Chapter 494: Exploding Disciples’ Gold Coins (8k)

Konoha, South Border Forest.

“Woof!”

Rockruff barked a warning, then gathered Earth Release Chakra above Kakashi, creating a stone.

Whoosh!

A flash of lightning streaked by, and the basin-sized stone instantly split in two.

“Purple Lightning!”

Immediately following, a dense, spiderweb-like Purple Lightning enveloped the fractured stone, shattering it to pieces.

Seeing Kakashi pulverize the stone, Rockruff’s blue eyes gleamed brighter, and it continued to gather stones, throwing them at Kakashi.

“Riolu, use your fastest speed and strongest power! You can be even stronger!”

Might Guy, carrying weights, walked on his hands while dodging Riolu’s incoming punches.

Riolu’s gaze sharpened. Under Chakra enhancement, his flexible, strong body emitted a faint white glow, and his speed instantly increased significantly.

Instead of charging directly at Might Guy, Riolu suddenly changed direction about a meter in front of him, his speed surging again as he crashed into Might Guy from the side.

Bang!

“Good speed, but your power is still a bit lacking.”

Might Guy propped himself up with one hand on the ground, firmly grasping the charging Riolu with the other.

“However, to achieve this much is already quite impressive.”

Might Guy released Riolu, then did a backflip to return to a normal standing posture.

Riolu was only a few months old, but his speed and strength already surpassed Might Guy’s own before he reached Fourth Grade at the Ninja Academy. This growth rate even surprised Might Guy a little.

“Fire Dragon, come on! Your firepower is too weak.”

Obito, seeing his own flames overpower Fire Dragon’s, quickly cut off his Chakra supply to avoid harming Fire Dragon.

He was currently having a Fire Release showdown with Fire Dragon.

After spending some time with the Pokemon, they gradually found a balance point for their own training and Pokemon cultivation. After intense training, when their stamina was low, they would exercise together with their Pokemon.

This was beneficial for cultivating their Pokemon and also allowed them to continue their own training.

For example, Kakashi was still practicing Lightning Release sword techniques, Might Guy was still training his body, and Obito was training his Chakra control ability.

“Dragon~”

Fire Dragon opened his mouth and spat out a few sparks, indicating he truly had nothing left.

He was still a newborn baby, how could he compare his firepower to Obito’s?

“If you’re out of Chakra, then train your body.”

Obito prepared to have Fire Dragon begin physical training.

Based on Rockruff’s training performance, Obito believed that the current Fire Dragon still had some way to go to catch up to Rockruff.

One step behind means every step behind. Obito knew the danger of falling behind, and he couldn’t let his Nin-Beast fall behind Kakashi’s Nin-Beast either.

“For every ten minutes more you train, you get an extra shrimp for dinner,” Obito added.

An unexpected incident led Obito to discover Fire Dragon’s fondness for shrimp. To motivate Fire Dragon to train harder, Obito decided to set up a small reward.

Fire Dragon, who was about to sit down and rest for a while, stood up, indicating that he wasn’t so tired anymore.

“Xiaomei, don’t you think this scene is beautiful too?”

Rin Nohara, resting after training, looked at Feebas in the pond, who was staring blankly at Kakashi and the others, and smiled gently.

From a common aesthetic perspective, Feebas’s appearance certainly couldn’t be described as ‘beautiful’. Rin Nohara gave it this name mainly hoping that Feebas could be confident and discover its other ‘beautiful’ qualities.

After spending some time together, Rin Nohara actually discovered many advantages in Feebas.

It was easy to raise, not picky about food, basically ate anything, and seemed to be growing very healthily.

Also, Feebas swam very fast, but in other aspects, it was quite dull and seemed very slow.

Moreover, Feebas was very understanding. When Rin Nohara spoke, it never moved, quietly waiting for Rin Nohara to finish.

Feebas’s blank stare shifted from Kakashi and the others to Rin Nohara. Its fish body moved slightly, as if nodding.

Once rested, Rin Nohara helped Feebas with body care, then resumed training.

