Chapter 379: Changes in Disciple Strength and Flying Thunder God

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!”

Anko gathered a large amount of Chakra in her throat, then used Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation to spew out a massive fireball towards Muzuki.

At the same time, Shizune, from another direction, threw a barrage of Shuriken at Muzuki, sealing off his position.

Unfortunately, the fireball missed, and the Shuriken were easily blocked by Muzuki.

Then, Shisui, hidden in the shadows, seized the opportunity to use Body Flicker Technique and charged at Muzuki, launching an attack.

Muzuki seemed to have anticipated Shisui’s attack, easily dodging it with a step back.

Just then, Anko and Shizune also began to engage in close-quarters combat, looking for an opening.

Although it was two hands against six, the disparity in strength allowed Muzuki to easily defeat Anko and Shizune; only the ever-cautious Shisui remained untouched.

As if determined for a final struggle, Shisui no longer used his preferred Body Flicker Technique to evade, charging towards Muzuki, who was walking towards him.

Bang!

The Shisui in front of Muzuki directly turned into smoke and dispersed. The real Shisui burst out with Chakra, rushing from behind Muzuki and reaching for his waist.

“Still a little too slow,” Muzuki said with a smile, rapidly turning and grabbing Shisui’s outstretched hand.

Thud!

Muzuki directly threw Shisui next to Anko and the others, making all three of them lie neatly together.

“This is so hard. We’ve tried to grab it five times, and only Shisui succeeded once,” Anko sighed, lying flat on the ground, looking up at the sky.

The bell-grabbing training, held once every three weeks, was Anko’s most anticipated training. She always hoped to grab the bell, and then Muzuki, like the protagonist’s teacher in Ninja novels, would impart her peerless Ninjutsu.

As a result, after five attempts, let alone grabbing it, she hadn’t even had a chance to see the bell up close. Every time she got close, she would basically end up on the ground.

When she saw Shisui grab it during the third bell-grabbing session, Anko couldn’t help but feel envious, but Shisui didn’t seem to have used it yet.

“Training is for improvement. If it’s too easy, wouldn’t it be meaningless? If you can win against Shisui, I can give you a bell directly,” Muzuki offered Anko a suggestion for quickly obtaining a bell.

Muzuki designed the bell-grabbing training to help students break through faster. Forget winning; if Anko could last three minutes against Shisui’s full power, Muzuki would directly give her a bell. That would already be a significant breakthrough.

“Win against Shisui? Is that even a real possibility?” Anko sat up, scratched her head, and looked bewildered.

She was no match in actual combat, and her academics were even more crushed. Anko didn’t know how she could possibly win against Shisui.

Perhaps only in a game of Ninja Kill, with good luck and a good hand, could she win once.

“If you can become as strong as Kakashi, you should be able to defeat me,” Shisui said calmly.

Although his strength had improved after three months of intense training, Shisui still wasn’t confident he could defeat Kakashi.

If he were to replace his past self and fight Kakashi now, he might have a chance, but Kakashi must have also improved over such a long period, not remained stagnant.

“I think I’ll lie down a bit longer,” Anko said, choosing to lie down after hearing Shisui’s words.

Who was Kakashi? A person who had graduated years ago and still had legends of his genius at the Ninja Academy.

Anko remembered a teacher once saying that Shisui and Kakashi were comparable, so in Anko’s eyes, Kakashi was simply a slightly older Shisui. She felt she couldn’t catch up even if she trained 24/7.

“Shisui, you’re overestimating Kakashi. He’s just showing off now. Once our Sharingan turns into Three-Tomoe Sharingan, we’ll definitely beat him easily.”

Speaking of Kakashi, Kakashi, Obito, and the others arrived at the South Border Forest after completing their mission, just in time to overhear Shisui and Anko’s conversation.

Hearing someone praise Kakashi, Obito, who was Kakashi’s lifelong detractor, immediately couldn’t help but speak up, telling Shisui not to belittle himself and tarnish the Uchiha’s prestige.

“What if you don’t win?” Kakashi asked faintly.

“Don’t win, don’t…” Obito was momentarily speechless. He was just talking big; he hadn’t reached Three-Tomoe Sharingan yet, so how would he know if Three-Tomoe Sharingan could beat Kakashi?

“I haven’t thought about it, because it’s impossible to lose,” Obito said forcefully.

Rin Nohara was still nearby, and there were juniors from the Ninja Academy present, so Obito naturally had to speak with more confidence.

