Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

"Yumi-sensei!" Obito excitedly called out Mutsuki's name from outside the door.

However, after a minute passed, there was still no response.

Obito scratched his head, feeling a bit puzzled. He had thought about many things before coming here, like how today was Saturday, so Mutsuki wouldn't be at the Academy teaching.

"Could it be that because it's a holiday, Yumi-sensei slept in a little?" Obito speculated in his mind.

But he immediately dismissed the idea. He might do that himself, but Mutsuki definitely wouldn't.

"Yumi-sensei, are you home?" Obito tried knocking again and asked.

After another minute passed with no response, Obito turned around and headed toward the southern forest. You might not be able to find Mutsuki at his home, but in the southern forest, even if the real Mutsuki isn't there, at least one of his Shadow Clones will be.

When Obito arrived at their usual training spot in the southern forest, he saw Kakashi repeatedly swinging his sword, Guy doing various exercises, Shisui forming hand seals and spitting out flames, and Rin standing in front of Mutsuki, listening to him teach.

"Huh? Did you all come looking for Yumi-sensei so early right after the exams?" Obito asked, bewildered as he looked at everyone.

He had been planning to secretly train and surprise them, but it turned out they were all more diligent than he was. He hadn't seen anyone when he got up at eight, and who knew how early they had woken up to bring Mutsuki to the southern forest.

"What else?" Kakashi exhaled lightly and responded calmly.

Although Minato was his official sensei, and Kakashi acknowledged Minato's skills, when it came to training for the Transparent World, Minato couldn't provide much help. Kakashi planned to spend the whole month learning from Mutsuki, aiming to master the Transparent World technique in preparation for the Chunin exams.

This exam didn't matter much to Kakashi, who was already a Chunin, but as he would be facing Obito and Guy in the process of advancing, he didn't want to lose again. He was determined to reclaim the victories he had lost before.

He was a genius, after all. Constantly losing didn't suit him.

"It's not that bad, isn't it normal to wake up at six?" Guy, maintaining his Breathing Technique while holding a rock and doing frog jumps, passed by and answered.

"Waking up at six is anything but normal! Only you would do that, Guy," Obito retorted.

Obito then walked over to Mutsuki.

"Yumi-sensei, can you help me create a special training plan to improve my strength, something that will allow me to defeat enemies even when my Ninjutsu is being countered?"

"No problem. Obito, start with some constant training on your own for now, and I'll guide everyone in order," Mutsuki nodded and replied.

Since he had already mastered Perfect-level Water Breathing, and Rin had been practicing basic breathing techniques for almost three months, it was time to let her learn Water Breathing as well.

"Got it!" Obito gave a thumbs-up to Mutsuki and Rin and began his constant training.

He had been practicing the Breathing Technique for almost a year now, and by this point, he was very proficient in the various training methods for his current stage.

"When using Water Breathing, you mustn't be impatient. Keep a calm and steady mindset to maximize its power," Mutsuki reminded.

Water Breathing isn't suited for impatient people; it requires the tranquil mindset of someone like Shisui.

After covering some of the theory, Mutsuki began formally teaching Rin Water Breathing. Since she had already spent three months learning basic breathing techniques, and Water Breathing is the easiest of the Breathing Techniques to learn, Rin picked it up quickly. Unlike Obito and the others, who didn't show any proficiency in the first few days, Rin made progress within about half an hour. Mutsuki used an appraisal on her, and Water Breathing had already appeared in her skill set, with a proficiency level of two.

Mutsuki nodded to himself. Rin was much luckier compared to Obito and the others. First, Mutsuki had gained a deeper understanding of the Breathing Technique, so his teaching was more experienced. On top of that, his ability to teach had leveled up, making his instruction more effective. With all these buffs, her progress seemed perfectly normal.

Next, Mutsuki created a Shadow Clone to continue guiding Rin, while his real body went over to Kakashi. Guy had been the first to seek out Mutsuki, so Mutsuki had already finished guiding him.

Sensing Mutsuki approaching, Kakashi stopped swinging his sword but maintained the flow of his Breathing Technique.

"First, tell me in detail how you felt the day you activated the Transparent World," Mutsuki said.

His own Transparent World ability came with the Perfect-level Breathing Technique, allowing him to use it effortlessly from the start. So, he needed to understand Kakashi's specific experience to plan the next stage of training.

