"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Anko gathered a large amount of chakra in her throat, then used fire-style chakra nature transformation to unleash a massive fireball aimed at Mutsuki.
At the same time, Shizune, from another direction, threw a large number of shuriken towards Mutsuki to block his position.
Unfortunately, the fireball missed, and the shuriken were easily deflected by Mutsuki.
Then, hidden in the shadows, Shisui took the opportunity to use Body Flicker Jutsu and charged towards Mutsuki to initiate an attack.
It seemed as though Mutsuki had anticipated Shisui's move. With a simple step back, he easily dodged the attack.
At this moment, Anko and Shizune moved in to engage in close combat, looking for an opening.
Though they were two skilled ninja, the gap in strength made it very easy for Mutsuki to knock down Anko and Shizune, with only the cautious Shisui managing to avoid being hit.
It seemed like Shisui had made up his mind to go for a final effort. He stopped using his usual Body Flicker Jutsu to dodge and charged directly at Mutsuki.
Boom!
Shisui, who was in front of Mutsuki, vanished into smoke. The real Shisui, after exploding with chakra, rushed from behind Mutsuki and aimed to grab his waist.
"Still a little slow." Mutsuki quickly turned around, grabbing Shisui's outstretched hand and smiled.
Bang!
Mutsuki effortlessly tossed Shisui, sending him crashing into Anko and the others, causing all three to lie neatly together.
"It's so hard. We've tried five times, and only Shisui succeeded once." Anko, lying sprawled on the ground with her arms outstretched, looked up at the sky and sighed.
The bell-snatching training, which took place every three weeks, was Anko's favorite. She always looked forward to snatching the bell and having Mutsuki teach her a legendary Ninja Art, like a sensei from a Ninja novel.
However, after five attempts, not only had she not managed to grab the bell, but she hadn't even had a chance to get close to it. Every time she got near, she ended up lying on the ground.
During the third bell-snatching attempt, when Anko saw Shisui grab the bell, she couldn't help but feel envious. However, it seemed that Shisui hadn't used his full strength.
"Training is for improvement. If it's too easy, it loses its meaning. If you can beat Shisui, I'll give you a bell right away," Mutsuki suggested, offering Anko a shortcut to getting the bell.
The bell-snatching training was designed by Mutsuki to help students break through their limits faster. Not only would it be a significant achievement if Anko won, but if she could last three minutes against Shisui at full power, Mutsuki would give her the bell. That alone would be a big breakthrough.
"Beating Shisui... is that even possible?" Anko sat up, scratching her head, with a confused expression.
In combat, she was no match for him, and mentally, she was even more overwhelmed. Anko didn't know how she could ever beat Shisui.
Maybe it was just a matter of getting lucky in a game of Ninja Kill, drawing a good hand to win once.
"If you can become as strong as Kakashi, you should be able to beat me," Shisui said calmly.
Although Shisui's strength had improved somewhat after three months of intense training, he still wasn't confident in defeating Kakashi.
If he replaced his former self to fight Kakashi now, he would have some confidence, but after such a long time, Kakashi would have surely improved as well, rather than staying stagnant.
"I'll just lie down for a bit longer," Anko decided, choosing to lie down after hearing Shisui's words.
Who was Kakashi? He was a genius who had graduated years ago but was still talked about in the Academy as a legend.
Anko remembered her sensei mentioning that Shisui and Kakashi were comparable, so in Anko's eyes, Kakashi was simply a bigger version of Shisui. No matter how much she practiced, she felt like she would never catch up.
"Shisui, you're overestimating Kakashi. He's just putting on a show right now. Once we get our Sharingan to Three Tomoe, we'll easily defeat him."
Just as they were talking about Kakashi, Kakashi, Obito, and the others arrived at the southern forest after completing their mission. They happened to overhear Shisui and Anko's conversation.
Upon hearing someone praising Kakashi, Obito, who was Kakashi's lifelong rival, couldn't help but step in and say that Shisui shouldn't praise Kakashi and should not undermine the reputation of the Uchiha.
"What if you don't win?" Kakashi asked calmly.
"If I don't win, then...," Obito was momentarily speechless. He was just boasting; he wasn't even at Three Tomoe yet. How could he know if Three Tomoe would be able to beat Kakashi?
"I haven't thought about it, because I'm not going to lose," Obito said firmly.
With Rin and the Academy juniors around, Obito had to sound confident.
"I see. If you lose, how about running around Konoha's main district while shouting 'Obito is not as good as Kakashi'?" Kakashi said with a slight smile as he looked at Obito.
