When it comes to matters related to the development of Root, Shimura Danzo is extremely diligent.
Even though Mutsuki's reply reached him at night, Shimura Danzo still read the reply immediately, setting an example of the leader working overtime.
When Shimura Danzo saw the beginning of the message, he nodded, thinking to himself that Root members, whom he had trained from a young age, were indeed reliable.
Even though Mutsuki had already left Root, become the vice principal of the Academy, and achieved some merits on the battlefield, it wasn't hard to see from his reply that Mutsuki still respected him greatly as a subordinate.
However, when Shimura Danzo read Mutsuki's concerns about secretly training Root members and potentially being blamed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, he couldn't help but show a look of irritation.
Shimura Danzo wasn't angry at Mutsuki but at Sarutobi Hiruzen, because all his recent proposals had been rejected by Sarutobi Hiruzen. Based on his understanding of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mutsuki's concerns were valid.
Sarutobi Hiruzen did not want Root to grow stronger, and secretly recalling Mutsuki, who had already left Root, for special training would surely be something Sarutobi Hiruzen would not approve of.
Shimura Danzo wanted to keep this matter hidden, knowing that negotiating with Sarutobi Hiruzen would likely lead to complications. However, he also realized that it would be difficult to hide this from Sarutobi Hiruzen's ANBU, especially since Mutsuki had his duties at the Academy. If Mutsuki had to come to Root for training at night after teaching at the Academy, the frequent back-and-forth would easily be noticed.
"I have no choice but to talk to Hiruzen," Shimura Danzo concluded, after weighing the pros and cons, that discussing the matter with Sarutobi Hiruzen was the best option.
If they tried to keep it secret and were discovered, Mutsuki's role as a hidden piece would be ruined. Worse, Sarutobi Hiruzen could use the violation as an excuse to further weaken Root.
Shimura Danzo had high hopes for Mutsuki's future, believing that Mutsuki's steady development could become a strong support for him. It would be a great pity if such potential were exposed due to this situation.
The next morning, Shimura Danzo entered the Hokage Building and headed straight for the Hokage's office.
Shimura Danzo did not knock, simply pushing the door open and walking in.
"In such a rush, is there something urgent?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, looking up and seeing that it was Shimura Danzo, put down the file in his hand and asked.
Recently, he had reprimanded Shimura Danzo several times, so he didn't bother mentioning the lack of knocking this time. After all, Shimura Danzo was his old classmate and an advisor to the Hokage. Criticizing him occasionally was fine, but it couldn't be every day—he had to give him some face.
"You know, Root has lost many outstanding members to ensure Konoha gains more advantages on the battlefield," Shimura Danzo began, not stating his purpose directly but first expressing his grievances.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing, placing his pipe in his mouth, taking a deep puff, and exhaling a cloud of smoke. Then he replied:
"Hasn't fresh blood already been brought in?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Shimura Danzo wasn't lying, though he had exaggerated the facts a bit. However, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not going to agree to further expansion of Root.
Root had already grown to a level of strength that made it almost a second ANBU. If not for Shimura Danzo being its leader, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't tolerate such a force existing within Konoha.
It was important to note that ANBU was directly under the Hokage's command, but Root was not.
"New recruits were added, yes, but they can never compare to the excellent Root members who have died. This has weakened Root, and all areas of its work have been affected," Shimura Danzo said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Sarutobi Hiruzen's.
Shimura Danzo's gaze seemed to say that Root had shed blood and endured wounds for the sake of Konoha. Wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen able to show Root some leniency?
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent, simply locking eyes with Shimura Danzo. He felt that he had already given enough concessions to Danzo and Root, and didn't believe he owed them anything further.
"I need Mutsuki Yumi to help me train the new Root members. Root needs someone with his excellent teaching abilities right now," Shimura Danzo said, clenching his fist and speaking with a cold expression, as if this was his final demand.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't respond immediately. He removed his pipe, tapped his fingers on the desk, and showed a thoughtful expression. Allowing Mutsuki to fully return to Root was out of the question. With Mutsuki's abilities, his return would significantly strengthen Root.
After some thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke, "Mutsuki can train Root members, but only for a short-term period, and the training must be conducted together with ANBU."
"Recently, ANBU has also recruited some new members. Since there's going to be training, they can join as well."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was also curious to see if Mutsuki could still demonstrate his High-level teaching skills with fully developed ninjas.
