Chapter 616: Reaping Rewards
[Name: Uchiha Shisui]
[Life Mission: Uchiha and Konoha]
[Main Goal: Eliminate the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha, and integrate the Uchiha into Konoha.]
[Mission Progress: 46.8%]
Danzo's death directly pushed Shisui's life mission progress to the highest among all of Mugetsu's disciples. Not only had it reached a settlement node, it was already close to the next one.
However, when Mugetsu thought about everything Danzo had done in the original work, he felt that this result was completely reasonable.
Even before his death, Danzo had warned him to be careful of the Uchiha, saying that the Uchiha were inherently evil. That alone clearly showed his attitude toward them.
Mugetsu looked at the settlement reward that appeared.
[Disciple Uchiha Shisui's strength has increased. He has promoted reform within the Police Force, taken a small step toward eliminating the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha, and received a progress reward.]
[Reward: Chakra +1600, Optional Draw Scroll Fragment: S+ (Mastery), Yin Release Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll.]
The rewards were almost identical to the forty percent settlement rewards of his other disciples. Aside from the attribute of the Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll, the rest was the same.
The awkward part was that last time, three disciples had settled at once, conveniently gathering three fragments. This time, only Shisui's reward had been settled, so the fragment was temporarily useless.
Mugetsu closed the reward information and opened Obito's life mission.
[Name: Uchiha Obito]
[Life Mission: It is not those who become Hokage who are recognized by everyone, but those recognized by everyone who can become Hokage.]
[Main Goal: Become the Hokage of Konohagakure.]
[Mission Progress: 44.5%]
Obito's life mission progress was not as exaggerated as Shisui's, but it was still acceptable. Life missions were difficult by nature, and gaining progress was never easy.
After receiving Nagato's notification, Yahiko rushed over at full speed and quickly arrived in Amegakure.
"Did something happen? Why did you suddenly call me here?" Yahiko asked, feeling somewhat confused.
Because the matter was rather complicated, Nagato had not explained the reason when contacting the Shinobi Sect. He had only told Yahiko to come as quickly as possible.
But looking at the peaceful Amegakure, Yahiko felt that it should not be anything too serious.
When Nagato learned that Yahiko had arrived, he activated his Kenbunshoku Haki and quickly found him.
"Nagato, where is Sōsuke-sensei? Why did you suddenly ask me to come here?" Yahiko asked when he saw that only Nagato had come.
"Sensei is handling Amegakure's affairs," Nagato replied.
Yahiko looked at Nagato in confusion.
Hadn't they been invited to watch the Chunin Exams? Why was Sōsuke helping handle Amegakure's affairs? Was Amegakure so busy that its own people could not manage it?
Nagato did not waste words. He brought Yahiko to a secluded place and explained, "Hanzo is dead. Sōsuke-sensei is now the true leader of Amegakure."
Yahiko froze, staring blankly at Nagato.
How had the situation become more outrageous the more Nagato explained it? How long had Nagato and Sōsuke been gone? Had they already taken over the entire Amegakure?
Moreover, Amegakure did not look like it had gone through a coup at all. It looked completely peaceful.
"Actually, this invitation was a conspiracy. Danzo's conspiracy..." Nagato began explaining the full story to Yahiko in detail.
"So that's what happened. No wonder Sōsuke-sensei only brought you," Yahiko sighed.
In such a dangerous situation, if one's strength was insufficient, not only would they be unable to help Sōsuke, they might even become a burden.
"Yahiko, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have persuaded you that night. Because of me, you missed your last chance to meet Hanzo," Nagato said with a guilty expression.
They had judged that this trip to Amegakure would be quite dangerous, but in truth, Mugetsu had dealt with the enemy easily.
If Yahiko had been brought along, Mugetsu would not even have needed to act. Nagato himself could have protected Yahiko.
"It's all right. You were thinking about my safety. You don't need to apologize," Yahiko said with a smile, shaking his head.
"Besides, I already have my answer now."
Although it was a pity that he had not been able to speak with Hanzo, after learning the reason behind Hanzo's death and how Sōsuke became the leader of Amegakure, Yahiko's previous doubts had been resolved.
"At least, in his final moments, he truly was Hanzo, the Demigod of the Land of Rain," Yahiko said, his expression relaxing.
Hanzo had not always prioritized the peace of the Land of Rain. He had wavered, and he had acted out of selfish motives.
Even so, the choices Hanzo made throughout his life made Yahiko feel that he was worthy of the title of Demigod. Yahiko's past reverence for him had not been misplaced.
