Chapter 661: Changing the Future
As soon as Orochimaru returned to Konoha, he went directly to the Hokage Office to report on his mission.
When Hiruzen saw Orochimaru enter in such a hurried manner, a sense of unease immediately rose in his heart.
Orochimaru had returned too quickly, and his appearance did not look like that of someone who had completed his mission successfully.
"Hiruzen sensei, the negotiations have broken down, and the mission has failed. Ninshū's attitude is very abnormal," Orochimaru said with a serious expression.
Even though he had already anticipated it, Hiruzen could not help sighing inwardly when he heard Orochimaru's words.
"Describe the negotiation process in detail," Hiruzen said.
Understanding why the negotiations had broken down was crucial. It would determine whether they could conduct a second round of talks, as well as what strategy they should adopt next.
"Ninshū's attitude was very firm. Inexplicably firm. They acted as if they were not afraid of going to war with Konoha."
Orochimaru recounted his entire conversation with Kakuzu during the meeting.
Hiruzen's brows furrowed after hearing Kakuzu's first statement. Kakuzu's attitude was indeed wrong.
Since when did a small nation's force dare to shout, "Whether we go to war depends on you," at a Great Ninja Village?
Where did they get such courage?
Was it because they had fewer ninja, or because their ninja were weaker?
Hiruzen instinctively took out his pipe, lit it, puffed a few times, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"A feint, perhaps…"
Hiruzen tapped his right hand rhythmically against the table, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
Konoha could certainly scare Ninshū by threatening them with war.
Because Konoha truly had the strength to back it up. It was only that Hiruzen preferred stability and wanted to develop steadily.
If Ninshū was using a feint against Konoha, then it was truly a pure gamble, betting that Konoha's gun had no bullets.
"Hiruzen sensei, I think we should first dispatch a small team to conduct a detailed investigation of Ninshū," Orochimaru suggested.
There was no benefit for Konoha in rushing into a fight with Ninshū. Besides, Hiruzen did not seem inclined to wage war against them.
Hiruzen nodded.
Before preparing their next move, they needed to clarify whether Ninshū truly had confidence or was merely bluffing.
…
After returning to Konoha, Shisui split off a Shadow Clone to act separately and invited Kakashi and the others to the South Border Forest to discuss the matter of Ninshū.
"What do you all think we should do?" Shisui asked after explaining the entire situation.
All four fell into thought, and for a moment, no one spoke.
"Actually, the issue with Ninshū might be more serious than you imagine, Shisui," Kakashi said after thinking it over.
"Ninshū's leader killed one of Konoha's high ranking officials. Even if the truth is exactly as the Ninshū ninja claim, that Danzo plotted something malicious and was killed in return, this outcome still will not change."
What was a Ninja Village?
It was a military group that accepted employment from anyone. It was not a righteous crusader that guarded the Ninja World.
With a high ranking official killed, regardless of the process, Konoha would hold Ninshū accountable.
"This level of conflict is irreconcilable. Either Ninshū compromises, or both sides go to war."
When news of Danzo's death had spread, Kakashi had already thought about Ninshū.
However, Konoha had been busy with battles at the time, so Kakashi had not brought it up. Compared to Ninshū and the future Akatsuki Organization, Mugetsu's safety had been more important.
"Then Ninshū is bound to be destroyed, isn't it?" Obito said with a look of pity.
He had a rather good impression of Yahiko from Ninshū.
"More or less. Even if Teacher Mugetsu intervenes, it would be the same. It might instead cause problems with his position," Kakashi nodded and said.
If Ninshū and Konoha only had a minor dispute, then it would naturally be fine for Mugetsu, the Hokage Assistant, to step forward and mediate.
But Konoha had lost a former Hokage Assistant.
Shisui thought carefully and realized that it was indeed as Kakashi said. Mugetsu truly was not suitable to prevent the conflict between Ninshū and Konoha.
Mugetsu had been promoted to Hokage Assistant only after Danzo died. Logically speaking, Mugetsu should actively seek revenge for his predecessor.
"Damn it. If only I were Hokage! If someone privately assassinated the leader of another force, I would be the first to clean house!" Obito scratched his hair.
This feeling of knowing that something bad was going to happen but being unable to stop it made him extremely uncomfortable.
Moreover, the Great War had just ended, and another war might break out, one incited by their own Village. That made Obito even more uncomfortable.
