Chapter 494: Exploding Disciples' Gold Coins
Konoha, South Border Forest.
"Woof!"
Rockruff barked a warning, then gathered Earth Release chakra above Kakashi and formed a stone in midair.
Whoosh!
A streak of lightning flashed past, and the basin sized rock split cleanly in two.
"Purple Lightning!"
A dense net of purple lightning instantly crawled over the broken stone like a spiderweb, crushing it into fragments.
Kakashi had barely finished pulverizing it when Rockruff's blue eyes brightened again. It kept pulling up stones and hurling them at him without pause.
"Riolu, fastest speed, strongest power," Guy urged, still wearing heavy weights as he walked on his hands, tilting and weaving to avoid Riolu's punches. "You can push even further!"
Riolu's gaze sharpened.
Under chakra enhancement, its flexible and powerful body gave off a faint white glow, and its speed jumped sharply.
Instead of charging straight in, Riolu abruptly cut direction about a meter from Guy, surged again, and slammed into him from the side.
Bang!
"Good speed," Guy praised, bracing himself with one hand on the ground while catching Riolu with the other. "But your power is still a bit lacking."
Even so, Guy's smile was wide.
"Still, getting to this level is already incredible."
He released Riolu, then flipped backward and landed upright, returning to a normal stance as if he had never been upside down.
Riolu was only a few months old, yet its speed and strength already exceeded Guy's own back when he was in fourth grade at the academy. That growth rate surprised even him.
"Fire Dragon, again," Obito called out, watching his own flames overwhelm Fire Dragon's and quickly cutting off his chakra to avoid scorching it. "Your firepower is too weak."
He was having a Fire Release showdown with Fire Dragon.
After spending time with their Pokémon, they had gradually found a rhythm. When their own stamina dipped after intense training, they would train alongside their Pokémon instead of stopping completely.
It helped the Pokémon grow, and it let them keep refining themselves.
Kakashi continued polishing Lightning Release sword techniques. Guy kept pushing his body. Obito focused on chakra control.
"Dragon…"
Fire Dragon opened its mouth and spat a few sparks, clearly saying it had nothing left.
It was still a newborn. How could it possibly compete with Obito's output?
"If you are out of chakra, then train your body," Obito said, already planning the next drill.
Based on Rockruff's training results, Obito believed Fire Dragon still had a long way to go before it could catch up.
One step behind meant every step behind. Obito understood that danger well.
He refused to let his Nin Beast fall behind Kakashi's Nin Beast.
"For every ten minutes you train, you get one extra shrimp at dinner," Obito added.
By accident, he had discovered Fire Dragon's obsession with shrimp. Since then, Obito had decided rewards were the correct way to speak to it.
Fire Dragon, who had been about to sit down and rest, immediately stood up again, suddenly looking much less tired.
"Fee, do you think this is beautiful too?"
Rin rested after training and smiled gently at the Feebas in the pond. It stared blankly at Kakashi and the others, as if it had been frozen in thought.
From a common sense view, Feebas was not exactly something anyone would call beautiful.
Rin had given it that name for a reason. She wanted it to be confident, to notice the other kinds of beauty it carried.
After spending time with it, Rin had discovered plenty of strengths.
Feebas was easy to raise. It was not picky. It ate almost anything, and it seemed to be growing very well.
It also swam quickly. But outside of that, it was oddly dull, moving and reacting slowly.
Still, Feebas was very understanding. When Rin spoke, it did not thrash around or splash. It would simply stay still and wait for her to finish.
Feebas shifted its blank stare from Kakashi and the others to Rin. Its fish body twitched slightly, as if nodding.
Once she finished resting, Rin helped Feebas with basic body care, then resumed her own training.
Feebas remained in the pond, empty eyes following Rin quietly, as if thinking about something it could not put into words.
"It is great to be a disciple of Teacher Mugetsu."
Watching the peaceful, lively scene, Yamato sighed from the heart.
Just being around Mugetsu, even if he did nothing, Yamato felt his mind relax without realizing it. His body and spirit felt unusually comfortable.
It was not only because of Mugetsu.
Mugetsu's other disciples were also good people.
