Chapter 658: Byakugan Evolution
"So Hanzō is dead too. The Land of Rain has truly undergone a silent, massive change," Homura said, putting down the documents and adjusting his glasses.
Compared to Danzo, whose death had quickly spread throughout the Ninja World, the death of Hanzō, the Ninja Demigod, had been almost silent. The news had been limited to Amegakure and had barely spread beyond the Land of Rain.
Homura felt that there was something strange about this. Even if news of Hanzō's death had been overshadowed by the war between the Great Ninja Villages, the death of a ninja of his caliber should not have been so quiet.
"There should be a problem within Amegakure itself," Koharu analyzed.
"Hanzō's prestige declined after his failure in the Second Shinobi World War, and he was repelled when he tried to surround and kill Sōsuke. Coupled with Sōsuke's reputation in the Land of Rain, internal division within Amegakure is not surprising."
She believed it was a coup, and it was very likely one orchestrated by Sōsuke. After Hanzō's death, cooperation between Ninshū and Amegakure had clearly increased.
Koharu had reason to believe that Sōsuke was now the de facto controller of Amegakure.
"Whether Amegakure experienced a coup or not is not the main point. The main point is that Amegakure and Ninshū can now be regarded as one entity," Hiruzen said, seeing that the topic was starting to drift.
"If we are to act against Ninshū, then we must take Amegakure's strength into account as well."
He had investigated Amegakure because of Ninshū and Danzo. The core issue was still Ninshū and Sōsuke.
"Multiple pieces of evidence indicate that the person who killed Danzo was Sōsuke. This is beyond doubt." As he spoke, Hiruzen glanced at Mugetsu.
Mugetsu nodded, affirming Hiruzen's statement as an eyewitness.
Hiruzen continued, "As Konoha's Hokage Assistant, even if Danzo made mistakes, he should have been punished by Konoha. Sōsuke directly killing Danzo is a provocation against Konoha!"
"We absolutely cannot ignore such a ninja force. We must take measures to punish them!"
Homura and Koharu both looked in agreement.
Danzo had indeed been wrong to carry out assassination activities privately, but Konoha was the largest Ninja Village. How could a ninja force from a small country dare to kill a high ranking official of Konoha? Was that not asking to be beaten?
It was only because Sōsuke was truly strong and had integrated the ninja forces of the Land of Rain, making both his personal strength and influence the strongest below the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Otherwise, there would have been no need to discuss this at a high level meeting. The team assigned to kill Sōsuke would already have departed.
"However, Konoha is currently at a critical juncture. When to punish them, as well as the specific method of punishment, must be carefully considered," Hiruzen said, his tone shifting and becoming less sharp.
In truth, he did not want to make a big fuss. If Sōsuke was willing to pay with his life, Hiruzen could pretend that nothing had happened.
It was not that the Land of Rain under Sōsuke's leadership posed any true threat to Konoha's strength.
Konoha had not suffered significant damage in this war. Destroying a small country, even the strongest small country, would not be that difficult for Konoha.
Hiruzen's real concern was the other Four Great Ninja Villages.
Nominally, they were allied. They were allies.
But this so called alliance was nothing more than scrap paper in the face of self interest. If everything went smoothly, that would be fine. However, if Konoha revealed weakness while attacking the Land of Rain, the alliance might not hold.
"How about we try resolving the issue through negotiation first?" Homura suggested.
He understood Hiruzen's thinking. It was to develop cautiously and keep their actions as small as possible.
Before Mugetsu became the true second God of Shinobi, it would be best not to make any major moves.
"First, strongly condemn them to show our stance, then state our demands."
Hiruzen thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "If we can resolve the issue through negotiation, that would be best."
Negotiation meant no need for action, which meant no weakness would be exposed.
"What do you think, Mugetsu?" Hiruzen asked, trying to give Mugetsu more involvement.
He was very satisfied with Mugetsu's performance in his first high level meeting. If one did not understand, then one watched, learned, and spoke less.
"Negotiation sounds good," Mugetsu replied.
He felt that the position of Hokage Assistant was worth it. He now had considerable power and could even watch others discuss how to deal with him and his forces.
