Chapter 104: Students' Progress
"That's good. The Breathing Technique is very difficult to learn, and the process isn't easy either," Mugetsu said seriously.
Although Flame Breathing was a bit easier than Rock Breathing, that was only by comparison—its true difficulty was still extremely high. The significance of the Breathing Technique far surpassed any ninjutsu or taijutsu he had taught before.
After demonstrating the power of Fire Release under Flame Breathing, Mugetsu officially began instructing the two in its practice.
"Stand straight, relax your upper body, keep your lower body stable, breathe with your abdomen, and let oxygen enter your body—flowing into your chakra points and meridians."
Here, the difference between Flame Breathing and Rock Breathing became clear. Rock Breathing focused primarily on strengthening the body as a whole, with other effects secondary, while Flame Breathing emphasized synergy with chakra to enhance the power of Fire Release.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo!" Obito opened his mouth wide, taking deep breaths.
Thump!
Mugetsu tapped him on the head with two fingers, then gave a light hand-blade strike to his abdomen.
"Use your abdomen, not just your mouth. Don't breathe randomly—focus on rhythm and technique."
"Huh?" Obito looked confused. He hadn't expected breathing to be this difficult.
Even Shisui, who usually grasped ninjutsu quickly, was struggling with the Breathing Technique and couldn't find the knack.
But this was within Mugetsu's expectations. Even the most talented had their limits.
Throughout the training, he moved back and forth, spending an hour on one side before switching to the other, repeating the cycle.
By the end of the morning, all three still had zero proficiency in the Breathing Technique, making Mugetsu deeply aware of just how difficult it truly was.
At noon, he returned to his home in the main district of the village, organized the students' strength test data, and brought it with him to the afternoon's tutoring session.
Perhaps because he mentioned submitting the data, or because the Hokage wasn't busy, Mugetsu once again saw Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama," Mugetsu greeted, handing over the compiled results.
"These are the students' strength test records."
"Hmm, thank you, Mugetsu." Hiruzen smiled, taking the data and skimming through it.
Mugetsu had arranged the scores with the initial group test results at the start of special training at the top, followed by the weekly strength test scores.
Scoring standards were clearly marked—Groups C and B used the Fourth Grade standards, while Group A used the standards for graduating genin.
From the numbers alone, it was clear that after three weeks of special training, every student had improved significantly.
If the data was accurate, then this special training had been a complete success, proving Mugetsu's skill as an instructor.
This wasn't just one class—it included all Fourth Grade students, top students from Grades One to Three, and a small number of graduating genin, totaling over three hundred participants.
"Mugetsu, you've done very well. You've worked hard," Hiruzen praised.
"The students also trained diligently—it's not just my credit," Mugetsu replied modestly.
Hiruzen nodded, satisfied, then chuckled. "I'll come observe the final test for this training. I hope I won't be disturbing you?"
"Not at all. If the Hokage-sama comes, the students will be thrilled," Mugetsu said with a smile.
It was true—despite whatever criticisms might exist, Hiruzen remained popular in the village. Decades as Hokage had earned him a strong public image.
After reporting to his superior, Mugetsu took Asuma for training.
"Sigh, Teacher Mugetsu really shouldn't let the old man come," Asuma muttered during a break.
If Hiruzen came, his own good results wouldn't matter—people would assume it was only natural for the Hokage's son.
"Asuma, have you forgotten what I told you? Don't care about others' opinions. You don't live for them—you live for yourself," Mugetsu said firmly.
After a round of motivational words, Asuma's spirits lifted, and he threw himself back into training with renewed focus.
…
On Monday, Mugetsu informed the special training students that the Hokage would be attending their final exam.
The announcement sparked an uproar—this was the Third Hokage, after all.
If you asked ten academy students about their dreams, eight would say "becoming Hokage." To meet the current Hokage in person was a rare chance.
"Even the Hokage will be there, Izumo—this is our chance to make a name for ourselves in Konoha!" Kotetsu said excitedly.
"Yeah, if he remembers our names, we'll rise in no time!" Izumo agreed, just as excited.
"You two should give it up. One of you lost in the first round, the other in the second. Even if he comes, he won't notice you," Anko scoffed.
"A great figure like the Hokage will see that Izumo and I are unpolished gems. Someone like you, who only relies on brute force, wouldn't understand," Kotetsu shot back.
Izumo nodded in support.
"Then I'll show you just how powerful brute force can be!" Anko lunged, forcing the two to scatter in panic.
Kurenai, upon hearing the news, trained even harder—determined not to lose to her peers again.
Obito, meanwhile, began daydreaming. "If the Hokage sees my amazing performance, maybe he'll say I have the potential to become Hokage! Hahaha…" He laughed, ignoring the strange looks around him.
"Oh no… if Kotetsu and Izumo start spouting nonsense again, it'll be bad," Ebisu muttered, deciding to warn them before the exam.
"Alright, quiet down and keep training. Let the Hokage see your progress," Mugetsu said with a gentle smile, secretly pleased at their motivation.
Though the summer training lasted only five weeks, the schedule demanded over forty hours of practice each week. Based on the improvements seen in Class 1, Grade 1, Mugetsu was confident he could trigger a [reward for improvement].
His only worry was just barely missing the requirement—so he pushed everyone to give their all.
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