Saturday morning.
Because he had agreed with Minato and the others to give a detailed lesson on making squirrel fish, Mokgetsu sent his Shadow Clone to instruct the disciples, while his real self was at his home in the Main Konoha District, teaching Minato and Kushina how to cook.
The reason for not swapping them—having the Shadow Clone teach cooking and the real self teach the disciples—was mainly because the Shadow Clone didn't benefit from the chef skill's enhancement.
Mokgetsu's Shadow Clone could use any ninjutsu he knew, but when it came to skills like cooking and teaching, the Shadow Clone didn't enjoy the same boost.
Mokgetsu placed a fish on the cutting board, letting Minato and Kushina watch as he explained while slicing the fish:
"To handle the fish, first make a slanted cut behind the gills, severing the spine."
Mokgetsu chopped off the fish head, then advised:
"With the chopped-off fish head, trim it slightly, and cut off the gill cover area. It will hold its shape better when fried and look much nicer when served."
"No wonder mine didn't look good when I made it, I missed this step," Kushina exclaimed with sudden realization.
While dealing with the fish meat, Mokgetsu warned them to control their force carefully, cutting until four-fifths into the fish meat without breaking the skin; otherwise, its appearance would already count as a failure.
Reaching this stage, Mokgetsu presented two pre-prepared fish for Kushina and Minato to practice on.
Minato did okay, albeit cut a bit shallow, likely afraid of cutting through the fish meat. Kushina, on the other hand, directly cut through the fish skin.
"Haha, the fish meat is too soft! It broke with just one cut. Mokgetsu, do you have any fish with tougher meat?" Kushina tried to shift the blame onto the fish.
"Would you eat it if the meat were tough?" Mokgetsu smiled helplessly.
Fortunately, Mokgetsu was well-prepared. He handed another fish to Kushina to try again.
With the first experience, Kushina cut three times before breaking the skin, which was quite an improvement.
"From now on, I'll leave the fish cutting to you, Minato," Kushina said earnestly, deciding not to waste Mokgetsu's time by wrestling with the fish for now.
The lesson continued, with Mokgetsu explaining each step in great detail, then promptly letting the two practice.
This slow method led them to the middle of the day, still not completing an entire squirrel fish, just about finishing the segmented teaching.
It wasn't until after two in the afternoon that Mokgetsu helped them each complete their own squirrel fish.
It was completed, though the appearance varied significantly.
"We followed each step...why is there still such a gap at the end?" Kushina felt there was still a big difference between her and Minato's final product compared to Mokgetsu's.
"Well, we're beginners. With more practice, the appearance should improve," Minato said.
Minato was quite pleased, feeling accomplished for making such a complex dish.
If the dish's learning difficulty had a grade, Minato felt this squirrel fish was at least a B-level.
He immediately added it to the menu for when Jiraiya returned.
[Lecture Completed]
[Rating: B]
[Reward Received: Magical Mapo Tofu]
Just as Mokgetsu was about to say something, the system suddenly displayed a notification.
"Does teaching cooking count as teaching? Do two students qualify for a lecture reward?" Two questions immediately sprang into Mokgetsu's mind.
Previously, he had taught but never triggered a reward. Teaching the disciples never triggered the lecture reward before.
After thinking carefully, Mokgetsu had some hypotheses.
The judgment for lectures might not just be about the number of students; the strength of those taught could have some weight. Though he only taught Minato and Kushina, they were quite powerful.
As for why it didn't trigger when teaching cooking before, Mokgetsu felt it might be because the time and depth of the instruction weren't sufficient.
This lecture evaluation truly surprised Mokgetsu, and the reward seemed a bit abstract—it was actually a recipe, if he remembered correctly, from "Cooking Master Boy."
Kushina and Minato each tasted their squirrel fish, both showing satisfied smiles. Despite the appearance, the taste was quite good.
However, when it came to mealtime, Mokgetsu's squirrel fish was the first to be finished. Though theirs was good, Mokgetsu's was irresistible.
"Mokgetsu, you've really been a great help, spending more than half the day teaching us how to cook," Minato said with a warm smile.
"No trouble at all. You often help me with questions on fuinjutsu," Mokgetsu replied with a smile, indicating they needn't worry.
"Speaking of fuinjutsu, how's your Three-Finger Seal practice going, Mokgetsu?" Kushina inquired.
"I'm making some progress," Mokgetsu shared his insights from the first three days of practice.
"That's decent pace. The time it takes to master it should align with my estimates," Kushina nodded after hearing, offering her approval.
In cooking, Kushina revered Mokgetsu as the strongest, but in fuinjutsu, she believed no one in the Ninja World could surpass her.
"I'll jot down some of my insights from practicing fuinjutsu before and give it to you," Kushina thought for a moment and suggested.
