Chapter 312: Kakashi Explodes Gold
Silence fell over the monitoring room for a moment, and Genji quietly exhaled in relief.
Since Akami Hideyuki's memories could not be read, things suddenly became simple. He only needed to insist that Akami Hideyuki was a spy and a traitor.
Genji glanced at Hiruzen. The Third Hokage's expression did not change at all, giving no hint of what he was thinking.
Genji knew very well that this incident could be blown up or played down, and everything depended on how Hiruzen chose to handle it. If Konoha wanted to pursue the matter and insist that Akami Hideyuki was a Mist ninja dispatched to cause trouble, they had more than enough grounds to do so.
At that moment, the door to the monitoring room was pushed open and Danzo walked in with two Root ninja.
"How dare you Mist ninja attempt to assassinate the genius ninja of Konoha!" Danzo barked the instant he stepped inside. "If you want a war with Konoha, we will fight you to the very end."
He immediately launched into a fierce tirade, speaking as if the Hidden Mist had already officially declared war on the village.
Genji calmly repeated what had just happened, clearly explaining his stance that Akami Hideyuki was a spy.
"Just because his brain was destroyed by a jutsu does not prove he was a spy," Danzo countered coldly. "It might just mean you Mist ninja are trying to erase your own tracks."
"If you want to prove your innocence, then let all Mist ninja undergo memory probes." Danzo gave his "solution" without hesitation. "If you truly have nothing to hide, this old man is willing to personally apologize."
"Elder Shimura, are you joking? I will never agree to such a thing," Genji replied, his composure finally starting to crack. Danzo's idea was far too naive.
Indeed, allowing memory probes could prove their innocence. But at the same time, Konoha would be able to see the color of the Hidden Mist's underwear.
As a Hidden Mist Elder, Genji held far too many secrets. Even if he were to die in Konoha, he would destroy his own head first, rather than allow Konoha to obtain his memories.
It was not just him. The jonin under him also could not simply allow Konoha to rummage through their memories. That would be no different from handing over all of the Mist's secret techniques and training methods for free.
Compared to the confidential information in their minds, Danzo's "apology" was worthless, not even worth Danzo offering his own life in exchange.
"Are you feeling guilty?" Danzo stared at him, voice frosty.
"In this matter, my conscience is clear," Gengetsu said, meeting his gaze without flinching. "But I will never allow the secrets of the Hidden Mist to be leaked."
"Do not worry about that. Our Konoha ninja are the most trustworthy. They will not look at anything they should not," Danzo replied, still pressing forward.
Genji kept a polite smile on his face, but inside he was sneering. If he actually believed that line, there was no way he would have become an Elder of the Hidden Mist. They would have to be ghosts not to peek at free top level intelligence.
Genji remained firm in rejecting Danzo's proposal, while Danzo continued to insist that refusal only proved they had something to hide.
"There are too many suspicious points in this case. Directly probing Elder Genji's memories is indeed inappropriate," Hiruzen finally interjected.
"But that is the fastest and most accurate method," Danzo said with clear dissatisfaction.
Mugetsu watched their exchange quietly and had already formed a rough prediction of how this would end.
Right now, Konoha had no intention of starting another war. They were already fighting the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Cloud. Even a hawk like Danzo did not want to face three great villages at once.
However, Konoha would never simply swallow this insult. Whether Akami Hideyuki had truly been a spy did not matter. What mattered was that, on paper, he was still a Mist ninja. Before his death, his registration had never been revoked.
So it would not escalate into an all out war, but Konoha certainly would not allow Genji's delegation to leave easily. At the very least, they would squeeze some benefits out of the Hidden Mist.
Danzo and Hiruzen were clearly playing good cop and bad cop. First, Danzo would propose something that Genji absolutely could not accept. Then Hiruzen would step in as the "reasonable" one, offering a compromise that was still painful for the Mist, but just barely acceptable.
The monitoring room was not the right place for detailed negotiations, so Hiruzen and Genji soon left together, heading for a dedicated conference room to talk terms.
Mugetsu left a shadow clone behind to continue monitoring the surveillance feeds, while his main body headed to the Central Tower cafeteria for dinner.
The second stage of the Chunin Exams lasted five days. During those five days, both examinees and proctors were required to remain inside the Forest of Death. Even if a team completed the requirements on the first day and reached the Central Tower, they still had to stay there until the very end.
