Chapter 337 Kakashi: Shisui, have you ever been defeated?

“Fire Release: Small Fireball Technique!”

Anko completed the hand seals with perfectly standard movements, then condensed Chakra in her throat for Nature Transformation, finally spitting out a fireball the size of a head.

Watching the flames leave a scorched mark on the ground, Anko revealed a triumphant smile.

“Hehe, it still has to be me. Next time, I’ll definitely take first place in Group C!” Anko said with a laugh, hands on her hips.

Kotetsu Hagane, who had only managed to emit some tiny electric arcs, silently stopped his practice.

“Izumo, don’t you think Fire Release is easier to learn? It seems like those who learn Fire Release are all pretty fast,” Kotetsu Hagane said to Izumo Kamizuki, who was practicing Water Impact next to him.

Izumo Kamizuki nodded, and even analyzed it seriously, saying, “I think so too. Maybe Muzuki-sensei is best at Fire Release, so he teaches it better than other things.”

Anko was displeased and retorted, “Is it so hard to admit that I’m too excellent? No matter how much you slander my strength, it’s real.”

“It’s very hard,” Kotetsu Hagane answered honestly.

If he had to genuinely praise Anko for being excellent, he’d rather go argue with his cousin.

“In my heart, there’s only one genius in Class 1, and that’s Shisui. Since you’ve also learned Fire Release Ninjutsu, why don’t you find an opportunity to challenge Shisui? If you win, I guarantee the whole school will praise you as a genius,” Izumo Kamizuki instigated.

Izumo Kamizuki admitted that Anko had some strength, but compared to Shisui, this year’s Anko might not even win against last year’s Shisui.

Although Shisui didn’t participate in the special training this year, Izumo Kamizuki felt that Shisui should be undergoing stricter training in his clan, learning clan Ninjutsu and so on, and his strength must still be increasing.

“Why don’t you go? If you can win, I’ll even call you ‘Big Brother’,” Anko didn’t fall for it.

To be honest, the idea of the whole school praising her as a genius did hold considerable appeal for Anko, but Anko wasn’t stupid. She had seen Shisui fight; Shisui’s Fire Release from a year ago was already much stronger than hers now. She simply couldn’t win; she’d only get beaten.

Izumo Kamizuki showed a regretful expression, feeling that Anko had been tricked so many times that she had developed antibodies; ordinary words no longer worked on her.

“Everyone, gather up,” Muzuki’s voice sounded at this moment.

Upon hearing Muzuki’s words, the students from all three groups quickly stopped their training and gathered around Muzuki’s main body. Although it was almost time for class to end, the students didn’t rest or prepare to leave school; they were all training.

“The Third Hokage heard that everyone is studying diligently, so he plans to come and observe and guide during the final exam,” Muzuki didn’t beat around the bush and directly stated the matter.

This wasn’t too new; after all, Hiruzen Sarutobi also came last year. But he was still the Third Hokage, and very popular among the students, so this could be used to further boost the students’ training motivation.

“Muzuki-sensei really has influence. Hokage-sama didn’t come during the second special training last year.”

“Maybe we should even thank the teachers from that special training. If their performance hadn’t been so bad, perhaps Muzuki-sensei wouldn’t have resumed his role as a special training teacher.”

The students first showed surprised expressions after hearing this, then began to complain about the second special training of the previous school year.

At that time, Muzuki was in charge of the intern program. In addition, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that he could also discover other educational talents, so he selected a few teachers who usually performed well in class to be in charge of the special training.

There’s no harm without comparison. After experiencing this second special training, the students more deeply realized the power of Muzuki’s teaching ability; there were indeed differences between teachers.

“Izumo, it seems our opportunity is coming again!” Kotetsu Hagane said to Izumo Kamizuki with a serious expression.

“Yes, a year has passed. Maybe Hokage-sama has already forgotten about us. We need to leave a deeper impression,” Izumo Kamizuki nodded, his expression grave.

In his opinion, this was a very important opportunity. If he and Kotetsu Hagane could successfully leave a deep impression on the Hokage, they might be given important roles as soon as they graduated.

“But besides Enemy Confusion Technique, we don’t seem to have any other Ninjutsu worth mentioning. However, Enemy Confusion Technique was already used last time. How can we fix this?” A troubled expression appeared on Kotetsu Hagane’s face.

He also felt this was a rare opportunity, but Kotetsu Hagane couldn’t think of how to show himself off.

“Indeed, although Enemy Confusion Technique is excellent, it might not achieve good results a second time,” Izumo Kamizuki showed a thoughtful expression.

