Chapter 16: Trust Level Improvement
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
Obito quickly formed hand seals, gathering chakra throughout his body and into his mouth. In an instant, he completed both nature and shape transformation, unleashing a fierce, burning fire dragon that roared toward Tekka.
Tekka had already been surprised during their earlier close combat.
He hadn't expected Obito to have improved so much over just one holiday—far more than he had in his third year.
Seeing Obito now perform hand seals for ninjutsu, Tekka immediately mirrored him, preparing to meet the attack head-on.
He didn't believe Obito's ninjutsu could've improved along with his taijutsu.
There was no way—no matter what—he'd lose in a ninjutsu clash.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
He exhaled a massive, blazing sphere of fire, man-sized and roaring through the air toward Obito.
One side had a fanged, raging fire dragon.
The other, a scorching great fireball.
The two techniques raced to collide.
"I'm so jealous—they already know offensive ninjutsu..."
Many of the watching students looked on with envy.
Some hadn't even mastered the basic Three Body Techniques, let alone anything beyond that.
"Wait... this guy was supposed to be the dead last?"
Students from other classes were stunned. They had only come to see Tekka's overwhelming strength—but Obito had unleashed such a powerful Fire Release.
That level of technique wasn't dead-last material.
It was more like honors student material.
"But I still think Tekka's is stronger. His fireball looks way bigger than Obito's fire dragon," someone murmured.
To the untrained eye, size meant power. And Tekka's attack looked more threatening.
"As expected of the Uchiha," Kimura muttered with a sigh, evaluating both students. "I didn't expect Obito to have hidden such depth. Even if he's not on Tekka's level, with this kind of performance, he'd easily be top of my class. Shame his theory scores are too low."
Students from prominent clans were just different.
When Sugito had been a student himself, he was thrilled just to get the Three Body Technique right.
Still, judging by Obito's taijutsu and now ninjutsu, even if he lost, Sugito was already prepared to give him a high score.
But just before the two jutsu collided, Obito's fire dragon suddenly rose into the air—completely avoiding Tekka's fireball—and curved back down to strike from above.
At the same time, Obito sidestepped Tekka's Fireball and continued to control his Great Dragon Fire Technique.
Tekka hadn't expected such a dishonorable move. He thought Obito would engage in a direct clash, not use a feint.
But there was nothing he could do now.
A Fireball couldn't turn.
As the fire dragon lunged down, Tekka tried to dodge but realized it was too late.
He gritted his teeth, bracing for impact.
Just then, Mugetsu made his move.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared beside Tekka and pulled him out of the ring just before the fire dragon struck.
"Thanks, sensei…" Tekka said, catching his breath.
If not for Mugetsu, he would've definitely been burned.
Mugetsu gave a silent nod before announcing the result.
"First match, Obito wins."
Some students didn't even have time to react—the outcome had shifted in an instant.
They had been expecting a direct ninjutsu clash, only for Obito to suddenly change tactics and end the match.
If Mugetsu hadn't stepped in, Tekka would have been injured.
"This Obito… he's not to be underestimated," a student muttered, eyeing him with new respect.
Tekka's fireball might've looked impressive, but it was hard to land a hit with.
Obito's fire dragon, on the other hand, was faster, more flexible, and far more difficult to evade.
"Obito, well done!" Rin cheered from the sidelines.
She was genuinely happy for him.
By defeating Tekka in the practical exam—even if his theory was lacking—no one could call him dead last anymore.
In the end, strength spoke loudest in the ninja world.
Obito walked over with a triumphant smile, hearing Rin's praise. He couldn't help but grin smugly.
"Hehe… I told you I'd be fine."
At that moment, he felt truly grateful to Mugetsu.
He knew his progress—his newfound strength—was all thanks to Mugetsu's guidance.
Without him, he would've been crushed during the taijutsu phase.
---
[Disciple Uchiha Obito's Trust Level has increased. Current Trust Level: Three]
As Mugetsu read through the exam roster, a system message popped up in his mind.
He glanced toward Obito, who was now chatting animatedly with Rin, grinning from ear to ear.
"Looks like being a lovesick fool isn't entirely useless," Mugetsu mused.
Trust levels were hard to raise.
Each increase brought a huge leap in benefits, directly enhancing the return effect from the disciple.
The chakra he received before from Obito might've seemed small—but that was only because Shisui and the others hadn't yet entered the explosive growth phase.
Once they did, if Shisui's chakra increased by ten thousand, a single trust level gain would mean ten thousand more chakra returned to Mugetsu.
He'd originally aimed to get just one disciple to Trust Level Three by the end of the semester.
Obito hitting that in just one month was a major win.
The following matches were far less intense.
None required intervention.
Mugetsu sat back in his chair, scoring students while occasionally chatting with Sugito.
If he weren't the proctor, he might have wandered around using appraisal to scout for hidden talents.
He still had one disciple slot left—only three of the four were filled.
Since he didn't know whether those slots could be expanded, he wasn't willing to give one to someone who wasn't at least S-rank in potential.
The stronger the disciple, the greater the returns in the future.
Konoha had many geniuses, and the ninja world was vast. There was no need to rush.
Mugetsu opened his panel and checked his current stats.
---
[Name: Hayate Mugetsu]
[Age: 18]
[Chakra: 5300]
[Skills: Water Release: Water Severing Wave, Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, Water Release: Water Formation Wall, Wind Release: Pressure Damage…]
[Evaluation: You have mastered many ninjutsu, including high-level techniques. You can handle most situations with ease. Ordinary Jonin are no match for you.]
---
In truth, his growth had been rapid.
In a single month, his chakra had increased by over a thousand. His ninjutsu list had expanded from two to dozens.
With moves like Water Severing Wave now in his arsenal, his current self could easily defeat the version of him who had just transmigrated.
By noon, the first two rounds were already done.
However, Might Guy hadn't been able to shine like Obito. His opponents were all fairly average.
Although Guy won each match cleanly and decisively, it wasn't enough to change public opinion about him—at least, not yet.
But Mugetsu knew that would change soon.
The class's internal practical exam would conclude in the afternoon—
And the class champion would be decided then.
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