Chapter 632: A Necklace Worth Three Mines
"The situation is very unfavorable for us right now. We must deal with the Hidden Mist forces as quickly as possible."
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen was discussing the war situation with Mugetsu.
"Understood. I will defeat the Hidden Mist as soon as the conditions allow," Mugetsu said with a nod.
"Then I'll await your good news," Hiruzen said with a chuckle.
If not for the lack of suitable candidates, he truly would not have wanted Mugetsu to go to the battlefield right now.
After all, this was a super genius who had also awakened Wood Release.
"Regarding troop personnel, Mugetsu, do you have any requests?"
As long as the people Mugetsu requested were not on secret missions, Hiruzen could provide them to make his plans easier to execute.
"Kakashi and the others, perhaps. It's been a while since they had a mission," Mugetsu replied.
Although it seemed like an ordinary defeat, Mugetsu felt Uchiha Madara must have intervened.
Konoha's current predicament itself was the result of Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu secretly fanning the flames.
Mugetsu could see Uchiha Madara's goal clearly. It was nothing more than making the situation more chaotic, creating more chances for him to act.
Unfortunately for Uchiha Madara, he was facing Mugetsu, someone who knew the original plot.
Mugetsu knew that Uchiha Madara wanted to find a successor, so he would not give him that chance. No matter how chaotic the situation became, as long as Mugetsu led his disciples personally on missions, it would be difficult for Uchiha Madara's schemes to succeed.
"Very well. But Kakashi and the others are your disciples, Mugetsu. You can notify them yourself. The Ninja forces have already begun assembling," Hiruzen said with a nod.
Because of Mugetsu, Hiruzen had almost never actively assigned missions to Kakashi and the others. It had always depended on their own wishes.
After bidding farewell to Hiruzen, Mugetsu sent a Shadow Clone to the training team to notify Shisui, while his main body headed to the South Border Forest.
In the original work, Uchiha Madara had targeted Obito, but Mugetsu could not rule out the possibility that Uchiha Madara might keep Shisui as a backup choice. To prevent any accidents, Shisui had to come along as well.
When Mugetsu arrived at the South Border Forest, his disciples were still training.
"Everyone, go home and prepare what you need. We're about to go on a mission," Mugetsu called out, stopping them.
Obito immediately became interested, but before he could ask, Mugetsu continued.
"Although this mission won't take us out of the Land of Fire, and we'll still be inside the country, it is still a battlefield. We'll be fighting against the Ninja forces of the Hidden Mist Village."
"A large-scale war mission."
Obito's expression became a bit more serious.
He was not a rookie who had never stepped onto a battlefield before. He understood the dangers of war.
"It's actually inside the country, and the enemy is the Hidden Mist," Kakashi said, showing a thoughtful expression.
Because he had recently been fully immersed in training, he had not paid much attention to the Ninja World's situation.
Even so, Kakashi could still sense that there were some issues from Konoha's overall atmosphere.
"Teacher Mugetsu, will Shisui participate in this mission?" Kakashi asked after thinking for a moment.
Konoha's current situation was not good, which meant Mugetsu's chances of encountering trouble on the battlefield would be higher.
At present, they were still far from a powerhouse like Mugetsu, but they had already gone beyond the level of ordinary Jonin. Because of that, Kakashi hoped Mugetsu would also bring Shisui, adding another layer of strength.
They had promised to change the future together.
"Yes. I sent a Shadow Clone to notify him," Mugetsu replied.
"Teacher Mugetsu, after we finish preparing, should we return to the South Border Forest? Or is there another gathering point?" Rin asked.
"Go to Training Ground Eleven. The Ninja forces will gather there."
"Teacher Mugetsu, everyone, I'll see you later. I'm going back to get some things." Rin smiled, waved goodbye, and was the first to leave.
Kakashi and Obito also said their goodbyes and left. They needed to replenish their Ninja tools.
Might Guy did not need to replenish any Ninja tools, but going to the battlefield was no small matter. He needed to inform his family, so he also returned home.
Yamato was in class at this time, so Mugetsu did not disturb him. Instead, he arranged for someone to notify him.
After that, Mugetsu went to Tsunade's house.
Tsunade was initially quite happy, thinking she could mooch another meal from him. But when she heard Mugetsu say he was going to the battlefield, her face instantly fell.
"Why are there so many bastards in this Ninja World? Can't it stay peaceful for a few more years?" Tsunade could not help sighing.
Missing one meal was not important. Tsunade was worried that she might not get any more of them in the future.
"Did you come here just to tell me that, or do you want me to go to the battlefield with you?"