Shimura Danzo was about to say something, but Sarutobi Hiruzen cut him off.
"Danzo, don't forget Root's original purpose."
Shimura Danzo was momentarily speechless, as the reason he had established Root in the first place was under the guise of training ANBU ninjas.
The two of them then discussed the specific arrangements for the training. Throughout the conversation, Shimura Danzo kept a cold expression, as if Sarutobi Hiruzen owed him thirty million ryo.
It wasn't until he stepped out of the Hokage Building that Shimura Danzo's expression returned to normal.
As the head of Root, Shimura Danzo was quite confident in his acting skills. Most of his performance in the Hokage's office had been an act, aimed at making Sarutobi Hiruzen feel like he had taken a loss.
Although there was a small hiccup in the process, Shimura Danzo felt that he had essentially achieved his main goal, so he didn't feel like he had lost anything.
In fact, Shimura Danzo understood why Sarutobi Hiruzen had rejected his proposals. However, Shimura Danzo believed the problem didn't lie with him, but with Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was wholeheartedly working for the good of Konoha, and a stronger Root would only benefit the village, not harm it. Sarutobi Hiruzen should have more trust in him.
Considering that Mutsuki had classes all day, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to have a meeting with him when he's done.
Knock, knock!
Soon, the wooden door of the Hokage's office was knocked on.
"Come in," Sarutobi Hiruzen said after taking a sip of hot tea.
Mutsuki, who was waiting outside, immediately pushed the door open and entered, greeting Sarutobi Hiruzen with a respectful expression.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in response with a smile.
"ANBU and Root have gained some fresh blood. I'd like you to conduct special training for them to improve their skills. I'll arrange for another sensei to take over your classes at the Ninja Academy," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, getting straight to the point without wasting any time.
Mutsuki looked surprised and then replied, "ANBU and Root are both filled with elite ninjas. I'm afraid there isn't much I can teach them."
"No need to be modest, Mutsuki. Everyone recognizes your teaching ability. Just go ahead and train them," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with an expression of trust.
"Thank you for your trust, Third-sama. I will do my best to help them improve their skills," Mutsuki responded gratefully.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled as he stroked his small mustache. This was the art of words—though it was just a task assignment, he still managed to receive Mutsuki's gratitude.
Afterward, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Mutsuki also discussed Asuma's training. Since it was already past working hours, they finished their conversation and left the Hokage Building together.
"ANBU and Root together..." On his way home, Mutsuki thought about the new task Sarutobi Hiruzen had just assigned him.
This was slightly different from what Shimura Danzo had expected, clearly a result of mutual compromise between both parties.
However, for Mutsuki, this was a good thing, because his system worked better the more people he trained, especially when the quality was high—it would trigger better rewards more easily.
If it were only some new Root members, Mutsuki might have worried about not meeting the requirements, but with members from both organizations, that wouldn't be an issue.
Back home, Mutsuki began thinking about the content of the special training. This wasn't the same as the training during the Academy holidays. Those who could enter ANBU or Root were at least elite among the Chunin, or even Jonin.
The standard for Konoha Jonin was quite high. If someone was too specialized, even if they were strong enough, they might only end up as a Special Jonin.
This is Mutsuki's opportunity to prove his teaching abilities. If he teaches well, his value as an instructor will be further magnified, making him more trusted and relied upon. This would also make his future actions much more convenient.
If there were to be significant reforms in the Academy, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't trust Mutsuki to lead them unless he had some remarkable achievements under his belt.
The results of the two Academy holiday training sessions he led were outstanding, but when it comes to one's track record, the more impressive it is, the better.
However, Mutsuki didn't put too much emphasis on this. With his current level of ninja knowledge and teaching skills, helping others improve their abilities wasn't particularly difficult.
For Mutsuki, the two most important things right now are developing a chakra battery and mastering the Flying Thunder God technique.
The chakra battery could help alleviate his issue with chakra recovery. Once his chakra is depleted, he could simply draw from the reserve without needing to refine it again.
Mastering the Flying Thunder God technique would grant him the ability to teleport over long distances in an instant, which would be incredibly useful in many situations.
Mutsuki spent 20 minutes drafting a rough outline before focusing his attention on learning Sealing Jutsu.
