Chapter 248: Increased
[Disciples Might Guy, Kakashi, and Uchiha Obito worked hard to complete the entrusted mission, gaining a growth reward of +1540 Chakra, with an additional +770 Chakra for being led personally by their sensei.]
The Chakra earned from the mission settlement was about what Mugetsu expected—perhaps even a little more.
Last time, the situation had been extremely dire, and even with all three disciples giving their all, they had only gained about two thousand Chakra in total. This time, the combined yield reached two thousand three hundred and ten—a solid improvement.
The Chakra gained from just these two missions nearly equaled the total amount Mugetsu had when he first transmigrated. He could only sigh—it was truly difficult for ordinary people to become Ninja.
With his Chakra increasing once again, Mugetsu opened his current status panel.
[Name: Hayate Mugetsu]
[Chakra: 50,200]
[Skills: Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Perfect: 9 / 80,000), Armament Haki (Perfect: 5 / 80,000), Lightning Breathing (Perfect)…]
Mugetsu's Chakra had finally reached his small goal of fifty thousand. Most of this came from mission rewards, fragmented bonuses from exam settlements, and disciple returns. However, the greatest increase came from his disciples' training feedback.
At first glance, two thousand three hundred and ten Chakra from a single mission seemed like a lot, but when spread over the mission's duration, it wasn't much.
By contrast, the Chakra flowing back from his disciples' daily training was more consistent and sustainable. Each disciple contributed a little, but with four of them, the total was significant—especially since Obito had recently awakened his Sharingan. His rapid growth in Chakra gave Mugetsu a notable surge in income.
Besides reaching his goal, Mugetsu's overall skill panel was looking strong, with three Perfect-level skills and twelve at Proficient-level.
"I need to grind more skills starting from the second academic year," Mugetsu thought to himself, carefully reviewing his skill list.
Although the quantity looked impressive, the overall quality of his Proficient-level skills was somewhat unbalanced. Of the twelve, three were Fire Release techniques, while he lacked Ninjutsu in several other basic Nature Transformations. The rest were Taijutsu and Sealing Techniques. His two Sealing Techniques at Proficient-level—Contract Seal and Five Elements Seal—were both self-taught.
The highest-quality Proficient-level skills were Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation, Rock Breathing, and Flame Breathing.
Overall, his skill configuration was solid. He possessed Ninjutsu from all seven Nature Transformations, along with Taijutsu and Sealing Techniques. However, the ones he had mastered most deeply were still Fire Release and Taijutsu.
Mugetsu knew the reason well: the system rewards were not entirely random. Disciples often generated returns based on their own specialties. Training missions guaranteed disciple-related rewards, while general disciple growth had a high chance of producing similar results.
Before Kakashi joined, Shisui and Obito had focused mainly on Fire Release, and Might Guy on Taijutsu—naturally resulting in far more Fire and Taijutsu-related returns for Mugetsu. The Lightning Release and Earth Release Nature Transformations only appeared after Kakashi became his disciple.
Grinding Ninjutsu during class remained the most efficient way to improve. Even with small classes, he could acquire two Novice-level Ninjutsu per day, plus an additional one during larger sessions.
Obtaining the same Novice Ninjutsu three times was enough to raise it to Proficient-level, and eighteen more times could push it to Master-level.
However, the odds of a Ninjutsu appearing twenty-one times were extremely low, so for now, Mugetsu aimed to expand his list of Proficient-level skills.
His recent battle with the Jinchuriki had made one truth clear: skills determined survival. If Roshi had possessed another powerful technique besides Lava Release, Mugetsu would have needed to rethink his entire strategy to counter him.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Mugetsu went straight to the South Border Forest to instruct his disciples.
He had promised Minato that he would deliver a message and some photos to Kushina, but the photo studio still needed time to develop them, and it wasn't easy to contact her directly.
Kushina didn't exactly appear next to the Hokage Building on command, and Mugetsu's most reliable way to reach her was through the Ninja who delivered meals to her residence.
