Chapter 422: Joining the War
Mugetsu had his disciples check their gear to make sure nothing was missing, then led them toward the East Bank Battlefield in the Land of Fire.
"Rin, why did you vote for Kakashi?" Obito could not help asking as they traveled.
Compared to Kakashi's three votes and his own zero, what bothered Obito more was that Rin had voted for Kakashi instead of him, or even herself.
It made him feel like Rin trusted Kakashi more than him.
"I just feel Kakashi would be a very reliable vice captain," Rin thought for a moment, then answered with a gentle smile.
Rin trusted Obito in plenty of other things, but when it came to leading a team, she still felt Kakashi was more dependable.
It was not a random impression. It was a conclusion she had reached through their missions.
Kakashi could always analyze the situation and pick the most advantageous path. Obito, on the other hand, could shine brilliantly against powerful enemies, but that was combat. Asking him to plan tactics was like asking Guy to stop shouting. It was simply not happening.
Still, saying it that bluntly would sting, so Rin left it at a feeling.
Obito's face instantly fell.
What could be more painful than the girl you liked praising another boy to your face?
Of course there was.
When the boy being praised was also your sworn rival.
"Damn you, Kakashi!" Obito howled in his heart, grief and indignation mixing into something hot and ugly.
In that moment, Kakashi's image in Obito's mind shifted. He stopped being a friend with a terrible personality and became the inherently evil Hatake brat.
Then Obito remembered losing to Kakashi in their recent internal competition and getting sentenced to a mountain of questions.
That memory made his mood drop even further.
And when he realized it would be even harder to catch Kakashi now that Kakashi had learned new powerful moves from Mugetsu, Obito felt the road ahead turn steeper by the second.
In the span of a single minute, Obito mentally replayed every offense Kakashi had ever committed against him.
It all ended with one conclusion.
It is all Kakashi's fault. This time, I will definitely surpass him on the battlefield.
Obito's gaze burned as he stared at Kakashi's back.
Sensing the look, Kakashi turned slightly, met Obito's eyes for a heartbeat, then calmly turned forward again.
Obito's thought process was strange. He was careless more often than he should be, and he got carried away easily. That was exactly why Kakashi had suggested appointing a vice captain.
Kakashi was worried about Obito's safety.
With the title of vice captain, even if Obito argued, he would still have to listen. It was personally approved by Mugetsu, and that authority might work on Obito more effectively than even the Hokage's words.
Seeing Kakashi's indifferent expression, Obito grew even angrier.
Kakashi's face practically said, You lost before I even tried.
Shisui watched every shift in Obito's expression. He opened his mouth, then closed it again and chose not to comfort him.
Self awareness mattered.
If Shisui comforted Obito into believing he could lead a team, it could cause real problems later.
They were fellow disciples who lived and trained together every day. They understood each other well.
On the surface, the vote had been a multiple choice question.
To Shisui, there had only been one answer.
Kakashi.
Even putting everything else aside, Kakashi's experience alone surpassed the rest. Because he graduated early, Kakashi already had five full years as a shinobi.
When they arrived at the shinobi camp, Mugetsu had not even finished greeting his disciples properly before he was invited into a meeting.
Stepping into the large tent that served as the meeting room, Mugetsu saw many familiar faces.
The first was Orochimaru sama, the unit commander, seated at the head of the long table with an unreadable expression.
Mugetsu casually appraised him.
[Name: Orochimaru] [Chakra: 142000] [Potential: S] [Skills: Yin Release (Mastery: 4800/15000), Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 3040/15000), Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 2008/15000), Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery), Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery), Hidden Shadow Snake Hands (Mastery)...]
Orochimaru's panel felt similar to Hiruzen's. It was packed with an absurd number of techniques, ranging from S rank forbidden jutsu to ordinary D rank jutsu, thorough and comprehensive.
But unlike Hiruzen, Orochimaru's most polished techniques were his self developed snake jutsu rather than the five basic nature transformations.
From the panel alone, Orochimaru looked like the most likely person to inherit Hiruzen's full set of abilities, with many mastery level nature transformations.
