Chapter 633: Wood Release Eruption on the Battlefield
"I think we should disperse the troops," Mugetsu said while the Jonin were still arguing.
In Mugetsu's opinion, defeating Yagura Karatachi and his Hidden Mist forces was not difficult. The real difficulty was making Yagura willing to fight him head-on.
Based on the currently known intelligence, Hidden Mist's present strategy was mainly to exhaust Konoha's energy. They would only engage in a large-scale battle when they were confident of victory.
If Mugetsu marched forward with the entire force, Yagura would definitely avoid battle.
The previously deadlocked discussion immediately shifted after Mugetsu spoke.
As commander of the entire force, Mugetsu held absolute authority within the unit.
Some Jonin who had opposed dispersing the troops fell silent.
"But dispersing the troops too easily..." Mimurabe Ketsu still felt that dividing the force was unreliable.
"The last defeat was mainly because the enemy suppressed us in intelligence, wasn't it? This time, the village sent stronger support, so that kind of thing should not happen again," the Jonin who supported dispersal immediately seized the chance to retort.
Although Mimurabe Ketsu was the deputy commander, Mugetsu, who shared the other side's opinion, was the main commander.
Mimurabe Ketsu opened his mouth, but did not know how to respond.
Question Konoha's intelligence capabilities?
If they were still losing the intelligence war to Hidden Mist while fighting on their own home ground, that would be underestimating Konoha's intelligence network far too much. And if they were completely crushed in intelligence, then even keeping the force together would not make the battle easy.
In the end, Mimurabe Ketsu also fell silent, and the plan to divide the troops was approved.
Mugetsu chose a dispersal strategy almost identical to Homura Mitokado's. He had Teacher Chen, who stood out in both strength and seniority, lead half of the troops to clear out Hidden Mist separately.
Mugetsu's reasoning was simple.
Since Yagura had dared to attack Homura Mitokado's force, if Mugetsu adopted the same strategy as Homura Mitokado, then Yagura would naturally dare to make a move against him as well.
After all, even if Mugetsu was the first person among Konoha's younger generation, he was still a Ninja of the younger generation. Yagura, who was not even afraid of the Sannin, certainly would not be afraid of Mugetsu.
However, after the plan was decided, Mugetsu did not immediately execute it. Instead, he sent out small teams to clear out Hidden Mist squads closer to their force while waiting for intelligence from the intelligence team.
Even though Mugetsu knew Konoha could not beat Hidden Mist in intelligence while Uchiha Madara was helping them, he still had to wait for intelligence before acting.
Because the other Jonin would not allow Mugetsu to rush in with a strategy similar to Homura Mitokado's. From their perspective, that would be pure suicide.
Only after the intelligence team had thoroughly investigated Hidden Mist's current situation and the location of Yagura's team did Mugetsu lead his force into action.
"Commander Mugetsu, although it may be inappropriate to say this, I have a bad feeling," Mimurabe Ketsu said to Mugetsu during the march.
"Perhaps we underestimated Hidden Mist's intelligence capabilities."
The further the plan progressed, the stronger Mimurabe Ketsu's strange sense of déjà vu became.
After thinking carefully, he realized that this was not the exact same script as Homura Mitokado's defeat, merely with a different group of Ninja?
"Let's trust our comrades," Mugetsu replied with a smile.
Mugetsu had not underestimated Hidden Mist's intelligence capabilities. After all, with White Zetsu's help, it would have been strange if Hidden Mist still could not suppress Konoha in intelligence.
From beginning to end, Mugetsu's intention had been to defeat the Mist Ninja force with only half of his troops.
Hidden Mist also needed manpower to create the false distribution of their forces. The enemy here would not be their complete large force, but perhaps around ninety percent of the original Hidden Mist troops.
With Mugetsu's current strength, even without using his full power, he was enough to neutralize seventy to eighty percent of the Hidden Mist force.
In that case, could the remaining eight hundred Konoha Ninja not handle the last ten percent?
Mimurabe Ketsu sighed softly and said nothing more.
Since Mugetsu had already spoken, how could he refute him?
"Achieving success too young is ultimately not stable enough," Mimurabe Ketsu sighed inwardly.
He did not develop any ill will toward Mugetsu because of this. He merely felt that a life too smooth was not necessarily good.
For someone like Mugetsu, who had gained fame in the Ninja World at a young age and was highly valued by the Hokage, it was inevitable that he would develop some pride.
"I hope my premonition is wrong."
Mimurabe Ketsu braced himself, vigilantly observing their surroundings as they continued forward.
Perhaps this world was simply too cruel. The more one did not want something to happen, the more it insisted on happening.
According to the intelligence, the Konoha force successfully found the hidden location of Yagura's team.
