Chapter 152 An unexpected surprise (4k)

“Obito, what did you do yesterday when you went back?” Muzuki asked, looking at the Flame Breathing that had reached the ‘入門’ (entry-level) stage on Obito’s status panel.

“I didn’t do anything, just played with Rin,” Obito replied.

“Just you and Rin?” Muzuki felt that Obito might be holding something back.

“There was also a rather annoying Guy,” Obito answered honestly, but he figured Muzuki wasn’t familiar with Kakashi, so he didn’t mention Kakashi’s name.

When Obito said that, Muzuki knew exactly who it was—one hundred percent Kakashi.

Muzuki gave Kakashi a silent thumbs-up in his heart. Not only could he help trigger training missions, but he could also stimulate Obito’s growth in strength. Truly worthy of being Obito’s future teammate; he was already starting to contribute even before becoming one.

“You don’t need to do any other exercises today. Just get more familiar with your current Flame Breathing. You’ve already completed the entry-level training for the Breathing Technique,” Muzuki said with a smile.

“Eh, I learned it?” Obito scratched his head. Yesterday, he was so engrossed in his battle of wits with Kakashi that he hadn’t realized he had completely mastered the Breathing Technique.

“Yes, you’ve learned it. You’re the first one to master the Breathing Technique,” Muzuki praised.

“Haha, really? Shisui and the others should be learning it soon too, right?” Obito’s smile brightened.

“The first one…” Shisui, who was still practicing the Breathing Technique, felt a bit unwilling. Although he had been training hard, he was still one step behind Obito.

Muzuki used Appraisal to glance at Shisui; his proficiency was already at ninety points, just a short distance away.

His disciples’ progress in practicing the Breathing Technique was much faster than he had anticipated. Even if Shisui’s progress was slightly slower than Obito’s, Muzuki felt that Shisui would be able to complete his training before the end of this semester.

As for Might Guy, Muzuki couldn’t say for sure, because Might Guy’s proficiency was currently only seventy points.

However, Obito and the others also saw rapid increases once they started combat training. If Might Guy also made rapid progress in combat training, he might be able to catch up to Shisui and Obito.

“Next, Shisui, you and Guy will conduct combat training,” Muzuki said after some thought.

Might Guy had recently completed all his basic training, and Muzuki had initially made Obito Might Guy’s opponent, thinking their strength difference was small enough for them to hone each other’s skills.

But now, Muzuki felt that the Breathing Technique progressed faster when fighting stronger enemies and enduring greater pressure.

“Eh, what about me?” Obito asked, pointing to himself. He was still thinking of using his newly learned Flame Breathing to have a good time against Might Guy and experience the feeling of Shisui’s undefeated record.

“Go get familiar with Flame Breathing,” Muzuki said, tapping Obito’s head.

Although Might Guy was still just starting his training, considering the differences between Flame Breathing and Rock Breathing, Muzuki directly entered the third stage. This meant Shisui could use all his abilities except Sharingan, and Might Guy could also go all out.

After all, Might Guy’s Rock Breathing purely provided physical strength, and Might Guy didn’t know any Ninjutsu. If the rules remained the same as before, it would simply be limiting Shisui’s strength.

“Shisui, please guide me!” Might Guy gave Shisui a thumbs-up, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

Shisui was Muzuki’s youngest disciple, yet his strength was the greatest. In Might Guy’s eyes, such a Shisui was an undeniable genius, and Might Guy loved nothing more than challenging geniuses.

“Please guide me,” Shisui nodded in response.

“Begin combat!” Muzuki announced.

As soon as Muzuki’s words fell, Might Guy immediately changed his Breathing Technique rhythm, charging forward fiercely and unleashing his most proficient Taijutsu.

“Leaf Whirlwind!”

An incredibly fast whirlwind kick flew towards Shisui.

Shisui hadn’t fought Might Guy since the summer special training ended and wasn’t clear on Might Guy’s exact strength, so he chose to perform a probing attack first, also using the Leaf Whirlwind kick.

The immense power sent both of them back several steps, with Shisui retreating significantly more.

“Such great strength,” Shisui was somewhat surprised.

The power Might Guy unleashed at this moment was actually greater than Obito’s when he entered the Total Concentration Breathing state.

“I can’t directly clash with Guy in Taijutsu,” Shisui thought to himself.

To possess such terrifying strength without even using Total Concentration Breathing, Shisui could imagine how immense the boost from Rock Breathing was to the body. Clashing with Might Guy in Taijutsu would undoubtedly be playing to his weakness and avoiding his strength, which was unwise.

