Chapter 253: Konoha – Victory in Sight
After training with his students, Mugetsu made his way home through the main district.
On the way, he noticed vendors selling the official Leaf Newspaper and bought a copy.
Konoha's newspaper had been founded by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. It wasn't a daily or weekly publication, but rather an irregular one—issued only when something important happened, such as the outbreak of war, major victories, or the appointment of a new Hokage.
Back home, Mugetsu sat down and began reading. Since it was only published during major events, it was always worth a look.
"Frontline forces achieve two decisive victories over the Iwagakure army—victory in the war is within reach!"
The bold headline immediately caught his eye.
The article began by recounting the recent Iwagakure ambush—the same one Mugetsu had experienced during his food delivery mission. It described how the Iwa forces had launched a large-scale surprise attack, sending both the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki into battle, along with elite fighters like the Explosion Release Hunter.
It praised the frontline forces for upholding the Will of Fire under Jiraiya's command, noting that the legendary Sannin personally led an elite squad to repel the attack and heavily wound the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. It also commended Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, for his outstanding feats on the battlefield.
Mugetsu's eyes moved down the page and caught a familiar name—his own.
The article mentioned him as an inheritor of the Will of Fire who, despite being on a C-rank food delivery mission, had stepped onto the battlefield to protect the village. It reported that he defeated the powerful Explosion Release Hunter and contributed greatly to repelling the Jinchuriki.
Obito and Kakashi were also mentioned, though unnamed, grouped under the description "a squad led by Mugetsu."
Mugetsu folded the paper with a small smile. "Looks like I'm no longer an unknown Special Jonin," he murmured.
The Leaf Newspaper was widely read by both shinobi and civilians, as it only covered important matters. Appearing by name, even briefly, was no small feat—especially in a publication known to feature only high-level contributions. Within the shinobi community, his performance would undoubtedly spark conversation.
Fame had its benefits. Recognition could make certain things easier in the future. But it also came with risks. Danzo, who had mostly ignored him until now, might recall the subordinate he once lost—one who had grown considerably stronger since leaving Root.
Still, Mugetsu wasn't worried. He had left no openings for Danzo to exploit, and Hiruzen Sarutobi would never allow him to be pulled back into Root's ranks.
Life for Mugetsu's main body remained the same—a simple rhythm of teaching in the South Border Forest and researching Sealing and Breathing Techniques at home. But his Shadow Clone at the Academy found things had changed.
Several teachers were astonished to see his name in the paper. They might not have known the strength of the Explosion Release Hunter, but they understood the weight of "played a significant role in repelling the Jinchuriki."
Jinchuriki were considered the ultimate weapons of the Great Villages, living disasters whose power could turn entire battles. For a teacher at the Ninja Academy to have faced one—and lived—was beyond their expectations.
"Teacher Mugetsu, you actually fought alongside Lord Jiraiya and repelled a Jinchuriki?!" Kimura Sugito exclaimed, wide-eyed.
The shock on his face looked as though someone had told him a beautiful girl was chasing him.
He'd always known Mugetsu was a cut above the rest—his teaching skill, the Hokage's trust, his rapid promotion to vice class leader within a year—but Kimura had assumed that strength only applied to the classroom.
At first, he even thought the name in the paper belonged to someone else. But a casual question during lunch confirmed the truth: it was indeed their Mugetsu.
"No wonder you took a leave recently," said Ueda Aya. "You must've been too busy on the battlefield to maintain your Shadow Clones."
Mugetsu nodded. To prevent fatigue from overuse, he regularly dispelled his Clones and kept only as many active as memory recall allowed. Sometimes, when missions dragged on, a short leave was unavoidable.
"Even if it sounds exaggerated, if it's Teacher Mugetsu, it makes sense," Ikeya Yu added. He too had been surprised at first, but quickly realized it wasn't strange.
After all, Mugetsu was the kind of person who managed to take interns while still using Shadow Clones to teach at the Academy.
Although the technique was convenient, no one wanted to use it to double their workload—it was simply too exhausting. Not even a workhorse would be pushed that far.
For someone that dedicated, it was only natural he'd be strong.
"The truth is, I only assisted Lord Jiraiya," Mugetsu said modestly, smiling. "He was the one who did most of the work."
"That's still incredible! Fighting against Jinchuriki must've been terrifying," Kimura said, still in awe.
If he had that kind of strength, he thought, he'd never stay as a school teacher—he'd go straight for a Jonin instructor position.
"With that kind of achievement, you'll probably be promoted to full Jonin soon," he added.
Watching a younger colleague rise from Chunin to Special Jonin and now toward Jonin, Kimura didn't feel jealous—only admiration. The gap between them was simply too great.
Moreover, Mugetsu had a very good personality. Although he was already a high-ranking member of the Ninja Academy, he always stayed in his small office and maintained his humble attitude toward the other teachers. His demeanor never changed despite his status. Facing such a Mugetsu, Kimura Sugito couldn't even feel envious; instead, he only felt respect and admiration.