"Senior Kakashi is strict, but he is gentle inside," Yamato thought, remembering how Kakashi had stepped forward to pay when Yamato was short on money.
"Senior Obito says things I do not understand sometimes, but he is also a good person."
Yamato had not spent much time with Obito, but yesterday Obito had treated him to many snacks without hesitation. Even the way Obito talked made Yamato feel at ease, leaving him with a strong impression.
"Chakra control and ninjutsu training are important," Mugetsu said, "but combat ability is equally important for a shinobi."
He arranged sparring for Yamato.
"Kakashi, pause your training. You will be Yamato's opponent."
Mugetsu called Kakashi over just as he was about to continue.
The moment Kakashi heard he would be sparring with Yamato, interest lit in his eyes. His fists clenched on instinct.
Back in Rouran, a certain someone had used the excuse of sparring to deliver a brutal blow directly to Kakashi's head.
"Senior Kakashi will not be that strict now… right?" Yamato asked himself, uncertain.
He felt his relationship with Kakashi had improved. Kakashi should be gentler.
Then Kakashi walked over with a smile, and Yamato's sense of danger screamed.
He would have preferred an expressionless Kakashi.
Even with half his face covered, Kakashi's smile was obvious through his eyes, bright and calm in the most suspicious way possible.
Yamato wanted to switch opponents, but he worried it would hurt Kakashi's feelings. Kakashi had treated him before, after all.
After hesitating, Yamato finally took a stance.
"Begin," Mugetsu announced.
The instant the word fell, Kakashi focused his breathing to the limit and entered the Transparent World.
The world changed in Kakashi's eyes. Every detail sharpened. Every movement became clearer.
There was a feeling of using a cannon to kill a mosquito, but Kakashi believed in one principle.
Using full strength was respect.
And he respected Yamato, the future Root captain.
Whoosh!
Yamato only felt Kakashi, crackling with arcs of electricity, vanish from sight.
Before Yamato could even locate him, a wicked hand dropped onto his head.
Bang!
A precise chop struck Yamato's skull, forcing his thoughts to freeze for one tenth of a second.
Without time to process, Yamato swallowed the dizziness and snapped into motion, driving chakra into his legs and launching a spinning kick.
But Kakashi moved like he truly could read minds.
He caught Yamato's leg effortlessly and flung him away.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Yamato twisted midair, landed, and formed seals. A water dragon roared out and surged toward Kakashi.
Hiss. Hiss.
Kakashi gathered chakra into his palm and fed it through the White Fang short blade. Lightning extended from the tip, lengthening the weapon into a lightning blade.
With a casual swing, Kakashi sliced through the water dragon.
The current Yamato was nowhere near the ANBU captain from Rouran.
In a real fight, he would struggle even against a normal jonin, let alone Kakashi while Kakashi was in the Transparent World.
"Water Release…"
Yamato wanted to use Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique to shape the battlefield in his favor, but several lightning coated kunai thrown by Kakashi forced him to reposition.
Kakashi did not give him time.
Kakashi burst forward at extreme speed, appeared beside Yamato, and drove a heavy elbow into him.
Yamato slammed into the ground.
"Senior Kakashi is not gentle at all," Yamato thought gloomily as pain spread through him. "He is super strict."
Seeing the mood drop in Yamato's eyes, Mugetsu paused the spar to let him breathe.
"If you want to experience more types of shinobi," Mugetsu said after thinking, "you can choose other opponents too."
Yamato's eyes lit up.
Obito felt much easier to get along with than Kakashi.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I want to train with Senior Obito instead."
Mugetsu nodded and called Obito over.
"Me?" Obito blinked, then rubbed his hands together, excitement rising. "Alright."
To be honest, Obito had not tasted the satisfaction of crushing an opponent in a long time.
Mugetsu had few disciples. Aside from Rin, Obito was not confident he could guarantee a win against any of them.
And he could not spar seriously with Rin.
First, Rin was a medical shinobi. Second, Rin was the person he liked.
How could he fight the person he liked?
Also, Yamato's background was not ordinary. He was the future ANBU captain.
Beating Yamato, by rough estimation, meant beating an ANBU captain.
After resting, Yamato stepped back into the ring with Obito.
"Flame Breathing, Full Focus!"