Nagato nodded in agreement.
This incident had also changed his view of Hanzo greatly.
After that, Nagato took Yahiko to see Hanzo's remains.
Yahiko felt that Hanzo did not look like someone who had died in battle. Instead, he looked as if he had passed away from old age.
Because there was no unwillingness or hatred on Hanzo's face. If anything, he looked somewhat relieved and happy.
After learning that the Shinobi Sect and Amegakure would deepen their exchanges, Yahiko decisively signed up with Sōsuke.
Now that peace had been restored to the Land of Rain, their next focus would be strengthening their power. He wanted to work in Amegakure and help more Rain Ninja understand the true Shinobi Sect.
Land of Fire, Konoha.
Hiruzen was processing documents when he suddenly felt thirsty.
His eyes remained on the documents while his right hand put down the pen and reached for the teacup on his desk.
Clatter!
For some reason, Hiruzen fumbled and failed to hold the teacup steady. It fell to the ground and shattered, spilling tea everywhere.
Hiruzen put down the documents, took a deep breath, and touched his chest.
"I haven't been overworking lately, so why did this suddenly happen?" Hiruzen looked puzzled.
For a brief moment just now, he had felt a sudden palpitation.
Hiruzen frowned and called the Anbu at the door in to clean up the fragments and wipe the floor.
Losing a teacup was only a small matter to Hiruzen. It was not some precious antique.
The real reason Hiruzen felt displeased was that he had suddenly realized he was no longer young, to the point that he had even failed to hold a teacup steady.
After returning to the Hokage Office, Hiruzen stood before the large floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked Konoha and sighed softly.
"Every single one of them causes so much trouble. Will I really be able to retire peacefully in the future?"
From taking over as Hokage during a time of crisis until now, Hiruzen had already grown somewhat weary.
If there was a suitable candidate, then once the Ninja World settled down a little, Hiruzen would not hesitate to pass on the position of Hokage.
He had stood at the peak for long enough and had no great attachment to power.
Compared to spending every day toiling for Konoha, Hiruzen longed for a retired life where he could occasionally fish and help educate his grandchildren.
Perhaps he could even experience a second spring in his teaching career, raising his grandchildren into excellent Ninja like Mugetsu.
The next night.
Just as Hiruzen was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard someone calling his name. The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
"Old man, wake up! Mugetsu-sensei is calling you!" Asuma pushed open Hiruzen's door and shouted.
He had also heard the voice from outside and immediately recognized it as Mugetsu's.
Hiruzen quickly dressed and walked out of the bedroom.
Mugetsu coming to see him at this hour was definitely not a small matter.
Asuma wanted to follow, but Hiruzen unceremoniously sent him back.
"Go to sleep!" Hiruzen said sternly.
If he had not sensed that Mugetsu had urgent business, Asuma's disrespectful behavior alone would have been enough for Hiruzen to lecture him for a while.
"If I don't go, then I don't go," Asuma retorted unhappily, turning back toward his own bedroom.
It was not that he was afraid of Hiruzen. It was because Mugetsu had not called for him. If Mugetsu had called his name too, he would not have listened even if Hiruzen told him not to go.
Hiruzen quickly walked out of the house and saw Mugetsu standing in the courtyard with a sorrowful expression.
The moment Hiruzen saw Mugetsu's expression, his heart sank. He immediately felt that something was wrong.
In his impression, Mugetsu had always been an optimistic and strong person. For Mugetsu to show such an expression, it was definitely not a small matter.
"Mugetsu, are you all right?" Hiruzen first asked about Mugetsu's condition, then continued, "Did something happen? It's fine to take more leave from the Kenbunshoku Haki lessons. There's no rush."
Hiruzen valued Kenbunshoku Haki training greatly, but compared to Mugetsu himself, a training program was clearly insignificant.
"Sandaime-sama, thank you for your concern. I'm fine," Mugetsu said, shaking his head. Then his eyes reddened. "It's Danzo-sama. He... he sacrificed himself..."
After speaking, Mugetsu lowered his head slightly, his face full of pain.
Hiruzen stared at Mugetsu in disbelief, his oppressive gaze fixed on him.
"You said Danzo sacrificed himself?"
Only a few days ago, they had been drinking and chatting together. Now he was suddenly being told that Danzo was dead.
How could Hiruzen believe that?
On the battlefield, it was normal for a friend one drank and ate with yesterday to die today. But he had not sent Danzo to the battlefield.