However, what awaited them was not a small Hidden Mist team, but a Ninja force large enough to surround them.
"Mugetsu, it seems I truly overestimated you. Do you not know how to learn from the lessons of your predecessors?" Yagura could not help laughing.
When he learned that Mugetsu was leading a Ninja force to attack, Yagura had immediately treated him as a formidable enemy and prepared numerous countermeasures.
He had not expected Mugetsu to repeat the same maneuver Homura Mitokado had used.
At first, Yagura thought it was a trap.
Even if Mugetsu was not skilled in tactics, the Ninja assisting him should surely include someone who knew what they were doing.
But the intelligence provided by the intelligence team contradicted his assumptions.
Given the intelligence team's repeated successes recently, Yagura trusted their information and overturned his own guess.
And the intelligence team had not disappointed him.
They were about to achieve another victory.
"It's a trap! Fire the signal flare!" Mimurabe Ketsu shouted anxiously as he looked at the large number of Mist Ninja surrounding them.
The signal flare shot into the sky, blooming into a dazzling light.
"Is it really this time?"
Kakashi quickly drew his White Fang Short Blade, his expression becoming more solemn than ever.
While following Mugetsu, they had unexpectedly encountered powerful enemies before. They had also defeated Ninja forces much larger than their own through strategy.
However, this was the first time they had fallen into an enemy trap and been surrounded by a large Ninja force.
"Everyone, don't spread out too much during the battle. Help each other, and pay attention to Teacher Mugetsu's situation as well," Kakashi said quickly.
Obito, Shisui, and the others nodded solemnly.
The danger they were about to face was visible to the naked eye.
Neither the Hidden Mist army nor Yagura's taunts changed the expression on Mugetsu's face.
"Have you ever heard the saying that an excellent hunter often appears as prey?" Mugetsu looked around, appraising the Mist Ninja with powerful auras.
[Name: Yagura Karatachi]
[Chakra: 116800]
[Skills: Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 5100/15000), Yin Release (Mastery: 3000), Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 2800), Water Mirror Technique (Mastery)...]
[Name: Shingetsu Hozuki]
[Chakra: 62000]
[Skills: Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 3700/15000), Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 2600), Hydrification Technique (Mastery), Water Gun Technique (Mastery)...]
[Name: Tosha Kawasawa]
[Chakra: 56000]
[Skills: Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 3300/15000), Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 2600), Hydrification Technique (Mastery), Water Gun Technique (Mastery)]
Although Kenbunshoku Haki could also sense strength, it was still far inferior to the Appraisal Technique, which could reveal most information directly.
"Hmph. Just grandstanding." Yagura gripped his iron staff tightly and secretly gathered Chakra, ready to attack.
Mugetsu's Ninja force only had eight hundred people, while he had fourteen hundred Mist Ninja here.
With such a gap in numbers, let alone Mugetsu, even if Orochimaru were added to his side, they would only be able to flee in disgrace.
"Commander Mugetsu, take some of the elites and retreat. I will command the remaining forces to cover you," Mimurabe Ketsu said with a resolute expression as he looked at the Hidden Mist force, which was nearly twice their size.
Compared to him, an old Jonin who had already reached his limit, Konoha needed the young and gifted Mugetsu far more.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Boom!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Ninja from both sides began to move.
For a time, Kunai and Shuriken flew chaotically across the field, while all kinds of Ninjutsu erupted one after another.
Mugetsu shook his head slightly and walked in front of Mimurabe Ketsu.
"Senior Ketsu, you can trust me a little more."
After Mugetsu finished using the Appraisal Technique, this battle was already over.
On this battlefield, there was no Ninja who could stop him.
Whoosh!
"I hope your strength is as tough as your mouth!" Yagura raised his iron staff, burst forth with Chakra, and charged toward Mugetsu.
He had never personally fought Mugetsu.
On the last battlefield, he had been busy dealing with Orochimaru and could not spare any attention for Mugetsu.
However, Yagura did not believe Mugetsu would be stronger than him. Orochimaru could not easily defeat him, let alone Mugetsu.
In the eyes of ordinary Ninja, Yagura's speed was extremely fast, almost impossible to perceive.
But the one Yagura faced was Mugetsu, who had activated his Byakugan and entered Transparent World.
Before Yagura could even take a step, Mugetsu had already foreseen his next movement.
Mugetsu calmly pressed his hands together, interlaced his fingers, overlapped his thumbs, and formed the Snake hand seal.
The moment that action was completed, a massive amount of Wood Release Chakra erupted from within Mugetsu's body.
"Wood Release: World of Trees Advent!"
Rumble!
The ground suddenly began to tremble, as though countless lives were stirring beneath the earth.
