Chapter 655: Taking Off the Disguise
"No. Even if the effect is the same, the value can't be considered equal. The necklace I gave you was made by my grandfather."
"My grandfather is the founder of Konoha, the First Hokage, and the God of Shinobi. Just those titles alone make it worth who knows how much," Tsunade said with a serious expression.
"Then you don't want this?" Mugetsu said, making as if to take it back.
Tsunade's eyes and hands were quick. She immediately snatched the light-green crystal from Mugetsu's palm.
"Although yours isn't as valuable as my grandfather's, it can still offset part of your debt," Tsunade said, looking up after carefully examining the crystal.
Objectively speaking, the necklace Mugetsu made had plenty of room to appreciate in value. In the future, it might not be much worse than Senju Hashirama's necklace, provided Mugetsu did not create more necklaces with the same function.
"So, how many meals do I owe now?" Mugetsu asked curiously.
Tsunade stroked her fair chin, sinking into thought.
"Let's count it by days. That's simpler. Including the interest from borrowing the necklace, let's say one thousand four hundred and sixty-one days," Tsunade answered after thinking it over.
The original ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine days had merely been something Tsunade said offhand. She herself would not live that long, so how could she seriously ask Mugetsu to cook for her for such a ridiculous amount of time?
One thousand four hundred and sixty-one days was roughly four years. Tsunade felt that this was a number Mugetsu should be able to accept.
"That's still quite a long number," Mugetsu said with some emotion.
"I've already given you a huge discount. If you try to bargain any further, the discount might not stay as just a number," Tsunade threatened, assuming Mugetsu was trying to haggle as she rubbed her fair fists together.
In truth, this number was still above Tsunade's bottom line, but since such a rare opportunity had come her way, she naturally would not back down easily unless Mugetsu came up with a truly convincing argument.
"Then one thousand four hundred and sixty-one days it is," Mugetsu said with a faint smile.
Tsunade's face instantly lit up with joy. Her clenched fists relaxed, and she chuckled as she patted Mugetsu on the back, acting like a good buddy.
"Lady Tsunade, your expression changes so quickly," Shizune complained.
"What does a little brat like you know? All adults are like this," Tsunade said righteously, planting her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest, and raising her head.
What was face worth?
A few meals from Mugetsu.
After noon, Mugetsu returned home and read until it was almost time for his scheduled meeting with Hiruzen.
At four o'clock, Mugetsu arrived at the Hokage Office on time and knocked on the wooden door.
"Come in," Hiruzen's voice sounded from inside the office.
After receiving permission, Mugetsu pushed the door open and greeted him.
"Sandaime-sama."
Hiruzen responded with a smile and set down the documents in his hand.
Mugetsu closed the door and walked forward.
"Given your excellent performance, Mugetsu, both I and the Advisor Elders believe you have the ability to serve as Hokage Assistant," Hiruzen said directly.
Mugetsu gave a polite smile and nodded.
Normally, Mugetsu should have shown a perfectly timed expression of surprise and joy, but he was too lazy to put on that much of an act anymore.
In the past, he had acted because he wanted to win Hiruzen's favor and build a persona as a genius ninja who understood the Will of Fire. That way, the growth of his strength would seem more legitimate.
Now, he no longer needed to do so. When a person's strength reached a certain level, whether something was reasonable or not no longer mattered. What mattered was possessing that strength.
When he had been weak, he had needed to act for many reasons just to keep himself alive.
If he still had to keep acting after becoming strong, then wouldn't all the power he had worked so hard to gain have been for nothing?
"The official appointment will be announced at the Jonin meeting one week from now." Although Hiruzen felt that Mugetsu's reaction was somewhat calm, he continued speaking.
After all, Mugetsu was the key figure who would make Konoha invincible in the Ninja World for the next several decades. No matter what expression Mugetsu wore, Hiruzen could automatically find a reasonable explanation for it.
"With Mugetsu's intelligence, it's normal for him to have guessed my thoughts," Hiruzen quickly reasoned in his heart.
"Thank you for your trust, and for the trust of the other high-ranking officials," Mugetsu said gratefully.
Putting everything else aside, Hiruzen truly trusted him now.
"It's mainly because you are too outstanding. It's hard not to trust you," Hiruzen said with a smile, stroking his short beard.
"Oh, right. Mugetsu, give me a detailed report on the battle in the Land of Grass, where you encountered the person suspected to be Uchiha Madara," Hiruzen said, his tone shifting as he brought up the matter of Madara.
Although Mugetsu had already submitted a written report before, Hiruzen felt that hearing Mugetsu personally recount the details might reveal some new clues.
