The afternoon rewards were less impressive than the morning's—just a standard-powered Water Release and Earth Release.
Still, as a reward for four hours of class, Mugetsu considered it a decent gain.
That night, he continued guiding Shisui and Guy in practicing the Breathing Technique. None of the three had yet found the true sensation behind it, remaining stuck in the initial breathing drills.
"Remember, it's a skillful breath—not just taking a big gulp of air and calling it a Breathing Technique," Mugetsu reminded them again and again.
"Skill… skill… skill…" Obito kept muttering the word under his breath, as if trying to hypnotize himself into breathing skillfully.
"If you have something to say, keep it in your head. Don't say it out loud," Mugetsu said, poking Obito's abdomen with a finger.
Obito winced, sucking in a sharp breath. Who would have thought something as basic as breathing—a skill humans are born with—could be this difficult to master?
It was harder than Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique or chakra nature transformation. With the Great Dragon Fire, even if he failed, he could at least spit some sparks. With nature transformation, even slow progress produced some result—like melting ice slightly with the warmth from his hands.
But this Breathing Technique? He felt like he was just filling himself with air and letting it out, accomplishing nothing.
At this rate, my Fireball Technique will improve from all the deep breaths, but I still won't learn this stupid breathing style, he thought.
Still, seeing Shisui equally lost was oddly comforting. If even Shisui couldn't figure it out, then it really must be difficult.
Both he and Shisui were practicing Flame Breathing and making no progress. Guy, attempting the even more demanding Rock Breathing, was also stuck.
Mugetsu wasn't too concerned about Guy, though. The steady, resolute nature of Rock Breathing matched Guy's personality well—he just needed to grind away at it, like he always did.
By the second day, all three still had zero proficiency.
On the evening of the third day, someone finally broke that streak—and it was Obito.
"Mugetsu-sensei, I think I feel… something different. Did I get it?" Obito said suddenly during practice.
"Not fully learned, but you've officially stepped into real Breathing Technique training," Mugetsu replied after checking with his appraisal skill. Sure enough, Obito's proficiency was no longer at zero.
He had expected Shisui to break through first, but it was Obito instead. Thinking it over, Mugetsu realized it might be because Obito's personality suited Flame Breathing better.
Flame Breathing worked best for those passionate, warm-hearted, and full of fire—traits Obito had in spades. Shisui, though far from cold, wasn't as naturally fiery.
"Yes, hold onto that feeling and keep refining it. Once you've got it down, we'll move on to the next stage," Mugetsu said with a nod.
This inhaling-and-exhaling training was only the very first step. The next stage involved guiding the breath through specific body postures to achieve different strengthening effects.
In the original Breathing Technique, this stage trained sword forms. After adaptation for ninja, it became various ways to enhance the body without a weapon.
At the start, beginners needed clear postures to channel the breath effectively. Once mastered, they could control it freely within.
"Finally! Real training!" Obito cheered, pumping his fist. Three days of "drinking the northwest wind" had finally paid off.
Bonk!
Mugetsu flicked him on the head with two fingers, then gestured toward Shisui, still deep in practice. "Don't disturb the others. Focus on locking in that sensation."
Obito quickly shut his mouth, grinning as he went back to work.
Shisui's talent is on par with Kakashi's… and I just beat him to something for once, he thought with satisfaction.
The third day ended with Obito making progress, while Shisui and Guy remained stuck.
On Wednesday, Shisui pushed himself harder than ever, his mind fixed on the Breathing Technique. It was the first time he'd been so completely at a loss with a skill.
During a break, he saw Obito bragging to Asuma about his Fire Release and walked over.
"Obito, can you describe that breathing sensation in detail?" Shisui asked.
Obito thought for a moment. "It's like… eating a hot bowl of ramen, and feeling a warm current flow through your whole body…"
He even added gestures to help explain.
"Feeling a warm current…" Shisui murmured, deep in thought.
Asuma blinked at the strange exchange, deciding they were both talking nonsense. Seeing Kurenai resume training, he jogged off to join her.
Shisui, however, kept mulling over Obito's words. Even after class, when he sat down to dinner, he found himself wondering if he should order ramen.
"Shisui, sometimes my feet hurt when I use the Body Flicker. Why is that?" Tekka asked him.
"Didn't feel a warm current of air," Shisui answered absently—then realized how ridiculous that sounded. He quickly rephrased. "Probably because you're using too much chakra in your feet, injuring them."
"I see. What were you thinking about just now? I called you twice before you answered," Tekka asked curiously.
"Training," Shisui replied simply.
"No wonder even graduated Genin can't match you. You're already so strong, yet you're always thinking about training," Tekka sighed.
Shisui didn't correct him. The truth was, not even Guy obsessed about training nonstop. He was only like this because the Breathing Technique had been giving him no results. Still, he let Tekka believe what he wanted.
After dinner, he went straight to Mugetsu's place to keep practicing under his teacher's guidance.
The fourth day ended much like the third—only Obito had progress.
It wasn't until the fifth day that another breakthrough came: Shisui's Flame Breathing finally showed some proficiency.
"A current of air like eating hot ramen…" Shisui found Obito's analogy surprisingly accurate. He could feel the air entering his mouth, flowing steadily along his chakra pathways.
By the end of the fifth day, only Guy remained without progress—still grinding away at Rock Breathing, searching for that elusive sensation of breath.
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