Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

Sorry, i've been sick for a while an couldn't post but i'm back and with plenty f double releases to get the story back on track. Please help me with your votes :D

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After learning about Rin's opponent, Obito finally turned his attention to his own opponent. He was number nine, and according to the sequence, his opponent was number ten.

"Eh, it's actually Asuma." Obito then realized that his opponent for the first round was a friend he knew—number ten was Sarutobi Asuma.

As Obito searched for Asuma, Asuma happened to look towards Obito at the same time. Their eyes met, and Asuma walked over to Obito with a serious expression, saying:

"Obito, make sure to give it your all when the time comes. Even though you're strong, I won't lose because I carry the expectations of my teammates!"

The three of them had all aspired to become Chunin, but only Asuma made it to the third round. At this moment, he was no longer alone but advancing with the hopes of his teammates.

"Ha ha, of course I'll give it my all, and I'm definitely going to win!" Obito said confidently.

Although his opponent was a friend, Obito would never hold back in a fight. After all, not only would it be disrespectful to Asuma, but it could also affect Asuma's advancement.

According to Hiruko, the more precisely you fight, the more your strength is demonstrated, and the better your chance of becoming a Chunin.

Kakashi looked directly at the bottom of the large screen. His drawn number was sixteen. There were only sixteen contestants in the third exam, and his fight in the first round would be the last one. His first-round opponent was number fifteen.

"Hyuga Kouichi." Kakashi mentally recited this name, recalling Hyuga Kouichi's performance in the preliminary round.

With no flashy moves, he simply activated his Byakugan and used Gentle Fist to resolve his opponents.

Kakashi thought for a moment and took out a small notebook, writing down all sixteen contestants' numbers on a single page. He felt confident about the first-round battle but needed to analyze his opponents for the next round.

"Hatake Kakashi, a formidable rival." Hyuga Kouichi observed Kakashi, who was looking down and taking notes, with a somewhat serious expression.

Although Kakashi didn't scare his opponent into surrendering with a single Ninjutsu like Obito did, he quickly resolved the match after a brief probe. He was also among the fastest in the preliminaries.

"However, a speed-type Ninja might be effective," Hyuga Kouichi thought, calming his mind.

In the preliminaries, Kakashi demonstrated impressive speed, but the strength of Kouichi's Byakugan lay in its observational capabilities. Kakashi's speed might not be as effective against him.

"Damn guy, watch me defeat you again in the second round," Terumi Mei said, glancing at her opponent and noting that it was a Konoha Ninja who had performed only average in the preliminaries. She was more focused on her potential opponents in the second round.

Her number was eleven, and her second-round opponent would be drawn from either number nine or ten.

Based on her observations in the preliminaries, Terumi Mei believed that Sarutobi Asuma (number ten) would not be a match for Obito. The second round would most likely be her battle against Obito.

Terumi Mei was satisfied with the draw. Although the battles had not yet started, she felt she had already secured a spot in the top four and could take revenge for the scroll theft in the top-four advancement matches.

"Might Guy, I won't let you win so easily next time." Unlike the calm Terumi Mei, Hoshigaki Kisame was not concerned with rankings; he only focused on when he would get to face Might Guy.

Kisame was number one, and Guy was number six. If both of them won their matches in the first two rounds, they would face each other in the top four, competing for a spot in the final.

After reviewing their first-round opponents and possible second-round opponents, Kisame knew they would definitely meet in the top four.

Kisame's first-round opponent was number two, Yamashiro Aoba. His second-round opponent would be either number four, Nara Ensui, or number three, Nohara Rin. Kisame believed he could handle any of these opponents easily.

Guy's first-round opponent was number five, Noguchi Nobuhide, a Mist Ninja and a teammate of Terumi Mei. Might Guy's second-round opponent would be determined between Kurosawa and Inuzuka Midori. In Kisame's view, even if all three of these opponents teamed up, they wouldn't stand a chance against Guy, let alone one-on-one.

"Additionally, the official start of the third exam will be in one month. During this time, you can either train to improve your strength or gather information on your opponents. Do whatever you can to increase your chances of winning, as you will be fighting for your respective ninja villages," Hiruko reminded them.

"Ah, a month later? Why does it take so long?" Obito asked in confusion.

He didn't understand why they needed so much preparation time for what seemed like a simple fight between sixteen people.

"The third exam will have many spectators. To ensure they don't rush to Konoha, we need to allow ample time," Hiruko explained.