Feebas stayed in the pond, its blank eyes quietly watching Rin Nohara, seemingly lost in thought.

“It’s great to be a disciple of Muzuki-sensei.”

Watching this harmonious scene, Yamato sighed with genuine emotion.

Staying with Muzuki, even if he did nothing, Yamato would unconsciously relax his mind, feeling exceptionally comfortable in body and spirit.

Because besides Muzuki, Muzuki’s other disciples were also very good people.

“Although Senior Kakashi is strict, he’s very gentle at heart.”

Yamato recalled how Kakashi had initiative stepped forward to pay the bill when he was short on money.

“Senior Obito sometimes says things I don’t understand, but he’s also a good person.”

Yamato had very little interaction with Obito, but yesterday Obito generously treated him to many snacks, and his attitude made Yamato feel comfortable, leaving Yamato with a very good impression of Obito.

“Chakra control and Ninjutsu training are very important, but combat ability is equally important for a Ninja.”

Muzuki arranged practical combat training for Yamato.

“Kakashi, pause your training for now. You’ll be Yamato’s opponent.”

Muzuki called over Kakashi, who was preparing to continue training.

Upon hearing that he would be engaging in practical combat training with Yamato, Kakashi instantly showed an interested expression, subconsciously clenching his fists.

Back in Rouran, a certain person had used the guise of practical combat training to deliver a severe blow to his head.

“Senior Kakashi, surely he won’t be so strict now, will he?” Yamato was a bit unsure.

He felt that his relationship with Kakashi had improved, so Kakashi should be a bit gentler with him.

Looking at Kakashi walking over with a smile, Yamato felt a bad premonition.

He would rather it be an expressionless Kakashi walking over.

Although the mask covered half of Kakashi’s face, a smile could be seen through his eyes.

Yamato wanted to switch opponents, but he was worried it would hurt Kakashi’s feelings. Kakashi had treated him to a meal before, after all.

Finally, after some hesitation, Yamato assumed a fighting stance.

“Combat start.”

Muzuki announced the start of the training.

The moment Muzuki’s words fell, Kakashi immediately focused his breathing to the extreme, entering the Transparent World state. The world presented a different scenery in Kakashi’s eyes.

Although there was a suspicion of using a cannon to kill a mosquito, Kakashi thought one saying was good: using full power is a sign of respect for your opponent. Therefore, he respected Yamato, the future Root captain.

Whoosh!

Yamato only felt Kakashi, who was carrying electric arcs, somehow vanish from his sight. When Yamato tried to locate Kakashi, a wicked hand had already descended upon his head.

Bang!

Kakashi’s hand chop precisely struck Yamato’s head, causing Yamato’s thoughts to pause for 0.1 seconds.

Without time to think too much, Yamato endured the discomfort and rapidly kicked out a spinning kick, gathering Chakra in his feet.

But Kakashi seemed to truly possess mind-reading abilities; his attack was completely seen through. Kakashi effortlessly caught his leg and threw him away.

“Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!”

Thrown away, Yamato quickly formed hand seals and spewed a Water Dragon, attacking Kakashi.

Fizzle! Fizzle!

Kakashi gathered Chakra in his hand, then channeled it into his White Fang Short Blade through his palm, extending a lightning blade from the tip of the White Fang Short Blade, lengthening the short blade. He casually swung a Lightning Release slash, cutting the Water Dragon.

The current Yamato was far too weak compared to the Anbu captain in Rouran. In a real battle, he wouldn’t even be an opponent for a regular Jonin, let alone Kakashi in his Transparent World state.

“Water Release…”

Yamato wanted to use the Great Waterfall Technique to create a favorable environment for himself, but a few lightning Kunai thrown by Kakashi forced him to adjust his position.

However, Kakashi didn’t give Yamato a chance. He burst with extreme speed, arriving beside Yamato, and a powerful, heavy elbow strike sent Yamato to the ground.

“Senior Kakashi isn’t gentle at all, he’s super strict.”

Yamato, having been thoroughly beaten, was a bit depressed.

