Chapter 81: Call Me a Jonin
"Huh?" Obito blinked. He'd thought he wouldn't have to train with Mugetsu anymore after a full day of special training.
"What do you mean 'huh'? Don't you want to learn the Body Flicker Technique by passing the challenge?" Mugetsu tapped him lightly on the head.
"I do want to learn, but… I'm a little tired," Obito admitted.
Unlike Shisui and Might Guy, Obito rarely trained all day outside of weekends. This new rhythm was a lot to adjust to.
"If you're tired, rest," Mugetsu said with a smile. "Just make sure you absorb what I teach you."
"Then I'll study hard for sure. See you, Mugetsu-sensei." Obito chuckled, waved, and headed home for dinner.
Even without that explanation, he still would've returned after eating. He knew exactly who treated him well.
After seeing his students off, Mugetsu returned to his home in the Main District.
Every evening, he reviewed the sealing materials Kushina had given him, trying to solve problems on his own first. Only when he truly hit a wall would he ask Minato or Kushina.
He hadn't discussed sealing with them for a few days and had built up several questions—perfect for after dinner.
After they ate, Mugetsu smoothly steered the conversation toward sealing practice and asked what he'd prepared.
As a beginner, his questions weren't difficult for Minato and Kushina, and Mugetsu quickly got the answers he needed.
"Oh, right—Mugetsu, do you have time to demonstrate that Squirrel Mandarin Fish again, but slower? We tried it at home and it looked nothing like yours. It's too hard," Kushina said, seizing the chance.
"That'll have to wait four days. I'm running summer special training for my students—no time from Monday to Friday," Mugetsu explained.
Today was Tuesday; counting today, there were still three days until Saturday.
"No problem. Teach us on Saturday," Kushina agreed without fuss.
"Summer special training? Doesn't the Academy have break now?" Minato asked, picking up on a different point.
"Not exactly. I went to the Third's residence earlier and…" Mugetsu shared the whole story. It wasn't something worth hiding.
"Special training for soon-to-graduate students is a good way to strengthen new Genin," Minato nodded.
With the current state of the ninja world, even if fresh Genin didn't go straight to the front, making them stronger—so they could mature into capable shinobi faster—was always good.
"It also shows the Third values you," Minato added with a gentle smile. "Handing you something this important says a lot."
"In a month, I might have to call you Jonin Mugetsu," Kushina teased.
She'd thought if he focused on sealing, he could become a Special Jonin through that path. Turned out Mugetsu's teaching ability alone might earn him the title.
"I still need results that satisfy the Third to be promoted," Mugetsu said modestly. "I'm not certain I can pull it off. And even if I do, it's not the same as being a full Jonin like you two."
Special Jonin didn't exclude those with Jonin-level combat ability, but most were strong Chunin with a specialized edge.
If Mugetsu earned Special Jonin after the training, his record would mark him as an educational talent.
Even so, Konoha's bar for Jonin was high. Special Jonin still counted among the village's middle-upper ranks and could attend Jonin meetings.
"Who cares what kind of Jonin? Jonin beats Chunin. Meet the standard later and keep climbing," Kushina said bluntly—and not incorrectly.
After they wrapped up sealing talk and chatted a bit more, Mugetsu headed to the South Border Forest.
When he arrived, Shisui and Might Guy were already training.
"Over here, both of you. I'll continue explaining the Chakra burst method for Body Flicker," Mugetsu called.
Until they truly mastered it, this would be his main focus. After that, he'd layer on more ninjutsu and taijutsu—Fire Release for Shisui to sharpen offense, and Rock Breathing for Guy.
Rock Breathing was notoriously difficult—in Demon Slayer it was the hardest of the basics—so starting early was best.
Beyond that, Breathing forged the body, perfect for boosting Guy's physical training.
They immediately stopped and hurried over.
Ten minutes into Mugetsu's instruction, Obito arrived.
He cast a jealous look at Guy and Shisui practicing Body Flicker, then joined Mugetsu's shadow clone to continue Nature Transformation training.
Daytime special training had focused on conditioning—already more than he'd ever done before.
Train hard for a week, then take the taijutsu challenge again, Obito resolved.
He wouldn't rush it. Losing meant three blank test papers.
…
The next day.
To prep for the taijutsu challenge, Obito and Guy borrowed weights and strapped them on, sprinting laps around the training ground. They rested only when they were truly spent—and resumed the moment they recovered.
"Was Obito always this diligent?" Asuma muttered, watching Obito grind and feeling a pang of unease.
He'd been ahead of schedule, so he'd come in relaxed.
Mugetsu's requirement was to finish tree climbing and water walking in two weeks, and he'd already done both before starting. Even if he slacked for two weeks, he'd still pass.
But seeing Obito—also ahead—pushing himself so hard made him restless.
He glanced at Shisui and found him practicing Fire Release.
If Group A had a practical exam right now, forget first—Asuma doubted he could even keep second.
These people trained like resting a minute would cost them everything.
Finally, Asuma slapped his hands on his knees and stood, resuming Fire Release practice.
Losing to a monster like Shisui was one thing.
But losing to Obito, too?
Then what—lose to students who hadn't even graduated yet?
What would happen to his pride?
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Want to know what happens next? You don't have to wait....40+ chapters ahead are already live on Patreon 👉 [email protected]/FanficLord03
And don't forget: every +500 power stones = 4 bonus chapters for everyone!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9