Chapter 317: Sarutobi Hiruzen's Shock, Mugetsu Who Is Proficient in Five Attribute Ninjutsu
Because she had already studied Basic Breathing for several months, Rin's progress with Water Breathing was extremely fast. In just five days, she could almost use Water Breathing in actual combat. When Mugetsu checked her with Appraisal, the proficiency had already reached twenty points at the Entry level.
After passing twenty points, however, her progress gradually slowed down.
To strengthen Rin's individual combat ability and make full use of Water Breathing's boost to Water Release, Mugetsu began teaching her Water Release ninjutsu.
His plan was to have Rin learn two Water Release jutsu within this month. The first was the Water Prison Technique, which could be used both offensively and defensively. The second was the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, which focused entirely on offense.
Strictly speaking, if it were only for the sake of the Chunin Exams, the optimal choice would have been the Hidden Mist Technique, followed by special training in sound based perception. After all, the Shadow Imitation Technique was meaningless if you could not locate the enemy in thick mist.
But Hidden Mist Technique was different from common Water Release, unlike Water Formation Wall or Water Dragon Bullet. It was a secret technique of the Hidden Mist Village. If Rin suddenly displayed it, there would be no way to explain it cleanly.
After weighing everything, Mugetsu finally settled on Water Prison and Water Dragon Bullet. Both were practical, powerful, and not overly difficult to learn.
The Chunin Exams had entered a mid term break. All the examinees were training desperately to improve themselves, whether they were from Konoha or the Hidden Mist.
At the same time, the first semester at the Ninja Academy was drawing to a close. Final exams were approaching, after which there would be a long vacation.
For the Fourth Grade students who were about to graduate, however, that vacation would feel short. During the break, they would undergo five weeks of special training.
Mugetsu's original summer training plan was to copy the first special training. Through large group classes, the students would rapidly learn a wide range of basic skills and expand their arsenal of ninjutsu.
If he taught in large lecture format every day, they could pick up four new jutsu in a single day. Over five weeks, that meant one hundred ninjutsu.
The incident in the Forest of Death, however, made Mugetsu reconsider. He decided to add more advanced content to the original training plan and aim for better system rewards.
Obito's fated incident in the original story was still far off on the timeline. The Kannabi Bridge mission in the original Naruto world happened after Kakashi became a jonin at twelve. Right now Kakashi was only nine, so in theory there were three full years left.
But this was no longer the original Naruto world. This was Mugetsu's Naruto world. Although he stayed low key on the surface, his presence had already changed many things.
Obito, in particular, was completely different from his original counterpart.
He had awakened his Sharingan early, learned high level Fire Release and Breathing Techniques from Mugetsu, and together with his teammates had defeated jonin opponents twice.
Facing such an Obito, Mugetsu could not be sure that Uchiha Madara would act exactly as he had in the original storyline.
Obito might still be young, but his strength was no longer weak. His teammates were also far stronger than in the original timeline. That meant their team would be assigned higher ranked missions earlier than before, which in turn meant Madara might make his move earlier.
Madara and Black Zetsu were lurking in the shadows, completely unknown to Mugetsu. Even though he himself hid many secrets, he knew that the only way to increase his odds of victory was to raise his strength as much as possible.
Even in old age, Madara was still the same man who had once fought Senju Hashirama. With Black Zetsu, the dutiful child who had lived for a thousand years, at his side, they were a combination Mugetsu refused to underestimate.
However, the summer special training would involve more than three hundred graduates, and as the person in charge, Mugetsu could not simply teach whatever he wanted. He had to report his changes to the Hokage first.
After dinner that evening, he headed to Hiruzen's home.
Normally, it was not ideal to bother the Hokage with official business after he had gone off duty. That would just be forcing him to work overtime.
But by now Mugetsu and Hiruzen had a fairly good relationship, and for the sake of what he wanted to demonstrate later, night time was actually more convenient.
"Sandaime sama, I would like to make some changes to the summer special training content," Mugetsu said directly after a brief greeting.
Hiruzen set down his pipe and looked at him.
"Have you thought of a new idea?" he asked.
He did not even have to think too hard. If Mugetsu had come personally, it would not be over some trivial detail. Minor changes were well within Mugetsu's authority as the person in charge of the training plan.
"I want to add chakra nature transformation training," Mugetsu said.
