“Obito, what did you do after you went home yesterday?” Mokutsuki asked, noticing that Obito had already mastered the Flame Breathing technique on his status screen.
“Nothing much, just hung out with Rin,” Obito replied.
“Just the two of you?” Mokutsuki sensed that Obito might be omitting something.
“And a certain annoying guy,” Obito admitted honestly, though he didn’t mention Kakashi by name since he assumed Mokutsuki wasn’t familiar with him.
Obito’s vague answer told Mokutsuki who it was—Kakashi.
Mokutsuki mentally gave Kakashi a thumbs up. Not only did he help trigger Obito’s training task, but he also motivated Obito to get stronger. Kakashi, Obito’s future teammate, was already making an impact.
“You don’t need to do other exercises today. Spend the time familiarizing yourself with Flame Breathing. You’ve already mastered the basics,” Mokutsuki said with a smile.
“Really? I’ve mastered it?” Obito scratched his head, surprised. He had been so caught up in sparring with Kakashi yesterday that he didn’t realise he had fully grasped the breathing technique.
“Yes, you’ve mastered it. You’re the first to do so,” Mokutsuki praised.
“Really? That’s great! Rin and the others should be close too, right?” Obito grinned widely.
“Yes, but you’re the first,” Mokutsuki confirmed, noticing Shisui’s progress. Shisui’s proficiency was already at ninety points, close to mastery.
His disciples’ progress in mastering the breathing techniques was faster than Mokutsuki had expected. Even though Shisui was slightly behind Obito, Mokutsuki believed Shisui would finish before the semester ended.
As for Might Guy, Mokutsuki needed to be sure since Guy’s proficiency was only at seventy points. However, considering Obito and Shisui’s rapid progress through combat training, Guy might catch up if he also saw significant improvements in battle.
“Next, Shisui will spar with Guy,” Mokutsuki decided after some thought.
The guy recently completed all his basic training. Mokutsuki initially had Obito spar with Guy, believing their similar strength would benefit both. But now, he felt that sparring with more vigorous opponents would better stimulate progress in mastering the breathing techniques.
“And what about me?” Obito asked, pointing at himself. He looked forward to testing his newly mastered Flame Breathing against Guy.
“Familiarize yourself with Flame Breathing,” Mokutsuki replied, tapping Obito’s head lightly.
Although Guy was still in the early stages of training, considering the difference between Flame Breathing and Rock Breathing, Mokutsuki decided to move straight to the third stage. Shisui could use all his abilities except the Sharingan, and Guy could go all out.
“Shisui, please guide me!” Guy said, giving Shisui a thumbs up and brimming with fighting spirit.
Shisui, Mokutsuki’s youngest disciple, was also the strongest. To Guy, Shisui was an undeniable genius, and Guy loved challenging geniuses most.
“Please guide me,” Shisui responded, nodding.
“Begin!” Mokutsuki announced.
As soon as the words left Mokutsuki’s mouth, Guy shifted his breathing rhythm and dashed forward, unleashing his best taijutsu.
“Leaf Hurricane!”
A lightning-fast spinning kick aimed at Shisui.
Since the summer training, Shisui hadn’t sparred with Guy and wasn’t aware of his exact strength, so he chose to probe with a basic attack, meeting Guy’s kick with his own Leaf Hurricane.
The immense force caused both to retreat several steps, with Shisui retreating more.
“Such strength,” Shisui remarked, surprised.
At this moment, Guy’s power was more incredible than Obito’s in full concentration breathing mode.
“I can’t match Guy in taijutsu head-on,” Shisui thought.
Realising the immense physical enhancement Rock Breathing provided, Shisui knew that engaging Guy in direct taijutsu combat was unwise and decided to use his other abilities.
Boom!
Sensing danger, Shisui used Soru to move from his position just as Guy’s kick shattered the tree where Shisui had been standing.
Despite Guy’s overwhelming physical prowess, Shisui remained calm. More than this strength would have caused him to fail in front of Mokutsuki.
“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!” Shisui quickly formed hand seals and spat a massive fireball at Guy. Simultaneously, he threw shuriken to block Guy’s escape routes and used the Body Flicker Technique to move to the only unblocked area.
Guy had yet to anticipate Shisui’s multi-layered strategy. As he dodged, Shisui’s flaming kunai slashed toward him.
“Rock Breathing, Full Concentration Breathing!” Guy activated total concentration breathing to reinforce his body with no other option.
While the enhanced Rock Breathing drastically increased his physical defences, it couldn’t entirely negate the fire’s heat, making Guy uncomfortable.
With his body further strengthened, Guy quickly released the chakra and kicked at Shisui.
Expecting this, Shisui didn’t attempt a confrontation but used the Body Flicker Technique to evade, letting Guy’s attack miss once again.
“You’re indeed strong,” Shisui thought, looking at the small crater left by Guy’s kick.
The subsequent fight saw Guy increasingly frustrated. After the initial exchange, he couldn’t land a single hit on Shisui.
“I’ve got you!” Just as Guy managed to hit Shisui with his second concentration breathing, his leg passed through Shisui’s body.
“An illusion?” Guy paused, realirealisingas too late.
At that moment, a flaming kunai flew past Guy.
“It’s over,” Shisui declared. He could have thrown the kunai directly at Guy but chose not to, as there was no need to injure a fellow student.
“What a youthful fight!” Guy admitted defeat, laughing and giving Shisui a thumbs up.
“Right now, Shisui has no peers among his age group. Even Kakashi, who is two years older, wouldn’t stand a chance against him,” Mokutsuki concluded.
