Chapter 366: Intelligence Is Important
Even though Mugetsu already had a Basic Breathing Technique that could provide a general boost to strength, he would never teach it to non disciples unless they earned his trust.
The Basic Breathing Technique did not offer a massive increase on its own, but it was the foundation of all Breathing Techniques. Its potential for development was enormous. Every new Breathing Technique Mugetsu created still began from that base.
If combat power were measured in numbers, then even if Root and Anbu members trained the Basic Breathing Technique to Constant State, it would only raise their strength by about sixty points.
But if a genius on Hiruzen or Danzo's side dug out its deeper potential and developed a Breathing Technique similar to Mugetsu's Rock Breathing or Thunder Breathing, then the upper limit would explode. It might even become something that raised combat power by five hundred points.
Mugetsu did not underestimate the shinobi world just because he was a transmigrator with a system.
A monster like Tobirama had created piles of powerful ninjutsu and forbidden jutsu through pure talent and research. If Tobirama were given the Basic Breathing Technique, Mugetsu believed he could truly forge an entirely new forbidden technique from it.
If Mugetsu taught Root and Anbu the Basic Breathing Technique, and someone later developed an advanced Breathing Technique from it, that could eventually become him helping an enemy.
That was not an outcome he was willing to accept.
Right now, Mugetsu had no open conflict with high level Konoha figures like Hiruzen and Danzo. Root and Anbu were not his enemies. But the future was never guaranteed.
The Breathing Technique Mugetsu wanted to develop next would raise combat power by one hundred points once mastered, and that would be the end of it. No further progression. No path upward. No hidden ceiling to crack open.
Teaching something useful would still earn rewards, while preventing the risk of creating a future monster on the other side.
So naturally, Mugetsu chose to develop new Breathing Techniques instead.
He already had plenty of experience creating them, and with the Enlightenment State, it was not difficult.
"Minato sensei."
At the training ground, Kakashi, Obito, and the others greeted Minato, who arrived with an easy smile.
Since Might Guy's life mission had already been settled, Mugetsu's small special training objective was complete. A few days later, Mugetsu announced the special training had ended successfully. Everyone returned to their teams, except Shisui, who had not graduated yet.
"I'm truly sorry," Minato said, his expression apologetic. "As a teacher, I wasn't as competent as Mugetsu."
Even though Minato was their guiding teacher, it had mostly been Mugetsu who pushed Obito and the others forward.
"It's different," Obito said quickly, waving it off. "Besides, Minato sensei, you were out protecting the village. That matters more."
"Obito is right," Rin nodded. "Minato sensei, you don't need to apologize."
She was supposed to be studying with Tsunade around this time, but since she had not trained with Minato for a while, Rin asked Tsunade for a day off to meet her guiding teacher.
"Not taking us on missions was also for our safety," Kakashi added calmly, showing he understood Minato's choices.
To Kakashi, Minato was reliable in a way that did not need to be explained.
Hearing them, Minato's smile turned genuine. In that moment, he felt like he finally understood the quiet joy of being a teacher.
"Minato sensei," Obito asked, seeing his mood improve, "are we training today or going on a mission?"
"Let's train first," Minato replied after a brief thought. "I'll test your current strength."
Not much time had passed, so by normal standards their growth would not be dramatic.
But Kakashi and Obito were not normal.
Minato decided a combat session would be the best way to see where they stood.
"Are we fighting you, Minato sensei?" Obito scratched his head.
He really did not want that.
Fighting Minato was misery. He would get tossed around without landing a clean hit, and he would look ridiculous while it happened.
Minato nodded.
Obito's face tightened.
"Minato sensei," Obito said quickly, "can you find us a Konoha jonin instead? I think fighting different shinobi trains adaptability better."
From his internship until now, Obito had already fought several jonin. The Kumogakure jonin he met on missions with Mugetsu. The Mist jonin he faced during the Chunin Exams. Even Doto in the Land of Snow could be counted.
Obito felt that against a jonin, he could still look cool.
