isn’t combining characteristics; it’s making every single one mediocre.” Feeling the state of his body, Muzuki switched his breathing back to Rock Breathing, his brows slightly furrowed.

His idea was for Flame Breathing to evolve by absorbing all the advantages of the Basic Breathing Techniques, but the actual result was that these Breathing Techniques balanced each other out, ultimately producing a Breathing Technique even more mediocre than Water Breathing.

This new Breathing Technique was not as strong as Rock Breathing, not as fast as Thunder Breathing, and had no particular specialty.

“Could this path also be wrong?” Muzuki rubbed his brows and fell into deep thought again.

Half an hour later, Muzuki sighed softly and neatly arranged his notes into a scroll.

Undoubtedly, he still hadn’t successfully developed the Sun Breathing.

However, compared to before, this time wasn’t entirely fruitless; it wasn’t a complete failure.

Although the new Breathing Technique had no specialty, it also had no weaknesses. Its strength was not as good as Rock Breathing, but it was faster than Rock Breathing. Its speed was not as good as Thunder Breathing, but its strength was greater than Thunder Breathing.

Muzuki was willing to call the new Breathing Technique ‘Balanced Breathing,’ where all enhancements were roughly similar.

“I’ll research it again when I have time,” Muzuki didn’t completely give up on this path.

Firstly, he had already spent enough time, and secondly, Balanced Breathing had just been developed and still had room for exploration. Perhaps this Breathing Technique was better than he imagined.

…

Minato Namikaze was originally in the Land of Grass investigating Iwagakure Ninja movements. Just as he was thinking he could rest for a few days after the mission, an unexpected new mission landed in his hands.

Minato Namikaze didn’t even have time to return to Konoha and immediately led a portion of the Konoha Ninja Force stationed in the Land of Grass to the northern part of the Land of Fire.

Konoha was in a hurry and wanted him to quickly deal with the Kumogakure Ninja in the northern Land of Fire.

Upon arriving in the north, Minato Namikaze first met with the support team dispatched by Orochimaru and the team dispatched by Konoha to understand the situation.

“This time, Kumogakure doesn’t seem to be preparing for a large-scale battle. There are traces of Kumogakure everywhere in the north, but they are all small squads, and the total number of troops shouldn’t be large,” Nara Shikaku, as the deputy commander, explained the currently known intelligence to Minato Namikaze.

“Currently, Kumogakure is most active in the northwest, and the AB Combo has recently appeared in this area. Kumogakure might be planning something in the northwest.”

Minato Namikaze thought for a moment and said, “Dispatch some teams to cooperate with the border squads to strike at the active Kumogakure small squads.”

In this situation, Minato Namikaze didn’t have a particularly good countermeasure. The initiative was currently in Kumogakure’s hands. If Kumogakure didn’t want a large-scale battle, Minato Namikaze could only disperse his forces.

However, Minato Namikaze held back, not scattering his entire force directly. He only dispatched two-thirds of his troops to deal with the active Kumogakure Ninja.

A few days later, news of the small squads completing their missions gradually arrived, but Minato Namikaze and Nara Shikaku showed no joy.

“The AB Combo hasn’t appeared at all. Where are they hiding? Did they return to Kumogakure?” Nara Shikaku pondered deeply, looking at the map on the table.

For wars between major Ninja Villages, a few small squads or a dozen small squads were insignificant. The outcome of a major battle did not depend on these.

By the afternoon, Minato Namikaze and his team did receive a significant piece of news, though it was largely unrelated to their current mission: groups of Kumogakure Ninja had appeared in the Land of Hot Springs.

However, just then, Nara Shikaku glanced at the map and suddenly had a Flash of inspiration, his expression becoming serious.

“The vanished AB Combo, infiltrated from the north, active in the northwest…”

“Could it be that the large number of Kumogakure small squads in the northwest are just a decoy, and Kumogakure’s main objective this time isn’t the Konoha Ninja within the Land of Fire, but our Ninja force in the Land of Hot Springs?” Nara Shikaku quickly voiced his thoughts.

Minato Namikaze’s expression also changed slightly. If Kumogakure dispatched a large army to the Land of Hot Springs, and then the AB Combo led elite teams to flank them, it could indeed pose a significant threat to Orochimaru’s Ninja force.

“Shikaku, Chōza, Dōtō… follow me!” Minato Namikaze quickly selected elite Ninja to accompany him to the Land of Hot Springs to intercept the elite team led by Fourth Raikage Ay.

Although Fourth Raikage Ay might have departed a few days ago, they would have to avoid Konoha’s surveillance, so their marching speed would be slower. Moreover, the battle situation on Orochimaru’s side was also a variable.

If they were fast enough, they should make it in time.

P.S. This is the first chapter; there will be another chapter later. The time is uncertain, but it will definitely be before 2 AM.