Chapter 544: New Perfect Level Attribute Changes
Mugetsu was a little surprised by the system's sudden notification, but after thinking about it, he found it perfectly normal.
If he measured it by the amount of time he had spent in the Ninja World since crossing over, then he and Nagato had already been together for quite a long time.
During that period, they had shared both the ordinary daily life of teacher and student and the life and death trials of betrayal and encirclement. They had experienced far too much together.
Mugetsu's actions, appearing like a savior in moments of crisis while remaining gentle and approachable in everyday life, had steadily deepened Nagato's trust in him. Now, on this joyful occasion, that trust had finally reached a new peak.
Logically speaking, Mugetsu should give Nagato a gift now.
That was because the system had a welfare mechanism. Every disciple who reached Trust Level Four had a chance to burst with an extremely rich return, and the disciple feedback would definitely yield a Perfect level skill.
All four of Mugetsu's current Perfect level skills had been obtained through increases in his disciples' trust levels.
However, based on his own past experience, there was no issue with giving the gift a little later, so Mugetsu did not suddenly hand Nagato anything right then and there.
After all, the timing and atmosphere were not suitable. He had just been talking about how everyone had worked hard together. If he suddenly gave only Nagato a gift at that moment, it would feel out of place.
"Teacher Sōsuke, what you said is true, but Teacher Sōsuke definitely contributed the most," Yahiko said with a serious expression.
In Yahiko's eyes, this was not even limited to the Martial Arts Tournament. As the founder of the Shinobi Sect, Sōsuke had led them through crisis after crisis. His contribution to the Shinobi Sect had long since exceeded the total of everyone else combined.
The Shinobi Sect could still exist without Yahiko, without Konan, and even without Nagato or Kakuzu.
But it absolutely could not exist without Sōsuke.
Without Sōsuke, there would be no Shinobi Sect, and none of what they were experiencing now would have ever happened.
Even if the Shinobi Sect had never appeared, Yahiko still would have pursued his dream of developing the Akatsuki Organization.
But based on his current experience, Yahiko knew very clearly that he could never have brought it to the level the Shinobi Sect had reached now.
At best, he might have been able to create a powerful Akatsuki Organization that maintained peace in the Land of Rain.
But he definitely could not have built another Shinobi Sect.
"No, with my previous ability, I probably wouldn't even have been able to steadily expand the Akatsuki Organization." Thinking back to the encirclement that had almost wiped out the Shinobi Sect, Yahiko sighed inwardly.
Although the Akatsuki Organization had Nagato as its trump card, Nagato still needed time to grow.
Yahiko understood his own abilities well. Before Nagato had fully matured, he was very likely to have led the Akatsuki Organization into an abyss, just like what had almost happened to the Shinobi Sect that time.
"That's nonsense. If Sōsuke hadn't founded the Shinobi Sect, how could all of you be sitting here talking right now?" Kakuzu said as he took a sip of sake.
As the liquor went down, Kakuzu's thoughts drifted back to the past.
He was a Ninja of Fortune, so how had he ended up becoming a high ranking executive of the Shinobi Sect?
Kakuzu had once thought that after being betrayed by Takigakure, he would never trust anyone again. After all, he had regarded protecting the village as a belief that could not be shaken. If even that belief had betrayed him, then what in the world could not betray him?
Then Sōsuke had stepped forward and told him that there truly was something.
Sōsuke was the second strongest ninja Kakuzu had ever fought in his life. The first was Senju Hashirama.
In Kakuzu's view, Senju Hashirama had been somewhat strange.
But Sōsuke was even stranger.
Kakuzu did not know much about Senju Hashirama, so he could not comment much on him. But Sōsuke was definitely the strangest top tier ninja Kakuzu had ever seen. At times, he did not even feel like a ninja at all.
"Maybe only a ninja who doesn't seem like a ninja could have created the current Shinobi Sect," Kakuzu thought.
What had drawn him to the Shinobi Sect had never been the so called sage inheritance, nor even Sōsuke's strength.
It had been the atmosphere of the Shinobi Sect, along with a bit of Sōsuke's personal influence.
"Haha, Leader Kakuzu, you've contributed a great deal too. This time especially, we relied heavily on you," Yahiko said with a laugh, already long accustomed to Kakuzu's way of speaking.
"Good that you know. In the Ninja World, without money, you can't move an inch," Kakuzu said calmly, accepting the praise without hesitation.
"Can origami be sold for money?" Konan asked curiously.
Mugetsu often praised her origami.
