Chapter 657 Life Mission Settlement

Hokage Building, conference room.

A large number of Konoha Jonin sat around a huge conference table.

“Effective immediately, Hayate Mugetsu will serve as Hokage Assistant.”

As soon as the meeting began, Hiruzen Sarutobi dropped a bombshell.

The Jonin exchanged glances, all with surprised expressions.

No one thought Muzuki was unqualified to be Hokage Assistant, but for Muzuki to take on such a significant role at the age of twenty-two was unprecedented in Konoha.

Considering the recent calls for the Fourth Hokage within Konoha, it was hard for them not to overthink the situation.

Clap clap!

Minato Namikaze was the first to applaud, a genuine smile on his face.

Although in some sense they were rivals, their relationship was too good.

So even if this appointment meant Muzuki would have a huge advantage in the future Fourth Hokage election, Minato Namikaze would still be happy for him.

Clap!

Tsunade clapped excitedly, thinking it was perfectly reasonable for Muzuki to make a grand feast to celebrate such a great occasion.

If it weren’t for the ongoing meeting, Tsunade would have already sent a Shadow Clone to buy groceries.

Orochimaru clapped expressionlessly, his gaze towards Muzuki extremely complex.

He once considered Muzuki an asset to his own ambition of becoming Hokage, a good subordinate worth cultivating.

Yet, in just a few years, before he even realized it, Muzuki’s strength and reputation soared, and now his position was even higher than his own, with louder calls for him to become Hokage.

However, they had never clashed, so Orochimaru didn’t dislike Muzuki; he just felt a sense of being backstabbed by the void.

“Excellent, Muzuki, you’ve done well!” Jiraiya clapped with a cheerful grin.

With such a capable Ninja as Hokage Assistant, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn’t bother him anymore, and he could confidently go search for his Child of Prophecy and travel the world writing novels.

Nara Shikaku looked at Muzuki as if he were looking at a deity.

“Four years ago, who would have dared to imagine things would develop this way,” Nara Shikaku sighed inwardly while applauding.

Four years ago, if you asked any Konoha Ninja or Konoha resident on the street who was most likely to become the Fourth Hokage, the Sannin would undoubtedly be the overwhelming majority.

This actually had little to do with the Sannin’s master-disciple relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi; it was mainly because the Sannin were the three most prominent Ninja in Konoha at that time.

And for Muzuki to surpass them and achieve a sudden rise was something many Konoha Jonin present had not expected.

This was no longer a matter of whether Jiraiya and the others were strong-willed; even if Jiraiya and Tsunade wanted to compete with Muzuki now, it would be very difficult to win.

“It really is Hokage Assistant! Muzuki, the Sage, is truly prescient!”

Obito clapped frantically, vying for the loudest applause, expressing his reverence for the omnipotent Muzuki, the Sage.

His strong competitor was Asuma, who sat not far from him.

Asuma hadn’t even wanted to attend the meeting, as he had been in a very bad mood lately.

He was a talented Jonin, yet when guiding a junior still in Ninja Academy, he almost stumbled using only Fire Release, and had to quickly activate the Wind Breathing Chakra Mode he had recently mastered on the battlefield to defeat the opponent, but for a Ninja Academy student to push him to this extent, he had already lost face.

Asuma almost fell into depression after learning that the student had only recently started first grade.

He felt as if first-year students were his natural bane.

When he became a Genin, he confidently fought Shisui, a first-year, and was easily defeated.

He was already a Jonin, and he almost carelessly stumbled against a first-year student—it was ridiculous.

However, upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi mention important news about Muzuki, Asuma still composed himself and came.

Regarding his most respected Teacher Muzuki, he, Asuma Sarutobi, had to show his support.

Clap, clap, clap!!

Thunderous applause erupted, as many Jonin clapped earnestly, showing their approval of the resolution.

Among them, some had their children taught by Muzuki, some had close relatives taught by Muzuki, and some were even taught by Muzuki themselves.

Although Muzuki’s teaching career was not long, he often conducted various special trainings, and actually taught quite a few people.

And those who understood Muzuki’s teaching level naturally had a good impression of him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Homura Mitokado, along with other higher-ups, were also applauding.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had nothing to say; he only saw Muzuki in a favorable light.

Homura Mitokado had suffered a defeat in Hidden Mist, and it was Muzuki who turned the tide; he could not forget this favor and certainly had to show his support.

As for Utatane Koharu, everyone else was clapping, so if she didn’t, wouldn’t she be out of place?

“I will certainly perform my duties diligently,” Muzuki said, standing up and bowing slightly.

Another round of applause erupted, and all the Jonin were very respectful, with no one being perfunctory.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, “Minato Namikaze will serve as the Jōnin Squad Leader.”

Clap clap!

Muzuki was the first to applaud, giving Minato Namikaze a round of applause.

Although it was a squad leader, this squad was the Jonin Squad, encompassing all Konoha Jonin, making it a very high position in Konoha’s organizational structure.

However, there was one rather awkward point: in current Konoha, the Jōnin Squad Leader was unable to attend high-level meetings.

This led to a very awkward situation where the Jōnin Squad Leader couldn’t even participate in making truly important decisions.