Muzuki, seeing this, paused the battle to let Yamato rest.

“If you want to fight more types of Ninja, you can also choose other people as opponents,” Muzuki said after thinking for a moment.

Yamato’s eyes lit up. He felt that Obito was a good choice; he seemed much easier to get along with than Kakashi.

“Muzuki-sensei, let me train with Senior Obito instead.”

Yamato chose to replace Kakashi with Obito.

Muzuki nodded in agreement and called Obito over.

“Me? Alright then.”

Obito heard this and started rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

To be honest, Obito hadn’t enjoyed the satisfaction of crushing an opponent in a long time.

Muzuki only had a few disciples, and besides Rin Nohara, Obito wasn’t confident in a sure win against any of them.

But Obito couldn’t possibly compete with Rin Nohara. On one hand, Rin Nohara was a medical Ninja, and on the other hand, Rin Nohara was the person he liked. How could he possibly fight the person he liked?

Moreover, Yamato’s background was not ordinary; he was the future Anbu captain. Defeating Yamato, by rough estimation, meant defeating an Anbu captain.

After a period of rest, Yamato began to fight Obito.

“Flame Breathing, Full Focus!”

At the start of the battle, Obito directly focused his breathing to a state sufficient to enter Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, enhancing his Fire Release abilities.

He remembered that Yamato’s Wood Release was not simple, and ordinary Fire Release might not be very effective.

“Earth Release: Rock Spikes!”

Yamato quickly formed hand seals, creating three stone spikes from the ground, which shot towards Obito.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!”

A large amount of Chakra gathered in Obito’s throat, eventually transforming into sheets of flame that Obito spewed out.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Blazing flames ignited around Obito. The stone spikes assaulting Obito couldn’t withstand the high-temperature flames, becoming fragmented under the flames’ erosion.

Then, Obito continuously output Chakra, and the fire grew larger and larger, vast sheets of flame gradually turning into a raging inferno.

Yamato:…

How the heck was he supposed to fight this? Yamato felt even more frustrated than when he had just fought Kakashi.

Yamato tried to use Water Release to extinguish Obito’s Fire Release.

But compared to Obito’s flames, enhanced by Flame Breathing, Yamato’s current Water Release level was only half-baked, completely unable to contend with Obito’s Fire Release. The water streams he created were all completely evaporated by Obito’s flames.

Facing the three Fire Dragons formed from the sea of flames, Yamato could only raise his hands in surrender.

“An Anbu captain is nothing more than this.”

Obito puffed out his chest. From now on, he was also a Ninja who had defeated an Anbu captain.

“Senior Obito is also so strict during battles…”

Yamato became a little more depressed.

Although this battle didn’t involve getting beaten up, it caused him mental damage.

He used Water Release, which counters Fire Release, but was still suppressed by the opponent. It was truly a bit hurtful.

“The seniors have been training for several more years than me; there’s too much of a difference in raw strength,” Yamato comforted himself.

“Muzuki-sensei, how about we let Senior Shisui do it?”

Yamato wanted to keep changing opponents.

Yamato didn’t know Shisui’s exact age, but he looked a bit younger than Kakashi and Obito. He should only be a year or two older than him, so he wouldn’t be much stronger.

“Okay.”

Muzuki nodded and called Shisui over.

“Senior Shisui.”

Yamato greeted him politely.

Shisui smiled and nodded in response. Although he hadn’t gone to Rouran and wasn’t familiar with Yamato, Shisui had a good impression of Yamato.

According to Kakashi, many of their future intelligence came from the future Yamato.

“Senior Shisui, just fight normally, no need to hold back against me.”

Seeing Shisui’s gentle attitude, Yamato reminded him.

He felt that Shisui was Muzuki’s second youngest disciple, and his strength should be far less than Kakashi and the others. And he himself was a Wood Release Ninja shouldering Konoha’s future, so if Shisui deliberately held back, he might suffer a disadvantage.

If other disciples saw it, Shisui’s reputation as a senior would somewhat suffer.

“Is that so? I understand.”

