Chapter 188: Armed Fist
It was early January—the coldest time of the year—but the morning chill couldn't suppress the enthusiasm of the shinobi training in Konoha.
All eyes were fixed on Mugetsu as he raised his arm. The air grew still, his disciples holding their breath, afraid that even the faintest sound might disturb his focus.
Mugetsu didn't rely on any special abilities or Breathing Techniques. He simply poured a vast amount of Chakra into his arm, transforming it into Armament Haki, the pitch-black coating spreading across his clenched fist.
Then, without warning, he thrust his fist toward the nearby riverbank.
Whoosh—whoosh!
A sudden gale erupted the moment his fist cut through the air. The wind roared past Kakashi's ears, rustling the leaves violently as if nature itself anticipated a storm.
Boom! Boom!
An earth-shattering explosion followed. The sheer shockwave from the punch split the air, toppling massive trees in front of Mugetsu like fragile saplings. Even Shisui and the others behind him were caught in the violent aftermath, forced to channel Chakra to their feet just to remain standing.
"What incredible power!" Kakashi muttered, shielding his face from the flying debris. His eyes narrowed as he watched the destructive wind carve through the forest, unable to hide his astonishment.
He had seen many battles and powerful techniques before—but never something so raw, so purely physical, that it rivaled an S-rank Ninjutsu.
Might Guy's eyes were wide, not with fear but excitement. His blood boiled as he witnessed Mugetsu's overwhelming might.
And this is without Eight Gates… or even Breathing Techniques.
If Mugetsu had used both together, Guy was certain—one punch would have torn through the entire South Border Forest.
"Attack and defense in perfect harmony…" Shisui thought, his eyes calm yet gleaming. "If one could truly master this, it's far more valuable than learning a dozen Fire Releases."
To him, the importance of Armament Haki rivaled that of any Breathing Technique.
"Sage Mugetsu, please bless me so that my Armament Haki training goes as smoothly as my Flame Breathing," Obito whispered dramatically, pressing his palms together in prayer.
The devastating punch continued onward, its force tearing through the ground and slamming into the river ahead.
Boom!
The river erupted. Water exploded into the air, along with stones and stunned river creatures flung skyward before crashing back into the depths.
Rin, who had been training nearby, paused mid-practice and glanced over curiously, a faint smile forming as she watched the chaos.
Mugetsu nodded in satisfaction. His control had been precise. Outside the village, this attack would have drawn attention from miles away—but within the vast expanse of the South Border Forest, it was nothing more than a ripple in a sea of trees.
He turned back to his disciples. "Besides reinforcing your own body, Armament Haki can also be used to strengthen weapons."
Dispelling the black coating from his fist, Mugetsu pulled out a kunai. He wrapped it with a concentrated layer of Haki—dense and pitch-black—then infused it with Chakra.
With a flick of his wrist, the kunai shot forward.
Clang!
It struck a nearby boulder—and shattered it into pieces.
Kakashi's eyes widened. "What a versatile technique!"
He had already been impressed by its offensive and defensive potential, but this new revelation opened endless possibilities. Armament Haki could reinforce not just the body, but weapons, and even Ninjutsu itself.
He glanced at the White Fang short sword at his hip. With Haki enhancement, its sharpness could surpass any weapon in the village. Just imagining it made his hand twitch in anticipation.
Guy, on the other hand, simply smiled. "Weapons aren't for me anyway," he thought, clenching his fists. His path was pure Taijutsu—no blades, no tricks, only raw strength.
Shisui's eyes, however, lit up with excitement. The short blade Mugetsu had gifted him before suddenly felt far more valuable.
Mugetsu continued, "Once you reach a higher level of mastery, Armament Haki can even strengthen your Ninjutsu."
To demonstrate, he extended his hand and gathered Chakra. Purple lightning flickered to life—Lightning Release: Purple Lightning—crackling and humming in his palm.
"Kakashi, use Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall."
Kakashi formed seals and slammed his hand into the ground. A thick earthen wall rose before him.
Mugetsu stepped forward, thrusting the Purple Lightning forward.
Boom!
The lightning struck, and cracks spidered through the wall before it crumbled to dust.
"Again," Mugetsu ordered calmly.
Kakashi nodded and summoned another wall.
This time, Mugetsu concentrated Armament Haki into his Lightning Release. The violet glow darkened to black-purple, and the crackling intensified with destructive energy.
Armament Lightning Release: Purple Lightning!
He struck again.
BOOM!
The wall didn't just shatter—it disintegrated. The surrounding ground charred black, smoke rising from molten fragments of stone.
The disciples were speechless. Even though both attacks used Purple Lightning, the second one carried a level of destruction several times greater.
"This secret technique is insane!" Obito shouted, eyes wide. "It strengthens everything—body, weapons, even Ninjutsu! If I learn this, I'll become unstoppable!"
He could already imagine it: standing in front of Rin during a mission, blocking a fatal blow with his newly learned Armament Haki, emerging unscathed and heroic.
"Rin will definitely be impressed…" he thought, blushing faintly.
Mugetsu smiled faintly, reading their expressions. "It's true—learning Armament Haki can greatly increase your strength. But it's not as simple or as exaggerated as you imagine."
"First, Armament Haki cannot enhance all Ninjutsu," Mugetsu began, his tone calm yet firm. "For example, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique is very difficult to reinforce. Moreover, using Armament Haki to strengthen Ninjutsu consumes an enormous amount of Chakra. Overusing it in battle will drain your reserves faster than you can imagine."