After all, once the exam concluded, the rules for the third stage had to be announced and explained.
In addition, if too many candidates passed the second stage, there would be an extra test to cut down the numbers and raise the quality of the competitors entering the third round.
The third stage was completely different from the first two. Konoha would invite many dignitaries, nobles, and wealthy patrons to watch the matches. To showcase the power of Konoha's ninja and keep the spectacle engaging, both the number of participants and their overall level had to be carefully controlled.
Not every Chunin Exam was run this way. Only large scale exams like this one would have officials and nobles invited in.
Konoha held two Chunin Exams each year. If they invited high ranking dignitaries every single time, it would quickly lose impact.
"Mugetsu sensei, don't you find other people's food hard to eat?" Obito asked curiously after dinner.
In Obito's mind, there was only one kind of cuisine, the very best. Everything else was just "edible." Compared to Mugetsu's cooking, every other chef's food seemed to lag far behind, the gap even greater than the difference in strength between a jonin and a genin.
"It is fine. I cannot always cook for myself," Mugetsu replied with a small smile after thinking for a moment.
For now, he did not have much desire to pursue gourmet food. Before crossing over, he had happily traveled around tasting local specialties, but now, before he became truly invincible in the Naruto world, he had no such mood.
This world had left him with too deep an impression: a backward feudal system, endless and brutal ninja wars. Under those circumstances, it was hard to leisurely chase after culinary fantasies.
"However, if you want to eat my cooking, I can spare some time tomorrow and make lunch for you," Mugetsu added, seeing through Obito's thoughts at a glance.
"Hehe, Mugetsu sensei, you really get me," Obito chuckled, openly admitting that he was simply craving Mugetsu's food.
"Mugetsu sensei, I think I entered that Transparent World state you mentioned today," Kakashi suddenly spoke, bringing up what he had experienced.
"At that time, I had no idea how I managed it. My mind was exhausted, every part of my body hurt, and then I suddenly entered a transparent world. I could see my own body clearly, and the enemy's body just as clearly."
"But now that I have recovered, I cannot reach that state again. The only change is that my five senses feel sharper than before."
After Mugetsu healed him, Kakashi had tried several times. No matter how he recalled that feeling, he could not reenter that clear, transparent state.
"You did enter the Transparent World, but that does not mean you have truly mastered it," Mugetsu explained. "You accidentally slipped into that state under extreme conditions."
"Even so, this is very good for you. Once awakened, you are already close to true mastery. Now you just need to keep training your Breathing Technique and constantly search for the feeling of activating Transparent World. Eventually, you will completely grasp it."
Kakashi's strike had surprised even Mugetsu. He had originally been prepared to intervene and kill Akami Hideyuki himself in an instant, but Kakashi had calmly walked over and ended the jonin with a single slash.
[Name: Kakashi Hatake]
[Skills: Thunder Breathing (Beginner: 499/500), Transparent World (Beginner: 20/100)…]
Kakashi's Breathing Technique proficiency soared, surpassing those disciples who had started learning earlier than him, only a little short of reaching the proficient level.
However, Mugetsu estimated that Kakashi would have to grind for a long time for that last bit, because Kakashi's proficiency soared due to the significant increase in his Breathing Technique's upper limit, and Constant State required maintaining a weakened Full Concentration state all day, which Kakashi was not yet able to do.
Additionally, Kakashi's Transparent World already showed proficiency, so Mugetsu said that Kakashi mastering the Transparent World was only a matter of time.
On top of that, mastering Light Weight Rock Technique would further expand his tactical flexibility.
According to the system, both the Mark and Transparent World were considered derivative skills of the Breathing Techniques, automatically unlocked once one reached a certain realm. Highly talented people could awaken them early.
Kakashi's rapid improvement had been proof of that.
"I understand." Kakashi nodded. From now on, he planned to pour all his effort into reforging his Breathing Technique until he fully mastered Transparent World.
Having experienced it once, he knew better than anyone how powerful that state was. If he completely grasped it, he was confident he could surpass even his father in ninja achievements.
"What are you two talking about? What's this 'Transparent World'?" Obito asked, looking utterly lost.
