Chapter 138 — Ninja Trainee
"Is he practicing some terrifying forbidden Jutsu—one strong enough to destroy a town?" Obito couldn't help but ask.
The idea that Mugetsu, whose strength seemed unfathomable, could be injured made his imagination run wild. He pictured some devastating Ninjutsu capable of leveling everything in sight.
"I don't know if it could destroy a town," Mugetsu replied with a faint smile, "but I do have a Fire Release that can burn down an entire forest."
"What kind of Ninjutsu is it? Can you teach it to me now?" Obito's eyes lit up with anticipation.
Shisui didn't even bother looking—he already knew how this would end.
Thwack!
Mugetsu brought two fingers together and tapped Obito on the head.
"Don't you ever stop to think about how much Chakra you have? You haven't even mastered Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson yet, and you're already chasing after something new."
He did have many high-powered Fire Release techniques, such as Great Fire Annihilation and Fire Dragon Flame Bullet—both fearsome Ninjutsu. But without enough Chakra, they couldn't be used to their full potential.
"Hehe, Mugetsu-sensei, maybe you should hit me less often these days. It's not that I'm afraid of pain—I'm just worried about your hand," Obito said with a grin.
Thwack! Thwack!
His joke earned him a double strike.
"You don't need to worry about that," Mugetsu said with a laugh. "My body's fine, and my recovery ability is excellent."
"Alright, let's start the next practice. This is the final step before initiation. Once you've learned it, all that's left is to integrate everything you've trained into combat—and you'll have mastered the Breathing Technique."
The introductory phase ended with the practice of Total Concentration Breathing. From here, Obito and the others only needed to combine all their training to truly make the technique their own.
Hearing it was time to train, Obito stopped fooling around and followed Mugetsu's recent instructions, focusing on finding the rhythm of Total Concentration Breathing. He entered the state, then pushed its intensity beyond the basic form. At first, though, he didn't feel the distinct change Mugetsu had mentioned.
"The effect will be better when you're moving," Mugetsu reminded them. "Don't just breathe in place."
After guiding Obito and Shisui, Mugetsu went to check on Might Guy.
Guy was already deep into his extreme physical training. His progress in Rock Breathing was impressive—his proficiency had reached thirty-nine.
Though still behind Obito's fifty-two and Shisui's forty-eight, his growth rate was faster than Mugetsu had expected.
Rock Breathing didn't have the diverse benefits of Flame Breathing—which could accelerate Nature Transformation, amplify flame power, and enhance physical abilities. It had only one effect: to strengthen the body.
But that single effect brought extreme results. In Mugetsu's own testing, the physical boost from Rock Breathing in its normal state surpassed Flame Breathing even in Total Concentration mode, and its training effects were superior.
Mugetsu concluded that once all his disciples mastered the Breathing Technique, Obito would once again find himself suppressed by Guy's sheer physical might.
---
On Saturday afternoon, Mugetsu went to the Hokage's house for tutoring as usual.
"Next, we'll begin practicing Nature Transformation," he said, outlining the key points.
Nature Transformation wasn't an advanced practice; it was a fundamental skill for shinobi.
Except for rare cases like Guy, whose Ninjutsu talent was virtually nonexistent, almost every ninja trained in it.
For example, the Hokage had mastered all seven Chakra Nature Transformations, with three reaching the system's proficient level. The rest, while not perfected, were still at high proficiency.
Most ordinary ninja couldn't come close to that. They usually refined the Chakra nature they were born with. Skilled ninja often trained in one or two additional natures to handle different combat scenarios.
Among Konoha's Jonin, most had two proficient-level Nature Transformations, while the more talented might have three or four. But Jonin with master-level transformations were rare.
Mugetsu had once appraised Asuma's abilities and noticed he was cultivating two attributes at a young age: Wind Release and Fire Release. Fire Release was clearly higher in proficiency, while Wind Release was just entering initiation.
Though Mugetsu also knew some Wind Release techniques, he decided to hold back for now and focus on teaching Asuma Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation and its related Ninjutsu.
He had plenty of Fire Release techniques from legitimate sources—some gifted by Danzo, others by the Hokage—so he could use them openly. His Fire Release mastery far exceeded his Wind Release; not only had his Chakra Nature Transformation reached proficient, but he also had many techniques at high proficiency.
Since Asuma already had a foundation in Nature Transformation, Mugetsu didn't start from zero as he did with Obito.
For Ninjutsu, he chose the Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique—a move the Hokage had given him earlier. It was not only a powerful B-rank technique but also the perfect opportunity to show the Hokage that he had mastered it to a teachable level in just over a month.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Mugetsu quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a fierce, man-sized fire dragon that roared through the air.
To conceal his true skill, he deliberately performed every seal, though he could actually execute the move with just one.
"This technique isn't as wide-ranging as the Secret Technique: Great Fire Technique you're using now," he explained, "but it's more flexible, easier to hit with, and still packs considerable power. Choose between them depending on the situation."
"I understand," Asuma nodded.
When it was time for Mugetsu to take him home, they happened to meet the Hokage on his way back from work.
"Asuma, have you been studying well with Mugetsu-sensei?" the Hokage asked with a smile.
"Of course! After all, Mugetsu-sensei isn't some old man who's always smoking," Asuma replied.
The Hokage, puffing on his pipe, froze and slowly put it down.
Tired and drenched in sweat, Asuma didn't have the energy to argue. With a quick jab, he headed off to shower and change.
