Chapter 479: Mugetsu vs Minato, the Strongest Battle of Konoha's New Era!
Konoha, Training Ground 22.
Two golden figures stood facing each other, both smiling calmly.
Not far away, several people watched with barely contained anticipation.
"Who do you think will win?" Obito could not help turning to Kakashi and the others.
Mugetsu and Minato were both teachers to him, Kakashi, and Rin. In the eyes of many Konoha shinobi, Minato and Mugetsu represented the peak of Konoha's rising generation. Obito wanted to know what the other disciples predicted.
As a loyal believer in Mugetsu's teachings, Obito naturally leaned toward Mugetsu.
In Obito's mind, the all capable Teacher Mugetsu would not lose in a one on one fight, even if Obito had personally witnessed Minato cut down jonin like grass.
"If it's a practice match, Teacher Mugetsu should win," Kakashi said after a moment of thought.
As their shared disciple, Kakashi understood both of them well. Minato was extremely strong, but his strength centered on terrifying speed. Without the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato was still powerful, but he would not be the Yellow Flash.
Mugetsu, on the other hand, was complete in every way. Even losing a Breathing Technique, a nature transformation, or a secret ninjutsu would not meaningfully cripple him, because he simply had too many options.
Mugetsu had mastered seven chakra nature transformations, including countless Five Release techniques. He had also developed Breathing Techniques and Armament Haki, along with a series of powerful secret arts.
Whenever Kakashi imagined Mugetsu as his enemy, he could not find a weakness. Even if he knew every detail of Mugetsu's abilities, he still could not see a clear path to gaining an advantage.
Only absolute raw power can possibly defeat Teacher Mugetsu, Kakashi thought.
In his view, only shinobi with monstrous fundamentals, such as the Third Hokage, the Third Tsuchikage, and the Third Raikage, might have a real chance.
"What if it's not a practice match?" Obito asked, unconvinced that the difference would be that big.
"If it's not a practice match, there might be no result," Kakashi answered. "If Teacher Minato wants to leave, Teacher Mugetsu can't stop him."
Unless they fought to the death, even Mugetsu would find it extremely difficult to kill someone as proficient in Flying Thunder God as Minato.
Obito thought it through and had to admit it made sense.
"I think it's Teacher Mugetsu," Shisui said after recalling what he knew about Minato.
Their fame and achievements were similar, but Mugetsu was low key. Shisui believed Mugetsu's strength could not be measured by reputation alone.
"They look pretty similar in a lot of ways," Guy said with a booming laugh, flashing two rows of bright teeth as he gave Mugetsu a thumbs up. "But if I have to choose, it's definitely Teacher Mugetsu!"
"I feel like Teacher Mugetsu should win," Rin said after thinking it over.
Her reasoning was straightforward. Mugetsu had Armament Haki, which would make it difficult for Minato to seriously injure him. And Mugetsu also knew Flying Thunder God, on top of his extremely explosive Lightning Release Chakra Mode, so his speed might not be worse than Minato's.
Put together, Rin felt like Mugetsu was simply a more complete version of Minato, and that gave him the better odds.
"Seems like we're all thinking the same thing," Obito said. "But Teacher Minato is amazing too. So let's not cheer for Teacher Mugetsu later. Just watch."
Kakashi gave Obito a flat look.
Normal people don't shout cheers during a practice match.
"What if someone does?" Obito insisted.
Kakashi ignored him and focused fully on the two figures at the center.
"Even if this is a practice match," Mugetsu said, "I want you to go all out, Minato. Don't hold back because you're worried about hurting me."
Minato was still improving, but his Flying Thunder God was already refined to a frightening level. If Mugetsu could handle Minato calmly, then there likely was not a speed focused shinobi alive who could overwhelm him.
"Even if you didn't say it, I would still use my full strength," Minato replied with a smile. "After all, Mugetsu, you even killed a jinchuriki."
Then Minato added, still smiling, "Besides, Kushina is watching."
Kushina could not come in person, but she insisted hard enough that, combined with Hiruzen's interest in the fight, she earned permission to watch from the Hokage office.
The Hokage building was within a barrier, allowing Kushina to remain unaffected by the Nine Tails chakra.
At that moment, Kushina stared at the image in the crystal ball, her expression dissatisfied.
"Why can I only see the picture but hear no sound?"
On the screen, Mugetsu and Minato's mouths moved as they spoke. Kushina desperately wanted to know what they were saying, and whether they mentioned her.
"This ninjutsu can only do so much," Hiruzen explained.
It was already difficult to monitor a battle from this far away. Kushina was asking for too much.
"Fine," Kushina said, settling back with a stubborn huff. "I'll watch anyway."
As soon as she saw the two stop talking and square up, she stopped dwelling on the missing sound.
Hiruzen sighed and focused on the crystal ball as well.
If Kushina were not special, he would have tossed her out of the office for complaining about his ninjutsu.
"The battle begins!" Kakashi shouted, acting as referee.
