When the battle training reached the Chakra stage, Shisui and Obito's fights became even more intense.
The breathing technique without Chakra and with Chakra are two completely different intensities.
Greater power and speed, accelerated Chakra nature changes, these are all direct additions to hard strength.
When Obito and Shisui fought to the climax, the flames were unceasing.
Ninjutsu of the same attribute followed a one-to-one neutralization principle, meaning that flames of a certain Chakra could counter flames of an equal amount of Chakra.
Back when Mokgetsu first arrived, Obito, being older, had more Chakra than Shisui, but Shisui later trained more diligently and also activated his Sharingan, so his Chakra soon surpassed Obito's.
Unable to match in Taijutsu, and now unable to match in Chakra either, Obito felt even more pressure in the second stage of the battle, and on the first day, was defeated again after not holding out for long.
With pressure comes motivation, especially since Nohara Rin would also glance at the battles during breaks; Obito's inner desire to perform filled him with motivation, and his proficiency in the breathing technique improved faster each day, allowing him to hold out a bit longer against Shisui.
On the last day of the second stage of training, Obito was at a disadvantage from the start, and under Shisui's calm and swift offensive, his disadvantage only grew larger.
Feeling like he was about to lose, Obito had no choice but to use Full Concentration Breathing to hold back Shisui's offense.
But Shisui could also use Full Concentration Breathing, so Obito was only extending the time before his defeat.
"Damn, Rin is watching, I absolutely can't lose too disgracefully." Noticing that Nohara Rin had arrived during the battle, Obito's tired body seemed to regain some energy, and he also became calmer.
The sudden burst of potential and calm fighting made Obito briefly think he was about to break his losing streak.
Unfortunately, Shisui didn't give him a chance, fighting steadily without exposing any weaknesses, and Obito eventually ran out of stamina and was defeated.
"Though you didn't win, Obito, you've already performed really well and seem much stronger than before." Nohara Rin consoled.
"Haha, is that so?" Obito's initially somewhat dejected mood instantly vanished, and he chuckled foolishly.
"Yes, good performance. After the third stage ends, we'll do some review practice, and you should have learned the breathing technique by then." Mokgetsu nodded and said.
After consoling the defeated Obito, Mokgetsu naturally didn't forget Shisui, who maintained an undefeated record, and smiled warmly:
"I can see you've put a lot of effort into your training, Shisui, not only in the breathing technique but also recently your Taijutsu has improved quite a bit."
"Yes, I've been practicing Taijutsu at home recently." Receiving the recognition of those he cared about, Shisui showed a happy smile.
"Obito, do you want to join Kakashi and play tonight?" Nohara Rin asked.
If Nohara Rin asked without mentioning a certain someone, Obito would agree without hesitation, but inviting Kakashi made Obito think twice.
To ensure that he could defeat Kakashi at the next battle, Obito planned to ask Mokgetsu about his chances of winning against Kakashi after making progress.
Currently, Mokgetsu assessed that he might win, but the possibility was slim, requiring Kakashi to be careless and for Obito to perform exceptionally well to win, so Obito wasn't planning to challenge Kakashi just yet.
"Let's go together, the training's been pretty tiring recently, time to relax a bit." Obito eventually agreed.
Tomorrow would be the start of the third phase of battle training, and Obito felt he might be miserable tomorrow, so he decided to enjoy the night first.
Though Shisui was restricted from using the Sharingan, Obito wasn't a match for him even without it.
Facing Shisui without ninjutsu restrictions, Obito felt that lasting three more minutes would count as success.
In the evening, Obito and Nohara Rin went to Kakashi's house together to find him.
That trip made Obito glad he agreed to go with Nohara Rin today, or he would've missed the opportunity.
From that trip, Obito received two good pieces of news: one, Kakashi wasn't home, and two, he could enjoy some alone time with Nohara Rin.
"Maybe he went out for a walk?" Nohara Rin pondered.
"I don't think so, he might still be out on a mission. I came to find Kakashi once before, just happened to see his teammate call him for a mission." Obito said with a smile.
"When was that?" Nohara Rin asked curiously.
Obito recalled, "It's been over half a month, this mission of his is taking quite a while."
"Over half a month, being an official ninja isn't easy." Nohara Rin nodded, feeling slightly regretful.
Then Obito and Nohara Rin played around for a few hours until the night deepened and they went home separately.
"Haha, Kakashi, you just keep doing more missions." On the way home, Obito's raised smile seemed hard to suppress.
...
At the Hokage Building, a ninja with a tired expression walked in with Kakashi to the Hokage Office.
"Lord Hokage, please allow me to resign from the guiding Jonin position." The ninja bowed and said wearily.
"I temporarily don't want to hold the position of guiding Jonin."
"Toda, did something happen?" The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, frowning slightly.
"I couldn't protect my students, I'm not a competent teacher." Nagatomo Toda said, lowering his head.
"But you are a qualified ninja; at least the mission was completed." Kakashi said.
Sarutobi Hiruzen roughly understood what had happened; it seemed that unexpected events occurred during the mission, although the task was completed, both of Nagatomo Toda's students died, leaving only Kakashi alive.
Nagatomo Toda glanced at Kakashi, opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
"In that case, Toda, take some time to rest." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and nodded.
He somewhat understood Nagatomo Toda; he was a very young Jonin, and it was normal to have deep emotions since this was his first time leading students.
"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Third Hokage. I'll go rest for now." After receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's reply, Nagatomo Toda left, leaving Kakashi in the Hokage's office.
Looking at Kakashi's indifferent expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, feeling a headache.
He glanced over some documents, finding no team to fit Kakashi into, only able to wait for ninja school students to graduate so newly graduated Genin could form a new team.
"Kakashi, since this mission was so tiring, rest for a while. I'll assign you to a new team later." Sarutobi Hiruzen suggested after some thought.
"Alright." Kakashi nodded and then also turned to leave.
"Still haven't moved on..." Sarutobi Hiruzen thought, watching Kakashi's back. Two years ago, Kakashi wasn't like this; ever since last year's incident, he had changed.