At the start, Obito immediately pushed his breathing to the level needed to enter Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, boosting his Fire Release.
He remembered Wood Release was not simple. Ordinary Fire Release might not be enough.
"Earth Release: Rock Spikes!"
Yamato formed seals quickly. Three stone spikes burst from the ground, stabbing toward Obito.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A large surge of chakra gathered in Obito's throat, then became sheets of flame as he exhaled.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Blazing fire erupted around Obito.
The rock spikes could not endure the heat. They cracked and crumbled under the erosion of flame.
Obito kept outputting chakra, and the fire expanded. The flame sheets swelled into a raging inferno that rolled outward like a living tide.
Yamato went still.
How was he supposed to fight this?
His frustration was even worse than when he fought Kakashi.
He tried to counter with Water Release.
But against Obito's Fire Release, strengthened by Flame Breathing, Yamato's Water Release was half baked. He could not contend at all.
Every stream he produced evaporated before it could even slow the flames.
Facing the three fire dragons shaped from the sea of fire, Yamato could only raise his hands.
"I surrender."
"An ANBU captain is nothing more than this," Obito declared, puffing out his chest.
From today onward, he was also a shinobi who had beaten an ANBU captain.
Yamato's mood sank further.
"Senior Obito is also strict in battle…"
This fight had not beaten him physically, but it hurt his pride.
He used Water Release, the natural counter to Fire Release, yet he still got suppressed.
That stung.
"They have trained for years longer than me," Yamato told himself. "The gap in raw strength is too big."
Then he spoke up again.
"Teacher Mugetsu, how about we let Senior Shisui do it?"
Yamato kept changing opponents.
He did not know Shisui's exact age, but Shisui looked younger than Kakashi and Obito. Maybe only one or two years older than Yamato. He should not be much stronger.
"Okay," Mugetsu agreed, and called Shisui over.
"Senior Shisui," Yamato greeted politely.
Shisui smiled and nodded.
He had not been to Rouran and did not know Yamato well, but he still had a good impression of him.
According to Kakashi, much of their future intelligence came from the future Yamato.
"Senior Shisui," Yamato said, "fight normally. You do not need to hold back."
Seeing Shisui's gentle attitude, Yamato warned him.
He thought Shisui was Mugetsu's second youngest disciple, so Shisui's strength should be far below Kakashi and the others.
And Yamato was a Wood Release shinobi who carried Konoha's future. If Shisui held back too much, Yamato might end up looking worse.
It could even damage Shisui's image as a senior.
"Is that so?" Shisui nodded. "I understand."
Yamato seemed like the type who liked challenging difficulty, so Shisui adjusted his plan.
Originally, Shisui intended to suppress his strength as much as possible so he would not overwhelm Yamato and crush his confidence.
But since Yamato asked for it, Shisui would fulfill the request.
"Start," Mugetsu called.
Yamato burst forward with chakra, wanting to test Shisui's taijutsu first.
Then Yamato froze for a fraction.
"His eyes turned red."
Shisui's eyes became blood red, three tomoe spinning inside.
Yamato did not understand the ability. He kept charging, then began what he believed was a fierce, evenly matched exchange with Shisui.
From the side, Kakashi shook his head.
Of all people, why choose Shisui?
That was begging for trouble.
Yamato kept punching, swinging hard, completely immersed in the "battle."
Then he felt a hand pat his shoulder.
Yamato turned his head instinctively.
Shisui was right there.
Yamato's mind filled with questions.
No matter how fast someone was, there had to be movement. Shisui had not even shown signs of using Body Flicker.
"You were caught in a genjutsu," Shisui explained calmly, saving Yamato the humiliation of guessing wrong.
Yamato understood instantly. Danzo had taught him the basics.
Yamato's face flushed red. When he imagined how he looked, punching the air like a fool, he wanted to burrow into the ground and stay there for half an hour.
It was too embarrassing.
Evenly matched?
He had been defeated instantly with a single glance.
"Senior Shisui," Yamato asked helplessly, "how old are you?"
He suspected he had misjudged a key detail. Being shorter did not mean being younger. Maybe Shisui was the same age as Kakashi and the others.
"Nine," Shisui answered.
Yamato's eyes widened.
