Chapter 624: Balanced Breathing
"Why refuse? Is there something you're dissatisfied with?" Kitsuchi could not help but ask.
Before he came, Ōnoki had repeatedly emphasized the importance of deeper cooperation with the Shinobi Sect. He had made it clear that this was a crucial step in Iwagakure's plan against Konoha.
"Iwagakure's conditions are all very good, but none of them are suitable for the Shinobi Sect," Mugetsu replied with a faint smile.
"Expanding the scale of Ninja training can indeed increase the Shinobi Sect's income, but the Shinobi Sect's current priority is training quality. Expanding rashly would conflict with our development strategy.
"The Shinobi Sect has already negotiated with Amegakure to jointly establish a Ninja Academy, so we are unable to cooperate with Iwagakure in establishing another school. The same applies to Iwagakure's commissions. At present, the Shinobi Sect simply doesn't have enough manpower to accept Iwagakure's kind offer.
"As for protection, the Shinobi Sect is confident in its ability to protect the Land of Rain, so there is no need to trouble Iwagakure."
Mugetsu explained each point one by one, directly cutting off Kitsuchi's thought of continuing the discussion.
If he completely rejected everything with a simple no, how could they continue talking?
Kitsuchi looked at the Iwagakure Jonin beside him, wondering if this strategist had any solution.
Ōnoki understood Kitsuchi's abilities, so aside from preparing talking points for him, he had also specifically sent an Iwagakure Ninja skilled in negotiation to assist him.
The Iwagakure Jonin shook his head slightly, indicating that he was also helpless.
If Sōsuke had only been dissatisfied with one point, Ōnoki had prepared contingencies. They could appropriately relax the conditions and offer more benefits.
But Sōsuke was clearly dissatisfied with the core requirements of deeper cooperation. They had no authority to make decisions on that, so there was nothing left to discuss.
"My apologies for making you come all this way for nothing," Mugetsu said apologetically.
The Shinobi Sect had earned money from Iwagakure, received support, and might even abduct Iwagakure's Jinchuriki. All things considered, he had gained quite a lot from Iwagakure.
"Cooperation is about working together toward common goals. Since we can't reach a consensus for now, your refusal is only natural," Kitsuchi said with a smile.
Upon reflection, Sōsuke's refusal was not surprising. Sōsuke had never been a person who followed conventional thinking. Otherwise, he would not have done so many unconventional things.
The Iwagakure Jonin looked at Kitsuchi somewhat strangely.
Normally, at this point, people would just exchange polite words. But he felt as if Kitsuchi had genuinely accepted it and was starting to think from Sōsuke's perspective.
Hey, hey, you're the Third Tsuchikage's son. Is this really appropriate?
After exchanging a few friendly words with Kitsuchi, Mugetsu politely escorted the two out of the reception room.
Kitsuchi and his companion had come to discuss cooperation. Since Mugetsu had no intention of cooperating, there was naturally nothing else to talk about.
After returning to the living quarters specially prepared for them by the Shinobi Sect, the Iwagakure Jonin first carefully checked the surroundings, then could not help saying to Kitsuchi,
"Lord Kitsuchi, this move by the Shinobi Sect is very important to the Village's upcoming plans. We cannot give up just like that."
The Shinobi Sect was truly an excellent chess piece for Iwagakure right now. Both sides had a good relationship and shared a common enemy in Konoha.
The gradually repaired relationship between the Shinobi Sect and Amegakure also allowed Iwagakure to use the Shinobi Sect to influence the entire Ninja force of the Land of Rain.
With strong individuals like Sōsuke, plus the ordinary Ninja of the Land of Rain, the overall Ninja power of the Land of Rain was in a league of its own among ordinary Ninja Villages.
"But Sōsuke completely rejected our conditions. He has no intention of cooperating at all," Kitsuchi said helplessly.
Although he admired Sōsuke, Kitsuchi's priority was still the Village.
"Let's contact Lord Third Tsuchikage and report the situation," the Iwagakure Jonin continued.
Since the current conditions were unacceptable, they would have to make drastic changes. However, whether to change them and how to change them were not decisions within their authority. Only Ōnoki could decide that.
Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
Training Squad Base.
"The Darkness Breathing Technique enhances physical ability through concentrated breathing combined with Chakra bursts. The more concentrated the breathing, the greater the enhancement. This enhancement is extremely comprehensive, and when injured, it can also accelerate wound recovery."
Mugetsu corrected the Training Squad members' postures while explaining the various effects of the Darkness Breathing Technique.
His course schedule was as follows.
For the first two months, ordinary members would have Darkness Breathing Technique lessons three afternoons a week. The rest of their time would be dedicated to learning other abilities, such as intelligence gathering.
Squad leaders and above, however, would have Darkness Breathing Technique lessons five days a week, from seven in the evening to ten at night. They also had to fully participate in the Darkness Breathing Technique lessons attended by the regular members.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's requirement this time was both speed and quality, so Mugetsu could only increase the intensity.