Obito broke into a cold sweat on his forehead and back. This bet was too cruel. If he had to do that, he might have to pack up and leave Konoha with his grandmother by midnight.
"Well, since you won't lose, the outcome doesn't matter, right?" Kakashi emphasized that Obito wouldn't lose.
Obito was stunned. If he didn't agree, wouldn't that just prove he was talking big earlier?
"You... you know that much, huh? The Three Tomoe Sharingan is... really... really powerful," Obito said, trying to sound calm, though he was sweating profusely.
He had already made up his mind. If upgrading to the Three Tomoe Sharingan still didn't give him the confidence to defeat Kakashi, then he would temporarily stop using it to avoid being discovered.
At the same time, Obito was planning to undergo some intense training to increase his strength. Disguises weren't a long-term solution—he needed to win to feel secure.
"What if Kakashi-senpai loses?" Anko asked curiously.
Kakashi had been talking about what Obito would have to do if he lost, but hadn't mentioned what would happen if he himself lost.
Kakashi turned to look at Anko. It seemed her focus was different from everyone else's.
"Yeah, you're right. I can't just have a penalty if I lose while you don't. Although I'm sure I won't lose, since you set up such a bet, you should have one too," Obito quickly added.
"Since it's a battle with a winner and a loser, let's make it the same for everyone. If Obito-san loses, he has to shout that he's not as good as Kakashi-senpai, and if Kakashi-senpai loses, he has to shout that he's not as good as Obito-san," Anko said enthusiastically, offering suggestions for both of them.
Now Kakashi was somewhat cornered because it was his idea in the first place.
"No problem," Kakashi nodded calmly, though he was feeling a bit more serious inside.
"It looks like I'll have to devote more time to training," Kakashi silently thought to himself.
Obito wasn't sure he could defeat Kakashi, but Kakashi wasn't 100% confident he could defeat Obito with the Three Tomoe Sharingan either.
If it really came down to running around Konoha shouting "not as good as Obito," Kakashi would have to stop wearing his mask and start wearing a headband whenever he went outside.
Shisui glanced at Anko and realized she actually had quite a talent for stirring things up.
Originally, the two sides could have taken it as a joke, but with Anko's words, it had turned into a real battle bet.
Neither Obito nor Kakashi wanted to lose, so they soon immersed themselves in training, creating an even better atmosphere in the Southern Forest.
Watching the two of them practicing with such intensity, Mutsuki thought to himself that if Rin had the ability to stir up trouble like Anko, those two would probably have soared to new heights by now. Minato's best fourth member was actually an ungraduated student?
However, it's a good thing that the disciples' willingness to train has increased. The ninja world is becoming more and more dangerous, and only stronger abilities can ensure survival in this chaotic situation.
After the three had trained for a while, Mutsuki decided to conduct a power test.
Obito and the others had mostly been on missions on the battlefield for the past few months, returning only occasionally. Fortunately, the effects of the Enlightenment skill can be applied directly through the system's panel for disciples, so their progress in terms of enhancements was roughly the same as it would be in Konoha.
Since this time they hadn't returned for two months, Mutsuki needed to confirm their latest strength to ensure the training plan was still on track.
For accuracy, Mutsuki decided to test them individually rather than have them fight together.
Combining the practical combat experience with the data from the appraisal skill, Mutsuki quickly grasped the growth of Obito and the others over the past three months.
The battlefield truly is a place where one can be tempered. While the appraisal data showed a relatively average growth rate, their actual combat abilities had improved significantly.
Now, both Kakashi and Obito had true Jonin-level strength, the kind that could earn them a direct promotion to Jonin based on their achievements.
Moreover, due to the Transparent World and Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, both of them have an actual output ceiling that is stronger than the average Jonin.
However, there are drawbacks. Both Kakashi and Obito share a common weakness, which is that they cannot maintain full combat efficiency for long periods.
Kakashi's Thunder Flash consumes a lot of Chakra and stamina, and Obito's Flame Breathing Chakra Mode is even more demanding.
Because of the activation of his Sharingan, Obito went through a period of significant Chakra increase, so his Chakra reserves are much larger than Kakashi's. Even with more Chakra, Obito can't fully utilize two Fire Dragon Flame Bullets in Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.
It can be said that both have gained abilities suited to them. If Kakashi had used Thunder Breathing Chakra Mode, his Chakra would likely be insufficient to unleash a full Purple Electricity.
