Chapter 744 Finals End, Mu Yue’s Truth

Six Paths City Training Ground.

Although they had been eliminated, Obito and the others didn’t give up training. Instead, they took this opportunity to ask Muzuki for guidance every day.

Normally, in Konoha, if they had questions, they could also go to Muzuki’s home to ask him for guidance.

But Muzuki was, after all, the Hokage, and his affairs were numerous.

His disciples couldn’t bear to make Muzuki too tired, so they always restrained themselves, only going to ask Muzuki for guidance when they truly had no ideas.

While Muzuki wasn’t completely idle in Six Paths City, he had much more free time than when he was in Konoha.

“This is great,” Obito, leaning against a tree and resting, sighed, looking at Shisui and Might Guy training not far away.

This made him recall the wonderful training days in the South Border Forest.

When Muzuki had not yet become famous in the Ninja World, and before they became famous Konoha geniuses, they could see Muzuki every day in the South Border Forest and receive his guidance.

Later, due to various reasons, opportunities became fewer.

Muzuki had various matters to handle, and they also had various things to do as they grew up.

“No wonder some people want to go back to their school days.”

Obito suddenly had an epiphany.

Whether in novels or reality, he had heard people talk about wanting to go back to the past or back to school.

Previously, Obito couldn’t quite understand the thoughts of those scholars who wanted to go back.

Especially when he was in school, he wished he could graduate early without studying theory, to become a Ninja and make a name for himself. He completely couldn’t understand why anyone would want to go back to school.

Now Obito understood a little; making a name for oneself was indeed exhilarating, but the daily warmth in his memories was irreplaceable.

“They want to live better with their memories. If they didn’t have beneficial memories, do you think they would still want to go back?”

Kakashi exhaled and sat down on the opposite side of Obito, speaking.

Obito was speechless. He had just managed to feel a bit of life’s sentiment, and with Kakashi’s words, the atmosphere instantly became utilitarian.

“Not necessarily. Youth is priceless. Even if it can’t make one’s life better, there should still be people who want to relive their youth, right?”

Rin Nohara sat between the two and said with a smile.

“Why relive youth? Youth is endless!”

Speaking of youth, the sweating Might Guy also stopped to rest, sitting down on the opposite side of Rin Nohara and shouting.

Shisui saw that everyone was resting and also walked over to rest. However, all four sides of the big tree were occupied, so Shisui had to tip-toe, Body Flicker onto the tree, and sit on a branch to rest.

Yamato, meanwhile, sat on another branch.

“The youth Rin is talking about and the youth Guy you’re shouting about aren’t the same thing.”

Obito retorted.

The youth Rin Nohara referred to was a period in one’s life, while the youth Might Guy spoke of was a more abstract spirit.

The few of them argued and discussed for a while. Obito suddenly noticed that Muzuki, sitting in the shade of the tree, hadn’t spoken, as if he was deep in thought.

“Muzuki-sensei, do you have something to attend to?”

Muzuki shook his head.

Obito breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought we were delaying your matters.”

“No, I was just thinking about what compensation to give you.”

Muzuki replied with a smile.

“Compensation? Us?”

Obito looked at Muzuki with a face full of questions.

It was hardly Muzuki’s turn to compensate them; it should be them repaying Muzuki’s kindness for his guidance.

The other disciples also looked at Muzuki in confusion, not quite understanding his meaning.

“Why compensate?”

The bewildered Obito chose to speak his mind directly, expressing his doubt to Muzuki.

“You’ll know in a few days.”

Muzuki did not answer Obito’s question.

It was already this time; knowing a few days earlier or a few days later made no significant difference, and knowing earlier carried the possibility of the plan going awry.

Hearing that the truth would be revealed in just a few days, Obito and the others’ curiosity was curbed.

When the subject was Muzuki, let alone a few days, they would patiently wait even a few years.

…

Five days passed in a flash.

Outside Six Paths City, at the foot of the mountain, the Martial Arts Tournament finals were about to begin.

Careful observers would notice that there were significantly more Ninja watching today than during the Four Finals.

Even though the viewing requirement was Jonin, the finals miraculously had many more Ninja from the Five Great Ninja Villages.

“Third Raikage-sama versus Hiruzen Sarutobi-sama!”

The referee stood in the center of the combat area and announced the names of the finalists.

The Third Raikage and Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged glances and unhurriedly walked into the combat area.

Those watching the live broadcast on TV in Six Paths City were somewhat excited. The grand event, with five Kage participating, was finally going to determine the strongest.

