Chapter 637 Uchiha Madara Attacks

After Muzuki arrived at Jiraiya’s unit with his team, Jiraiya personally welcomed the Ninja.

“Muzuki, you’re finally here,” Jiraiya said with a laugh, walking up to Muzuki.

The moment he saw Muzuki, Jiraiya instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Muzuki was very young, he had never dropped the ball on a mission, practically a synonym for reliability.

“Muzuki, please inspect my Ninja Force first; we can discuss other matters later,” Jiraiya continued.

He had given orders in advance for the Ninja Force to assemble, so Muzuki could inspect them immediately upon arrival.

“Understood, we’ll inspect first,” Muzuki nodded, instructing his team to handle miscellaneous tasks while he, along with his disciples, went with Jiraiya to search for spies.

Name: Kano Masateru

Chakra: 5200

Name: Hyuga Yo

Chakra: 7200

Muzuki swiftly used Appraisal Technique on the Konoha Ninja Force in the Land of Grass, but found no White Zetsu.

“No problematic Ninja were found. They might have escaped beforehand, or perhaps they’re using another method to steal intelligence,” Muzuki turned to Jiraiya and said.

This couldn’t be an issue with Appraisal Technique, because even a powerful transformation couldn’t deceive Appraisal Technique, let alone a White Zetsu.

Muzuki was inclined to believe that Madara Uchiha had obtained intelligence about his arrival in the Land of Grass and had directly withdrawn the White Zetsu.

After all, he was moving with a Ninja Force, not alone, so it would be simple for White Zetsu to track their movements.

“I see. Perhaps we should have assembled the force earlier, but it’s not a big problem. At least the force is finally free of spies now,” Jiraiya said with a smile, not dwelling much on the spies’ escape.

As long as there were no spies, it was a good thing, whether they were caught or scared away.

Jiraiya then led Muzuki and the others to the tent serving as a meeting room.

“The Iwa Ninja Force’s commander this time is an old acquaintance, Retsuishi, the captain of Iwagakure’s Demolition Unit,” Jiraiya began to share intelligence about the battlefield.

“Besides Retsuishi, other Ninja to watch out for are Han and Kitsuchi. I don’t need to say much about Han; he’s a Jinchuriki who can fully transform into a Tailed Beast, possessing great strength and capable of releasing Tailed Beast Balls.

Kitsuchi is the Third Tsuchikage’s son, and he has a very powerful Earth Release…”

“Doesn’t Iwagakure have two Jinchuriki? Is Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, not here this time?” Obito asked curiously.

He had participated in several wars against Iwagakure and knew a lot about Iwagakure’s intelligence.

However, his question about Roshi was mainly because Roshi had left too deep an impression on him in the last war, with his relentless Tailed Beast Ball barrages.

“He hasn’t appeared yet. He might not be on the battlefield, or he might still be in hiding,” Jiraiya shook his head and said.

Currently, too few people knew about Roshi’s intelligence; even Ōnoki didn’t know Roshi’s exact location.

Although Muzuki knew the intelligence, he couldn’t reveal it, as it would be unexplainable.

“According to intelligence personnel’s reconnaissance, this Iwagakure Ninja Force numbers about 1,600, while we, combined, are about 1,100,” Jiraiya said, feeling a bit strange.

The number of supporting forces this time was indeed a bit small, only 400 Ninja.

“It’s only 1,600 Ninja. Uncle Toad, you handle that Jinchuriki, and Teacher Muzuki alone can defeat all the rest,” Obito said with a chuckle, looking confident.

The Mist Ninja Force they had just defeated was similar in number to the Iwa Ninja Force, just without a Jinchuriki.

“Does your Teacher Muzuki know he’s that powerful?” Jiraiya couldn’t help but pat Obito’s back.

Of course, he knew Muzuki was powerful; in the previous battle against 2,000 Iwa Ninja, Muzuki was responsible for most of the victory.

But this credit was comprehensive; a large part of it was because Muzuki successfully used the spies’ information to lure the Iwa Ninja Force into a trap.

However, the reactions of Muzuki’s other disciples made Jiraiya notice something was off.

He found that even Kakashi, who was usually very rational, didn’t refute Obito.

Smack!

Muzuki tapped Obito’s head with two fingers. “When did I ever fight 1,600 Ninja alone? Do you think Yamaki and the others are just air?”

To be fair, the Konoha Ninja Force did play some role, such as preventing the Hidden Mist from retreating out of Muzuki’s Ninjutsu range and helping to distract them.

Without them, Muzuki would have wasted more Chakra.

“Hehe, it’s close enough, and many people in the force also say that we won entirely because of you, Teacher Muzuki,” Obito said, scratching his head.

