Chapter 89: Running Out of Time
In Mutsuki's impression, the Third Great Ninja War can be described as extremely chaotic. Everyone was attacking each other, and then they ganged up on Konoha together.
Hidden Cloud attacked the hidden Sand and Konoha, Iwagakure attacked Konoha while sneaking up on the rear of Hidden Cloud, hidden Sand repelled Hidden Cloud. Seeing everyone attacking Konoha, the Mist ninjas, who rarely participated in ninja wars, thought, "It would be awkward if I don't join in," and also started attacking Konoha.
The Kazekage disappeared, so let's go attack Konoha.
The brats from Hidden Cloud are annoying; let's go attack Konoha.
In any case, not knowing whom to attack, let's just go for Konoha.
In the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha faced encounters like these.
If it weren't for the sudden arrival of a man, the Yellow-flash Minato Namikaze, the outcome of the Third Great Ninja War would have been hard to predict.
'Iwagakure, with ten thousand ninjas, surrounded and killed the Third Raikage. Yahiko was forced to death by the joint efforts of Danzo and Hanzo, leading Nagato to turn dark. Uchiha Madara manipulated Obito into darkness, and Might Duy opened the Gate of Death, turning the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into a pile of dead bodies...'
Mutsuki recalled the major events of the Third Great Ninja War, sighing at the dangers of the ninja world.
If following the original storyline, the next events would involve Nohara Rin getting fatally injured by Kakashi's Chidori, Obito succumbing to madness, and Guy's father Duy sacrificing himself by opening the Gate of Death to protect Guy.
Curiously, Shisui seemed to escape any losses during the Third Great Ninja War and even earned the title of "Body Flicker Shisui."
However, given that Shisui activated the Sharingan during the Third Great Ninja War, Mutsuki believed that there must have been events during this period that Shisui did not want to witness.
"The time for growth is running out..."
Mutsuki remembered that just before Obito's descent into darkness, Kakashi had recently been promoted to Jonin, becoming a Jonin at the young age of twelve.
Kakashi and Obito are the same age, but now Obito is only eight years old. In other words, if there's a desire to change everything, there are only four years left for him to grow.
Although the exact timing of Guy's incident is unknown, it likely occurred during the intense period of the war, with the time difference not being too significant.
Guy's situation is relatively manageable; after all, it's just a matter of unfortunate luck encountering the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. With three to four years of development, Mutsuki should be able to handle it.
Obito's situation is more troublesome.
On the surface, it appears to be a tragedy caused by a normal war, but it's actually a conspiracy orchestrated by Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu lurking in the shadows.
If we maintain an optimistic mindset, his opponents are just an old man who needs a catheter to sustain life and a puddle of black sludge.
If the outlook is less optimistic, his opponents include the reincarnation through Indra's chakra, currently the only living Rinnegan wielder Uchiha Madara, and Black Zetsu who is the third son of the Chakra originator, Otsutsuki Kaguya.
Mutsuki Yumi is just a Chunin sensei at the ninja school.
"Mutsuki, what are you daydreaming about?" Kushina's voice woke Mutsuki from his contemplation.
Mutsuki sighed and explained, "I was just thinking about whether the war will affect our Konoha."
"Konoha is not a pushover like the Sand village. If anyone wants to wage war with Konoha, they need to consider the consequences," Kushina said confidently, displaying her belief in Konoha's strength.
"Yumi's concerns are not unreasonable. Once the war starts, anything can happen," Minato said in a serious tone.
His thoughts were even more pessimistic than Mutsuki's. While Mutsuki was contemplating if the war would reach Konoha, Minato believed that the war would undoubtedly spread to Konoha.
Normally, the reputation of being the first ninja village would intimidate the small fry. However, once a major conflict broke out, Konoha, bearing the title of the strongest village, could easily become the target of ambitious ninja villages looking to make a name for themselves.
"You can boast about how strong your ninja village is, but no one believes it until you give the the other ninja villages a good beating. That's when you truly prove your strength."
After Minato and Kushina finished their meal, Mutsuki left the main city area to instruct his disciples.
He started by teaching Guy the Soru technique for a while and then organized another race between Obito and Guy.
Today, Guy maintained a slight advantage and won again, but neither of them broke their limits.
Mutsuki's rule was that only by breaking their limits would the new achievement become the next limit for the next race, not the original limit data.
Wanting to achieve new breakthroughs every day was naturally challenging, but Mutsuki didn't feel disappointed.
However, this training method was indeed effective, as evident in the increased proficiency Guy gained compared to usual.
Mutsuki halted Shisui, who was practicing, and said, "Pause your Soru training for now. Today, I'll teach you a new Fire Release Ninjutsu."
"The name of this Ninjutsu is Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson. It's a B-rank Fire Release with significant lethality at close to medium range," Mutsuki explained as he prepared to teach the upcoming Ninjutsu.
When teaching Obito, Mutsuki would start with the Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu before introducing the upgraded version, Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson.
However, when teaching Shisui, whose learning ability is strong, Mutsuki doesn't worry about Shisui's pace of learning.
Mutsuki takes Shisui to an open area.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
Mutsuki forms hand seals and exhales a large burst of flames. Simultaneously, he swiftly throws over ten Shuriken into the air, directing them towards a wooden target in the open space.
The Shuriken pierce through the flames, merging with the fire. In an instant, the Shuriken transform into numerous small fireballs, raining down on the wooden target.
The sharp Shuriken sever the wooden target's arms, penetrating its body. The flames attached to the Shuriken ignite the wooden target, reducing it to ashes.
The key strength of Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson lies in the addition of Shuriken. The combination of sharp Shuriken and the intense, burning damage from Fire Release makes it difficult to evade entirely at close range. If hit, it can inflict significant damage.
[You imparted the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson to your disciple. Due to the disciple's deep gratitude, a critical hit is rewarded, and acquired the Ninjutsu Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet (Intermediate Level).]
Mutsuki nods inwardly, considering it a small success.
Fire Dragon Flame Bullet is also a B-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu. In Mutsuki's memory, it was Lord Third's Ninjutsu, boasting a broad attack range and formidable fire intensity. It is considered a relatively powerful Fire Release.
After explaining and demonstrating it several times, Mutsuki allows Shisui to try it on his own.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
Shisui replicates Mutsuki's actions, exhaling flames and then throwing Shuriken. The Shuriken, carrying flames, head toward the wooden target.
Perhaps due to it being his first attempt, Shisui didn't master it entirely, and not all Shuriken carried the flames.
Using Identification Jutsu to check Shisui's status, Mutsuki sees that the proficiency of Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson has already reached thirty-two. With a bit more practice, Shisui should be able to grasp the technique.
As expected, Shisui's learning ability is robust, and with his teaching skill, he can quickly grasp the Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson, just as Mutsuki anticipated.
Two days later, Obito believed he had the strength to complete the challenge and once again applied to Mutsuki for a redo.
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