“Is that so? If you lose, how about you run a lap around the Leaf Village Main District, shouting ‘Obito is inferior to Kakashi’ as you run?” Kakashi’s mouth curved into a slight smile as he looked at Obito.

Sweat appeared on Obito’s forehead and back. This bet was truly malicious. If he actually had to do that, Obito might have to move out of Konoha with his grandmother overnight.

“Anyway, Obito, you won’t lose, so the outcome of losing doesn’t matter,” Kakashi emphasized that Obito wouldn’t lose.

Obito was dumbfounded. If he didn’t agree, wouldn’t it prove that he was just bragging earlier?

“You… you know that’s good. Three-Tomoe Sharingan is very… very powerful,” Obito said, seemingly composed but sweating profusely.

He had secretly made up his mind: if he still couldn’t defeat Kakashi after upgrading to Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he would temporarily stop using Sharingan to avoid being found out.

At the same time, Obito prepared for some high-intensity training to improve his strength. Disguise was ultimately not a long-term solution; he had to win to feel at ease.

“What if you lose, Kakashi-senpai?” Anko asked with curiosity.

Kakashi kept talking about what Obito would do if he lost, but didn’t mention the consequences if he himself lost.

Kakashi turned to look at Anko. This girl’s focus seemed different from others.

“That’s right! It can’t be that I get punished if I lose, but you don’t, right? Although I’m definitely not going to lose, since you made this bet, you should include yourself too,” Obito quickly said.

“Since it’s a battle to determine a winner, then everyone should be the same, right? If Obito-senpai loses, he shouts ‘inferior to Kakashi-senpai,’ and if Kakashi-senpai loses, he shouts ‘inferior to Obito-senpai,'” Anko enthusiastically offered suggestions for the two.

Now Kakashi was a bit cornered, because he was the one who proposed it.

“No problem,” Kakashi nodded calmly, but his heart was somewhat heavy.

“It seems I need to dedicate more time to training,” Kakashi thought silently.

Obito wasn’t confident he could defeat Kakashi, but Kakashi also wasn’t 100% confident he could defeat Obito with Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

If he really had to run around Konoha shouting ‘inferior to Obito,’ Kakashi would stop wearing his mask when he went out and wear a hood instead.

Shisui glanced at Anko. He just realized that Anko actually had a remarkable talent for fanning the flames.

Originally, both sides could have treated it as a joke, but with Anko’s words, it truly became a battle bet.

Obito and Kakashi, who didn’t want to lose, quickly devoted themselves wholeheartedly to training, making the training atmosphere in the South Border Forest even better.

Looking at the two who trained as if their lives depended on it, Muzuki thought to himself that if Rin Nohara had this ability to fan the flames, the two would probably have been competing fiercely long ago. Was the best fourth member of Minato’s team an ungraduated student?

However, it was a good thing that his disciples’ desire to train was stronger. The Ninja World was becoming increasingly dangerous, and greater strength was needed to protect oneself in this chaotic situation.

After the three trained for a while, Muzuki also gave them a strength test.

Obito and the others had basically been on missions on the battlefield for the past few months, only returning occasionally. Fortunately, the Enlightenment skill’s effect on system disciples could be directly managed through the panel, so the benefits they received were similar to being in Konoha.

Since it had been two months since they returned, Muzuki needed to determine their latest strength to ensure the training plan was on track.

To be accurate enough, Muzuki even conducted individual tests instead of having them fight together.

Combining the feel from the actual combat tests with the data detected by the Appraisal skill, Muzuki quickly understood the growth of Obito and the other two over the past three months.

The battlefield was indeed a place that could temper people. In terms of appraisal data, the three’s growth rate was actually average, but their actual combat ability had improved significantly.

Now, Kakashi and Obito were both true Jonin-level combatants, capable of being directly promoted to Jonin based on their merits.

Moreover, because they had Transparent World and Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, their actual output limit was even stronger than that of ordinary Jonin.

However, there were also drawbacks. Both of them had a common weakness: they couldn’t sustain long-term combat when fighting at full power.

Kakashi’s Thunderclap Flash consumed a great deal of Chakra and stamina, and Obito’s Flame Breathing Chakra Mode was even more so.

Because he had activated Sharingan, Obito had experienced a period of Chakra surge, and his Chakra was much more than Kakashi’s. Even with more Chakra, Obito couldn’t fully use two Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullets in Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.

It could be said that both of them had gained abilities suitable for themselves. If Kakashi had activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his Chakra would probably be insufficient to fully unleash a single Purple Lightning.

However, this drawback was not due to Obito and Kakashi’s talent, but their age and physical condition. They were still too young. If they were eighteen, it wouldn’t be like this.