After two hours of studying Sealing Jutsu, Minato arrived at Mutsuki's house to discuss Ninjutsu. Mutsuki was learning the Flying Thunder God technique from Minato, while Minato listened to Mutsuki talk about the development of Rasengan. Minato didn't head home until it was nearly bedtime.
After Minato left, Mutsuki researched the Breathing Technique for a bit before going to sleep. Before bed, Mutsuki checked the progress of his disciples' life missions.
The rewards for life missions were quite generous, and if any disciple's progress was fast enough to reach a settlement point, Mutsuki would help accelerate their progress, just like he had done for Obito.
Mutsuki reviewed all of his disciples' life mission progress. Currently, Obito had the highest progress and had already reached a settlement once.
Next was Guy; Mutsuki discovered that Guy's task progress had surprisingly reached 9.4%. He was just 0.6% away from being able to settle.
Third was Shisui. Although he ranked third, his progress was quite low, unable to compare with Obito or Guy at all.
The last place, Kakashi, was the only one with zero progress, but Kakashi's task was somewhat special, and Mutsuki couldn't say who would settle first between him and Shisui.
"If Guy can open the Fourth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates in a normal state, then increasing by 0.6 shouldn't be a problem," Mutsuki thought to himself.
Based on the growth rates of life missions at different periods, Mutsuki identified the key factors for Guy's life mission progress—strength and reputation.
An increase in strength would lead to progress, and an increase in reputation would also boost progress. For example, in the third round of the Chunin Exams, due to a large audience and Guy's impressive performance, his life mission progress increased a bit after the battle.
However, according to Mutsuki's records, increases in strength generally contributed much more to progress than increases in reputation.
If it were only a difference of 0.1 or 0.2, Mutsuki would probably have Guy go out and complete some flashy tasks, and maybe he would reach the next milestone.
For a difference of 0.6, Mutsuki felt that training Guy to open the Fourth Gate would be quicker, as Guy was already close to achieving that.
The next day, Mutsuki communicated with Chen-sensei about temporarily removing Guy from the team for special training.
However, Mutsuki always treated his disciples fairly and wouldn't put extra pressure on Guy alone.
"Everyone might have to work a bit harder for a while; the recent training will be a bit tough," Mutsuki said with a warm smile to his disciples.
"Youth is all about training hard!" Guy exclaimed with a thumbs up, laughing heartily.
The harder the training, the more excited Guy became, seeing it as a stepping stone on his path to becoming the strongest.
Upon hearing Mutsuki's words, Obito's face paled, feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Mutsuki rarely mentioned the difficulty of training, and when he did, it usually meant it was genuinely tough—like the recent Breathing Technique Constant training.
The Constant training was the most grueling experience Obito had ever faced; he could actually fall asleep while standing. Feeling exhausted was one thing, but having to solve problems while tired made it a deeply painful experience for Obito.
Kakashi's expression grew serious as he recalled the last Breathing Technique Constant training.
Shisui remained unfazed; generally, if the training was tough, it would lead to significant improvements, indicating that an opportunity for a breakthrough was approaching.
Shizune sensed that the atmosphere was a bit different, but she didn't quite understand it. Mutsuki hadn't said much; after all, it was just going to be a bit difficult.
As if he sensed Shizune's thoughts, Obito looked at her with a pitying expression.
"What a naïve child; she has no idea what she's about to face," Obito lamented.
Snap!
Mutsuki's finger accurately tapped Obito's forehead.
After giving the playful Obito a light punishment, Mutsuki quickly began to arrange the training activities.
This special training was mainly focused on tailored exercises based on each disciple's different characteristics.
Guy needed to open the Fourth Gate, while Kakashi had to fully master the Transparent World. Obito was to focus on Flame Breathing Chakra Mode…
Mutsuki's approach was to help his disciples quickly convert their foundational skills into strength to enhance their combat abilities.
Although Shizune was an exchange student, she could be considered a half-disciple, so Mutsuki included her in the training as well.
At first, Shizune was puzzled but smiled. As the training began, she started to miss the days spent learning under Tsunade.
Although Tsunade often had her do chores, Shizune felt that compared to training, a day of doing chores wasn't really that tiring.
"Has Rin-chan always trained like this? No wonder she became so strong," Shizune thought, her image of Rin becoming more vivid.
"I must not give up. When Tsunade-sama checks on my training progress, she will definitely be surprised," Shizune motivated herself in every way she could.
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