One Hundred

"Uchiha Madara has left Konoha," Yura said.

Hearing this, Mū could not help but interrupt: "Your Excellency, we are already aware of this."

No sooner had the master and apprentice departed than Uchiha Madara left Konoha shortly thereafter.

This intelligence was hardly valuable.

With Madara in the ninja world, the threat posed by Konoha was significantly reduced; it was pleasant news, so let the Uchiha and the Senju continue to tear each other apart.

"Don't be so hasty, Mū," Yura said. "Uchiha Madara is searching the entire ninja world for the Nine-Tails. It is highly probable he will collide with Senju Hashirama, who is also capturing tailed beasts. Can you guess what will happen?"

Beneath his bandages, the corner of Mū's mouth curled upward. Did that even require a guess?

"Good intelligence."

"If..." Yura held up a finger, "the two do not collide, and the Uchiha successfully captures the Nine-Tails, can you guess what he will do next?"

Mū's pupils constricted.

"An attack on Konoha..." Mū said in a deep voice.

"What attack on Konoha?" Yura countered. "That would be an attack on Senju Hashirama. Since the Warring States period, everyone has known that the Senju and the Uchiha do not get along."

"Indeed!" Mū agreed with a nod.

"They will inevitably clash over their conflicting ideals," Yura said. "The price may well be both of their lives..."

"Mutual destruction?" Mū frowned and asked: "Is that possible?"

You, a dead man who already experienced mutual destruction, have no right to ask if it is possible.

"It is merely a reasonable hypothesis..." Yura said.

"It is not reasonable," Mū shook his head.

When a person is too arrogant, they stop listening and only trust their own judgment.

"Regardless, they are destined to fight, and it will be soon," Yura sat cross-legged in mid-air, resting her chin on her hand, and smiled. "As for the ninja world, the Great Ninja War between the five great villages may arrive sooner than you expect. Senju Hashirama will likely not live to see his natural end. Even if he survives by luck, facing a desperate Uchiha Madara, he will only be left clinging to life in the aftermath."

Mū's pupils shrank slightly.

That made sense!

"Thank you very much for your intelligence," Mū said. "I know what must be done."

"Very good," Yura clapped her hands.

"Your Excellency harbors great hostility toward Konoha," Mū noted.

"One must always repay the favor of being stabbed by the God of Shinobi," Yura smiled faintly. It was a perfectly legitimate reason; no one would doubt it.

"I shall remember this friendship today," Mū said.

"Let's go, Little Monster," Yura said. "Turn around."

Lucy opened her mouth, tugged on the feathers, flapped her wings, and turned to fly back in the direction they had come.

The master and apprentice hovered in the air, watching the two disappear at the edge of their vision.

"Master..." Ōnoki said, "Is that person very strong?"

"Very strong." Mū could not help but touch his neck, where the chill of death still faintly lingered, sending shivers down his spine. Before he could even react, a blade had been held to his throat. There was no need to explain such things to his disciple; he hadn't even been able to perceive her with his senses. Was it an invisible, formless blade?

If it were merely a sword, his Fission Technique could handle it. The trouble was that unless one detected the path of the strike in advance, it was easy to capsize in the face of a surprise attack. Facing this woman required twelve thousand percent of his focus; otherwise, life and death would be decided in a single instant.

"She is worthy of being a ninja who can cross blades with the God of Shinobi," Mū said.

Ōnoki said in a low voice: "We still don't know her name..."

"The name of such a person will eventually resound throughout the ninja world; we will know it," Mū said. "Ōnoki."

"Master?" Ōnoki looked up at Mū.

"This young girl does not look very old. This is what people call a genius. You must continue to work hard in the future; this level is far from enough to protect the village," Mū said.

"What is that supposed to mean! Maybe she's already an old hag!!! She must be older than me! She even called me a brat!" Ōnoki shouted, his composure breaking.

"Do you see an old hag's face on her?" Mū said sternly. "Ōnoki, do not think that mastering Dust Release allows you to be complacent. This ninja world has never lacked geniuses. You are not yet qualified. When you can master the Fission Technique and the Invisible Cloak, I will acknowledge that you are truly strong."

"Then teach me!" Ōnoki's voice suddenly grew louder as he shouted: "Are you holding back because you're afraid I'll learn them too quickly!? Master!!!"

Mū sheepishly rubbed his nose.

"And another thing! That person! She is definitely an old hag! Definitely!" Ōnoki said. "Who knows what kind of sorcery she uses to stay young!!! Master! Even if she's only two years older than me, you don't really think there's a sixteen-year-old ninja in this world who can fight the God of Shinobi!? That's absolutely impossible! That's not a genius! That's a monster!"

Based on reason, that was true.

But in the ninja world, ninjas were beings who broke the rules.

Just as Mū once felt that it was impossible for ninjas like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara to exist in this world, far exceeding all conventions.

By comparison, his own reputation as a genius seemed somewhat laughable.

"Ōnoki..." Mū sighed, "The faint scent of a young girl and the fragrance of a mature woman are different perceptions..."

After a long silence, Mū looked down at Ōnoki.

Ōnoki's expression was strange, looking at Mū with a mix of disgust and complexity, beyond words.

You really are that kind of teacher! A lecherous old man!

You must be using that invincible sensory technique of yours to peek at women everywhere!

"Ahem." Clearing his throat, Mu said, "In any case, that is that. From now on, I must train you properly. The First Shinobi World War is fast approaching, and you need to develop a sense of urgency. When the time comes to clash with ninjas from other villages, don't you dare tarnish my reputation, you brat."

"Hmph..." Ōnoki crossed his arms and said, "Obviously."

After a trip to the Land of Earth that yielded no results, Yura and Lucy returned to the Land of Waterfalls, passing through it before entering the Land of Fire.

As long as she didn't approach the vicinity of Konoha or get too close to Tobirama's sensory range, Yura could wander the entire Land of Fire as she pleased; such was the advantage of flight.

"Big monster..." Lucy asked, "Where are we going?"

Tilting her head in thought, Yura said, "Do you want to go see a whale?"

"A whale?" Lucy curled her lip.

"You've never seen the ocean, have you?" Yura said.

"I have," Lucy replied. "Everyone used to live by the sea."

The Land of Waterfalls was near the sea.

"What about a whale?" Yura asked.

"I've seen one," Lucy said, sounding uninterested. "I've even seen bigger fish, and sometimes I can see super-sized turtles."

"I haven't seen one..." Yura said. "A whale."

The only remaining option was Kirigakure. As it happened, there were no formidable sensory ninjas there, making it difficult for Lucy's identity to be exposed. Conventional sensory ninjas would only perceive her chakra as immense. That place, filled with water everywhere, was very similar in environment to the waterfall-laden Land of Waterfalls.

As far as the environment went, Yura had nothing to complain about, and besides, it should be very convenient to eat giant lobsters.