“Izumo, you have many ideas, quickly think of what to do,” Kotetsu Hagane placed his hopes on Izumo Kamizuki, who often had good strategies.

“I can’t think of any good ideas for now,” Izumo Kamizuki shook his head and said, but he still offered an idea that wasn’t really an idea.

“We can put our heads together and ask for help from Big Brother Ebisu. If Big Brother Ebisu can’t help, then we’ll go find Big Brother Asuma.”

Kotetsu Hagane’s eyes lit up, feeling that Izumo Kamizuki’s suggestion made a lot of sense.

Of course, they didn’t forget to invite their good friend Anko.

However, Anko was busy training to seize the top spot in Group C and wasn’t interested in their plan.

The two complained about Anko together, then, without giving Anko a chance to react, went to find Ebisu.

For some reason, seeing Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki looking at him with anticipation, Ebisu suddenly felt a sense of dread.

“Big Brother Ebisu, we need your help!” Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki said solemnly.

“Please teach us how to leave a deep impression on the Third Hokage.”

Hearing this, Ebisu’s mouth twitched. He recalled memories from the special training of the previous school year. Rather than leaving an impression, Ebisu hoped the Third Hokage would forget any memories related to him.

“I see. How about you follow Hokage-sama after the exam ends, then challenge him? Use your most proficient Enemy Confusion Technique to challenge Hokage-sama and let Hokage-sama see your resolve as Ninja,” Ebisu thought for a moment and said.

To prevent himself from being tricked, Ebisu decided to strike first. This way, he couldn’t be dragged into it.

“As expected of Big Brother Ebisu!” Kotetsu Hagane thought this was an excellent idea.

Izumo Kamizuki also nodded in agreement. Although it was a bit direct, sometimes a straightforward approach could have unexpected effects.

…

After training for a week in Phase Two, Obito finally understood what truly difficult training was like.

He was exhausted from training during the day, had to do homework when he got home, and then was woken up at night. In the morning, after dispelling his Shadow Clone, the fatigue of staying up late would return to his body.

If Obito were to describe how tired he was now, it would be that he didn’t even have the energy to talk to Rin Nohara during breaks; he would use that time to rest with his eyes closed for a while.

Of course, Obito wasn’t the only one who was tired; everyone else was equally physically and mentally exhausted. Every day, besides training and sleeping, they couldn’t think about much else.

The training intensity was high enough, but the effects of persevering were also very obvious. While sleeping, it couldn’t be guaranteed for now, but in their waking state, the four disciples could basically maintain their Breathing Technique continuously. This increased their training efficiency and made their bodies more durable.

Perhaps due to being too tired, a certain protective mechanism was triggered. Obito unconsciously completed the second phase of training. On Saturday of the second week, he successfully had a good night’s sleep, and his Breathing Technique didn’t break even once.

On the same day, Kakashi also had a good night’s sleep, while Shisui completed his goal on Sunday, and Might Guy completed his in the third week.

Might Guy’s slower progress was mainly because he focused on Eight Gates for a period, causing his Breathing Technique proficiency to fall behind a bit.

Moreover, although they all completed Phase Two, it didn’t mean all the disciples’ Breathing Technique had reached proficient level. Only Kakashi and Obito’s Breathing Technique reached proficient level, while Shisui and Might Guy’s were still a bit short.

This was because Kakashi and Obito’s Breathing Technique upper limit was already high enough; one had already entered the Transparent World, and the other had half-activated his Mark. Before the Constant State training began, they were only a little short of proficiency, so they immediately reached proficient level after completing uninterrupted breathing.

Normally, one would need to complete Phase Three special training to reach proficient level. Phase Three is an enhanced version of Phase Two, requiring twenty-four hours of continuous breathing while also maintaining focused breathing to increase the upper limit of breathing.

After Phase Two ended, Muzuki didn’t immediately start Phase Three training, but instead temporarily resumed normal daily training.

After all, they had been training at high intensity for almost a month, and the intensity during the Chunin Exams was also not low. Obito and the others needed a break.

“Shisui, can we have a match?” Kakashi challenged Shisui during their lunch break.

He had originally planned to challenge Shisui once he recovered, but Muzuki’s Constant State training was too exhausting, causing Kakashi to not want to move after training, with no desire to fight at all.

After two days of recovering from the temporary return to normal training, Kakashi felt his spirit had reached its peak, so he immediately challenged Shisui.

Kakashi still hadn’t forgotten that three-match losing streak, losing to Might Guy, Obito, and Shisui. He, who had never lost to a peer, suddenly lost three matches in a row.

