As soon as Mokutsuki announced the start of the match, Obito began retreating quickly, performing hand seals as he moved. He knew that Might Guy was excellent at taijutsu, so engaging in close combat would be unwise.
“Clone Technique!”
Poof! Poof!
After executing the jutsu, two clones identical to Obito appeared beside him. The three Obitos ran in crisscross patterns, attempting to confuse Guy.
“Leaf Whirlwind!”
However, Guy was faster than Obito had anticipated. He closed the distance instantly, his rapid whirlwind kick dispersing the two clones and knocking Obito himself back over a meter.
“So strong,” Obito muttered, his arm trembling slightly from the impact. He had blocked the kick with his arm, which now ached with pain.
Guy didn’t give Obito any chance to recover, immediately pressing the attack to force Obito into close-quarters combat. In pure taijutsu, Obito was no match for Guy and quickly found himself on the defensive.
“Who do you think will win?” some of the observing students began discussing.
“Probably Guy. It looks like Obito’s about to be beaten,” one student analyzed the situation.
“Not necessarily. Obito was losing in taijutsu against Tetsuo earlier but won with his fire jutsu in the end,” another student argued, noting that Obito had already beaten the previous top student, Tetsuo.
“Who do you think will win, Mokutsuki-sensei?” Kimura Sugito suddenly asked.
“Guy, most likely,” Mokutsuki replied after a moment of thought.
“Yes, even though Obito has powerful fire jutsu, this small flat battleground isn’t ideal for him,” Sugito agreed.
Mokutsuki nodded. The two were fairly evenly matched, but in this scenario, Guy’s speed and close combat prowess gave him the edge.
As expected, in the next moment, Guy found an opening and sent Obito flying with a Leaf Whirlwind kick.
“Might Guy win,” Mokutsuki announced.
The students who had predicted Obito’s victory slapped their foreheads in disappointment. It seemed that Obito had a knack for defying expectations. When it looked like he would lose against Tetsuo, he won; when it seemed like he would win against Guy, he lost.
“Guy, you’re amazing! How do you train?” one of his classmates couldn’t help but ask, hoping for tips.
“How do I train? I get up at 5:30 every morning and run around Konoha until classes start. In the evenings, I practice taijutsu on a wooden post, and on weekends…” Guy began listing his regimen.
“Goodbye!” The student who had asked quickly excused himself, deeply impressed but unwilling to emulate Guy’s intense training.
“Are you okay, Obito?” Rin approached Obito, concerned.
Obito brushed off the dust from his clothes and said casually, “I’m fine, really. I’ll definitely win next time.”
In front of the girl he liked, he had to appear unbothered. However, Rin wasn’t easily fooled. She grabbed Obito’s arm, rolled up his sleeve, and saw several bruises. She glared at him and said, “Pretending you’re fine won’t make the injuries go away. Go to the infirmary and get some ointment.”
She then dragged Obito to the infirmary despite his protests. His words might be rebellious, but his actions were obedient.
With the class battles concluded, the practical exams ended for the day. The next day, the top two students from each class would compete to determine the overall grade champion.
As Guy prepared to thank Mokutsuki and leave to share the good news with his father, Mokutsuki stopped him, saying he had something for him. Leading Guy to a secluded spot, Mokutsuki smiled and said, “Congratulations on taking first place, Guy.”
He handed Guy a small booklet. “This is a taijutsu training manual I wrote recently, with some ideas for further developing the Leaf Whirlwind. Consider it a gift for being first in your class.”
Guy noticed the booklet but also saw Mokutsuki’s hand. Though it appeared clean, Guy’s sharp eyes spotted faint gray smudges—leftover ink stains from washing. Glancing at the contents, Guy realized the effort Mokutsuki had put into the manual. This wasn’t something written casually; it was a meticulously crafted guide, almost tailor-made for Guy.
Tears welled up in Guy’s eyes. “Mokutsuki-sensei, I won’t disappoint you. I’ll become the strongest taijutsu ninja!”
Mokutsuki patted Guy’s shoulder, smiling warmly. “I’m glad to hear that. For a teacher, the greatest reward is seeing their students grow stronger.”
Guy nodded vigorously; his resolve strengthened.
Watching Guy leave, Mokutsuki checked the system notifications and smiled.
[You have gifted your disciple a taijutsu training manual. Due to your disciple’s deep gratitude, you have received a major bonus: Mastery of Water Release Nature Transformation]
[Disciple Might Guy’s trust level has increased to Level 3]
“Good fortune,” Mokutsuki thought, feeling the new knowledge integrate into his mind. Generally, the rewards from disciples were related to their specialties, like how Shisui and Obito often rewarded him with fire jutsus and Guy with taijutsu techniques. However, sometimes unrelated but valuable rewards like this would appear.
Compared to a taijutsu mastery, mastering a chakra nature was far more valuable. Mokutsuki was very pleased; accumulating such natures might even enable him to develop his own Kekkei Genkai in the future.
The trust level increase was an extra bonus. Mokutsuki realized that planning the timing and presentation of gifts could maximize the emotional impact and yield better rewards. For instance, giving the manual to Guy right after he won first place and subtly revealing the effort behind it had a much greater effect.
“With the exams finishing tomorrow, the results should be out in a few days,” Mokutsuki mused, wondering if the system would reward him for his students’ performances.
(End of Chapter)
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