"Mutsuki, it seems I've troubled you again today."
Seeing Mutsuki walking in with Asuma, Sarutobi Hiruzen took down his pipe and said with a smile.
At first, Mutsuki was just a tutor hired by him, but later, due to various reasons, Mutsuki couldn't keep a stable teaching schedule, and the relationship between Mutsuki and Asuma gradually became more like that of a master and disciple.
"Sensei guiding his student is hardly a trouble," Mutsuki answered with a warm smile.
"I'm not sure if Third-sama has any free time today, but I've encountered some difficult-to-understand issues in my Earth Release training, and I'd like to consult with you."
"Right now is fine," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
In order to avoid being overly doted on by his son, and because Mutsuki's question would be quite difficult, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not bring Asuma along.
Among all the Chakra Nature Transformations Mutsuki had mastered, Earth Release was one of the weaker ones. This time, Mutsuki did not ask about techniques he had already mastered, but instead inquired about problems he had encountered during training.
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen also displayed the knowledge expected of a Ninjutsu instructor. Not only did he quickly answer Mutsuki's questions, but he also demonstrated the solutions and the direction for further progress.
"Mutsuki, how's your Flying Thunder God Jutsu training going? If it's not going well, I can help you switch to another Ninjutsu," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, as if recalling something.
It had already been half a year since he rewarded Mutsuki with the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and if Mutsuki still couldn't master it after half a year, it seemed unlikely he would learn it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't feel much about it. To him, not being able to learn Flying Thunder God Jutsu was perfectly normal. After all, even someone as proficient in over a thousand Ninjutsu and Secret Jutsu as he was hadn't learned the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
"Although not as proficient as Minato, I can at least say I've learned it," Mutsuki replied.
He had intended to reveal that he had learned the Flying Thunder God technique anyway, so since Sarutobi Hiruzen asked directly, it saved him the trouble of trying to guide the conversation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Mutsuki in surprise, but being the Third Hokage who had seen much in his life, he quickly composed himself.
"Looks like I underestimated your Ninja abilities, Mutsuki. After all, Minato trained for many more years than you, so there's no need to compare yourself to him," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, stroking his goatee.
Whoosh!
Mutsuki took out two Kunai from his ninja tool pouch, each with the Flying Thunder God Seal attached. He threw one in the direction to his side and front, and the other landed by his feet.
Whoosh!
After the Kunai had flown about seven or eight meters, Mutsuki activated the Flying Thunder God technique, and his body instantly disappeared from its original spot, appearing in the direction the Kunai was flying.
Whoosh!
After pausing for a moment, Mutsuki quickly used the Flying Thunder God technique to return to the spot where he had been standing.
Watching Mutsuki come and go with ease, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flickered.
"Mutsuki, this isn't just you having barely learned it, you've mastered it very well," Sarutobi Hiruzen exclaimed, letting out a puff of smoke.
Although he couldn't use the Flying Thunder God technique himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen had a good eye. Based on Mutsuki's performance, he could tell that Mutsuki was no beginner; he had already reached a highly proficient level.
Of course, Mutsuki was right in saying that he wasn't as proficient as Minato.
Mutsuki smiled and humbly downplayed it. After all, with all the Proficiency level scrolls he had used, it was no surprise he had mastered it so smoothly.
After achieving his goal, Mutsuki discussed a few matters related to the Academy and Asuma's training with Sarutobi Hiruzen before leaving.
"He's already mastered the Flying Thunder God technique..." Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured, watching Mutsuki's retreating figure as he exhaled a cloud of white smoke.
He hoped that Mutsuki could split into two roles: one as a unique talent in education, and the other as a genius ninja with extraordinary strength. This way, both could be utilized separately.
Although the current situation in Konoha hadn't reached a critical level and they had been winning repeatedly, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew things weren't so simple.
Right now, it was just minor skirmishes. If they truly fought with all their might, Konoha wouldn't stand a chance against the three major ninja villages.
Unless figures like Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara were resurrected, they could each suppress one of the major ninja villages. In that case, Konoha would only need to withstand the pressure and protect their home to win.
Konoha didn't have such powerful figures at present, so the current situation in the ninja world was quite awkward for them—very passive.