After all, Mugetsu was not a true immortal. He could not conjure two divisions of elite Ninja out of thin air for Hiruzen.
To become stronger, one had to spend time training and learning.
Fortunately, the support Hiruzen provided matched his demands. There was ample funding and no shortage of cultivation elixirs.
"What an amazing secret technique! It's actually related to breathing. Doesn't that mean it pairs perfectly with my Medical Ninjutsu?" Inuzuka Midori learned with great excitement.
Medical Ninjutsu allowed her body to resemble a Nin-Beast, and Nin-Beasts had stronger breathing capabilities than humans. This had to be a case of one plus one being greater than three.
Thinking of this, Midori became so excited that she could not help using Chakra to enter her Medical Ninjutsu state and strengthen her body, taking deep breaths of air.
"You're doing it wrong. Concentrated doesn't mean breathing in large gulps. There's a technique to it," Shisui said, shaking his head as he pointed out her mistake.
Although the Darkness Breathing Technique had been developed by incorporating characteristics of Thunder Breathing rather than Flame Breathing, there were still many common points between Breathing Techniques.
Shisui, who had already mastered Breathing Techniques, had no problem guiding a beginner who had just started learning one.
"Mmm, Midori thought so too. I was just testing you, Squad Leader Shisui, to see if you could tell," Midori said, deeply convinced.
"As expected of Squad Leader Shisui. You didn't disappoint!"
Shisui fell silent.
How did he end up being tested?
Shisui finally understood why Mugetsu used to like tapping Obito's head. Now he also wanted to tap Midori's.
However, after glancing at Midori's head, Shisui ultimately did not raise his right hand with two fingers pressed together.
Midori was taller than him. If he wanted to tap her, he would have to stand on his toes and raise his hand, which would look very lacking in authority.
After teaching for two hours, Mugetsu made Shisui his assistant to improve efficiency. Together, they pointed out and corrected the members' mistakes.
Although Shisui, the youngest person present, looked a bit like a child wearing adult clothes and trying to act mature, no one showed any dissatisfaction.
On one hand, Shisui's reputation as a Ninja surpassed most of the Ninja present. On the other hand, they could tell that Shisui truly knew what he was doing. Mugetsu was not merely trying to establish his disciple's authority.
[Completed one intermediate lecture.]
[Evaluation: S.]
[Rewards: Breathing Technique comprehension increased. Darkness Breathing Technique +60. Basic Breathing +30. Thunder Breathing +19.]
The lecture rewards were only settled after the squad leaders' evening lessons concluded.
After briefly organizing some small ideas in his mind, Mugetsu returned home.
Lecture rewards were not like disciple improvement rewards or life mission rewards. They required long-term accumulation to show results.
For example, a normal course with a B evaluation only added twenty Chakra points. But for Mugetsu, who had just transmigrated at the time, if he did it ten times a week, that was two hundred Chakra points. It was not a small amount.
"I still need a stronger Transformation Technique," Mugetsu pondered the new Ninjutsu he needed to develop for the Training Squad.
The Darkness Breathing Technique could enhance the Training Squad's combat ability, while a stronger Transformation Technique would give them better disguise capabilities and play a significant role in various intelligence-gathering scenarios.
It was unrealistic for Mugetsu to teach his own Transformation Technique. That skill was too powerful, even more exaggerated than White Zetsu's mimicry technique. Most importantly, Mugetsu himself did not know how to teach it, as it was an extremely complex skill.
However, Mugetsu could draw a tiny portion from his Transformation Technique and develop a Transformation Technique with stronger disguise capabilities.
In that case, he could definitely satisfy Hiruzen, and the Training Squad he trained would be enough to compensate for the losses caused by Root's destruction.
Moreover, this was not a problem for Mugetsu. He could develop it during his spare time.
Then, Mugetsu did not immediately develop the new Transformation Technique. Instead, he took out his recorded Breathing Technique development data.
The Ninja of the Training Squad had only just started learning the Darkness Breathing Technique, so there was no rush for the Transformation Technique.
Giving himself an enlightenment boost, Mugetsu began immersing himself in the development of Sun Breathing.
Since Flame Breathing was the closest Breathing Technique to Sun Breathing in Demon Slayer, Mugetsu's current main approach was to redevelop Flame Breathing by absorbing the characteristics of other Basic Breathing Techniques, constantly bringing Flame Breathing closer to the true Sun Breathing until it finally became Sun Breathing.
The burst of Thunder Breathing, the strength of Rock Breathing, the agility of Water Breathing...
In Mugetsu's view, a complete Sun Breathing had to excel in every aspect of the other Breathing Techniques. It had to be as fast as Thunder Breathing while possessing the strength of Rock Breathing. Only then would it match the power of Sun Breathing in the Demon Slayer world.
Because his research had reached a relatively critical stage, Mugetsu continued studying until two in the morning without sleeping.
Mugetsu sat at his desk, eyes closed in thought.
