Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

"Why did everyone lose in the first round, yet you, Ensui, became a Chunin while Midori did not?" During the special training, Inuzuka Midori noticed the Chunin vest on Nara Ensui.

"There are various reasons for that," Nara Ensui replied tactfully after giving it some thought.

He couldn't just say, "Midori, your strength isn't outstanding, and you didn't show any combat wisdom."

In fact, Nara Ensui felt that a bit of luck played a part in his becoming a Chunin.

This Chunin exam was significantly more challenging than the previous ones. Candidates like Obito and Kisame, who fell in the top four, would have dominated in a regular Chunin exam.

Nara Ensui felt that if he encountered any of the top four candidates, he might not have been able to become a Chunin.

Because Nara Ensui's strength was too weak in front of them, no matter how strong his combat intelligence was, it was useless when the strength gap was too great. He could be taken down instantly with a kick or a blade, especially since he couldn't set up traps in advance for the Chunin exam.

"In a few months, Midori will definitely become a Chunin. The special training has made her stronger," Inuzuka Midori said, looking at her teammate Aburame Naoya, hoping they could work hard together to prepare for the next Chunin exam.

The Chunin exam is held twice a year, and of course, the next one wouldn't be co-hosted by two villages, nor would it invite officials and wealthy merchants.

Aburame Naoya's expression remained unchanged as he calmly nodded.

Inuzuka Midori smiled; Aburame Naoya wasn't one to express emotions easily, so his nod was an agreement.

Not only Nara Ensui, but Asuma, who was wearing a Chunin vest, also stood out among a group of Genin and Ninja Academy students.

Since the special training was only for Genin and Ninja Academy students, Nara Ensui and Asuma were the only two Chunins present.

Since they were the only two Chunins, and Asuma performed fairly well in the Chunin exam, some more sociable students approached Asuma to ask questions.

"Asuma, you're amazing! You actually learned Ninjutsu with two different attributes. Among all the candidates in konoha, aside from the top one, Hatake Kakashi, you're the only one, right?" Hagane Kotetsu said with admiration.

Previously, he only had Ebisu as his big brother, but now he decided to increase the number of big brothers he had.

"Having two attributes doesn't matter; I still lost to Obito's Fire Release," Asuma replied, looking a bit frustrated.

Losing to Obito's Fire Release with his Combination Jutsu did sting a bit, especially since two Ninjutsu couldn't match up to Obito's single-attribute Ninjutsu.

"Don't worry, Asuma! If you continue to improve and learn Combination Jutsu with three or four attributes in the future, how could he possibly defend against just one attribute?" Kamizuki Izumo immediately analyzed.

Asuma had to admit that Kamizuki Izumo made a valid point, but figuring out how to master so many attributes was another issue. It wasn't easy to train multiple Nature Transformations at the same time.

"Actually, there's no need to worry. We have a Ninjutsu here that has defeated Konoha's strongest Taijutsu Ninja. If you learn it, it won't guarantee a win against Obito, but it will definitely increase your chances," Kamizuki Izumo came up with a good idea.

"Oh, a Ninjutsu that has defeated Konoha's strongest Taijutsu Ninja? What type of Ninjutsu is it?" Asuma immediately became interested.

Not to mention, having the title of having defeated Konoha's strongest Taijutsu fighter was quite impressive.

"It's…" Kamizuki Izumo was about to say something but realized that the break time was over, and they needed to start training.

"Everyone, continue your training," Mutsuki's voice echoed among all the students.

"We'll explain it to you in detail tomorrow, Asuma," Kamizuki Izumo said as he stood up.

This was already the last training session of the afternoon, and soon it would be time to go home for dinner.

"Asuma, this Ninjutsu will definitely surprise you!" Hagane Kotetsu said with a confident smile, then he and Kamizuki Izumo walked back to the C group training area.

"Then I'll start looking forward to it," Asuma replied with a smile.

In truth, he didn't expect Hagane Kotetsu and the others to really know any particularly strong Ninjutsu. It wasn't that he looked down on them, but truly powerful Ninjutsu were hard to learn and had certain requirements for the learner. Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo were still too young.

For example, even when Asuma was in the second grade, he couldn't learn the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet or Cyclone from Hiruzen due to insufficient Chakra and inadequate Nature Transformation skills.

However, since they were young fans of his and spoke so nicely, Asuma was happy to go along with them.

Then Asuma began practicing Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation. Currently, he was still focusing on Wind Release and would only practice Fire Release when he encountered difficulties with Wind Release.