Since Sōsuke and Muzuki were not participating, it couldn’t be called the strongest in the Ninja World, but the ultimate winner would definitely be among the top three in the Ninja World.

The Jonin present were also a bit nervous.

However, they weren’t nervous about the match, but about what they had to do after the match.

Most of the Jonin from the Five Great Ninja Villages who came to watch the finals knew what was coming next.

After the two Kage reached their designated spots, the referee quickly retreated outside the arena, to avoid being injured by the aftermath of the battle.

“Begin!”

Seeing that the Third Raikage and Hiruzen Sarutobi were ready, the referee quickly shouted.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As soon as the referee’s words fell, the two instantly disappeared from their original positions.

Sizzle! Crackle!!

The Third Raikage instantly activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his entire body glowing with blue lightning as he attacked Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Due to their respective plans, this match was destined not to be a true battle, but merely an exhibition match.

However, they were, after all, the Third Raikage and Third Hokage, who had shaken the Ninja World. Even an exhibition match couldn’t be too obvious; it had to be realistic.

Especially Hiruzen Sarutobi, to prevent Sōsuke from seeing through it, his battle plan was to fight genuinely in the early stages, then feign a few mistakes in the middle to late stages to lose the battle.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi used Body Flicker Technique to dodge, then quickly formed hand signs to create two Shadow Clones.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!” “Wind Release: Cyclone!”

Under the cover of the main body, the two Shadow Clones formed hand signs to gather Chakra and use large-scale Ninjutsu, quickly transforming the area into a sea of flames.

Seeing this, the Third Raikage again unleashed Chakra, bringing out his full Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and directly charged through the sea of flames towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly continued to control the flames, and his Shadow Clones also used various secret techniques.

Although he didn’t injure the Third Raikage, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s endless stream of various Ninjutsu did put the Third Raikage at a slight disadvantage.

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have a slight upper hand.

After a period of time, Hiruzen Sarutobi changed his fighting style, summoning Enma and engaging in Taijutsu with the Third Raikage.

Relying on the Adamantine Staff, which could change size, combined with his own immense strength, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not suffer any disadvantage in this Taijutsu duel.

Each collision between the two produced powerful forces that cracked the ground. After just a few minutes of entanglement, the combat area became a mess.

However, as time passed, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed some decline, while the Third Raikage’s performance remained stable.

“Did Hokage-ossan not rest well these past few days? I feel like his performance isn’t as good as it was during the Four Finals.”

Obito voiced his thoughts on the match.

“Is that what you think? Then it means the old man’s disguise skills haven’t fallen behind just because he’s Hokage.”

Asuma said.

Obito looked at Asuma with some confusion, feeling that Asuma was a bit strange. How did rest and disguise skills become related?

“Oh right, Asuma, weren’t you supposed to note Hokage-ossan’s mistakes? You don’t seem to be watching the match very seriously.”

Obito asked, remembering something.

During the Four Finals, Asuma watched the match very seriously, even asking them to help watch carefully, but in the finals, he seemed different.

“What’s there to watch in a battle with a predetermined outcome? Even if you find mistakes, there are plenty of excuses to make.”

Asuma looked at Obito suspiciously, noticing something was off about him.

Obito acted as if he didn’t know the battle plan for today’s finals.

The night before the finals, Asuma received notice that Konoha would unite with the Four Great Shinobi Villages to attack the Shinobi Sect.

The time would be during the challenge match after the finals.

During the battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi would intentionally lose to the Third Raikage in the finals to allow the Third Raikage to participate in the challenge match and deplete Sōsuke’s Chakra.

Once the challenge match ended, it would be time to go to war with the Shinobi Sect.

This news was very sudden for Asuma, and he was not particularly pleased.

However, as a Ninja, and the Hokage’s son, Asuma chose to accept it calmly and came to the finals arena.

“Why do you say it’s a battle with a predetermined outcome? Asuma, do you know something?”

Obito could no longer hold back and directly asked.

“Obito, you really don’t know.”

Asuma showed a surprised expression, as if he had seen a husky mixed in with a pack of wolves.

Kakashi and Shisui, listening to their conversation, showed thoughtful expressions.

Before the Martial Arts Tournament began, Shisui, due to his position as a high-ranking member of the training squad, received a lot of information that ordinary Ninja did not.

However, at that time, the Five Great Ninja Villages were strictly keeping the plan confidential, and generally only high-ranking Village officials knew the full extent of the plan. Shisui only received partial information and did not know the specific plans of Konoha and the other Four Great Shinobi Villages.

Later, upon arriving at Six Paths City, Shisui was more of an ordinary participant and no longer received intelligence from the training squad.