After Koharu nodded as well, it signified that the opinions of Konoha's high level officials were unified. Konoha would begin negotiations with Ninshū.
Their demand was simple.
Sōsuke must die.
After the meeting, Mugetsu returned to his home in the main district.
As soon as he opened the door, there was movement from Minato's house next door, and several figures quickly emerged.
"Teacher Mugetsu, you're finally done with the meeting," Obito was the first to greet Mugetsu, rushing into the room.
"It's finally over. Shizune, quickly bring in the groceries," Tsunade said, walking into the house without ceremony and sitting down on the sofa.
Originally, after buying the groceries, she had wanted to go straight into Mugetsu's house, but Minato had persuaded her against it, saying that trespassing was not good.
That was how the group of people ended up gathering at Minato's house.
"Amazing, Mugetsu. A twenty two year old Hokage Assistant. We have to drink properly tonight," Jiraiya said with a smile as he entered the house.
Looking at his disciples and friends at the door, Mugetsu smiled and welcomed everyone inside.
However, what surprised Mugetsu slightly was that Orochimaru had also come. All three Sannin were present.
"Mugetsu, excuse the intrusion," Orochimaru said calmly after entering.
He had originally come to test whether Mugetsu, who had inherited Root, had discovered his secret cooperation with Danzo. He had wanted to leave when he saw so many people, but Jiraiya dragged him along, and he could not get away.
"Mugetsu, why don't we go to a restaurant tonight?" Minato said after scanning the room.
There were already five of Mugetsu's disciples alone. Adding the others, that made eleven people. With Mugetsu himself included, there were a full twelve people.
"No need. The groceries have already been bought. Why go to a restaurant?" Mugetsu shook his head and smiled.
Cooking for twelve people, especially ninja with large appetites, while maintaining quality would certainly be exhausting for an ordinary person, but he was not an ordinary person.
After speaking, Mugetsu walked directly into the kitchen, and Minato followed him in.
Tsunade found this scene a little strange. "Why is Minato going in? He looks so practiced."
"Because they're neighbors, so they often eat and cook together," Kushina, who was sitting beside Tsunade, said as if it were perfectly natural.
She did not know what the situation had been like after she began training to control the Nine Tails, but before that, they had often eaten together.
"What kind of neighbors eat together? You might as well be relatives," Tsunade grumbled.
"Hehe, you never know. Maybe Mugetsu and Minato really are relatives," Kushina said casually.
When they first met, Kushina had been quite curious about whether Mugetsu was Minato's long lost brother, but later she stopped caring.
Relatives might not even have as good a relationship as the two of them, so why bother caring about such things?
"The war has ended again. Orochimaru, are you still holding onto that idea?" Jiraiya asked casually.
At the end of the Second Shinobi World War, Orochimaru had once said something that left a deep impression on Jiraiya.
Orochimaru had said that he wanted to learn all Ninjutsu, overcome human mortality, and understand every truth in the world.
"Of course. That is my only dream," Orochimaru replied calmly.
His experiences had made him realize the fragility of human life. Orochimaru disliked lives that were so fragile.
"What about you? Are you still planning to find trouble for yourself?"
"What do you mean, find trouble? This is a major matter concerning the future of the Ninja World!" Jiraiya retorted seriously.
According to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, his disciple would bring great change to the Ninja World, and he would be the one to guide that change, bearing an important responsibility.
Although Jiraiya guessed that Nagato might be the Child of Prophecy, he was not one hundred percent certain.
In any case, he was idle, and he enjoyed traveling the Ninja World, so he continued his journey at the same pace as before.
"Hehe."
Orochimaru let out a cold laugh filled with sarcasm. He did not believe in so called prophecies.
If prophecies were bound to come true, then would that not mean everything in this world was predetermined? Would that not mean that no matter how much effort people put in, it would be meaningless? In that case, why would Jiraiya need to take action at all?
If prophecies were not certain and could be changed, then to Orochimaru, it seemed more like the Great Toad Sage was manipulating matters and guiding the future toward the outcome he desired.
No matter which possibility it was, Orochimaru felt that Jiraiya was foolish for wasting so much time on a prophecy.