The instant the words left his mouth, both Mugetsu and Minato formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
As if they had planned it, they released the same technique at the same time. Sheets of flame roared from their mouths, rushing forward with violent heat.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The space between them filled instantly, the flames consuming debris and scorching the air.
But the moment the two infernos collided, the sea of fire from Mugetsu's side surged forward. Minato's flames were swallowed and pushed back, overwhelmed again and again.
Even without Flame Breathing, Mugetsu's Fire Release chakra nature transformation was perfect. Even holding back, his Fire Release simply could not be matched by Minato's.
"So Minato's Fire Release is that bad?" Kushina complained, watching him get suppressed. "Why does it feel like he has no chance against Mugetsu at all?"
"It's not that Minato's Fire Release is bad," Hiruzen corrected. "It's that Mugetsu's Fire Release is too strong."
Hiruzen paid close attention to this exceptionally gifted grand disciple.
Minato's ninjutsu foundation had always been solid. He learned high level techniques quickly and could handle nearly any discipline. But compared to his talent for Flying Thunder God, his elemental performance often looked ordinary.
Here, it looked worse only because his opponent was Mugetsu.
In Hiruzen's mind, Mugetsu was a once in generations ninjutsu genius, someone who could inherit his will and even surpass him.
"Minato is probing," Hiruzen continued. "The real key is whether Mugetsu can handle Minato's Flying Thunder God."
In his view, they were close overall. Mugetsu had countless methods, but a highly refined Flying Thunder God could restrain most shinobi.
As Hiruzen expected, Minato reacted instantly. He flashed away, then pulled a Flying Thunder God kunai from his ninja pouch.
Mugetsu chased just as decisively.
The two who had been locked in a fire clash vanished from their original positions in the same breath.
Clang!
A crisp metal strike rang out.
They reappeared in a new spot, kunai in hand, blades colliding.
Minato felt the tremor in his palm. His eyes narrowed, and he used the recoil to flash backward, retreating with the force of the clash.
From that brief exchange, he confirmed Mugetsu's physical strength was frightening. Whether it came from a chakra technique or sheer conditioning, Minato could not tell yet.
So Mugetsu's taijutsu isn't simple either, Minato thought, adjusting his approach.
Whoosh!
As he retreated, Minato threw two kunai, one at Mugetsu and one behind himself.
At that moment, Mugetsu had already entered Transparent World. Even with Minato's superhuman speed and reaction, his actions were laid bare.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Mugetsu snapped several shuriken from his pouch and threw them in rapid succession.
The cold gleam of the blades struck the incoming Flying Thunder God kunai, knocking them off line. The shuriken continued forward at unusual angles, still chasing Minato.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Mugetsu formed a single hand seal and expelled a storm of fireballs. Shuriken in front, fireballs behind, the attack layered itself, sealing multiple lines at once.
When the shuriken closed to within half a meter of Minato, he moved.
Whoosh!
Minato vanished. Before activating Flying Thunder God, he casually released the Flying Thunder God kunai he had been holding.
Boom!
Shuriken and fireballs slammed into the ground where Minato had stood, explosions kicking up flames and thick smoke.
Mugetsu moved the same instant, because Transparent World had already shown him where Minato would reappear.
Minato had flashed to the kunai he threw behind himself.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
Mugetsu sprinted while forming hand seals. Invisible pressure blasts surged toward Minato's landing point, forcing him to face Wind Release the moment he escaped the earlier trap.
Whoosh!
This time, Minato wasted no time. He threw a Flying Thunder God kunai toward Mugetsu, then immediately used Flying Thunder God to transfer to a kunai that had been deflected away earlier.
That kunai had originally been close to Mugetsu, but after Mugetsu's pursuit, the distance had opened again.
But Mugetsu had already anticipated it.
The moment Minato threw his Flying Thunder God kunai, Mugetsu threw one as well.
Minato's reaction and perception caught it instantly. Calmly, he tossed the kunai in his hand upward, then used Flying Thunder God again at the very edge of his timing.
Mugetsu watched everything, then still used Flying Thunder God to appear at the spot Minato had just occupied.
Whoosh!
Minato appeared above Mugetsu, a blue chakra sphere in his hand. He raised it and drove it down toward Mugetsu's back.
Mugetsu moved as if he truly had eyes behind his head. He spun in an instant, bringing up his own Rasengan to meet the strike.
Rumble!
The two chakra spheres collided, and the explosion was deafening. Dazzling light swallowed both figures, dust and smoke erupting upward and hiding them completely.
"This is insane!" Obito's eyes widened, tracking the flashes as best he could. "How long until I can learn Flying Thunder God?"
Minato's movement had been so fast that Obito barely saw where he went before he appeared somewhere else.
Obito could not even imagine Rin's expression if one of those two were replaced by him.
"In pure Flying Thunder God, Teacher Minato is still better," Kakashi said, his eyes narrowed as he studied through Transparent World.
No wonder Minato killed jonin so easily. Kakashi felt that if he did not have Transparent World active, Minato might kill him instantly.
