Chapter 481: Mugetsu Born at the Wrong Time
"What an adorable little fox," Rin said, staring at the small, dark gray fox Shisui was holding. In her eyes, Shisui's nin beast was even cuter than Kakashi's Manewra.
The little fox had mostly dark gray fur. Only the lower half of its legs, the area around its eyes, and the flame like tufts on its head were a deep, dark red.
That sharp contrast, gray with just a splash of red, made Rin itch to reach out and touch the raised tufts on its head.
Obito's expression did not change at all. As long as it was not a tall, mighty, powerful nin beast, he had nothing to envy.
"If it's a fox, what's the best food for it?" Shisui looked down at the Zorua in his arms and fell into thought.
Shisui did not have any special preference for what kind of nin beast he received.
This egg had been given by Teacher Mugetsu. No matter what hatched, Shisui would take care of it properly and raise it well.
"You can buy special dog food from the Inuzuka Clan," Kakashi suggested. "Foxes are canids too, but it's still better to look up more information."
Kakashi had truly put effort into raising Manewra. He had researched, asked around, and even consulted shinobi from the Inuzuka Clan about raising nin dogs.
At that moment, the newly hatched Zorua was curiously observing everything around it. It looked at Shisui, and an intense sense of familiarity welled up in its chest.
"Do you mean me when you say 'fox'?" Zorua asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
It had only just been born. Everything in the world was still unfamiliar to it, and its understanding was clumsy and incomplete.
"Of course I mean you," Obito answered like it was obvious. "Who else would I be talking about?"
He did not see any problem at all. He only thought Shisui's nin beast looked a little slow.
Shisui and Kakashi exchanged a glance, both catching the surprise in the other's eyes.
There were plenty of talking nin beasts in the shinobi world, but a newborn that could speak immediately was rare.
More than that, Zorua's speech was fluent. That made it even stranger.
"No," Kakashi said, suddenly catching a detail. "It isn't talking."
Shisui's eyes narrowed slightly.
Zorua's mouth had not moved even once.
"Then why can't it be you?" Zorua replied, hopping down from Shisui's arms. "Look, what's the difference between us?"
A dark red glow flashed.
In the next instant, Obito saw another version of himself standing there.
"See?" Zorua said, sounding satisfied with its logic. "We're the same. If I'm a fox, then you're a fox too."
Obito: ???
Obito froze, completely bewildered.
What was this?
Was this nin beast trying to trick him into looking stupid?
"Transformation Technique?" Shisui murmured, thoughtful.
But Zorua's transformation felt different. Shisui had clearly sensed Yin Release chakra.
"It's genjutsu," Shisui said calmly.
He dispelled it at once.
The second Obito vanished, and the small, delicate fox returned to its original form.
"To use ninjutsu right after hatching, and to have some unknown way of communicating…" Kakashi thought, eyes fixed on Zorua. "As expected, the eggs Teacher Mugetsu gave us are all extraordinary."
Other than the shared trait of emitting white light when they hatched, every Pokémon had revealed its own unique qualities.
Kakashi's Manewra had been born with stones around its neck, and it had mastered Earth Release transformation without any instruction.
Guy's Riolu had abnormal stamina and endurance. Even as a newborn, it trained intensely every day alongside Guy, showed no discomfort, and only grew healthier.
"Wait," Obito finally reacted, pointing stiffly. "How can you talk?"
He had only just realized he had been arguing with a newborn nin beast.
And that newborn had even tried to trick him.
"Then why can you talk?" Zorua shot back.
"Because I'm human," Obito answered without thinking.
"I can talk too," Zorua concluded confidently. "So I'm also human."
Obito's brain spun so hard it practically overheated.
"Stop playing around," Shisui said, deciding he had seen enough. "Deactivate your ability."
Zorua immediately obeyed. It canceled the genjutsu and hopped back into Shisui's arms, curling up as if nothing had happened.
…
That evening, at Kushina's strong insistence, Mugetsu and the others booked a small restaurant inside a barrier, and Mugetsu personally cooked a lavish dinner.
Because of his agreement with Tsunade, Mugetsu also invited Tsunade and Shizune.
And just before the last dishes were finished, Hiruzen happened to pass by and joined them.
"Are you really just passing by?" Kushina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It feels like you secretly used that jutsu to find us."
"As the busy Hokage," Hiruzen replied with a straight face, "how could I possibly have the leisure for something like that?"
He did not even need the Telescope Technique. He could simply ask the Anbu. Kushina was monitored by Anbu around the clock.
Kushina did not fully believe him, but Minato kept speaking up for Hiruzen, so Kushina held back out of respect for Minato and did not press further.
"Tsunade," Hiruzen said, turning to her while she waited for the meal to begin, "I heard you've been looking into medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques recently. Are you running into problems? Do you need my help?"
Aside from Jiraiya, Tsunade was the shinobi Hiruzen considered most suitable to become Hokage.
As Hashirama's granddaughter, Tsunade held an advantage no one else could ever possess in the Hokage competition.
If Hiruzen were the kind of man who valued status and bloodline above all else, Tsunade would have been his first choice without question. Her lineage and standing were simply too noble.
But Hiruzen valued ability.
The one he most wanted to hand the position to was still Jiraiya.
Unfortunately, while Hiruzen wanted to pass it on, Jiraiya wanted nothing to do with it. That was why Hiruzen had been forced to turn his eyes back to Tsunade.