Chakra nature transformation was not considered especially esoteric. If a student was born into a shinobi clan or had parents who were ninja, they usually started learning nature transformation before even entering the Academy.
For most ordinary Academy students, however, this counted as advanced knowledge. The Academy did not cover it. It was normally taught by their jonin sensei after graduation.
It was not that the Academy did not want to teach it. There were two major problems. First, students had all sorts of different chakra natures. If, for example, someone had a rarer nature like Wind Release, there might not be a teacher on staff who could properly instruct them. Simply leaving that student out was obviously not acceptable.
Second, the overall level of the Academy instructors was not high enough. Nature transformation training itself carried real risk. For that reason, even in the upper grades the Academy had no formal nature transformation classes.
In truth, the second issue was the core of the problem. Most chunin teachers at the Academy could handle other curriculum just fine, but their own understanding of nature transformation was shallow. If they tried to teach it, they would end up misleading their students.
"Chakra nature transformation, hm?" Hiruzen asked. "Why do you want to teach something like that? With so many students, all five natures will definitely be present, and accidents are very likely during training."
He did not reject the idea immediately. Instead, he calmly outlined the difficulties, then turned his gaze on Mugetsu.
Hiruzen had always viewed him as a modest and steady person. If Mugetsu had dared to propose this, then he must have come prepared.
"I have already mastered all five basic chakra nature transformations," Mugetsu answered unhurriedly. "Although my Earth Release is not particularly refined, I have more than enough skill to teach the basics."
His five nature jutsu all had sources. Earlier, he had selected ten techniques from the Ninjutsu Pavilion, and after becoming a full jonin he had received two more as rewards, both B rank and above.
By now he could use everything at B rank and below freely. He was no longer some nameless nobody. As long as he did not suddenly pull out a special village exclusive technique like Hidden Mist, no one would question how he had acquired a C rank jutsu.
"You have mastered all five natures…" Hiruzen said slowly. "Can you show me?"
It was not hard for a shinobi to awaken their innate nature. With effort, it was also possible to learn an additional nature. Most Konoha jonin were like this, able to use two or more nature transformations.
But mastering all five basic nature transformations was extremely difficult.
Mastering them to the level where they could be used in battle freely was harder still.
If successful, however, it dramatically raised a shinobi's combat power. No matter what element the enemy used, you could answer with a counter element and seize an advantage. You could also stack different natures to create powerful combinations.
The title of "Professor of Ninjutsu" had been given to Hiruzen precisely because he had mastered thousands of techniques, not only from the five basic natures, but also genjutsu and numerous secret arts, to the point where he could respond to any opponent's jutsu.
It was just a pity that none of his three disciples had followed him down that path. Tsunade specialized in medical ninjutsu and taijutsu. Jiraiya focused on Fire Release and Sage Mode. Orochimaru developed his unique serpent based techniques.
Mugetsu nodded.
"That is exactly why I came this evening," he said. "It would be hard to demonstrate in the Hokage's office during the day."
Hiruzen led him to the backyard.
Asuma, who had been preparing to practice Wind Release, immediately brightened when he saw Mugetsu.
"Mugetsu sensei, you are here," he greeted happily.
"Come here and stand beside us," Hiruzen called him over. "You might get hurt by Mugetsu's ninjutsu if you stay there."
"How could I?" Asuma protested. "With Mugetsu sensei's control, there is no way he would hit me."
Despite his words, he obediently jogged over. It was not that he distrusted Mugetsu. On the contrary, he wanted a front row seat to watch.
"Fire Release, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."
Mugetsu began with Fire Release. After thinking it over, he chose the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
In terms of both power and difficulty, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was top tier among Fire Release techniques and demanded a very high level of control.
As Mugetsu completed the hand signs, a torrent of flames erupted from his mouth, forming a roiling sea of fire that spread out across the yard.
Under his precise control, the sea of fire split into three streams that surged forward, to the left and to the right. The blaze raged fiercely, but not a single tongue of flame touched Hiruzen's house.
"A very proficient Fire Dragon Flame Bullet," Hiruzen said, stroking his beard with clear approval.
From this alone, he could tell that Mugetsu's Fire Release already surpassed the vast majority of shinobi in the world, both in terms of raw power and in fine control.
