Chapter 311: New Disciple Quota
At that moment, the forest was eerily silent. Everyone was stunned by Kakashi's final strike, and in that heavy stillness, his last words reached every ear clearly.
"How is this possible? Akami Hideyuki was actually killed just like that?" Zabuza stared in disbelief at the jonin who had just been cleaved cleanly in half by Kakashi's single slash.
That was not some genin or chunin, but a jonin with real fame inside the Hidden Mist. Yet he had been killed in an instant.
"Is this the power of protection?" Zabuza felt his worldview shake.
He was certain Kakashi had not possessed this kind of strength earlier. If Kakashi had always had the power to instant kill someone like Akami Hideyuki, then during their previous fight he should have been able to cut down Kisame just as simply. Instead, Kakashi had struggled and traded blows for quite a while.
Zabuza truly could not understand how a person's desire to protect others could push them into unleashing such terrifying power.
"Is this guy really a genin? He has to be faking it." Kurosawa's expression was completely lost.
He now suspected Kakashi was actually a powerful Konoha ninja using Transformation Technique, deliberately pretending to be at a disadvantage in their earlier battle.
"As expected of my best friend. I really look forward to our next fight." Might Guy, after his shock passed, gave Kakashi a big thumbs-up.
Even Guy could not make sense of what he had just seen. Kakashi had looked like he was on the verge of collapse, riddled with injuries, and he had not released any powerful aura at all. Yet in that state, he delivered one strike that instantly killed a jonin.
Looking at Kakashi and Obito, Rin smiled gently. "I knew you two would pull it off."
She understood very clearly that with her own strength, she could not realize the dream of ending the war. All she could do was everything within her power to support Kakashi and Obito from behind.
"So that's how it ended." Nara Shiosui's expression was complicated, a mix of surprise, relief, and deep emotion.
He completely agreed with Kakashi's last line. Right now, Kakashi was indeed the most dazzling genius on the field.
Obito hurriedly caught Kakashi as he slumped, shaking his shoulders. "Kakashi, are you okay? I admit it, your strike just now was pure genius."
Kakashi had his eyes closed and was too weak to speak. That final slash had drained every last drop of strength from his body. He truly had nothing left. Even so, when he heard Obito's words, a faint smile still appeared on his face.
"What do we do now? Rin, can you still treat them?" Obito turned nervously to Rin.
They had won, but everyone's condition was terrible. They were covered in injuries, chakra nearly exhausted, and most of them did not even have the strength to stand.
Rin shook her head and took out bandages. "All my remaining chakra was used on you, Obito. For now, I can only help bandage your wounds."
If she had any chakra left, she would already have started healing the others. She herself was still injured.
"Let me treat you all."
A figure flickered, and Mugetsu appeared among them.
"Mugetsu sensei!" Obito's face lit up the moment he saw him. Mugetsu's Medical Ninjutsu far surpassed Rin's.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Mugetsu formed hand seals and created nine shadow clones. Each clone stepped to one of the nine Konoha examinees and activated Mystical Palm Technique, beginning treatment.
As for Kisame and the other Mist ninja, Mugetsu ignored them for now. Given what had just happened, the fact that he did not immediately bind and imprison them was already showing mercy.
"Mugetsu sensei, you came at just the right time." Obito finally let himself relax. He even chuckled as he spoke.
From this point on, he felt that even if another Mist jonin appeared, or even if the Mizukage himself walked out of the trees, he would not be afraid. As long as Mugetsu was here, he believed they would be protected.
"I can only say I wasn't too late. If I had truly been on time, I would have ended this the moment it began." Mugetsu shook his head.
He was a very rational person, but that did not mean he was without feelings. Watching his disciples bleed and struggle from the shadows had not been pleasant at all.
"Anyway, the end result is the same. If it weren't for your treatment, Mugetsu sensei, we might still be in real danger right now." Obito grinned, unconcerned.
Either way, the enemy had been dealt with and they were alive. One path had just been a lot rougher than the other.
"Exactly." Might Guy raised his thumb again in full agreement.
Under Mugetsu's treatment, Kakashi's condition gradually stabilized and he slowly recovered some strength. When he heard Obito call out "Mugetsu sensei," he finally allowed himself to fully relax. That name meant one thing: they were safe now.
When he opened his eyes again, Kakashi's vision had already returned to normal. The strange transparent sensation from before was gone. He did not dwell on it. Instead, he turned his head slightly toward Mugetsu and asked:
"Mugetsu sensei, did something happen between the Hidden Mist and the village?"