As for why Orochimaru did not choose to inherit Hiruzen's path, Mugetsu could think of two possibilities.
The first was that Orochimaru believed he was inferior to Hiruzen in pure ninjutsu talent. Following Hiruzen's route would only produce a smaller version of the Third Hokage, so Orochimaru chose to carve out his own road.
That guess came from the proficiency values. He had many mastery level transformations, but the numbers were not particularly outstanding.
The second possibility was that Orochimaru's desire for immortality outweighed his hunger for strength.
Was Hiruzen's path strong? Of course it was. He rarely met opponents unless they were outright cheating.
But combination ninjutsu could not grant eternal life.
So Orochimaru abandoned that direction and threw himself into researching forbidden techniques instead.
Those were Mugetsu's guesses, based on what he knew of Orochimaru from the original story.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, Mugetsu thought, recalling the panel he had seen from Orochimaru during the previous jonin meeting.
Maybe the war, with its constant clashes against opponents of comparable level, was forcing even powerhouses like Orochimaru and Jiraiya to keep sharpening themselves, even if their growth was not as dramatic as that of younger shinobi like Minato.
Mugetsu's gaze shifted slightly.
To Orochimaru's right sat Nara Shikaku with his pineapple shaped hair, one of the current Ino Shika Cho.
[Name: Nara Shikaku] [Chakra: 23000] [Skills: Yin Release (2600/15000), Shadow Imitation Technique (Mastery)...]
To Orochimaru's left was Hyuga Hizashi, the younger brother of the current Hyuga clan head.
[Name: Hyuga Hizashi] [Chakra: 28000] [Skills: Gentle Fist (Mastery: 2640/15000)...]
"Orochimaru sama" was the first to speak, his magnetic voice carrying through the tent.
"Lord Mugetsu, please take a seat."
He glanced around the table.
"I believe everyone here knows Lord Mugetsu, so there is no need for a formal introduction."
The jonin in the tent nodded and offered quick greetings.
"Of course we know him. Jonin Mugetsu is young and promising, one of Konoha's finest." "I was fortunate enough to hear about Jonin Mugetsu's achievements in the Land of Grass war…"
Mugetsu's feat of defeating Pakura had not been widely promoted, but within Konoha he still carried a certain level of reputation. He had taught more and more people, and he had also earned real merits on the battlefield.
Since it was a meeting, the jonin kept it brief and soon quieted down.
Orochimaru then looked at Shikaku.
Shikaku nodded and rose.
"Next, I will explain the current battlefield situation. If you have questions, feel free to ask," Shikaku said, expression serious.
In truth, half the jonin in the tent had only recently been transferred here, including the commander Orochimaru.
Someone of Orochimaru's caliber naturally received detailed intelligence from Konoha. Some ordinary jonin did not. Part of it was privilege, and part of it was secrecy.
Shikaku's job today was to brief everyone on the situation and clarify the tasks they needed to complete.
He first circled the Hidden Mist landing points and their main activity zones on a large map, explaining the approximate size of their forces within the Land of Fire and how they fought.
"Mist ninja units usually have at least one shinobi proficient in the Hidden Mist Technique," Shikaku warned. "If you are outnumbered and do not have a sensory ninja, avoid direct confrontation whenever possible."
He did not bother explaining the Hidden Mist Technique itself. It was the most famous jutsu of the Hidden Mist, and every Konoha jonin present knew what it meant.
A Konoha jonin frowned slightly. The Hidden Mist Technique was troublesome. It turned a normal battlefield into a nightmare where the enemy was hidden and you were exposed.
Hizashi's expression did not change.
That was exactly why Hiruzen had sent so many Hyuga to this front. The Byakugan was one of the best counters for this kind of battlefield.
Finally, Shikaku spoke about the notable Hidden Mist powerhouses currently active.
"Yagura Karatachi. Extremely proficient in Water Release. He looks young, but he is an experienced veteran, and he is currently the strongest Mist shinobi we have confirmed on the battlefield."
"Reiki. An Ice Release shinobi of the Yuki clan. Skilled with the Ice Release bloodline limit and very powerful."
