Chapter 423: Malice Hidden in the Dark
"I just have a few questions I would like to ask Lord Mugetsu," Orochimaru said with a faint smile as he rose to his feet, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
In a public setting like this, Orochimaru naturally would not bring up Root matters directly, and he really did have questions for Mugetsu.
Mugetsu nodded and followed him, the two walking to a secluded spot near the edge of the camp where no one was nearby.
"Danzo should have already briefed you on what you need to do here," Orochimaru said, stopping beside a large tree and turning to face Mugetsu.
Orochimaru's relationship with Danzo was complicated.
On paper, Orochimaru could even be called Danzo's subordinate, since he held a position within Root.
In reality, Orochimaru and Danzo were equals. Partners, more than anything.
They had worked together more than once, from human experimentation involving Hashirama's cells to research into forbidden techniques.
But right now, their most important collaboration revolved around one thing.
The position of Fourth Hokage.
Danzo wanted the seat for himself, but he was not foolish. With the current situation, it was almost impossible for him to become Hokage.
Danzo controlled Wood Release shinobi, but those shinobi were still too young and not yet fully developed. He had not obtained the Rinnegan, and he had not acquired any sage arts inheritance.
For Danzo, becoming Hokage himself was the best outcome. If that road was blocked, then only one realistic option remained.
His partner, Orochimaru.
The other popular candidates did not have close ties with Danzo. If one of them became Hokage, Danzo's existing influence in Konoha could be threatened.
Orochimaru, however, was different.
Their partnership ran deep, and if their actions were exposed, it would be enough to destroy both of their reputations within the village.
In other words, they were in the same boat. Neither could betray the other lightly, because each held enough evidence to sink the other.
That was why Danzo could support Orochimaru for Hokage with confidence.
Once Orochimaru took office, given their relationship, Danzo would inevitably gain even more power than he held now.
After all, if Orochimaru dared to say, "I am the Hokage," then Danzo truly had the ability to make him regret saying it.
"I will do my utmost to help Orochimaru sama gain military achievements," Mugetsu replied calmly.
"To have the assistance of such an excellent shinobi as Lord Mugetsu, the gains from this front should be considerable," Orochimaru praised without hesitation.
Then his gaze sharpened with curiosity.
"But it truly is surprising. I never expected a genius like Lord Mugetsu to exist within Root."
It was not that Orochimaru looked down on Root. It was simply the truth.
Root had talent, but it rarely had true geniuses.
Hiruzen would never allow genuine prodigies to be swallowed by Root. Orochimaru could tell Hiruzen had always kept Root's overall strength under careful control.
"Orochimaru sama overpraises me. If we are talking about genius, then you, one of the Sannin, are the real one," Mugetsu said, returning the politeness with calm flattery.
Mugetsu was self aware. Aside from sealing techniques, which he had largely trained on his own, most of his other abilities were built on advantages he did not show to others.
He had created an ultimate Fire Release like Fire Dragon Dance, not because he was born with unmatched Fire Release talent, but because the system had granted him perfect Fire Release nature transformation and an enormous number of master level Fire Release techniques. His mind was filled with countless memories of Fire Release training.
The same was true of breathing techniques. He could develop new ones because he was already extremely proficient with the foundation. If he was willing to invest time and effort, creating similar techniques was not difficult.
"I do not think so," Orochimaru said, shaking his head lightly. "At the very least, in the development of bloodline limits, you have surpassed me. I have not successfully cultivated a bloodline limit."
Orochimaru was willing to spend years researching techniques and forbidden arts, so of course he had studied bloodline limits, especially Wood Release. He had invested a great deal into that topic.
Though if one was being precise, he was not truly chasing Wood Release itself.
He was chasing the vitality within Hashirama's cells.
Compared to raw power, Orochimaru wanted that overwhelming life force more. Shinobi were simply too fragile.
"Lord Mugetsu," Orochimaru asked after a moment, "may I witness your Ice Release?"