In his eyes, a Mist jonin infiltrating the Chunin Exams to attack them, the examinees, was essentially a declaration of war.
"It is hard to say just yet. So far, apart from this Mist jonin who broke into the exam site, no other Hidden Mist ninja have made any moves." Mugetsu thought for a moment, then answered.
After hearing his reply, Kakashi fell silent, trying to piece together the motive behind the Mist's actions.
Assassinating Konoha's genius genin was not a very convincing reason. The Hidden Mist could not know in advance which ninja would participate in the Konoha Chunin Exams, and sending their own village's elite to carry out such a risky task would be unbelievably foolish.
"You all should rest. Don't think too much. As examinees, you have already done more than enough." Mugetsu smiled lightly.
Even he could not precisely predict how this situation would unfold. Although he suspected this was the handiwork of Uchiha Madara, voices in his head or not, that was not something he could say aloud. In the eyes of Konoha's ninja, Uchiha Madara had long since been killed by Hashirama.
After his shadow clones finished treating his disciples, Mugetsu walked over to Kisame and the others.
"Tell me everything you know." His gentle smile vanished as he addressed them in a calm, cold tone.
He did not actually expect to hear anything useful, but this step was still necessary.
"Unfortunately, I'm just a discarded pawn. I don't know anything." Zabuza had recovered from his shock and let out a crooked grin as he replied.
He held no affection for the higher ups of the Hidden Mist, but he truly knew nothing. The only order he had received was to perform well in the Chunin Exams and suppress Konoha's ninja.
"My mission was to get a good result in the exam. That's all. Do whatever you want. I really don't know why a jonin would infiltrate the site." Kurosawa said frankly.
Kisame's answer was basically the same as Zabuza and Kurosawa's. All three insisted they were in the dark.
Just as Mugetsu expected, he did not obtain any useful information. He was not particularly disappointed. The main point did not lie with him here, but with Hiruzen.
Once everyone in Kakashi's group had received treatment, Mugetsu escorted them back to the Central Tower.
Because Nara Shiosui's team had not yet gathered both the Heaven and Earth scrolls, they did not accompany Mugetsu. They chose to continue the exam.
Mugetsu did not halt the Chunin Exams, but he immediately dispatched ninja to keep close watch on all Hidden Mist examinees. If any abnormal behavior appeared, they were to be arrested on the spot.
After returning to the Central Tower, Mugetsu's disciples began to discuss everything that had just happened. Meanwhile, Mugetsu opened his system panel to check the gains from this incident.
[Disciple Kakashi Hatake's trust level has increased. Current trust level: Four.]
[Four disciples have reached trust level four. Reward: Disciple slot +1.]
Seeing this reward, Mugetsu could not help the smile that rose to his face. In his eyes, this reward was even more valuable than receiving another perfect grade skill.
If he cultivated a disciple from before the age of ten, the returns after that disciple grew would be enormous. There would be skills, feedback in chakra, and all sorts of benefits from the master disciple bond.
Mugetsu decided that once things settled down, he would carefully consider who to give this new slot to.
This disciple slot had not come easily. No one knew if he would get more in the future, so he had to choose with care.
He continued to scroll through the system messages. Besides the trust level increase, Kakashi had also triggered a growth reward.
[Disciple Kakashi Hatake has greatly improved in strength under your guidance. Reward: Earth Release, Light Weight Rock Technique (Proficient).]
Mugetsu nodded inwardly. This was an excellent reward, and to him, its significance surpassed the Added Weight Rock Technique he had obtained earlier.
With the Light Weight Rock Technique, he could fly. Flight was a rare ability in the ninja world, usually relying on special nin beasts or very specific bloodlines or techniques.
The Added Weight Rock Technique was also a high level Earth Release of the same caliber, but that one mainly enhanced offensive output. Mugetsu already had plenty of powerful offensive methods.
…
Through the Telescope Technique, Hiruzen learned that the Elder from the Hidden Mist was currently having tea with a few Mist ninja in a teahouse in Konoha.
Hiruzen had most of the Anbu surround the establishment from the outside, then personally led a small squad of elite Anbu inside, heading straight for the private room where the Elder was seated.
"Hokage, what is the meaning of this?" The Elder frowned slightly as Hiruzen walked in without warning, Anbu at his back. He immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Do you know a ninja named Akami Hideyuki?" Hiruzen did not begin with accusations. He sat down across from the Elder and asked in a level tone.
