Chapter 82: Opening the Door to a New World
"Right now, our Enemy Confusion Technique doesn't seem much better than a regular Clone Technique."
During the break, Kotetsu couldn't help complaining.
"That's right. Whether we transform into a monster or the opponent, if they're an expert, it's not much different from a normal clone," Izumo agreed, nodding.
From the class practical exam to the Grade Practical Exam, they'd watched two matches involving Anko and Shisui.
From their perspective, Anko had performed exceptionally—she even made a fake Shisui, then played a shell game with real-and-fake Anko.
Even so, she still failed to confuse Shisui and was easily defeated.
"I still think my plan is the way: create a clone that's instantly eye-catching enough to grab attention, then strike," Izumo insisted. "It's just that the monsters I make aren't scary enough yet."
"But Izumo, you couldn't even beat Anko," Kotetsu countered.
"I beat you, Kotetsu," Izumo shot back.
"If you can beat Shisui, then I'll agree your idea is fine," Kotetsu tried to pivot the topic.
Izumo saw right through him and chuckled. "Beating you is enough, Kotetsu."
"Anko thrashed you."
"I beat you," Izumo pressed the bruise again.
Kotetsu couldn't hold it in; he felt that final exam had been a monumental failure in his life.
"I see. You two really don't understand anything," a voice cut in. Ebisu, passing by, had overheard them. With a disdainful look, he pushed up his sunglasses with one finger.
Such a good idea, wasted on turning into monsters—what a shame.
"You are…?" Kotetsu scratched his head.
"He looks like a senior from Group B," Izumo whispered. The sunglasses made Ebisu memorable.
"Senior, since you do understand, why not give us some pointers?" Kotetsu suggested. He opened a bag of chips and offered it up.
Ebisu glanced around. Seeing no one too close, he accepted and sat, then waved them nearer.
"Your idea is good. The essence of Clone Technique is to interfere with the enemy—but don't fixate on monsters," Ebisu told Izumo. "Instead of a monster, it's better to become…" His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.
Izumo's and Kotetsu's eyes went wide.
"Senior, are you a genius?" Kotetsu asked, genuinely impressed.
He pictured the Enemy Confusion Technique Ebisu described and knew he'd fall for it. What man could resist that distraction?
"I think this ninjutsu has real potential," Izumo said, already eager to develop it per Ebisu's concept.
"Ahem. Don't tell anyone it was my idea," Ebisu coughed, glancing around again.
Kotetsu nodded. "Senior, what's your name? I'm Kotetsu."
"I'm Izumo," Izumo added.
"Ebisu," he replied, standing and walking off without looking back.
The two silently committed the name to memory and watched him go, eyes full of respect. This was a true kindness—passing on technique.
Today, Ebisu had opened a door to a new world for them.
---
Near the end of the afternoon, Mugetsu called a halt and gathered everyone.
"Starting this week, there will be a strength test every week and a practical combat test every two weeks," he announced. "Excellent results will allow you to advance to higher groups for training."
Mugetsu couldn't resist testing whether the system could be… nudged.
There were rewards for outstanding exam performance by disciples. He had no authority over Academy exam frequency, but this summer special training was entirely his to run. Meaning: he could test whenever he liked.
He hadn't expected it to work before. Now that he had the ability to try, he would.
If there were no rewards, nothing lost. If there were—a massive gain.
"What's the difference between the two?" Anko asked.
"The strength test doesn't require fighting," Mugetsu explained. "It evaluates mastery of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and so on. The practical combat test follows the Academy's battle format."
With that, Anko understood. The strength test was like yesterday's group evaluation; the practical meant fighting.
Once he finished the explanation, it was time to dismiss. Mugetsu didn't drag it out and ended class directly.
As usual, he planned to return to the Main District for dinner, then head to the South Border Forest to teach his disciples.
However, after they left, he stayed behind to work on his own cultivation.
"It's done."
Mugetsu studied the subtly spinning chakra sphere in his palm and nodded in satisfaction. On his skill bar, Rasengan had finally ticked up to the introductory level.
He knew the training steps and had proficient chakra nature transformation, but he'd invested too little time into Rasengan itself.
Every day was packed: classes, disciple instruction, sealing study—and lately, Breathing for body tempering. Only after all that could he tinker with Rasengan.
He hadn't prioritized it because it didn't offer a big power spike for him right now.
Rasengan eats chakra. That palm-sized sphere was compressed to an absurd density—it demanded a lot.
At his current stage, using it wasn't as cost-effective as other advanced techniques.
His main purpose in developing Rasengan was to help Minato when he developed it—earning a favor.
Rasengan was inspired by the Tailed Beast Ball. Kushina wouldn't fire a Tailed Beast Ball at Minato; given the timing, it likely came from battlefield contact with a tailed beast during the Third War.
So Minato shouldn't have completed Rasengan yet.
Until he was invincible, Mugetsu wanted many strong friends.
Second, useless now didn't mean useless later.
With more chakra and Sage Mode, he could move on to Rasenshuriken and element-infused variants. Worst case, it was still a fine way to generate rewards through disciple instruction.
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