Listening to their conversation, Jiraiya roughly guessed one thing: before coming to the Land of Grass, Muzuki had just concluded a battle.

So Jiraiya immediately inquired about the details.

“Teacher Muzuki, with half the Ninja Force, encountered a Hidden Mist ambush, and then Teacher Muzuki used Wood Release…” Obito excitedly described the battle scene to Jiraiya.

Even now, he thought it was very cool; one person suppressing an entire Ninja Force, even in Ninja novels, that’s a major plot point that only happens much later.

Hearing that Muzuki used Wood Release: World of Trees and Art: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, Jiraiya looked stunned, feeling like he was dreaming.

If he wasn’t dreaming, how could it be so absurd? How did this perfectly fine Muzuki suddenly become a Wood Release master?

Jiraiya reached out and pinched Obito’s face.

“Ah, that hurts! What are you doing?!” Obito slapped Jiraiya’s hand away, looking indignant at Jiraiya.

“You’re yelling so energetically, so it seems I’m not dreaming,” Jiraiya said, stroking his chin in analysis.

Obito: …

For Jiraiya’s sake, as his teacher’s teacher, he’d let him off the hook for now.

After organizing his thoughts, Jiraiya’s expression turned serious, and he looked at Muzuki, saying:

“So, Muzuki, you now possess large-scale Wood Release that can pose an immense threat to Ninja Forces.”

“Yes, if the enemy gathers together, I can use Art: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees to spread pollen that can cause people to fall into a coma,” Muzuki nodded and said.

“In that case…” Jiraiya fell into thought.

Before Muzuki arrived, he had already devised a counter-plan.

That was to use his force as bait to lure the Iwa Ninja Force into an attack, then Muzuki would lead his force to flank and launch an assault.

But the spies’ premature escape made Jiraiya abandon this plan, because it meant the Iwa Ninja Force already knew of Muzuki’s arrival.

Now that he thought about it, the reason Konoha hadn’t sent Muzuki’s latest intelligence was likely to guard against Iwagakure spies.

However, with Muzuki’s current strength, it seemed no plan was really needed; if they encountered the enemy, they would fight, if not, they would search, as it was almost impossible to lose.

In the face of absolute power, everything else was illusory.

Jiraiya looked at Muzuki carefully for a few moments. If he hadn’t already met Nagato, who possessed the Six Paths Sage’s eyes, he might have believed Muzuki was the Child of Prophecy.

Minato Namikaze’s Ninja talent was already exaggerated, and Muzuki could be described as a super version of Minato Namikaze.

If Muzuki continued at this pace, he might become another God of Shinobi.

“Muzuki, how about you form an elite squad and operate freely?” Jiraiya thought for a moment and said.

The battle against 2,000 Iwagakure Ninja proved Muzuki’s wisdom, and suppressing the Mist Ninja Force proved Muzuki’s strength.

Jiraiya felt that conventional tactics were too wasteful for a special talent like Muzuki, so he decided to let Muzuki lead a small team and operate freely.

“Okay, I’ll try it,” Muzuki agreed.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Just like dividing forces on the Hidden Mist battlefield, Muzuki wasn’t worried about whether he could defeat his opponent; he was only worried about not encountering an opponent.

Now that he had perfected Wood Release, even a Jinchuriki capable of full Tailed Beast transformation would find it difficult to pose much of a threat to him.

Unless that Tailed Beast was named Kurama.

After leaving the tent, Muzuki called out to his disciples, “You all have the repair secret medicine I gave you, right?”

Muzuki had given each of his disciples a repair secret medicine and instructed them to carry it close to their bodies.

“Yes, Teacher Muzuki, you reminded us when we were in Konoha,” Obito said, taking out a black pill.

“Good that you have it. This secret medicine can instantly heal physical injuries; even if you’re half-dead, it can immediately save you,” Muzuki said, nodding as he saw all his disciples take out their repair secret medicine.

On the first day in the Land of Grass, Muzuki mainly handled various miscellaneous tasks and did not lead his team out to search for the Iwa Ninja Force.

Although he wasn’t very tired, ordinary Ninja had just undergone high-intensity travel and needed rest to be in good condition for battle.

On the second day, Muzuki and Jiraiya discussed the list of the elite team.

The list comprised a hundred people, sixty of whom were elites from Muzuki’s support unit, and the remaining forty Ninja were elites Jiraiya had drawn from his own force.

The entire team consisted of either Jonin, Special Jonin, or experienced veteran Chunin.

In the afternoon, Muzuki assembled the team for a simple coordination exercise.

On the third day, Muzuki led the elite team away from Jiraiya’s force and began his combat plan.

In the first few days, Muzuki’s elite team’s operations proceeded smoothly.

They cleared out eight Iwagakure squads without any casualties, eliminating a total of thirty-four Iwagakure Ninja.