"If you were leading Konoha, I'm afraid Konoha would have to cut down on its number of ninja within a few years," Kakashi sighed.
Obito had indeed improved compared to before, but his ideas were still too idealistic.
If they only accepted righteous missions, how could Konoha develop and grow stronger?
Rin hesitated to speak, but in the end, she could not say anything.
In the past, it had always been enemies invading Konoha.
Now, Konoha was the one targeting another force.
"Don't think about these things. Let's have a battle of youth and passion! No matter when, being strong is always a good thing!" Guy suddenly stood up and smiled, revealing his shining white teeth when he saw the atmosphere becoming a little gloomy.
He did not have thoughts as meticulous as Kakashi and Shisui, but he trusted Mugetsu and his comrades. As long as they continued working hard, they would surely succeed.
"Now that I think about it, for various reasons, it really has been a long time since we had an internal team battle," Obito said, his expression becoming interested.
Their internal team battles were not just for fighting. They were also for mutual encouragement and promoting each other's growth.
So after the busy war began, internal battles had been placed on hold.
The struggles on the battlefield were much more stimulating than internal team battles and were enough to satisfy their need to improve their strength.
Now that the Great War was over and the Ninja World had temporarily returned to peace, his strength had also greatly increased. It was the perfect time for an internal team battle.
"You're not planning to use Kamui in an internal battle, are you? There is a pretty affordable optician in Konoha's commercial district. Do you want me to take you there later?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
He was not worried about losing the battle. He was worried that Obito would misuse his Mangekyo Sharingan, turn his good eyesight into nearsightedness, and eventually go blind.
"No need! I don't need glasses!" Obito could not help glaring at Kakashi.
He felt underestimated. He would not carelessly use his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"My Kamui is very flexible. If I only use the ability of my right eye a few times, the side effects are minimal."
Although the abilities of both eyes were Kamui, their effects were different, so Obito had given them nicknames to distinguish them.
For example, the Kamui of his right eye, which allowed him to transfer back and forth between real space and the Kamui Dimension, was named Phasing Kamui by Obito.
The Kamui of his left eye, which could forcibly twist and send a portion of an enemy's body into the Kamui Dimension from a distance, was named Warping Kamui by Obito.
Based on Obito's battle experience, Warping Kamui consumed much more chakra and ocular power than Phasing Kamui.
If Obito controlled the number of times he phased, did not use Kamui to absorb people, and did not use Warping Kamui, then the ocular power consumed in a battle would actually be very small.
"Moreover, even without Kamui, my strength is far greater than before!" Obito could not help smiling proudly.
After the Sharingan evolved, it had not only brought him the Eye Technique of Kamui. His chakra had also increased, and the Mangekyo Sharingan's basic abilities themselves were much stronger than the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Furthermore, he had recently unearthed another power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, one that would definitely catch Kakashi off guard.
"It's good that you know what matters," Kakashi said. Seeing that Obito already had a plan in mind, he did not mock him further.
Then Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "How about this? Let's add a new rule. Abilities that cause too much self harm cannot be used in internal battles."
"I think that's fine," Obito nodded.
Although he really wanted to beat Kakashi, he had never considered using Warping Kamui in a fight against him.
"I have no problem with that either," Shisui said, showing a look of agreement.
Tsukuyomi consumed a great deal of ocular power. Theoretically, Shisui was a victim of this rule, but he believed the rule was very necessary. Safety came first.
"Then what about my Eight Gates?" Guy asked, scratching his head.
"You can't open gates that would cause significant harm to yourself," Kakashi explained.
If they directly banned the Eight Gates, then Guy would not even need to fight. He would have to sit in the audience with Rin.
"So that means I can only use the First to Fifth Gates. I have no problem with that either," Guy said, stroking his chin.
If he only used the Sixth Gate alone, it would be fine. But if he used the Sixth Gate and Rock Breathing Chakra Mode at the same time, his body would not be able to endure it.
Actually, even if Kakashi had not said anything, Guy had not planned to use the Sixth Gate combined with Rock Breathing Chakra Mode on his teammates. There was no need to go all out when fighting comrades.
"Since everyone has no problem with it, let's hold an internal ranking battle this week. I'll ask Teacher Mugetsu when he's free tonight," Kakashi said.
Their current strength far exceeded that of ordinary jonin. If they fought with full power without a strong person watching over them, accidents could easily happen.
"The opportunity is finally here!" Obito laughed wildly in his heart.
