Chapter 51: Mugetsu's Weakness Is That He's Too Nice
Mugetsu followed the rules of the practical exam, letting everyone draw lots to determine the matchups, then critiqued each group after their battles.
"The Transformation Technique was used at the wrong moment—it didn't serve its purpose. Your physical strength is weak, and your punches are too slow."
"How can you confuse the enemy when you're clearly separating from your Shadow Clone like that?"
"Your punches are sloppy, your kicks lack power, your footwork is unstable, and your reactions are delayed. How do you expect that kind of Taijutsu to beat an opponent?"
Mugetsu didn't hold back—one might even say he was harsh.
But he wasn't spouting nonsense. Everything he pointed out was a real issue, and the students who were critiqued couldn't refute it. They all lowered their heads in shame.
"I know your monthly exam results were excellent. Both your theory and practical scores were higher than those of the other classes. But that's no reason to get complacent."
"When I was giving feedback, my words may have come across as a bit harsh, so as your teacher, let me apologize first."
"But I'm saying all this for your own good. Both Taijutsu and Ninjutsu are important. If you don't build a solid foundation in Taijutsu now, you'll regret it when you face real enemies in the future," Mugetsu said with a sigh after he finished critiquing.
"Mugetsu-sensei, I really haven't been slacking off. I spend just as much time on Taijutsu as I do on Ninjutsu. It's just that our Taijutsu instructor isn't very good at teaching. He's not like you—that's why it turned out like this," Anko said, looking a little aggrieved.
"Yeah, I've been working hard too, but the Taijutsu teacher's explanations are really hard to follow," Kotetsu added.
When Kotetsu was first critiqued by Mugetsu, he had been frustrated, thinking Mugetsu was too strict, especially for first-years.
But after hearing Mugetsu's sincere apology, he felt genuinely ashamed. Mugetsu had only been thinking of them—and he, a student, had questioned him?
A teacher apologizing to students—Kotetsu had never experienced that before. And the truth was, Mugetsu hadn't done anything wrong. He was simply doing what a good teacher should.
Kotetsu and Anko's words sparked a wave of agreement from the rest of the class, and complaints quickly followed.
"Mugetsu-sensei, can you replace our Taijutsu teacher? He really can't teach. His classes are boring and hard to understand."
"Seriously, with how he teaches, I feel like even I could be a Taijutsu teacher. All he ever does is tell us to run laps. Anyone can do that!"
"Hey, don't speak about Tanimura-sensei like that. He's still your teacher. He's been with you for two months now. You think he doesn't want to help you grow stronger?" Mugetsu tried to defend the Taijutsu instructor.
The Taijutsu teacher's name was Tanimura Toshihiro. Unlike Mugetsu, who was new to the academy, Tanimura had already been teaching for three years.
But despite his experience, Tanimura's teaching ability was... difficult to describe.
As the homeroom teacher of the class, Mugetsu had naturally interacted with Tanimura before. Frankly, he was among the weaker Chūnin-level instructors.
And since the students spent most of their time under Mugetsu's guidance, comparisons were inevitable—and unfavorable for Tanimura.
"Mugetsu-sensei, it's not about his attitude. We just think he's not very capable," Izumo explained.
"Yeah, the class next door always praises our Ninjutsu skills, but no one's ever complimented our Taijutsu," another student chimed in.
Until now, they hadn't thought much of it. Tanimura's classes were boring, sure, but not unbearable. But now that they were talking about it together, it was clear something was off.
This wasn't just about boredom—it was about something fundamental to a shinobi's growth: strength.
In practical assessments, students wouldn't fight to the death, and teachers would step in if accidents occurred. But enemies on missions and real battlefields wouldn't show mercy.
"This..." Mugetsu showed a troubled expression, then sighed and said,
"Don't say these things in front of Tanimura-sensei. And try to work on your Taijutsu more during your daily training. If you really don't understand something, come ask me when you have time."
The students' dissatisfaction with Tanimura's teaching ability was like a pile of gunpowder—Mugetsu had just acted as the fuse.
Even as he defended the Taijutsu teacher, the students of Class 1 thought Mugetsu was simply being too kind.
"They're both colleagues. Mugetsu-sensei probably doesn't want Tanimura-sensei to be embarrassed," Shisui's shadow clone thought quietly as he watched the scene unfold.
Shisui also believed Tanimura's teaching was severely lacking—far below even the Uchiha clan's basic instructors, not to mention nowhere near Mugetsu's level.
After class, before leaving, Mugetsu reminded them once more not to speak ill of Tanimura to his face and to be a little more understanding.
The students all nodded in agreement.
But the moment Mugetsu left, Anko took the lead, and the entire class began discussing how they could get a new Taijutsu teacher.
"Didn't someone say that if our grades are poor, the teacher might be replaced? Should we purposely tank our scores?" one student suggested.
"But there's no separate Taijutsu exam," Kotetsu shook his head. "If we do poorly in the practical exam, it'll affect Mugetsu-sensei too, since he teaches Ninjutsu."
"Then that's out. Mugetsu-sensei is amazing—I want him to be our teacher until we graduate," Anko said firmly, shutting down the idea the moment she realized it would drag Mugetsu down too.
Her words were met with unanimous approval.
"Then how about we all just report that his teaching isn't effective and make him leave on his own?" another idea surfaced among the crowd.
"But wouldn't that be wrong? Didn't Mugetsu-sensei ask us not to do that?"
"This would actually benefit Mugetsu-sensei. He's our homeroom teacher, and if we get stronger, that reflects well on him," Kotetsu argued, finding the idea reasonable.
"If we replace the Taijutsu teacher, we'll grow stronger, and that's good for Mugetsu-sensei too."
"I agree. Forcing him to leave would be our fault, not Mugetsu-sensei's," Izumo added with a nod.
"And if he refuses to leave, I've got another good plan," Izumo continued, eyes gleaming with a mischievous spark.
"There's only a little over a month until the final exams. In the practical test, we'll show exaggerated improvement in both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu—make it clear that we've only progressed in spite of the Taijutsu teacher, not because of him."
"But we have to make sure our overall grades are strong," he reminded them. "That way, the school will pay attention."
Kotetsu grinned, slinging an arm around Izumo's shoulder.
"It had to be you, Izumo."
Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling more determined than ever. If they wanted to replace the Taijutsu teacher, they'd need to train even harder and crush the final exams.
---
After lunch, Mugetsu didn't return to his own office. Instead, he went next door—to Tanimura Toshihiro's office.
"Mugetsu-sensei," several teachers greeted as he entered.
Mugetsu smiled and nodded to each of them before walking over to Tanimura.
"Tanimura-sensei, could I speak with you for a moment?"
He led Tanimura out of the room under the pretext of having something to discuss, guiding him to a quiet corner.
"Tanimura-sensei… I'm sorry," Mugetsu said quietly.
Tanimura blinked, confused.
"Mugetsu-sensei, what's wrong? Why the sudden apology?"
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