On Sunday morning, Mugetsu headed to the South Border Forest as usual, ready to start a new round of training.
However, he didn't begin with the Breathing Technique right away. Instead, he first had Guy and Obito complete their usual running competition.
Yesterday, he had used Appraisal Technique to check Obito's progress, and the boy was close to mastering the move. With a bit more effort today, he should succeed.
"Today, we'll make a small change to the rules," Mugetsu said with a faint smile. "The winner's exemption will be added to the loser's burden."
"Ah? Doesn't that mean the loser might have to do up to eighty questions?" Obito's expression instantly stiffened.
Under the new rule, if the winner was fully exempt and the loser failed to break their limit, the loser would face eighty questions.
Obito had won before, but he had lost more often than he cared to admit. This change meant the penalty could double—or worse.
Even Guy began to sweat slightly. He won more often than not, but there were still times when he lost.
"This is a special Sunday event," Mugetsu explained. "After today, the rules will go back to normal."
Both boys exhaled in relief. If this rule were permanent, the pressure would be unbearable.
Though they had once endured over a hundred questions a day during combat training, those days were long gone—buried deep in their memories, never to be recalled willingly.
"Why the special event today? Is it some kind of holiday?" Obito asked curiously.
"Because today marks the 111th anniversary of me becoming a teacher," Mugetsu replied without missing a beat.
It was a half-joke—but also true. It had been exactly 111 days since he became a teacher here, and 111 days since he had transmigrated into the Hokage world.
"Alright, get ready for the race."
Obito and Guy quickly finished their warm-ups, taking their places at the starting line Mugetsu had set.
"Obito, you can do it!" Rin called out from the side, smiling brightly.
"I beat Guy in the practical test. This race will be no different," Obito replied with a confident grin.
Eighty questions… and Rin is watching. I absolutely can't lose! he told himself.
"Ready—go!"
Whoosh!
At the signal, Obito burst forward with a chakra-enhanced start.
Fueled by the threat of eighty questions, Guy was equally determined, launching himself with the same technique.
The pounding of their footsteps grew louder. Feeling Guy closing in, Obito gritted his teeth and forced his aching legs to push harder, using the move again.
Guy, unwilling to lose in a battle of willpower, responded instantly—matching Obito's acceleration and closing the gap.
With the finish line approaching, the distance between them shrank.
Whoosh!
Guy shifted into a full sprint, vanishing for an instant as he covered a huge stretch of ground.
Obito, still not fully mastering the move, poured everything he had into his legs and charged after him.
Their figures blurred. Out of the corner of his eye, Obito caught a flash of green—the blur of Guy's tight suit drawing up beside him.
Not good… he's improved again! Obito thought, heart pounding.
"I can't lose!"
"Move!"
They vanished almost simultaneously, reappearing at the finish line in a flash.
"Obito wins. Guy—seventy questions," Mugetsu announced calmly.
In that last sprint, Obito had fully grasped the move, mastering the three-time stacking technique. With the advantage of his slightly better starting position, he had pulled off the win.
"Huff… huff…" Obito collapsed onto the ground, chest burning, each breath like fire.
Still, he was elated—not only had he dodged eighty questions, but he had won in front of Rin.
Forcing himself upright despite the ache in his legs, he flashed her a triumphant smile.
"Obito, are you sure you don't want to rest a bit longer?" Rin asked with concern.
"It's fine, just a short run. Nothing big," he said, trying to keep his legs from visibly trembling.
"Oh? So it was too short? Let's double it tomorrow," Mugetsu said suddenly, smiling as though he had just realized something.
Obito: …
"So, Obito, want to run again? I feel like I still have room to improve," Guy said enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting his fear of the questions.
Obito wasn't sure if Guy was trying to provoke him or was actually serious.
"Actually… I was using a literary device just now. You misunderstood my meaning," Obito said quickly, trying to dodge the challenge.
Rin poked his thigh with a finger. His leg twitched involuntarily.
"Obito, don't push yourself. You're shaking already. If we doubled the distance, you wouldn't even be able to stand," she sighed.
A wave of fatigue and despair washed over him. I just wanted to show off in front of her… why is this so hard?
"Alright, rest up," Mugetsu said. "We're moving on to a new Ninjutsu. This time, I'm teaching you a highly difficult secret technique. Take it seriously."
"A difficult secret technique? Then it must be powerful!" Obito perked up. In his mind, the harder a jutsu was to learn, the stronger it was.
"Yes. It's difficult, but once mastered, it will greatly enhance your strength," Mugetsu confirmed with a nod.
The Breathing Technique, once adapted to this world, was immensely powerful—but equally hard to learn. By Hokage's standards, his two existing Breathing Techniques were both S-rank forbidden jutsu.
Rock Breathing, in particular, rivaled the Eight Gates in difficulty—something that could only be mastered through relentless training.
"Teacher, do I learn it too? I'm… not so good with Ninjutsu," Guy asked, scratching his head.
"Yes, but yours will be different from theirs. Just believe you can do it," Mugetsu said.
Once they had rested, Mugetsu called Shisui over, ready to begin teaching the Breathing Technique.
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