Kakuzu glanced at Konan, and a trace of regret appeared in his eyes. "If you'd made the top four of the Martial Arts Tournament, then some slightly more complicated origami might really have made a lot of money."
Because he occasionally exchanged ideas on making money with Mugetsu, Kakuzu's thinking had broadened considerably by now.
If Konan had entered the top four, then her origami could have been marketed as the handmade work of the only female ninja among the top four of the Youth Martial Arts Tournament. Combined with Konan's appearance, that would have been another major selling point.
Unfortunately, Konan had not made the top four, and without that result, the appeal dropped sharply.
Because the Ninja World revered strength. Being pretty alone was not enough. You had to be both beautiful and strong.
Konan showed a thoughtful expression, then her eyes lit up.
"Then what about having Nagato make origami and sell it? He's the champion."
Nagato: ...
"That wouldn't work. Nagato making origami would definitely not have the same effect as yours," Kakuzu rejected the idea decisively.
Nagato's image simply did not match origami at all.
Starting with all kinds of powerful ninjutsu and casually unleashing terrifying repulsive force, even though Nagato was not especially muscular, his fighting style had a direct, overwhelming beauty to it. It had nothing to do with something like delicate paper crafts.
"Oh, right. And Nagato doesn't even know how to fold origami. He'd have to spend time learning first," Konan said, immediately realizing the flaw in her own suggestion.
"Gastly!"
Gastly suddenly floated out and hovered in front of Nagato, making a confident sound.
"Gastly, do you want to help Nagato fold origami? But you don't even have hands," Konan reminded it.
Although Gastly looked nothing like a normal living creature, Konan actually found it quite cute after getting used to it.
"Gastly?"
Gastly widened its eyes and stared at its own body in disbelief, as though only just realizing that it truly did not have hands.
Nagato smiled, but because this was his own Nin Beast, he tried hard to hold it in and not let that smile show too clearly.
"Hahaha!"
Yahiko burst into loud laughter without restraint.
Back when Gastly first appeared, it had frightened him quite badly.
"Gastly!"
Gastly looked deflated, then immediately stuck out its long tongue and licked Yahiko.
Even if it didn't have hands, its tongue was still very long.
Yahiko was in the middle of eating and had not been prepared at all. Caught off guard by Gastly's lick, he instantly felt his body go numb.
Then he lost control and began falling backward.
Fortunately, Nagato was sitting beside him and reacted fast enough to catch him before he could hit the ground.
"Sure enough, your body is poisonous, isn't it? Just one lick and my whole body went numb," Yahiko complained.
Looking at Gastly, surrounded by purple mist, Yahiko could not help but feel that the creature was somehow steeped in poison.
In truth, Yahiko was not wrong at all. As a dual Ghost and Poison type Pokémon, Gastly naturally carried poison.
"Gastly!"
Gastly looked proud.
It had poison, and it was proud of it.
Fortunately, Gastly had only just hatched, and its power was still very weak. The numbness faded quickly, and before long Yahiko was eating, drinking, and chatting again as though nothing had happened.
Good times always passed faster than expected.
By the time Nagato came back to himself, the banquet was already over, and he had somehow found himself walking toward the training room.
"It's really good," Nagato sighed inwardly.
No matter how many times he reflected on it, Nagato still felt that meeting Mugetsu had been one of the best things in his life, and that his current life in the Shinobi Sect was truly wonderful.
Before he met Mugetsu and joined the Shinobi Sect, the part of his life he missed most, aside from the days before his parents died, was the period when he, Yahiko, and Konan had studied ninjutsu together under Jiraiya.
Although it had been called "learning ninjutsu," Jiraiya had really acted more like an elder, living with them and taking care of them.
Before meeting Jiraiya, Nagato had wandered for quite a long time, often living from meal to meal. So to once again feel the care of a dependable adult was naturally something he treasured.
Even now, if Jiraiya suddenly appeared in front of him, Nagato would definitely be overjoyed and greet him happily.
But if Nagato had to choose the happiest and most meaningful time in his life so far, it would still be the present.
In his life within the Shinobi Sect now, he had Yahiko and Konan, the companions who had grown up with him and relied on one another. He had a teacher like Mugetsu, someone he could trust without reservation. And he had a large group of fellow ninja who shared his dream and were moving toward it together.
The days spent learning from Jiraiya had certainly been happy.
But they had not changed the Land of Rain the way the Shinobi Sect had.
The Shinobi Sect brought peace to the people of the Land of Rain. It prevented the creation of more war orphans.
That was why Nagato believed his current life in the Shinobi Sect was more meaningful.
"Teacher Mugetsu."
