Chapter 431: The Disciples Exploded with Gold Coins
[Name: Kakashi Hatake Life Mission: True strength lies in protection. Main Goal: Protect his companions and everything he cares about. Mission Progress: 100% (Remaining trigger count: 4)]
To Mugetsu's surprise, Kakashi's Life Mission progress jumped straight to 100%, making him the first disciple to complete a Life Mission.
But when Mugetsu remembered that Kakashi's Life Mission only settled rewards every fifty percent, it started to feel perfectly reasonable.
[Disciple Kakashi Hatake successfully protected his companions in a desperate burst, earning a progress reward: Moderate Sword Training Experience, Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery Level), and a Sword Related Skill Draw Scroll (Mastery Level). Sword Related Skill Draw Scroll: Guaranteed to yield a skill related to swords.]
[Disciple Kakashi Hatake successfully protected his companions in a desperate burst, earning a progress reward: Item Upgrade Scroll, and a Lightning Release Skill Draw Scroll S+ (Mastery Level). Item Upgrade Scroll: Can be used to upgrade some physical rewards given by the system.]
"So there are S+ level draw scrolls," Mugetsu murmured, staring at the 100% reward with clear surprise. It was the first time he had ever received a scroll at this rank.
"If there's S+, does that mean there's SS or even SSS?" The thought came naturally.
It felt possible. After all, even potential had Double S.
Still, if those ranks existed, the difficulty of obtaining them would definitely be absurd. Otherwise, he would not have had to wait this long just to see an S+ scroll.
Because Mugetsu already possessed Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation at Mastery Level, the extra Mastery Level Nature Transformation reward converted into three thousand proficiency points instead. The moment it settled, his mind flooded with dense Lightning Release training experience.
After claiming the rewards, Kakashi's Life Mission progress reset back to zero.
Mugetsu did not rush to use the draw scrolls. He turned his attention to the Life Missions of his other disciples, because Kakashi was not the only one whose progress had shifted.
[Name: Might Guy Life Mission: Walk the path to the strongest taijutsu. Main Goal: Become a top tier ninja world expert in taijutsu, both in strength and reputation, letting all ninja know that one can become strong even without ninjutsu. Mission Progress: 28%]
Guy's progress did not spike as violently as Kakashi's, but it still rose a lot. He had triggered a settlement reward, and he was already close to the next one.
[Disciple Might Guy's strength increased and his reputation rose, taking a small step on the path to the strongest taijutsu, earning a progress reward: Moderate Physical Enhancement, Fist and Leg Related Skill Draw Scroll (Mastery Level), and Evening Elephant (Mastery Level).]
Guy's rewards were excellent.
The moderate physical enhancement did not cause a dramatic leap, but comparing it side by side with Obito's earlier twenty percent reward, which had only given one thousand four hundred chakra, it was fair. Physical rewards were simply harder to obtain than chakra.
The Fist and Leg Related Skill Draw Scroll should match Guy's taijutsu path, just like Kakashi's reward was a sword related draw scroll.
Besides Kakashi and Guy, Obito's Life Mission progress also rose slightly, though not enough to trigger a settlement reward. Mugetsu estimated that once this incident spread across the battlefield, Obito's progress would climb again. Reputation could also raise the odds of becoming Hokage, after all.
Mugetsu then opened the Item Upgrade Scroll.
He did not have many physical rewards from the system, but he did have a few. Most were consumables, like kunai, shuriken, and cultivation elixirs. Then there were the black framed glasses and the Rokudo Shakujo.
After he confirmed activation, a list of upgradeable items appeared.
Only three.
Kunai. Shuriken. Black framed glasses.
Mugetsu thought for a moment, then chose the black framed glasses.
If the Rokudo Shakujo had been an option, he would have chosen it without hesitation. The staff was already tough, and it could destroy ninjutsu. It was his strongest weapon right now.
But between strengthening ordinary kunai and shuriken versus strengthening the glasses, the choice was obvious.
Based on how skill enhancements worked, upgrades did not create a miracle out of nothing. They strengthened what already existed.
Upgrading ordinary kunai and shuriken would likely end with something comparable to high quality tools forged by a ninja tool master using good materials.
