Naruto: Hatake's No Misfortune

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It didn't take long after Iwagakure defeated Konoha's front line for the Hokage to receive the news, and Namikaze Minato quickly relayed it to Orochimaru.

This was a blessing in misfortune.

"As I suspected," Orochimaru murmured as he listened to Minato's report. In addition to the latest updates, Minato brought an order from the Hokage: more ninjas were needed to establish a new defensive line.

Sunagakure and Kumogakure were no longer immediate threats, but Kirigakure, being the farthest from Konoha, would require a large ship to send reinforcements, making a rapid deployment impossible.

The real threat came from Iwagakure. By rough estimation, the number of ninja gathering there had exceeded five thousand.

If they managed to invade the Land of Fire, it would spell disaster.

Most of Konoha's forces needed to be redirected to this front, further straining an already tense stalemate.

The question was: who should be sent?

Orochimaru couldn't leave—his departure could cause turmoil in the camp, potentially unraveling their hard-won advantage on the front lines.

Namikaze Minato was needed to deal with the Raikage.

This left Orochimaru deep in thought. He could only deploy some elite Jōnin, along with a few promising young shinobi, who were qualified to face such a battle.

"Minato, your students have grown strong—particularly Muzan's younger brother. He's completed many missions."

"Let them handle the Iwa-nin this time."

Alongside these younger warriors and the seasoned Jōnin, the situation should be manageable.

Konoha still had reserves, including elite forces from the Hokage's office, who would be sent to support and prevent the front from collapsing.

"Should we send Kakashi?" Minato mused aloud. As Kakashi's sensei, he knew his students' strengths. They were outstanding ninjas, especially Kakashi, who had already attained Chūnin rank.

Even during the war, Kakashi had taken down several Tokubetsu Jōnin.

"Let the three of them go together—they'll watch each other's backs."

Had Muzan been present, he might have objected.

Konoha had suffered heavy casualties in recent battles. Muzan was busy from dawn till dusk tending to the wounded. With the current number of medical-nin, healing everyone with ninjutsu was impossible.

The only option was to apply ointments to prevent infections.

Fortunately, the dry desert environment reduced the risk of widespread infections.

After several days of nonstop work, Muzan was physically and mentally exhausted. He hadn't noticed that a group of ninja had already been dispatched to the Iwagakure front.

After finishing his treatments, Muzan dragged his weary body back to camp. Experimenting was out of the question at the moment, but he knew he had to grow stronger.

By altering his body, he could gain even more power.

Muzan's body was unlike that of ordinary humans, capable of transforming in ways others could not.

"The nervous system depends on the brain and spine," Muzan muttered to himself. "Adding extra spines would affect my movement, but I could generate new brains."

He planned to discard unnecessary organs to evolve a stronger body. However, evolving new organs would require a lot of nutrients.

After returning to the camp, he prepared to stockpile meat. Given his status, he had free access to the hospital and could obtain blood as needed.

"Yamanosatsu, take my order to the hospital and collect a batch of blood—preferably ninja blood."

"Yes, Lord Muzan."

Yamanosatsu had begun to master the vampiric techniques, though he had yet to fully tap into the potential of Muzan's abilities. Still, he followed orders without question.

"Ensure the camp is secure. I'm not to be disturbed."

The first step to evolving his body was removing unnecessary parts.

For example, Muzan no longer needed a liver in his new form. He could decompose it and use the nutrients to grow new nerves.

The process of decomposing his organs caused his body to tremble, but as a master of medical ninjutsu and anatomy, he could proceed without significant issues.

Muzan guided the new nerves to attach to his hands, extending them gradually. This would help speed up his ability to form hand seals.

Even though he couldn't yet counter sealing techniques, he was making his body stronger.

Much like Shisui of the Body Flicker, Muzan aimed to reach a level of speed and reflexes where he could evade a sealing jutsu before it could even be activated.

"Ugh..."

The pain was excruciating, but Muzan endured it. His body healed quickly, but the pain was as real as any human's.

Outside, Yamanosatsu heard beast-like roars from within the tent, his heart racing as he wondered what was happening inside.

Hours passed, and the first step was complete.

Muzan had extended the nerves to his hands. He could now feel the increase in his hand seal speed.

Testing his hand movements without using chakra, Muzan noted that each seal was flawlessly executed.

When he looked at his hands, they moved so fast they left afterimages.

"In the future, I'll have completed a jutsu while my opponent is still on their second seal."

With mastery over five chakra natures, Muzan could potentially surpass Kakashi and become the next Copy Ninja.

"Unfortunately, the current nutrients aren't enough for further evolution. I'll have to develop the nerves in my arms and connect them to my additional brains later."

One brain alone couldn't handle all the extra nerves, so Muzan needed to accelerate his physical evolution once back in Konoha.

There were two paths to increase his power: overcome sunlight, or continue enhancing his body. He had yet to solve the problem of sunlight, so body evolution was his focus.

When the hoarse roars ceased, Yamanosatsu cautiously called from the entrance:

"Master?"

"You may enter."

As Yamanosatsu stepped inside, he was shocked. Muzan's appearance was unnervingly different, giving off an otherworldly aura.

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