Chapter 496: Speed Past Hidden Grass Village
Aside from meals and the bare minimum of sleep, Mugetsu and the others were almost constantly on the move.
With their high speed march, they quickly entered the Land of Grass and arrived near Hidden Grass Village.
"There's no warning barrier. We can infiltrate directly," Shibi reported after recalling his scouting bugs.
The Aburame clan's secret techniques felt like a complete toolkit. As long as they raised enough insects, they could fight, track, and provide excellent support such as reconnaissance.
This matched Mugetsu's expectations. In the shinobi world, sealing techniques and barrier techniques were closely linked.
In most cases, only the Great Villages could afford large scale barriers capable of covering an entire village. Smaller villages might master a few specialized sealing methods at best.
After all, a "village" in the shinobi world was closer to a city in size.
Constructing a barrier on that scale required not just sealing experts, but a dedicated sealing squad. Ordinary villages simply could not assemble that kind of team.
Since there was no barrier, Mugetsu led the disguised group directly into Hidden Grass Village.
He did not start investigating immediately. Instead, he brought everyone to a hotel and rented several rooms, establishing a rendezvous point for the mission.
"Next, we proceed according to the original plan," Mugetsu instructed, looking to Shibi and the others.
He had already arranged the operation on the way here.
Shibi, Suzaku, and Kosuke nodded. One by one, they disguised themselves as ordinary civilians and left the hotel.
Their team, including Mugetsu, had eight people. For an infiltration investigation, a group of that size could not move together. Too many people acting as one would expose them quickly.
So Mugetsu split them into three investigation teams.
He would operate alone.
His four disciples would form the second team.
The remaining group would be Shibi, Suzaku, and Kosuke.
Mugetsu had fully considered safety. Each group had the ability to retreat safely even if exposed.
As for himself, it went without saying. With his current real strength, a village like Hidden Grass was somewhere he could enter and leave freely.
Kakashi's group, Kakashi, Shisui, and Obito, all had combat power comparable to a Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist level when fully unleashed. Together, they were like a three man swordsmen unit, though not sustainable for long.
With Rin included, even as a medical shinobi, she still had the combat power of a normal jonin. If Kakashi's team could not win, they could still withdraw as long as they were not surrounded by hundreds or thousands of enemies.
Kosuke's group had two elite jonin, and Shibi was an all rounder. Suzaku, though the weakest in raw output, was stronger than an average jonin and could serve as the brain of the team. Their overall strength was more than enough for an S Rank mission.
"If you're exposed, make as much noise as possible. I'll come resolve it immediately," Mugetsu said as he took out a Flying Thunder God kunai and handed it to Kakashi.
On paper, this was an investigation mission.
But the personnel configuration made the truth obvious.
Investigation was not the main focus.
Including Kosuke, a genin in name but a jonin in reality, this was effectively eight jonin. And among them was Mugetsu, a recognized powerhouse across the shinobi world. With a lineup like this, investigating Hidden Grass was easy. Even killing all of Hidden Grass Village's high ranking officials would not be difficult.
So Mugetsu did not care whether Kakashi and the others uncovered anything.
He planned to act either way.
"I'll prioritize everyone's safety," Kakashi said, taking the Flying Thunder God kunai and nodding.
In Kakashi's mind, a comrade's life came before the mission. If danger appeared, he would focus on getting Obito and the others out alive, even if it meant abandoning the objective.
"Everyone here is a jonin, so why is Kakashi the leader?" Obito asked, clearly dissatisfied.
Back on the battlefield, Kakashi had been vice captain and commander. Now that they were splitting into groups, Kakashi was leading again. Obito wanted to be in charge for once and give orders, preferably to Kakashi.
Mugetsu did not answer directly. He turned to Shisui.
"Shisui, if you had to choose a leader, who would you pick?"
Shisui thought for a moment. "Kakashi, I guess."
Kakashi had proven himself through missions. He had the ability to lead.
As for Obito, Shisui felt that a position requiring constant planning and judgment was not suited to the current Obito.
Mugetsu looked to Rin. "Rin, what would you choose?"
Rin felt Obito's expectant stare. After hesitating, she answered honestly, almost apologetically.