Inside Konoha, who had the ability to silently kill a high-ranking official of Konoha?
Mugetsu nodded silently.
Hiruzen's body trembled slightly, and he took a step back.
In truth, the moment Mugetsu first said Danzo was dead, Hiruzen had already believed it rationally.
Because the one who said it was Mugetsu.
Mugetsu was a representative of Konoha's younger generation and had once been a member of Root. He had no reason to lie about such news.
But the news made it difficult for Hiruzen to remain rational. He had instinctively resisted and questioned it.
However, he was ultimately the Third Hokage. Self-deception was not something he could allow himself to do.
Mugetsu quickly stepped forward to support Hiruzen.
Hiruzen shook his head, indicating that he did not need it.
He had merely been overwhelmed by the shock for a moment. He was not truly that old.
"Where did he die? Was his body brought back?" Hiruzen asked in a deep voice.
It was impossible for Danzo to have died in Konoha, or even in the Land of Fire.
"The Land of Rain. His body is currently at the Root Base," Mugetsu answered truthfully.
"Besides Danzo-sama, most of the Root Ninja also sacrificed themselves. Currently, only one member of Root remains."
Although Mugetsu and Yamato could also be considered Root members, they were not on Root's roster and were not publicly Root members.
Hiruzen said nothing. He only rubbed his tightly furrowed brow.
At that moment, he already had some guesses about Danzo's death.
Earlier, Danzo had advised Hiruzen to pay attention to the Shinobi Sect and the Ninja forces of the Land of Rain.
Now, Danzo was dead in the Land of Rain.
Hiruzen felt that it was very likely because he had not agreed to Danzo's proposal. Danzo had then acted on his own, gotten into trouble, and been killed.
"Do you know how Danzo died? Why did he go to the Land of Rain? Why did he die there?" Hiruzen asked directly as they walked.
Based on Hiruzen's understanding of Danzo, the Root Ninja remaining at the Root Base most likely did not know much.
Although Mugetsu was no longer a Root member, given the current situation, he might know quite a bit.
"I'm not sure why Danzo-sama went to the Land of Rain. He never told me the reason. He only said there was a very important matter he needed my help with, and that I could not tell the Sandaime," Mugetsu said, looking at Hiruzen with an apologetic expression.
Danzo had been very cautious. The scroll he gave Mugetsu only instructed him to go to the Land of Rain. It did not explain what he was supposed to do.
Hiruzen's expression did not change.
This was very much like Danzo. It sounded exactly like something Danzo would do.
"The one who killed Danzo-sama was Sōsuke of the Land of Rain."
As he spoke, Mugetsu's eyes reddened again, and his tone filled with self-reproach.
"If I had arrived earlier, or if I had told the Sandaime about this, perhaps Danzo-sama would not have died."
"When I arrived, Danzo-sama had already been severely wounded. Although I immediately used Flying Thunder God to rescue him, it was already too late."
"Danzo-sama's injuries were too severe. My Medical Ninjutsu could not heal him. I could only watch helplessly as Danzo-sama died."
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
It was as if he could imagine Mugetsu's joy when he rescued Danzo, followed by the helplessness and self-blame when he witnessed Danzo's death.
After all, Mugetsu had been raised by Danzo from a young age. It was impossible for him to have no feelings for Danzo.
"Mugetsu, this is not your fault," Hiruzen said, placing a hand on Mugetsu's shoulder to comfort him.
Hiruzen was deeply pained by the death of his old friend, but judging the nature of the matter alone, Danzo was certainly the one at fault first. It was not Mugetsu's fault for being too slow to save him.
"But even if it wasn't about being faster, if my Medical Ninjutsu had been stronger, perhaps Danzo-sama would not have..." Mugetsu remained immersed in sorrowful self-reproach.
"No Ninja can develop all their abilities equally. If such a person exists, then he must be mediocre. This is not your problem. You are already excellent enough," Hiruzen comforted him.
To be honest, Hiruzen felt that Danzo had walked into his own death trap.
Even if Mugetsu himself had gone, he might not have been able to save him. Even if Mugetsu had notified him immediately, Hiruzen would have been powerless by that point.
The solution to the problem had not been with Mugetsu. It had been with Danzo himself.
All of Danzo's own actions had led him into his death trap. Based on the information currently known, Hiruzen made that judgment.
As they talked, the two arrived at the Root Base.
There, Hiruzen saw his old friend lying on the ice platform.