He decided to wait until the photos were ready, then set a meeting with Kushina to relay Minato's message and give her the photos together.
When Mugetsu arrived at the South Border Forest, the scene was the same as always—all of his disciples were hard at work.
"Sensei Mugetsu, what rank was our mission in the end? It couldn't still be C-rank, right?" Obito asked curiously, pausing his Fire Release training.
"Of course not. Fighting enemy Ninja on the battlefield wouldn't stay C-rank. Guess again," Mugetsu said with a playful smile.
"It couldn't be S-rank, could it?" Obito asked, his eyes widening with excitement.
Most people might cautiously guess A-rank first—but Obito never lacked courage.
"You guessed correctly. Here, have a candy as a reward," Mugetsu said with a chuckle, tossing him one.
This was one reason he was so beloved by his students—Mugetsu was always generous with small rewards, often carrying snacks for them.
"Hehe," Obito grinned, tearing open the wrapper and tossing the candy into his mouth.
"That Ninja at the mission hall definitely won't look down on us anymore. An S-rank mission should be pretty amazing, right?" Obito said cheerfully.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Missions that escalated to S-rank due to unforeseen circumstances were rare. S-rank was Konoha's highest classification, and even as a Chunin for several years, Kakashi had never completed one.
He had no S-rank missions on record with his previous teams, yet he somehow ended up with two A-ranks and one S-rank under Mugetsu's leadership. The irony wasn't lost on him.
"The mission's upgrade to S-rank probably had little to do with us. It must've been because Sensei Mugetsu's contribution was too great," Kakashi said rationally.
He thought their team's performance was solid—but it was clearly Mugetsu's actions that had tipped the scales.
"But Sensei Mugetsu is part of our team, so it still counts as our team's strength," Obito argued, unconcerned with technicalities.
He believed that during the mission, their squad had been an unstoppable force.
Kakashi couldn't refute that. After all, Mugetsu was part of the team. Still, he knew full well that without Mugetsu, their "unstoppable force" would crumble immediately.
"I had my role to play, but all of you performed well too," Mugetsu said gently. "Lord Jiraiya holds you all in high regard and has great expectations for your future."
"Keep working hard, and one day, you'll be able to complete S-rank missions with your own strength."
It was indeed because of his immense contribution that the mission was upgraded to S-rank, but there was no harm in encouraging his students further.
"To become Hokage, how can I not even have the strength to complete S-rank missions?" Obito said confidently, full of anticipation for his future.
"Becoming Hokage requires more than just strength. With your current knowledge, you're not even qualified to be a Jonin," Kakashi reminded him calmly.
"Do I have to take an exam to become Hokage?" Obito asked, genuinely surprised.
"You don't need to take an exam," Kakashi replied, "but people generally don't want someone with only muscles in their head to lead the village."
"You annoying Kakashi, you're the one with only muscles in your head!" Obito retorted, realizing Kakashi was mocking his poor theoretical knowledge.
"But I got perfect scores on all my Ninja Academy exams. What about you?" Kakashi asked with a faint smirk.
Obito: …
He regretted ever letting Kakashi see his grades back then.
"Oh, and I also got a perfect score on the Chunin Exam written test," Kakashi continued mercilessly. "I really worry about your future teammates. It'd be pathetic to fail the first theoretical round."
Obito had taunted him many times after winning spars, so Kakashi naturally took this chance to return the favor.
"I should be the one worrying about your future teammates—a Chunin who lost to an Intern Ninja," Obito countered sharply.
They both knew their team wouldn't last forever. Once Obito and the others graduated, their temporary internship team would be disbanded.
"Good, full of spirit," Mugetsu interjected, ending their bickering. "Now, let's begin training for Total Concentration Breathing: Constant State."
Although Kakashi had only recently started learning Breathing Techniques, he had no urgent training projects at the moment. Lightning Breathing remained his top priority, so beginning Constant State training early wasn't an issue.
After all, Constant State training focused on pushing the limits of Total Concentration—maintaining deep, focused breathing for extended periods.
