Hidden Mission-Shattering Illusions!

"What do we do?"

Watching Minato Namikaze leave, Kakashi turned his head toward Mu Feng.

In truth, Mu Feng and Kakashi hadn't gotten along well before, but after the incident with Hozuki Mangetsu, an unspoken understanding seemed to have formed between them.

Kakashi wasn't as cold and aloof as before, either. At least, not around Mu Feng.

"What else can we do? Follow the mission!"

Mu Feng glanced at Kakashi and put his hands behind his head.

"That works!"

Kakashi nodded, then furrowed his brow.

"There's something I'd like to ask you!"

Kakashi spoke again.

Mu Feng paused, a little puzzled. "Go ahead."

"It's about Chidori! I was already researching chakra nature transformation, but lightning release chakra tends to run wild. If you don't handle it properly when gathering it on your hand, you'll hurt yourself before anything else. How did you manage it?"

Kakashi looked at Mu Feng earnestly, but his question left Mu Feng a little surprised.

How did I manage it?

At this point in the timeline, Kakashi indeed hadn't developed Chidori yet. Strictly speaking, Mu Feng could be considered to have developed it himself.

But Mu Feng really hadn't given much thought to the problem Kakashi was considering.

He had simply followed his memories of the original story and worked from there. He really hadn't thought much about anything else.

"About that..."

Mu Feng held his chin thoughtfully. He couldn't exactly tell Kakashi that he'd transmigrated here and had actually copied Chidori from him!

But now that Kakashi had brought it up, Mu Feng realized he had a point.

In the original story, Kakashi had spent quite a bit of time developing Lightning Blade. Although Mu Feng had read the original, he didn't understand the principles behind it. He had developed the jutsu based on his own ideas, and somehow, it had actually worked.

Does that mean I'm a ninjutsu genius?

Wait, is the A-rank ninjutsu talent the system gave me really that amazing?

Seeing Mu Feng sink into thought, Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"So it really is difficult to get that far?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Not really. How about this? I'll use it a few more times, and you can watch closely! Honestly, I didn't think that much about it at the time. Isn't chakra your own power? How could you let your own chakra hurt you?"

Mu Feng felt he couldn't explain it in just a few words. Better to let Kakashi fill in the blanks himself.

With that, Mu Feng mobilized his chakra. After a few simple hand seals, the chakra within his body began to surge.

Whether it was Chidori or Lightning Blade, both were essentially jutsu that combined the outward release of chakra with nature transformation.

Jutsu of this kind had two main hurdles. First, the amount of chakra had to be sufficient to release it outside the body. Second, chakra control had to be fairly precise.

Kakashi was currently lacking in both areas, which was why he had asked that question. After all, he hadn't earned his reputation as Konoha's chronic chakra shortage sufferer for nothing.

Mu Feng's demonstration was quick. He formed only a few simple hand seals, and a moment later, lightning release chakra surged over his hand with a crackle.

Blue-white light flickered as Kakashi watched intently.

"Got it?" Mu Feng asked.

Kakashi shook his head. With no other choice, Mu Feng demonstrated it again.

"It's really not that complicated. As long as you have enough chakra and train until you can control it, you can do this! Lately, I've also been wondering whether I could compress the chakra and release it directly, making it look like a flying sword!"

Mu Feng explained. He had actually seen that jutsu long ago; Uchiha Sasuke had used it in the original story.

But after hearing Mu Feng's words, Kakashi looked thoughtful. Seeing his brow furrow, Mu Feng knew he had gained some insight this time.

"All right, if there's anything else you don't understand later, you can come find me! Though I can't really explain how I do it myself!" Mu Feng turned to leave.

Kakashi nodded and gave Mu Feng a brief goodbye.

After parting with Kakashi, Mu Feng didn't immediately return to the arena to watch the preliminary matches.

Instead, he found somewhere with few people around and opened the system panel.

Earlier, when Minato Namikaze had handed Mu Feng the mission scroll, Mu Feng had heard a system notification. But with Kakashi and Minato Namikaze present, he hadn't checked it right away.

Now that Mu Feng had opened the system, the first thing he saw was a mission notification.

--

[You have triggered "Chunin Ninja Exams-Hidden Mission: Shattering Illusions."]

[Mission name: Shattering Illusions]

[Mission description: The body of the slain Kirigakure Jonin "Hozuki Mangetsu" was discovered outside Konoha. With the Chunin Ninja Exams at a sensitive stage, the Konoha High Command launched an investigation and unexpectedly discovered that Kirigakure and Kumogakure had joined forces, intending to kill all Konoha candidates before the exams. You have received a mission from the Konoha High Command, to be carried out in secret tonight: assassinate the relevant enemy-village ninja who have entered Konoha.]

[Mission requirement: Defeat (kill) two enemy-village Chunin.]

[Mission rewards: Flying Thunder God Technique; blackening points; random secret technique research scroll.]

[Mission penalty: The blackened state of all ninjutsu will be suspended for one month.]

[Note 1: This is a hidden mission, obtained based on the host's previous performance. Mission rewards are not fixed and will be determined by the execution rating.]

[Note 2: This mission is highly likely to affect the subsequent course of the Chunin Ninja Exams. Please take it seriously.]

--

Upon seeing the mission, Mu Feng's eyes first lit up, but then his brow furrowed.

Still, the mission rewards were tempting.

However, Mu Feng now seriously suspected that the system had stolen his thoughts and added the Flying Thunder God Technique to the rewards just for him.

"Looks like I'll have to come up with more ideas from now on!"

Thinking back on the system's earlier antics, Mu Feng seriously suspected that his system had some sort of goofy streak.

That said, Mu Feng felt he needed to take this mission seriously.

"Who would've thought? I'm not even a Chunin yet, and I'm already doing a Chunin's work!"

Mu Feng sighed, turned around, and headed straight home.

The mission would take place tonight, so Mu Feng needed to rest and prepare beforehand.

Moreover, this was a secret mission. Mu Feng, Kakashi, and Minato Namikaze weren't the only ones carrying it out; members of Konoha's Anbu would be involved as well.

"With the Cloud Ninja and Kirigakure joining forces, deploying the Anbu is hardly excessive!"

After returning home, he rested for a while.

That evening, as the sun went down, someone knocked on Mu Feng's front door.