Chapter 360: Minato Is Back
After weighing the pros and cons, Mugetsu began writing his reply to Danzo.
The opening did not need any real substance. It only needed loyalty. He had to make Danzo feel that Mugetsu still acknowledged him as Root's leader and still regarded himself as part of Root.
After declaring loyalty, Mugetsu shifted to the difficulties. But he could not write it as his own trouble, or explain why he could not help. Instead, he wrote from Danzo's perspective, expressing concern that if his secret special training at Root, while serving as the Ninja Academy's Vice Principal, were discovered by Hiruzen, it could bring blame down on Danzo as Root's leader.
Mugetsu felt he could teach at Root only if Hiruzen was definitely aware.
If he secretly trained Root to strengthen them without Hiruzen's knowledge, then even if Hiruzen did not necessarily punish him after discovering it, Mugetsu's Root mark would resurface. Hiruzen would subconsciously treat Mugetsu as Danzo's man, which was the outcome Mugetsu did not want.
What Mugetsu wanted was simple.
He wanted Hiruzen to see him as a staunch Hokage loyalist, and Danzo to see him as a loyal, reliable Root member.
If he could maintain both impressions, then operating inside Konoha would be extremely convenient. As long as he did not touch certain interests, most of what he did would receive help rather than resistance.
This part was the hardest to handle, because Danzo was not someone easy to reason with. So Mugetsu did not complain or plead. He focused on potential negative consequences from Danzo's angle.
Then, he casually fabricated a little information about Obito to reduce Danzo's hostility toward him, and finally ended with another firm declaration of loyalty.
After finishing, Mugetsu read it through once, then nodded in satisfaction.
After becoming a civil servant, he had thoroughly studied human relationships. He just never expected the knowledge would be used in the world of Naruto, rather than an office.
Once the letter was complete, Mugetsu used Root's secret contact method and notified a Root member to collect the reply.
After dinner, Mugetsu studied sealing techniques for two hours, then spent an hour developing Wind Breathing, and finally studied the Flying Thunder God Technique for two more hours.
Before sleeping, he glanced at his status panel. The proficiency of the sealing techniques Kushina had taught him had increased significantly, but Flying Thunder God still showed no breakthrough from zero.
Mugetsu did not dwell on it. He closed his eyes and went to sleep. His plan was a full month, and he would stick to it. He would not change it midstream.
Early the next morning, while Mugetsu was making breakfast, someone knocked on his door.
He activated his Byakugan immediately. After seeing who it was, a faint smile appeared.
Even though he already knew the visitor, Mugetsu still walked over, opened the door, and put on a look of surprise.
"Minato, you're back? Is the war on the front lines over?"
The one outside was indeed Minato, returning after an important war mission.
"Not yet," Minato replied with a smile. "Something happened with Kumogakure's Eight Tails jinchuriki. The front line situation is excellent now. My mission is also complete, so I came back."
Kumogakure had been fighting on two fronts. With the death of the Eight Tails jinchuriki, losing a combat force of that level forced them to consolidate, just to ensure the safety of their homeland.
Hearing that, Mugetsu recalled pieces of the Hokage plot. He remembered Orochimaru seemed to have done something similar, undoing the Eight Tails jinchuriki's seal and separating the tailed beast, causing the Eight Tails to rampage without control. In the end, Orochimaru took a horn sample and left the chaos behind for Kumogakure to clean up.
"I'm making breakfast," Mugetsu said with a smile, stepping aside. "Come in and eat. You rushed all the way back, you probably did not have time for breakfast."
"Then I will accept," Minato said, a little embarrassed, as he walked in.
In truth, his timing was not a coincidence at all.
On the way back, Minato had calculated it. If he pushed his speed, he could reach Konoha in time to freeload breakfast at Mugetsu's house.
After being on the battlefield so long, he often dreamed of coming here with Kushina to eat again. He missed both Kushina and Mugetsu.
"You do not need to help today," Mugetsu said, stopping Minato as he instinctively headed toward the kitchen. "Breakfast is not that troublesome. Sit and wait."
Minato nodded and sat at the dining table. As the aroma drifted from the kitchen, nostalgia surfaced in his eyes.
It had been a long time since he had eaten Mugetsu's cooking, and even longer since he had eaten here with Kushina.
"Kushina…" Minato sighed softly.
If he had a choice, he did not want her to be a jinchuriki.
It was too dangerous, both the Nine Tails inside her and the hostility other villages held toward jinchuriki.
But he had no choice. At his current level, he already understood why Kushina had been brought to Konoha. From the moment she arrived, her fate was decided.
As time passed, Mugetsu carried breakfast dishes to the table one by one.
"It's so rich," Minato said, looking at the tamagoyaki and grilled salmon.
He took a piece of grilled fish, ate it with rice, then drank a mouthful of miso soup. Warmth spread through him, and a happy smile appeared.
This breakfast was made to suit Minato's taste. Mugetsu himself did not like rice in the morning. He preferred porridge.
"I feel like your cooking has improved again," Minato said seriously after finishing. "After eating, I feel much better."
"It's probably just because you have not eaten my cooking in a long time," Mugetsu replied with a smile. "Eat here a few more times and you will realize it has not changed much."
After eating, they chatted as they cleared the table.
Since it was teaching time, Mugetsu created several Shadow Clones. Some went to the South Border Forest to teach his students, and one went to the Ninja Academy to handle class.
Once the chores were finished, Mugetsu took the opportunity to bring up Flying Thunder God.
"You do not realize how difficult Flying Thunder God is until you try it," Mugetsu said. "I have never felt this with any other ninjutsu. I studied for so long, and I feel like I gained nothing."
