In the air, the Split Body was slowly flying, holding two hundred tons of wood, gold, and ninja tools.
From a distance, it looked exactly like a Hundred-Ton King of the Sky.
Upon landing, Mu immediately dispelled the Split Body.
Then, he used scrolls to store all these items.
"Teacher... is it over just like this?"
"Teacher, last night was such a good opportunity, why did you let Uchiha Madara go?"
Ōnoki looked at the compensation and said with some reluctance.
Mu widened his eyes and glared at Ōnoki.
His expression was hard to maintain.
Oh my goodness.
Listen to what he said.
Why did I let Uchiha Madara go?
Right, last night was such a good opportunity, why did I let Uchiha Madara go?
Are these really words a human can say?
Do you really think Teacher can defeat Uchiha Madara?
Teacher even risked his dignity to contend with Uchiha Madara.
Do you want to see Teacher risk his life to fight Uchiha Madara?
However, Mu thought carefully.
After all, Ōnoki is a child, he doesn't understand this world.
Imagine, if you were humiliated and beaten by someone, and then the other party paid a lot of money, but they still got away with it, you would still feel a loss of dignity.
This Ninja World is bloody and cruel.
The weak killing the weak will be punished.
But the strong killing the weak, that's just a self-imposed penalty.
Instead of being killed, it's better to accept the compensation obediently and then strengthen oneself.
"Ōnoki, Teacher knows you're unwilling, but you must assess the situation!"
Mu patted Ōnoki's head and said.
"But Teacher, didn't you tell me not to admit defeat and not to bow to power?"
Ōnoki hesitated, gripping the stone in his hand.
His meaning was, you said before not to bow to power, but why did you accept compensation and choose to tolerate it now?
Mu didn't blame Ōnoki for his impolite words.
Instead, he chose to patiently explain to Ōnoki.
"Patience is not admitting defeat; it is faith, it is belief!"
"As long as we live, there will eventually be a day when withered trees bloom again, and we will finally reclaim the dignity we lost."
Mu patiently taught.
"But..."
Ōnoki, with his stubborn nature like a rock, still didn't understand.
Clearly, Ōnoki was very stubborn.
Mu smiled slightly.
He casually picked up a stone and then raised his hand to point at the willow tree in front.
"Ōnoki, I ask you, between this willow tree and this stone, which one is superior?"
Mu held up the stone while pointing at the willow tree.
Ōnoki hesitated slightly but quickly made a choice.
"Of course, it's the willow tree. The willow tree is so beautiful, and it's tall and large. If someone passes by, they will first notice the willow tree, not the stone!"
Ōnoki spoke his understanding.
Mu nodded and then continued.
"However, the lifespan of this willow tree is only forty years, while the lifespan of this stone can be preserved for tens of thousands, even millions of years!"
Mu said, holding up the stone.
A hint of realization flashed in Ōnoki's eyes.
Mu continued.
"The so-called flowing water does not contend for the first place; what it contends for is continuous flow!"
"Outlasting your competitors is also a victory."
After Ōnoki heard this, his eyes brightened, and he gradually understood his teacher's meaning.
He also gained a deeper understanding of the stone will!
The stone will is not just about stubbornness; it's also about assessing the situation and being pragmatic.
It's about patience, and eventually, the clouds will part.
"Teacher, lately, you've been full of golden phrases!"
Ōnoki deeply admired his teacher's profound wisdom.
"Hehe..."
Mu smiled but didn't answer.
Along the way, the two quickly passed through the border of the Land of Fire, crossed the Land of Grass, and entered the Land of Earth.
"Since I already know the plot, I naturally won't follow the original. The protagonists of the Ninja World are not just Konoha..."
Mu thought calmly about what he should do next.
First, he definitely wouldn't do something like dying with Hōzuki Gengetsu.
He wanted to live well and become stronger until he could control the direction of the world.
And to live well, he must have a good physique.
This is also why he wanted the wood created by Hashirama.
Compared to Ōtsutsuki cells, Hashirama cells are easier to obtain.
He wanted to research if he could clone Hashirama cells from the wood to strengthen himself.
"However, next, I still need to strengthen the Village and prepare for the upcoming First and Second Great Ninja Wars. But why is there no description of the fuse for such important wars in that memory?"
Mu frowned slightly.
The First Great Ninja War was so important, a Ninja World War!
Yet, that memory didn't record the cause of the outbreak, nor even the warring nations.
It only recorded the deaths of Senju Tobirama and the Second Raikage.
And his own death along with Hōzuki Gengetsu and Hōzuki Gengetsu.
"Alas, the road is long and arduous."
"Next, I should focus on building the Village. My current strength has no room for improvement unless there's a special opportunity."
Mu knew that his current strength was his limit.
There was no possibility of further improvement.
He didn't have the "Six Paths Sage Mode Bloodline" to begin with, so his upper limit was already capped.
If he had other acquired opportunities, perhaps he could still improve.
His creation of Dust Release was already an acquired opportunity.
Dust Release brought him to an undeserved height; otherwise, he would only be Kage-level with just ninjutsu.
Mu flew very fast with Ōnoki, arriving at Iwagakure by midnight.
Accustomed to Konoha's relatively prosperous Village, Ōnoki felt a bit inferior looking at Iwagakure, a desolate Village full of rocks.
"It's alright. Although it looks like a slum now, in the future, it will become the most prosperous Village in the Ninja World."
Mu patted Ōnoki's shoulder to comfort him.
Ōnoki felt much better and nodded.
Since they returned late at night, they didn't report to the sleeping Tsuchikage but went directly into the Ninja Village.
The next morning, Mu went directly to the Iwagakure building and started handling government affairs as usual.
Although Ishikawa was currently the Tsuchikage, he had already started letting Mu handle some matters.
Mu was essentially the Executive Vice-Tsuchikage.
He opened his mail and found several letters from the Land of Water.
Mu opened one and read:
"Hey, hey! Mu, how was the last battle? Was my Steam Impending Danger satisfying? Do you want to taste your old man's Water Gun Jutsu again?"
"When are we fighting again? I haven't seen you in ages. Why haven't you replied to me?"
"Mu, you didn't die, did you?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Why haven't you replied to me? You didn't really die, did you? Ah, ah, ah, didn't we agree to fight until we both died?!"
These letters were all from Hōzuki Gengetsu of the Land of Water.
He had been visiting Konoha for several days and hadn't replied to him.
He didn't expect so many to pile up.
"That Hōzuki Gengetsu..."
Mu's face darkened.
Thinking back to the last battle, he was still a little annoyed.
Their relationship was very subtle; they were both enemies and friends.
They became friends through battle.
How to put it?
They wanted to kill each other, but they had to die together.
This was also their consensus: if they were to die, they would die together, and they would die as Kage!
However, the current Mu had no intention of dying with Hōzuki Gengetsu.
He knew how wonderful the future generations would be.
He wanted to live, and he wanted to live wonderfully, live long, and personally witness the marvels of later generations.
He even wanted to live until Boruto!
Mu thought for a moment and then slowly picked up his brush to write a reply to Hōzuki Gengetsu.
"I am well!"
With just three short words, Mu put the paper into the envelope and sealed it with wax.