Orochimaru was not particularly interested in Ice Release on its own. What interested him was Mugetsu, someone who had actually developed it.
Mugetsu agreed. He gathered chakra into his palm, converted it into Ice Release chakra, and released it in a single breath.
"Freezing Ray!"
A blue white beam shot out and instantly froze a small patch of ground beside Orochimaru.
Clap. Clap.
Orochimaru applauded twice, lightly.
"I look forward to Lord Mugetsu's performance on the battlefield."
Orochimaru remembered the intelligence describing Mugetsu as proficient in the five basic nature transformations, capable of combining techniques to amplify their power. Even his newly learned Ice Release had reached a respectable level. Orochimaru found himself curious about the strength of the techniques Mugetsu truly specialized in.
…
To help his students adjust to operating without their sensei constantly leading from the front, Mugetsu quickly arranged a B rank war mission for them.
Investigate villages where a three man Hidden Mist squad was suspected to be active.
Since his main body was free, Mugetsu did not send a shadow clone to follow them. He followed personally, while leaving a shadow clone at the camp.
To prevent accidents, he also left a Flying Thunder God kunai with that shadow clone. If something urgent happened, he could be informed immediately and return at once.
"There are six villages total," Obito said after Kakashi finished explaining the mission. "Should we split up? Two people per group would be faster."
Four people splitting up would be faster, but even Obito was not reckless enough to suggest that on the battlefield. He, Kakashi, and Shisui would be fine, but if Rin ran into enemies alone, it could become trouble quickly.
"That is not safe," Kakashi rejected at once. "If you want it done faster, then move faster."
If Mugetsu were here, Kakashi would have agreed, because Mugetsu's Flying Thunder God could provide instant support. But they did not have that advantage when operating independently.
They also did not have a sensory ninja among them. If someone ran into enemies, the others might not learn about it in time.
Transparent World could mimic certain aspects of the Byakugan, but its range was far inferior. It could not replace true sensory abilities.
More importantly, Kakashi could not afford to use Transparent World as a sensory tool for long periods. It was his trump card.
"Safety comes first on the battlefield," Rin agreed.
"We can use shadow clones," Shisui suggested after thinking. "Obito and I can each make one to check other villages, while our main bodies stay together. That will improve efficiency."
Maintaining one's condition mattered on the battlefield. Shisui offered because his chakra reserves and Obito's were significantly higher than Kakashi's and Rin's.
"That works," Kakashi agreed after a brief pause.
Since it was a B rank mission, contact with enemies was almost guaranteed. Using shadow clones to gather information was a solid plan.
Feeling like Shisui had helped him save face, Obito grinned and threw an arm around Shisui's shoulder. He decided it was necessary to form a united front with Shisui against Kakashi. Shisui truly had things Obito lacked.
Next, Shisui and Obito each created a shadow clone to investigate other villages, while their main bodies stayed with Kakashi and Rin.
When they reached the villages, the locals spoke readily. Facing shinobi from their own nation's great village, they told everything they knew, including every suspicious outsider they had seen in recent days.
Just as Kakashi's team finished investigating the second village, a memory of battle surged into Shisui's mind.
"They are in Tanoshita Village," Shisui said quickly, sorting the information at once. "Probably one jonin leader and two chunin. Obito's shadow clone is still stalling for time."
His shadow clone had intentionally dispelled itself to pass the information back.
Even if their clones were strong, two shadow clones defeating a jonin led squad was wishful thinking. Their main bodies needed to move.
"Full speed," Kakashi ordered immediately, already dashing out first.
A squad like that was not a serious threat to them now.
Aside from Rin, any one of them had the ability to defeat an ordinary jonin directly.
Rin might not be able to overpower a jonin head on, but survival was not an issue, and her support abilities were extremely strong.
In practical terms, their four person squad had combat strength equivalent to three jonin plus one medical special jonin.
When the Mist shinobi realized the Konoha ninja they had defeated was only a shadow clone, they tried to retreat at once.