The glasses, on the other hand, were special. They had unique effects, and they allowed Mugetsu to use the Byakugan without any worries.
[Item Upgrade Scroll has been used. Black framed glasses successfully enhanced.]
[Black framed glasses: Can conceal major changes throughout the body, increase intellectual aura to a certain extent, and once worn, they will never fall off or be damaged unless actively removed by the wearer.]
"From head to whole body," Mugetsu said, eyes narrowing as he read. "That makes Transformation a lot more convenient."
To Mugetsu, Transformation was not truly a combat skill.
His advantage over other ninja was simple. He had high level, powerful skills.
That was where his combat power lived.
Right now, Mugetsu had not seen anyone else with Perfect Level skills. Hiruzen had a Combination Ninjutsu that was close, but Mugetsu already possessed four Perfect Level skills: Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation, Armament Haki, Thunder Breathing, and Water Breathing.
Not only were those skills highly developed, they were techniques from other worlds that had been localized into the ninja world. Even before a battle started, he held an intelligence advantage.
Copying other people's skills could not really raise Mugetsu's ceiling.
Transformation scanning still had limits. If an ability's proficiency was too high, it could not be fully scanned. If a powerful ninja carried too much information, the chakra cost became ridiculous. For true peer level fights, the drawbacks were obvious.
And Mugetsu was not a specialist who only built around Transformation.
He treated it as an auxiliary tool, something that expanded his options.
For example, the Ino Shika Cho secret techniques. If Mugetsu wanted to interrogate someone, he could transform into Inoichi and make the process far more convenient. Likewise, Tsunade's medical ninjutsu could sharply raise Mugetsu's medical ability.
Now that the glasses were enhanced, Mugetsu saw a new strategic use for Transformation.
Misdirection.
His Ice Release was not actually strong. It was still only at the proficient level. But if he transformed into Reiki and fought, the Ice Release he displayed would be completely different.
Anyone familiar with his previous Ice Release level would naturally assume he had trained it to that point, forming the false impression that Mugetsu prioritized Ice Release above everything else.
That was false intelligence.
In a world where the enemy could hide while he was exposed, that kind of deception carried real strategic value.
Even if Mugetsu still had a few hidden cards, his information would inevitably leak because he was teaching disciples. Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu would learn more about him over time.
So feeding them the wrong picture could force wrong assumptions, and wrong assumptions created mistakes.
With the item upgrade done, Mugetsu finally prepared for the draws.
As always, he washed his hands first.
It might not actually change anything, but it made him feel better, and that was good enough.
He started with the Fist and Leg Related Skill Draw Scroll from Guy.
After he confirmed, a massive spinning wheel appeared before him. Mugetsu even caught glimpses of martial arts techniques from the novels of his previous life.
[Fist and Leg Related Skill Draw Scroll has been consumed. Obtained skill: Six Powers (Mastery Level).]
The moment the pointer settled, a surge of training experience related to Six Powers poured into Mugetsu's mind.
But it was not the original One Piece version.
It was localized for the ninja world, requiring chakra to execute.
Even though the system classified Six Powers as one skill, it contained six taijutsu techniques: Soru, Iron Body, Paper Arts, Moonwalk, Tempest Kick, and Finger Gun.
Mugetsu had previously obtained Soru at the proficient level, but its proficiency was average, so he rarely used it in real combat. This time, it jumped straight up.
Even so, if he compared movement alone, Mugetsu still believed Water Instant Body was stronger. Nature Transformation was not added for decoration.
But for someone like Guy, who struggled heavily with learning ninjutsu, Soru was still an excellent choice. And with Rock Breathing reinforcing his body, Guy's taijutsu already surpassed ordinary taijutsu.
For Mugetsu himself, the greatest value of Six Powers was what it could do for his disciples' aerial ability.
Moonwalk could not let someone truly fly, but it could let them walk through the air briefly, and that alone changed how a fight could be approached.
Next came Kakashi's sword related scroll.
[Sword Related Skill Draw Scroll has been consumed. Obtained skill: Fire Thunder God (Mastery Level).]
