Chapter 131 — The Exam is Coming
As Iwagakure and Kumogakure declared war on Konoha, the tension in the village began to grow, subtly affecting the atmosphere among its ninja.
Two weeks after the meeting, Mugetsu could already hear the teachers in the office discussing the war.
Although these were topics from a jonin meeting, such things couldn't be hidden for long. If war was inevitable, ninja would have to be mobilized—how could something like that remain a secret?
For now, however, it hadn't disrupted the daily life of Konoha. Despite being a ninja village, the majority of its population were ordinary people. Even many ninja clans had family members who had never become shinobi.
"I think we should crush Iwagakure with overwhelming force, deter the entire ninja world, and then ally with Sunagakure to take down Kumogakure."
"Why not ally with Sunagakure first, take out Kumogakure, and then deal with Iwagakure together?"
"Are you stupid? Let Kumogakure and Sunagakure wear each other out first. Then, when Kumogakure and Iwagakure are both weakened, we can finish them off along with Sunagakure and maximize the war's gains."
Perhaps political debates were entertaining for them—after all, the chunin teachers in the office were unlikely to be sent to the frontlines. They still discussed enthusiastically, throwing out what they believed to be brilliant strategies.
"You two, war is a cruel thing. It's not as simple as you're making it sound," Aya said, looking at Yu and Sugito as their talk grew more outrageous.
"Cruel or not, Konoha has always been the victor in the Shinobi World Wars. I don't think this time will be any different," Sugito replied, full of confidence.
"That's right. Under the leadership of the Third Hokage, Kumogakure and Iwagakure are no match for us," Yu added with a firm nod.
"Mugetsu, don't you agree?" Yu turned to him.
"Of course. I believe the village will win," Mugetsu said evenly. "But as teachers, our job is to prepare our students with the right mindset and skills so they can serve the village when the time comes."
Even if Konoha were besieged by all four great villages, Mugetsu knew it would still emerge victorious—though it might be a Pyrrhic victory.
"See? That's the kind of confidence we should have," Yu said proudly.
"It's not that I doubt the village," Aya replied, "I just think you two are underestimating what war really means."
After gathering his things, Mugetsu left the office, went home to cook, and then headed to the South Border Forest.
The flames of war had yet to reach the ninja academy—or him, a man dedicated to education. Only if Konoha was truly on the brink of collapse would he be sent to the battlefield. At that point, even newly graduated genin wouldn't be pulling weeds or doing chores—they'd be fighting.
Upon arriving at the training ground, Mugetsu quickly assessed his students.
Obito was still in the lead, his Flame Breathing proficiency reaching thirty-five points. Shisui followed at thirty, while Guy, who had been ahead for a while, now trailed with his Rock Breathing proficiency at twenty-five.
Mugetsu was satisfied with their progress. Although Guy lagged ten points behind Obito, the reasons were clear and not due to lack of effort.
"You two can move on to the next stage of training," Mugetsu told Shisui and Obito.
"This will be more difficult than before, so be prepared."
"Just teach us, sensei," Obito said with a grin. "No matter how hard it is, we're ready."
With only two weeks left until the first practical exam of the semester, Obito was determined to master Flame Breathing and take first place this time.
"Do you remember the second stage of training?" Mugetsu asked.
"It's using specific stances to help with the Breathing Technique," Obito answered after a moment.
"This time, the goal is to control the air you inhale freely—without relying on stances—and to use ninjutsu while maintaining the Flame Breathing state," Mugetsu explained.
Though these seemed like separate goals, the latter was impossible without mastering the former.
Why did some ninja need to form hand seals, while others could perform jutsu with few or none? If ninjutsu was like solving a math problem, forming hand seals was the process of working it out. A ninja without hand seals could give the answer directly, while those using fewer seals were simply faster at solving the problem.
Flame Breathing was like adding an extra credit question—answering it correctly granted more power. But using different jutsu while in that state was like solving a new extra credit problem for each one. To do so required absolute control over the inhaled air, ensuring correct execution no matter the technique.
For now, Mugetsu's training involved performing extreme physical challenges using only the Breathing Technique—no chakra.
Sometimes, pushing one's limits brought out hidden potential. Even for someone like Obito, climbing a cliff without chakra was nerve-wracking, with footholds barely wide enough for the tips of his toes.
By completing such difficult challenges without chakra or tools, Obito and Shisui were forced to rely solely on the strength brought by the Breathing Technique.
Their progress was neck-and-neck. Obito's proficiency rose to forty-two, Shisui's to thirty-seven, and both completed the stage in just one week.
In truth, not only the second and fourth stages but the control of air had been part of their training from the very beginning. From the moment they first sensed "Breath" through the Breathing Technique, each practice session had honed their control. The fourth stage was simply the culmination of that process.
Once they could control the air freely, it was time for formal ninjutsu training.
Obito, who specialized in ninjutsu, was confident he'd breeze through—only to find it more challenging than expected. Flame Breathing's Nature Transformation bonus increased jutsu power but also made them harder to control.
Still, compared to earlier stages, this was more about refining control and adapting to the enhanced state, which made it easier for him. Obito took five days to adapt, his proficiency rising to forty-six.
Shisui, on the other hand, adapted in just three days. Five days later, he reached forty-two points, closing the gap.
Guy trained hard as well, but the difficulty slowed his progress—he reached thirty-two points in the same time.
On Saturday evening, the three compared notes. When Obito learned that Guy hadn't even started extreme sports training, his confidence surged.
The exam was on Monday. This time, he was certain—he would take first place in the class.
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