116 Chapter 116: Dutiful Mutsuki
After dinner, Mutsuki contemplated for a while, finally taking out a blank scroll to start writing a mission report to Danzo.
Although according to the current trend, Sarutobi Hiruzen should soon be asking for people, celebrating prematurely could be disastrous; he needed to ensure there were no mistakes.
Mutsuki included today's inspection by Sarutobi Hiruzen in the report, emphasizing Third's praise and appreciation, creating an atmosphere where Third seemed highly supportive and was trying to win him over.
He also listed the rewards given later to highlight Third Hokage's appreciation for him, but he didn't include the content of the scroll containing the work arrangements in the report.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't immediately ask Danzo for people, then this mission report could continue to maintain his faithful Root Ninja persona to some extent, preventing Danzo from causing trouble.
Although he was a Ninja currently on a mission, Mutsuki had no trust whatsoever in Danzo, and he made every effort to prevent any possible mishaps.
If Third indeed asked for people as he expected, this scroll wouldn't cause any negative impact; it might even prevent Danzo from scheming against him after he left the Root.
That's why Mutsuki didn't include Sarutobi Hiruzen's mentioned job arrangements in the report.
If he didn't include them, even if the mission report Mutsuki submitted eventually reached Third, Mutsuki would only be dutifully completing tasks assigned by Danzo, not a loyal member of the Root.
The content of this job arrangement scroll was unknown to Danzo; as long as Mutsuki didn't leak it, only Third and he knew about it. Danzo wouldn't know if Mutsuki didn't write it down.
Mutsuki tucked the completed scroll into his belongings and headed to the Southern Border Forest to instruct his disciples.
"Good evening, Yumi-sensei," Obito and Nohara Rin arrived just in time, wearing smiles on their faces, greeting Mutsuki.
"Obito, Rin-chan, good evening to you too," Mutsuki responded with a smile.
Since Nohara Rin also joined the forest training after school, Obito tended to arrive a little earlier.
"Let's train, let's learn the Breathing Technique early," Obito was full of enthusiasm today.
Because Obito had bad luck during the strength test today, drawing numbers close to Shisui's, he encountered Shisui in the second round and was thoroughly defeated.
Fortunately, the practical exam not only looked at rankings but also scores. Although Obito was eliminated in the second round, he performed very well in both battles, with high scores. Otherwise, it might have affected Mutsuki's rewards.
Shisui was very strong, and Obito was impressed by his skills, but he still felt uneasy inside.
Because not only was Shisui from the same clan, but he was also two years younger and could still dominate in battles.
During the Flame Breathing training, Obito saw hope in surpassing Shisui.
Flame Breathing was undoubtedly an extremely powerful Secret Jutsu, and he happened to have unexpected talent in this Secret Jutsu. This was a great opportunity for him to surpass his obstacles.
Obito requested Mutsuki's assistance in binding and securing him at the beginning of his training to aid his practice.
Seeing Obito so diligent pleased Mutsuki greatly.
With school about to start soon, Obito's training tasks would soon come to a close. If Obito didn't diligently practice and improve his progress in Flame Breathing within this month, then this training task would surely fail.
Mutsuki couldn't disrupt Guy just for the sake of Obito getting first place. Second place still had rewards; it wasn't necessary.
The correct approach would be to motivate Obito to practice harder.
As Guy grasped the teachings from their battles, Mutsuki prepared to begin teaching a new round of lessons.
"Next, you need to feel the power of the rocks, try to merge with the rocks," Mutsuki said to Guy.
The words sounded somewhat abstract, but it was indeed an essential practice in the Breathing Technique. Because the Breathing Technique involved a bit of idealism, in Naruto terms, it was related to spiritual energy and Yin Release.
With stronger conviction, the Breathing Technique also becomes stronger. If the conviction weakens, even the blade becomes fragile.
"Merge with the rocks?" Guy pondered for a moment, feeling as though he understood Mutsuki's idea. He then used the Transformation Jutsu to turn himself into a rock.
"Yumi-sensei, should I practice the Breathing Technique in this state?" Guy asked.
Mutsuki was momentarily unsure how to respond. In his memories of Stone Breathing practice, this step was completed while sitting on a rock.
However, upon further consideration, turning into a rock should be more effective than simply sitting on one.
"How about you sit on the rock and then use the Transformation Jutsu to become a rock and try?" Mutsuki suggested after some thought.
Only children make choices; he directly chooses everything, just stacking both together.
Guy released the Transformation Jutsu, then found a large rock to sit on before using the Transformation Jutsu again.
After the training session, Mutsuki used the Identification Jutsu to glance at Guy, and his proficiency remained at nineteen, unchanged from yesterday.
Mutsuki wasn't surprised; Stone Breathing practice was difficult, and the previous epiphany effects had nearly worn off. It wasn't easy to increase proficiency so quickly afterward; it was possible that there would be no improvement for five days.
Mutsuki glanced at Obito's Flame Breathing proficiency. Obito's proficiency was steadily increasing, and he now had eight proficiency points.
"Why did you turn into a rock, Guy?" Obito asked, puzzled.
"Yumi-sensei asked me to merge with the rock, to understand the power of the stones. I thought turning into a rock would be equivalent to merging with it," Guy honestly replied.
"Is it that difficult to merge with the rock for the subsequent practice?" Obito scratched his head upon hearing Guy's words.
If Stone Breathing involved merging with rocks, then wouldn't Flame Breathing require merging with flames? Could the Transformation Jutsu turn into flames, and would he have to jump into a bonfire?
"Actually, I have a good idea. Guy, you hollow out a rock and sleep inside it. You'll be merging with the rock even while sleeping, and your practice speed will definitely soar," Obito suggested with an open mind.
Guy showed a serious expression as he contemplated.
"So, for the next step of training, are you going to sleep in a bonfire?" Mutsuki tapped Obito's head with two fingers, "You're already trying to merge with rocks while sleeping. The Breathing Technique isn't abstracted like that."
"Hehe, it's different. Sleeping in a bonfire would mean getting burnt to death, but sleeping in a rock might just give you a stiff neck," Obito chuckled.
"Understanding the power of the rocks..." Shisui pondered. If it was just about sensing the power of elements, could Flame Breathing comprehend the power of flames through training in Nature Transformation?
After the training session, Mutsuki securely stashed the scroll he carried with him at the designated spot for submitting mission reports, then headed home to await a response.
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