Chapter 132 — Make Up for the Shortcomings
On Monday morning, the ninja academy began its first examination of the second semester for the current academic year.
Unlike the last exam, Mugetsu had been promoted, so he no longer needed to draw lots to decide which class to supervise. He could choose to patrol the various First Grade classes or simply sit quietly in the office with a cup of tea.
Since he had the free time, Mugetsu sent a shadow clone to make a few rounds, while his main body stayed behind to train.
He didn't use a Skill Proficiency Scroll for Contract Seal this time, instead training it to proficiency on his own. With no urgent need for sealing techniques, Mugetsu decided to rely on his natural talent in the field and save the scrolls for later.
In terms of physical training, he had already maintained proficient-level Rock Breathing for over two and a half months. With 24-hour training in the Constant State, he tested his physique every week, and each time there was noticeable improvement.
After two months, the rate of progress began to slow, but it was still better than conventional methods.
As for the five basic ninjutsu, Mugetsu didn't put much thought into them anymore. Based on his observations and assessments of other ninja, his current level was already more than sufficient. Instead, he focused on developing combinations of his existing ninjutsu and ways to execute them seamlessly in battle.
What he truly lacked were chakra reserves and combat experience.
His nature transformation was highly advanced, and many of his ninjutsu were at a proficient level—so powerful, in fact, that he avoided using them at full strength for fear of drawing the attention of the Anbu. If unleashed at maximum power, Mugetsu was certain his jutsu could reach a Hokage-level scale. But such firepower came at a cost—his chakra would drain far too quickly.
To put it simply, his output potential was massive, but the amount of "water in the tank" wasn't nearly enough. He wasn't as bad as a certain mage who could only use one explosion spell before collapsing, but compared to his destructive capacity, his chakra reserves were indeed lacking.
Combat experience was another problem. There was no opportunity to go all out without risking suspicion of being a spy and getting "invited" by the Anbu or Root for questioning. His only real combat knowledge came from the Root training inherited from the original body's memories.
He was determined to make up for both deficiencies.
For chakra, Mugetsu had been actively pursuing chakra rewards. In the first month of the new semester alone, he dedicated nearly all his time to building it up, gaining about 1,180 points through regular classes.
For combat experience, his current approach was to create shadow clones and have them fight each other, then absorb their memories afterward. Whether it was highly effective or not was uncertain—but it was better than nothing.
Aside from clone battles, he had another idea—one that could increase both his own combat experience and his disciples' strength. But it wasn't the right time to bring it up yet. He would wait until his results were more concrete and the war had progressed further.
The next day, Mugetsu went to the practical exam site for Class 1, Grade 1 to observe the students' overall performance.
He planned to visit Guy and Obito on the third day during the Yearly Grade-Level Practical Exam.
Thanks to the previous summer's training promotion rewards, Mugetsu now valued the improvement of Class 1, Grade 1's strength even more.
"Director Mugetsu." The two proctoring teachers greeted him with polite smiles.
This time, the proctors weren't people Mugetsu knew well—just colleagues familiar enough to recognize each other's names.
"Teacher Kikuta. Teacher Murashima." Mugetsu returned the greeting with a smile.
When Murashima first saw him, he felt a twinge of pressure, thinking he'd have to be extra careful when grading. But after a brief conversation, the tension eased, and Murashima relaxed.
Mugetsu was just as gentle and approachable as his reputation at the ninja academy suggested. Even though his position and rank were higher than those of ordinary teachers, he never carried himself with a superior, commanding air.
To be honest, Murashima was a little surprised when Mugetsu addressed him by name. They had only spoken once before, and he hadn't expected Mugetsu to remember him.
"Sigh, our opponents are all First Grade students. I can't get motivated at all," Kotetsu said with a regretful expression, arms crossed.
"Yeah, it's going to feel like bullying kids during the match," Izumo nodded in agreement.
"Aren't you both First Grade students yourselves?" Anko shot back, clearly unimpressed. "Anyone who didn't know better would think you were prodigies in special training—but you couldn't even make it past three rounds in the practical test."
She, as one of the top players in Group C, hadn't complained, yet these two were already putting on airs.
"Not making it past three rounds was just bad luck, Anko, you don't get it," Kotetsu retorted. "Our path as ninja is smooth sailing now that we've caught the Hokage's attention."
"Your ninjutsu is useless! If you ran into me, I'd knock you around so badly you'd be looking for your teeth all over the ground!" Anko raised her fists in a taijutsu threat.
Kotetsu and Izumo immediately fell silent. They knew Anko was strong—strong enough that neither of them wanted to test her mood right now.
"Number one, Uchiha Shisui. Number two, Anko Mitarashi. Prepare for the exam." The proctor's voice called out.
"Hahaha, looks like you won't get the chance to fight us, Anko," Izumo said gleefully. Among all the First Grade students, there was only one person Anko couldn't beat—and she had just been matched against him in her very first round.
"Someone's not even going to make it past the second round. Not saying who," Kotetsu added smugly.
"Damn it, you two! Don't run off after the exam!" Anko snapped, scowling. She hadn't expected her first match to be against Shisui.
It was Murashima and the others' first time proctoring a First Grade exam this year, and after watching Anko and Shisui's battle, they were left astonished.
"Judging by First Grade standards, I can't deduct a single point," Murashima said flatly.
Their fight didn't look anything like a match between First Grade students—it was more on par with a Fourth Grade final or even the yearly Grade-Level Practical Exam.
Though Anko lost, Murashima still awarded her a perfect score. It wasn't because she lacked skill, but because her opponent was simply stronger.
After the first round of battles in Class 1, Grade 1 ended, Murashima looked down at the score sheet in his hand and questioned reality. If he submitted this, he was sure someone would call him in for questioning—the average scores were simply too high.
Glancing over at the other teacher's score sheet and seeing nearly identical marks, Murashima finally relaxed. It wasn't that he had been too generous; Class 1, Grade 1 had genuinely performed at an exceptional level.
[There should be a promotion reward in another half a month to a month], Mugetsu thought as he observed the class's performance.
After watching the first round and seeing all the students' matches, Mugetsu left.
On the third day, he headed to the site of the Fourth Grade's yearly Grade-Level Practical Exam.
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