Boom!

Sensing danger, Shisui used a Body Flicker Technique to leave his spot. The next moment, the tree where he had been standing was directly kicked and snapped by Might Guy, falling to the ground.

Might Guy’s displayed Taijutsu strength did not make Shisui panic. This level of power was simply not enough to make him lose in front of Muzuki.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!” Shisui quickly formed hand signs and unleashed a giant fireball towards Might Guy. Simultaneously, he used Shuriken to predict some of Might Guy’s evasion spaces, and finally used Body Flicker Technique to flash towards the unblocked area.

Might Guy hadn’t anticipated that Shisui would think so much within the time it took to use one Ninjutsu. When he dodged, Shisui unleashed a burst of flames towards Might Guy.

“Rock Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!” With no escape, Might Guy had no choice but to use Total Concentration Breathing to strengthen his body.

The cultivation of Rock Breathing, which greatly enhanced physical abilities, also made the body’s defense stronger.

If Muzuki had his Mark activated, Shisui’s small flames wouldn’t even break his defense, but Might Guy’s Breathing Technique was still entry-level, so he could only reduce the damage he took. The high temperature of the flames still made Might Guy somewhat uncomfortable.

With his physical abilities further enhanced, Might Guy directly unleashed Chakra and rapidly kicked towards Shisui.

Shisui had also considered that Rock Breathing’s Total Concentration Breathing would have a very strong body-enhancing effect, so he had no intention of pressing the attack. After unleashing his flame palm, he immediately used Body Flicker Technique to leave, causing Might Guy’s attack to miss again.

“As expected, he’s very strong,” Shisui thought, looking at the small pit Might Guy’s kick had created in the ground.

The ensuing battle made Might Guy feel incredibly frustrated. Except for the very beginning, he hadn’t even touched Shisui once.

“Got you!” Just as Might Guy, exerting all his strength, used Total Concentration Breathing for the second time and hit Shisui, his foot suddenly passed through Shisui’s body.

“An illusion?” Might Guy was stunned.

In that instant, a Kunai wreathed in flames flew past Might Guy.

“It’s over,” Shisui said. He could have directly thrown it at Might Guy when he was under the Genjutsu, but since he wasn’t an enemy, there was no need.

“What a battle full of youth!” Might Guy admitted his defeat, laughing as he gave Shisui a thumbs-up.

“Shisui currently has no rivals among his peers. Even Kakashi, who is two years older than him, wouldn’t be Shisui’s opponent,” Muzuki judged in his heart.

Even if Kakashi had more Chakra, Muzuki didn’t think Kakashi would be Shisui’s opponent. Without Shisui using his Sharingan, they might be evenly matched because Kakashi had more combat experience, but once Shisui used his Sharingan, Kakashi would definitely not be Shisui’s opponent.

Muzuki felt that Shisui was slowly being nurtured into a BOSS by him. The original Shisui in the novel couldn’t possibly have this level of strength at this age.

With his Sharingan activated early, his mental abilities soared, and his physique was trained by the Breathing Technique. Shisui would become more and more exaggerated from now on.

“You all did very well. Rest for a while and then continue training,” Muzuki said with a gentle smile.

While letting his disciples rest, Muzuki also began to ponder how to raise Might Guy’s trust level on his birthday.

Today was December 10th, only twenty-one days until Might Guy’s birthday.

Based on observing his students’ expressions and actions, Muzuki confirmed that when he celebrated Shisui’s birthday, the other disciples’ trust levels should have also increased somewhat. So, Might Guy’s trust level should now be significantly higher than Shisui’s was before his birthday.

However, Muzuki didn’t know the exact extent of this increase. Trust levels couldn’t be appraised, nor could their growth be seen; Muzuki could only infer it based on his students’ behavior.

To be safe, Muzuki strived to do his best, trying to elevate Might Guy’s emotions as much as possible, aiming to break through to Trust Level 4 in one go.

However, the difficulty was greater with Might Guy. Unlike Shisui, who had been an orphan for a long time, Might Guy, though without a mother, had his father always with him, and their relationship was very good; he didn’t lack fatherly love.

As for giving Ninja tools, Might Guy rarely used them, so it wouldn’t have much meaning. Moreover, Shisui had just received a gift, and giving the second disciple the same type of gift would seem a bit perfunctory.

In fact, Muzuki had been planning a big surprise for a long time, but he really couldn’t think of a good method for Might Guy.