It had been over four years.
It was time for Uchiha Obito to become Teacher Mugetsu's strongest disciple.
On the surface, Kakashi had benefited from the version update and was the only disciple who could use all of his techniques, but that was precisely proof of Kakashi's weakness. He was so weak that the rules did not restrict him at all.
Shisui's Tsukuyomi could not be used because of the rule restrictions, and Divine Imperial Throne was too important to be used in an internal battle between disciples, so he could not unleash his full strength.
Guy, with the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates stacked with Rock Breathing, was powerful, but as long as one dodged Guy's Golden Horizon and Morning Tiger, he was nothing to worry about.
"It seems you've already secured first place," Kakashi teased, looking at Obito's uncontrollable smirk.
Only then did Obito realize that the smile in his heart had appeared on his face, and he quickly adjusted his expression.
"Cough, cough. I don't know what you're talking about," Obito coughed twice and said with a serious expression.
Next, they discussed whether or not to tell Mugetsu about those things.
In the end, they reached a consensus.
They could tell Mugetsu about future events, but not everything. Only part of it.
The Nine Tails rampage and the extermination of the Uchiha Clan could be revealed, but matters concerning the evil Akatsuki Organization would not be mentioned for now, to prevent Mugetsu from falling into an internal conflict between his position and his humanity.
In the evening, the disciples went as a group to Mugetsu's house to find him.
If it had only been to invite Mugetsu to watch their battle, Kakashi alone would have been enough. But since they were going to reveal future events, having more people present would be better.
At this time, Mugetsu had just returned from eating at Tsunade's house.
"Why are you here at this hour? Have you eaten?" Mugetsu asked with a smile, welcoming his disciples inside.
It had to be said that Daikokuten was indeed a very convenient Eye Technique. Because time was stopped inside it, it was very suitable for preserving hot dishes.
Mugetsu had stored many freshly cooked dishes inside. He could take them out whenever he wanted to eat.
The disciples shook their heads.
They already felt guilty, so how could they impose on him further? They had deliberately eaten before coming over.
"Teacher Mugetsu, we apologize," the disciples said in unison.
"We betrayed your trust. In the Land of Rōran, we secretly asked Captain Yamato and the others about future events," Kakashi explained.
Mugetsu was still wondering what it could be. But after hearing Kakashi's words, he brought his index and middle fingers together, quickly tapped each disciple on the head, and then showed a helpless smile.
"I thought it was something major. It's fine that you know. Just don't tell anyone else. In any case, you would not use this information to do anything bad."
Actually, Mugetsu knew that Kakashi and the others had some misunderstandings about the other world, but he found it difficult to explain.
Because from Kakashi and the others' perspective, the other world had Minato and the Third Hokage, and it was so similar to their side. What else could it be but the future?
As for why Naruto and the others did not recognize Mugetsu, that was also easy to explain.
Mugetsu had died early in history. Naruto did not even know that Minato was his father, so it was perfectly reasonable that he would not recognize Mugetsu.
In any case, there was no harm in it, so Mugetsu simply let them continue misunderstanding.
"Hehe, I knew Teacher Mugetsu was magnanimous and wouldn't blame us," Obito chuckled, touching the spot where he had been tapped.
"Teacher Mugetsu, don't worry. Other than you, we won't tell anyone else."
"In normal history, the Third Shinobi World War ended when Minato sensei was twenty three years old. After that, Minato sensei would become Hokage. But one year after Minato sensei became Hokage, the Nine Tails would go berserk and cause chaos, and Minato sensei would sacrifice himself."
"Eight years after the Nine Tails rampage, Uchiha Itachi would kill everyone in the Uchiha Clan except his younger brother for unknown reasons."
Obito quickly explained the relevant information about the Nine Tails rampage and the extermination of the Uchiha Clan.
"Teacher Mugetsu, Shisui and I can help with the Uchiha side. As for the Nine Tails rampage, we truly have no clue. We'll have to rely on you," Obito said seriously.
Looking at Obito like this, Mugetsu's expression turned subtle.
He lightly tapped Obito's head with his finger.
"The things you're worried about won't happen. I'll handle everything."
Given the current situation, even if Mugetsu did nothing, the Nine Tails rampage would be very difficult to occur.
As for the Uchiha, Mugetsu had also formulated a new plan to ease the conflict, striving to integrate the Uchiha into Konoha as soon as possible.
…..
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