Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

Due to several months of preliminary breathing practice, Rin's Water Breathing progressed rapidly, and within five days, she was almost able to use Water Breathing in combat. Mutsuki used appraisal and found that she reached Beginner level with twenty points. However, the progress slowed down after reaching twenty points.

To enhance Rin's solo combat abilities and make the most of Water Breathing's boost to Water Release, Mutsuki began teaching her Water Release Ninjutsu. Over the next month, he planned to teach her two Water Release Ninjutsu: one is the versatile Water Prison Jutsu for both defense and offense, and the second is the purely offensive Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu.

In fact, if the goal were the Chunin Exams, teaching Rin the Hiding in Mist Jutsu and focusing on sound-based position identification would be best. Without knowing the enemy's location, Shadow Imitation Jutsu would be ineffective.

However, the Hiding in Mist Jutsu is different from common Water Release Ninjutsu like Water Wall and Water Dragon Bullet. Hiding in Mist Jutsu is a Secret Jutsu of the Hidden Mist Village, and it is difficult to explain how it is used.

After much consideration, Mutsuki chose Water Prison Jutsu and Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu. Both are relatively practical and not too difficult to learn.

The Chunin Exams reached halftime, and the examinees were all working hard to improve themselves, whether they were from Konoha or the Hidden Mist Village.

The Chunin Exams were paused, and the first semester of the Academy was coming to an end, with the final exams approaching and a long vacation ahead.

Of course, for the fourth-year students about to graduate, this long vacation was a bit short. During the break, they would undergo five weeks of special training.

Mutsuki's original training plan was to replicate the first special training, using intensive classes to quickly brush up on various skills and expand his Ninjutsu repertoire. With a full day of classes, he could cover four Ninjutsu per day, allowing him to learn a hundred Ninjutsu in five weeks.

However, the incident in the Forest of Death made Mutsuki decide to alter his plan. He wanted to add some more advanced teaching content to the original plan, aiming to achieve better rewards.

Although it is still early for Obito's incident in the original work, the Kannabi Bridge battle in the original Naruto world happens after Kakashi becomes a Jonin at age twelve, while Kakashi is currently only nine. Theoretically, there are still three years.

However, this world is not the original Naruto world but the world with Mutsuki in it. Although Mutsuki has been acting discreetly, he has actually made many changes.

Obito's current situation differs significantly from the original work. He has awakened the Sharingan early and has learned quite proficient Fire Release and Breathing Techniques from Mutsuki, defeating Jonin twice with his teammates.

Facing such an Obito, Mutsuki cannot guarantee that Uchiha Madara will act exactly as he did in the original work.

Now, although Obito is young, his strength is considerable, and his teammates are much stronger than in the original. This means they will undertake more difficult missions sooner, and Uchiha Madara may act earlier as well.

Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu are hiding in the shadows, unknown to Mutsuki. Although he has also concealed much, to increase his chances of success, he needs to enhance his own strength as much as possible.

Although Uchiha Madara is old now, he was once powerful enough to battle Senju Hashirama, and with the thousand-year-old Black Zetsu by his side, Mutsuki remains highly vigilant of this duo.

However, the summer special training involves over three hundred graduating students, and as the person in charge, Mutsuki cannot make arbitrary changes. He needs to discuss it with Principal Hiruzen first.

After dinner, Mutsuki went to Hiruzen's home.

Normally, it would be inappropriate to visit Hiruzen after work hours due to official matters, as it would be like making him work overtime.

However, since Mutsuki has a decent relationship with Hiruzen, he chose the evening for convenience to make his proposal.

"Third-sama, I would like to make changes to the summer special training content." After a brief greeting, Mutsuki got straight to the point.

Hiruzen put down his pipe and looked at Mutsuki, asking, "Do you have a new and great idea?"

Hiruzen assumed it must be a major change, as small issues could be decided by Mutsuki as the person in charge of the training plan.

"I want to add Chakra Nature Transformation to the curriculum," Mutsuki said.

Chakra Nature Transformation is not considered advanced knowledge. If someone is from a ninja family or has ninja parents, they often start learning it before entering school.