Even Hiruzen at Mugetsu's age had been about at this level.
"So amazing," Asuma breathed.
He did not have much frame of reference, so his only thought was that Mugetsu was incredibly strong.
"Is Hiruzen not at home?" a voice suddenly called from outside the yard.
It was Shimura Danzo.
"I am in the backyard," Hiruzen replied, raising his voice. "Come around."
Even without seeing Danzo, Hiruzen had already guessed why he had come.
It would be about compensation from the Hidden Mist.
Although the commander in charge insisted that Akami Hideyuki was a spy from another village, he was, after all, someone the Hidden Mist had brought into Konoha. Konoha had the right to demand compensation.
On this point, Hiruzen and Danzo had very different views. Danzo wanted to push for as much as possible, whether in ryo or in ninja tools. If such an incident did not bring heavy consequences, Konoha would lose all deterrence.
Hiruzen, however, felt that a symbolic amount was enough. The main purpose was to make their stance clear. At this time, Konoha was already fighting against Iwagakure and the Hidden Cloud. If they demanded too much, the Hidden Mist might simply refuse and choose to go to war.
Earlier that day, Hiruzen had rejected Danzo's proposal in the Hokage's office. He knew Danzo was not satisfied and had been expecting this visit.
"Hiruzen…"
Danzo stepped into the backyard, ready to repeat the arguments he had prepared all day. Before he could speak, he saw the blazing sea of fire and Mugetsu standing amidst it, hands still in a seal.
Although his strength was below Hiruzen's, Danzo's eye for ninjutsu was still sharp. He could tell at a glance that Mugetsu's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was anything but ordinary.
His expression darkened slightly. After all, he had been the one to reward this jutsu to Mugetsu. Now Mugetsu was displaying it in Hiruzen's yard, and Danzo had only found out by coincidence.
"Whatever you want to say, hold it for a moment," Hiruzen told him. "Wait until Mugetsu finishes."
Danzo nodded with a cold face.
Inwardly, his emotions were more complicated.
On one hand, Mugetsu's performance proved that the boy was still loyal and had not forgotten his early training under Root.
On the other hand, a shinobi who had once been completely under his control had now become someone he could only try to influence indirectly through limited opportunities. That made Danzo very unhappy.
This was a jonin powerful enough to play a role even in a battle against a tailed beast.
Danzo's arrival did not affect Mugetsu's composure. He simply offered a polite greeting. On the surface, he and Root no longer had any connection. That was exactly how Danzo wanted it.
After Fire Release came Water Release.
Mugetsu thought for a moment, then chose the Great Waterfall Technique, the same ninjutsu Hiruzen had personally guided him on.
"Water Release, Great Waterfall Technique."
A massive volume of water roared out of Mugetsu's mouth, like a surging river breaking free of its banks, and in an instant extinguished every last remaining flame.
The backyard connected directly to a small grove. Under the impact of the rushing water, several trees were knocked down. In a matter of seconds, the grove had become a shallow lake.
"Very good. To reach this level in just a few months is impressive," Hiruzen praised.
He did not know how Mugetsu had learned his other ninjutsu, but he understood the progression of this one clearly. He had watched Mugetsu grow from his first attempts at the Great Waterfall Technique step by step to mastery.
"Thanks to your guidance, Sandaime sama," Mugetsu replied with a modest smile.
"My guidance was only a supplement. The real reason is your own talent and effort," Hiruzen said, shaking his head with a small laugh.
"Then you are very self aware," Asuma chimed in, nodding seriously. "What you said makes a lot of sense."
Hiruzen, suddenly feeling a twinge in his chest, roughly rubbed Asuma's head. It was one thing for him to admit this himself. Hearing his own son say it so bluntly was something else.
On the surface, Danzo sneered, but inside he was satisfied.
"No matter how well you teach him, Hiruzen, he will never truly belong to you," he thought. "He will always be a member of my Root."
In Danzo's view, Mugetsu's current strength came from accumulated battlefield experience, and from Hiruzen's careful training.
"Wind Release, Vacuum Sphere."
Without pausing, Mugetsu moved on to the next jutsu. After a blur of hand signs, countless invisible bursts of compressed air shot from his mouth.
Boom.
The barrage of air bullets tore into the yard, shattering the ground. Stones flew, and yellow gray dust billowed up as if the entire backyard were being plowed under.