Tsunade's hemophobia was a psychological issue, one that could be overcome. In Hiruzen's view, it was not an irreparable flaw.
What he worried about most was whether Tsunade would keep her lazy attitude even after becoming Hokage.
So when he heard Tsunade showing signs of recovery, Hiruzen took it seriously.
"That won't trouble you, Third Hokage," Tsunade replied with a sharp edge, "you busy person."
Even with a teacher student relationship, Tsunade was irritated with Hiruzen right now.
Hiruzen let out a quiet sigh and chose not to push further.
If they were in the Hokage Office, he could shamelessly keep chatting and probing. But this was Mugetsu's celebration dinner, and Tsunade had never been the type to hold back. If they started arguing here, it would be rude to Mugetsu.
"Tsunade still hasn't let go," Hiruzen thought, a trace of loneliness passing through him, "and she has no interest in becoming Hokage."
Did he really have to wait for the newer generation to grow further?
In a village as vast as Konoha, filled with geniuses and famous powerhouses, he still could not find a successor who truly satisfied him.
Hiruzen's gaze drifted, almost unconsciously, to Mugetsu and Minato.
When speaking of Konoha's new generation, those two were unavoidable names. Like the Sannin during the Second Great Ninja War, they were the brightest talents of this era.
Sometimes Hiruzen wondered, if either Mugetsu or Minato had been born in Jiraiya's generation, he would not be worrying like this now. Either of them would be an excellent Hokage.
But there were no ifs.
Mugetsu and Minato, two similar geniuses, had been born in the same era. And they shared the same problem.
They did not have enough seniority.
If Hiruzen wanted to elevate either one to Hokage, he would need to stay in the seat for at least another seven to ten years, just to give them time to accumulate experience and standing.
The Hokage held immense authority, but Hiruzen had worn the hat for decades. He had long stopped caring about being in the spotlight.
To be honest, he was tired.
If there were a suitable candidate, Hiruzen would have liked to retire the moment the war ended.
After retirement, he could fish by the river when he felt like it, or give lectures at the Ninja Academy when the mood struck. No mountains of paperwork. No late night worries about the state of the shinobi world.
The only thing he might miss, Hiruzen admitted to himself, was not being able to look Danzo in the eye and say, "I am the Hokage."
Just imagining retirement made him feel like that was what real life was supposed to be.
"Let's eat first," Mugetsu said, breaking the silence as he brought dish after dish to the table, each one rich in color, fragrance, and taste.
As soon as the food arrived, the atmosphere around the table became strangely harmonious.
Kakashi and Obito did not argue.
Tsunade's mood brightened.
Even Hiruzen's tangled thoughts were forced aside, his attention pulled by the tempting plates in front of him.
"I'm digging in," someone said, and then the meal began.
No one talked. Everyone feared that if they opened their mouth for even a second, their favorite dish would vanish from the table.
"This roasted chicken is truly a delicacy beyond compare," Hiruzen said after wiping his mouth with a napkin, still savoring the flavor.
"Your taste isn't bad," Tsunade replied, her opinion of Hiruzen improving slightly when she heard him praise her favorite dish.
Hiruzen nearly choked. He was sarcastically rejected when he offered help, but praising a dish earned him goodwill.
"Granny Tsunade, Hokage Uncle, you think so too!" Obito blurted out, giving a thumbs up. He liked the roasted chicken as well.
Rin and Shizune stared at Obito, shocked at the sheer courage it took to say that.
Kakashi and Shisui, seated on Obito's left and right, quietly shifted their positions, distancing themselves like two shinobi avoiding an explosion tag.
"Brat," Tsunade said, cracking her knuckles, "what did you just call me?"
She could not even remember the last person who dared to call her "auntie," and Obito had not only done it, he had doubled down with "granny."
Only then did Obito realize what he had said. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He had barely met Tsunade before. The words "Granny Tsunade" had simply been inherited from Uzumaki Naruto in his head, and he had let it slip.
Obito looked toward the omnipotent Teacher Mugetsu with pleading eyes.
In a situation this deadly, surely Teacher Mugetsu could save him.
"He's still a child," Mugetsu said, nodding slightly as he spoke to Tsunade.
"And?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
"But he also needs some face," Mugetsu continued. "Take him outside."
Obito's face turned green.
That was not right. The next line was supposed to be, "He's just a kid, let it go."
Tsunade approached with a terrifying grin. Obito tried to run, but she grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, dragged him outside, and then tossed him back in a moment later.
"For Mugetsu's sake, I'll let you off today," Tsunade said, waving her pink fists as a very clear warning of monstrous strength. "But if you speak carelessly again, I'll teach you what an iron fist feels like."
Tsunade was in a good mood tonight. Otherwise, with her usual temper, Obito would have taken at least one punch.
Obito nodded rapidly, desperate for survival, while screaming internally.
Big Brother Naruto, you really ruined me.
The people around the table could not help chuckling at the scene.
Kakashi outright laughed.
In the end, the dinner finished in a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere.
The next day, in the evening.
After having dinner at Tsunade's house, Mugetsu headed to the training ground in the South Border Forest.
The agreed time to guide Yamato was in the evening, and the exact ending time would be decided by Mugetsu based on how the lesson progressed.
[TL: My new fanfic is out now—One Piece: Pokémon Master of the Seas! Check it out!]
.....
[Check Out My Patreon For Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]