Because the conditions for Transparent World were so harsh, Mugetsu had only mentioned it to Kakashi when trying to solve Kakashi's reaction speed problem. He had not told his other disciples.
Now that everyone was gathered, Mugetsu briefly explained to them what the ultimate technique of the Breathing Technique, the Transparent World, actually was.
"I thought Kakashi was possessed by you, Mugetsu sensei, and that you used some new secret move through him," Obito said, suddenly enlightened. "So it was actually a new ability he awakened."
"This ability is crazy strong. Teacher Mugetsu, do you think I can learn it now?" he asked with bright, hopeful eyes.
"Most likely not," Mugetsu shook his head. "Kakashi's case is extremely special."
He was not trying to crush his disciples' enthusiasm, but this truly was very difficult. Even Mugetsu had not expected Kakashi to awaken Transparent World this early.
Under normal circumstances, this was a state that only became stable after a Breathing Technique was trained to perfection. Obito and the others, even under his guidance, had only been cultivating Breathing Techniques for about a year. None of them had even reached the proficient level, much less perfection. Just going from mastery to perfect required a full fifteen thousand proficiency points.
"I see…" A trace of disappointment flashed across Obito's face. Kakashi had awakened it, but he had not.
"It is fine. I still have the Sharingan. That is something Kakashi will never have," Obito immediately comforted himself.
If he could not learn Transparent World now, it did not mean he could not learn it in the future. But Kakashi, who was not an Uchiha, would never obtain the Sharingan by himself.
"Obito, there is no need to envy Kakashi. Did you really not notice that your own Breathing Technique changed during the battle?" Mugetsu asked, ruffling his hair.
[System: Name, Uchiha Obito.]
[System: Skills, Flame Breathing (Beginner 497/500), Flame Breathing Mark (Beginner 10/100).]
If someone could awaken perfect Transparent World early, then the Mark could certainly be awakened ahead of time as well. In this Hokage version, the localized Mark mainly consumed chakra, so the burden on the body was not as extreme.
The reason Obito's performance seemed weaker than Kakashi's was not that Transparent World outclassed the Mark. The two abilities each had their own strengths.
The Mark's problem was that it required a huge amount of chakra. Obito was still young and did not have much chakra to begin with. During the fight with Akami Hideyuki, most of what he had was burned up early, so there was no way for him to fully enter the true Mark state.
That was why, in the end, he only looked tougher than before and was not burned by his own flames, with no other obvious changes. In contrast, Kakashi had fully entered Transparent World.
"If you keep training seriously, you will be able to enter Flame Breathing's chakra mode early," Mugetsu said, giving the Mark a more Naruto style name, since there was no longer any special pattern appearing on the forehead.
"At that point, you will not need hand seals for any Fire Release technique, and the power of your fire will increase dramatically."
"Mm!" Obito nodded like a pecking chick, already picturing himself turning into a walking Fire Release cannon and blasting Kakashi into submission.
"As expected of my rivals, both of you have made amazing progress!" Might Guy flashed a thumbs-up at Kakashi and Obito.
Just hearing the effects of Transparent World and the Mark made it obvious that both abilities could turn someone into a monster.
"Guy, you just need to keep your Constant State training going. You can put the Eight Gates aside for now," Mugetsu added with a smile, arranging Guy's next training focus.
Even though Kakashi and Obito had gotten huge boosts, if it came down to a one on one, Kakashi was a maybe, but Obito was still questionable. Rock Breathing combined with the Eight Gates was simple, violent, and terrifying.
"Understood!" Guy bared his gleaming white teeth in a confident grin.
He had not awakened Transparent World early or the Mark early, but he firmly believed he was not inferior to Kakashi and Obito.
Mugetsu chatted with his disciples for a while longer, then headed back to work. As the chief examiner of the second stage, he could not openly slack off too much.
Before leaving, he shared some of his insights and training experience regarding Transparent World and the Mark with Kakashi and Obito. He knew that, with trust level four, a disciple had a chance of triggering a perfect level reward, so he chose to give one to Kakashi first, then Obito.
[System: You have gifted your disciple the Transparent World Training Manual. Your disciple is extremely grateful and has triggered a super critical reward, Water Breathing (Perfect Level).]
Mugetsu stared at the notification, momentarily stunned. He had not expected the system to actually drop Water Breathing, the very style he had been working on designing.
