Chapter 466: Asuma and Lord Mugetsu
Mugetsu slipped into the Root base in secret, exactly as Danzo had ordered.
He had to admit that Hiruzen was better at dealing with people. They both wanted to meet, yet Hiruzen chose to visit Mugetsu's home after work, while Danzo still carried himself like a commander and summoned Mugetsu to Root.
Of course, Danzo might have been considering influence. He probably did not want Hiruzen to learn that Mugetsu still had ties to Root.
Mugetsu understood the reasoning, but it did not stop him from thinking Danzo's approach was clumsy.
"Lord Danzo." The moment Mugetsu entered the office, he slipped into character. His respectful address, posture, and expression were flawless.
Danzo sat behind his desk and gave a small nod, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. From Mugetsu's demeanor alone, Danzo could tell that Mugetsu still appeared to be the subordinate loyal to Root and loyal to Konoha.
"You performed excellently on the eastern coast battlefield," Danzo said. "You displayed the spirit a Konoha shinobi should possess."
Danzo rarely praised anyone. In his view, excessive encouragement only made people lazy. But Mugetsu's performance on this mission was flawless in Danzo's eyes.
More importantly, Mugetsu had allowed Danzo to embarrass Hiruzen during the high level meeting. That alone was enough to make Danzo feel refreshed for days.
Since the war began, Danzo had often been irritated by Hiruzen. This time, he finally got his revenge and proved his own foresight.
"This is what I should do as a Root shinobi and a Konoha shinobi," Mugetsu replied in a low, resolute voice. "I will never show mercy to enemies who dare wage war against Konoha."
If Hiruzen had been the one standing in front of him, Mugetsu would have been modest, downplaying his own achievements and emphasizing the group and the commander. But with Danzo here, Mugetsu needed to sound sharper and more uncompromising.
Adapting to the audience was a skill, too.
"Exactly," Danzo said, visibly pleased. "You cannot be soft on enemies. If not for the need to oversee the overall situation, I would personally go to the battlefield and teach those Hidden Mist fools a lesson."
Danzo's gaze grew even more approving.
If Danzo were not still in his prime, he might have trained Mugetsu as a successor.
But Danzo believed choosing a successor too early only created problems. His body was still fine. Why would he hand away power for no reason?
Danzo flicked a glance at the Root shinobi standing nearby. The shinobi immediately stepped forward with several scrolls and placed them neatly on the desk.
"I heard you are very interested in sealing techniques," Danzo said. "These scrolls contain a large amount of Uzumaki Clan sealing knowledge, as well as advanced sealing techniques. This is one of your mission rewards."
Danzo enjoyed leaning on Hiruzen's teaching while watching Hiruzen grind his teeth, but he also worried that Mugetsu might slowly be influenced toward Hiruzen's side.
So Danzo decided to offer a heavy reward.
Mugetsu was no longer an ordinary Root member. He was a powerful shinobi with real value on the battlefield. Even if Mugetsu chose to leave Root now, Danzo would have little leverage to stop him.
Still, Danzo believed such a thing would not happen. If Mugetsu suddenly cut ties, it would mean Mugetsu had developed ambition, and for Konoha's safety, Danzo would thoroughly investigate him.
"Thank you, Lord Danzo." Mugetsu showed an expression of sincere gratitude.
What Kushina had taught him was the most orthodox Uzumaki style sealing. In that sense, Danzo's gift was late.
However, Danzo himself had trained sealing techniques for many years. These scrolls likely still contained material Mugetsu had not encountered.
Danzo continued, taking out another blue scroll and placing it on the table.
"I also saw your Wind Release demonstration at Hiruzen's place. It was decent, but you are still some distance from a true Wind Release master," Danzo said calmly. "This contains my Wind Release training experiences. Consider it another mission reward."
When Mugetsu heard it was Danzo's personal Wind Release experience, he showed surprise, then visible excitement and gratitude.
"I have watched you grow since you were young," Danzo said, his tone turning oddly reflective. "When you first joined Root, I knew you would be useful to Konoha."
Mugetsu's face softened into something nostalgic.