Unlike the previous two exams, the main purpose of the third exam is to showcase military strength and demonstrate the prowess of the ninja villages. Therefore, many noble officials are invited, and sufficient time is needed for the wealthy merchants and nobles to travel comfortably.

Obito was still a bit puzzled. A month seemed excessive. Were they inviting people from as far as seven or eight countries to watch?

However, remembering his defeat in the Forest of Death, Obito thought a month might actually be beneficial. He could use that time to have Mutsuki give him intensive training to improve his strength, as he was unsure about his chances of securing first place otherwise.

Kisame and Mei both excelled in Water Release techniques, Guy was exceptionally strong with his Three Gates and Earth Release, and Kakashi's ability to eliminate Jonin in seconds was deeply ingrained in Obito's mind. He had no absolute confidence in defeating any of these four.

"If there are no further questions, you can leave the examination area," Hiruko said finally.

Hiruko had made everything clear, and with no more questions, everyone left the central tower in groups and headed outside.

Although Obito wanted to ask Mutsuki for help with intensive training, he decided not to disturb Mutsuki too much, considering that Mutsuki had been quite tired as the chief examiner. Instead, he just exchanged a brief greeting with Mutsuki before leaving the Forest of Death with Kakashi and the others.

"I'm really envious of them, with so many possibilities ahead," Hiruko sighed, watching the departing backs of the candidates.

Among the candidates, there were many talents he envied, like Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Terumi Mei, who possessed extraordinary abilities despite being under ten years old.

In contrast, Hiruko was approaching his thirty-second birthday in a month and was still just an ordinary Jonin, far from matching the achievements of his former classmates like Orochimaru.

"Hiruko-san, you've only lived a third of your life, and there's still a lot of potential for you," Mutsuki said with a gentle smile.

Hiruko smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "By this age, a ninja's path is often set. Look at Jiraiya and Orochimaru; they can lead one of the Five Great Shinobi villages in its wars, while I can only serve as an examiner for the Chunin Exam."

Mutsuki's comment that he had another sixty years to live made Hiruko happy, but he knew that if he didn't make a change, his life would remain ordinary, just another person without talent.

"If I can achieve something, maybe I could catch up to Orochimaru and the others," Hiruko thought to himself.

Being continually surpassed by his peers, Hiruko no longer knew how great the gap had become. He only knew that ordinary Jonin were easily defeated by Orochimaru and Jiraiya, and his own strength was unremarkable among Jonin…

Although he was average in terms of strength, Hiruko had his own strengths. He excelled in research and was considered an expert among experts in theoretical knowledge.

To overcome his innate disadvantages, Hiruko read through all the publicly available books related to ninjas in Konoha.

Eventually, he came up with a solution: fusion. By integrating others' physical talents into his own body, he could also become a genius.

However, achieving this was extremely difficult, and Hiruko had spent a significant amount of time researching it at the theoretical stage.

Now that the theoretical phase was nearing completion, Hiruko was troubled by the development of the subsequent experiments.

This Ninjutsu was too dangerous; it required human experimentation. The problem was that this Ninjutsu was highly inhumane and not suitable for public knowledge, so he had to find a way to conduct it secretly.

"It's hard to say. Actually, my own strength wasn't outstanding before either. It's only in the past two years that I suddenly gained some insights and made rapid progress. You might be more of the type who accumulates strength and then bursts forth," Mutsuki comforted, while also continuing to refine his own role in Konoha.

Hiruko smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, let's hope so."

He knew that Mutsuki was trying to comfort him, but he didn't believe that Mutsuki could truly understand his feelings. According to the information he had, Mutsuki was also a genius, someone who could fight against Jinchuriki alongside Jiraiya at a young age.

Moreover, he had already spent so much time; he couldn't afford to give up on developing the Chimera Jutsu and gamble on suddenly gaining a significant increase in strength in the future.

After a brief chat with Hiruko, Mutsuki wrapped up some tasks and returned to his house in the main city.

When Mutsuki got home, it was four in the afternoon, with some time left before dinner.

Today, Mutsuki did not immediately start studying Sealing Jutsu upon returning home. Instead, he took out a notebook to consider candidates for his fifth disciple slot.

Mutsuki first wrote down the name Uchiha Itachi. Although Uchiha Itachi's actions were highly controversial, his talent was undeniable, and his potential was certainly high. In his early years, he had sent Kakashi to the hospital with a single glance, and later, he performed exceptionally well after being brought back by Impure World Reincarnation.

