Chapter 462: Blazing Sun and Moon
"Killing a fully manifested tailed beast with your own hands, Mugetsu. After this battle, your name and that slash will spread across the ninja world," Orochimaru said with a smile as he walked up to him. "Later, I will report your merits to the higher ups."
He rarely smiled like this. He also knew exactly what kind of smile made him look easier to approach.
Mugetsu considered his words for a moment before replying. "It was a trick, and it was everyone's credit. If it were not for the Konoha forces pressing it down, and you creating the opening, Orochimaru, I would never have been able to kill the jinchuriki."
He was not trying to be modest. That was simply the truth. Whether it was him and Orochimaru, who carried the main damage, Ino Shika Cho holding the line, or even the ordinary jonin grinding the Three Tails down, every single person mattered. The only difference was how much.
"The strength of the Konoha forces mattered," Orochimaru said, shaking his head, "but your final strike mattered more. Without that finishing blow, the battle does not end cleanly."
Bringing down a jinchuriki was never easy. And Mugetsu's Flying Thunder God had been the key that made the impossible feel sudden.
After that, Orochimaru did not linger. A brief exchange was enough. He turned and began issuing orders, moving to arrange the aftermath.
He understood balance. If he pushed too hard, too openly, it would only provoke resistance. And more importantly, he truly was busy.
Victory did not mean the East Bank was instantly quiet. Yagura had escaped with a large portion of the Hidden Mist force, and that was not a small problem.
Orochimaru also needed to report everything, the process, the outcome, the confirmed kills, to the leadership in Konoha. After that came task assignments, casualty management, logistics, and the work that always followed bloodshed.
The moment Orochimaru left, Obito stepped forward, eyes bright with barely contained excitement.
"Teacher Mugetsu, what's the name of that jutsu where you made a small sun appear in the sky?"
That technique was far too cool. In Obito's mind, turning night into day was something only a Sage should be able to do.
Mugetsu paused, then answered, "Solar Flare Technique."
Great Sunny Day sounded wrong for a ninjutsu. If it was going to be spoken in mission reports and shouted across battlefields, it needed a name that fit Konoha.
"Solar Flare Technique," Obito repeated under his breath. "That's perfect. A scorching sun just appears."
He looked up at Mugetsu with a gaze so hopeful it was almost painful. "Teacher Mugetsu, do you think I can learn it?"
"Yes," Mugetsu answered without hesitation. "You can learn it."
In Obito's head, future titles were already forming. Obito of Blazing Flames. Konoha's Fiercest Fire Tiger.
Then Mugetsu added, calmly, "But I do not recommend learning it right now."
The fire in Obito's chest sputtered.
"Why?" he asked, confused. "Isn't it insanely strong?"
"It is powerful overall," Mugetsu said, "but in everyday small scale battles, it is not as useful as you think."
When Mugetsu first obtained the technique, he had tested it himself. Using Solar Flare was not as efficient as directly using Flame Breathing Chakra Mode. Flame Breathing made him stronger and cost less.
Solar Flare was essentially a domain. It strengthened Fire Release and weakened Water Release. Its range, duration, and intensity all depended on how much chakra was poured into it.
During his tests, spending forty thousand chakra produced a Solar Flare with a radius of only two hundred meters, and it lasted just five minutes.
On this battlefield, he had burned an enormous amount of chakra and intentionally reduced the intensity so it could cover the entire area.
In normal squad fights or one on one fights, two hundred meters was not enough. An enemy could simply move out of range. But if he sacrificed intensity for range, it still was not as effective as just spending that chakra on more techniques while using Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.
"And there is another issue," Mugetsu continued. "It is difficult. You would need a long time of concentrated study to learn it properly."
That was the real reason.
The technique's difficulty was why Mugetsu did not want Obito to touch it at this stage.
If it were merely situational, Mugetsu would not mind his disciples learning it anyway. A technique could always sit in the toolbox until the right moment.
But Solar Flare demanded time, and time was a resource even more precious than chakra.
The hardest technique Mugetsu had encountered so far was localized Transformation Jutsu. He still did not know how to teach it.
Solar Flare came next.
First, it required an exceptionally high level of Fire Release nature transformation. Obito could barely meet that requirement only because Flame Breathing Chakra Mode gave him a boost.
Second, it had an inherently brutal training curve. At Obito's speed, Mugetsu estimated he would need at least half a year of dedicated study before he could use it reliably.
That same half year, invested elsewhere, would raise Obito's overall strength far more.
No Thought Strike, as a Lightning Release sword technique, was actually more difficult than Solar Flare. But even failing to fully master it still produced tangible strength during training. That was why, once Kakashi met the requirements, Mugetsu had taught it to him immediately.
Obito's face fell. Even if Solar Flare was not useful in real fights, he still wanted it. He could always use it for style. Showing off mattered.
But when he heard it would take that long, he forced himself to calm down.
Strength came first.
Any jutsu that slowed his growth was unacceptable, especially if it meant falling behind in sparring or losing internal disciple battles. Obito had no intention of getting buried under endless homework just to be flashy.
The price was far too high.
After speaking with his disciples and casually healing Guy, Choza and the others came looking for Mugetsu.