Minato considered it and felt Obito had a point. He had plenty of jonin friends. Finding one was not difficult.
"Wait a moment," Minato said. "I'll be right back."
Then he vanished.
Minato went to find Dekai, a fellow member of Jiraiya's team.
Among all the jonin he knew, he naturally prioritized someone he trusted.
Minato was lucky. Dekai was at home, not out on a mission and not off doing who knows what.
"Helping you test your disciples' strength?" Dekai grinned after hearing the request. "Leave it to me."
"My disciples are quite strong," Minato added, remembering something important. "You don't need to hold back too much."
Dekai chuckled and lightly punched Minato's chest, not taking it seriously.
"After all, they're your disciples, Minato."
In Dekai's mind, Minato was a genius. But his students had only graduated this year. Even if they were excellent, how dangerous could they be?
Dekai was strong among jonin. He did not believe a few newly graduated kids could cause him trouble.
"Then I'll trouble you," Minato said, smiling.
He used Flying Thunder God and brought Dekai back to the training ground.
"Dekai senpai," Obito and Kakashi greeted him.
They were not strangers to Dekai. They had even eaten Mount Myoboku's sage insect cuisine together during the Land of Grass battlefield.
Dekai laughed and patted them both on the shoulders.
"Obito, you're impressive," Dekai said, noticing the chunin vest. "You became chunin so quickly."
By his reckoning, Obito had advanced only a few months after becoming a shinobi.
"It's alright," Obito laughed. "The Chunin Exams weren't that difficult."
Even Asuma, whom he had beaten, became a chunin. Obito honestly felt it had not been that hard.
Dekai's eyes shifted, and he noticed Rin as well.
She was wearing a chunin vest too.
"So it's a chunin team," Dekai said, tone sharpening slightly. "Then I'll have to use more force later."
Rin looked a little confused, so Obito explained, "Dekai senpai is someone we met on the battlefield."
Rin nodded, understanding it must have happened during their internship period.
After a few more words, it was time.
Before the battle began, Dekai spoke seriously.
"I specialize in Lightning Release Ninja Body Technique. It hits hard. If any of you feel like you can't continue, withdraw immediately, or you will get hurt."
"Dekai senpai, you don't need to worry," Obito said proudly. "Rin's Medical Ninjutsu is very strong. Even if we get hurt, she can heal us."
"If you think my healing is that great," Rin complained helplessly, "then don't act tough when you're injured."
"T that's because I wasn't injured," Obito stammered, cheeks flushing.
He wanted to show Rin his coolest side, so sometimes he refused to admit pain even when it was obvious.
Dekai glanced at Obito, then at Rin, and his expression turned nostalgic.
"How pure," he muttered, reminiscing about youth he never actually had.
He had never had any good female classmates growing up.
He immediately stopped reminiscing.
"Training start!" Minato called, seeing both sides ready.
"Flame Breathing, Full Concentration!"
"Thunder Breathing, Full Concentration!"
Obito and Kakashi raised their breathing instantly.
Kakashi had never seen Dekai fight at full power. During his sparring with Might Guy, Dekai clearly held back. But Dekai was Minato's teammate and Jiraiya's disciple. Kakashi did not believe he would be weak.
Rin was currently studying Medical Ninjutsu under Tsunade, and Obito had not spent much time with her lately.
To impress her, Obito went all out.
"Flame Breathing Chakra Mode!"
Obito forced his breathing to its peak. Chakra surged across his body, and his aura climbed fast.
Dekai, as a jonin facing juniors under ten, did not rush to seize the initiative.
But the moment Obito entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, Dekai felt unease prickle up his spine.
The heat in the air was intense.
Dekai's expression turned puzzled.
Is this really a kid who graduated less than a year ago?
"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"
Obito formed seals fast, converting a huge amount of chakra into Fire Release and blasting it out in one breath.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Orange red flames condensed into a massive fireball that roared straight toward Dekai.
Dekai reviewed his career in a heartbeat.
A Great Fireball of this scale should not come from a fresh chunin.