"I think the more experienced Kakashi is more suitable."
Obito's face instantly went gray.
That hurt more than losing the leadership position.
Rin herself said he was inferior to Kakashi. Did that mean she thought Kakashi was stronger? Obito could not help overthinking.
"No," Obito told himself desperately. "Rin meant it's because that hateful Kakashi has more experience. That hateful Kakashi did become a shinobi earlier than us."
Before leaving, Mugetsu patted Obito's shoulder.
"To become a leader, Obito, you still need to learn more."
Mugetsu had asked Rin on purpose. He knew Obito well. He knew exactly how much Rin's answer would sting.
To become Hokage, passion alone was not enough. Even Naruto, who saved the shinobi world in the original history, still had to study seriously to become the Seventh Hokage.
Obito shouted about becoming Hokage every day, but he was still lacking in capability. He could not rely on Kakashi forever if he took office. He needed to be able to stand on his own.
"Learn to be a leader…" Obito repeated silently, and his mind immediately replayed Rin's answer.
He hated reading, but in that moment, he made a decision.
After this mission, he would read and cram knowledge intensely.
Because he had just imagined a terrifying possibility.
His dream was to become Hokage.
Mugetsu said he lacked leadership ability.
That meant there was a possibility Kakashi would become Hokage instead, and Obito would be rejected.
The thought of Rin coming to celebrate Kakashi becoming Hokage sent Obito's blood pressure soaring. His Sharingan was nearly triggered on the spot. The pain was unbearable.
For Obito, that pain was worse than the hell of two straight months of nonstop exams.
"Don't just stand there dumbfounded," Kakashi said with a slight smirk. "With your pitiful abilities, not only will you be my subordinate on this mission, you'll be my subordinate for life. Just listen to me."
With that, Kakashi walked out first.
"You evil, hateful, white haired menace," Obito fumed internally, but he did not dare retort while his status was temporarily lower. "Once I learn to lead, I'll order you around until you cry."
…
After leaving the hotel, Mugetsu left a shadow clone behind to secretly protect Kakashi's team.
Then his main body began investigating Hidden Grass Village.
His method was simple and direct.
He activated his Byakugan and walked a full circuit around the village.
Originally, Mugetsu planned to locate Hidden Grass's ANBU base and search for information there.
Instead, his Byakugan discovered something more suspicious.
An underground base.
The base itself was not unusual.
What was unusual was what lay inside it.
Mugetsu saw a chakra presence that could only be described as eerie.
Eerie, but not threatening. He did not feel real danger from it.
Curiosity rose.
Mugetsu approached the underground research base and prepared to enter for a closer look.
[System: Name: Shu]
[System: Chakra: 31200]
[System: Skills: Fire Release chakra nature transformation (master 2300/15000), Fire Release: Heavenly Prison (master), Fire Release: Grand Fire Heavenly Prison (master)...]
Before infiltrating, Mugetsu used appraisal on the only shinobi inside the base.
After confirming none of Shu's skills posed a threat, Mugetsu used Earth Release and slipped underground, entering directly.
"Who's there?" Shu, who had been staring at the Paradise Box, sensed something wrong.
"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Fire Sword!"
He condensed chakra in his hand, forming a blazing fire sword, and charged toward the disturbance.
"Invading with such low level methods, get out…"
But the moment Shu swung, his eyes widened.
Cold sweat burst from his forehead.
The intruder in front of him had vanished.
Whoosh.
Bang.
Mugetsu appeared behind him like a ghost and struck once, knocking Shu unconscious instantly.
Without chakra to sustain it, the fire sword dissolved. Shu collapsed to the ground.
Mugetsu did not spare him another glance.
His attention locked onto the huge box at the center of the base, radiating that eerie aura.
With Mugetsu's current strength, instantly defeating a jonin like Shu was expected. There was nothing worth dwelling on.
"Paradise Box…" Mugetsu murmured, staring at it as faint memories surfaced.
If his memory was correct, this box was rumored to grant wishes.
That was only a rumor.
In reality, the box was not that powerful, at least judging by what it showed in the plot.
It could not grant wishes.