“Perhaps I can approach it from Guy’s father,” Muzuki suddenly thought of something, feeling that his previous ideas had been too narrow-minded.

Perhaps raising a disciple’s trust level didn’t necessarily have to be fixated on the disciple themselves; he could expand his approach.

There was still over half a month, so Muzuki wasn’t in a hurry to finalize the plan.

In the afternoon, because it was Sunday, Muzuki went to Asuma’s house to tutor him.

“Teacher Muzuki, how’s your Wind Release coming along?” Asuma asked curiously during a break.

“While I haven’t become the Wind Release genius you envisioned, it doesn’t seem too bad either,” Muzuki replied with a smile.

“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!” Muzuki quickly formed hand signs and unleashed Wind Release, blowing a fierce gust of wind towards a large tree.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Under the strong wind, the large tree, though not immediately snapping, bent its body under the pressure, its leaves rustling continuously.

“It’s still much worse than Fire Release and Water Release,” Muzuki sighed, looking at the slightly bent tree.

To establish his persona, Muzuki had made thorough preparations. Not only did he borrow many Wind Release materials from the library, but he also consulted Minato, appearing like a beginner in Wind Release.

“It’s already very strong, Teacher Muzuki, you’ve only been learning for a little over a month!” Asuma felt that his Wind Release was salvageable.

“You also need to work hard on your Fire Release. Don’t let me finish learning Wind Release before you’ve fully mastered your training content,” Muzuki said with a smile, patting Asuma’s head.

“I definitely won’t! I feel my Fire Release has gotten much stronger recently,” Asuma declared, vowing not to disappoint Muzuki’s expectations.

After sending Asuma home, Muzuki found Hiruzen Sarutobi smoking in the classroom.

“Sandaime-sama,” Muzuki greeted.

“Training’s done, good work,” Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with a smile.

Just as Muzuki was about to leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered something and called out to Muzuki.

“Muzuki, you’ve decided on the candidates for that intern program, right?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked. Not long ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had finalized the intern program after Muzuki revised it and appointed Muzuki as the person in charge.

“Yes, it’s done. The groupings and instructing teachers have all been decided,” Muzuki nodded. There were only ten days left until the Ninja Academy’s break, so he certainly couldn’t drag it out until the last minute.

“The list should include Might Guy and Uchiha Obito, right?” Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to ask.

“Yes, they are. They were the top two in the last Ninja Academy Fourth Grade exam,” Muzuki replied.

“Then this time, I’ll trouble you, Muzuki. Please revise the list, remove one person or add two more. I have a Ninja who has already graduated and needs your help with guidance. Please arrange him into the same group as Might Guy and Uchiha Obito, and then you will serve as the instructing teacher,” Hiruzen Sarutobi stated his arrangement.

Looking at Muzuki, Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered Kakashi, who currently had no team to join.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t want Kakashi to continue his self-destructive path. Obito and Might Guy were two of the few people Kakashi still cared about, and Muzuki was an excellent teacher whom Hiruzen Sarutobi believed had exceptional educational abilities.

A month of vacation plus three months of internship in the third semester totaled four months. Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t expect these four months to completely pull Kakashi out of his shadow, but at least he shouldn’t remain as he was now.

“Isn’t it somewhat inappropriate for a graduated student to participate in the internship?” Muzuki listened to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s words and had a rough guess about the person who was about to be inserted.

Having the opportunity to become Kakashi’s instructing teacher was an unexpected bonus, but Muzuki had to put on a show first.

“Logically, that’s true, but it’s also a last resort,” Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and told Muzuki about Kakashi’s experiences.

From a super genius who rapidly graduated and became a Chunin, admired by all, to now, struggling to even find an instructing teacher.

“So it’s White Fang-sama’s child,” Muzuki showed an expression of surprise and regret, seemingly worried for Kakashi.

“Sandaime-sama, please rest assured. I will take care of Kakashi. I will do my best to help him overcome his shadow and restart his life,” Muzuki said with a serious expression.

“White Fang-sama is a Ninja I deeply respect. I absolutely cannot let his child live in the shadows forever,” Muzuki continued.

“With your words, Muzuki, I’m relieved,” Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled.

Muzuki being a fan of White Fang was an unexpected bonus.

After returning, Muzuki revised the internship plan. Originally, he had intended to put Rin Nohara, Obito, and Might Guy in one group. Since the Sandaime wanted to insert Kakashi, Muzuki directly removed Rin Nohara from the internship plan.

Following those Chunin teachers on missions was not as good as learning from his Shadow Clone for four months.