A Hundred

"Uchiha Madara has left Konoha," Yura said.

At that, Mu had to interrupt her. "We already know that, miss."

They had only just left with their teacher, and before long, Uchiha Madara had left Konoha too.

That information wasn't worth much.

With Madara in the Shinobi World, Konoha was far less dangerous. It was pleasant news. Let the Uchiha and Senju keep tearing into each other like dogs.

"Don't rush me, Mu," Yura said. "Uchiha Madara is searching the entire Shinobi World for the Nine-Tails. There's a good chance he'll run into Senju Hashirama, who's capturing Tailed Beasts. What do you think will happen?"

Beneath the bandages, Mu's lips curled. Did she really need to ask?

"That's good information."

"If..." Yura held up one finger. "If they don't run into each other, and Uchiha succeeds in capturing the Nine-Tails, what do you think he'll do next?"

Mu's pupils contracted.

"Attack Konoha..." Mu said gravely.

"Not 'attack Konoha,'" Yura said. "He'd be attacking Senju Hashirama. Everyone's known since the Warring States period that the Senju and Uchiha don't get along."

"Yes!" Mu nodded in agreement.

"They're bound to fight over their ideals," Yura said. "The price may well be both their lives..."

"Mutual destruction?" Mu frowned. "Is that possible?"

You're a dead man who died in a mutual-destruction scenario. What gives you the right to ask whether it's possible?

"It's just a reasonable assumption..." Yura said.

"That's not reasonable." Mu shook his head.

People who were too clever didn't listen. They only believed their own judgment.

"Regardless, they're bound to fight, and soon." Yura crossed her legs, sat suspended in midair, and rested her chin on one hand with a smile. "As far as the Shinobi World is concerned, the war between the Five Great Villages may come sooner than you expect. Senju Hashirama probably won't live to old age. Even if he somehow survives, after a fight to the death with Uchiha Madara, he'll be left clinging to life with little time to spare."

Mu's pupils shrank.

That made sense!

"Thank you very much for the information, miss," Mu said. "I know what to do now."

"Excellent." Yura clapped.

"You seem to have a great deal of hostility toward Konoha," Mu said.

"I owe the God of Shinobi a stab in return, after all." Yura smiled faintly. It was an entirely justifiable reason; no one would suspect anything.

"I'll remember this friendship," Mu said.

"Come on, Little Monster~" Yura said. "Turn around."

Lucy opened her mouth, took hold of Feather, and flapped her wings, turning to fly back the way they had come.

The master and disciple hovered in the air, watching the two disappear into the distance.

"Teacher..." Ōnoki said. "Is that woman strong?"

"Very." Mu couldn't help touching his neck. The chill of death still seemed to linger there, sending a shiver down his spine. Before he'd even realized what was happening, a blade had been at his throat. There was no need to explain that to his disciple. He hadn't sensed a thing—not even through his sensory abilities. An invisible blade, hidden from sight?

If it was only a blade, his Fission Technique could deal with it. The real trouble was an attack whose trajectory he couldn't detect in advance. Caught off guard, he could easily be defeated. Facing that woman, he had to stay alert every second. His life could be lost in an instant.

"As expected of a shinobi who can fight the God of Shinobi," Mu said.

Ōnoki said gravely, "We still don't know her name..."

"Someone like her will be famous throughout the Shinobi World sooner or later. We'll find out," Mu said. "Ōnoki."

"Teacher?" Ōnoki looked up at Mu.

"That girl doesn't look very old. So this is what people mean when they talk about a genius. You'll have to keep working hard from now on. At your current level, you're nowhere near strong enough to protect the village," Mu said.

"What are you talking about?! She might already be an old woman!!! She's definitely older than me! She even called me a brat!" Ōnoki yelled, losing his composure.

"Does she look like an old woman to you?" Mu said sternly. "Ōnoki, don't get complacent just because you've mastered Dust Release. The Shinobi World has never been short of geniuses. You're still far from the mark. Once you've mastered the Fission Technique and Invisible Cloak, I'll admit you're strong."

"Then teach them to me!" Ōnoki suddenly shouted even louder. "Are you keeping those techniques to yourself because you're afraid I'll learn them too quickly, teacher?!"

Mu rubbed his nose sheepishly.

"And that woman! She's absolutely an old woman! Absolutely!" Ōnoki said. "She must know some kind of magic to stay young forever! Teacher, even if she's only two years older than me, you can't seriously think there are young shinobi who can fight the God of Shinobi at sixteen, can you?! That's impossible! That wouldn't make her a genius! She'd be a monster!"

From a rational standpoint, he had a point.

But in the Shinobi World, shinobi were the exception to every rule.

Just as Mu had once believed that shinobi as extraordinary as Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara couldn't exist.

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

"Ōnoki..." Mu said with a sigh. "The delicate scent of a young girl is different from the fragrance of a mature woman..."

When Ōnoki didn't reply for a while, Mu looked down at him.

Ōnoki gave Mu a strange look, full of both disdain and complicated feelings. He didn't know what to say.

So you really are that kind of teacher! A lecherous old man!

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

"Ahem." Mu cleared his throat a few times. "Anyway, that's that. I'll have to put you through your paces from now on. The First Shinobi World War is about to begin, so you need to feel some urgency. You'll be fighting shinobi from the other villages. Don't disgrace my reputation, brat."

"Hmph..." Ōnoki folded his arms. "Of course I won't."

After flying all the way to the Land of Earth and returning empty-handed, Yura and Lucy went back to the Land of Waterfalls. After passing through it, they entered the Land of Fire.

As long as they didn't approach Konoha, they could roam freely around the Land of Fire without getting close to Tobirama Senju's sensory range. That was the advantage of flying.

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

Tilting her head as she thought, Yura said, "Want to see whales?"

"Whales?" Lucy pouted.

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

"I have," Lucy said. "We all used to live by the sea."

The Land of Waterfalls bordered the sea.

"What about whales?" Yura asked.

"I've seen them." Lucy sounded uninterested. "I've seen even bigger fish, too. Sometimes you could see super-huge turtles."

"I've never seen one..." Yura said. "A whale."

The only place left to visit was Kirigakure. As luck would have it, there weren't any powerful sensory shinobi there, and it would be difficult to uncover Lucy's identity. Ordinary sensory shinobi would only notice her immense chakra. That place, with water everywhere, was much like the Land of Waterfalls, with its countless waterfalls.

As far as the scenery went, Yura had nothing to complain about. And getting a giant lobster to eat should be easy.