Shisui really was only two years older than him. It was not a height illusion.
Yamato looked at Kakashi on his left, then at Shisui, then down at his own hands.
And he began to question Danzo's words.
"Am I really that important to Konoha?" Yamato wondered. "Is Wood Release really the strongest?"
Danzo had drilled one idea into him for years.
Yamato was the only Wood Release shinobi in the world, and he had to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Konoha.
Now Yamato felt like Danzo was speaking nonsense with his eyes wide open.
Shisui was only two years older, yet Yamato was not confident he could reach Shisui's level at that age.
If Konoha relied on him for protection in the future, it would be over.
"What's wrong?" Mugetsu asked with a smile.
He sat on the ground so their eyes were level, making the distance feel smaller.
"Are you losing confidence?"
"I just feel like I am not as important as Lord Danzo said," Yamato admitted honestly.
A large part of Yamato's motivation came from responsibility.
He believed he had to train, become stronger, and protect Konoha with Wood Release.
"Do not doubt yourself just because you lost to Kakashi and Shisui," Mugetsu said gently, ruffling Yamato's hair. "First, they are older than you. Second, they are the most talented young shinobi in Konoha today."
Mugetsu then told Yamato about Kakashi's experiences.
He spoke about Kakashi fighting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and turning the tables.
He spoke about Kakashi facing several jonin in succession during missions.
Yamato did not know what the Seven Ninja Swordsmen represented, but Mugetsu always introduced the opponents first, giving Yamato enough context to understand the weight of the feat.
"So Senior Kakashi and the others are that amazing," Yamato said softly.
His mood lifted immediately.
He had been secretly trained by Root. The moment he stepped out, he got smashed by Kakashi and the others. It was hard not to doubt himself.
With Mugetsu's explanation, Yamato understood.
It was not that he was incapable.
It was that his opponents were monsters.
"You also do not need to put unnecessary pressure on yourself because of Wood Release," Mugetsu continued. "Mastering Wood Release does not make you invincible. The First Hokage became the God of Shinobi because he was Hashirama, not because he had Wood Release."
Yamato looked confused.
Mugetsu's words did not match Danzo's teachings.
Who should he believe?
"You do not need to train hard as a Wood Release shinobi for anyone," Mugetsu said. "You do not need to carry responsibility for others. You just need to train as Yamato."
As he spoke, Mugetsu looked directly into Yamato's eyes, as if he wanted the words to pierce through the fog in Yamato's heart.
"Train as Yamato…"
Yamato repeated the name Mugetsu had given him.
Something inside him tilted toward Mugetsu.
There were still many things Yamato could not fully understand, and he could not completely grasp all of Mugetsu's meaning.
But he felt, inexplicably, that Mugetsu was right.
And he felt Mugetsu genuinely cared.
When Yamato reviewed his memories of both people, the conclusion became clear.
He leaned fully toward Mugetsu.
"Teacher Mugetsu is perfect," Yamato thought, "so Teacher Mugetsu cannot be wrong."
After all, Danzo himself had said Mugetsu was the most perfect shinobi in Root.
Then another question rose in Yamato's mind.
"If I train as Yamato… what is the purpose?"
He had lived far more time as Kinoto than as Yamato.
For a moment, he did not even know what training as Yamato meant.
"You will have to discover that yourself," Mugetsu said with a smile. "Just follow your heart."
Yamato exhaled and closed his eyes.
Memories surfaced.
Meeting Mugetsu.
Being brought to the South Border Forest.
Meeting Kakashi.
Becoming Mugetsu's disciple.
Today's sparring.
His time with Mugetsu and Kakashi had not been long, but in value, it exceeded everything he remembered before.
Because his life before Mugetsu had been dull, simple, and empty.
Before entering Konoha and being taught by Mugetsu, Yamato's entire world was twenty five meters around a wooden house.
Most days, no one spoke to him.
As a child, Yamato even believed he was completely alone, unaware Root shinobi were watching him from the shadows.
Only when Danzo taught him knowledge or tested his strength did Yamato get any communication at all.
That was why Yamato had been so dependent on Danzo, and why he respected him so deeply.
Then the day came when Yamato met Mugetsu.