But it could transform those sealed inside into a monster called Satori.
Even Satori's strength was not overwhelming. Aside from its ability to see into the hearts of those gripped by fear, its performance was relatively ordinary. Naruto's Rasenshuriken had been enough to severely wound it.
Mugetsu estimated that if he went all out, he could probably kill it directly with No Thought Strike.
He stepped closer, condensed chakra at his fingertip, and poked the Box of Paradise.
In the plot, the box had been extremely hard. Rasenshuriken could tear Satori apart, yet it could not leave a scratch on the box itself.
Bang!
Mugetsu's finger could pierce rock easily, yet it failed to leave even a faint mark.
His expression did not change.
He condensed more chakra, then coated his finger in dark Armament Haki and struck again.
The result was the same.
No mark.
Mugetsu took out Enma.
He poured a large amount of chakra into the blade, then added a trace of Armament Haki along its edge, and swung.
The Paradise Box shuddered violently. The eerie chakra inside surged, pulsing like something alive.
A thin white scratch appeared where Enma struck.
Mugetsu let go of the idea of taking out the Rokudo Shakujo.
The box was not indestructible.
It was simply absurdly hard.
If he brought out the Rokudo Shakujo and struck with full force, the box might truly shatter.
That was something that never happened in the original plot.
Mugetsu did not know whether breaking it would fully free Satori, or annihilate it, or trigger something worse.
Before understanding the structure, he would not act rashly.
Mugetsu put Enma away and activated his Byakugan again, observing the Paradise Box at close range.
His Byakugan could see very far, but details from a distance and details up close were different. The closer he was, the more thoroughly he could see, and the deeper he could peer.
"This box feels like it has a sealing technique on it," Mugetsu said quietly, noticing something important.
The Paradise Box did not feel like the source of the eerie aura.
It felt like a cage.
A prison built to contain it.
Mugetsu formed a shadow clone and had the clone feed chakra into the Paradise Box.
What he discovered next was even more interesting.
The sealing technique inside the box was peculiar.
A normal seal, no matter how powerful, weakened with time.
But this seal was different.
Mugetsu sensed an inexplicable connection between the seal and the eerie aura within.
When chakra entered, the eerie aura absorbed it and grew stronger.
And at the same time, the seal strengthened as well.
Putting the pieces together, Mugetsu became increasingly convinced.
The Paradise Box was likely the work of the Sage of Six Paths.
As the most legitimate inheritor of Uzumaki sealing arts, Mugetsu had never seen anything within the Uzumaki sealing system that achieved this kind of effect.
With this seal in place, no matter how much chakra the entity inside absorbed, it could never escape.
Because the stronger it became, the stronger the prison became with it.
"Is its essence something similar to a Jashin?" Mugetsu narrowed his eyes, thinking.
In the shinobi world, aside from aliens like the Otsutsuki, there were other strange existences. Jashin was one of them, an entity tied to Hidan's immortality.
Mugetsu believed Satori, sealed inside the Paradise Box, must have caused massive destruction in the past.
So the Sage of Six Paths packaged it, locked it away, and left it in this box.
After testing the Paradise Box for a while, Mugetsu shifted his gaze to the unconscious Shu.
He activated a transformation technique and took the form of Inoichi.
Mugetsu crouched down, placed his palm on Shu head, and activated a Yamanaka clan secret technique.
With Shu's strength, his status in Hidden Grass Village should be high.
He likely carried the information Mugetsu wanted.
In an instant, everything Shu had experienced recently flashed through Mugetsu's mind.
"Iwagakure, cooperation to intensify the war, opening the Paradise Box to make the Land of Grass great again…"
The cooperation meeting between Hidden Grass and Iwagakure.
The Hidden Grass leader's plan.
The split between Grass Core and Grass Flower.
One secret after another unfolded through Shu's memories.
After finishing, Mugetsu exhaled softly.
"Transformation really is a useful skill," he sighed inwardly.
In actual combat, transformation was troublesome. It consumed a lot of chakra, and the number of times he could freely use such abilities was limited.
But outside of direct battle, it was incredibly convenient.
It made Mugetsu truly feel like an all rounder.