"Mugetsu, today was because of you," Choza said with a booming laugh. "If that tail had come down, I would have been in real trouble."
He clapped Mugetsu on the shoulder like they had fought together for years.
"If you ever need help in the future, just say it. My strength might not match yours, but I have plenty of channels for cultivating and acquiring secret medicines."
Mugetsu's heart stirred.
The Akimichi clan had long used specialized medicines to support their techniques, and they had deep knowledge in that area. The Nara clan, which advanced and retreated with them, was heavily involved in the medicinal ingredient trade.
"We are comrades," Mugetsu said, smiling gently. "Helping each other is natural."
Then he showed a faintly troubled expression, as if remembering something inconvenient.
"I do not really need secret medicines," Mugetsu said, "but recently I have wanted to purchase some medicinal ingredients. Some of them are rare, and not easy to obtain."
Mugetsu had a formula for a restorative secret medicine and could refine it himself, but several ingredients were genuinely scarce. Even money could not guarantee availability.
Choza laughed even louder, throwing an arm around Shikaku's shoulder. "Then you found the right people. Konoha's medical supply system depends on Shikaku's family for ingredients. You cannot go wrong with him."
Shikaku nodded once. "If you have a list, give it to me. I will have someone look into it."
Ino Shika Cho was one body. Mugetsu saving Choza was no different from saving the Nara. A small favor like this was nothing.
Even without that, Shikaku would likely help. He had long been optimistic about Mugetsu's future.
"Thank you," Mugetsu said with sincere gratitude. "I will write the list and bring it to you when I have time."
He only planned to hand off the rare ingredients. The common ones he would buy himself.
The effects of what he was making were far too outstanding. If it spread too widely, it would invite problems.
After that night, Orochimaru did not order an overnight pursuit. He let the Konoha forces rest, then sent out large numbers of ninja the next day to sweep the eastern coast.
Yagura seemed to have predicted Orochimaru's mindset. He fled straight back to the Land of Water with the main force.
Orochimaru only caught a handful of Mist ninja who had been left behind to gather intelligence.
At that point, the East Bank campaign ended with a decisive victory for Konoha.
…
Konoha.
Hokage Building, conference room.
"Hiruzen," Danzo said, standing up with barely contained excitement, "if you had listened to me earlier and sent Mugetsu to the battlefield, Konoha might have achieved even greater results long ago."
He had argued this point for a long time. Mugetsu should have been sent to support Orochimaru earlier, but Hiruzen only relented when Orochimaru was transferred to the East Bank.
Now, the more dazzling Mugetsu's achievements became, the more it reflected on Danzo.
And at the same time, it became a slap across Hiruzen's face, proof that Danzo's judgment had been the sharper one.
Danzo knew he was getting carried away. Hiruzen was still Hokage.
But he could not stop the grin from creeping across his face.
For Danzo, this was pure satisfaction. Every reprimand Hiruzen had ever thrown at him felt like it was returning as a boomerang.
In that moment, Danzo's favorability toward Mugetsu reached its peak.
He felt Mugetsu was Root's perfect creation, his most successful work since establishing Root.
Because no Root operative had ever made it possible for Danzo to slap Hiruzen's face like this.
"If not for that period of tempering," Hiruzen retorted, "Mugetsu might not have shone so brightly on the East Bank."
He was embarrassed, yes, but he did not feel truly humiliated.
Mugetsu was half his disciple.
How could Hiruzen feel shamed when his disciple became powerful? If anything, it proved his teaching.
When Mugetsu emerged from Root, he was already strong enough to be called elite among jonin, but he was nowhere near what he was now.
And while Mugetsu's strength was not solely due to Hiruzen, part of it was. Many of Mugetsu's techniques had been rewards from Hiruzen, and Hiruzen had also taught him nature transformation.
"It is also possible Mugetsu would have gained battlefield experience earlier and become even stronger than he is now," Danzo snapped back.
He was confident. Mugetsu going to the battlefield was the outcome Danzo had pushed for repeatedly.
Hiruzen looked at Danzo with a dark expression. If not for Danzo's actual contribution, Hiruzen would have wanted to throw him out of the room.
Danzo kept talking as if he had been the one who killed the jinchuriki.
"There is no need to argue," Homura said, stepping in. "Both of you contributed. Danzo, you discovered Mugetsu. Hiruzen, you nurtured him."
Under normal circumstances, Homura would side with Hiruzen. Today, it was difficult to criticize Danzo outright.
"Let us discuss the real issue," Koharu added. "How do we handle relations with the Hidden Mist moving forward?"
Danzo's expression cooled. He nodded.
He knew Hiruzen was near his limit. If he pushed further, Root might become a target.
Danzo believed everything he did was for Konoha, but he also knew many of his actions did not follow Konoha's rules. They could not survive a serious investigation.
"Make the Hidden Mist compensate for war losses," Danzo stated bluntly, "or we continue the war."
Konoha had killed the Three Tails jinchuriki and eliminated major Mist figures like Reiki and Mangetsu. It was a complete victory.
If not for the pressure on other fronts, Danzo would have been shouting about flattening the Hidden Mist entirely.