Might Guy's situation was different. For him, mastering the Third Gate took priority before moving on to Constant State training, as the first three Gates of the Eight Gates technique were relatively easier to practice.
At the start, Kakashi and Obito still had enough energy to argue while training, but exhaustion soon silenced them both.
By the time the session ended, the two were lying flat on the ground, too tired to continue their verbal sparring.
Still, Obito suddenly remembered something important. Forcing himself up, he stumbled toward Rin Nohara and sat down beside her.
"Rin, you'll never guess how many enemies we faced on this mission," Obito said, taking a deep breath to compose himself.
No matter how exhausted he was, he had to tell Rin about his heroic exploits.
Kakashi noticed Obito's movement. Seeing him chatting with Rin, he leaned against a nearby tree, staying within earshot—just in case Obito decided to badmouth him.
"Did you encounter twenty enemies?" Rin asked playfully, resting a finger on her chin.
"Twenty? Too few!" Obito said with dramatic flair. "There must've been at least six hundred or more! Ninja wearing Iwagakure headbands everywhere—defeat one, and three more appeared!"
"So many? You weren't injured, were you?" Rin asked, clearly surprised.
Her graduating class at the Academy had only about three hundred students. Imagining a battle with hundreds of trained Ninja was beyond her comprehension.
"They were just minor wounds. Sensei Mugetsu healed me right after the fight—it was nothing," Obito said, smiling warmly at her concern.
"Even though there were many enemies, we had plenty of allies too. I saved several comrades, even some Chunin, and they all praised me for being amazing! The enemies couldn't believe my strength—they even called me a genius!"
As he spoke, Obito's grin grew wider, full of pride.
"That's wonderful," Rin said with a relieved smile. "I still remember a few years ago—you couldn't even take care of yourself, and you almost forgot to bring your enrollment papers. Now you're a reliable boy who saves others when it matters."
Hearing that, Obito's heart swelled.
For years, Rin had helped him like an older sister. Seeing him grow stronger made her feel both proud and nostalgic, like watching a seed she planted finally bloom.
"You're as reliable as Kakashi now," Rin added with a bright smile, her eyes curving like small boats carrying joy.
To Obito, her smile felt like the warm sunlight of spring—soft, radiant, and melting away all fatigue.
"It would've been perfect without those name" he thought bitterly.
"As reliable as Kakashi"? Really? He'd rather she said "as reliable as Sensei Mugetsu."
"Hehe, I really owe it to you back then, Rin. I thought I'd miss the chance to enroll," Obito said with a shy smile, scratching his head.
"As future classmates, it's only natural to help each other," Rin said kindly.
"Oh, right! I took a lot of photos during the mission. Some of the flowers I captured—I've never seen them in the Land of Fire. They're really beautiful; maybe they only grow in the Land of Grass," Obito said excitedly.
"I'll give you some when they're developed."
"Oh, really? Thank you!" Rin replied cheerfully.
Not hearing any insults from Obito, Kakashi assumed the coast was clear. He got up, dusted himself off, and started to leave.
"It seems Kakashi understands you well," Rin teased lightly. "He must've picked that camera carefully. You two get along better than you think."
Kakashi, who happened to be passing by, turned his head slightly. "Don't overthink it. The camera was just on sale," he said plainly.
"Maybe I bought the wrong thing," Kakashi added, a small smirk forming. "Next time, I should get a stack of Sensei Mugetsu's test papers for you instead. You probably need those more."
Obito froze. He had never heard such pure malice before. Dozens of test papers? That wasn't a gift—that was a death sentence!
"That annoying Kakashi," he muttered internally, already plotting revenge if Kakashi ever dared follow through.
Having said his piece, Kakashi didn't linger and went home for dinner.
…
After hearing from Obito that the photos would take two days to develop, Mugetsu finished dinner and sent a message to Kushina through the Ninja who delivered her meals.
After confirming the schedule, on the fourth morning after returning to the village, Mugetsu brought Minato's photos—along with a box of pastries he'd made himself—to the agreed location to wait for Kushina's arrival.
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