Chapter 385: Mugetsu Speed
"Since the Dragon Vein in Roran is what pulled you through time, to avoid any accidents, you should try not to leave Roran," Mugetsu reminded them. "I'll handle the rest."
Taking Naruto to the battlefield in the Land of Grass would make it easier to meet Jiraiya, but if they went too far and lost their connection to the Dragon Vein, then returning might become impossible. That was a risk they could not afford.
In truth, having an extra Naruto in the world would be a good thing for Mugetsu. He would not need to find a special way to become Nagato's teacher. He could simply use his fifth disciple slot on Naruto.
And the Naruto standing here already had considerable strength. With Mugetsu's guidance and some training in Sage Mode, Naruto could become a powerful asset.
But for the other world, it would be a disaster.
If Naruto disappeared from that timeline, the shinobi world would march toward an unknown outcome. So even if Naruto was tempting, Nagato was still Mugetsu's best choice for the fifth slot.
"I'll be careful, Big Brother Mugetsu," Naruto said sincerely. "No matter what happens, thank you. Truly."
Even if Mugetsu later told him he could not arrange a meeting with Jiraiya, Naruto would not blame him. Naruto could tell that Mugetsu was the type who would try his best. A person like that would not treat a promise lightly.
"Thank you, Lord Mugetsu," Yamato said respectfully.
The more he interacted with Mugetsu, the more he felt it was a pity that a shinobi this outstanding was…
"You don't need to call me Lord," Mugetsu said with a gentle smile. "Just call me Mugetsu. I'm not your senior or your superior."
By age alone, Yamato was seven years older than him. No matter how you looked at it, Yamato did not need to address him like that.
"Understood, Mugetsu senpai," Yamato replied after a moment's thought.
Calling him by name still felt too casual. Mugetsu was Kakashi's teacher and a shinobi worthy of respect, so Yamato could not bring himself to drop the honorific.
Mugetsu did not argue with him. He simply left the room.
The moment they heard the door open and then close, the three people hiding inside the wardrobe finally breathed again.
They had been so afraid of being discovered by Mugetsu that they had barely dared to breathe, nerves stretched tight the entire time.
Obito immediately reached for the wardrobe door, impatient to get out, but Kakashi stopped him.
Obito looked at him in confusion. Kakashi shook his head and only stepped out after three full minutes.
"It's Mugetsu sensei," Kakashi explained quietly. "We have to be careful."
He was worried the sound of the wardrobe opening could be noticed.
Obito scratched his head. Kakashi was more experienced with this kind of caution, but Obito's patience was already running thin. He nodded, then rushed over to Naruto and Yamato and blurted out the question burning a hole in his chest.
"When did Minato sensei die, and why?"
He had almost heard the answer in the wardrobe, but Rin's interruption had ruined it. Still, Obito did not blame her. Rin was Rin. What bad intentions could she possibly have?
Yamato did not answer immediately. He looked to Kakashi instead.
Strictly speaking, Yamato had decided to tell Kakashi everything. Then Kakashi had insisted he would bear it alone. Yamato wanted to know Kakashi's stance now.
Kakashi saw Obito's anxious face and Rin's worried eyes and fell into thought.
He did not want Obito and Rin dragged into this. It was not a good thing. From what he knew of them, they would carry guilt for the rest of their lives.
But…
"Tell them," Kakashi said after a deep breath.
He walked over to Obito and sat down, then looked at Yamato.
Even if Kakashi wanted to bear everything alone, Obito and Rin already knew part of it. If Kakashi pushed them out now, and he later failed to change history, then if both Mugetsu and Minato died, Obito and Rin would be swallowed by endless self blame.
"Captain Yamato, please," Naruto urged. "Tell us."
Naruto understood Kakashi's feelings now. Just a moment ago, he had been desperate to meet Jiraiya and change the fate of Jiraiya dying while gathering intelligence.
Yamato finally spoke.
"The Fourth Hokage died during the Nine Tails rampage. The war hadn't been over for long, only about a year after the Third Shinobi World War that swept across the shinobi world."
"This information is highly classified, so I don't know much. I only know that the Fourth Hokage used his life to seal the rampaging Nine Tails and protect the village."
"Nine Tails… isn't that…" Naruto stared at his own body in shock. The Nine Tails was sealed inside him.
"That's right," Yamato nodded, then quickly comforted him. "It's the tailed beast inside you."