Obito blinked, looking somewhat deflated. He had thought things too simply. While Armament Haki was powerful, it was also a Chakra burner. Without an immense reserve, sustaining its use would be impossible.
For someone like Mugetsu—whose reserves included countless advanced Nature Transformations and Breathing Techniques—even two hundred thousand Chakra points felt barely sufficient.
High-level Nature Transformations alone consumed vast amounts of Chakra per use, and the marks of the various Breathing Techniques demanded constant expenditure. Adding the bottomless drain of perfect-level Armament Haki on top of that made the energy cost staggering.
"Ah, so Fire Release doesn't work?" Obito scratched his head, his enthusiasm dimming. Suddenly, Armament Haki didn't seem so overpowered anymore.
"It's not that Fire Release doesn't work," Mugetsu corrected patiently. "It's that most Fire Release techniques don't."
Then his expression turned serious. "Next, except for Shisui, the three of you will focus on learning Yin Release Nature Transformation."
Most shinobi were born with one natural Chakra affinity, but that didn't mean they couldn't master others. It simply meant their primary affinity developed faster and reached higher potential.
Of course, exceptions existed. Some possessed no affinity—like Lee—while others had multiple. When Mugetsu had tested Might Guy's Chakra nature through the Formation Technique, he'd discovered Guy held two: Lightning and Fire.
Unfortunately, Guy's Ninjutsu aptitude was so abysmal that those affinities were little more than decoration. It was better for him to focus entirely on Taijutsu.
Unlike the five elemental transformations, Yin and Yang Natures couldn't be tested using Chakra paper. Mugetsu began his instruction directly.
However, to maximize efficiency and to trigger today's teaching reward, Mugetsu's main body chose to personally teach Shisui Armament Haki, while a Shadow Clone instructed Kakashi, Obito, and Guy in Yin Release.
"The essence of Yin Release," Mugetsu explained, "is to create form from nothingness through mental power. The core of Yin Release is imagination and spiritual focus."
If one encountered a mysterious or abstract Ninjutsu in the shinobi world, chances were high it was related to Yin Release. The discipline's foundation lay in creating what did not exist.
As Mugetsu continued to explain, Guy's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. He understood every word individually—but strung together, they became incomprehensible.
"Ah, this is so hard!" Obito groaned, clutching his head. Compared to Fire Release, Yin Release was like trying to grasp smoke.
Kakashi, on the other hand, showed a glimmer of understanding. "So that's how it works… Compared to the five basic elements, it's indeed more abstract," he said thoughtfully, piecing the concept together.
At that moment, the gap in Ninjutsu comprehension among the three became apparent. While all had S-rank potential, their learning abilities varied drastically. Obito and Guy lagged far behind Kakashi when it came to theoretical mastery.
Even though the one teaching them was a Shadow Clone, its Yin Release proficiency was genuine—it just lacked the teaching skill bonus.
Meanwhile, Mugetsu's main body began instructing Shisui in the fundamentals of Armament Haki.
"Armament Haki is a Yin Release technique," Mugetsu said. "Yin Release allows one to manifest form through imagination and Chakra. To cultivate Armament Haki, visualize invisible armor covering your body—and then materialize it through Chakra."
"Invisible armor…" Shisui murmured, closing his eyes in contemplation.
He quickly realized Armament Haki was far more complex than expected. His experience with Genjutsu—also a Yin Release discipline—didn't help as much as he'd thought.
"Don't try to apply your Genjutsu experience to Armament Haki," Mugetsu advised, seeing through his thoughts. "Every Yin Release secret technique has a unique structure. Trying to force parallels will only hinder you."
There was a reason Yin and Yang were classified as special Nature Transformations.
The difference between Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction was obvious—one simply produced more intense flames. Anyone could tell both belonged to the same elemental nature.
But techniques like Shadow Imitation Jutsu and Mind Body Switch Technique? Unless someone understood Yin Release, they would never realize both originated from the same Chakra nature. One manipulated shadows, the other minds yet both were Yin-based.
That was the beauty and mystery of Yin Release: its effects were as vast and varied as imagination itself.
[You taught your disciple Armament Haki. Due to the disciple's immense gratitude, you received a great critical reward: Ninjutsu—Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique (Proficient Level).]
Mugetsu's eyes flickered with mild amusement. The system often rewarded him with techniques unrelated to the disciple's nature—but that was nothing new. He'd even gained Water Nature Transformation once from teaching Guy.
Still, this was a pleasant surprise. The Added-Weight Rock Technique was a top-tier Earth Release Ninjutsu, capable of petrifying enemies, increasing their weight to immobilize them—or increasing the user's own weight to amplify attack force.
The advanced version, Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique, was simply the same jutsu used at maximum output—no different from Almighty Push and Super Almighty Push.
If Mugetsu were to channel all his Chakra into Armament Haki and deliver a punch, he mused, it might as well be called Ultra Armament Punch.
Just like Shadow Clone Technique and Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu—once one mastered the first, the second came naturally. The difference lay only in how much Chakra one dared to pour in.
Mugetsu smiled faintly. "Yin Release truly is fascinating," he murmured.
Even something as basic as Genjutsu fell under its domain. It wasn't as high-level as most imagined—but its potential was limitless in the hands of those with imagination and willpower strong enough to shape reality.
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