“Could it be because of your identities, the intelligence department assumed Muzuki-sensei would notify you in advance?”

Asuma guessed, then quietly told Obito and the others about Konoha’s plan to unite with the Four Great Shinobi Villages.

“What?! They’re going to war with the Shinobi Sect, and they’ve even united with the Four Great Shinobi Villages!”

Obito’s eyes widened, his face filled with shock.

However, he also knew how important this matter was, so he only spoke at a volume that those nearby could hear.

“Why is this happening? I remember the Village had a lot of cooperation with the Shinobi Sect, didn’t it?”

Obito frowned, not understanding why Konoha was initiating this war.

Just a few days ago, he was talking about peace with Yahiko, and now Konoha was attacking the Shinobi Sect. Obito really couldn’t hold it together.

The thought of Yahiko’s expression when he saw him later filled Obito with shame.

In Yahiko’s eyes at that moment, he was probably a hypocritical war deceiver full of lies.

“How would I know? I only received the news last night.”

Asuma shook his head and replied.

“Is this what Muzuki-sensei meant by compensation?”

Kakashi thought to himself.

If Asuma knew about it, given their identities and strength, it was impossible for them not to be qualified to be informed. So, it could only be Muzuki’s arrangement.

Kakashi thought carefully and felt that things were not that simple.

Since Asuma had directly revealed the information, it meant that at this moment, the secrecy level of this information was no longer high. It was information that most Konoha Jonin had permission to know.

Then there was no need for Muzuki to deliberately conceal it, because it would be too easy for them to find out.

“What could it be for?”

Kakashi looked at Muzuki, who was sitting among the Kage on the hillside, and ultimately suppressed his inner curiosity.

Muzuki had said before that he would tell them the truth about the compensation today, so there was no need to guess blindly.

“Didn’t Muzuki-sensei tell you anything?”

Asuma asked. In his impression, Muzuki was always steady and reliable, not only would he not miss anything, but he would also repeatedly remind and emphasize important matters.

“Yes! This morning, Muzuki-sensei told us that the finals would be chaotic and to be careful, and to prioritize protecting ourselves and our companions if anything unexpected happened.”

Obito recalled Muzuki’s instructions during breakfast.

At that time, he was still wondering, with the Five Great Ninja Villages and the Shinobi Sect present, who would dare cause trouble in such a setting. It turned out they were the ones who were going to cause trouble.

At this moment, Obito also thought of what Muzuki had told them a few days ago, and his restless heart gradually calmed down.

Because Obito firmly believed that whatever Muzuki did, he would not harm them, and it had deep meaning.

If not for that, Muzuki wouldn’t have needed to specifically remind them to be careful.

Moreover, if it weren’t for Muzuki, they would have long since died on some mission or battlefield, and they wouldn’t have their current glory.

As Obito and the others conversed, the battle situation became increasingly unfavorable for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Even ordinary Jonin could see that Hiruzen Sarutobi was at a disadvantage. If he had no trump card, then Hiruzen Sarutobi would lose to the Third Raikage.

“How could this be? Is Sandaime-sama going to…!”

A Konoha Ninja said with an incredulous expression.

He knew the inside story, but to fool the Shinobi Sect, this was a necessary step.

It wouldn’t be normal for their own Kage to lose and still look calm.

“Raikage-sama, you can do it!”

On the other side, the Cloud Ninja also put on an act, cheering on the Third Raikage.

The Ninja from the other three Great Shinobi Villages also pretended to discuss, making the arena lively.

“Disguise as a Ninja’s compulsory course makes sense.”

Kakuzu muttered to himself, watching the group of actors below.

After another few minutes of fierce fighting, Hiruzen Sarutobi made a mistake and exposed a weakness, which the keen Third Raikage seized, directly ending the battle.

“Third Raikage-sama wins! Congratulations to Third Raikage-sama for winning this year’s Martial Arts Tournament!”

The referee announced the end of the finals.

Ōnoki, Rasa, and the Third Mizukage on the hillside exchanged glances and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the arena changed.

PS: (Please read the author’s notes below)

1. Muzuki’s ‘if’ timeline without the system.

In this version, Muzuki no longer has his cheat. Will he still interact with Obito and the others? What actions will he take?

2. Matters concerning Obito’s election or already becoming Hokage.

Kakashi, I’m the Hokage!

3. Namikaze Naruto and Sasuke’s teenage lives.

Ninja Clash: Advanced Recruitment features Hayate Mugetsu 【Scorching Sun】, receive Ninja fragments upon reaching a certain number of recruits.