"Naruto, don't blame yourself. This has nothing to do with you. The one responsible was the tailed beast."
Yamato thought it was cruel to place a tailed beast's crimes on a jinchuriki. Naruto might have been a newborn when the Nine Tails rampaged. How could any of that be his fault?
Naruto nodded, expression solemn. Hearing that the tailed beast inside him was tied to the Fourth Hokage's death only strengthened his determination. He would control its power, not allow it to rampage and control him.
"Nine Tails rampage…" Kakashi repeated silently, engraving every word into his memory.
He knew a little about tailed beasts. They were weapons of war for the Five Great Nations. Each major hidden village had one or two.
But Kakashi did not understand tailed beast rampages at all.
Yamato continued, voice heavier.
"Asuma senpai died in battle not long before we travelled through time. In our era, there's an organization called Akatsuki."
"All members of Akatsuki are S rank rogue ninja from various villages. They steal tailed beasts from the great villages."
"Asuma senpai died at the hands of an Akatsuki member."
When he said it, Yamato could not help recalling the nights they spent talking in the izakaya. The realization that he might never sit there with Asuma again dimmed his eyes.
Since he had already revealed the Fourth Hokage's fate, Yamato decided to share Asuma's as well. If Kakashi and the others intended to change history, then saving Asuma could be part of a future where everyone won.
"A rogue ninja organization made of S rank shinobi…" Kakashi murmured.
He pulled out a pen and scroll and began writing everything down. Since Asuma's death was far in the future, he recorded it to make sure nothing was forgotten.
Kakashi carved the name Akatsuki into his mind.
If they could destroy Akatsuki before it grew into something terrifying, it would save unimaginable effort.
An organization like that could not appear overnight. According to Yamato, the Akatsuki of his era was so strong it no longer cared about offending the great villages.
Kakashi's thoughts surged, then he forcibly pressed them down. He needed more information about tailed beasts before he could connect the pieces. Otherwise, it would be nothing but speculation.
Then Kakashi looked straight at Yamato.
"Let me confirm again. You really know nothing about Mugetsu sensei, Obito, and Rin."
Yamato had said it before, but at that time he had not fully decided to help change history. Kakashi had to consider the possibility Yamato was holding back.
"I want to help," Yamato said helplessly. "But I truly don't know."
Now that he had chosen to change history, Yamato would not hide anything. He simply had no information to give.
"Still," Yamato added after thinking, "I can confirm one thing. Senpai Mugetsu's death likely happened earlier than the Fourth Hokage's. Most likely during the Third Shinobi World War."
It was only a conjecture, but a reasonable one.
Someone as excellent as Mugetsu could only have died too early. That was the only way the future could have so little trace of him.
If Mugetsu had lived past the war, with his ability and charisma, Yamato would have at least heard his name.
Kakashi's eyes flickered. The logic was painful, but solid. War was a grinder. Even someone like Mugetsu could be swallowed if surrounded by enemy forces.
"Damn war," Obito ground out. "I have to end it."
He had always hated war. His dream was to end war and become Hokage. Now that he knew Mugetsu might die in it, his hatred deepened into something sharper.
Rin felt the same. Her dream was for war to disappear. At this moment, she resented her own weakness. If she were stronger, Kakashi and Obito would not have to worry about protecting her every time.
"As for Rin and Obito," Yamato continued, "I can't say for sure. It could be the Third Shinobi World War. It could be the Nine Tails incident. It could even be later conflicts with Iwagakure or Kumogakure."
Compared to Mugetsu's overwhelming strength, Rin and Obito were still young. Yamato could not easily guess when they might fall.
And after the Third Shinobi World War ended, peace did not suddenly blanket the world. Konoha and Kumogakure fought for years before signing a treaty, and there were also clashes with Iwagakure in between.
Those later wars were not as intense as the Third Shinobi World War, though. A top tier shinobi like Mugetsu should not fall in those smaller conflicts.
Besides, Yamato was not very young by then. If Mugetsu had lived that long, Yamato believed he would have heard the name.
"Tell us the details of the Third Shinobi World War," Kakashi said bluntly.
He always prepared for the worst.
If Obito and Rin could die in the war, then Kakashi had to assume that, unless something changed, Mugetsu's squad might suffer losses in the Third Shinobi World War until only Kakashi remained.
If that was the path, Kakashi needed war related intelligence to analyze where their squad might have been broken.
"I don't know much either," Yamato admitted awkwardly. "Only the general outline."