There was not a single intact patch of earth left.
Hiruzen took two slow pulls on his pipe, then looked at Mugetsu with deep satisfaction.
Vacuum Sphere was also a jutsu he had given him. When Asuma's strength had increased rapidly under Mugetsu's tutoring, and Hiruzen learned from Asuma that Mugetsu had begun studying Wind Release, he had passed him Vacuum Sphere.
From the Fire, Water, and Wind Releases Mugetsu had just displayed, it was clear that all three nature transformations were already above the level of ordinary jonin. Fire was clearly his strongest, followed by Wind and Water, but each one was far from weak.
Danzo also nodded inwardly at Mugetsu's Vacuum Sphere.
He might be mediocre in other areas, but in terms of Wind Release he considered himself the strongest in Konoha. From a single look at Mugetsu's technique, he could tell that the young man's Wind Release nature transformation was no longer comparable to an average jonin.
"With Water, Fire, and Wind refined to this level, it is no wonder he could assist Jiraiya in fighting a tailed beast," Danzo thought.
Mugetsu's overall strength still had not reached Danzo's level, but with these three natures alone he could already be considered an elite among jonin, the type who could easily defeat standard jonin.
What made him most valuable was his age. Mugetsu was only nineteen, with plenty of time left to grow.
"If we assigned him under Orochimaru's command, he could both help Orochimaru rack up military achievements and sharpen his own skills faster on the front lines."
To Danzo, keeping Mugetsu at the Academy as a teacher was a waste. Any chunin could teach basic material. There was no need for a jonin of this caliber.
Asuma did not think about any of that. He had only six words in his head.
Mugetsu sensei is too awesome.
After his Wind Release demonstration, Mugetsu took two quiet breaths. Then he used Earth Release to repair the devastated ground and followed with an offensive technique.
"Earth Release, Earth Flow River."
Under Mugetsu's control, the soil in front of him suddenly liquefied into a surging river of mud that rushed forward with tremendous force.
His Earth Release nature transformation had only reached the proficient level at one thousand eight hundred points, so this was its current full power. He did not hold back. He simply poured chakra into the technique to amplify its effect.
"Mugetsu, you are far too modest," Hiruzen sighed, recalling his earlier words. "Your Earth Release is not merely good enough to teach the basics."
At first, he had actually believed Mugetsu when he said Earth Release was his weakest. After all, Mugetsu had never used it in front of him.
Now he could see that even in Earth Release, Mugetsu had already reached the level of an ordinary jonin, perhaps even one whose main attribute was Earth. If this was only barely enough to instruct students, then many ninja would not qualify to be teachers at all.
"Compared to my other attributes, it is still lacking quite a bit. I need to keep working," Mugetsu said with an easy smile.
"Lightning Release, Purple Lightning."
This time, Mugetsu did not form any hand seals. He simply raised his arm. Dazzling purple lightning burst out, wrapping around his right hand in a crackling coil of chakra.
The lightning flashed and jumped, and Mugetsu guided it down into the ground.
With a series of sharp cracks, streaks of purple lightning hammered the earth, leaving behind a scattering of charred craters.
"Mugetsu, did you create this Lightning Release without hand signs yourself?" Hiruzen asked, staring at the scorched marks.
He had learned every ninjutsu that existed in Konoha. If the village had possessed such a powerful Lightning Release that did not require hand signs, there was no way he would not know of it.
"Yes," Mugetsu nodded. "The name of this jutsu is Purple Lightning."
In his heart, he silently apologized to Kakashi.
Hiruzen looked at him in open surprise.
Mugetsu's Lightning Release was still slightly weaker than his Fire, Water, and Wind, and only a step stronger than Earth Release. But to independently develop a Lightning Release of this level was more than enough to prove his extraordinary talent in ninjutsu.
"Danzo, you nearly buried a genius," Hiruzen thought, a strange mix of relief and anger welling up.
He could not help wondering how strong Mugetsu would be now if he had been under his direct guidance from the very beginning instead of being sent to Root. Would he already be comparable to Hiruzen at the same age?
At that moment, Hiruzen's desire to take on a disciple surged.
Without question, Mugetsu was the most suitable disciple he had ever seen.
<><><><><>
[P@treon Christmas Discount: 20% OFF]
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]