"I'm too lazy to argue with you, you boring person. Tsunade, what are you planning to do next?" Jiraiya asked, looking at Tsunade.
"Travel the world and win money at casinos everywhere?"
"Let's talk about it later. I want to lie low in Konoha for another four years," Tsunade replied, shaking her head.
She used to want to gamble at casinos all over the world. No, actually, she still wanted to. But before she left, she had to collect all her debts first. Otherwise, it would be a huge loss.
"You…"
"None of your business!" Before Jiraiya could retort, Tsunade directly interrupted him.
Seeing Tsunade's fierce gaze, Jiraiya wisely shut his mouth. Other people might only put on an act, but Tsunade really hit people, and she never held back.
"Still as foolish as ever." Seeing this, Orochimaru could not help recalling their time training together in their youth, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Why don't we ask Teacher Mugetsu if we can go to the second floor? I feel like we might be disturbing Lady Tsunade and the others here," Rin suggested.
Kakashi and the others all nodded.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were fine, but Orochimaru's aura was truly too strong, making it impossible for them to relax.
After receiving Mugetsu's approval, Rin and the others went up to the second floor.
"So the cold faced uncle is like this in private too. I thought he was only serious on the battlefield," Obito said, scratching his head.
With Jiraiya and Tsunade as examples, Obito had thought that Orochimaru, as one of the Sannin, was also putting on a facade. He had not expected Orochimaru to be genuinely serious, with a personality exactly like the rumors described.
"You already know he's a relatively serious person, yet you still give him nicknames," Kakashi said, looking speechless.
"You really need to change that habit. Otherwise, if you run for Hokage in the future, I'll definitely vote against you. I can't imagine what Konoha would become."
Kakashi imagined Obito sitting in the Hokage Office, suddenly saying, "Call the white haired assistant over," and he found it hard to keep a straight face.
"Why should I do what you say? I don't need your vote!" Obito firmly stated his position.
Kakashi had not even become Hokage yet and already dared to dictate to him. If Kakashi really became Hokage, would it not be even worse? Obito was determined to win the position of Fifth Hokage from Kakashi.
"Their relationship is still so good," Shizune said with a hint of envy.
She had interned with Mugetsu for a while and was quite familiar with Kakashi and the others.
Shizune was rather envious of such a relationship. Usually, she did not have many friends to play with. Only when Rin came to learn from Tsunade did she have a playmate her age.
"Right? It's so good that it's a little enviable," Rin said, covering her mouth as she chuckled softly.
"No way!" Obito and Kakashi denied in perfect unison.
"Don't copy what I say!" they shouted at the same time again.
"Hmph!" they both snorted together.
This perfectly synchronized triple denial immediately filled the air with cheer.
"It's as precise as if they copied each other's movements with the Sharingan," Shisui, the Sharingan expert, said.
"As expected of best friends!" Guy, inexplicably fired up, gave Kakashi a thumbs up.
"How could I use the Sharingan for something like this?"
"This isn't something to be praised for at all, is it?"
After a period of laughter and chatter, the aroma drifting up from the first floor grew stronger and stronger, and the atmosphere on the second floor changed along with it.
"I'm really looking forward to it. A super feast!" Obito licked his slightly dry lips, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
During the two months he had fought alongside Mugetsu, Mugetsu would occasionally cook something himself.
However, the conditions on the battlefield could not compare to Konoha, so Obito was especially looking forward to the coming feast.
The disciples all nodded. Guy even made an outrageous statement.
"Only youth and Teacher Mugetsu's feast must never be let down!"
"This smell, it's squirrel mandarin fish!"
"I can smell sweet and sour pork."
The more Obito smelled, the more excited he became. Based on these aromas alone, he could already identify which dishes had been made.
"Come down and eat."
Obito suppressed the urge to use Kamui to phase directly through the floor and reach the first floor. Instead, he rushed downstairs at top speed.
The other disciples also restrained their strength. With their current power, if they failed to control themselves even a little while rushing down, they could easily tear down Mugetsu's house.
"Wood Release: Furniture Technique!"
Since the original table was not big enough, Mugetsu simply used Wood Release chakra to create a new set of tables and chairs.
"What a convenient Kekkei Genkai," Obito exclaimed.