He had not fought in the Third Shinobi World War. At that time, he was undergoing Danzo's secret training.
And Yamato was not the type to study history for fun. He knew only what he had absorbed here and there.
"Naruto," Yamato said, turning to him, "your Academy history classes should have covered it, right? Why don't you tell them?"
Naruto blinked, lost. "Huh? The Third Shinobi World War? Did the Academy teach that? I don't know anything about it."
Obito stared at Naruto and felt a strange, uncomfortable familiarity.
The feeling was too strong.
Kakashi glanced at Obito, then looked back at Naruto.
"Naruto," Kakashi asked, "if I may be bold, how are your theory grades usually?"
Naruto scratched his cheek, embarrassed. "Usually last."
Kakashi's expression turned into a quiet, resigned understanding.
As expected.
Naruto was not just similar to Obito.
It was identical.
If Naruto wasn't an Uzumaki with blond hair, Kakashi would have wondered if they were related.
Obito's vision went dark. Relying on a complete dunce for history was suffering.
At this moment, he desperately wished Naruto were a genius like Kakashi or Shisui, someone who could casually get full marks.
Kakashi shifted his gaze back to Yamato. Naruto was clearly unreliable here. Even scraps of information from Yamato were better than nothing.
"During the Third Shinobi World War," Yamato began, forcing himself to recall, "Konoha fought against four of the great villages one after another. Enemy forces invaded the Land of Fire several times."
"Four great villages?" Kakashi's brows knotted.
He had thought being attacked by three great villages would already be the limit. He had not expected Sunagakure to be included too.
That made Mugetsu's death during the war feel even more plausible. With that many enemies, Konoha would be desperate for combat power, and a strong shinobi like Mugetsu would naturally be pushed into the heaviest pressure.
Kakashi's urgency spiked. His current strength was still too small. Beating ordinary jonin was not enough to change the flow of a shinobi world war.
"Isn't that just all the great villages ganging up on Konoha?" Obito said, furious. "That's disgusting."
"They weren't united," Yamato explained. "While fighting Konoha, Kumogakure was also at war with Sunagakure, and Iwagakure was at war with Kumogakure."
"Even the Third Raikage died after being surrounded by an Iwagakure force."
If all four great villages had truly united and marched together into the Land of Fire, Konoha would never have held out. Konoha during the Third Shinobi World War did not have a God of Shinobi level fighter.
Hearing that even the Third Raikage could die in war, Kakashi felt the brutality of it all even more clearly.
War was not a place where strength guaranteed survival.
It was a place where even monsters could be dragged down and buried.
"Sorry," Yamato said after about five minutes. "That's all I know."
He felt bitter. If someone like Senior Kakashi had travelled back, he would definitely be able to help his past self change history.
But him?
Kakashi put away his pen, rolled up the scroll, then bowed his head slightly.
"You don't need to apologize. We're the ones who should be sorry."
Kakashi understood how rebellious his actions were. He was trying to change history and fate itself.
If they failed, and the shinobi world turned toward ruin, then Naruto and Yamato would become criminals of history without even intending to.
Kakashi felt guilty toward them.
"Senior Kakashi," Yamato said firmly, "do your best. I believe you can succeed."
If this request had come from anyone else, Yamato's choice might have been different. But it was Kakashi, the senior he trusted.
Naruto's mood lifted too, a strange excitement building.
"Kakashi sensei has a lot of bad habits," Naruto said, "but he's never disappointed us. I believe you'll be fine."
"When the time comes, I'll treat Lord Mugetsu and you guys to ramen."
Naruto was suddenly eager to return to his era. He wanted to see the man who would break an ice pop in half for him again.
He wanted to see Mugetsu's warm smile after returning.
He wanted Mugetsu's class to still be lively.
"Don't say it like it all depends on Kakashi," Obito declared, puffing up. "He was once my defeated opponent."
"Minato sensei, Kakashi sensei, Rin, and Asuma… I'll create a future that includes them all."
Kakashi stared at him. "Are you going to talk about winning once for the rest of your life?"
Losing to Obito that time had been a painful memory.
Obito shot back instantly. "Just tell me if I won or not."
A win was a win.
"You two…" Rin looked at them helplessly. "Go to sleep. We still have missions tomorrow."
Obito and Kakashi understood what mattered. After a few more jabs, they returned to their rooms.
Step by step.
Even with the weight of changing history on their shoulders, they still had to complete the mission right in front of them.