For a split second, he even suspected the person across from him was not Obito at all, but a Konoha jonin using Transformation Jutsu, and a jonin specialized in Fire Release.
Dekai could block it, but he had no interest in blocking something so easy to dodge.
He gathered chakra in his feet, preparing to evade.
"Flash!"
At that instant, Kakashi drew his White Fang short blade. He converted the chakra in his legs into Lightning Release chakra, strengthened his body, and charged.
At their level, coordination like this did not need words.
A glance was enough.
If Obito's aura surprised Dekai, Kakashi's speed truly shocked him.
Dekai's eyes widened as he looked at the blood on his arm.
He was strong among jonin.
Yet he had been injured by a child under ten.
When he dodged the Great Fireball, Kakashi burst in. Dekai had not expected that kind of speed, and he could not fully avoid it.
Dekai's contempt vanished.
Whatever was happening, Minato's three disciples were all dangerous.
If he did not take this seriously, he might actually lose.
Dekai's eyes flickered as he scanned the three.
A plan formed instantly.
He burst chakra and charged straight toward Obito.
Lightning Release chakra surged through his body, and even with his somewhat rounded build, his speed became startling.
Seeing that, Obito activated his Sharingan for sharper dynamic vision. Kakashi silently gathered chakra, preparing to support Obito.
But just as Dekai was about to reach Obito, Obito had already condensed thick flames in his hand, and Kakashi had started releasing lightning toward the space in front of Obito.
Then Dekai slammed the brakes.
He pivoted hard and punched the ground with lightning in his fist.
Boom!
The earth exploded.
Dirt and rocks blasted upward.
And using that chaos as cover, Dekai shot toward Rin at the side and swung a heavy punch at her.
At the start, Obito had mentioned Rin was a Medical Ninja. She also had not attacked in the earlier exchange. Dekai concluded her role was support and that her direct combat ability would be poor.
So he did not even use Lightning Release chakra to reinforce his body.
Obito's Sharingan followed everything.
But the moment he saw Dekai throw a bare fist, Obito did not rush to attack.
Instead, he silently mourned for Dekai for one second.
"Chakra Enhanced Strength"
Rin gathered a huge amount of chakra into her fist and released it with a clean, powerful strike.
Her fist met Dekai's fist.
Bang!
Dekai's face twisted.
Rin's slender frame had erupted with monstrous strength.
Relying on his conditioning, Dekai held on for a moment, then got blasted backward by the impact.
As Dekai flew back, he shot a resentful look at Minato, who was watching from the side.
Is this what he meant by quite strong?
"Why would you be that reckless?" Obito shuddered, remembering Rin punching through a thick tree. "You fought Rin bare handed without even using chakra."
How much did that hurt?
Even if this was training, it was still a fight.
Kakashi and Obito seized the opening instantly.
Obito poured out chakra, breathing a vast surge of flames that surrounded Dekai from multiple angles.
Kakashi entered Transparent World, converted a large amount of chakra into Lightning Release to strengthen his body, poured his strength into the White Fang short blade, and locked onto Dekai.
"Cough, cough. Training over," Minato said, ending it early.
Dekai froze.
Minato stepped closer and spoke in a calm, comforting tone.
"I know. It's because you lacked information."
Dekai: …
That was true.
If he had known Obito and Kakashi were at this level, he would have gone all out from the start.
If he had known Rin had that kind of strength, he would never have chosen to punch her without chakra reinforcement.
Even though Minato was right, Dekai still felt a quiet sadness.
He had basically lost to three kids under ten.
And they were his good friend's disciples.
Dekai left, his back looking unreasonably lonely.
Then he stopped and turned.
"If you need me again next time," Dekai said, voice sharp, "remember to tell me. I'll bring Izumo along."
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
In a normal fight, he would almost certainly not lose. This had been underestimation and lack of information.
So Dekai decided his good friend could experience the same feeling too.
Minato smiled and nodded.
Izumo was also part of Jiraiya's team, and his strength was similar to Dekai's.
Since Dekai's battle ended too quickly and the training goal was not met, Minato ultimately stepped in himself.
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