The disciples were frantically pulling, while Mokgetsu quickly completed the task report on his side.
"Mokgetsu, you've done very well this time. The Daimyo of the Snow Country praised you fiercely in the letter. It's rare for a ninja to receive such praise from a Daimyo," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, taking the pipe away from his mouth.
Even a small country's Daimyo is still a Daimyo, and there aren't many in the whole Ninja World. Moreover, the Snow Country seldom issues tasks to Konoha. This time, Mokgetsu has made a name for Konoha in the Snow Country and helped Konoha expand its market.
Mokgetsu didn't overly humble himself and nodded in acknowledgment of his achievements.
This time, he indeed contributed greatly, almost single-handedly crushing Kazahana Doto's plot to usurp power.
"Well then, Mokgetsu, is there any specific ninjutsu you particularly want? I can specially reward you with an unlimited-level ninjutsu," Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment and said.
The Ninja Dojo, although it holds many advanced ninjutsu, lacks certain precious A-level or S-level ninjutsu.
"I want the Flying Thunder God Jutsu," Mokgetsu said after thinking for a moment.
Although Mokgetsu has already mastered many ninjutsus, including some powerful ones, there are still a few he really wants but doesn't have yet, and the Flying Thunder God is one of them.
He wouldn't lose in terms of reaction speed to Minato because he can use Lightning Attribute Chakra to enhance his nerves, and also because of the Transparent World, so the Flying Thunder God can enhance his combat abilities, and then there's the ability of the Flying Thunder God to travel quickly.
Many of Mokgetsu's ideas require the ability to move long distances quickly, and although the burst of Breath of Thunder is fast enough, it consumes too much stamina over long distances.
"The Flying Thunder God Jutsu..." Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a thoughtful expression.
It's not because the Flying Thunder God Jutsu is too strong that Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated to give it, but because the Flying Thunder God Jutsu is too hard to learn. Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that Mokgetsu probably wouldn't be able to learn it.
The Flying Thunder God Jutsu is different from other ninjutsus; it requires a special space-time talent, so even a ninja prodigy like Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't learn it.
Mokgetsu's performance is indeed worthy of being called a prodigy, but space-time talent is a somewhat mysterious thing. Since it was developed, only two people in all of Konoha have mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu: one is its developer, Senju Tobirama, and the other is Jiraiya's student, Namikaze Minato.
"Mokgetsu, are you sure you want the Flying Thunder God? The Flying Thunder God Jutsu is indeed very strong and can be considered one of the Second Hokage's masterpieces. Don't just see that Minato also learned it; to this day, only the developer, the Second Hokage, and Minato have mastered it," Sarutobi Hiruzen reminded.
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, the issue with the Flying Thunder God isn't its difficulty; it's about luck and having some space-time talent to have hope of learning it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen worried that the relationship between Minato and Mokgetsu might lead Mokgetsu to a misjudgment. After all, there are examples of learning it around him, and Mokgetsu might think he has no problem either, given his own prodigious nature.
"Thank you for the reminder, Third Hokage-sama. I am sure it is the Flying Thunder God that I want," Mokgetsu stated with conviction.
Mokgetsu himself didn't know if he could learn the Flying Thunder God, but if he succeeded, the benefits would be tremendous because Mokgetsu had left quite a few Skill Proficiency Scrolls. Once he gets started, he could directly raise the Flying Thunder God to Master Level.
If he can't learn it, then so be it; there's no cost anyway.
Sarutobi Hiruzen put the pipe back in his mouth, took a deep drag, and then exhaled thick white smoke, knowing Mokgetsu had made up his mind.
"I will have someone deliver the reward to you," Sarutobi Hiruzen decided not to dissuade Mokgetsu any further.
He also knew in his heart that a genius like Mokgetsu would certainly be unwilling to pass up trying. In his younger days, he had also spent some effort on the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, but without any progress, he eventually stopped wasting time.
Moreover, Sarutobi Hiruzen had a thought that if Mokgetsu truly had a space-time talent, then it would be extraordinary, and Konoha would once again have a Yellow Flash.