However, there was a problem with choosing Uchiha Itachi: he had only just been born. Mutsuki had heard last month that the Uchiha Clan's Clan Head had a son, so if he wanted to give this slot to Uchiha Itachi, he would have to wait several more years.

Mutsuki then wrote down the next name—Yakushi Kabuto.

As a master spy, Yakushi Kabuto became quite influential later on. Not only did he fight with the Ninja Allied Forces using Impure World Reincarnation, but he also learned Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode, which Orochimaru did not master. Mutsuki estimated that Kabuto also had S-class potential without any enhancements.

Kabuto was indeed older than Itachi, but there was a significant issue: in Mutsuki's memory, Yakushi Kabuto was taken in by Yakushi Nono, and at present, Yakushi Nono had not yet become the head of the Konoha Orphanage and was still working in Root. Finding Kabuto would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Mutsuki decided to temporarily set aside Naruto and Sasuke. Although their potential was undoubtedly extreme, they were still years away from birth, and it would be even longer before they could be trained. By then, Mutsuki might even be invincible, provided no one from outer space came to challenge him.

After some thought, Mutsuki ultimately decided not to write down the name Terumi Mei.

Although Terumi Mei was a suitable candidate in many ways, and Mutsuki had no intention of avoiding teaching someone from outside Konoha, Terumi Mei was only here for the exam and would return afterward. The distance between hidden mist and Konoha was too great for Mutsuki to manage both places simultaneously, and abandoning Konoha's interests for hidden mist was out of the question.

It was also unrealistic to persuade Terumi Mei to defect from her village within a month. Mutsuki felt that was unnecessary.

After further consideration, Mutsuki thought of Yamato. Yamato was slightly younger than Kakashi and was the right age, but the problem was that Yamato was likely being secretly trained by Danzo due to his Wood Release abilities.

After much deliberation, Mutsuki found that, apart from those problematic candidates, Asuma turned out to be the most outstanding.

However, Mutsuki did not plan to use the slot for Asuma.

When teaching non-system disciples, Mutsuki would also dedicate himself fully without keeping any secrets, as those students also called him sensei and respected him. Just as he developed Water Breathing specifically for Rin, he would give his best for his students.

But the slot for a system disciple involves very important matters. Mutsuki must choose a more suitable candidate to maximize his own strength. Strength is crucial in the world of Naruto, and whether for himself or his disciples, he needs to become stronger until he can crush all conspiracies.

"Nagato," Mutsuki wrote down after much thought.

Nagato had many issues. First, Nagato did not meet Mutsuki's requirement of being under ten years old, as Nagato was only six years younger than Minato, and Mutsuki was the same age as Minato. They would be more like elder brother than master and disciple, making their age difference a bit too close for a teacher-student relationship.

Additionally, Nagato possessed Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan, and Uchiha Madara would likely be monitoring Nagato's situation closely.

Moreover, Nagato was not in Konoha. Although the Land of Rain was near the Land of Fire, Mutsuki would need to spend some time to smoothly recruit Nagato, which would delay his reward collection.

There were also minor issues, such as Nagato already having Jiraiya as a mentor. However, as long as Nagato acknowledged Mutsuki as his sensei in his heart, this aspect would not be a major problem.

No matter how many issues there were, they couldn't overshadow Nagato's advantages. He was an exceptionally gifted member of the Uzumaki Clan, and even if he didn't have his own Rinnegan, he could still use his vast Chakra reserves, which meant that if Mutsuki built up trust with Nagato, he could gain the ability to Expand Chakra.

Moreover, Nagato did not need to wait; Mutsuki could take immediate action once he had a plan ready and go directly to the Land of Rain.

Looking at the three names on the list and their respective strengths and weaknesses, Mutsuki eventually closed the notebook and began studying Sealing Jutsu.

He did not need to make a decision within a few days. Both Uchiha Itachi and Yakushi Kabuto would require a long wait, and there was no need to rush with Nagato as the situation there was still far from urgent.

This was still a real Naruto world, and there might be talented individuals he didn't know by name. He hadn't even memorized all the characters from the manga, let alone in this real world.

Perhaps one day, he might use Identification Jutsu on someone and discover a potential S-rank genius.

Mutsuki had dinner at Tsunade's house and, after finishing, packed two portions for Minato and sent them with a Shadow Clone.

...

The next day, Obito woke up at eight, quickly finished his morning routine, and had breakfast before heading straight to Mutsuki's house.

In order to be first, he needed to secretly train and astonish everyone.

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