Fire Thunder God was a Thunder Breathing technique created by Zenitsu, a composite form built by combining other Thunder Breathing sword forms. It carried both speed and power, and it looked cool doing it.
A very good technique.
Finally, Mugetsu's gaze landed on the S+ Lightning Release Skill Draw Scroll.
This was the highest ranked scroll he had obtained so far.
Without hesitation, he confirmed the draw. Even the best scroll was worthless if it stayed unopened.
[Lightning Release Skill Draw Scroll S+ has been consumed. Obtained skill: One Thought Cut (Mastery Level).]
The instant the draw completed, an enormous amount of experience slammed into Mugetsu's mind.
Sword training. Lightning Release Nature Transformation. Layer after layer of practice and refinement.
So much that Mugetsu felt as if he had trained Lightning Release sword techniques for hundreds of years.
Even ignoring the skill itself, the by products alone made him deeply satisfied.
Not only did his sword experience surge, but his Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation also gained another one thousand proficiency points.
Mugetsu's Lightning Release Nature Transformation had now reached five thousand proficiency.
It was still slightly behind wind and water, which benefited from the system's bonus for Mastery Level natures, but it was already above most ninja in the world.
After briefly sorting through the new memories, Mugetsu went to find Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was the battlefield commander, the highest ranking ninja on the front. And with the Root connection involved, Mugetsu had to report everything.
"Orochimaru sama," Mugetsu said, going straight to the point, "a short while ago, my disciple squad engaged the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in an encounter battle. With Might Duy's assistance, they killed Fuguki and repelled the remaining members."
Orochimaru's initial surprise passed quickly, replaced by measured thought.
If he remembered correctly, Mugetsu's disciple squad consisted entirely of chunin, newly promoted at that. No one over the age of ten.
As for Might Duy, Orochimaru did not recognize him directly, but the surname made the connection obvious.
Because of the earlier squad reorganizations, Orochimaru held a faint impression of their group, but he truly had not expected them to possess the strength to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Those seven were an elite squad of Hidden Mist jonin.
"It seems a group of extraordinary geniuses has appeared in Konoha," Orochimaru praised.
It was illogical on paper for seven chunin to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
But Orochimaru believed it anyway, because the one reporting was Mugetsu.
Mugetsu had no reason to fabricate a lie like this, unless he had lost his mind. And from Orochimaru's observations, Mugetsu was not only stable, but frighteningly intelligent.
"When the Seven Ninja Swordsmen retreated, I arrived to block their escape," Mugetsu continued. "But at that moment, Reiki arrived with a Mist squad. Under their cover, the injured Juzō and Kushimaru successfully withdrew."
"Reiki." Orochimaru's eyes flickered.
That name carried weight.
Combined with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, this meant Mugetsu and his disciples had effectively fought a small scale elite engagement against the Hidden Mist.
"Besides the retreating Juzō and Kushimaru," Mugetsu said calmly, "all other Mist ninja were killed on the spot by me. Five ninja swords were captured."
He finished by stating the results plainly, like he was reading weather.
Orochimaru studied him.
The battle had just happened, and Mugetsu was uninjured.
That meant Mugetsu had killed Reiki, four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and multiple Mist ninja without taking damage.
That level of combat power exceeded Orochimaru's expectations.
He had assumed Mugetsu could defeat Reiki in a one on one, or perhaps Mangetsu, but this was far beyond that.
"Mugetsu," Orochimaru said with a faint smile, "you truly gave me a big surprise."
This encounter would force adjustments to Orochimaru's battlefield strategy, yes, but overall, it was an enormous victory.
A victory big enough for the Konoha newspaper to dedicate an entire issue to it.
With only a small addition like, under Orochimaru's leadership, his own credit would rise as well.
"I would like to discuss more detailed specifics," Orochimaru continued, standing up, "but now we must convene an emergency war meeting."
The impact of this battle on the eastern front was massive.
The Hidden Mist suffered heavy losses, losing a powerhouse like Reiki and five elite members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Under those circumstances, Orochimaru's strategy of luring the enemy would be difficult to execute.
He had to change the overall policy.
From baiting, to active offense, forcing the Hidden Mist to respond.
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