With Konoha's strength, they could easily defeat one of the major ninja villages in a full-scale battle, but Konoha couldn't afford to do that. The other two major villages weren't foolish and wouldn't just wait for Konoha to pick them off one by one.
As soon as Konoha focused its ninja forces on a particular battlefield, the defenses in other areas would inevitably be compromised, and the possibility of being attacked from behind was very real.
Since they couldn't appear too strong, the only option was to defend, keeping the enemy outside the Land of Fire, minimizing losses while looking for opportunities.
Before leaving, Mutsuki used Transformation to scan Sarutobi Hiruzen's information.
Perhaps because of the vast number of Ninjutsu and Secret Jutsu he had mastered, Sarutobi Hiruzen became the Ninja with the most information in Mutsuki's scans so far. The combined data of Kushina and Tsunade was only comparable to Sarutobi Hiruzen's.
The Chakra required for Mutsuki's Transformation of Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite large as well.
Looking at the dense list of skills after using Transformation, Mutsuki felt it was somewhat reasonable. Sarutobi Hiruzen knew too many skills, and many of them were at a high proficiency level.
After a period of normal training with his disciples in Konoha, Mutsuki took on a B-Rank mission located in the Land of Rain.
However, this time, it was different. In addition to Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, Shisui would also be participating in this mission.
During the time Mutsuki was on a mission in Roran, Shisui had graduated to become a Genin. Due to his excellent performance, Shisui had also contributed a Ninjutsu Mastery scroll to Mutsuki.
Although Shisui had graduated, Mutsuki made a special arrangement. Instead of being assigned to a regular three-person team like other Genin, Shisui would carry out missions alongside Mutsuki, similar to Tsunade and Shizune.
Anko and Hagane Kotetsu, who also did internships, chose not to graduate early but to stay in the Academy for an additional year, advancing to the third grade.
This was Mutsuki's suggestion. Although the three of them were indeed more exceptional than regular graduates, they were still no match for Shisui. Given the current situation in the ninja world, it was better not to graduate early unless necessary.
After all, the Academy had already shortened the standard duration, which used to be six years.
With Shisui joining Mutsuki's team, the team consisted of one Jonin, three Chunin, and one Genin, which was fully compliant with Konoha's regulations for accepting B-Rank missions.
"This is your first B-Rank mission, Shisui, but don't worry, everything will be fine with me here," Obito said, trying to show off a bit of his sensei style as it was his first time working with Shisui on a mission.
Although Obito had often been bested by Shisui in training battles, he was still two years older than Shisui and much taller. He felt it was his responsibility to take on the role of the older brother.
"You're taking care of Shisui? Are you serious?" Kakashi asked, looking at Obito in surprise.
Since they were both Mutsuki's disciples, Kakashi had interacted with Shisui quite a bit. Shisui was the only person of his age who made Kakashi feel inferior in terms of ninja talent.
While Obito might be stronger than Shisui in terms of raw power now, in other areas, well, that was another story.
"What's wrong? Haven't I done plenty of B-Rank missions?" Obito said confidently.
"Nothing, it's just that not having self-awareness is a scary thing," Kakashi said lightly.
"You have no self-awareness, just a Kakashi," Obito said, feeling slighted and his face reddened.
Rin gave a helpless smile at Shisui. This was the usual dynamic of their team.
Shisui nodded in understanding, as this kind of scene had played out many times in the southern forest.
"I am indeed a newcomer on missions, so I ask for everyone's guidance," Shisui said, stepping in to end the debate and prevent any delays in Mutsuki's plans.
Obito chuckled and put his arm around Shisui's shoulder, feeling that they could form an "Uchiha brothers" duo to take on Kakashi.
"Let's double-check everything. If there are no problems, we can go find the client," Mutsuki said.
This mission was carefully chosen by Mutsuki.
The Land of Rain had once again become a battleground for the great nations. While it wasn't a large-scale war like the Second Great Ninja War, the domestic situation was still chaotic.
Being a small country that hadn't yet turned into a battlefield, the Land of Rain didn't have many powerful ninjas, making it a suitable mission for Kakashi and the others at their current level.
In addition to training his disciples, Mutsuki planned to observe Nagato, test whether Transformation could be seen through by the Rinnegan, and if it could replicate the Rinnegan's abilities.
Furthermore, Mutsuki intended to collect some intelligence on the Land of Rain. If he was going to make Nagato his disciple, he would need to take some actions in the Land of Rain.