"Yes, I know of him. He is a jonin of our Hidden Mist, and part of the delegation visiting your village this time." The Elder nodded.
"Just now, Akami Hideyuki infiltrated the Chunin Exams site through unknown means and launched an attack on a Konoha examinee team. Do you have anything you would like to say about this?" Hiruzen's voice stayed calm, but at the end, the pressure of his chakra flared, rolling across the room like a silent storm.
The Elder's face changed slightly. Although Hiruzen spoke in a controlled, even voice, the pressure made it clear that the Third Hokage, famed across the ninja world, was furious.
As expected of the Hokage. This terrifying aura. His strength is even greater than the Fourth Mizukage's.
The Elder silently compared Hiruzen to his own village's Kage.
The jonin standing behind the Elder felt that suffocating pressure as well. They could not help but tremble, cold sweat sliding down their foreheads.
"Hokage, there must be some kind of misunderstanding. Our Hidden Mist absolutely has no intention of being hostile to Konoha this time." The Elder replied as calmly as he could.
Within the Hidden Mist, his power was second only to the Mizukage. There was no major arrangement in the village that he did not know about. He was certain that no ninja had been dispatched with orders to kill Konoha's examinees.
"A misunderstanding? Then come and see for yourself whether it is a misunderstanding." Hiruzen stood and gestured.
He led the Elder out of the teahouse, heading toward the Forest of Death, where there were not only surveillance recordings, but also Akami Hideyuki's corpse.
Hiruzen felt that something about this incident was very off. So although he was angry, he did not immediately move against the Elder. He wanted to see how the Elder would respond once confronted with the evidence.
When they stepped outside and saw the ring of Anbu encircling the teahouse, the Elder's heart sank. At this point, he basically believed Hiruzen's words. Akami Hideyuki really had gone to the Chunin Exams site to attack examinees.
If such a thing had not actually happened, Konoha would not have suddenly taken such drastic measures against them. Konoha was already at war with two of the other great villages. They would be insane to try to start another war with the Hidden Mist on top of that.
Who could have done this? Was it those hawk eyed extremists?
The Elder silently speculated.
He truly did not want a conflict with Konoha at this time, especially since he himself was in Konoha.
Soon, Hiruzen brought the Elder to the Central Tower of the Chunin Exams and had the surveillance footage of Akami Hideyuki's attack played in front of him.
As Akami Hideyuki's repeated assaults on Obito and the others played on the screen, the Elder's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
After a few minutes, Hiruzen turned his gaze on the Elder. If he did not get a satisfactory explanation, then the Elder and his delegation would not be leaving Konoha.
"I am deeply sorry that such a thing occurred." The Elder handed his cane to one of the Mist ninja beside him, then bowed deeply to Hiruzen.
"But I can confirm that this absolutely has nothing to do with the Hidden Mist Village. Akami Hideyuki must have been a spy from another village, hidden within our ranks and looking for a chance to destroy the friendship between the Hidden Mist and Konoha." The Elder raised his head, his expression resolute.
He did not know whether Akami Hideyuki had gone mad, or something else had happened. But right now, the best identity for Akami Hideyuki was that of a spy.
"Lord Third, Akami Hideyuki's body is inside this scroll." Mugetsu stepped forward at just the right moment and handed over the sealing scroll containing Akami Hideyuki's corpse.
Hiruzen nodded. Whether Akami Hideyuki was truly a spy or not could not be decided by the Elder's claim alone. In the end, the truth would be found in his memories.
For efficiency and accuracy, Hiruzen summoned the head of the Yamanaka clan to use their secret technique to probe Akami Hideyuki's mind.
The Elder maintained a calm expression. If Konoha could indeed uncover who had given Akami Hideyuki his orders, he would actually have to thank Konoha. It would give him a perfect excuse to purge certain factions when he returned.
The more confidently the Elder behaved, the more suspicious Hiruzen became.
"Could this incident during the Chunin Exams really not have been orchestrated by the Hidden Mist?" Hiruzen thought to himself.
The Yamanaka clan head placed his hand on Akami Hideyuki's head, closed his eyes, and activated his secret technique.
Even though Akami Hideyuki's body had been cut in two, as long as his brain remained intact, there would be no problem reading his memories.
However, the moment the technique entered Akami Hideyuki's mind, the Yamanaka clan head's brows knit together. He opened his eyes almost immediately.
"Lord Third, his brain has been destroyed by a jutsu. His memories cannot be read." The Yamanaka clan head reported.
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