However, this drawback is not due to Obito and Kakashi's talent, but rather their age and physical development. They're still too young; if they were eighteen, they wouldn't have such issues.
Rin gave Mutsuki a pleasant surprise. She showed the most overall improvement, with significant progress in Medical Ninjutsu. The battlefield experience has also made her Water Release and Taijutsu much more refined. Among Chunin, she can be considered excellent.
This excellence refers to the role Rin can play, not her combat power. If the current Rin were to fight Obito or Kakashi from a few months ago, she would still be easily beaten.
Mutsuki plans to teach Rin some auxiliary Water Release techniques next. At her current stage, she is still not suited for direct offense. A few more years of development would make her more capable.
Mutsuki estimates that if he gives Tsunade a few more years, she will likely be able to develop the Strength of a Hundred Technique. With Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique, Rin will be able to balance both offense and support.
Obito's return is a happy event for Mutsuki, as it means Minato is back as well, and his Flying Thunder God Jutsu is now stuck at a Proficiency level of 99. He needs to consult Minato about it.
After reaching the Beginner level, it won't be as complicated. Mutsuki not only has a Ninjutsu Proficiency scroll but also a Ninjutsu Mastery scroll, which can directly raise his Flying Thunder God Jutsu Proficiency level to Mastery.
In the evening, Minato came to Mutsuki's house as usual.
"Minato, I've encountered a bit of a problem with Flying Thunder God. Do you have time tonight?" Mutsuki asked while cooking.
"Yeah, after dinner, I'll talk to you about it," Minato nodded in agreement.
He didn't have many days of rest left, so he would try his best to help Mutsuki whenever needed.
After Mutsuki finished cooking, Minato first used Flying Thunder God to deliver food to Kushina, then returned to have dinner with Mutsuki.
He had already seen Kushina once since returning to Konoha, so he wasn't in a hurry to chat with her.
"For the next period of time, Obito and the others will be troubling you again, Mutsuki," Minato said, looking a bit embarrassed.
As a sensei, he felt like he hadn't been very effective, always leaving his students in Mutsuki's care.
"The village assigned me a mission to cooperate with Orochimaru-sama to quickly resolve the Hidden Cloud situation in the Land of Hot Water," Minato explained.
Hidden Mist declaring war on Konoha wasn't just empty talk. They had already launched actions on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire, so Konoha was in a hurry to resolve one battlefield and extract forces to deal with Hidden Mist.
As for why Hidden Cloud and not Hidden Rock, it was because, compared to Hidden Rock, which had two Kage-level powerhouses, Hidden Cloud, with its Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails in trouble, seemed easier to handle.
Konoha really didn't want to face three major shinobi villages at the same time. Even if they weren't all teaming up against Konoha, it would still be too much pressure. A single misstep could lead to a serious weakening of the village's strength.
Fighting three major villages on different battlefields was just too much pressure. This meant that Konoha's ninjas would have to defeat three enemies each, which was obviously very difficult to achieve.
"It's no trouble. I'm also their sensei," Mutsuki replied with a warm smile.
"And Minato, you're doing this to protect Konoha, to protect them. After all, with Hidden Mist now, the pressure on the village is too great."
Minato nodded and said, "Hidden Mist has directly entered the Land of Fire's mainland. This is the worst-case scenario for the village."
Konoha's general plan now was to first finish the battle in the Land of Hot Water, then focus on driving out Hidden Mist, and finally deal with Hidden Rock.
Minato was fully aware of the immense pressure on Konoha. He was now just like a brick, moving wherever needed, with little to no time for rest.
Mutsuki quietly listened to Minato talk about the front-line battles. As a ninja stationed in the rear and their sensei, it was indeed difficult for him to access the latest intelligence on the front lines.
Especially with Hidden Mist, as they had just started fighting Konoha. Only ninjas who had taken on missions would have access to any related information.
It wasn't exactly classified, but the number of people who had access to it was limited.
After finishing the meal, Mutsuki went into a moment of enlightenment and then spoke up about the things he didn't understand. No matter what happened on the front lines, improving himself was always the most important.
"This is simple, you just need to do it like this..." Minato thought for a moment and then solved Mutsuki's problem.
At first, Mutsuki had some trouble keeping up with Minato's train of thought. Mutsuki's problem was like a question that needed solving, but Minato directly wrote out the answer without showing the steps.
However, with Minato's patient explanation, Mutsuki was able to understand.
[Skill: Flying Thunder God Jutsu (Beginner: 1/500)]
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