Naruto watched Kakashi and Obito and thought of Team Seven. It really was similar.
Only Sakura was not as gentle as Rin.
After the three left, Naruto and Yamato also quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, everyone moved.
Kakashi's squad continued investigating Anrokuzan.
Naruto and Yamato kept searching for Mukade.
Mugetsu went to seek the Queen of Roran's help.
"Have you found anything?" the Queen asked Mugetsu the moment they met.
Mugetsu did not answer directly. Instead, he asked a question.
"Minister Anrokuzan is a shinobi, isn't he?"
The Queen hesitated, then nodded.
Roran did not have many shinobi, but she was not ignorant of what the word meant.
"I investigated some things," Mugetsu said lightly. "Anrokuzan's strength as a shinobi far exceeds the scope of a B rank mission."
In truth, he had not investigated that part, and Kakashi's squad had not found useful evidence either. But Mugetsu knew the plot. Making up the correct direction was effortless.
The Queen was sharp. She immediately understood what Mugetsu was implying. The mission information she provided was wrong. The mission rank was underestimated. In that situation, a shinobi team had every right to withdraw.
"I apologize," the Queen said immediately. "That was my oversight. I'm not familiar with shinobi matters, and I didn't know how strong he truly was."
"I can increase the commission," she offered quickly.
Mugetsu watched her carefully, then continued, expression calm.
"Commission aside, there's another issue."
"Queen, do you have any information about Anrokuzan that you haven't told us?"
The Queen's expression did not change. "No. If I knew that much, I wouldn't have hired you to investigate."
She was hiding something.
But she could not reveal it.
It concerned Roran's safety and the secret behind the nation's rapid growth over the past two years.
The first mattered far more than the second.
Mugetsu held her gaze in silence.
Three minutes passed.
Then he spoke.
"Anrokuzan is a shinobi from Sunagakure who specializes in puppet techniques. I've discovered he has secretly stockpiled many combat puppets. I don't know what he plans to do with them."
"Combat puppets?" The Queen's expression finally shifted.
The hidden information she kept was her past cooperation with Anrokuzan.
Beneath Roran lay an immense power called the Ryumyaku. That power was strong, and it was not completely uncontrollable. The royal family had a chance to awaken the ability to control it. The Queen was one of those awakened.
It was precisely because of that ability that she became Queen.
You could even say it was not that the royal family possessed the power.
It was because they possessed the power that they were the royal family.
When Anrokuzan displayed extraordinary ability, the Queen had once agreed to cooperate with him. She would control the Ryumyaku and provide its power, and he would use it to help Roran develop.
But Anrokuzan was still a rogue shinobi, an outlaw. The Queen sensed something wrong and ended the cooperation.
Since then, she had watched him carefully. Yet he showed no abnormalities, acting like a loyal minister devoted only to the people.
Still, the Queen trusted her instincts.
That was why she commissioned Konoha to investigate him.
And now, in only one day, Mugetsu had already dug up something this serious.
Mugetsu continued calmly.
"There's something else I need your help with."
"Yesterday, I met another pair of Konoha comrades. They accepted a mission to capture a rogue shinobi from Sunagakure. Their investigation suggests the target arrived in Roran two years ago, so they came here to search. They hope to obtain relevant information."
The Queen's expression changed again.
Anrokuzan was a Sunagakure shinobi.
And he had arrived in Roran two years ago.
The connection slammed into place.
If it were anyone else, she might have hesitated. But Mugetsu was a shinobi she hired. He had no reason to oppose her. If Konoha's shinobi deceived clients, their reputation would collapse.
And she was the Queen.
Mugetsu did not waste time dancing around it.
"I suspect Anrokuzan is that rogue shinobi," Mugetsu said. "Mukade."
"There aren't many rogue shinobi from Sunagakure. And puppet specialists are rarer still. The chance Anrokuzan is Mukade is extremely high."
"I also have a sensory secret technique," Mugetsu continued, building the story. "Through it, I can sense a powerful energy beneath Roran. Anrokuzan may have stayed here all this time because he covets that power."
The Queen finally could not maintain her calm.
Shock flashed across her face as she looked at Mugetsu.
He had only investigated for one day, yet it felt like he knew more than she did.
Worse, his words made her realize something.
Her concealment may have already been seen through.
Mugetsu simply chose not to embarrass her by mentioning it directly.