But as the light faded and the smoke thinned, only Mugetsu remained standing, a large crater beneath his feet.
A moment later, the spectators realized Minato had already flashed back to the location that had been targeted by the Vacuum Bullet earlier.
Minato looked disheveled. His right hand, the one that formed Rasengan, trembled uncontrollably. Parts of his clothing were torn and scorched from the blast.
Mugetsu, by contrast, was only dusted with dirt. There was no visible injury.
That exchange belonged to Mugetsu.
"So Minato can only be second," Kushina muttered, conceding in her mind as she watched. "Mugetsu can even block that."
Truthfully, Kushina did not care who won. Minato was her boyfriend, and Mugetsu was her close friend. Either victory would make her happy.
She was simply curious who was stronger overall, and who truly stood at the top of Konoha's new era.
"If that's the case, Mugetsu is the undisputed strongest of the new generation," Kushina thought. "I should make a lavish dinner to celebrate."
She pictured it and swallowed without meaning to.
It was a little unfair to Minato, but Kushina decided that Minato losing might actually be a good thing.
Hiruzen glanced at her with a dark line on his face. Minato had not even lost, and she was already planning a celebration feast for Mugetsu.
But another thought slipped into Hiruzen's mind before he could stop it.
How lavish will that lavish dinner be?
He remembered how good the food was that night.
And if Mugetsu became the strongest of the new generation, Hiruzen felt he had a share in it. He had taught Mugetsu ninjutsu, after all.
If there was a feast, he could not be absent.
Hiruzen forced the thought down and focused again.
Minato had not lost yet. The outcome was not decided.
A high probability of losing was not the same as a guaranteed defeat.
Minato took a deep breath, steadying himself.
Good thing I didn't go to Mugetsu to discuss my ninjutsu progress, he thought. Otherwise, it would be unfair to him.
In the Rasengan clash, Mugetsu's chakra sphere had clearly been stronger, which meant Mugetsu's own development progress was ahead.
Minato did not stop the match even though he was injured.
Instead, he threw several shuriken.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Chakra surged through the weapons, multiplying them. Three became six, six became twelve, and in a blink, a dense swarm of black shuriken streaked toward Mugetsu like an arrow barrage.
Mugetsu answered in kind.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
He threw his own shuriken, and the two rainstorms collided midair. Metal struck metal, sparks bursting in bright sprays, painting an eerie beauty across the sky.
Minato never expected this to truly trouble Mugetsu. His chance lay elsewhere.
A Flying Thunder God kunai had been buried beneath the earlier Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
With such dense exchanges, Mugetsu should not have been able to see that Minato had left a marker there.
Minato threw additional Flying Thunder God kunai to distract and mislead, then ran hard toward the hidden marker.
Mugetsu chased after him, eyes spinning rapidly as if he were memorizing every one of Minato's landing points.
Perhaps because of Minato's injury, the distance between them steadily shrank.
Minato crossed the scorched ground left by Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
Mugetsu pursued closely, stepping onto that same burned terrain right after him.
"Rasengan Flash Super Round Dance Howl Three Style!"
Minato suddenly pulled a flash bomb and a Flying Thunder God kunai from his pouch. He detonated the flash bomb, then threw the Flying Thunder God kunai off to a meaningless side, making it look like he planned to flash there.
Bang!
The flash bomb exploded. A violent burst of yellow light flooded Mugetsu's vision, turning everything into a blinding gold.
After the whistle of the thrown kunai, Minato silently appeared behind Mugetsu using Flying Thunder God, Rasengan raised once again, aimed at Mugetsu's back.
"How did Teacher Minato get there?" Obito blurted, confused. "Doesn't Flying Thunder God need a marked item? I don't remember seeing any kunai where Mugetsu was just standing."
Obito nearly shouted a warning, instinct screaming at him, but he held back, remembering this was a practice match.
"When he flashed away at the very end earlier, Teacher Minato used that moment to leave a Flying Thunder God kunai," Kakashi explained.
To study the fight, Kakashi had kept Transparent World active, catching details that were easy to miss.
Even so, Kakashi did not know whether Mugetsu had noticed it in the flow of combat, or whether Mugetsu had Transparent World active at that exact moment. Observers often saw clearer than participants.
Hiruzen's face showed approval.
"Exactly. That buried kunai was planted long before this moment."
Because he had the full view through the crystal ball, Hiruzen noticed the hidden marker from the beginning. That was why he believed the outcome had never been certain.
Shinobi battles were not simple comparisons of numbers. Even a shinobi with stronger ninjutsu could lose to someone weaker under the right conditions. Too many factors shaped the result, and battle intelligence mattered immensely.
But just as everyone was shocked by Minato's reversal, another twist struck even harder.
The instant Minato appeared, Mugetsu stabbed backward with the hand holding his kunai.
Before Minato's Rasengan could touch him, Mugetsu's blade was already pressed against Minato's chest, directly over his heart.
TL: In next Chapter Shisui's Pokemon will hatch
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