The curiosity surrounding Mugetsu came and went quickly. After all, he was someone they saw every day, so the teachers were only excited for a few days before everything returned to normal.
Mugetsu's achievements on the battlefield didn't affect the students much since no student would buy and read newspapers. Although the papers weren't expensive, most students preferred to spend their money on snacks.
Unless the news spread widely throughout the village and everyone started talking about it, the students wouldn't even notice.
But Mugetsu's performance this time hadn't reached that level—because even Minato hadn't. The main focus of the report was Jiraiya.
As Mugetsu walked through the streets, he could hear villagers discussing Jiraiya repelling two Jinchuriki. Some civilians were seriously debating the strength of the Sannin and Jinchuriki, even arguing passionately, just like how people in his previous life used to argue about fictional power levels online.
This impact was partly due to the report, but mostly because Jiraiya already had immense fame in Konoha as one of the Three Legendary Sannin.
Although the title of "Sannin" had originally been bestowed by an enemy after their defeat, it wasn't considered a disgrace, because that enemy was Hanzō the Salamander.
Even though Hanzō wasn't one of the Five Kage, his sheer power earned him immense respect across the ninja world. Some even believed he was stronger than the Kage themselves.
A title given by such a man was an honor, not humiliation—it was recognition from one of the strongest shinobi alive.
Compared to someone like Jiraiya, Minato still seemed like a promising young ninja in the eyes of most people.
"Why is everyone talking about that Toad Uncle? I think Teacher Mugetsu is just as amazing," Obito grumbled during a break in training.
"Obito, do you mean Lord Jiraiya? Why do you call him Toad Uncle?" Rin asked curiously.
"Because he calls himself a Toad Sage, but I don't think he really counts as a Sage. So I call him Toad Uncle," Obito replied matter-of-factly.
To Obito, a true Sage should have unique qualities that set them apart—like how Fukasaku and Shima had lived for centuries, or how the Sage of Six Paths existed in legend.
"You haven't read the Leaf Newspaper, have you? Teacher Mugetsu's report is at the very end. Of course, it can't compare to Lord Jiraiya's coverage," Kakashi said calmly.
"Leaf Newspaper? What's that?" Obito blinked.
"It's a newspaper published in Konoha. It reports major events happening in the village. This one's about the war on the Land of Grass battlefield," Kakashi explained simply.
"Then we should be in it too, right?" Obito's eyes lit up immediately.
"In a way, yes, but…" Kakashi began, but before he could finish, Obito quickly interrupted.
"Then, Kakashi, do you have it? Let me see!"
Seeing Obito's eagerness, Kakashi didn't bother explaining further and tossed the folded newspaper to him.
"Rin, you haven't seen it either, right? Let's read it together and see what it says about me," Obito said, jogging over to Rin and sitting beside her.
"Mm," Rin nodded, equally curious.
Obito placed the newspaper across their laps and started reading carefully.
"As expected of our Konoha!" he laughed, looking at the bold headline: Victory in the War in Sight.
But his smile faded as he continued reading. Most of the article focused on Jiraiya, then praised the Konoha forces for fighting with the Will of Fire, followed by Minato. Mugetsu's name only appeared at the very end.
"Kakashi, did you even read this? Our names aren't here!" Obito said indignantly.
"That's why you shouldn't interrupt," Kakashi replied, walking over and pointing to a paragraph. "We are mentioned, just not by name."
Obito leaned closer and read aloud, "Aside from Hayate Mugetsu, his squad members also contributed their share to the war. Their entire squad understood and practiced the Will of Fire."
He froze. When did I understand and practice the Will of Fire? He always lost points on that topic in written exams.
"If it's already written, why didn't they include our names?" Obito asked, puzzled.
"Look closely," Kakashi said evenly. "How many names do you actually see on this page?"
Obito scanned the paper again. Out of the whole article, only five Konoha ninja were named—and two were only mentioned once. Even though Mugetsu's name appeared near the end, the description of him was respectable, ranking third in length.
"That's just how it is. If you're not a big name, they usually won't print it," Kakashi said, folding the newspaper again.
Obito clenched his fists. "One day, I'll be the one they write pages about!"
"Train diligently, and you'll get there," Mugetsu said with a smile, walking over after finishing the Great Waterfall Technique.
"Your graduation exam is in two weeks. This time there's no written test—just a demonstration of your strengths," he said, patting Obito's shoulder.
The Ninja Academy's graduation exam didn't test theory. Instead, students had to demonstrate a basic Ninjutsu.
"As long as there's no theory, I'll be fine!" Obito said proudly, pounding his chest.
Mugetsu nodded. He was confident that all of them would pass. Those basic Ninjutsu were already simple for them, and after his teaching upgrades, even Guy could handle them with ease.
After training his students, Mugetsu headed home as usual—but today, he ran into a familiar face.
"Mugetsu," Minato greeted warmly as he chatted with his teammates.
Mugetsu smiled in return.
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