In truth, his heart did not move at all.
Danzo was easy to read. Rewards and sentiment were simply tools. Mugetsu's strength was rising, his standing in Konoha was climbing, so Danzo wanted to carve a stronger image of himself into Mugetsu's mind.
Mugetsu was different from ordinary Root members now, not only in strength, but also in distance. He and Danzo might only meet a few times a year, which made it difficult for Danzo to shape him the way he shaped others.
"Strength is important," Danzo said. "But planning and strategy are equally important. When you encounter problems, do not forget Root. Do not forget me."
The meaning was clear. Danzo was belittling Mugetsu's strategy, implying Mugetsu should rely on Root more.
What could Mugetsu say?
Agree, agree, agree.
After playing his part and leaving Danzo satisfied, Mugetsu returned home, bathed, and began reading the sealing scrolls Danzo had given him.
For Mugetsu, Danzo and Root were more like assets now.
He only needed to occasionally play along, then use Danzo to leverage Root's resources while taking what benefits he could.
If Danzo ever went insane and tried to harm him, Mugetsu would not mind turning against him directly.
He was no longer the chunin instructor who had just entered the Ninja Academy.
Now he was one of Konoha's strongest shinobi of the new era.
Raging Sun Mugetsu, a name spoken in the same breath as the Yellow Flash.
…
The next day arrived.
Since Mugetsu had agreed to guide Asuma's training today, he sent only a shadow clone to the southern border forest while his main body went to meet Asuma at the agreed location.
Asuma arrived extremely early. Mugetsu left ten minutes ahead of time, yet when he arrived, Asuma was already waiting at the training ground.
"Teacher Mugetsu, good morning!" Asuma waved the moment he saw him, then jogged over.
"Mm. Good morning." Mugetsu smiled and appraised Asuma.
[Name: Asuma Sarutobi]
[Chakra: 4800]
[Skills: Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient: 2200/3000), Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient: 1700/3000), Wind Breathing (Beginner: 497/500)…]
By chunin standards, Asuma's numbers were impressive.
But because of various circumstances, he had fallen far behind Kakashi and the others.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I knew you would become famous across the ninja world one day," Asuma said proudly. "Sure enough, the moment you had a stage, you became famous immediately."
A long time ago, when Mugetsu was still tutoring him, Asuma had already felt it. Mugetsu would become a powerful figure whose name spread everywhere.
Asuma could not explain it perfectly. He simply felt that Mugetsu was the ideal shinobi in his mind.
Humble. Gentle. Good at teaching. Strong. Extremely talented.
Mugetsu seemed packed with virtues from head to toe.
"If you ask me," Asuma said, his voice growing bolder, "Teacher Mugetsu should be Hokage. You would definitely surpass every Hokage before you and become the greatest Hokage in Konoha's history."
Mugetsu chuckled. Asuma really was the same as ever, speaking the kind of words that could spike his father's blood pressure on the spot.
"You can say that in front of me," Mugetsu reminded him, "but do not say it in front of the Third Hokage."
"But I am just stating facts," Asuma said, pouting as Hiruzen's face flashed through his mind. "The old man has so many bad habits. If he were smart, he would retire early and let someone more capable take over."
"Alright," Mugetsu said, steering him back. "Enough talk. Today is mainly training."
Asuma nodded and stopped running his mouth.
Mugetsu raised his hand.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a single hand seal, a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"Next, you will fight my shadow clone with everything you have," Mugetsu said. "I want to see your current strength clearly."
Appraisal plus real combat gave the most accurate picture. With that, Mugetsu could build the right training plan.
Asuma did not hold back.
He used everything he had against the shadow clone, pushing his abilities to the limit.
He knew Mugetsu's strength was terrifying. Even a shadow clone would be difficult for him to injure.
After the battle, Mugetsu let Asuma rest while he quickly drafted a training plan.
"The current focus is Wind Breathing," Mugetsu explained as he wrote. "First, master the Constant State. Then refine your Wind Release chakra nature transformation…"
When he finished, he handed the plan to Asuma and explained it clearly.