After practicing for a while and seeing Kurenai sweating profusely while continuing to train, Asuma walked over to her and said, "Kurenai, why don't you take a short break? If you push yourself too hard, it might affect your training efficiency."

During the break, Asuma noticed that Kurenai was still training and hadn't stopped since then.

Hearing Asuma's words, Kurenai paused and stood still, gasping for breath. If her training efficiency was affected, that would indeed be quite a headache.

"Have you encountered any problems recently? It seems like you're pushing yourself too hard in your training," Asuma asked with a concerned look.

While being diligent in training is a good thing, Asuma felt that Kurenai was being overly diligent, which made him a bit worried.

"It's because I don't want to be left too far behind by you all," Kurenai said seriously, looking into Asuma's eyes.

Last year, during the special training, she had been overshadowed by Shisui, a first-year student. However, she could accept that Shisui was indeed an exceptional case.

The performances of Obito and others during the Chunin exam had a profound impact on Kurenai.

Both Obito and Guy were familiar to Kurenai; they were decent friends.

Although Obito had already surpassed them in strength during the last special training, the gap hadn't been too large. This time was different; in this Chunin exam, Obito and the others displayed overwhelming strength.

Kurenai felt that she wouldn't be able to withstand even a single move against them. They were so strong that Kurenai wondered how they could become that powerful in just a year.

It wasn't just Obito; even Asuma's progress made Kurenai feel somewhat unfamiliar.

Before she knew it, Asuma's Wind Release had surpassed his Fire Release, and he could also use Wind and Fire Combination Jutsu.

As Kurenai expressed her feelings, Asuma immediately empathized with her. Just as Obito and the others seemed confusingly strong in Kurenai's eyes, it felt similar for Asuma as well.

"I understand you, Kurenai. Let's work hard and train together," Asuma nodded. "Of course, but we also need to keep things moderate," Asuma reminded her after saying that.

Asuma had already become a Chunin and was still training hard, which inspired the surrounding students, filling the entire training ground with a spirit of striving.

Aside from adding some teaching projects, Mutsuki basically followed the same model as the last special training session: exams every two weeks to assess students' learning outcomes, followed by scoring and ranking.

There's no doubt that Asuma was now the strongest Ninja in the special training. Nara Ensui, being another Chunin, was not his match in a one-on-one fight, so Asuma firmly secured first place in Group A during the first exam.

In Group B, Gekko Hayate was becoming more prominent with the ongoing special training. However, his first place wasn't very secure; it depended on his condition. In Mutsuki's view, the strength difference between Gekko Hayate and the second place in Group B was very small.

In Group C, Anko performed admirably this time. Although she didn't take first place, securing second as a second-year student was already quite impressive, especially since she defeated several fourth-year students.

Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu also performed decently for their second-year status, but overall, they were quite average compared to the other students and were significantly weaker than Anko. The students in Mutsuki's class overall outperformed those in the third grade.

In the evening, Mutsuki returned home in the main area of Konoha. Before long, Minato knocked on the door and entered Mutsuki's home.

"Sorry, but I need to trouble you again to help take care of Kushina," Minato said to Mutsuki with a bit of embarrassment.

For Minato, no matter how good the relationship was, he still felt a bit awkward about asking others for help.

"Sure, I can't avoid making meals for Kushina while I'm in Konoha," Mutsuki replied, agreeing without asking for further details.

Hearing Mutsuki's words, Minato smiled warmly and explained, "The Hidden Cloud has sent more Ninja to launch an attack on the borders of the Land of Hot Water, so I need to lead some Ninja to provide support."

This wasn't classified information, so it was fine to tell Mutsuki. He was openly heading to the front lines, not carrying out any secret missions.

"I see. Will Obito and the others be going to the battlefield with you?" Mutsuki asked after thinking for a moment.

This was no small matter. If they went to the Land of Hot Water for a major battle, Mutsuki, far away in Konoha, would have no way of knowing what would happen to Obito and the others.

The incident during the Chunin exam had given Mutsuki a sense of foreboding; perhaps Uchiha Madara would act sooner than expected, as Obito was growing much faster than in the original story.

Minato shook his head and replied, "This time I've received an S-rank war mission. It's too dangerous for Obito and the others. Since they can now take on missions by themselves, I don't plan to take them along."

If it were an A-rank mission, Minato might have considered bringing Obito and the others along, but an S-rank mission was too dangerous, especially since it was a war mission.