Kakashi nodded and began recalling everything he had felt that day, then spoke.

"My body was in pain, everywhere hurt, and I had no strength. Just moving required using all my energy. But before I swung my sword, I didn't feel much because my whole body was focused on a single thought—to defeat the enemy. As that thought became clearer, a sense of transparency gradually appeared in my mind, allowing me to see both my body and the enemy's body clearly..."

"Extreme physical pain combined with an unyielding spirit, huh?" Mutsuki showed a thoughtful expression.

He had to admit that Kakashi's awakening of the Transparent World was like something straight out of a protagonist's story. The physical pain, the strong resolve to protect his comrades, and Kakashi's innate talent all came together, allowing him to unlock the Transparent World earlier than expected.

However, Mutsuki believed this was an unrepeatable miracle. At the time, Guy had experienced just as much physical pain and mental fortitude, yet he didn't awaken the Transparent World.

This ability, which only awakens with a Perfect-level Breathing Technique, was truly rare.

"Alright then, push your body to its limit first, then fight my Shadow Clone. You need to battle with the mindset that you're going to kill the clone, using all your strength," Mutsuki instructed after thinking for a moment.

Since Kakashi's Transparent World had been triggered in an extreme state, Mutsuki decided to try pushing him through intense combat.

Mutsuki created a Shadow Clone to monitor Kakashi while his real body moved to Obito's side.

"You want to defeat those Water Release users from Kirigakure in the Chunin Exams, right?" Mutsuki asked directly.

If everything went as expected, Obito would likely face Terumi Mei in the second round of battles.

"Yeah," Obito quickly nodded, looking at Mutsuki with anticipation.

The fight in the Forest of Death had worn him down. Those Kirigakure ninjas, all proficient in Water Release, gave him a hard time. Dealing with opponents like Kurosawa and Zabuza wasn't as bad—despite Water countering Fire, with Flame Breathing, he could still manage to win even while being at a disadvantage. After all, while water counters fire, if the fire's intensity far exceeds the water's, it can suppress it.

However, against high-level Water Release users like Terumi Mei and Kisame, his Fire Release wouldn't be strong enough.

"There are two ways," Mutsuki said after thinking for a moment. "One is to undergo special training in Earth-Style Chakra Nature Transformation. Earth naturally counters water on the elemental level, and even learning just an Earth-Style Wall could block many Water Release attacks."

The simplest way to handle the situation, given the information, is to counter the enemy's strengths. If the enemy is skilled in Water Release, then learning Earth Release is a direct solution.

"And the other option?" Obito asked eagerly.

He already understood the strengths and weaknesses of different Ninjutsu. During the battle in the Forest of Death, he had hidden behind Kakashi's Earth-Style Wall to block Water Release attacks. But Obito felt that spending a month learning Earth Release just to counter those Kirigakure ninjas seemed like a waste, especially since Nature Transformation wasn't easy to learn, and his natural affinity was fire.

"The other option is to try developing Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, using stronger flames to directly counter Water Release," Mutsuki replied.

Mutsuki thought either option would work well for Obito. Mastering another nature transformation would give him more versatility, while developing the Mark ahead of time would increase his overall combat potential.

"I choose the second one!" Obito declared after thinking for ten seconds.

Without a doubt, mastering Flame Breathing Chakra Mode was much more appealing than learning Earth Release.

To avoid damaging too many trees, Mutsuki took Obito to the riverside for training.

Mutsuki began by demonstrating the technique, switching from Stone Breathing to Flame Breathing and entering the Flame Breathing Mark state. With just a thought, a large amount of chakra instantly transformed into fire-nature chakra, and fierce flames erupted in Mutsuki's hand without causing him any harm.

Each Breathing Technique had its unique qualities, and the Flame Breathing Mark state granted an extremely high resistance to fire. Even without any protective measures, Mutsuki could directly use flames without being burned. This fire resistance wasn't limited to flames he generated—others' flames wouldn't harm him either. In game terms, activating the Mark greatly increased his fire resistance.

Obito's eyes were fixed on the roaring flames in Mutsuki's hand. Standing just half a meter away, he could clearly feel the intense heat, far beyond anything his current Fire Release could compare to.