In Mugetsu's view, most shinobi should specialize early. Master one chakra nature transformation to the proficient level first, then expand.
Of course, true monsters were exceptions. If talent was high enough, they could advance in multiple directions at once.
Besides Asuma, Mugetsu also arranged special training for Rin.
Although Rin had not been promoted to jonin directly like Obito, she had received a promotion opportunity. If she passed the assessment, she could become an official jonin.
Unlike Might Guy and Obito, Rin's theory was strong.
But her practical combat ability was lacking.
To ensure Rin's combat skills and medical ninjutsu improved at the same time, Mugetsu specifically invited Tsunade to act as a consultant for Rin's jonin promotion special training plan, assisting him with designing it.
"Three months of dinner plus twenty Ninja Killer character cards," Tsunade said firmly. "I will not do it for anything less."
She had not eaten Mugetsu's cooking in a long time since he had been on the battlefield, and the Ninja Killer cards had not been updated in a long time either.
Mugetsu bargained calmly and logically.
"First, I might not be able to stay in Konoha for a full three months. Second, twenty character cards is far too many. There are not even twenty Ninja Killer character cards in total right now."
Tsunade paused, considered it, then nodded.
"Fine. Then make it ten character cards instead."
After all, creating those cards required thought, designing skills based on a character's story, and also keeping balance. Doing too many at once would be mentally exhausting and likely result in sloppy work.
"But the dinners cannot be reduced," Tsunade added immediately. "If you leave for a mission before three months are up, you will make up for it when you return."
She had gone too long without it. She wanted to enjoy it every day.
"Sister Tsunade, your demands changed too much all at once," Shizune could not help complaining.
Shizune missed Mugetsu's cooking too, but she did not want to trouble him for something like that. Mugetsu already felt like the young Sannin in her eyes. Burdening someone of that level just for food felt excessive.
"Because before, this kid Mugetsu was sensible and came to cook himself," Tsunade said righteously, as if the problem was Mugetsu's fault. "And now I have not eaten it in a long time."
"Five character cards," Mugetsu said, cutting it down sharply. "Dinner frequency stays the same."
He understood Tsunade's true goal. As long as the dinner schedule did not change, everything else was negotiable.
"No!" Tsunade crossed her arms, firm as a wall.
"Then I will not bother you any longer," Mugetsu said, turning as if to leave.
Tsunade's eyes widened. She burst forward with a body flicker and grabbed his arm.
"Why are you so stingy, brat?" she snapped, one hand on her hip. "Seven is fine, alright?"
Mugetsu smiled faintly and did not answer, continuing to walk.
Only then did Tsunade realize that Mugetsu was far stronger than he looked. She could not hold him back with one hand.
"Fine, I give up. Five," Tsunade said, forced to concede. Then she added quickly, trying to salvage her pride, "But tonight's dinner must be lavish. Roasted chicken, beggar's chicken, everything has to be there."
"Then I will trouble you from now on, Lady Tsunade," Mugetsu said, stopping and turning with a faint smile.
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "No. Do not call me Lady Tsunade. You are Lord Mugetsu. From now on, just call me Tsunade chan."
She had finally understood him.
Mugetsu always addressed her respectfully, but in reality, his actions were a completely different story.
Tsunade carefully replayed everything since she met him and realized she had truly been led around by the nose.
She had taught him a huge amount of medical ninjutsu knowledge.
She had helped him take in a disciple, treating Rin like her own.
Now she was also helping him perfect the Strength of a Hundred Seal, having to set aside time every day for research, even though she was supposed to be happily slacking off.
Thinking of it like that, Tsunade felt that three months of dinners was not enough at all.
Mugetsu should cover her breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five years.
"Lady Tsunade, what are you talking about?" Mugetsu said, creating a shadow clone to buy groceries as he spoke. "You have always been the medical shinobi I admire most."
He was not lying.
When it came to medical shinobi, he truly admired Tsunade the most. There were not many famous medical specialists to begin with, and Tsunade stood at the peak.
And Tsunade was only teasing. If Mugetsu actually called her Tsunade chan in a serious tone, her fist would probably connect with him in the next instant.
.....
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