Of course, it was still a good position, just not as good as Hokage Assistant.

Minato Namikaze also had excellent popularity, so many Jonin sincerely applauded him as well.

【Disciple Uchiha Obito’s strength, reputation, and connections have increased, and his probability of becoming Hokage has moderately increased, earning a progress reward—Chakra +2000, Self-Selected Draw Scroll Fragment · S+ (Mastery Level), Fire Release Chakra Comprehension Boost】

As Hiruzen Sarutobi finished announcing Muzuki and Minato Namikaze’s appointments, a message popped up on Muzuki’s system panel.

Obito’s life mission progress surged, breaking through fifty percent first, reaching a settlement node.

Along with the message, many memories of Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation training and Fire Release Ninjutsu training surfaced one by one in Muzuki’s mind, giving him a deeper understanding of everything related to Fire Release Chakra.

“The fifty percent settlement reward is actually an S+ draw scroll as well,” Muzuki became interested.

Shisui had given him a fragment before, and now Obito had given him another, and Might Guy was about to give one, so he would soon be able to designate a type and draw an S+ skill again.

Muzuki opened his panel and glanced at Obito’s mission progress after the settlement.

【Name: Uchiha Obito】

【Life Mission: It’s not those who become Hokage who are recognized by everyone, but those who are recognized by everyone who can become Hokage】

【Main Goal: Become the Hokage of Konoha Ninja Village】

【Mission Progress: 54.6%】

Muzuki had to admit the system was too realistic; as soon as he and Minato Namikaze, their two teachers, were promoted, the progress really surged.

However, it made sense; Hokage Assistant plus Jōnin Squad Leader could indeed provide a great deal of help.

Then Muzuki opened Might Guy’s life mission panel.

【Name: Might Guy】

【Life Mission: Walk the path of the strongest Taijutsu user】

【Main Goal: Become a top-tier expert in the Ninja World specializing in Taijutsu, both in strength and renown, making all Ninja aware that one can become strong even without specializing in Ninjutsu】

【Mission Progress: 49.9%】

Might Guy was just that last zero point one percent away from achieving the fifty percent settlement reward.

Muzuki wasn’t in a hurry; he just had to wait for the news of the battle’s victory to continue to ferment, and the reward was guaranteed.

“Next, Konoha’s main work is…”

After discussing some important appointments, Hiruzen Sarutobi also talked about the Five Kage Summit and the Five Great Ninja Villages Alliance.

The entire meeting lasted for five hours before concluding.

After the meeting, Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, and other friends who had good relationships with Muzuki congratulated him, and Muzuki responded to each of them.

Just as Muzuki was about to go home with Minato Namikaze and Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi called out to Muzuki.

“Why are there so many things?” Tsunade grumbled, clearly annoyed that her grand meal had been forcibly postponed.

She had already decided which ingredients to buy, and then this happened.

“Muzuki, we’ll go ahead,” Minato Namikaze didn’t seem to mind too much and smiled as he bid farewell to Muzuki.

He guessed there were probably some important matters that needed to be discussed in a high-level meeting.

The Jonin meeting was nominally for deciding various major affairs of Konoha, but the true decisions on important Konoha matters were made in the high-level meetings.

Leaving the large conference room of the Jonin meeting, Muzuki followed Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and other high-ranking officials into the conference room reserved for high-level meetings.

“Some matters are not suitable for discussion in the Jonin meeting, so they are moved to the high-level meeting for deliberation,” Hiruzen Sarutobi explained to Muzuki, who was attending his first high-level meeting, after taking his seat.

Muzuki nodded, indicating his understanding.

“Everyone, please take a look at the documents first,” Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.

He had already arranged for the Anbu to compile and prepare the latest intelligence from the Land of Rain.

Muzuki picked up the document in front of him and began to read it.

After reading it, Muzuki had to admit that Konoha, as the largest Ninja Village, indeed had its standards.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already uncovered that Danzo Shimura had collaborated with Hanzō, with the suspected goal of killing Ninja Master Sōsuke.

As for why it was suspected, it was mainly because from Konoha’s perspective, there were many suspicious points in the Amegakure regarding this incident.

Although Hanzō died, the Amegakure suffered virtually no losses, which didn’t look like Hanzō murdering Sōsuke; rather, it seemed as if Sōsuke had orchestrated a coup in the Amegakure and killed Hanzō.

In addition to the intelligence regarding Danzo Shimura’s death, this document also contained intelligence on the Ninja forces of the Amegakure and the Shinobi Sect.

Although it couldn’t be precise down to the single digit, this intelligence was already considered accurate.

However, Muzuki didn’t pay too much attention to it; for the Amegakure and the Shinobi Sect, it wasn’t a secret intelligence.

They had few people to begin with, so they couldn’t just hide and do nothing.

The gap between ordinary Ninja Villages and the Five Great Ninja Villages was too vast, making it almost impossible to prevent infiltration.

Unless Muzuki personally took action, with his perception fully open, identifying everyone he saw and precisely catching spies through his panel, that would indeed eliminate spies.

But that would be too much effort; with that time, Muzuki might as well directly use his hard power to hit the enemy hard.