"Destination: Land of Rain, let's go!" Obito shouted excitedly after confirming everything.
The Land of Rain was a country he had never been to, and Obito was curious about what kinds of scenery it might have—perhaps something he hadn't seen before, like the deserts of the Land of Wind or the glaciers of the Land of Snow.
After confirming that all the disciples were ready, Mutsuki led them to meet the client. It was a guarding mission.
Since the journey was a bit boring, Obito frequently asked the client about the Land of Rain.
"The Land of Rain doesn't have any particularly special scenery. After all, it's always raining, and that's not really considered a tourist attraction," the middle-aged client replied.
Obito's expectations dropped a little, but he was still excited. Even without unique scenery, there should be some exclusive plants or other things to see.
The middle-aged client they met was quite talkative. After Obito started the conversation, the client eagerly shared many things about the Land of Rain.
"Hanzo was a failed leader of a ninja village. The Land of Rain has fallen to this point, and he's partly to blame," the middle-aged client said with obvious disdain for Hanzo.
"Originally, the Land of Rain's strength was only slightly weaker than the Five Great Countries, but now they can't even guarantee internal security."
For someone like him, ninja villages weren't very dangerous, because the battles of ninjas had little to do with ordinary people like him.
But rogue ninjas were different; they had nothing to lose and were willing to do whatever it took to survive.
As the Land of Rain was located at the crossroads of the three great countries, stability required strength—something the Land of Rain now lacked.
Hanzo's failure also caused many of the Rain Ninjas to lose faith in him and leave the Rain Ninja Village.
Among them, some who still had a sense of responsibility joined other ninja organizations, while those who had lost all restraint became rogue ninjas, further worsening the Land of Rain's security situation.
"Hanzo... why does that name sound familiar?" Obito scratched his head, feeling like he'd heard it somewhere before.
"He's a very strong ninja. Some say he's a demigod of the ninja world. Anyone who survives a fight with him gains tremendous fame," Shisui explained to Obito.
It wasn't that Shisui knew too much, but rather that Hanzo had a huge reputation in the ninja world.
Although the Rain Ninja Village was heavily defeated in the Second Great Ninja War, Hanzo's reputation among ninjas didn't drop much, since it was the Rain Ninjas, not Hanzo himself, who were defeated in that war.
"Sounds really strong," Obito said, rubbing his chin.
He was curious about who was stronger—Hanzo, the demigod, or Mutsuki, the Sage?
Although he wasn't sure, Obito felt like Mutsuki would probably be stronger—just a gut feeling.
"Tsunade-sama was once defeated by him in the Second Great Ninja War, and that was when she teamed up with Orochimaru-sama and Jiraiya-sama," Rin reminded, worried that Obito might get a crazy idea to challenge Hanzo.
Though Rin thought Obito and Kakashi weren't bad, they were still too young.
"He beat the old toad, huh?" Obito's interest piqued.
Obito decided that ten years from now, he'd challenge Hanzo. If he won, he'd make sure to brag in front of Jiraiya.
Although Jiraiya was his sensei's sensei, Obito found it hard to view him as a grandmaster due to Jiraiya's abstract nature.
After entering the Land of Rain, Mutsuki activated his Byakugan.
Mutsuki had visited quite a few small countries, but the Land of Rain was the most chaotic one he had seen.
Obito and the others might not have felt this way, but Mutsuki, with his wide field of vision, could see much more.
From Mutsuki's perspective, calling the Land of Rain a place of chaos was an understatement.
He saw several wandering ninjas lingering around them before eventually retreating. Keep in mind, they weren't disguised, still dressed as Konoha ninjas.
In addition to the wandering ninjas, Mutsuki also spotted Hidden Cloud ninjas disguised as Hidden Rock ninjas, Hidden Rock ninjas disguised as Hidden Cloud ninjas, and Hidden Sand ninjas investigating them.
After traveling a certain distance into the Land of Rain, Mutsuki separated from the group, leaving a Shadow Clone to lead the team and continue the mission.
Being cautious, Mutsuki wanted to avoid any accidents. He used the maximum range of his Flying Thunder God technique to search for traces of the Akatsuki Organization, ensuring that if anything happened on Kakashi's side, he could provide immediate support.
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