Obito grew more excited. During his fight with the Kirigakure Jonin, he had unconsciously entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, which meant that sooner or later, he would reach Mutsuki's level.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"

With a casual wave of his hand, the flames on Mutsuki's palm flared up even more intensely, transforming into three fire dragons that shot toward the river.

Sizzle!

As the fire dragons hit the water, a large amount of steam instantly rose, filling the area with thick white mist.

"Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Mutsuki clapped his hands and exhaled a sea of flames from his mouth. The fire twisted like a dragon, precisely avoiding Obito and turning the surrounding ground into scorched earth. As soon as this massive burst of flames appeared, the white mist vanished.

Though the flames hadn't touched Obito's clothes or even grazed him, the sheer proximity of the terrifying fire made sweat pour down his face. Yet beneath the sweat, Obito's expression was one of unstoppable excitement. He knew both of these Ninjutsu techniques, and if he could enter Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and release Fire Release Ninjutsu with this level of power, evaporating Terumi Mei and the others' Water Release techniques would be no problem.

"This is the Flame Breathing Chakra Mode. Without the need for hand signs, you can use Fire Release at will, have an extremely high resistance to flames, and even enhance the power of the fire," Mutsuki said as he exited the Mark State.

"Try it yourself. Recall the feelings from that day and push your Breathing Technique to its limit."

Obito began to close his eyes and remember. The sudden appearance of the Kirigakure Jonin had heavily injured him and hurt Rin. Guy had been knocked down repeatedly while trying to protect them, only to stand up again, and the Kirigakure Jonin had taunted their persistence.

As these memories surged, the flames in Obito's heart grew even fiercer. Even though the Kirigakure Jonin had been killed by Kakashi, Obito's inner flames remained intense, knowing that similar threats could harm his comrades in the future.

"Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Obito tried to perform the technique without seals like Mutsuki, but his hand only produced a single flame rather than the full Great Dragon Fire.

"Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Obito then attempted to use Fire Dragon Flame Bullet with both hands clasped together, but only produced two small flames the size of fists.

Obito scratched his head awkwardly. The gap was indeed quite large.

"You haven't truly entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, so you can't fully access its effects," Mutsuki said, patting Obito's head.

Obito's Flame Breathing Mark only has a Proficiency level of ten. It's almost impossible for him to use the Mark like Mutsuki does, and his chakra also doesn't support it.

After all, the Mark is an ability that awakens with a Mastery-level Breathing Technique. Obito's Breathing Technique hasn't even reached Proficient level, so even getting a little close to it shows how exceptionally well he matches with Flame Breathing.

It's not surprising that Obito can't use it. Even Kakashi, with his Transparent World at a Proficiency level of twenty, finds it difficult to reenter the state.

Mutsuki thought about the differences and concluded that this might be due to the different nature of the Mark and Transparent World abilities. Kakashi was in a complete Transparent World state during the fight with the Kirigakure Jonin, whereas Obito has only achieved an incomplete Mark.

Next, Mutsuki had Obito test the effects of his current incomplete Mark. The fire-nature chakra transformation was faster and stronger than in the Total Concentration state, with significantly improved fire resistance.

In terms of overall power, it surpassed the ordinary Total Concentration state. However, the drawback was that chakra consumption was extremely high. In full combat, factoring in the Sharingan's consumption, Obito would be exhausted in just three minutes.

"This chakra consumption is so fast," Obito said, feeling like he had just fought a half-hour battle after only a few minutes of testing.

"How about this: if you enter Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, use Fire Release ninjutsu less or not at all. Instead, use Fire Release in Taijutsu attacks against your opponent," Mutsuki suggested.

Originally, Fire Release Taijutsu didn't exist because Fire Release directly affects the body and can cause self-injury. However, the high fire resistance of Flame Breathing Mark can solve this issue.

Additionally, the high temperature of the flames makes it very unpleasant for opponents, and it's more efficient than just launching a fireball and hitting the ground.

By using Fire Release Taijutsu for attacks that Fire Release alone can't handle, and then using enhanced Fire Release Ninjutsu with remaining chakra, you can extend your combat time.

Obito thought Mutsuki's plan was excellent, and Fire Release Taijutsu also seemed quite impressive.

So, Obito's special training plan was set: focus on practicing Breathing Techniques and Taijutsu, then combine them to practice Fire Release Taijutsu, adding flames to each Taijutsu move.

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