"I apologize," the Queen said, bowing sincerely. "I did conceal something."
"I truly did not intend to harm you. I hope you can forgive this. It's just that this concerns Roran's safety."
Then she spoke the secret aloud.
"Beneath Roran lies a power called the Ryumyaku. It is extremely strong, and only our royal family can control it. To prevent others from coveting it, this has always been Roran's highest secret."
The Queen did not know how shinobi would classify the Ryumyaku, but to ordinary people, it was terrifying.
Even a tiny amount could turn an ordinary person into a superhuman who could fight ten people at once.
The cost was equally terrifying.
That person would die not long after.
That was why the royal family remained the royal family. By controlling the Ryumyaku, they could create a team of superhuman suicide fighters.
But because the cost was so severe, the royal family rarely used the Ryumyaku. Roran's population was not large. People were precious resources.
"I once cooperated with Anrokuzan," the Queen admitted. "I controlled the Ryumyaku and provided its power. He used it to help Roran develop."
"But one day I realized something was wrong with him, so I ended our cooperation. Now that I think about it, it was probably because he had been a rogue shinobi all along."
She sighed, the weight of it pressing down.
She had once thought Roran had received a blessing from heaven.
That prosperity was finally within reach.
In the end, she learned there was no such thing as a free lunch.
"That explains it," Mugetsu said, nodding. "Then Anrokuzan is very likely Mukade."
Mugetsu had no intention of dragging this mission out. If he resolved Anrokuzan's problem quickly, he would still have time to guide Naruto's training.
"However," Mugetsu added, "Anrokuzan has an extremely high reputation among Roran's people. I'll continue investigating, gather stronger evidence, and then make it public."
He came today to expose Anrokuzan's background to the Queen, not to strike immediately.
If Anrokuzan panicked and self destructed, then Naruto and Yamato might be forced to return right away. Mugetsu would choose a proper time to act.
Besides, with the Queen now on his side, if he truly wanted to act, he could always find an excuse and do it directly.
"That would be even better," the Queen said, relief and satisfaction mixing together.
Her goodwill toward Konoha rose sharply.
Konoha shinobi were truly reliable. They were efficient, and they considered the client's situation.
If she ever needed to hire shinobi again, her first choice would be Konoha.
If it cost a little more, so be it.
Effective was effective.
After leaving the palace, Mugetsu returned to studying the Ryumyaku.
When he arrived, he immediately activated every sense he had.
Transparent World.
Byakugan.
Everything.
His Enlightenment skill had refreshed, so he used it immediately.
Perhaps because he was in an enlightened state today, the sensation differed from yesterday.
In his perception, that powerful energy source was closely tied to the land of Roran itself. They influenced each other.
A conjecture surfaced.
Could the Divine Tree's absorption work by draining Ryumyaku like chakra from the planet?
If that was true, then the Ryumyaku could not be used recklessly.
If too much was taken, all of Roran might be doomed.
That evening, Mugetsu returned to the inn and met up with everyone, sharing what he had learned.
"So Anrokuzan really is Mukade," Naruto said, looking at Mugetsu with pure admiration. "Just like you said, Lord Mugetsu. He came earlier than us."
To Naruto, Mugetsu felt almost omnipotent now. His predictions from the night before had proven nearly perfect. It was like he could see the future.
"Mugetsu senpai," Yamato said, still amazed, "your speed is terrifying."
They had another day of nothing. Yamato had been preparing himself for a long battle.
He did not expect Mugetsu to return and calmly declare the answer.
"Then our missions are basically the same mission," Obito said, realization hitting him. "We can act together now."
He was not surprised. This was Mugetsu sensei. Of course it made sense.
"Next, we defeat Anrokuzan, no, we defeat Mukade, right?" Obito's eyes shone with excitement.
Kakashi shook his head. "Did you listen to Mugetsu sensei? This is still a deduction based on information. We need to confirm it with investigation."
"The opponent has spent two years building strength in Roran," Mugetsu said. "Right now, the enemy is visible, and we are hidden. We can use that to assess their strength before acting."
He continued in a steady tone.
"And we can train before the battle to improve our fighting ability."
Mugetsu explained his plan.
Naruto and Yamato would take turns sparring with Mugetsu's team, helping Mugetsu train his disciples.
Then Mugetsu would guide Naruto and Yamato by analyzing their battle process.
Yamato's eyes lit up.
Was there any better opportunity than this to legitimately beat up Senior Kakashi?
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