But Kakashi, maximizing Thunder Breathing, was fast. He became a flash of lightning and cut off the three Mist shinobi.
Kakashi looked young, like a newly graduated rookie, but his entry was far too sharp. The Mist jonin did not dare to underestimate him.
Hearing rapid movement approaching from behind, the Mist jonin frowned deeply. He no longer cared about Kakashi's earlier display of speed and attacked immediately.
"Finish him quickly," the Mist jonin ordered as he threw a shuriken. "More Konoha ninja are coming."
He was anxious, but his experience told him not to rush blindly. If he charged in and misjudged Kakashi's strength, he could die instantly, and his subordinates would not escape either.
If his subordinates could probe Kakashi's abilities, there was still a chance to counter kill and flee.
The two Mist chunin attacked together.
One used Water Release to spew water toward Kakashi. The other drew the long sword from his back and swung.
"Flash!"
Kakashi focused his breathing to amplify his power, converted the chakra in his legs into Lightning Release chakra, and released it in a single burst. Then he drew the White Fang short blade and slashed forward.
Whoosh!
Kakashi vanished from where he stood.
Blood burst from the Mist swordsman, while the incoming shuriken and water struck only empty air.
"Such speed, and such a lethal slash," the Mist jonin thought, pupils tightening. He had not expected Kakashi to kill so casually while dodging attacks.
Then the jonin's gaze locked onto Kakashi's white hair and the crackling lightning around him, and recognition finally hit.
"Wait. That appearance… It is Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's strongest genius."
Before the war began, Hidden Mist had distributed intelligence on Konoha's young talents from the chunin exams, emphasizing one priority.
If encountered, kill them first.
And Kakashi Hatake was the most dazzling among them. He had defeated everyone and stood at the end.
"A shinobi who was still taking the chunin exams last year has this kind of strength now?" The Mist jonin was stunned.
At first, he had wondered if Kakashi was like Yagura, someone who looked young but was actually older with a youthful face.
Now it was clear.
This was a real young genius.
The Mist jonin moved to the side without hesitation.
It was not that victory was impossible, but he did not want a fight where death was likely, especially with Kakashi's teammates closing in.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson!"
Several kunai wrapped in flame shot toward the jonin's escape route, forcing him to halt.
The Mist jonin turned and saw a boy who looked even younger than Kakashi standing nearby, slightly out of breath, still holding the throwing posture.
"The one I just encountered," the Mist jonin thought, recognizing the face from earlier. For a moment, he felt almost speechless.
Had he run into Konoha's genius squad, a team made entirely of prodigies?
"Phantom Body Flicker Technique!"
Shisui had no intention of holding back. He activated his three tomoe Sharingan and used the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, weaving genjutsu into the engagement.
At the same time, Kakashi delivered another sharp slash, killing the remaining Mist chunin instantly, then rushed to Shisui's side to assist.
By the time Obito and Rin arrived, the Mist jonin was already heavily wounded. Before Obito could even move, Kakashi ended it with a single decisive strike.
"Just missed it," Obito muttered, scratching his hair in frustration. If he had been a little faster, he could have done something.
In truth, Obito could have arrived sooner, but he had been worried Rin might encounter danger if she lagged behind alone, so he did not pull too far ahead.
"Mission complete. We return now," Kakashi said decisively.
Kakashi had been moving at full speed and fighting at full force. His chakra and stamina were already more than half spent. He wanted to get back quickly. If they ran into more enemies, they would be down one major combatant.
Obito trudged back toward the camp with a bitter expression. He had wanted to outshine Kakashi, but he had not even gotten a chance to show off.
This mission carved one lesson into Obito's mind.
Sometimes, speed really was everything.
With his students safe and uninjured, Mugetsu returned as well.
As Mugetsu left, a hidden figure emerged from the shadows.
Zetsu.
"This guy is too protective," Zetsu muttered, rubbing his head as if it hurt. "He is secretly guarding them even on a B rank mission."
Zetsu's expression darkened.
"This is not convenient for our plan."
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