However, for most Ninja Academy students, this is considered advanced knowledge because the Academy does not teach it. It is typically taught by their sensei after graduation.

It's not that the Academy doesn't want to teach it, but there are two main challenges. First, there are many student attributes, and for rare attributes like Wind, there might not be a sensei who knows it. It wouldn't be right to just not teach those students.

Second, the level of Academy sensei is not high enough. Chakra Nature Transformation is a dangerous practice, so even in higher grades at the Academy, there are no courses on Nature Transformation training.

The main issue is the second one. Most Chunin sensei at the school can teach other things, but their own practice of Nature Transformation is not very good, so teaching it would mislead students.

"Chakra Nature Transformation—why do you want to teach this? With so many students, there will definitely be all five Chakra types, and practicing it can easily lead to accidents," Hiruzen did not directly reject Mutsuki but instead pointed out the teaching difficulties and looked at Mutsuki.

Mutsuki has always been seen by Hiruzen as modest and practical. Since Mutsuki dared to bring this up, Hiruzen felt that Mutsuki must be well-prepared.

"I have mastered all five basic Chakra Nature Transformations. Although my Earth attribute is not particularly proficient, teaching it simply should be no problem," Mutsuki answered calmly.

His knowledge of the five Chakra attribute Ninjutsu has sources; he selected ten from the Ninjutsu library before, and later acquired two more after being promoted to Jonin, both B-rank and above.

Below B-rank, Mutsuki can use them freely. He is no longer an unknown ninja, and as long as it isn't a special Ninjutsu like Hiding in Mist Jutsu, it's fine how he acquired a C-rank Ninjutsu.

"All five Nature Transformations mastered... could you show me a bit?" Hiruzen asked with an interested expression.

Learning Nature Transformation according to one's innate attribute is not difficult, and learning an additional one is still manageable. Most Konoha Jonin are like this, mastering two or more Nature Transformation Ninjutsu.

Mastering all five Nature Transformation Ninjutsu is very challenging, and being able to use them effectively in combat is even more difficult.

The difficulty is high, but the benefits are also significant. This means that regardless of the opponent's Ninjutsu, you can counter it with your own Ninjutsu, gaining an attribute advantage. Additionally, you can combine Ninjutsu to increase their power.

Hiruzen earned the title of Ninjutsu Professor because he mastered thousands of Ninjutsu, including all five Nature Transformations as well as Genjutsu and Secret Jutsu. No matter what Ninjutsu the enemy uses, he can counter it.

Unfortunately, none of his three disciples followed in his footsteps. Tsunade focuses on Medical Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, Jiraiya specializes in Fire Release and Senjutsu, and Orochimaru developed his own snake-based Ninjutsu.

Mutsuki nodded to show he had no issues with the plan; he was there for that purpose. It would be inconvenient to demonstrate his skills during the day in the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen led Mutsuki to the backyard. Asuma, seeing Mutsuki, greeted him with a happy expression as he was preparing to practice Wind Release.

"Come over here quickly, don't get accidentally injured by Mutsuki's Ninjutsu," Hiruzen called Asuma over to observe.

"Not possible, with Yumi-sensei's control, he definitely won't hurt me," Asuma retorted.

However, Asuma still moved to a safe distance, not because he didn't trust Mutsuki, but because he wanted to see Mutsuki's Ninjutsu in action.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Mutsuki started with Fire Release. After some thought, he decided to use Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. It is one of the top-tier Fire Release techniques, both in terms of power and difficulty, and it tests the user's skill.

As Mutsuki completed the hand signs, a large amount of fire was expelled, forming a fierce sea of flames in an instant. Under Mutsuki's control, the flames spread out in three directions: forward, left, and right. Despite the intense fire, none of the flames touched Hiruzen's house.

"Quite proficient with Fire Dragon Flame Bullet," Hiruzen said, stroking his beard and nodding in approval.

From the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet alone, Hiruzen could tell that Mutsuki's Fire Release had surpassed most of the people in the ninja world in both power and control.

Even when Hiruzen was Mutsuki's age, he was about on the same level.