Mugetsu felt like warm sunlight in human form, and Yamato's life changed.
The place Yamato lived was still remote, but it was no longer dead.
Because Yamato trusted Mugetsu, he handed everything over.
Danzo only emphasized one thing from then on.
Do not use Wood Release in front of outsiders.
Otherwise, Danzo no longer restricted Yamato's movements.
Or rather, Mugetsu chose not to restrict him.
At first, Yamato could only receive Mugetsu's instruction for two or three hours each day.
Only on Sundays could he spend more time.
When Yamato remembered the first Sunday training, Kakashi's face appeared in his mind.
Sometimes strict.
Sometimes gentle.
Kakashi always tried to mess with him, always aimed for his head, yet Kakashi paying decisively at the meal also felt strangely cool.
"No matter what, I cannot let down Teacher Mugetsu's teaching," Yamato decided.
"And I have to hit Senior Kakashi's head at least once."
That became the meaning Yamato could grasp right now.
He wanted to keep training with Mugetsu.
He wanted to become stronger than Kakashi.
Then, with Kakashi's shocked face right in front of him, Yamato wanted to tap Kakashi's head and let him feel how much it hurt.
Seeing Yamato's gaze grow more and more firm, Mugetsu smiled again.
"It seems you found your answer."
Yamato nodded hard.
"Teacher Mugetsu, please teach me how to surpass Senior Kakashi."
"Just work hard and train," Mugetsu encouraged. "There is a big gap between you and Kakashi right now, but in a few years, it might not stay that way."
Yamato's foundation was actually excellent.
He had strong chakra and the Wood Release bloodline.
If trained properly, he had the potential to become a youthful version of Hashirama.
At the very least, under Mugetsu's guidance, Yamato would not need twenty years to reach basic proficiency with Wood Release.
"Actually, Obito and Guy also often lost to Kakashi in the past," Mugetsu added, using them as examples. "Later, they kept working hard…"
Yamato froze.
He never would have guessed Obito, who could unleash terrifying Fire Release now, used to be a dead last who would get instantly defeated by Kakashi.
And before Mugetsu talked about the team's exploits, Yamato did not even know that Guy was currently the strongest member of the team.
Earlier, Yamato had considered switching to Guy, but seeing Guy did not seem to practice ninjutsu much, Yamato gave up.
Now Yamato felt like he had escaped disaster.
If Shisui and Kakashi were already this terrifying, then the strongest, Guy, had to be even more outrageous.
What shocked Yamato even more was that Guy had once been an even bigger dead last than Obito.
When Yamato heard Guy's story of grinding effort and turning things around, his blood boiled.
He wanted to do a thousand push ups immediately.
"Senior Guy and Senior Obito could surpass Senior Kakashi through hard work," Yamato declared, chest tight with heat. "Then I want to try too!"
In that moment, Obito and Guy became Yamato's idols.
[System: Disciple Yamato has received a training mission.]
[System: Mission: Strive with your seniors as your goal.]
[System: Duration: 6 months (can complete early if the challenge target is met).]
[System: Reward: Based on mission completion and strength growth during the mission period.]
Mugetsu nodded inwardly.
Before trust level four, life missions could not be triggered, but training missions could still appear.
The rewards were far lower than life missions, but the difficulty was also lower.
Most could be completed simply by following a solid training routine.
That made them worth doing.
Mugetsu had Kakashi and Obito take turns sparring with Yamato for one main reason.
He wanted to ignite Yamato's hunger to train.
He did not expect the effect to be this good, and it even washed away much of Danzo's lingering manipulation in Yamato's mind.
While Yamato's emotions were at their peak, Mugetsu handed him a small gift.
A piece of calligraphy Mugetsu had written during spare time.
When triggering disciple feedback, small items were best. If the threshold became too high, big rewards would become difficult to obtain.
[System: Gift given to disciple Yamato. Critical reward triggered. Obtained: Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Technique (mastery).]
As the reward appeared, an enormous wave of training memories flooded Mugetsu's mind. His familiarity with Wood Release rose, and his proficiency jumped by a hundred points.
"This technique is actually good for Yamato," Mugetsu thought after sorting the memories.