She valued reciprocity. Since Mokgetsu taught her and Minato cooking so meticulously, Kushina wanted to cater to his interests too.
"That would be very helpful," Mokgetsu said happily.
"Mokgetsu, really, there's no need to mention it. It's no trouble at all," Kushina laughed out loud.
In the evening, Obito told Mokgetsu ahead of time that he would reapply for the Taijutsu challenge on Sunday.
"Are you ready?" Mokgetsu asked Obito with a smile, slowly taking out three test papers from the Scroll.
Looking at the three test papers appearing in Mokgetsu's hand, Obito's face immediately fell. No matter what, he didn't want to do the problems!
But when Obito looked at Might Guy and Shisui practicing Soru in the distance and remembered their conversation yesterday, his fighting spirit was instantly ignited:
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I'm ready, I'll definitely succeed this time!"
Since his crushing defeat last Saturday, Obito had been training hard for a week, and he chose to believe in the results of his cultivation.
Seeing Obito's confidence, Mokgetsu handed the entry fee to Obito and began to set up the field.
Early the next morning.
Obito arrived very early, for the first time earlier than Shisui at the training ground.
After Obito did some warm-up exercises, Mokgetsu took him to the challenge area he had set up.
"Just like before, keep heading east and you'll see the finish line," Mokgetsu reminded.
Obito nodded and immediately sprinted with all his might in the direction Mokgetsu pointed.
After learning from the last lesson, Obito didn't look back at the Shadow Clones, instead constantly keeping an eye out for traps and mechanisms around him.
Thanks to his cautious attitude, Obito reached the swinging log obstacle without triggering a single trap — a site where large swinging logs could appear at any moment.
Without hesitation, Obito rushed straight in and passed through unharmed with his extreme speed.
Having grown accustomed to running with weights, he felt incredibly light without them, and his running speed increased dramatically.
Having passed the place where he failed last time, Obito relaxed significantly, revealing a radiant smile.
"As long as I get serious, this challenge is nothing much."
However, Obito didn't stay dashing for more than three seconds before he suddenly fell into a trap Mokgetsu had dug.
"Minus one point."
Mokgetsu's warm voice reached Obito's ears.
Obito quickly jumped out of the pit and ran carefully, not daring to be careless again.
The cost of carelessness was too high, not just restarting the challenge but also adding a hundred more problems.
Although the former was annoying, it was acceptable; the latter was a bit terrifying.
After cautious running for a long time, Obito saw a Kunai stuck in a log with a flag tied to it, the flag reading "Finish Line."
Obito once again showed a bright smile.
"This is the finish line; still two points left to lose. Being careful really works," Obito walked towards the Kunai with a proud stride.
At that moment, his heart was filled with satisfaction; overcoming challenges through rigorous training with extraordinary caution—there was nothing more fulfilling, achievement bursting from within.
But just as Obito was about to reach the Kunai, he was suddenly hoisted up. He hadn't expected another trap near the finish line!
"Minus one point." Mokgetsu's voice once again reached Obito's ears.
Obito quickly extricated himself from the trap and dared not laugh anymore, fearing that one more laugh might cost him the last point left, bringing three test papers.
After meticulously checking the surroundings, he crossed the finish line.
At this point, Mokgetsu finally appeared and said, "Even with only one point left, it's still a success."
"Hahaha, great!" Obito couldn't help but jump for joy, laughing heartily and without worry about losing points and failing, no need to face a hundred problems.
"Finally, I can learn Soru with Shisui and Guy."
"Who told you that you could learn Soru now?" Mokgetsu asked in confusion.
"Didn't you say once I completed the Taijutsu challenge, I could learn?" Obito asked, puzzled.
"Yes, you did complete the Taijutsu challenge, but you only completed the first stage of the forest sprint; you still haven't completed the second stage," Mokgetsu explained.
Obito thought for a moment and finally retrieved the relevant memory from a certain corner. There really was such a thing!
"The second stage is called the River Sprint. You need to sprint from one bank of the river to the other within the allotted time without falling into the water," Mokgetsu explained.
"That simple?" Obito showed an excited expression.
Isn't this just water walking? It's too easy for him now.
"I will use Ninjutsu to provide a degree of interference on the river surface after it starts," Mokgetsu said with a smile.
"Still the Water Dragon Bomb?" Obito asked.
Mokgetsu nodded. It was indeed the Water Dragon Bomb, but the number was just a bit more.
Having received Mokgetsu's confirmation, Obito felt very relaxed. It was just the Water Dragon Bomb plus water walking, training he had already completed long ago.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I want to start the second stage of the challenge." Obito wanted to quickly finish the challenge and begin his Soru practice.