Shisui nodded, thinking Yamato was the type of Ninja who liked to challenge difficulties, and quickly revised his combat plan.

Shisui’s original combat plan was to suppress his strength as much as possible so as not to overwhelm Yamato, preventing Yamato’s confidence from being shattered.

But since Yamato himself requested it, Shisui was always an easygoing person, so he would go all out to fulfill Yamato’s wish.

“Start!”

The moment Muzuki shouted, Yamato burst with Chakra and charged out, wanting to test Shisui’s taijutsu level first.

“His eyes turned red.”

Yamato noticed that Shisui’s eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and there were also three tomoe patterns within them.

Yamato wasn’t quite sure what this ability was. He continued to charge towards Shisui and then engaged in a “fierce battle” with Shisui.

Looking at Yamato, who was excitedly punching the air in place, Kakashi shook his head. Of all people, why pick Shisui? That’s just asking for trouble.

Just as Yamato was immersed in the “evenly matched” battle, he suddenly sensed someone pat his shoulder. Yamato subconsciously turned his head and found it was Shisui.

Yamato was full of questions. No matter how fast, there had to be movement. Shisui hadn’t shown any signs of using Body Flicker Technique just now.

“You were caught in a Genjutsu just now,” Shisui explained proactively.

Yamato understood instantly. Danzo Shimura had taught him basic Ninja knowledge.

Yamato’s face instantly flushed red. Thinking about how he must have looked to others while caught in the Genjutsu, Yamato wished he could burrow into the ground and stay there for half an hour. It was simply too embarrassing.

What evenly matched? He had been instantly defeated by Shisui with just a glance.

“Senior Shisui, how old are you this year?” Yamato couldn’t help but ask.

He felt he might have misjudged a piece of information. Being a bit shorter didn’t mean being younger. Perhaps Shisui was the same age as Kakashi and the others.

“Nine years old,” Shisui replied.

Yamato’s eyes widened. Shisui was indeed only two years older than him, and it wasn’t just that he looked younger due to his height.

Yamato looked at Kakashi on his left, then at Shisui, then at his own hands, and began to question Danzo Shimura’s words.

“Am I really that important to Konoha? Is a Wood Release Ninja really the strongest Ninja?” Yamato questioned himself in his heart.

Danzo Shimura had long instilled in Yamato the idea that he was the only Wood Release Ninja in the world and needed to bear the heavy responsibility of protecting Konoha.

Now, Yamato felt Danzo Shimura was speaking nonsense with his eyes wide open; Shisui was only two years older than him, yet Yamato wasn’t confident he could reach Shisui’s strength at his age. If Konoha relied on him for protection in the future, it would be over.

“What’s wrong? Are you losing confidence in yourself?” Muzuki asked with a smile, sitting on the ground and looking at Yamato at eye level.

“I just feel like I’m not as important as Lord Danzo said,” Yamato said honestly.

Previously, Yamato’s motivation for training came from many sources, a large part of which was a sense of responsibility, believing that he needed to train hard and become stronger to protect Konoha with his Wood Release.

“Don’t doubt yourself just because you lost to Kakashi and Shisui. First, they are older than you, and second, they are both the most talented young Ninja in Konoha today,” Muzuki said, smiling as he ruffled Yamato’s hair.

Then, Muzuki recounted some of Kakashi’s experiences, such as fighting and turning the tables on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and consecutively battling several Jonin during missions.

Although Yamato didn’t know what the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist represented, Muzuki would introduce the opponents before telling the stories, giving Yamato a preliminary understanding so he could grasp the significance of Kakashi’s achievements.

“So, Senior Kakashi and the others are that amazing,” Yamato’s mood immediately lightened considerably.

He had been secretly cultivated by Root, and as soon as he came out, he was thrashed by Kakashi and the others, making it hard for Yamato not to doubt himself.

After Muzuki’s explanation, Yamato understood clearly: it wasn’t that he was incapable, but that Kakashi and the others were also geniuses.