Even with more chakra, Mokutsuki didn’t believe Kakashi could defeat Shisui. The two might be evenly matched without the Sharingan due to Kakashi’s experience. But with the Sharingan, Kakashi wouldn’t stand a chance.
Mokutsuki felt like he was gradually moulding Shisui into a powerful force. The original Shisui was weak at this age, but with the early awakening of the Sharingan and the physical training from breathing techniques, Shisui was proliferating.
“You all did well. Rest for a while, and then continue training,” Mokutsuki said with a warm smile.
As his disciples rested, Mokutsuki considered how to increase Might Guy’s trust level before his upcoming birthday.
Today was December 10th, leaving only twenty-one days until Guy’s birthday.
Observing his students’ expressions and actions, Mokutsuki believed their trust in him had increased after celebrating Shisui’s birthday together. Therefore, Guy’s trust level should be significantly higher than Shisui’s before his birthday.
However, Mokutsuki couldn’t gauge this precisely, as trust levels couldn’t be identified or quantified. He could only infer from his students’ behaviour.
To ensure success, Mokutsuki did his best, hoping to elevate Guy’s trust to level four in one go.
Guy’s situation was more challenging, as he had a strong relationship with his father, unlike Shisui, who had lost both parents.
Giving Guy ninja tools like Shisui would be less meaningful, mainly since Guy rarely used tools. Besides, repeating the same gift might seem insincere.
Mokutsuki had been planning the big event for a while but needed help finding the perfect approach for Guy.
“Maybe I should involve Guy’s father,” Mokutsuki suddenly thought, realising he needed a broader perspective.
Raising his disciples’ trust levels didn’t necessarily mean focusing solely on them; he could also consider their loved ones.
With over two weeks left, Mokutsuki wasn’t in a rush to finalise his plan.
In the afternoon, being a Sunday, Mokutsuki went to Asuma’s house for tutoring.
“Mokutsuki-sensei, how’s your Wind Release training coming along?” Asuma asked during a break, curious.
“I’m not quite the Wind Release genius you hoped for, but it’s not too bad,” Mokutsuki smiled.
“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!” Mokutsuki quickly formed seals and blew a powerful gust of wind at a tree.
Whoosh!
The wind bent the tree without breaking it, and the leaves rustled loudly.
“It’s still far from my Fire and Water Releases,” Mokutsuki sighed, looking at the slightly bent tree.
Mokutsuki had prepared extensively to build his persona, borrowing many Wind Release scrolls from the library and consulting Minato, portraying himself as a beginner in Wind Release.
“That’s already impressive, Mokutsuki-sensei. You’ve only been learning for a month,” Asuma said, feeling hopeful about his Wind Release training.
“You must also work hard on your Fire Release. Don’t let me master Wind Release before you fully grasp your training,” Mokutsuki said, patting Asuma’s head.
“I won’t let you down. I’ve felt a lot of progress in my Fire Release recently,” Asuma said confidently.
After sending Asuma home, Mokutsuki encountered the smoking Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“Hokage-sama,” Mokutsuki greeted.
“Training done? Thank you for your hard work,”
Hiruzen replied with a smile.
As Mokutsuki was about to leave, Hiruzen remembered something and called him back.
“Mokutsuki, have you finalised the candidates for the intern program?” Hiruzen asked. Recently, Hiruzen had approved Mokutsuki’s revised intern program and appointed him its head.
“Yes, it’s all set. The groups and their mentors have been decided,” Mokutsuki replied. He had finalised everything in time, but it was only ten days until the academy’s break.
“The list includes Might Guy and Uchiha Obito, right?” Hiruzen asked.
“Yes, they were the top two in the academy’s fourth-year exam,” Mokutsuki confirmed.
“I need you to adjust the list, either removing one person or adding two more. There’s a graduate who needs guidance, and I’d like you to place him in the group with Might Guy and Uchiha Obito. You’ll be their mentor,” Hiruzen explained.
Seeing Mokutsuki’s expression, Hiruzen thought of Kakashi, who had no team to join.
Hiruzen didn’t want Kakashi to continue in his current state. Obito and Guy were among the few people Kakashi still cared about, and Mokutsuki was an excellent teacher in Hiruzen’s eyes.
With a month’s break plus three months of the third term for internships, Hiruzen hoped the four months would help Kakashi overcome his troubles, even if it didn’t completely heal him.
“Isn’t it inappropriate for a graduate to join the internship program?” Mokutsuki asked, having guessed who the new addition might be.
Becoming Kakashi’s mentor was an unexpected joy, but Mokutsuki had to act the part.
“Under normal circumstances, yes, but this is a special case,” Hiruzen sighed, explaining Kakashi’s situation.
Kakashi’s journey had been tumultuous, from a prodigy who graduated quickly and became a Chunin to having difficulty finding a mentor.
“So it’s White Fang’s child,” Mokutsuki expressed surprise and concern, seemingly worried about Kakashi.
“Hokage-sama, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Kakashi. I’ll do my best to help him overcome his shadows and regain his life,” Mokutsuki said earnestly.
“White Fang was a ninja I greatly respected. I won’t let his child remain in darkness,” Mokutsuki continued.
“With your words, I feel assured,” Hiruzen said with a smile.
That Mokutsuki was a fan of White Fang was an unexpected bonus.
Returning home, Mokutsuki revised the intern program. Initially, he planned to group Rin, Obito, and Guy. However, after Hiruzen requested that Kakashi be included, Mokutsuki removed Rin from the program.
Joining the Chunin mentors’ missions was less beneficial than learning directly from Mokutsuki’s shadow clone for four months.
(End of Chapter)
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