"Amazing!" Asuma, with his limited knowledge, could only perceive that Mutsuki was incredibly strong.

"Hiruzen isn't home?" At that moment, Shimura Danzo's voice suddenly came through.

"I'm in the backyard. Come over," Hiruzen called out, raising his voice slightly.

Although he hadn't seen Danzo yet, Hiruzen already guessed his purpose.

It was about the compensation from the Hidden Mist. Although Genji firmly insisted that Akutami Hideyuki was a spy from another ninja village, the fact remained that he was brought by the Hidden Mist, so Konoha needed to demand compensation from them.

Hiruzen and Danzo had some disagreements on this matter. Danzo believed they should demand a large amount, whether it was money or ninja tools. He argued that without a heavy penalty, Konoha would lose its deterrent power.

Hiruzen, on the other hand, felt that a symbolic amount would suffice, as the main goal was to make a statement. After all, they were already engaged in conflicts with Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud. If they demanded too much, the Hidden Mist might refuse and directly turn against Konoha, leading to war.

During the day in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen rejected Danzo's proposal. However, Hiruzen could see that Danzo was unwilling to accept it. As expected, Danzo came again after work.

"Hiruzen…" Shimura Danzo was about to present the arguments he had prepared all day when he saw the sea of fire in the yard and Mutsuki maintaining his hand signs.

Although Shimura Danzo's strength was not as great as Hiruzen's, he had a sharp eye and immediately recognized that Mutsuki's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was impressive.

Danzo's expression darkened because this Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was something he had rewarded Mutsuki with, and now he discovered Mutsuki using it at Hiruzen's home by chance.

"Let's talk about it later, after Mutsuki finishes performing his Ninjutsu," Hiruzen said.

Shimura Danzo nodded with a cold expression.

Although Mutsuki's previous performance indicated that he still leaned towards Danzo and hadn't forgotten his training, Danzo was displeased that a subordinate who could be used at will had now become someone who could only be used in secret opportunities. This was a powerful Jonin who could play a significant role in battles against Tailed Beasts.

Danzo's arrival did not change Mutsuki's expression. He simply greeted Danzo, as Danzo's intention was to observe for now. On the surface, Mutsuki had already severed ties with Root.

After demonstrating Fire Release, Mutsuki moved on to Water Release. He decided to use the Great Waterfall Jutsu, which Hiruzen had instructed him on.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"

Mutsuki unleashed a terrifying volume of water, akin to a massive tidal wave, instantly extinguishing the remaining flames on the ground.

The backyard of Hiruzen's house was connected to a small forest, and under the impact of the massive water flow, many trees fell, turning the small forest into a small lake.

"Very impressive, to reach this level in just a few months," Hiruzen praised.

He wasn't sure about Mutsuki's progress with other Ninjutsu, but he had personally taught and guided Mutsuki on the Great Waterfall Jutsu, witnessing his advancement from learning to proficiency step by step.

"Thanks to your guidance, Third-sama," Mutsuki said with a modest smile.

"My guidance is just a supplement; it's mainly your own talent and hard work," Hiruzen said with a smile, shaking his head.

"You're quite self-aware," Asuma nodded, feeling that Hiruzen's words were very reasonable.

Hiruzen, somewhat speechless, gave Asuma's head a rough rub. He didn't mind admitting this himself, but hearing it from Asuma was a bit painful.

Danzo sneered on the surface but was inwardly quite pleased.

"Even if Hiruzen trains Mutsuki exceptionally well, he won't be loyal. After all, he's a member of my Root," Danzo thought smugly.

In Danzo's view, Mutsuki's current strength was due to both long-term accumulation and Hiruzen's training.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

Without resting, Mutsuki immediately used the next Ninjutsu. With a series of hand signs, Mutsuki released a stream of transparent air blasts.

Boom!!

The ground was shattered by the barrage of transparent air blasts, with debris flying everywhere, yellowish dust rising, and the entire backyard becoming unrecognizable with not a single intact piece of ground.