Cutting Sprigs Technique could not compare to massive, high power Wood Release like Deep Forest Emergence or Wood Golem.
But among standard Wood Release ninjutsu, it was a respectable power type technique.
…
Sunday came again.
Mugetsu's main body traveled to the Shinobi Sect headquarters, preparing to hand the Pokémon egg to Nagato.
The system bound egg could only hatch for the binder.
At the very least, Nagato had to touch it, or the Pokémon would never hatch.
Mugetsu had originally considered collecting local Nin Beast eggs from the Land of Fire and giving them out to Yahiko and the others.
But after thinking it through, it would create an odd imbalance.
Nagato's Nin Beast would be uniquely different.
It might look harmless, but it carried a faint feeling of covering something up.
It was better to place the egg inside a sealed training room.
Nagato could visit and hold it whenever he had time, then form the contract after it hatched.
Black Zetsu likely would not care about Nagato having an extra, newly hatched, extremely weak Nin Beast.
Even if they did care, guessing the truth would be nearly impossible unless Nagato hatched the same Pokémon as Kakashi and the others.
That probability was too low.
After arriving at the Shinobi Sect headquarters, Mugetsu did not go straight to the training room.
As leader of the Shinobi Sect, with the sect expanding rapidly, heading for the training room in broad daylight would look irresponsible.
Instead, Mugetsu taught first.
He instructed the Shinobi Sect shinobi in taijutsu and nature transformation.
Everyone attended.
Even Kakuzu sat in.
Most of what Mugetsu taught was basic, but sometimes Kakuzu would hear something that sparked genuine insight. That alone made it worth listening.
Kakuzu had always believed that if Mugetsu opened paid classes, he would earn more than any so called Ninja of Fortune.
Mugetsu's teaching was absurdly powerful.
With just his mouth, everything sounded different, sharper, clearer, like the truth had been polished.
Many of these Shinobi Sect members used to be genin level before they followed Mugetsu.
It was through constant instruction, constant refinement, and continuous growth in overall quality that they reached their current strength.
"If the five great villages knew about this," Kakuzu sighed inwardly, "they would pay a fortune to win him over."
Mugetsu's teaching value alone surpassed most powerful shinobi.
[System: Intermediate lecture completed.]
[System: Evaluation: S.]
[System: Reward: Taijutsu comprehension increased. Water Release nature transformation plus 30.]
After the lecture, Mugetsu sent Shinobi Sect members to Amegakure to spread news.
The Shinobi Sect would conduct two months of special training.
During the final week, Mugetsu would hold unrestricted lectures, open to anyone.
Shinobi Sect shinobi.
Amegakure shinobi.
Even shinobi from outside the Land of Rain.
Mugetsu's second phase of ANBU training in Konoha would end soon, letting him focus on pushing for higher level lecture rewards in the Land of Rain.
Once sect affairs were handled, Mugetsu called Nagato to the training room.
"Nagato," Mugetsu said with a gentle smile, "for every disciple promoted to jonin, I give a jonin gift to acknowledge their growth. This is yours."
He handed Nagato the large egg.
Nagato was surprised, but the moment he received it, he held it carefully, arms tightening as if the weight mattered.
Surprise quickly turned into delight, then into deep emotion.
From Nagato's view, Mugetsu had disappeared for a week for an unknown reason. Then he returned and gave Nagato a Nin Beast egg as a gift for becoming jonin.
Not explaining the reason made it feel like a surprise.
Nagato could only conclude one thing.
Mugetsu must have spent that week preparing this gift.
Nagato felt genuinely moved.
Promotion in rank was not a big deal to him, but this proved Mugetsu cared about him more than he ever expected.
"Teacher Mugetsu," Nagato said quietly, voice thick. "Thank you."
Nagato was not good with words.
Everything in his heart could only be reduced to those two.
[System: Gift given to disciple Nagato. Critical reward triggered. Obtained: Four Red Yang Formation (mastery).]
"After all, I am your teacher," Mugetsu replied with a smile.
He then explained precautions.
Nagato should not take the Pokémon egg out.
He should simply come to the training room from time to time and check on it there.
The instructions were a little strange, but Nagato did not doubt at all.
He believed Mugetsu had reasons.
And he believed this egg must be special.
.....
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