"The situation was like this. We were pursuing a group of Iwagakure shinobi when we encountered an ambush. During the battle, a black-robed figure suddenly rushed out…"
Mugetsu recounted the battle from beginning to end, omitting certain combat details, such as his own Izanagi resurrection.
"A Susanoo over eighty meters tall, powerful chakra, terrifying large-scale Fire Release…" Hiruzen fell into deep thought.
It had to be said that with all these factors combined, he really could only think of Uchiha Madara.
Since the era of the Hidden Villages began, among all the Uchiha ninja he knew, no one besides Uchiha Madara had ever reached the level of strength Mugetsu described.
"It's a pity the Village doesn't have Uchiha Madara's physical information. Otherwise, confirming his identity would be simple," Hiruzen said, rubbing his brow.
The ninja suspected to be Uchiha Madara was dead, but whether that corpse truly belonged to Uchiha Madara remained extremely important.
If it was Uchiha Madara, then naturally everything would be fine. Perhaps they could even obtain the secret technique that allowed him to remain powerful in old age from Madara's body. It was truly absurd that he could still fight at such an advanced age.
If it was not Uchiha Madara, then the problem would be serious.
They had no intelligence at all on such a powerful Uchiha ninja. Was the "Uchiha Madara" who had cooperated with Danzo Shimura actually this person? Could the real Uchiha Madara still be alive? And what exactly was the situation with Konoha's Uchiha?
"Perhaps I can search through those sealed documents. Maybe my teacher secretly studied him?" Hiruzen suddenly had an idea.
Senju Tobirama had always been extremely wary of the Uchiha, so he might have secretly investigated or researched Uchiha Madara.
"That's all for now, Mugetsu. Go back and get some proper rest. You worked the hardest this time," Hiruzen said, smiling at Mugetsu, who was still standing in the office.
Mugetsu had first crushed the Mist forces and captured a large number of Kirigakure ninja. Then, he killed Uchiha Madara on the battlefield in the Land of Grass, which directly led to the three great ninja villages being encircled.
In just two months, he had accomplished great feats that ordinary ninja could not achieve in several lifetimes.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Mugetsu returned home.
This time, he did not read books to research Breathing Techniques or refine the Yang Seal. Instead, he took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, then began practicing calligraphy.
Calligraphy had been one of Mugetsu's hobbies in his previous life.
However, after transmigrating to the Ninja World, Mugetsu had far less time to practice it.
It had still been fine when he first started at the Ninja Academy. Back then, he could steal some time during lunch to write.
Later, after his main body no longer stayed at the Ninja Academy, the amount of time he spent on calligraphy decreased significantly.
Mugetsu did not feel that it was a pity. A hobby was just a hobby. He would never allow a hobby to interfere with his improvement in strength.
…
On the third day after Mugetsu returned to the Village.
Today, Mugetsu did not go to Tsunade's house to cook, because he had guests at his own home.
"Hehe, Mugetsu, you didn't expect this, did you? I, Kushina, am back!" Kushina greeted Mugetsu enthusiastically.
"Mugetsu, sorry for bothering you," Minato said with a gentle smile.
After hearing the knock, Mugetsu opened the door. When he saw Kushina, he was briefly stunned, then smiled and welcomed the two of them inside.
The Shinobi World War had ended, so it was normal for Kushina's training to temporarily conclude.
In fact, Mugetsu had already visited Kushina on the first day he returned, but at that time, Kushina had still been under restricted movement.
"I only returned today. When I was reporting my mission, I heard from Sandaime-sama that Kushina's training could end, so I went to pick her up first," Minato said.
Mugetsu nodded. That was about what he had expected. Orochimaru should also have returned to Konoha by now.
"It feels exactly the same as before."
Kushina curiously looked around Mugetsu's living room and found that after more than three years, there had been no change at all. The layout and furnishings were exactly the same as she remembered.
"Kushina, you've only been away for just over three years, not thirty. What kind of changes were you expecting?" Mugetsu said with a smile as he brought over the tea set and started brewing tea for them.
In truth, it was mainly because Mugetsu did not care about those things.
Before killing Uchiha Madara, he had always felt as though a Sword of Damocles was hanging over his head. Every day, he was either thinking of ways to grow stronger or planning how to kill Madara. How could he have had the time or mood to care about such matters?
"More than three years is still a long time. We've only known each other for just over four years in total," Kushina said, clearly holding a different opinion.
"Although the house hasn't changed, you, Mugetsu, have changed so much compared to before. When I first met you, you were still a chunin teacher. Now all of Konoha is talking about your deeds."
Thinking back to Mugetsu's past, Kushina could not help feeling emotional.
