Chapter 50: The First Gift
Huff, huff.
Obito panted heavily, then handed the long box in his hand to Mugetsu and said,
"Teacher Mugetsu, I heard you like calligraphy, so I used my prize money from the competition to buy you a brush."
Originally, Obito had wanted to buy Rin a gift. But after thinking it over, he felt it might not be appropriate.
He could be impulsive at times, but he wasn't completely clueless. Without Mugetsu's dedicated guidance, would he have had the strength to win first place? Definitely not.
Not just first place in the competition—he'd also passed the theoretical exam for the first time and redeemed himself in the practical exam, finally shedding the title of 'dead last.' All of it was thanks to Mugetsu's teaching.
So after much thought, Obito decided that this gift should go to his teacher.
Mugetsu looked at the long box being handed to him and swallowed the lecture he was about to give.
He opened the box, glanced at its contents, nodded slightly, then closed it and held it in his left hand. With his right, he gently helped Obito steady his breath.
"I do like calligraphy. I'm very pleased with your gift. Rest for a bit, then get ready for training."
Since his student had put real thought into a gift, Mugetsu knew he should respond with kindness, not a lecture.
Looking at Obito now, maybe even his tardiness to class was because of this.
If someone went out of their way to prepare a heartfelt gift for their teacher, only to be scolded the moment they arrived, anyone would feel disheartened.
Of course, he could've taken a different route—accepted the gift coldly, launched into training, then reversed course afterward by apologizing and thanking Obito as a "friend." The emotional whiplash could heighten the student's sense of gratitude and deepen the bond.
But Mugetsu didn't feel like playing that kind of emotional chess today.
After all, this was the first gift he had ever received in this world.
"Hehe, as long as you like it, Teacher. I don't know much about calligraphy. I just thought this brush looked nice, so I picked it," Obito said with a sheepish grin.
He took a few deep breaths, stood up, and declared,
"Teacher Mugetsu, I'm ready. Let's begin today's training."
Seeing his enthusiasm, Mugetsu nodded and waved Guy over.
"Let's resume the training from three weeks ago. You haven't forgotten it, have you?" he asked with a faint smile.
Obito's memory snapped back to those brutal days before his competition training.
"If I get hit once, I do one more question..."
Obito suddenly broke into a cold sweat. Oh, he remembered.
For the past twenty-something days, he had been laser-focused on chakra nature transformation. He had completely forgotten the hellish routine from before.
"I haven't forgotten. If I don't land a hit, I do fifty questions. For every successful hit, I reduce one question, up to forty at most," Guy said after recalling the setup.
He might forget his exam opponents' names, but he never forgot a training plan.
"Obito isn't allowed to use Ninjutsu during the fight. If he gets hit once, he does a question," Guy added, giving Obito a big thumbs-up.
Obito looked at Guy's gleaming teeth, nearly in tears.
"Listen to me, thank you..."
"Teacher, I think I overestimated myself. How about we rest today instead?"
His legs went soft, and he plopped to the ground, trying to negotiate.
Training to grow stronger was one thing, but doing questions? That was straight-up torture. Let future-Obito deal with it.
Mugetsu chuckled.
"Rest? Sure. If you can't train, then just focus on doing questions. I've got plenty of test papers ready."
He pulled out a thick stack of papers from a scroll.
What happened next could only be described as a medical miracle.
Obito sprang to his feet with a determined face.
"What's a little discomfort? Teacher Mugetsu, I think I can persevere. Let's start training."
Mugetsu smiled gently.
"Don't push yourself. Rest when needed."
"Thank you for your concern, Teacher Mugetsu, but there's only one month left until the final exam. I want to get revenge on Hyuga Homura, and I need to make the most of my time to get stronger," Obito said firmly.
Mugetsu nodded in satisfaction, still holding the box with the calligraphy brush. He patted Guy's shoulder with his free hand.
"Guy, since Obito is this determined, make sure to improve his Taijutsu well."
Guy straightened up, flashing his blinding smile.
"Teacher Mugetsu, don't worry! I'll give one hundred and twenty percent!"
Obito, hearing their exchange: ...
Either his body or his brain was going to die today.
Guy wasn't exaggerating—when he said he'd give his all, he meant it.
While Obito had undergone intense Ninjutsu training for the competition, Guy had continued strengthening his physique.
Thanks to Mugetsu's special training meds, Guy's routine had intensified even more.
In just over twenty days, Guy had made real physical gains—greater speed and strength.
Obito's progress had mostly been in Ninjutsu. But this training didn't allow for any Ninjutsu use.
With Guy getting stronger and Obito limited to hand-to-hand, the result was a one-sided beatdown.
Thankfully, Mugetsu's upgraded water-walking drills had improved Obito's movement, or things would've been even worse.
The lopsided sparring session forced Obito to face reality.
Winning first place in the youth competition—tying with Kakashi—had inflated his ego a bit.
But after clashing with Guy, he understood that even if he went back to the practical exam now, he still couldn't beat Hyuga Homura.
His Ninjutsu might be stronger, but in front of Homura's Byakugan and Gentle Fist, Obito's Taijutsu just wasn't enough to create openings.
Once Homura got the rhythm, it would be over.
Byakugan could see chakra points. Gentle Fist could block them. Just getting touched once could cost him the entire fight.
"But these questions are so hard..."
Looking at the exam sheets in front of him, Obito gripped his pen, utterly defeated.
He understood the theories... but doing the actual questions was torture.
"Let's eat first," Mugetsu said, handing him a lunchbox—then passing one each to Shisui and Guy.
As soon as he took a bite of Mugetsu's home-cooked meal, the light returned to Obito's eyes.
The world felt beautiful again.
[You gave your disciple delicious home-cooked meals. The disciple was very grateful and triggered a critical reward: Chakra +100]
A well-timed meal following a heartfelt gift—this emotional combo was bound to trigger a reward.
Since Obito had taken quite a beating, Mugetsu decided to let him finish the questions in installments so as not to affect training results.
---
The Next Day
To improve the overall strength of Class 1 and earn more system rewards, Mugetsu began a new round of plans.
During Ninjutsu class, he held a practical exam and individually evaluated each student, offering tailored advice.
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