Hiruzen took a couple of puffs from his pipe, looking at Mutsuki with great satisfaction. The Vacuum Sphere was also a technique he provided because, during Mutsuki's tutoring period, Asuma had made significant progress. Hiruzen learned from Asuma that Mutsuki was practicing Wind Release, so he gave him the Vacuum Sphere.

There was no doubt that Mutsuki's demonstration of Water, Fire, and Wind attributes surpassed those of ordinary Jonin. Fire was the most impressive, followed by Wind and Water, which were also strong.

Seeing Mutsuki's Vacuum Sphere, Shimura Danzo nodded in approval. While Danzo might consider himself the strongest in Wind Release, just a glance at Mutsuki's Vacuum Sphere made him realize that Mutsuki's Wind Release Nature Transformation level was beyond that of an ordinary Jonin.

"Mastering Water, Fire, and Wind attributes to this extent, no wonder he can assist Jiraiya in fighting Tailed Beasts on the battlefield," Danzo understood Mutsuki's overall strength.

Although Mutsuki's current strength did not reach Danzo's level, his mastery of these three major attributes was enough to make him an elite among Jonin, capable of overwhelming ordinary Jonin.

What is most valuable is that Mutsuki is still very young, only nineteen years old, and has plenty of time to grow.

"Perhaps we should assign him as Orochimaru's assistant. This way, he can help Orochimaru achieve military accomplishments and gain faster growth on the battlefield," Danzo thought that having someone of Mutsuki's caliber as a sensei was a waste.

Basic content can be taught by any Chunin; there's no need for a Jonin of Mutsuki's level.

Asuma didn't have as many thoughts as Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo. He simply thought of 4 words—Yumi-sensei is awesome!

After performing Wind Release, Mutsuki took a few breaths, first used Earth Release to repair the severely damaged ground, and then proceeded to use another Earth Release Ninjutsu.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"

Under Mutsuki's control, the soil in front of him suddenly transformed into a muddy river, flowing forward.

Mutsuki's Earth Release Nature Transformation was only at the Proficient level with eighteen hundred points, so he didn't suppress his strength. He used his vast Chakra to enhance the effectiveness of the Ninjutsu.

"Mutsuki, you're too modest. Your level of Earth Release is far beyond just barely being able to teach," Hiruzen remarked, recalling Mutsuki's earlier comment.

At first, he really thought Mutsuki's Earth Release wasn't very strong since Mutsuki hadn't used it before. However, seeing this, Mutsuki's Earth Release was on par with an ordinary Jonin, specifically a Jonin whose primary attribute is Earth. If this was only barely teachable, then many ninjas would be unfit to be instructors.

"It's still lacking compared to other attributes; I need to put in more effort," Mutsuki said with a smile.

"Lightning Release: Purple Electricity!"

Without forming any hand signs, Mutsuki simply raised his arm, and a dazzling purple lightning covered his right hand.

Crackle, crackle!!

Mutsuki controlled the Purple Electricity, directing it to strike the ground as a series of purple lightning bolts.

With another rumble, the previously smooth ground now had several scorched small craters.

"Did you develop this No Seal Lightning Release yourself?" Hiruzen asked, looking at the large blackened patches on the ground.

Hiruzen had learned all the Ninjutsu of Konoha, and if there were such a No Seal, highly powerful Lightning Release, he would definitely know about it.

"Hmm, this Ninjutsu is called Purple Electricity," Mutsuki nodded and replied after silently apologizing to Kakashi in his heart.

Hiruzen looked at Mutsuki with astonishment. Although Mutsuki's Lightning Release wasn't as expressive as Fire, Water, or Wind, and was only slightly better than Earth Release, the fact that he had developed a high-level Lightning Release on his own was impressive and further proved Mutsuki's remarkable talent in Ninjutsu.

"Danzo, you almost destroyed a genius!" Hiruzen was relieved to have discovered Mutsuki.

He couldn't imagine how strong Mutsuki could be if he had been trained under him from the start—would he be on par with his own strength at that time?

Hiruzen's desire to take on disciples was high, and undoubtedly, Mutsuki was the most suitable candidate for him.

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