Those three defeats once made Kakashi doubt his life, feeling that he wasn’t a genius but just an ordinary Ninja.

Now, having regained his confidence, he had already defeated Obito and Might Guy in the Chunin Exams. He only needed to defeat Shisui, and then he would still be that peerless genius, Kakashi.

“No problem,” Shisui hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Muzuki before agreeing.

He knew in his heart that his chances of winning were very small, but Shisui didn’t want Muzuki to think he was a coward afraid of failure.

Muzuki, as usual, officiated the match, and the other disciples who were resting also gathered to watch.

“Go, Shisui! I’m rooting for you!” Obito hoped Shisui would give Kakashi a good beating in front of Rin Nohara.

“What a day of youth, my rival! After the battle, let’s have a match too!” Might Guy shouted, looking fired up.

“Okay, but only rock-paper-scissors,” Kakashi replied expressionlessly.

Might Guy’s smile instantly fell. Although it was also a match, how could rock-paper-scissors compare to a fist-to-fist battle?

“Battle start!” Muzuki announced after the two had taken their opposing stances.

“Flame Breathing, Full Concentration!”

“Thunder Breathing, Full Concentration!”

Both of them focused their breathing, allowing their Breathing Technique to provide greater power.

Shisui knew through the Chunin Exams battle that Kakashi’s current strength was very strong, so he was very cautious.

And although Kakashi didn’t know how much Shisui’s strength had grown, Shisui’s consistent performance as a super genius made Kakashi not dare to be careless.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Barrage!”

Shisui quickly performed hand seals, condensed Chakra, and continuously spat out two Great Fireball Technique towards Kakashi.

Although the power of a single Great Fireball Technique decreased, the covered area was wider, making it better for probing.

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

Kakashi didn’t use the high speed of Thunder Breathing to dodge, but instead used Earth Release to block both fireballs.

Actually, dodging consumed less and was a more cost-effective choice, but Kakashi was worried that Shisui had other hidden moves he didn’t know about. To be safe, he chose Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall for defense.

This battle put Kakashi at an information disadvantage. Shisui knew all of his techniques from watching the Chunin Exams, while Kakashi didn’t know what new Ninjutsu Shisui had mastered during this time.

If the opponent were Obito, Kakashi wouldn’t think so carefully, but facing Shisui, who had an information advantage, Kakashi felt it was better to be cautious.

“Kakashi is definitely going to use Shadow Clone to trick people again,” Obito grumbled upon seeing the earth wall rise on the field, obstructing their view.

He had been tricked by Kakashi’s Shadow Clone countless times; he had gained experience from being tricked.

“Not necessarily, though. Kakashi didn’t use Shadow Clone during the Chunin Exams last time,” Rin Nohara said.

“That’s because he knew I was too smart to be fooled, so he didn’t use it,” Obito explained, looking quite pleased with himself.

Rin Nohara covered her mouth and chuckled without speaking. In the battle against Obito, Kakashi indeed didn’t use Shadow Clone to trick Obito, but Obito was, in a sense, tricked because he misjudged and used Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet to burn the ground.

Unlike Obito and Rin Nohara, who were focused on Kakashi, Might Guy was more concerned about Shisui. He was curious to what extent this genius, who had never been defeated, had grown.

In Might Guy’s eyes, Shisui was also an undeniable genius, possessing the strength to defeat Genin even in his first year. Despite his diligent training, he had never achieved a single victory against Shisui.

“Muzuki-sensei, who do you think will win?” Obito asked Muzuki, who was sitting next to him.

No one should understand their strength better than Muzuki.

“Just watch. You’ll know the answer soon enough. But you can be more confident in your current strength…” Muzuki didn’t directly answer Obito’s question but gave a subtle hint.

Shisui was certainly a genius; his ability to consistently be the strongest disciple at the youngest age was the best proof.

But Kakashi and the others’ current strength wasn’t just the result of diligent training; it was power gained from struggling on the brink of life and death. The two life-threatening crises with the Kumogakure Jonin and Mist Village Jonin allowed them to undergo a transformation.

From Muzuki’s perspective, he could intervene at any time to ensure his disciples’ safety. It was different for the disciples; Muzuki wasn’t with them during those two times. From their perspective, those were true life-and-death crises.

4k, still can’t stay up late. I only fell asleep after 3 AM yesterday, and my mind is a mess today while writing, I don’t know how to write. I’ll do 4k today for now. Early to bed, early to rise, early updates. I’ll try to write more during the day.