"Too aggressive," Hiruzen said, analyzing calmly. "According to Orochimaru's intelligence, Yagura returned with a considerable number of troops. The Hidden Mist still has the Six Tails jinchuriki. They can still fight. They will not agree to major compensation."
Hiruzen had seen the casualty report.
From start to finish, just over seven hundred Mist ninja had died on the East Bank. For one of the Five Great Villages, that was not crippling.
With the Six Tails still in their possession, the Hidden Mist retained real combat power.
"Then what," Danzo retorted. "We cannot seek unconditional peace after a great victory, can we?"
If Hiruzen truly intended that, Danzo would oppose it with everything he had.
It would be humiliating.
"Of course not," Hiruzen said, shaking his head.
How could Konoha accept unconditional peace after being invaded, after the war reached their own land? No Konoha ninja would tolerate such a thing.
They had fought invaders with their lives, won, then simply bowed their heads.
That was unthinkable.
"No compensation, no unconditional peace," Danzo pressed. "Then what do you suggest?"
It could not be that Konoha would compensate the Hidden Mist. If so, Danzo truly wanted to know what was inside Hiruzen's head.
"Since the Hidden Mist has withdrawn from the Land of Fire," Hiruzen said, "we will temporarily set them aside."
He continued, voice steady.
"They suffered considerable losses. Such a defeat will make them hesitant to provoke Konoha again. We will focus on our other battlefields first. Once those fronts conclude, we will have the freedom to deal with the Hidden Mist properly."
His proposal was simple.
A tacit peace, for a time.
Konoha would not demand reparations right now. The Hidden Mist would lick its wounds and stop provoking Konoha.
Both sides saved face.
Konoha reduced one enemy temporarily. The Hidden Mist avoided paying a price while defeated.
"This is a good plan," Homura said, nodding. "It considers Konoha's situation realistically."
"Demanding compensation is inappropriate," Koharu agreed. "Too little has no meaning, too much will never be given."
In the end, Hiruzen's approach passed with an overwhelming majority, three votes to one.
Danzo snorted, but said nothing more.
If he thought carefully, he understood Hiruzen's logic.
But chances to feel triumphant over Hiruzen were rare. Danzo was not willing to retreat today.
After deciding their stance toward the Hidden Mist, they moved on to arrangements for the East Bank forces, then rewards and promotions.
Because of Obito's further contributions, combined with Orochimaru's recommendation, Hiruzen approved Obito's promotion to full jonin.
Obito's theoretical knowledge was still a weakness, but his strength was outstanding, and his record was sufficient. In wartime, Hiruzen had no reason to deny him.
To publicize the victory and raise morale, Hiruzen ordered the Leaf Newspaper staff to work overnight, publish a special issue, and mobilize resources to spread it throughout the Land of Fire and beyond.
…
"The East Bank achieved a great victory. The Hidden Mist Three Tails jinchuriki died. Their troops were routed and fled the Land of Fire."
Tsunade nodded as she read the newspaper Shizune had picked up while shopping.
Killing a jinchuriki was major news. Driving out the only village that had invaded their homeland carried heavy meaning as well.
Then Tsunade's expression froze when she saw the first subheading.
"The tacit battle between the Sannin Orochimaru and Konoha's new generation, Solar Flare Raging Sun Hayate Mugetsu, slaying a tailed beast in full form."
Because Mugetsu's Solar Flare display had been too shocking, the title Solar Flare Mugetsu had spread through the East Bank forces after the battle.
The reporter liked it and printed it.
"Tch," Tsunade clicked her tongue, genuinely surprised. "Is Mugetsu that strong? So the jinchuriki was killed by him and Orochimaru together."
Tsunade had never paid close attention to Mugetsu's combat strength. For her, Mugetsu's cooking mattered far more.
Still, she had not expected an achievement like this.
Leaf Newspaper reports were generally reliable. If Mugetsu had not played a decisive role, he would not have been placed alongside Orochimaru in the headline.
"If he is this strong, normal training should be enough," Tsunade muttered. "And he still wants to develop a sealing technique for storing chakra. I really do not know where he gets the motivation."
She tossed the paper aside and sank back into the sofa, returning to her leisurely life.
With the special issue spreading through Konoha, the name Solar Flare Mugetsu quickly echoed across the village.
Academy instructors who had once worked beside him felt oddly emotional when they heard.
Two years ago, they had been colleagues.
Two years later, Mugetsu had become a jonin, then vice principal, and now he had made his name on a battlefield large enough to shake nations.
It felt unreal.
Before long, someone noticed something else.
The Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, and Solar Flare, Hayate Mugetsu, were not only close in age, but also shared similar hair color and appearance.
Both could use Flying Thunder God.
That fact made comparisons inevitable.
Some argued Mugetsu was stronger because he had killed a jinchuriki, while Minato had only fought the new A B combo to a draw.
Others argued Minato was stronger because Mugetsu's kill had been achieved in cooperation with Orochimaru, with support from a full force of ninja.
But everyone agreed on one thing.
Both were among Konoha's strongest of the new generation, and among the most frightening rising stars in the entire ninja world.
.....
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