Chapter 74: The Third Kazekage Disappears
"Vacation special training… it's finally here," Obito muttered with a deep breath, as if he could already foresee his miserable fate over the next month and a half.
When school was in session, there were at least five days of buffer time. But now, with the long holiday ahead, every single day felt like a weekend.
Obito could only hope that the training would go back to its usual pace. If not, and he had to face over two hundred additional problems daily, he'd be dead before the holiday ended.
Hearing about the special training, Might Guy's eyes lit up—only for the light to fade just as fast. The thought of those extra weekend problems weighed heavily on his spirit.
Shisui, on the other hand, remained completely calm. Unlike the others, he had already mastered Shadow Clone and had long since delegated his school attendance to his clones. Except during exams, he spent nearly all his time training directly under Mugetsu.
So even if Mugetsu declared that holiday training would follow a weekend-style schedule, it would make little difference for him—it was already his normal routine.
"You'll rest on Thursdays and Sundays," Mugetsu announced. "The rest of the time, come to me for morning and afternoon training. You can go home for lunch, or I'll cook if you stay."
Although they came to him every weekday during school, the actual training time with Mugetsu was relatively limited. With five days of training and only two days off during the holiday, their total training hours would increase significantly.
"Two days off a week?!" Obito gasped.
He did a quick mental count and realized that, surprisingly, it seemed even easier than their regular school schedule.
During school, they had to attend classes Monday through Friday and train with Mugetsu afterward. On weekends, it was full-day training. In comparison, this felt like a vacation.
"We'll also be suspending combat practice," Mugetsu added. "Obito, continue working on Fire Release chakra nature transformation. Shisui and Guy, train Body Flicker Technique with me."
Back during the Youth Ninjutsu Competition training, Obito had already started training in chakra nature transformation, but he'd only scratched the surface. He still had a long way to go.
Unlike Naruto, Obito didn't have cheat-level stamina and chakra reserves. He couldn't rely on the Shadow Clone acceleration method. He had to progress step by step.
"No more combat practice?!"
If two days off per week made Obito excited, then removing combat training made him fall in love with this holiday. Without combat, there were no massive problem sets. Chakra training was tiring, but it was far better than endless worksheets.
After assigning the tasks, everyone began their respective training.
Obito held a large block of ice, pouring chakra into it to stimulate nature transformation, while Shisui and Might Guy practiced the Body Flicker Technique with Mugetsu.
Watching Mugetsu flash around alongside Shisui and Guy, Obito could only clutch the cold block and feel its chill seep from his palms into his meridians—and then straight to his heart.
"Mugetsu-sensei, what about that Taijutsu challenge you mentioned before? I want to learn Body Flicker too," Obito couldn't help asking.
He remembered that aside from being top of the grade, completing a certain Taijutsu challenge was another way to qualify for learning the Body Flicker Technique.
Back then, Mugetsu had dismissed the idea, saying he wasn't ready, so Obito never pressed further.
But now, a whole month had passed—and he had gotten stronger. Maybe he could pass that challenge now.
"The Taijutsu challenge, huh? It's not easy. You sure you want to try?" Mugetsu asked, conjuring a Shadow Clone to respond.
"But everyone else is learning it! If I don't learn it too, won't I fall behind?" Obito protested.
"All right. I'll set up the training field today. You can try it tomorrow," Mugetsu nodded.
Obito's request wasn't unexpected.
Mugetsu had purposely set the challenge to create an internal drive—a way to push the disciple who failed harder without forcing them outright. Rather than impose pressure, he preferred to ignite it from within.
The mechanisms he set up would require speed and strength that couldn't be faked. In trying to pass the challenge to earn the Body Flicker Technique, Obito would naturally push his body to its limit.
And once he succeeded, not only would the technique be easier to learn, but the satisfaction of earning it would make him even more diligent.
Mugetsu had considered all angles—physical growth, psychological drive, and long-term reward.
After training, Mugetsu returned to his house in the Main District, as usual.
Tonight, he made sushi and tempura.
However, just as the three were enjoying their meal together, a loud eagle cry echoed outside.
"Why now?" Kushina groaned, having just finished a piece of sushi.
"Let's go. For them to send a nin-beast mid-meal, something big must've happened," Minato said as he stood up.
"Sorry, Mugetsu. Emergency Jonin meeting. We'll be back soon," Kushina said, already heading for the door.
Whenever something major happened in Konoha, nin-beasts were used for emergency notifications to Jonin. Minato had experienced this routine before.
"Mugetsu, save some for us, okay? These meetings usually don't take long—and with Minato's speed, we'll be back before the food gets cold!" Kushina added with a grin.
"There's so much, I can't eat it all anyway," Mugetsu replied with a smile, though a trace of curiosity flickered in his mind.
Judging from the timeline… could it be?
"Is the Third Shinobi World War about to begin?" he wondered.
Thankfully, Kushina and Minato didn't keep him waiting long. They returned in under thirty minutes.
"I thought something big had happened," Kushina grumbled, walking in. "Turns out, it's just that the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure went missing."
"To call such an urgent Jonin meeting, you'd think it was our own Hokage who vanished."
Mugetsu, however, narrowed his eyes. So it really is starting…
The Hidden Cloud Village had already been stirring, and now—with the disappearance of the Third Kazekage—Kumogakure wouldn't pass up such a golden opportunity.
"No matter which Kage disappears, the balance of the Ninja World is affected," Minato said seriously. "The sudden loss of the Kazekage… war is inevitable."
"Sunagakure's going to suffer this time," Kushina muttered, stuffing another sushi roll into her mouth.
Listening to their exchange, Mugetsu felt a subtle weight in his chest.
Few could've predicted that the disappearance of the Third Kazekage would mark the beginning of a conflict that, though ultimately victorious, would be Konoha's bloodiest battle in history.
With war looming, a quiet urgency welled up in Mugetsu's heart.
Thankfully, as a covert Root operative, he wouldn't be among the first to die—Danzo's schemes would send others ahead of him.
But Mugetsu didn't place any faith in Danzo.
He could only rely on himself—and strive to reach Kage-level strength before the war reached Konoha's doorstep.
In this world, strength was everything.
Without it, all else was meaningless.
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