Breathing Techniques were different from other Ninjutsu or secret techniques. They were techniques the system had localized from another world.
This meant that Mugetsu, who had mastered multiple perfect-level Breathing Techniques, was the person who understood Breathing Techniques the most in the Ninja World.
He could not seek answers from others. He could only think for himself.
"Let's try it first."
Mugetsu opened his eyes and began adjusting his breathing, making it regular and deep.
Immediately afterward, Mugetsu began to use Chakra. Localized Breathing Techniques had to use Chakra to become powerful secret techniques.
"Did something go wrong? This isn't combining their characteristics. It's making every single one mediocre."
Feeling the state of his body, Mugetsu switched his breathing back to Rock Breathing, his brows slightly furrowed.
His idea had been for Flame Breathing to evolve by absorbing all the advantages of the Basic Breathing Techniques, but the actual result was that these Breathing Techniques balanced each other out, ultimately producing a Breathing Technique even more mediocre than Water Breathing.
This new Breathing Technique was not as strong as Rock Breathing, not as fast as Thunder Breathing, and had no particular specialty.
"Could this path also be wrong?" Mugetsu rubbed his brows and fell into deep thought again.
Half an hour later, Mugetsu sighed softly and neatly arranged his notes into a scroll.
Undoubtedly, he had still failed to successfully develop Sun Breathing.
However, compared to before, this time was not entirely fruitless. It was not a complete failure.
Although the new Breathing Technique had no specialty, it also had no weaknesses. Its strength was inferior to Rock Breathing, but it was faster than Rock Breathing. Its speed was inferior to Thunder Breathing, but its strength was greater than Thunder Breathing.
Mugetsu was willing to call this new Breathing Technique Balanced Breathing, where all enhancements were roughly even.
"I'll research it again when I have time."
Mugetsu did not completely give up on this path.
First, he had already spent enough time on it. Second, Balanced Breathing had just been developed and still had room for exploration. Perhaps this Breathing Technique was better than he imagined.
Minato Namikaze had originally been in the Land of Grass investigating Iwagakure's movements.
Just as he was thinking that he could rest for a few days after the mission, an unexpected new mission landed in his hands.
Minato did not even have time to return to Konoha. He immediately led a portion of the Konoha Ninja force stationed in the Land of Grass toward the northern part of the Land of Fire.
Konoha was in a hurry and wanted him to deal with the Kumogakure Ninja in the northern Land of Fire as quickly as possible.
After arriving in the north, Minato first met with the support team dispatched by Orochimaru and the team dispatched by Konoha to understand the situation.
"This time, Kumogakure doesn't seem to be preparing for a large-scale battle. There are traces of Kumogakure everywhere in the north, but they are all small squads. The total number of troops shouldn't be large," Nara Shikaku, serving as deputy commander, explained the currently known intelligence to Minato.
"At present, Kumogakure is most active in the northwest, and the AB Combo recently appeared in that area. Kumogakure might be planning something in the northwest."
Minato thought for a moment and said, "Dispatch some teams to cooperate with the border squads and strike at the active Kumogakure small squads."
In this situation, Minato did not have any especially good countermeasure.
The initiative was currently in Kumogakure's hands. If Kumogakure did not want a large-scale battle, Minato could only disperse his forces.
However, Minato held back and did not scatter his entire force. He only dispatched two thirds of his troops to deal with the active Kumogakure Ninja.
A few days later, news of the small squads completing their missions gradually arrived, but neither Minato nor Shikaku showed any joy.
"The AB Combo hasn't appeared at all. Where are they hiding? Did they return to Kumogakure?" Shikaku pondered deeply as he looked at the map on the table.
For wars between major Ninja Villages, a few small squads, or even a dozen small squads, were insignificant. The outcome of a major battle did not depend on them.
By the afternoon, Minato and the others did receive a significant piece of news, though it had little to do with their current mission. Groups of Kumogakure Ninja had appeared in the Land of Hot Springs.
At that moment, Shikaku glanced at the map. A flash of inspiration struck him, and his expression became serious.
"The vanished AB Combo, infiltration from the north, activity in the northwest..."
"Could it be that the large number of Kumogakure small squads in the northwest are just bait, and Kumogakure's main objective this time isn't the Konoha Ninja inside the Land of Fire, but our Ninja force in the Land of Hot Springs?" Shikaku quickly voiced his thoughts.
Minato's expression also changed slightly.
If Kumogakure dispatched a large army to the Land of Hot Springs, then had the AB Combo lead elite teams to flank them, it could indeed pose a significant threat to Orochimaru's Ninja force.
"Shikaku, Chōza, Dōtō... follow me!"
Minato quickly selected elite Ninja to accompany him to the Land of Hot Springs and intercept the elite team led by A.
Although A might have departed a few days ago, they would have to avoid Konoha's surveillance, so their marching speed would be slower. Moreover, the battle situation on Orochimaru's side was another variable.
If they were fast enough, they should still make it in time.
.....
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