Training

Back then, news of Sakumo Hatake's failed mission had been deliberately spread by certain people, practically ruining Sakumo's reputation.

As one of Konoha's higher-ups, Sakumo must have known exactly who was behind it if he thought it through. After all, Tsunade's punch had cracked the Hokage's office. Everyone knew the truth; they simply never said it aloud.

"Please don't misunderstand. The elder was only doing this for the village."

Although Sky Fox said that, the rotating Sharingan in his eyes proved that he was trying to cast a genjutsu to suppress Muzan's killing intent.

"It's Danzo's village, not mine. There's no need for us to cooperate."

Even if Danzo had ample research funding, he was not Orochimaru. Besides, medical equipment would quickly bring in a huge amount of cash.

"Then I can only apologize."

He had kept a genjutsu ready at all times. After all, the Uchiha Clan's genjutsu was renowned throughout the Shinobi World.

Unfortunately, he had picked the wrong opponent. Muzan's mental strength was formidable, and he had some resistance to genjutsu. Sky Fox might have been strong, but he had yet to reach the level of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Sky Fox assumed he could suppress him with genjutsu. Seeing Muzan standing there blankly, he ordered Mu Lang beside him to tie him up.

"Yes, sir."

But just as Mu Lang approached, he felt a bone-chilling danger. A black shadow suddenly appeared before him—it was Muzan, who had supposedly fallen into the illusion. The instant their eyes met, Mu Lang knew he had been tricked!

Crack!

A punch landed squarely on his chest. Mu Lang's chest caved in unnaturally, his ribs snapping as blood sprayed everywhere.

"Agh!"

Mu Lang flew several meters away with a scream. Muzan was about to finish him off when Sky Fox suddenly struck from behind, blocking Muzan's kunai.

"How were you unaffected by my genjutsu?!"

Sky Fox was astonished by his condition. Forget dragging him into an illusionary world—even Muzan's cold gaze showed not the slightest trace of being affected.

"Idiot!"

Their kunai collided, throwing sparks even in the rain. It was easy to imagine the force behind their clash. Muzan intended to kill them; if he found an opening, he would not mind leaving Danzo two subordinates short.

However, the other side had no intention of fighting Muzan to the death. After creating some distance, Sky Fox grabbed Mu Lang behind him.

This was Konoha, after all, and his identity was rather awkward. Their battle had likely already drawn people over, so they needed to leave before anyone arrived.

The two vanished swiftly into the curtain of rain, while Muzan, holding an umbrella, also quickly departed from the scene.

Not long after they left, a group of ninja appeared and examined the marks on the ground and the blood stains lingering in the rain.

"A battle took place here."

They were all seasoned ninja. Judging from the traces of battle, there should have been three people involved, one of whom had been severely injured.

"I wonder who was fighting inside the village."

Unfortunately, most of the traces on the ground had been washed away by the rain, so they could only send ninja to investigate.

Muzan did not concern himself with what came next. He returned home beneath his umbrella and noticed Kakashi waiting for him. It seemed Kakashi had sensed something.

Sure enough, the moment Muzan stepped through the door, Kakashi questioned him from behind.

"What exactly happened?"

"Some people caused trouble, so I beat them off."

Although Muzan said that, Kakashi could tell things were not that simple. He wanted to press further, but Muzan cut him off.

"Don't meddle in this. With Father and me here, the family's major matters aren't your concern yet."

Those words shut down Kakashi's questions, leaving him extremely displeased. But when he saw Muzan's blood-red eyes, his expression turned somewhat grave.

He knew this was a troublesome matter. "From now on, stay by Senior Minato's side. He's a Kage Level powerhouse and can help you a great deal. And starting tomorrow, train with me!"

Muzan was worried that Kakashi would turn out as he had in the original story. Though he was the famous Hatake Fifty-Fifty, the reality was rather underwhelming.

"Fine."

This training session included Obito and Rin. Muzan mainly taught them chakra control and how to coordinate different ninjutsu.

Muzan himself was also attempting the Yin Seal and the Strength of a Hundred Technique.

These two techniques were extremely difficult and required gradual study. To Kakashi and the others, Muzan merely sat on the ground, quietly gathering chakra.

A faint mark appeared on his forehead, matching the method of the Yin Seal. Unfortunately, he still failed to gather it successfully in the end, unsure where he had gone wrong.

The training method given by the Third did not record any experience or precautions, so he could only slowly figure it out himself.

"Brother, is this how you become stronger?"

Kakashi did not know what Muzan was doing, but the amount of chakra was indeed astonishing. Muzan had not even come of age yet, and his strength was currently growing at a rapid pace. He would definitely become a Kage Level powerhouse in the future, perhaps even inherit his father's title as the White Fang of Konoha.

"No, I'm only controlling chakra. Remember, don't neglect the fundamentals for the superficial. Every ninjutsu is built upon the amount of chakra you possess and your control over it."

Future Madara Uchiha could make a C-rank ninjutsu comparable to an A-rank one. That was what could be achieved through sheer accumulation of chakra.

"Hmph, once I awaken Three Tomoe, I'll definitely surpass all of you."

Obito, who wanted to show himself off in front of Rin, refused to be outdone. As his greatest rival for becoming Hokage, Obito felt that only Three Tomoe would allow him to defeat him!

After all, there was a hidden rule in the Shinobi World: never fight an Uchiha Clan member one-on-one!

"Three Tomoe? You won't be able to beat me. At the very least..."

Muzan did not continue. Who could say for certain what fate would bring? Besides, Muzan would not let Madara scheme against Kakashi, and even Obito would be affected by the butterfly effect.

"Hmph! Bastard!"

"Alright, Obito. I believe you can become Hokage. At the very least, you'll become a man capable of fighting the Hokage!"

Only Muzan watched Obito's grinning expression. It seemed Rin was a born prophet—Obito would not only rival the Hokage, but could even kill one!

The three trained for an entire morning. Only Shanjian He's arrival interrupted Muzan's practice.

"Has everything been dealt with?"

As for the medical equipment, not everything needed Muzan's personal attention. Shanjian He had become Muzan's assistant, and it took him a full day to find enough factories to process the parts.

"Yes. To make the factories prioritize producing our parts, I specifically added the Hokage's order."

After all, these parts concerned the wounded on the battlefield, so Shanjian He had specifically signed a confidentiality agreement.