“You don’t need to put unnecessary pressure on yourself because of Wood Release. It’s not that mastering Wood Release makes you invincible. The First Hokage was able to become the God of Shinobi because he was Senju Hashirama, not because of Wood Release,” Muzuki continued to explain.

As a transmigrator, Muzuki knew that Hashirama’s strength lay in his terrifying Chakra reserves and his Sage Body; Wood Release was not the core of Senju Hashirama’s power.

Yamato looked confused. What Muzuki said was different from what Danzo Shimura said. Who should he believe?

“You don’t need to train hard as a Wood Release Ninja or be responsible for anyone. You just need to train as Yamato.”

As he spoke, Muzuki gazed into Yamato’s eyes, as if to let his words penetrate Yamato’s confused heart.

“Train as Yamato…” Yamato silently repeated the name Muzuki had given him, his heart gradually leaning towards Muzuki.

In fact, there were many things he didn’t understand right now, and he couldn’t fully comprehend Muzuki’s words, but he inexplicably felt that Muzuki was right, and that Muzuki genuinely cared for him.

After recalling his memories of interacting with both of them, Yamato completely leaned towards Muzuki, feeling that Muzuki was correct.

“Teacher Muzuki is perfect, so he can’t be wrong.” The more Yamato thought about it, the more he felt Muzuki made sense.

After all, Danzo Shimura himself had said that Muzuki was the most perfect Ninja in Root.

“But, if I train as Yamato, what would be the purpose?” A new question arose in Yamato’s mind.

He had spent much more time as ‘Kinoto’ than as ‘Yamato,’ and for a moment, he wasn’t sure why he should train as Yamato.

“You’ll have to discover that yourself. Just follow your heart,” Muzuki said with a smile, not interfering too much.

Yamato exhaled, closing his eyes slightly. Memories, from meeting Muzuki, to being brought by Muzuki to the South Border Forest and meeting Kakashi, then becoming Muzuki’s disciple, and finally to today’s practical training, surfaced vividly and in detail in Yamato’s mind.

Yamato’s time with Muzuki and Kakashi wasn’t long, but in terms of value, the memories spent with Muzuki and the others surpassed the sum of all his previous memories.

This was because his memories before meeting Muzuki were truly dull, boring, and simple.

Before entering Konoha and being taught by Muzuki, his range of activity was limited to within twenty-five meters of the wooden house.

Normally, no one communicated with him, and the young Yamato even thought he was the only one there, unaware that Root Ninja were secretly monitoring him.

As for when Danzo Shimura taught him knowledge or checked his strength, Yamato would get a chance to communicate. That’s why Yamato was very dependent on and respectful of Danzo Shimura before.

Until that day arrived, when Yamato saw Muzuki, who seemed to carry warm sunlight, his life was completely changed.

Although the place he lived was still remote, it was no longer a deserted area.

Due to his trust in Muzuki, Yamato entrusted everything to Muzuki, and Danzo Shimura only emphasized that Yamato should not use Wood Release Ninjutsu in front of outsiders. He was no longer restricted in his movements, or rather, Muzuki chose not to restrict him.

Initially, Yamato could only receive Muzuki’s instruction for two to three hours a day, and only on Sundays could he spend more time with Muzuki.

Thinking of the first Sunday training, Yamato recalled the senior Kakashi, who was sometimes strict and sometimes gentle.

Although Kakashi always played tricks and tried to hit his head, Kakashi’s decisiveness in paying after meals was also very cool.

“No matter what, I can’t let down Teacher Muzuki’s teachings. Also, I have to hit Senior Kakashi’s head at least once,” Yamato found what he currently considered the meaning of his training.

He wanted to continue training with Muzuki, wanted to become stronger than Kakashi, and then, with Kakashi’s surprised expression, tap Kakashi on the head, letting Kakashi know that getting hit on the head really hurts.

Seeing Yamato’s gaze become increasingly firm, Muzuki smiled again, “It seems you’ve found the answer.”

Yamato nodded heavily, “Teacher Muzuki, please teach me how to surpass Senior Kakashi!”

