Dress Warmly in Cold Weather

After the meeting ended, Mu Yue had intended to return to his office, but Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped him and brought him to the Hokage's Office.

"I lost the battle against Sōsuke," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a sigh.

"Sōsuke's strength far exceeded my expectations. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the strongest ninja in the current ninja world."

Although Mu Yue had once severely injured the Kazekage with one punch and could use a Wood Golem Jutsu over sixty meters tall, he was still quite some distance away from Hashirama Senju.

Sōsuke, meanwhile, gave Hiruzen Sarutobi the impression that he was very close to a legendary ninja like Hashirama Senju.

Thus, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed Sōsuke, rather than Mu Yue, was currently the strongest in the ninja world.

"I'm sorry. I was impulsive this time. I should have listened to your advice."

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed a guilty expression.

To Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was not merely a defeat in battle. It was also a major strategic mistake in Konoha's development.

If they had not provoked Sōsuke, Konoha could have steadily absorbed the gains from its victory in the Third Great Ninja War while allowing Mu Yue to develop safely.

"Since it has already happened, we should keep looking ahead. And if we have to assign blame, we higher-ups cannot avoid responsibility either. If we had insisted more and been tougher, perhaps the outcome would have been different," Mu Yue comforted him.

He had indeed struck quite ruthlessly this time. Though he had not left Hiruzen Sarutobi with any incurable injuries, he had most likely left him with a bit of psychological trauma.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was one of the top experts in the ninja world. He had gone all out, yet had not even touched Mu Yue's