"Third Hokage-sama, have you tried developing a Bloodline Limit by merging Chakra Nature Changes yourself?" Mokgetsu shifted the topic to Chakra Nature Changes.
"I did try for a while, but it's really too difficult to merge two nature changes to produce an entirely new one. It requires a certain opportunity," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, shaking his head.
He was proficient in all five major nature transformations and knew that merging two Chakra Nature Changes could form a Bloodline Limit, but despite many attempts, he never achieved any effect. Combining ninjutsu had considerable power, so in the end, he pursued the path of Combined Ninjutsu.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't feel he chose the wrong path; his current strength was proof of it. Many ninjas in the Ninja World have Bloodline Limits, but now there's no Bloodline Limit ninja who dares to say they're stronger than Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Mokgetsu, you, perhaps...?" Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly thought of something, looking at Mokgetsu in surprise.
If it were really as he thought, then Mokgetsu's prospects might need to be re-evaluated.
Mokgetsu didn't keep them in suspense for too long. A dazzling blue-white light bloomed in Mokgetsu's hand, and soon an ice block formed in his hand.
"Ice Release," Sarutobi Hiruzen stated the name of the Bloodline Limit, focused on the ice block in Mokgetsu's hand.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt an inexplicable emotion. Unlike regular ninjutsu, a Bloodline Limit could potentially be inherited by future generations. If Mokgetsu's son and grandson aren't too lacking, a new ninja clan could appear.
"In the Snow Country, there is a type of Snow Ninjutsu similar to Ice Release but not quite the same," Mokgetsu began to recount the development story he had prepared for his Bloodline Limit.
He wasn't worried about being suspected, as there really were no discrepancies in his background.
In the Naruto World, ninjas couldn't know Mokgetsu had a system. There were only two possibilities for him to use Ice Release: either he was a Hidden Mist spy or Mokgetsu had developed it himself.
But the first would never be the case since Mokgetsu was a pure Konoha citizen; both his parents were ninjas who died in the war, and Mokgetsu had also been in the Root, so it could only be the second; Mokgetsu developed the Ice Release.
"If we could organize the ninjas in the village who master the water and wind nature changes to learn Snow Ninjutsu from the Snow Country, perhaps the village could produce some Ice Release ninjas," Mokgetsu suggested.
Though it was unlikely, if creating a Bloodline Limit were that easy, those from the Snow Village would have already developed it. But Mokgetsu needed to act out his part, so he pretended as if he had developed it himself.
"Mokgetsu, you're underestimating yourself. Those Snow Ninjutsus might have helped in some way, but they definitely weren't decisive. What truly allowed you to develop the Ice Release was your talent," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a chuckle.
With his extensive experience, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Mokgetsu's idea wouldn't work. Teaching Konoha ninjas Snow Ninjutsu, which loses effectiveness outside the Snow Country, was a waste of time. If creating a Bloodline Limit were that easy, he would have done it already.
But since Mokgetsu was ultimately looking out for the village's strength, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt quite pleased. A seemingly idle move had grown to such a degree, and it was a huge gain.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen's explanation, Mokgetsu showed a look of sudden realization.
After finishing the process, Mokgetsu sent a Shadow Clone home, while the main body headed to the Southern Border Forest.
At this moment in the Southern Border Forest, Obito and Kakashi were staring at each other.
"Kakashi, didn't you say we should balance work and rest? Why did you come to the Southern Border Forest?" Obito couldn't help but ask.
"Didn't you say you're tired and need rest? Training after resting would be better, right?" Kakashi retorted, not willing to fall behind.
After speaking, the two stood in silence, staring at each other.
Obito felt speechless, believing he'd made unnecessary moves. Originally, he might have been able to train with Nohara Rin, but now he had to train with Kakashi.
Kakashi didn't waste time, quickly getting into the zone and starting training. Seeing this, Obito swiftly began training as well.
"Cunning, nasty Kakashi, once I surpass you, I'll definitely challenge you every day!" Obito planned his future in his mind while training.