After dinner, Mokutsuki thought for a while and decided to write a mission report to Danzo. Although it seemed likely that Hiruzen Sarutobi would soon request his transfer, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Mokutsuki included the details of Hiruzen’s visit and emphasized the praise and importance Hiruzen placed on him, creating an impression that the Third Hokage highly valued and intended to recruit him. He also mentioned the rewards he received, further highlighting the Third Hokage’s favor. However, he did not include the details of the work arrangement scroll.
If Hiruzen hadn’t requested his transfer immediately, this mission report could have maintained Mokutsuki’s persona as a loyal Root ninja, preventing Danzo from acting rashly. Mokutsuki had no trust in Danzo and wanted to guard against any unexpected developments.
Should Hiruzen act quickly, the content of the scroll wouldn’t cause any negative impact and might even prevent Danzo from subtly undermining him after leaving the Root. By omitting the details of the work arrangement, Mokutsuki ensured that only he and Hiruzen knew about it, thus keeping Danzo in the dark.
Mokutsuki placed the completed scroll on his person and headed to the southern forest to train his disciples.
“Good evening, Mokutsuki-sensei,” Obito and Rin greeted him with broad smiles as they arrived.
“Good evening to you too, Obito, Rin,” Mokutsuki replied warmly.
Since Rin started joining the evening training sessions in the forest, Obito had been arriving slightly earlier than usual.
“Time to train, train, and master the breathing technique,” Obito said, full of determination.
Obito’s spirits were high because, during the day’s test, he had the misfortune of drawing a number close to Shisui’s. This resulted in a match against Shisui in the second round, where he was thoroughly defeated. Thankfully, his performance in both battles was good enough to earn high scores, ensuring it didn’t negatively affect Mokutsuki’s reward.
Shisui was incredibly strong, and Obito acknowledged the defeat, but a part of him remained unwilling to accept it. Shisui, after all, was not only his clanmate but also two years younger, yet he could easily overpower him in battle.
In the training of Flame Breathing, Obito saw hope for surpassing Shisui. Flame Breathing was undeniably a powerful secret technique, and Obito had an unexpectedly high aptitude for it, making this a prime opportunity for an overtake.
From the start, Obito requested Mokutsuki to bind him for training support, demonstrating his newfound diligence. With the school term nearing, Obito’s training mission was about to be evaluated. If he didn’t work hard to advance his Flame Breathing, the mission would fail.
Mokutsuki, who wouldn’t interfere with Guy’s training just to help Obito win first place, found it more fitting to encourage Obito to train harder.
Since Guy had already comprehended the previous lessons during combat, Mokutsuki prepared to start a new round of instruction.
“Next, you need to perceive the strength of the rock and try to merge with it,” Mokutsuki told Guy.
Though the advice sounded abstract, it was necessary for mastering the breathing technique. Breathing techniques are connected to the mind and involve spiritual energy and Yin Release.
A stronger belief enhanced the breathing technique, while a weaker one could even make a weapon fragile.
“Try to merge with the rock?” Guy pondered, then used the Transformation Technique to turn himself into a rock.
“Mokutsuki-sensei, should I practice the breathing technique in this form?” Guy asked.
Mokutsuki was momentarily speechless. In his training memory of the Stone Breathing, this step was completed by sitting on a rock. But thinking it over, transforming into a rock might be even better.
“Why not sit on a rock and then transform into one?” Mokutsuki suggested.
Combining both methods seemed the best approach.
Guy dispelled his transformation, found a large rock to sit on, and then used the Transformation Technique again.
After the training session ended, Mokutsuki checked Guy’s proficiency with the Identification Technique. It remained at 19, unchanged from the previous day.
Mokutsuki wasn’t surprised. Training for Stone Breathing was challenging, and the effects of Guy’s earlier epiphany mainly had worn off. Progressing quickly would be difficult, with the possibility of no increase for five days.
He glanced at Obito’s Flame Breathing proficiency, which had steadily increased to 8.
“Guy, why are you transforming into a rock?” Obito asked, puzzled.
“Mokutsuki-sensei told me to merge with the rock and feel its power. I thought transforming into a rock might help,” Guy explained honestly.
“Merging with the rock… Is the next phase of training that difficult?” Obito scratched his head.
If Stone Breathing involved merging with a rock, did that mean Flame Breathing required merging with fire? Could the Transformation Technique even turn one into flames, and would it include jumping into a fire pit?
“I have an idea: Guy, you could hollow out a rock and sleep inside it. That way, you’d be merging with the rock all the time, even while sleeping. Your training speed would be incredible,” Obito suggested, his imagination running wild.
Guy considered the idea seriously.
“Then should your next training involve sleeping in a fire pit?” Mokutsuki tapped Obito’s head. Merging with a rock for Stone Breathing didn’t need to be so literal.
“Hehe, it’s different. Sleeping in a fire pit would get me burned, but sleeping in a rock would just be uncomfortable,” Obito chuckled.
“Feeling the power of the rock…” Shisui mused. If the goal was to sense the element’s power, flame breathing could be trained through the transformation of chakra nature.
After the training, Mokutsuki submitted his mission report and waited for a response at home.
(End of Chapter)
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