"I'm going to have to trouble you with their training as well. I'm not a very qualified sensei," Minato said with a wry smile.

He felt that he could do very little for Obito and the others, and now he had to leave them behind to carry out his mission.

"Don't say that. They all acknowledge you; why should you doubt yourself? The village's missions are unavoidable," Mutsuki gently reassured him with a smile.

Minato adjusted his mood, thanked Mutsuki again, and then went to find Kushina with the meals.

As he prepared to leave Konoha, the one he was most worried about was still Kushina.

Just when Mutsuki felt that the war was becoming increasingly intense, a few days later, he received information from Tsunade that Jiraiya had returned to the battlefield in the Land of Grass.

Perhaps due to the news of the Hidden Cloud's large-scale attack, the Hidden Rock was also attempting to reinforce its forces to continue putting pressure on Konoha.

The situation on the continent is very chaotic now, with wars breaking out between the Hidden Rock, Konoha, and the Hidden Cloud, as well as conflicts involving the Hidden Cloud, the Sand, Konoha, and the Hidden Rock. The four great nations are engulfed in a melee, with only the Land of Water at sea remaining uninvolved for the time being.

Although it is the great ninja villages engaged in war, they are not fighting on their home turf; most battles are taking place in nearby small countries. Even the Land of Wind, after recovering, has pushed the Hidden Cloud into the Land of Rivers, forcing the smaller nations to get involved and participate in the war.

"Will the Mist Village launch an attack on Konoha ahead of time, or will they maintain the status quo?" Mutsuki thought of that one great nation that had not yet participated in the war.

Due to the butterfly effect, the plot has changed, and he was unsure if the Mist Village would still follow the actions from the original story.

Although Konoha did not demand too much compensation from the Mist Village for the incident during this Chunin exam, appearing amicable, Mutsuki didn't believe that the Mist Village would refrain from launching a war against Konoha because of it.

It is inevitable that the Mist Village will launch a war against Konoha, as Konoha has previously won too many battles and has maintained the posture of being the strongest. The strongest will be feared by everyone, and now that there's an opportunity to weaken them, they won't let it slip by.

While the Mist Village may not want to be the first challenger, with two countries already at war, they would certainly have the courage to join in the fray.

The Chunin exam allowed the Mist to witness the strength of Konoha's younger generation, and Mutsuki believed that the Mist might feel a sense of crisis from this and decide to attack Konoha ahead of time.

Uchiha Madara was also a key consideration for Mutsuki. Since Uchiha Madara could control Mist Jonin, he might also be manipulating others from the Mist, influencing their involvement in the war.

The more chaotic the ninja world becomes, the more beneficial it is for the aging Uchiha Madara, as it facilitates his actions. If Uchiha Madara intends to act against Obito ahead of time, he would definitely push for the Mist Village and Konoha to go to war.

This was one of the reasons why Mutsuki had been so low-key; he didn't want the plot to change too much because of him, as it would make protecting his disciples more difficult.

For instance, he knew that Obito would face misfortune during the battle at Kannabi Bridge. If the plot remained unchanged, he could easily save Obito by simply accompanying him. However, if the plot were to change, Uchiha Madara might not necessarily choose the Kannabi Bridge mission to act upon.

Even though Mutsuki had been very cautious, changes ultimately still occurred. The incident in the Forest of Death was definitely the work of Uchiha Madara. Although the Mist Village had not yet taken action, Mutsuki prepared for the worst.

However, even if given a chance to start over, he would still take a similar course of action, because he couldn't neglect to help Obito improve his strength just because the plot might change—that would be completely counterproductive.

With the enemy hidden and himself in the light, all Mutsuki could do now was to enhance his and his disciples' abilities as much as possible.

Logically, after the arduous experience during the Chunin exam, they should have rested for a while after the intense training, but for the sake of his disciples' safety, Mutsuki prepared a brand new hellish training regimen for them.

"Good morning, Shisui! How did you know I became a Chunin?" On his way to the Southern Forest for training, Obito ran into Shisui and greeted him with a bright smile.

Shisui: …

"Hehe, good morning, Yumi-sensei!" After arriving at the Southern Forest, Obito greeted Mutsuki with a beaming smile.

Although he didn't secure first place, becoming a Chunin put Obito in a very good mood.

"Hmm, good morning," Mutsuki replied with a warm smile.

For some reason, despite Mutsuki's comforting smile, Obito suddenly felt uneasy, sensing that something bad might happen.

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