Rin Nohara gave Muzuki a small surprise. She was the one with the greatest overall improvement. Her Medical Ninjutsu had made significant progress, and the tempering on the battlefield had also made Rin Nohara’s Water Release and taijutsu more proficient, making her excellent among Chunin.

This ‘excellent’ referred to the utility she could provide, not her combat power. If the current Rin Nohara were to fight Obito and Kakashi from a few months ago, she would still be easily defeated.

Muzuki planned to teach Rin Nohara some more Water Release techniques with auxiliary capabilities. At this stage, Rin Nohara was still not suitable for direct output; she needed a few more years to develop.

Muzuki estimated that in a few years, Tsunade would probably have developed Mitotic Regeneration. After learning Yin Seal and Mitotic Regeneration, Rin Nohara would be able to handle both output and support.

Obito’s return was a happy event for Muzuki, because it meant Minato had also returned, and his Flying Thunder God Technique was currently stuck at 99 proficiency, requiring him to consult Minato.

After getting started, it wouldn’t be so troublesome. Muzuki not only had Ninjutsu Proficiency Scrolls but also a Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll, which could directly raise Flying Thunder God’s proficiency to mastery level.

In the evening, Minato came to Muzuki’s house as usual.

“Minato, I’ve encountered a problem with Flying Thunder God. Do you have time tonight?” Muzuki asked directly while cooking.

“Hmm, I’ll tell you about it after dinner,” Minato nodded in agreement.

He didn’t have many days to spare, so he would try his best to help Muzuki if he was busy.

After Muzuki finished cooking, Minato first used Flying Thunder God to deliver food to Kushina, and then ate with Muzuki.

He had already met Kushina once since returning to Konoha, so he wasn’t in a hurry to chat with her.

“Obito and the others will have to trouble you again for a while, Muzuki,” Minato said with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

He felt he wasn’t being a good enough teacher, always leaving his disciples to Muzuki’s care.

“The Village has assigned me a mission to cooperate with Orochimaru-sama to quickly resolve the Kumogakure situation in the Land of Hot Springs,” Minato explained.

The Hidden Mist declaring war on Konoha wasn’t just empty talk; the Hidden Mist had already begun operations on the East Coast of the Land of Fire. Therefore, Konoha was a bit anxious and wanted to quickly resolve one battlefield to free up forces to deal with the Hidden Mist.

As for why it was Kumogakure and not Iwagakure, it was because Kumogakure, with its Eight-Tails Jinchuriki in trouble, seemed easier to deal with than Iwagakure, which had two Jinchuriki.

Konoha truly didn’t want to face three great Ninja Villages simultaneously. Even if they weren’t working together against it, it would still be enough for Konoha to suffer, with the risk of severe damage to its vitality.

Fighting on three battlefields against different great Ninja Villages was simply too much pressure. This meant that Konoha Ninja would have to win one-on-three on average, which was clearly very difficult to achieve.

“It’s no trouble at all. I’m their teacher too,” Muzuki replied with a gentle smile.

“Besides, Minato, you’re doing this to protect Konoha, to protect them. After all, there’s now an additional Hidden Mist, and the Village is under too much pressure.”

Minato nodded and said, “The Hidden Mist directly entering the Land of Fire’s mainland is what the Village least wanted to see.”

Konoha’s general plan now was to first end the Land of Hot Springs battlefield, then concentrate forces to drive out the Hidden Mist, and finally deal with Iwagakure.

Minato was very clear about how much pressure Konoha was under. He was currently like a brick, moved wherever needed, with very little rest time.

Muzuki listened calmly as Minato spoke about the front-line battles. As a Ninja in the rear, and also a teacher, it was indeed difficult for him to access the latest intelligence in this regard.

Especially the Hidden Mist intelligence, because the Hidden Mist had just started fighting Konoha, and only Ninja who had accepted missions would know some relevant information.

It wasn’t exactly top secret, it was just that not many people had access to it.

After dinner, Muzuki gave himself an Enlightenment and then explained all the parts he didn’t understand. No matter what happened on the front lines, improving himself was always the most important thing.

“Oh, that’s simple. You just need to do this…” Minato solved Muzuki’s problem after a little thought.

At first, Muzuki was a bit slow to follow Minato’s line of thought. Muzuki’s problem was like a problem to be solved, and Minato wrote down the answer directly without showing the process.

However, with Minato’s patient explanation, Muzuki still successfully understood.

【Skill: Flying Thunder God Technique (Beginner: 1/500)】

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