Chapter 233: Attempt to Seal the Eight Trigrams
The next day, during the practical exam, Mugetsu's main body went to the Class 1, Grade 1 examination venue to observe.
Although he hadn't been physically present at the Academy this semester, his promotion to Vice Class Leader of the Teachers' Division had elevated his authority considerably. The only people above him now were the Hokage and Principal, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Shimono Hisanobu, the Head Instructor and Class Leader of the Teachers' Division.
While Mugetsu's main body led students on missions, he hadn't completely abandoned Class 1, Grade 1. He had left behind a Shadow Clone to handle their instruction.
Though the clone didn't benefit from the teaching skill bonuses granted to his real body, it still possessed his full knowledge and methods. Its teaching effect might be slightly weaker, but still far superior to other instructors. And since first-year students only learned foundational material, the difference was minimal.
The Shadow Clone technique was undeniably convenient—but the accumulated fatigue returning upon dispelling it was troublesome. To prevent overexhaustion, Mugetsu dispelled it periodically.
"Everyone looks energetic today. How did you all do on yesterday's exam?" Mugetsu greeted his students warmly.
"Good morning, Teacher Mugetsu! I think I did pretty well!" Anko said with a bright smile.
"Just so-so," Kotetsu replied bluntly.
"I feel like I did poorly," Izumo admitted, scratching his head.
"About the same," Shisui said calmly. Compared to Mugetsu's personal tests, the Academy's questions were far too easy.
Seeing how little had changed, Mugetsu smiled. In two months, he had grown much stronger, yet his students were still the same lively bunch.
The proctoring teachers, noticing his arrival, also smiled and greeted him respectfully.
Mugetsu stayed to watch the first round of Class 1, Grade 1's sparring matches. Their progress had slowed somewhat since last semester, but it was still impressive.
He didn't go to observe Obito's class—he simply left a Shadow Clone to monitor their match. His main body returned to his home in Konoha's main district to study sealing techniques. The match between Guy and Obito could wait until tomorrow.
Once home, Mugetsu unrolled the scroll for the Four Symbols Seal and began his practice.
His self-study speed wasn't as fast as when he trained directly under Kushina, but it remained efficient—mainly because the scrolls she'd given him included her detailed annotations.
Having a teacher like Kushina was a tremendous advantage, but he couldn't visit her too often. Even if his intentions were purely academic, her close relationship with Minato made things delicate.
Though they weren't yet married, Kushina and Minato were unmistakably a couple. Visiting her frequently might cause misunderstandings.
Mugetsu believed Minato would trust him, but Danzo… would not. If Danzo ever saw them together too often, he might start scheming—perhaps even trying to push Mugetsu to "win over" the Jinchuriki to gain leverage. The very thought was irritating.
Even without Danzo's interference, Mugetsu preferred peace and stability over gossip and politics.
During the day, he focused on teaching his disciples; in the evenings, he studied sealing techniques and refined his Breathing Techniques. By now, his mastery of the Four Symbols Seal had reached entry-level proficiency, around 150 points.
Knowing that Minato had once layered two Four Symbols Seals to create the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, Mugetsu decided to experiment with developing it himself—but quickly discovered the process was far more complex than he had imagined.
Sealing techniques weren't like stacking bread slices. Simply layering them didn't make them stronger.
In fact, applying two identical seals simultaneously didn't double the effect—the second one merely overwrote the first.
Even combining two different seals with similar purposes often led to interference, weakening the seal instead of reinforcing it.
"Minato must have made significant improvements to the Four Symbols Seal," Mugetsu speculated. "Otherwise, he couldn't have created the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style."
It was that improvement, he theorized, that allowed the second layer to convert leaking chakra into usable energy.
The Eight Trigrams Sealing Style fascinated Mugetsu. The ability to absorb and convert a Tailed Beast's chakra into one's own was almost too powerful.
He didn't have a Tailed Beast, of course—but who knew what the future held? If the opportunity arose, he wouldn't mind installing a "portable chakra battery" inside himself.
The system had increased his chakra reserves by nearly 40,000 in ten months, yet that still felt pathetically small compared to true chakra monsters.
Take the Nine-Tails, for example. Its chakra was so immense that Mugetsu couldn't even imagine the number of digits involved. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto had distributed the Nine-Tails' chakra to the entire Allied Shinobi Force, empowering everyone simultaneously.
Even Hinata, who had once struggled against a Ten-Tails clone, managed to strike the Ten-Tails' main body after receiving a portion of that chakra.
That meant each shinobi received chakra many times greater than their own. And Naruto hadn't empowered just a few people—he had empowered tens of thousands.
Even if Naruto had given each soldier only ten units of chakra, that would mean over 100,000 units in total. The Nine-Tails' reserves had to be in the tens or even hundreds of millions.
That was acceptable, though—the Nine-Tails was created from the Ten-Tails, after all. But what truly puzzled Mugetsu was Hashirama Senju.
Naruto and the full Nine-Tails combined supposedly had chakra on par with Hashirama's. Just how much chakra did that man possess?
Compared to that, Mugetsu's 40,000 seemed pitiful—barely enough to share five points each with 10,000 people.
"I still have a long way to go," Mugetsu muttered with determination.