"Hozuki Mangetsu. A shinobi of the Hozuki clan. Proficient in Water Release and capable of using the Hydrification Technique, which grants immunity to physical attacks. Very strong."
He paused, then his tone sharpened.
"All members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist must be treated as high risk. Each of them is an elite among jonin. Do not underestimate them. When all seven operate together, they become extremely dangerous. If you encounter them, be very careful."
Individually, Shikaku did not believe any single swordsman could match the three he listed.
But the Seven Ninja Swordsmen often operated as an assassination team. Yagura and the others did not.
That difference made them far more unpredictable.
The jonin in the tent wrote down the intelligence Shikaku provided.
Hidden Mist was the most low profile of the great villages. It rarely fought wars on the continent, which meant other villages knew less about it.
Many Konoha jonin had only heard the name Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. They did not know their specific abilities or specialties.
Mugetsu listened with a thoughtful expression.
Reality and the manga were not identical.
Even within Konoha, he had met excellent jonin who had never appeared in the plot. If Konoha had those, it was only reasonable for Hidden Mist to have its own unknown monsters.
When Shikaku finished, he sat back down and nodded toward Mugetsu.
Due to his role, Shikaku had been given a specific strength assessment on Mugetsu, personally provided by Hiruzen.
He was the strategist. If he did not know the strength of his own pieces, he could not form the best plans.
After reading what Hiruzen sent, Shikaku had been genuinely surprised.
He was not unfamiliar with Mugetsu. Mugetsu had been mentioned once in the Leaf Newspaper for facing a tailed beast alongside Jiraiya in the Land of Grass war.
Even so, the report still shocked Shikaku.
Helping Jiraiya repel a jinchuriki was one thing.
Mugetsu single handedly defeating the Hidden Sand hero Pakura was another.
Shikaku had not been present for the Land of Grass war. Based on the newspaper article, Jiraiya was the main force, Minato was the strongest assistant, and Mugetsu came after that.
Judging from the length of the piece, Mugetsu, as the second assistant, seemed far behind Minato.
But defeating Pakura alone carried a completely different meaning.
Pakura's reputation in Hidden Sand was stronger than Minato's in Konoha. The gap between those achievements was enormous.
Shikaku believed that if Hiruzen had not been worried about Hidden Sand's reaction, Mugetsu would already be famous across the shinobi world just by stepping on Pakura's reputation.
Mugetsu would not even need to advertise himself. Konoha would have promoted him aggressively, because showcasing their own elite attracted missions.
But the situation was awkward.
Hidden Sand was the only great village not currently at war with Konoha.
If Hidden Sand took offense and declared war, Konoha would be sacrificing the bigger picture for a small gain.
So Konoha not only could not promote Mugetsu, it also needed to make sure the truth did not spread too widely.
In Shikaku's eyes, Mugetsu was the second most important piece on this battlefield, behind only Orochimaru.
Even so, Shikaku could not judge whether Mugetsu could defeat Reiki or Mangetsu. Shinobi battles could not be solved on paper.
As for Yagura, that would be Orochimaru's job.
Mugetsu gave Shikaku a small smile in return. Shikaku was smart, and smart people were always easier to deal with.
After the meeting ended, Orochimaru spoke again, stopping Mugetsu alone.
"Lord Mugetsu, please wait."
Orochimaru had even more detailed intelligence on Mugetsu than Shikaku did.
He even knew Mugetsu had once been a Root shinobi.
The source of that information was obvious.
Danzo.
In the intelligence Danzo had passed along, Mugetsu was described as a valuable assistant. Danzo claimed he had argued fiercely with the Third Hokage to secure Mugetsu for Orochimaru, and insisted Mugetsu would help Orochimaru accumulate merit and military achievements.
Mugetsu did not take Danzo's words seriously.
His strength was already sufficient for him to ignore Danzo outright. He was only willing to play along to avoid needless trouble.
Besides, with Mugetsu's power, simply moving on the battlefield a few times would naturally benefit Orochimaru. There was no need to treat Danzo's orders as anything special.
In practice, Danzo's mission was not much of a mission at all.
"Orochimaru sama, do you have another assignment for me?" Mugetsu asked calmly as he turned back.
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