After organizing the vast flood of Water Breathing cultivation memories in his mind, Mugetsu realized that the framework he had been building on his own was basically correct, with only some details differing.
By comparing his original concept with the fully formed perfect level Water Breathing, Mugetsu gained a whole new understanding of the Breathing Techniques.
"This works too. Now I can focus entirely on studying sealing techniques," he thought as his mood gradually settled.
The rewards from teaching disciples were too random, but sometimes that randomness paid off. A perfect level Breathing Technique was better than a perfect level ninjutsu, and it saved him the time and effort of finishing Water Breathing himself.
Each Breathing Technique had its own traits. Compared with the other styles, Water Breathing consumed less chakra and could be maintained for longer periods. It also had a special effect, greatly enhancing chakra shape transformation, making Water Release significantly more versatile.
Once a Breathing Technique reached perfect level, Transparent World would be mastered automatically. Although Mugetsu already had perfect Thunder Breathing, he immediately noticed that his own Transparent World had subtly changed when Water Breathing also reached perfection.
"I wonder what Sun Breathing will be like," Mugetsu mused.
According to the system's localization logic so far, once Sun Breathing was adapted to this world, it would almost certainly be connected to fire.
However, Flame Breathing was already tied to fire, and Sun Breathing would only be far stronger than Flame Breathing. Mugetsu could not help but feel curious about what kind of effect Sun Breathing would have.
That night, Obito woke up in an unfamiliar room. Just as he was about to head to the bathroom, he spotted Rin's silhouette standing by a large window.
"Rin, you are still awake this late?" Obito asked, scratching his head.
"Too much happened today. I do not really feel sleepy yet," Rin replied with a soft smile as she turned around.
"Same here. After a day like that, it is hard to just lie down and sleep," Obito chuckled and walked over to stand beside her.
They looked out together at the bright moon hanging in the night sky.
"It feels like everyone else is so incredible. They even managed to defeat a jonin," Rin murmured.
Might Guy had defeated Kisame and helped hold off Akami Hideyuki. Obito had endured that jonin's pressure for a long time as well. Kakashi was the biggest contributor, instantly killing Akami Hideyuki with a single strike. Even Nara Shiosui's team, whom they had saved earlier, had made a shocking play and nearly killed Akami Hideyuki on their own.
"No way. Rin, you were really important too. Without your healing, we would have gone down long ago," Obito said seriously. In his eyes, Rin had played a crucial role.
If Rin had not poured her last chakra into healing him, he might not have lasted long enough for Kakashi to awaken Transparent World. And Nara Shiosui's team had only recovered enough to reenter the fight because of Rin's treatment.
"But if I were stronger, maybe it would not have been so hard," Rin sighed, looking back at the moonlight.
Watching the wounds keep piling up on Obito and Kakashi, while she no longer had any chakra left to heal them, that helpless feeling still lingered in her heart. If Kakashi had not exploded at the critical moment, Rin did not dare imagine what would have happened.
In terms of direct combat, she had not defeated a single enemy. In terms of healing, she felt like she had not actually healed that much. Rin could not shake the feeling that she was falling behind Obito and Kakashi, even as a pure medical ninja.
"But Rin, you are already amazing. I do not think any of the other Chunin Exam candidates know Mystical Palm Technique, right? And did Teacher Mugetsu not say you have great talent in Medical Ninjutsu and that you are only just getting started?" Obito met her eyes, his gaze full of encouragement.
Back when he was the dead last, Rin had always believed in him and cheered him on. Now Obito firmly believed Rin would not be any worse than them. She would definitely make a name for herself in her own field.
"Look at me. When I first entered the academy, I only scored five points on the written exam. But on this Chunin Exams written test, I still managed to get eighty. In the past, Guy was always instantly defeated whenever he challenged Kakashi, but later, even Guy managed to beat Kakashi. Nothing is impossible." To motivate her, Obito even dragged out his darkest memory, that five point exam.
"Five points. It is really hard to imagine how you even got that," Rin could not help laughing when she heard him voluntarily bring up his five point score.
"That is not important, Rin. The point is, you are already really amazing. You have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe in Teacher Mugetsu," Obito said, clenching his fist with a serious expression.
"Mm." Rin nodded, her smile as gentle as the moonlight streaming through the window.
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