Back then, she had worried that her good friend was too weak and might accidentally die in some corner of the world, so she had tried every possible method to teach Mugetsu Fuinjutsu.
Yet in only four years, Mugetsu had not only surpassed Minato, he had even surpassed the Sannin.
His growth speed was so exaggerated that it would make the protagonists of some ninja novels feel ashamed.
"It's a good thing you wear glasses, Mugetsu. Otherwise, Minato probably wouldn't even want to leave the house because of the embarrassment," Kushina said, remembering what had happened on the road earlier. She could not help laughing out loud.
Just now, when they were walking along Konoha's main street, some Konoha residents had actually called Minato "Lord Mugetsu."
Minato was also quite famous in Konoha. Ninja rarely mistook him for someone else, but some unfamiliar residents still easily confused the two of them.
Minato could only scratch his head. He had never imagined there would come a day when something like this would happen to him.
Still, Minato could understand it. Mugetsu's contributions this time were too great, and Konoha was heavily promoting him. Things should return to normal after some time passed.
Mugetsu's expression turned subtle.
In a way, it was a strange reversal, mistaking Minato for him, the transmigrator.
"That hateful old man Sandaime. He made me stay bored for so long, and it turned out to be completely useless!" Kushina then angrily denounced Hiruzen.
Kushina could accept undergoing training to control the Nine-Tails' power. After all, that was her responsibility as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
However, after three years of hard work and three years of unbearably boring days, it turned out that none of it had been useful. That made Kushina feel as though all her effort had been meaningless.
Because of that training, she had not eaten at Mugetsu's house for more than three years!
Minato shook his head, his expression becoming a little more serious.
"This is a good thing, Kushina. You should thank Mugetsu for ending the war."
Minato had personally faced a Jinchuriki who could fully transform into a Tailed Beast. He had fought against famous, powerful ninja from enemy villages and had also suffered assassination attempts by elite enemy squads.
He understood the dangers of war. Not having to go to the battlefield was the best possible outcome.
"Of course I know that, but one thing is one thing, and another thing is another. That old man Sandaime is still hateful!" Kushina firmly maintained her stance.
It was only because Mugetsu was still willing to make delicious takeout for her. If it had been someone else who had gone three years without eating Mugetsu's cooking, then even if Hiruzen died, Kushina would probably go to his grave and steal the offerings just to vent her anger.
"What do you want to eat today?" Mugetsu asked. Since he was in a good mood after meeting his friends, he was prepared to make a grand meal.
He had seen Kushina many times, and he often met Minato as well, but it had been a long time since the three of them sat together and chatted like this.
"Braised pork with preserved vegetables, squirrel mandarin fish, Mapo Tofu…" Kushina rapidly rattled off dish names.
"Mmm…"
Minato covered Kushina's mouth and looked at Mugetsu apologetically.
Mugetsu had only just returned from the battlefield and was still busy, so Minato felt bad troubling him like this. If his own cooking had not been so inferior to Mugetsu's, he would have wanted to take responsibility for Mugetsu's three meals for a while instead.
"It's fine. It's no trouble. I should be quite relaxed for a while. We can slowly rotate through ten dishes per meal," Mugetsu said with a faint smile.
"Yay!" Kushina moved Minato's hand away and cheered.
Since there was still some time before dinner, Kushina suggested checking Mugetsu and Minato's Fuinjutsu training.
"Hehe, let Teacher Kushina see if you two have been studying diligently," Kushina said with a smug expression.
She might not be as good as Mugetsu and Minato in other areas, but when it came to Fuinjutsu, she had absolute confidence.
"Coincidentally, I've encountered some difficulties with a Fuinjutsu I'm developing."
Mugetsu told Kushina about the problems he had encountered while developing the Yang Seal.
Kushina's expression gradually changed from "I am Konoha's number one Fuinjutsu user" to "this problem is a little difficult," and then finally to "who am I, where am I."
"Ahem. Mugetsu, as your teacher, I hereby declare that you have graduated," Kushina said with a serious expression.
Minato glanced at it curiously, analyzed it for a bit, and discovered that he also had no idea where to begin.
Although Kushina had verbally given up, she continued wearing a thoughtful expression and did not even test Minato.
"You two sit for a while. I'll go cook." Seeing that his Shadow Clone had already bought the ingredients, Mugetsu stood up and left the living room.
"I'll help," Minato said, getting up and following Mugetsu into the kitchen.
He could help Mugetsu prepare the ingredients, lightening his burden while also speeding things up.
"Give this to Kushina when you get back."
When Minato entered the kitchen, Mugetsu slipped the completed chakra necklace into Minato's hand and explained its function.
Although he had a good relationship with Kushina, it was better for Minato to give her a gift like a necklace.
.....
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