Mugetsu's disciples each had tremendous potential—every one of them could eventually develop over 100,000 Chakra. With the fourfold amplification effect granted by Trust Level 4, that meant 400,000 Chakra per disciple. It wasn't enough to rival the power of tailed beasts or those blessed with cheat-like abilities, but it was still leagues above the average ninja.
After studying sealing techniques until evening, Mugetsu made dinner, ate quietly, and then resumed his studies. When the clock struck eight, he shifted to developing Water Breathing.
He had a natural aptitude for sealing techniques, and since he wanted to create a seal that could enhance stamina, he devoted much of his time to perfecting them.
On the morning of the third day of the exams, the Grade-Level Practical Exam (Yearly) began. Mugetsu went to the Fourth Grade venue to observe the matches.
At nine years old, Obito's two-tomoe Sharingan was dazzlingly powerful. To keep him from standing out too much, Mugetsu—just like he had done with Shisui—strictly forbade him from using the Sharingan outside of missions or training.
To balance things further and keep his disciples low-key, Mugetsu also prohibited Might Guy from opening the Second Gate of the Eight Gates during the Academy's practical exams.
Honestly, if Guy used the Second Gate along with Rock Breathing and Total Concentration Breathing, he could scare the Chunin proctors half to death. His Noon Leopard technique could very well kill one by accident.
Displaying that kind of power was acceptable during the Chunin Exams—but at the Ninja Academy, it was far too excessive.
"The sixteen participants in the Grade-Level Practical Exam (Yearly) are all intern ninjas," one teacher remarked.
"Yes, the selection criteria seem based purely on strength," another replied.
Before the matches even started, the students were already gossiping about the competitors.
"The first match is about to begin. Student No. 1, Shiranui Genma, and Student No. 2, Ebisu—please prepare," the proctor called out.
"Even though we're friends, I won't go easy on you," Genma said, patting Ebisu's shoulder with a grin.
"Same here," Ebisu replied, walking toward the field without hesitation.
"That's the one who made that Enemy Confusion Technique, right?" a student whispered.
Ebisu's face instantly darkened, and he turned around—but couldn't find who said it.
The battle began. Both fighters gave it their all, trading attacks with full strength. Though they were close friends, neither held back.
However, Genma's overall strength still outmatched Ebisu's, and in the end, he won.
"Shiranui Genma wins!" the proctor announced.
"I think their strength really improved. Looks like internships really do help," one student commented after watching their performance.
To Mugetsu, this was expected. Even though the other instructors weren't at his level, they were still handpicked by the Academy—elite teachers far superior to ordinary Chunin.
Moreover, teaching interns was different from teaching students. The lessons were deeper, the training more practical, and the experience far richer. Naturally, their growth was faster.
"The second match—No. 3, Uchiha Obito, versus No. 4, Hyuga Homura," the proctor announced next.
"I wish Obito and Guy had been matched earlier. That's the fight I came to see," one student sighed.
No one disagreed. Hyuga Homura had once stood proudly at the top of their grade, but now, no one believed he could match either Obito or Guy. Facing either was practically a guaranteed defeat.
Hyuga Homura's expression darkened at the murmurs. He knew the odds, but hearing people dismiss him outright still stung.
"Begin!" the proctor shouted as the two formed the Seal of Confrontation.
Hyuga Homura immediately activated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes bulged as he entered a defensive stance, determined to prove them wrong.
"Flame Breathing. Total Concentration Breathing!" Obito inhaled deeply, his breathing precise and rhythmic as power surged through his body.
His opponent was a fellow student—strong, yes, but still a student. Obito, on the other hand, had already fought alongside his team to defeat a jonin. He had no intention of dragging this out.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A blazing sphere of fire, three meters wide, roared toward Hyuga Homura.
Homura's Byakugan tracked it instantly. He flared his chakra, twisting aside to dodge.
But Obito was already on the move.
Whoosh!
Using Shave, he vanished and reappeared beside Hyuga Homura, his right arm already cocked back. Breathing technique and chakra surged together as he drove his fist forward with explosive force.
Hyuga Homura saw the strike clearly—but his body couldn't keep up. His eyes could perceive the movement, but his body lagged behind.
Bang!
The punch landed cleanly, sending Hyuga Homura flying across the field.
Before the dazed boy could even hit the ground, a kunai struck the dirt beside him—its placement clear enough to make the point.
"Uchiha Obito wins!" the proctor declared.
If this had been a real battle, Hyuga Homura would have been dead.
"Obito's gotten so much stronger again," Genma muttered, rubbing his forehead. According to the bracket, he was next to face Obito—and he wasn't even confident he could beat Hyuga Homura.
The other students were just as stunned. They'd expected Homura to lose—but not to be instantly defeated with a single punch.
"His taijutsu's insane. I think Obito might actually win this year," one spectator said.
Might Guy relied solely on taijutsu, but Obito's taijutsu was now even sharper—and on top of that, he had his formidable Fire Release.
Only sixteen students had qualified for the Grade-Level Practical Exam, so the matches moved quickly.
Before long, Mugetsu found himself watching the battle between Obito and Might Guy.
Because of how their numbers were assigned, the two didn't meet in the finals, but rather in the semifinals—round four out of two.
As the two heavyweights stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere in the venue shifted. Students and teachers alike grew silent, their expressions serious. Everyone knew—they were about to witness the strongest battle of the year.
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