"Not really. I still have to command the troops, so even if you came to the battlefield with me, Tsunade, I wouldn't be able to make you three meals a day," Mugetsu tactfully refused.
Tsunade's strength was excellent, and her medical skills were unmatched. She possessed powerful healing abilities. However, her own issues had not yet been resolved, so she could not bring out her full strength. She would not be able to provide much assistance to Mugetsu right now.
It would be safer for Tsunade to remain in Konoha.
"Three meals a day? My appearance fee should be at least four meals a day, shouldn't it?"
Tsunade crossed her arms and looked displeased. It was unclear whether she felt underestimated by Mugetsu or genuinely believed the compensation was too low.
"Yes. After all, you are the strongest Medical Ninja in the Ninja World," Mugetsu said in a flat tone.
"That is common knowledge," Tsunade declared, indicating that true greatness needed no explanation.
Immediately after, Tsunade seemed to think of something. A hint of hesitation appeared on her face, but in the end, she took off the necklace around her neck and said, "You're still learning Wood Release, right? If so, you can borrow this necklace for a while. This was left behind by my grandfather, and it contains his Chakra."
After saying that, Tsunade emphasized, "It's a loan, not a gift. This necklace is very valuable. If sold, it could buy three mines. Once you finish developing Wood Release, you must return it to me."
Mugetsu looked at the necklace in Tsunade's palm.
This necklace was quite famous. It was also known as the Death Necklace.
In the original work, Tsunade gave it to three people: Nawaki, Kato Dan, and Naruto.
Of those three, everyone except Naruto died on the battlefield. Although Naruto did not die, the necklace broke.
Although it sounded like a cursed item, Tsunade was not lying. This necklace was indeed very valuable. It could even be considered a high-level Ninja tool, with the effect of suppressing Tailed Beast Chakra.
"I've been a little busy lately and forgot to tell you, but I've actually already mastered Wood Release," Mugetsu said with a faint smile.
He formed a hand sign and condensed Wood Release Chakra, causing a large tree to grow in Tsunade's small courtyard.
"Hm?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened as she looked at Mugetsu, then at the rapidly growing tree in shock.
Tsunade was dumbfounded.
Someone could actually develop Wood Release?
Wasn't this her grandfather's unique Bloodline Limit?
At that moment, Tsunade even suspected she had been placed under a Genjutsu.
She silently formed a hand sign, attempting to release the Genjutsu, only to find that her Chakra was very stable. There was no sign of her being under a Genjutsu at all.
"How did you do that?" Tsunade could not help asking.
"By reading the material," Mugetsu replied as if it were obvious.
Tsunade fell silent.
She had also read those documents, so why had she not learned Wood Release?
A powerful sense of defeat welled up in her heart.
Who would understand this feeling? She, the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, had not learned Wood Release, yet someone unrelated to Hashirama had mastered it.
"Why are you so troublesome? You've only just developed Wood Release. You still have plenty to learn. Just tell me whether you want it or not," Tsunade said, extending her hand toward Mugetsu.
Seeing Tsunade somewhat flustered, Mugetsu did not bring up Wood Release again. He took the necklace and sincerely thanked her.
He did not need the necklace to research Wood Release, but studying the necklace itself would indeed be useful. If he could master a similar technique, he could create an accessory to give to Kushina.
"Although it's a loan, it isn't free. There's interest," Tsunade continued.
"For every day you borrow it, you owe me one meal. Two days means two meals, and so on until you return the necklace to me."
"I hate unpaid debts the most. If you don't return it, watch me beat your disciples half to death, especially that impolite goggle brat."
With that, Tsunade raised her fair fist.
"Then I'll try to return to Konoha and repay the debt as soon as possible," Mugetsu said, waving goodbye.
Tsunade was not a straightforward person. Although her words were full of threats, Mugetsu could still feel her concern.
"You'd better," Tsunade replied, casually waving her hand.
"Lord Mugetsu, I hope you can complete the mission smoothly and return safely," Shizune, who stood beside them, said as she offered her farewell blessing.
Mugetsu smiled at Shizune, then turned and walked toward the Training Ground.
"Tsunade-sama really isn't direct. She's clearly worried about Lord Mugetsu, but she didn't say a single kind word," Shizune complained after they entered the house.
As an observer, she had seen everything clearly from the side.
"Of course I'm worried about him! If he doesn't come back, my necklace worth three mines will be gone!" Tsunade said, pinching Shizune's fair little face.
"Mmm... that's not what I meant," Shizune struggled to say.