"Mugetsu, you've given me another pleasant surprise," the Hokage said. "Your Class 1, Grade 1 might just have the best overall scores since the academy was founded."
The Ninja Academy occasionally produced top students—like Orochimaru in the past, or Kakashi a few years ago.
But an entire class performing this well? That was rare.
Class assignments were random. There were no "elite" or "advanced" classes—not officially, anyway. Otherwise, how could Guy, who failed the entrance exam and was only admitted later, end up in the same class as Kakashi?
"It's still only the second semester of the first grade, so it's too early to judge," Mugetsu said modestly. "There are still several years of study ahead."
"If they can maintain this kind of progress until graduation, the Genin from your class will all be extraordinary," the Hokage replied with a smile.
He was genuinely looking forward to seeing what kind of class Mugetsu—fully responsible for a group from start to finish—would eventually produce.
"The situation in the ninja world is chaotic right now. Iwagakure and Kumogakure are both eyeing Konoha. If every academy teacher were as exceptional as you, Mugetsu, I wouldn't have to worry about the school at all."
Mugetsu thought to himself, If every teacher were as strong as me, we wouldn't just stop worrying about the school—there'd be no need to worry about the war either. That would mean nearly a hundred elite Jonin walking around.
"Mugetsu, what are your plans for the winter break? Will you continue special training like you did in the summer?" the Hokage asked.
The break between the second and third semesters wasn't as long as summer, but it still lasted a little over a month. In contrast, the short two-week gap between the third semester and the next school year left no real time for large-scale training.
"For ordinary students, special training can go on as usual," Mugetsu replied. "But for the exceptionally talented, I suggest starting internships in actual ninja work."
He then laid out his idea. For most students, special training was the best choice. But for the top performers in the grade, they could receive special treatment—beginning early mission work to sharpen their skills.
Even if the Hokage hadn't brought it up, Mugetsu had planned to discuss internships eventually. He wanted to take Guy and the others on missions together.
If exams can give rewards, he wondered, will completing mission requests with my disciples give rewards too?
Besides curiosity, he also wanted to use this as an opportunity to train both himself and his students.
Mugetsu himself had no combat experience yet. With a few interns, the Hokage would, at most, allow him to handle D-Rank or C-Rank missions—safe assignments where they likely wouldn't encounter enemy ninja. In fact, getting even a C-Rank might be difficult. Newly graduated Genin weren't allowed to take them, let alone academy students. He might need to rely on the Hokage's connections to make it happen.
"Allowing outstanding students to intern…" the Hokage murmured, falling into thought.
"There's no need to assign Jonin," Mugetsu continued. "Just send some skilled academy instructors. And only allow D-Rank and C-Rank missions."
His proposal wasn't far from what the Hokage himself had considered during the fourth-grade special training—helping Genin adapt to real work faster. But on reflection, internships for top students seemed even better.
Students like Guy and Obito were already stronger than most fresh Genin, aside from lacking the graduation certificate. Sending them on missions wouldn't be an issue. And when they officially became Genin, they could skip menial tasks like picking up trash or cutting grass and start with real C-Rank missions.
"Mugetsu, your idea is good. I think it's feasible, but you'll need to refine the details," the Hokage said after a moment.
It was still more than two months until the break, so he wanted to see a complete plan.
"I'll submit it once it's ready," Mugetsu nodded.
As long as the Hokage was interested, he had no doubt the plan would pass. The timing, conditions, and circumstances all worked in his favor.
Although the current war was still in a state of probing, preventive measures were consuming more ninja resources. Available personnel for missions within the village were becoming scarce. Mugetsu suspected that, in time, it might not just be the top few students—anyone with excellent grades could get internship slots.
He also considered the possibility of the Hokage asking him to lead special training instead. In that case, he could guide the Hokage to compare the results of other teachers' training to his own, making the benefits clear. Or he could take a step back, suggesting that such important work be rotated among other instructors.
And if all plans failed, it wouldn't be a major loss. Special training still had plenty of benefits, and the vacation was just over a month long. Afterward, the students would return to their usual routines.
---
When the break ended, Mugetsu returned to his simple, steady life—teaching by day, learning to forge ninja tools by night.
The next day, some students noticed the faint marks from forging on his hands.
"Mugetsu-sensei, are you sure you're not working on some terrifying forbidden jutsu?" Obito asked seriously.
Thwack!
Mugetsu tapped him lightly on the head with two fingers.
"I've just been learning to forge ninja tools lately. Don't overthink it," he said.
"I see…" Obito's voice carried disappointment.
"Then why are you learning that? Are you planning to open a ninja tool shop?" Obito asked curiously.
"No," Mugetsu shook his head, not offering further explanation.
Unlike Obito, Shisui believed Mugetsu was simply unsatisfied with standard equipment and wanted to craft tools worthy of his strength.
---
On Monday at noon, Mugetsu attended a small meeting with the grade director and academic director.
The main topic was exam results.
As expected, Class 1, Grade 1's outstanding performance was praised once again, but Mugetsu had grown immune to such compliments.
Then came the discussion of the large-class system he'd proposed earlier. Currently, only first grade used it—taught by Mugetsu and another chunin named Kono Koji, each handling four classes.
The issue was that the results were heavily polarized. Mugetsu's four classes scored far higher than the other four. Clearly, the difference came from the instructor, not the system itself.
When they compared the current average scores of Koji's classes to last semester's, there was a drop of about six or seven points—not drastic, but still a decline.
The final decision was to continue the pilot program for first grade only, with no expansion to other grades for now.
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