Nagato spotted Mugetsu in the lounge, checked his surroundings, and then called him by his real name.
Although a name was just a label, Nagato still preferred to use Mugetsu's real name in private.
Mugetsu gave a slight nod, then began guiding Nagato in his training of Yang Release Breathing.
Yang Release Breathing was extremely important to Nagato because the Rinnegan he possessed was not actually his own.
If he used it in ordinary ways, then the enormous chakra inside his body would keep the burden manageable.
But once he began fighting seriously with the Rinnegan, it would damage his body.
Using Almighty Push was one example.
Activating the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was another.
Yang Release Breathing could not completely solve Nagato's problem, but if trained to a high enough level, it could greatly reduce the burden.
At the very least, it would prevent a full powered Almighty Push from directly shortening his lifespan.
Several hours later, Mugetsu had Nagato pause and rest, then left the training room for a while.
When he returned, he was carrying two steaming bowls of ramen.
Mugetsu handed one to Nagato with a smile.
"Eat it while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it cools down."
Nagato thanked him and accepted the bowl. The rich aroma instantly captured all of his attention.
Already somewhat hungry from training, Nagato quickly picked up his chopsticks and began eating. After several mouthfuls of noodles, he took a sip of the warm broth.
Warmth spread through his body, sweeping away his fatigue and making him feel instantly refreshed.
The only thing that made him regretful was that the bowl, which clearly looked full, seemed to disappear after only a few bites.
Nagato knew this was just his own illusion. There was obviously plenty of ramen. It was simply so delicious that he had eaten it too intently and barely noticed the passage of time.
"You've really gone to so much trouble for me, Teacher Mugetsu," Nagato said, thanking him again.
The Shinobi Sect had countless matters to deal with every day. Yet Mugetsu not only guided his training, but had even made him a late night snack. He was so good to Nagato that Nagato felt a little embarrassed.
"It's no trouble at all. I was hungry too," Mugetsu said with a smile, telling him not to worry about it.
[You gifted your disciple a handmade bowl of top tier ramen. Your disciple is immensely grateful and receives a super critical return, obtaining Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Perfect Level).]
The moment the reward appeared, a huge amount of Water Release chakra nature transformation knowledge surged into Mugetsu's mind. His understanding rose rapidly, and his mastery of Water Release improved dramatically.
The smile on his face deepened.
Disciple returns were actually somewhat dependent on luck. Sometimes the reward might be a chakra nature transformation, and sometimes it might simply be a ninjutsu.
Compared to a Perfect level ninjutsu, a Perfect level chakra nature transformation was naturally far more valuable and represented a much greater increase in overall strength.
"If it had been Lightning Release, that really would have been perfect," Mugetsu thought as he glanced at his panel.
[Skills: Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Perfect Level), Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Perfect Level: 1), Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery Level: 7060) ...]
No Thought Strike had also come from an S+ extraction scroll. If Mugetsu's Lightning Release chakra nature transformation could reach Perfect Level as well, then the power of No Thought Strike would increase drastically.
There was another point too.
Water Release needed only five thousand more proficiency to reach Perfect Level, while Lightning Release still needed eight thousand, making the latter much harder to improve by normal training.
In the next second, Mugetsu stopped dwelling on it.
Although Lightning Release would have been the most profitable result, drawing Perfect Level Water Release was still extremely good luck.
After all, the farther a skill advanced, the harder it became to raise its proficiency. If Mugetsu had to train Water Release himself, he might not be able to make up those missing five thousand points even after thirty years.
After sorting through the memories in his mind, Mugetsu did not resume training with Nagato. Instead, he simply stayed and chatted with him.
After all, the late night snack had been eaten, and it was almost time to sleep. There was no point continuing.
"I wonder when I'll get to eat ramen again," Nagato thought to himself, still savoring the bowl he had just finished.
Without question, the ramen Mugetsu made was the best ramen Nagato had ever eaten.
No, it was the best food he had ever eaten.
It was so delicious that Nagato actually felt a little regretful that Yahiko and Konan had not been able to try it too.
But there was nothing he could do about that. Mugetsu was the leader of the Shinobi Sect, not its chef.
The fact that Mugetsu had been willing to spend time making him a bowl of ramen was already a great blessing in itself. How could Nagato shamelessly push his luck and ask him to make extra portions for Yahiko and the others too?
Nagato could not say something like that.
Nor was he willing to.
Because only he knew just how much Mugetsu had to shoulder as the leader of the Shinobi Sect. Mugetsu was busier than most people could ever imagine, because he not only had to develop the Shinobi Sect, but also keep Konoha in mind at all times.
.....
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