However, an unexpected event soon occurred.

On this day, Muzuki was leading his team in pursuit of a 200-strong Iwagakure unit when they fell into an encirclement.

During the pursuit, a large number of Iwagakure Ninja burst out of the dense forest, blocking Muzuki’s team.

“As expected of the renowned Raging Sun Mu Yue, daring to charge headlong into the war zone with just a hundred Ninja.”

A calm voice came from within the Iwa Ninja Force, and a robust Iwagakure Ninja emerged from among the throng of Iwagakure Ninja.

“Iwa Fist Kitsuchi.”

Kakashi immediately recognized him as the Third Tsuchikage’s son whom Jiraiya had mentioned earlier.

“After all, Teacher Muzuki can fight two thousand, and I think there aren’t enough Ninja here for him to fight,” Obito retorted immediately, seeing someone dare to mock his teacher.

Kitsuchi was slightly taken aback; he truly thought Muzuki was very courageous, but the other side seemed to have misunderstood his words.

Kitsuchi didn’t pay too much attention and silently gathered Chakra.

Although he was a bit straightforward, it didn’t stop him from eliminating the enemies blocking the Iwagakure’s path.

“Only nine hundred Ninja, looks like I can save a bit of Chakra,” Muzuki thought to himself.

With his Kenbunshoku Haki’s range of perception, it was impossible for him to truly fall into a trap; it was merely a fishing expedition.

“Why are these Konoha Ninja so calm?” An Iwagakure Jōnin noticed that these Konoha Ninja, surrounded by them, not only weren’t afraid but even looked eager for battle.

The Iwagakure Jōnin was utterly bewildered, not understanding where these Konoha Ninja got their confidence, as if Konoha had surrounded Iwagakure instead.

They had actually noticed this hundred-person team the day after Muzuki led them out.

The reason they only acted now was that they had been investigating and planning, and only after confirming it wasn’t a Konoha conspiracy did they proceed with the encirclement.

Muzuki had defeated the Hidden Mist too quickly, and hadn’t let a single Mist Ninja escape, so this intelligence was currently known only to a small number of people, and Iwagakure was clearly not among them.

“Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Technique!”

A large number of Iwagakure Ninja tacitly gathered Chakra and spat out rocks like cannonballs.

This was Iwagakure’s most proficient unit Ninjutsu, with extremely fierce firepower.

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

“Water Release: Water Formation Wall!”

Many Ninja successively cast defensive Ninjutsu.

Bang, bang, bang!!

Due to the difference in numbers, the protective net formed by the Konoha Ninja was rapidly destroyed.

Just then, Muzuki’s Chakra had finished gathering.

“Wood Release: World of Trees!”

A massive amount of Wood Release Chakra brought unimaginable vitality to this land.

Boom, boom!!

The soil seemed to be imbued with life, surging and churning wildly, as countless tiny roots rapidly burst from the ground, spreading in all directions.

These roots grew swiftly, intertwining into a net, quickly covering the entire battlefield.

Subsequently, thick tree trunks erupted from beneath the earth, growing upwards at an astonishing speed, rapidly maturing into long, sturdy trees.

As this area was already a forest, coupled with the newly grown trees, the entire forest became terrifyingly dense with trees.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled light and shadow, but within this area dominated by Wood Release: World of Trees, the Iwagakure Ninja felt no warmth or peace; all Iwagakure Ninja wore expressions of disbelief and fear.

“Wood Release?!” Kitsuchi’s eyes widened, revealing an incredibly astonished expression.

The legend of the God of Shinobi was known to all, and now, he had actually seen another Ninja capable of performing large-scale Wood Release. How could one not be surprised?

After manipulating the trees to block the incoming barrage of Rock Iron Cannons for his subordinates, Muzuki immediately controlled the trees to launch an attack on the Iwagakure Ninja.

The Ninja in the elite team also immediately cooperated with Muzuki in the counterattack.

Most of them had already witnessed Muzuki’s Wood Release and were somewhat accustomed to it.

The situation on the field immediately shifted.

Some Iwagakure Ninja were bound by tree branches before they could react, while others couldn’t withstand the continuous attacks from the trees and Konoha Ninja.

Kitsuchi gathered a large amount of Chakra, intending to use large-scale Earth Release to destroy Muzuki’s Wood Release: World of Trees.

However, Might Guy had been eyeing Kitsuchi from the start, and before Kitsuchi could finish gathering Chakra, Might Guy rushed in front of him.

Muzuki was about to cooperate with Might Guy to defeat Kitsuchi first when he suddenly sensed something and looked towards the north.

Whoosh!

A black-robed Ninja used Body Flicker Technique to arrive at the center of the battlefield, looking at Muzuki without any concealment.