No wonder Uchiha Madara could not defeat Senju Hashirama back then. Wood Release was truly powerful. Not only could it create giants, it also had huge advantages in daily life.
After that, everyone got busy. Some served dishes, while others fetched bowls and rice.
"Everyone, don't be shy. Eat quickly," Mugetsu said with a smile, picking up a piece of sweet and sour pork first.
Without needing any further reminder, Minato fully used his superior reaction speed and swiftly picked up two pieces of braised pork, placing them into his bowl.
As for Tsunade and the others who had tasted Mugetsu's cooking before, they were all going full speed, eating voraciously.
"What are they doing? This is so exaggerated. Is it really necessary?" Orochimaru thought in surprise as he watched the blurred chopsticks moving across the table.
The dishes did smell good and looked appealing, but no matter what, it was just food, not some miraculous secret medicine.
Orochimaru calmly picked up a piece of squirrel mandarin fish closest to him with his chopsticks. He placed the piece of fish into his mouth, and his expression instantly changed.
The moment the fish entered his mouth, a sweet and sour flavor exploded across Orochimaru's tongue. Immediately after came the texture of the fish, crisp on the outside and tender within. As he chewed, the sweet and sour taste that had soaked into the fish gave Orochimaru an entirely new experience.
The excellent texture of the fish, the perfectly balanced sweetness and sourness, all of it was contained in one small piece of fish, yet it gave Orochimaru an experience he had never had before.
In a trance, Orochimaru felt as if he had transformed into a fish swimming freely through a river, his entire body wrapped in cool water as he spent his days joyfully gliding along.
When he came back to his senses, Orochimaru looked at Mugetsu with disbelief.
As a master of Genjutsu, he naturally knew that he had not been caught in an illusion just now. But what exactly was that genuine feeling of exhilaration?
"Mugetsu, no wonder your cooking is so popular," Orochimaru exclaimed.
If cooking also had realms, then Mugetsu must be the God of Shinobi of cooking, the Senju Hashirama of the culinary world, separated from other chefs by an entire era.
Orochimaru had never imagined that a dish could give him such an experience.
"If it's delicious, eat more," Mugetsu reminded him with a smile.
Orochimaru was clearly a newcomer. The veterans all knew not to talk while eating and to grab every bite they could.
Only then did Orochimaru notice that the dishes on the table were rapidly decreasing, and some popular dishes were already empty.
Orochimaru quickly started grabbing more food, feeling regret at the same time. He had wanted to taste every dish.
After dinner, Orochimaru thought for a moment and asked, "Mugetsu, have you perhaps researched a Ninjutsu related to cooking?"
Mugetsu's cooking was too different from ordinary cooking. Orochimaru believed there had to be some reason behind it, not just a simple difference in experience.
"Everyone who has tasted Mugetsu's cooking has thought that before, but unfortunately, that isn't it. If you watch him cook, you'll understand. It's the pinnacle of skill," Jiraiya said, patting Orochimaru's shoulder.
He had once watched the entire process of Mugetsu cooking out of curiosity. Aside from looking extremely skilled, there was nothing special about it, yet the taste was simply different.
Jiraiya's understanding was that every step had been perfected, creating this godlike cuisine.
"Next time, if I have the chance, I'll take some of the food to the lab and study it," Orochimaru thought to himself.
As for testing Mugetsu, there were too many people here, so it was not suitable.
If his secrets were exposed, there would be no place for him in Konoha, and perhaps even his only two friendships would leave him.
After chatting for a while, everyone went home, and Mugetsu went to the study to research Fuinjutsu.
At eleven o'clock, just as Mugetsu was about to go to bed, he suddenly felt an unusual sensation in his eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, Mugetsu immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to a mountain outside Konoha.
The chakra in his body surged uncontrollably toward his eyes, intensifying the strange sensation within them.
Mugetsu keenly noticed one thing. The chakra flowing into his right eye seemed to be more abundant.
When the unusual sensation in Mugetsu's eyes reached its peak, his aura suddenly surged. A massive amount of chakra erupted from his eyes and flowed throughout his entire body.
His right eye, which had originally been pure white, turned golden, with eight triangular patterns encircling the pupil.
.....
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