Immediately after, countless emerald saplings broke through the soil and grew at terrifying speed. Their growth was so violent that even the ground itself was torn apart.
The saplings expanded in an instant into thick, lush trees.
In the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield was covered by a dense forest.
Moreover, these trees seemed like living treants, fiercely attacking the nearby Mist Ninja with their branches and trunks. Even Yagura was stopped by thick branches.
At that moment, the atmosphere of the battlefield changed.
Both the Konoha Ninja and the Mist Ninja stared at Mugetsu in shock.
"This is...!"
Mimurabe Ketsu looked at the forest that had suddenly appeared, then gazed at Mugetsu standing in front of him in disbelief.
His first reaction was that he had fallen into a Genjutsu.
There was no helping it.
It was not that Mugetsu was untrustworthy. This scene was simply too astonishing.
Even Mimurabe Ketsu had only heard stories of the First Hokage's immense power to create a forest with a single movement.
But Mimurabe Ketsu was an experienced old Jonin after all. He quickly determined that he was not under Genjutsu.
Everything before his eyes was real.
"No wonder he said those things..."
Mimurabe Ketsu looked at Mugetsu with a complicated expression, instantly understanding many things.
He had thought Mugetsu was young, arrogant, and overly confident.
In reality, Mugetsu's strength was extraordinary, and everything had been under his control.
Mugetsu, who had mastered powerful Wood Release, could face the entire Hidden Mist force even with only half of his troops.
If the enemy had chosen to ambush Teacher Chen, Mugetsu could also rush over to support them with his high mobility.
"Teacher Mugetsu also mastered Wood Release."
Kakashi also revealed a surprised expression.
Mugetsu had never shown Wood Release in front of them before.
Because of Danzo Shimura, he had only privately guided Yamato in Wood Release, and had openly taught only other Ninjutsu.
Because of that, Kakashi had not known that Mugetsu also possessed the Wood Release Bloodline Limit.
"Not this time?"
Looking at the reversed situation, Kakashi felt that he might have guessed wrong.
However, Kakashi's mood did not improve.
Mugetsu was proficient in seven Chakra Nature Transformations, had mastered countless Ninjutsu, had independently developed numerous powerful S-rank Ninjutsu and secret techniques, and possessed two Bloodline Limits, one of which was Wood Release, a power only ever possessed by the God of Shinobi.
Kakashi truly found it hard to imagine what kind of desperate situation could lead to Mugetsu's death.
Would it be to cover his comrades while being surrounded and killed by a Ninja force of ten thousand?
It could not be that the legendary Uchiha Madara was resurrected and fought Mugetsu, could it?
But at this moment, Kakashi clearly understood one thing.
They really could not help Mugetsu much.
The difference in strength was simply too great.
Every time he felt he had gotten a little closer to Mugetsu, Mugetsu would always display new strength.
"It's Wood Release! So cool, Teacher Mugetsu!"
Obito, who had been watching Mugetsu closely, saw Mugetsu reverse the situation with a single Ninjutsu and could not help cheering for him inwardly.
"If only I could learn Wood Release. The Sharingan simply isn't enough," Obito could not help complaining in his heart.
Although Obito was a member of the Uchiha Clan, he believed that the Sharingan was inferior to Wood Release.
First, the strongest Uchiha, Uchiha Madara, had been unable to defeat Hashirama Senju, who possessed Wood Release.
Second, Wood Release was extremely rare. Only Hashirama Senju and Mugetsu possessed it, and generally speaking, the rarer something was, the stronger it was.
Then there was the fact that the Sharingan's abilities were too ordinary.
Understanding Transparent World or mastering Kenbunshoku Haki was not inferior to the Sharingan at all.
"It's Wood Release!"
After their surprise faded, a large number of Konoha Ninja looked at the Mist Ninja with excitement, as if they were not the ones being outnumbered, but the Hidden Mist force instead.
The Hidden Mist Ninja had the opposite reaction.
Many Mist Ninja looked at Mugetsu with fear in their eyes. If not for Hidden Mist's strict rules, where fleeing the battlefield meant certain death, some of them would have already tried to run.
The era of Ninja villages had only existed for a few decades.
The Ninja World had not forgotten the legend of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and his invincible Wood Release.
Yagura swung his iron staff and shattered the branches attacking him, his expression becoming extremely unpleasant.
Ninja of his age, slightly older than the younger generation, were precisely the ones who could most keenly feel the pressure of Wood Release.
Back then, Konoha had even developed a Genjutsu that could create tree illusions. Its purpose was to make the opponent wonder, "Is the enemy a Wood Release Ninja?" and use that fear to create openings.
The deterrent power of Wood Release was clear.
Even with an advantage of nearly double the troops, Yagura could not help feeling a faint urge to retreat.
.....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]