Chapter 109: Skyrocketing Proficiency
Kakashi had been wandering nearby and happened to witness the scene. By the time he arrived, Might Guy was already half-kneeling on the ground. Kakashi was just about to step in when Guy suddenly exploded with power and took down both opponents in an instant.
The sheer burst caught Kakashi off guard. He now fully believed what his father had once said—Might Guy would one day become a formidable rival, perhaps even surpass him.
"Of course, because I'm the hardworking genius acknowledged by Teacher Mugetsu!" Guy grinned, giving a thumbs-up, his dazzling white teeth gleaming.
Then, without warning, his body tilted back and collapsed. The earlier burst had drained him completely.
Kakashi quickly caught him.
"Next time, remember to save enough strength to walk home. Otherwise, your father will worry," Kakashi said, hoisting him onto his back and heading toward his house.
"Haha! Isn't that what friends are for?" Guy laughed weakly.
"I'm not always going to be around," Kakashi replied flatly.
After delivering Guy to his doorstep and watching Maito Dai take him inside, Kakashi turned and left.
Today, Guy had truly surprised him. Even now, Kakashi couldn't figure out how those last two kicks had carried such overwhelming force when Guy should have been completely out of energy.
"Hatake, the teacher said we have a mission tomorrow. Don't be late."
On his way home, Kakashi ran into two of his teammates who had been looking for him.
"Mm." Kakashi gave a curt nod and walked past without another word.
"He's so cold. You'd think we owed him money," one teammate muttered.
"He never comes to group training, never works on coordination, but the moment it's a mission, he's there," another added.
"Well, he is a genius ninja. Let's just drop it."
---
That evening, despite his exhaustion, Guy still went to Mugetsu's place after dinner. He came every day; if he suddenly skipped, he felt Mugetsu might worry. Besides, he had to report on his Breathing Technique progress.
"Teacher Mugetsu, when I was fighting today, I suddenly entered a state where my strength and speed surged, and even my tired legs felt full of power again," Guy explained, though he glossed over how drained he had been afterward.
Mugetsu immediately opened his appraisal skill.
[Skill: Rock Breathing (Not Mastered: 17/100)]
Mugetsu was stunned. Yesterday, Guy's proficiency had been zero. Today, it had jumped straight to seventeen.
To put it into perspective—Obito, who'd had the highest proficiency yesterday, was only at six points. Guy's leap was nearly three times that.
From Guy's description, Mugetsu deduced that the situation must have been extremely critical, and Guy's temperament perfectly suited Rock Breathing. At that moment, his thoughts and will had aligned with its principles, triggering his potential and instantly integrating all of Mugetsu's previous lessons.
"Don't train today. Just watch Obito and the others for a bit," Mugetsu instructed.
Guy nodded without protest.
While overseeing Obito and Shisui, Mugetsu shared the news.
"Guy is now leading in Breathing Technique training. He can already use it to enhance himself."
"What? Yesterday he didn't even have chakra sense. How did he get that much stronger in one day?" Obito blurted out.
He knew how hard Breathing Technique training was—especially Rock Breathing, which was more difficult than the Flame Breathing he practiced. It made no sense.
This has to be cheating, Obito thought bitterly.
"Work hard, and you'll have your moment too," Mugetsu said with a small smile.
In truth, Obito's talent for Flame Breathing was very good. If not for Guy's sudden enlightenment, Obito would likely still be ahead. Mugetsu even believed Obito might end up being the first to master the Breathing Technique.
Opportunities for sudden breakthroughs didn't come every day. Given Rock Breathing's difficulty, Guy's progress from now on would rely on steady, relentless training. But breaking past zero was a huge step.
Obito, however, now felt a surge of pressure. With only two days left before the final test, his once-secure top-two spot no longer felt safe.
"Sage Mugetsu, please bless me with rapid progress too," Obito prayed silently, hands clasped.
"Your posture's wrong," Mugetsu said, pulling his hands apart.
Obito's prayer was ruined before it even began. With a sigh, he returned to practice, cycling through breathing drills and focusing on the subtle shifts in his body.
---
Thursday came, and Mugetsu continued teaching as usual.
With the special training nearing its end, he began each session with a short pep talk. The improvement reward still hadn't been triggered, so he wanted the students to give it everything for the final two days.
By now, most of Mugetsu's training goals had been achieved.
Group A—aside from a few new arrivals—had completed Body Flicker Technique training. Whether they could apply it well varied, but they'd all learned it.
Group B had finished tree climbing and water walking, significantly improving their chakra control. Their Three Body Technique skills had also advanced greatly. If only the original members of Group B were counted, their average ninjutsu score had risen from around 7 to over 9.
Even the standout lower-grade students had improved rapidly over the five weeks of training. When the new term began, they would no doubt shock their classmates.
"There are only two days left," Mugetsu said firmly. "Make the most of them. In two days, the Third Hokage himself will watch the combat test. Show him the results of your hard work."
"It's finally here—the time to make a name for ourselves," Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged determined glances, already planning which ninjutsu to showcase.
"If I do well, will there be dango?" Anko's motivation was clear.
"I don't get what's so exciting about some old geezer showing up," Asuma grumbled.
Among over three hundred students, there might have been a few who didn't care about the Hokage's visit—but Asuma was likely the only one actively displeased by it.
"Third Hokage, huh…" Shisui's thoughts drifted back to the history lessons Mugetsu had given him.
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