“Just work hard and train. Although there’s quite a gap between you and Kakashi now, it might not be the case in a few years,” Muzuki encouraged.

Yamato’s foundation was actually quite good, with ample Chakra and the Wood Release Bloodline Limit. If trained well, he had the potential to become a youthful version of Hashirama.

At least under his guidance, Yamato wouldn’t take over twenty years to master Wood Release to an initial proficiency.

“Actually, Obito and Might Guy also often lost to Kakashi before, but later they kept working hard…” Muzuki brought up Obito and Might Guy’s past experiences to motivate Yamato.

Yamato was stunned, never expecting that Obito, who could use terrifying Fire Release, was once a dead last, the kind who would be instantly defeated by Kakashi.

As for Might Guy, before Muzuki spoke of Kakashi’s team’s exploits, Yamato didn’t even know that Might Guy was currently the strongest member of the team.

At first, he had wanted to switch to Might Guy, but seeing that Might Guy didn’t seem to practice Ninjutsu, he gave up. Now, Yamato felt like he had escaped a disaster. If Shisui and Kakashi were so amazing, then the strongest Might Guy must be even more incredible.

What surprised Yamato even more was that Might Guy used to be an even bigger dead last than Obito.

Listening to Might Guy’s story of hard work and comeback, Yamato felt his blood boiling, wishing he could immediately do a thousand push-ups.

“Senior Might Guy and Senior Obito could defeat Senior Kakashi through hard work, so I want to try hard too!” At this moment, Might Guy and Obito had already become Yamato’s idols.

【Disciple Yamato Training Mission Set】

【Training Mission: Strive with the seniors as your goal】

【Time: Six months (Early completion if challenge mission target is met)】

【Reward: Determined by mission completion and strength growth during the mission period】

Muzuki nodded inwardly. Before Trust Level Four, life missions couldn’t be triggered, but training missions could still be generated.

Although the quality of rewards was much lower than life missions, the corresponding difficulty was also lower. They could basically be completed by following the usual training routine, making them something worth doing.

Muzuki had Obito and Kakashi take turns fighting Yamato precisely to ignite Yamato’s desire to train. He hadn’t expected the effect to be so overwhelmingly good, even incidentally washing away much of the PUA traces from Danzo Shimura on Yamato.

Taking advantage of Yamato’s high spirits at the moment, Muzuki gave Yamato a piece of calligraphy he had written in his spare time.

Normally, when triggering the disciple feedback, it was suitable to give small items. Otherwise, if the threshold became too high, it would be impossible to get big rewards.

【You gifted your disciple Yamato a handwritten calligraphy. Due to the disciple’s immense gratitude, a great critical reward was triggered: obtained Ninjutsu Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Technique (Mastery Level)】

As the reward information popped up, a large amount of practice memories for Cutting Sprigs Technique appeared in Muzuki’s mind, and Muzuki’s proficiency in Wood Release increased by one hundred points as a result.

“This Ninjutsu, for Yamato to learn, is actually quite good,” Muzuki thought after organizing his memories.

Cutting Sprigs Technique couldn’t compare to large-scale, high-power Wood Release techniques like Wood Release: World of Trees or Wood Human Technique, but among ordinary Wood Release Ninjutsu, it was considered a decent power type.

…

It was another Sunday. Muzuki’s main body went to the Shinobi Sect headquarters, preparing to give the Pokémon Egg to Nagato.

The Pokémon Egg bound by the system could only be hatched by the binder, or at least Nagato had to touch it, otherwise the Pokemon would never hatch.

Muzuki had originally wanted to collect local Nin-Beast eggs from the Fire Nation and distribute them to Yahiko and the others, but after thinking about it seriously, when the eggs hatched, Nagato’s Nin-Beast would be unique, and it seemed to have no effect, but rather had a bit of a feeling of trying to cover up something.

It would be better to put the egg in a training room with a Sealing Technique, and Nagato could come and hold it whenever he had time, then directly form a contract when it hatched.