Although she was still young, she did not believe everything so easily.
"I think you're too idle, Shizune."
Tsunade tugged on Shizune's small face and immediately assigned her a medical problem that could not be solved in a single day.
...
When Mugetsu arrived at the Training Ground, the Ninja forces were almost fully assembled.
"Commander Mugetsu."
"Lord Mugetsu."
The Ninja on the Training Ground greeted Mugetsu one after another.
Because there were too many people, even if Mugetsu knew all of them and their names, he could not respond to each one individually. He could only nod in acknowledgment to them as a group.
"Senior Chen, Jonin Mimurabe."
Only when Mugetsu walked over to the Jonin holding important positions could he respond to them individually.
"Commander Mugetsu, currently, the unit..." Mimurabe Ketsu began reporting the unit's situation to Mugetsu.
This time, Mimurabe Ketsu and Teacher Chen both served as deputy commanders.
"So many Ninja. Much more than last time."
Obito observed the Ninja forces after walking into the Training Ground.
Last time, the Ninja force led by Mugetsu only had five hundred people. This time, there were far more. Obito roughly estimated that there might be over a thousand.
"But last time was to support the Toad Sage. The situation is different."
Kakashi, who was about to explain, glanced slightly sideways.
"Hey, Kakashi, what kind of look is that? I'm not someone who only cares about fighting and knows nothing else, alright?" Obito said unhappily, noticing Kakashi's slightly surprised gaze.
"Oh. Then you're really amazing, Obito," Kakashi praised in a flat, emotionless tone.
"To say words of praise in such an annoying way, it's probably only you." Obito deeply felt Kakashi's sarcasm.
He should have taken a detour. That way, he would not have run into Kakashi on the way.
"You two get along so well. Did you come here together on purpose?" Rin asked with a smile as she entered the Training Ground and saw the familiar scene.
"No!" they both said at once.
"We just happened to meet on the way," Obito quickly explained.
He had not even specifically arranged to come with Rin, so how could he possibly have gone looking for Kakashi?
"I had no intention of being late. Waiting for Obito is a very troublesome thing," Kakashi said indifferently.
Obito could not help glaring at Kakashi.
He had not been late in a long time because he could use Shadow Clones to help elderly people.
"Shisui, how has work been lately?" Obito suddenly noticed that Shisui had also arrived and immediately greeted him.
Compared to bickering with Kakashi, it was better to care about his good friend and clan junior.
Because Shisui had been rather busy lately, they had not chatted much even when they met.
"It's been good. Everything is going smoothly," Shisui replied while greeting the others.
After exchanging a few words, the group walked toward Mugetsu together.
Seeing Mugetsu discussing the Ninja force with the other Jonin, they did not interrupt and chose to stand nearby.
"Ahem."
Once all the Ninja forces had arrived, Mugetsu coughed twice to signal for silence, then began to speak.
"Our opponent is the Hidden Mist Village force currently roaming the East Coast..."
Without making a long speech, Mugetsu simply explained the mission, then led the troops toward the eastern part of the Land of Fire.
"Now, the Hidden Mist has dispersed their forces again. There are traces of many Hidden Mist squads from the northeast to the southeast," one Jonin reported during a strategy meeting while the unit rested.
"Should we divide the teams and act separately?" a Konoha Jonin suggested.
"That is not stable enough. Elder Mitokado fell into a Hidden Mist trap exactly like that," Mimurabe Ketsu said, shaking his head.
They could not fall into the same pit again.
"But if we concentrate our forces and clear one area at a time, it will be very inefficient," the Konoha Ninja who spoke first pointed out.
Ninja were highly mobile, and a Ninja force was a large target. They might not even clear half the area before the other half had already fled.
For a while, the Jonin could not reach a consensus.
On the other side, Kakashi and the other disciples sat together and chatted.
Their strength was not weak, but their experience was still too shallow. Even Kakashi, who had the most experience among them, had not been assigned an important position.
"You have to be careful when fighting the enemy. I heard Konoha just suffered a defeat, and it was caused by the Hidden Mist force we're about to fight," Obito said, sharing the intelligence he had obtained from chatting with other Ninja.
"On the battlefield, you have to be careful against Ninja from any Village. Konoha's situation has not been optimistic recently. This might be Teacher Mugetsu's life-or-death crisis," Kakashi said in a low voice.
Mugetsu's death had always been a mystery, but Kakashi had analyzed it countless times.
Both in terms of timing and logic, it should be related to the Shinobi World War. He simply did not know which battle it would happen in.
The expressions of all the disciples turned serious.
.....
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