"Flying Thunder God, huh." Minato thought for a moment. "I did not run into difficulties learning it, but according to Jiraiya sensei, it is an extremely difficult ninjutsu, among the hardest in Konoha."
When Minato learned Flying Thunder God, it did not feel much different from other techniques. He could only understand its difficulty through what others said.
"If you do not mind, Mugetsu, I can tell you about my learning experience," Minato continued.
He genuinely hoped Mugetsu could learn it, because Flying Thunder God was truly powerful.
How powerful?
Minato could rampage across a battlefield using only Flying Thunder God and a set number of kunai, without relying on any other ninjutsu.
He rarely used other techniques not because he could not, but because there was little point. It was ridiculous to blink with Flying Thunder God, then stand there forming hand seals for a Wind Release or Fire Release. That made no sense in real combat.
If Mugetsu could learn Flying Thunder God, even if he could not master it like Minato, his survival on the battlefield would improve drastically.
"Of course I do not mind," Mugetsu said with a chuckle. "I have been looking forward to it."
Hearing that, Minato did not waste time. He asked several questions to confirm Mugetsu's current progress.
"I understand," Minato said. "Then I will start from the basics."
He briefly organized his thoughts, then began teaching.
"First, understand that Flying Thunder God is a space time ninjutsu. It transfers from one point to another through spatial movement. It is not a technique that achieves extreme speed and runs to another point."
As he spoke, Minato took out a kunai to demonstrate.
He placed a Flying Thunder God kunai in the kitchen, flashed to it instantly, then returned to Mugetsu's side using Body Flicker Technique.
Mugetsu nodded to show he understood.
That was the convenience of Flying Thunder God.
At close range, Mugetsu's speed under full Thunder Breathing was not slower than Flying Thunder God. But over distance, it was a different story. Flying Thunder God remained instant, while Mugetsu would burn a massive amount of chakra and still would not cross the distance as cleanly.
"Good," Minato said. "Next is how Flying Thunder God achieves spatial transfer."
He continued in a focused tone.
"First, you perceive space. Then you mark a kunai, or any object, with the Flying Thunder God formula. Finally, with a whoosh, you use chakra to move to the object carrying the formula."
Minato's explanation was serious, and his expression showed he was doing his best.
But Mugetsu could not help wanting to put a question mark above his head.
He had not spaced out. He had not even blinked too long.
So why did he suddenly feel like he understood nothing at all?
If he had to describe it, it felt like this.
You just learned that one plus one equals two, and now you are expected to solve advanced calculus.
Mugetsu silently withdrew his earlier thought. Kushina had been right. Minato's explanation really was just whoosh and you are there.
"Muzet… Mugetsu," Minato asked with an expectant look, "did you gain any inspiration?"
Mugetsu's emotions turned complicated for a moment.
He could tell Minato was genuinely trying.
But the content was hard to describe.
There was also another possibility.
Maybe it was not Minato's teaching at all. Maybe Flying Thunder God itself required a huge leap in understanding.
"No," Mugetsu admitted, shaking his head. "Minato, can you explain in more detail? Especially the part about perceiving space. I do not understand that at all."
No matter how he looked at it, he had learned nothing. His Flying Thunder God proficiency still did not budge from zero.
"Hm," Minato murmured. "Then I will slow down and explain more thoroughly."
He deliberated his wording, then continued teaching.
Three hours later, Mugetsu was still completely lost.
He could feel Minato trying to be clearer, but the leaps were still enormous. It still felt like elementary math being forced to jump straight into advanced calculus.
"Minato," Mugetsu said, deciding to change directions, "I have some ideas about the technique you were mimicking, the Tailed Beast Ball. Do you want to hear them?"
"That would be great," Minato replied immediately, smiling brightly.
Mugetsu extended his hand and condensed chakra. A chakra sphere with no elemental nature appeared in his palm.
Minato stared at it in surprise. It matched his concept almost perfectly.
Mugetsu led him outside, then slammed the sphere into a large tree by the roadside.
Bang!
The tree shuddered violently. A crater formed in the trunk, but it did not pierce through.
"The power is too small, but it is already close to completion," Minato said, judging the damage.
With the amount of chakra Mugetsu had used, the destructive force should have been greater. The technique was still incomplete.
"That's right," Mugetsu said, brushing wood chips off his clothes. "It is missing one crucial step, and I do not have any more ideas."
He had essentially followed the original plot's concept to reach this point, so producing an incomplete Rasengan was not difficult.
After demonstrating, Mugetsu explained how he reached this stage.
He was building a genius persona, but he was not going to steal full copyright for Minato's Rasengan.
"So that is the missing piece," Minato said, his eyes lighting up as he listened. "Mugetsu, you helped me a lot!"
The moment the explanation clicked, many of Minato's previous development bottlenecks unraveled.
Realizing Mugetsu had gained nothing from his Flying Thunder God lesson, Minato felt ashamed. He swore to himself that he would organize his thoughts properly later, so he could explain Flying Thunder God in a way that actually made sense.
"If it is successfully developed, then this ninjutsu must be called Mugetsu Tree Strike Inspiration Dual Person Collaborative Development Ball!" Minato declared, enthusiasm bursting out of him.
Mugetsu's mouth twitched.
He stopped Minato immediately. "How about we decide the name after the ninjutsu is fully completed?"
If it really ended up with that name, it would be a disaster.
"You are right," Minato agreed, then silently wrote the name down as a backup.
He thought it was an excellent name. It showed it was developed by him and Mugetsu together, and it perfectly recreated the scene of development.
Minato did not eat lunch at Mugetsu's place. He had returned to Konoha and had not yet seen Kushina. He apologized, then took his meal and headed for her home.
Before leaving, Minato said he would be relatively free during this period, and that they could discuss ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God, and the Rasengan in the evenings.
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