Black Zetsu and the others probably wouldn’t even care if Nagato had an extra, newly hatched, extremely weak Nin-Beast. Even if they did care, it would be hard for them to guess what was going on, unless Nagato hatched the same Pokemon as Kakashi and the others, but that probability was too small.

After arriving at the Shinobi Sect headquarters, Muzuki did not go straight to the training room. As the leader of the Shinobi Sect, at a time when the Shinobi Sect was expanding greatly, going straight to the training room in broad daylight would be somewhat irresponsible.

Muzuki first used his main body to teach the Shinobi Sect Ninja, instructing them in Taijutsu and Nature Transformation.

All the Shinobi Sect Ninja began to receive Muzuki’s instruction, even Kakuzu attended the classes.

Although most of what Muzuki taught was quite basic, Kakuzu occasionally heard content that would give him some insights, so Kakuzu would also listen to the lectures.

Kakuzu always believed that Muzuki opening a paid teaching class would be more profitable than him being a Ninja of Fortune. This teaching ability was incredibly strong; with just one mouth, what Muzuki said seemed to be different.

Before those Shinobi Sect Ninja followed Muzuki, many of them were at Genin level. It was by continuously receiving instruction from Muzuki and constantly improving their overall quality that they gained their current strength.

“If the Five Great Ninja Villages knew about this, they would probably spend a great deal to win him over,” Kakuzu noted Muzuki’s teaching content, sighing inwardly.

Muzuki’s teaching ability alone was worth more than most strong individuals in the Ninja World.

【Completed one intermediate lecture】

【Evaluation: S】

【Reward: Taijutsu comprehension increased, Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation +30… 】

After finishing the teaching, Muzuki dispatched Shinobi Sect Ninja to Amegakure to spread the news of the lecture.

The Shinobi Sect Ninja would have two months of special training. Muzuki would hold unrestricted lectures during the last week, open to anyone who wanted to attend, whether they were Shinobi Sect Ninja, Ninja from Amegakure, or even Ninja from outside the Land of Rain.

Muzuki’s second phase of Anbu training would end soon, allowing him to focus on achieving higher-level lecture rewards in the Land of Rain.

After handling the Shinobi Sect matters, Muzuki called Nagato to the training room.

“Nagato, for every disciple who gets promoted to Jonin, I give them a Jonin gift as a reward for their growth. This is your gift,” Muzuki said with a gentle smile, handing the large egg in his hand to Nagato.

Nagato was somewhat surprised, but after taking the egg, he instinctively held it steadily in his arms.

Along with the surprise came delight and emotion.

From Nagato’s perspective, Muzuki had been away for a week for an unknown reason, and upon returning, he gave him a birthday gift of a Nin-Beast egg. This meant Muzuki must have spent that week preparing the gift for him, and not stating the reason was to surprise him.

Nagato was truly touched. The promotion in Ninja rank wasn’t a big deal in his eyes; this showed that Muzuki cared about him even more than he had imagined.

“Teacher Muzuki, thank you.” Nagato was not good with words; the thousands of words in his heart could only be condensed into “thank you.”

【You gifted your disciple a Pokémon Egg. Due to the disciple’s immense gratitude, a great critical reward was triggered: obtained reward — Four Red Yang Formation (Mastery Level)】

“After all, I am your teacher,” Muzuki said with a smile, telling Nagato some precautions, asking Nagato not to take the Pokémon Egg out and just to come and check on it in the training room from time to time.

Although Muzuki’s instructions were a bit strange, Nagato didn’t have any doubts, believing that Muzuki must have a reason for doing so, and that this Nin-Beast egg must be special.

PS: Sorry, although I said I would definitely make up the missing 4k today, when I was writing at night, for some reason my eyes felt very sore and swollen towards the end. I could only look at the screen for ten minutes or so before I had to rest before continuing. If I hadn’t written some content yesterday, I wouldn’t have been able to guarantee today’s 8k.

I plan to go see what’s going on tomorrow. If there’s a problem, I’ll post a single chapter if I need to take leave. This time, Xiao Ju can’t say when I’ll be able to make it up. The little bit of saved manuscript I had is all used up…