Chapter 369: Yang Seal
"Today, I will teach everyone a new taijutsu," Mugetsu said, looking over the assembled ninja. "This one is more difficult than Shunpo. If you have questions during the lesson, ask me immediately."
Even though Mugetsu had deliberately developed Darkness Breathing Technique in an easier direction, easy was still relative. It was classified as an A rank technique. In Konoha's system, B rank was already advanced, and A rank was super advanced.
The expressions of the thirty trainees shifted the moment they heard that.
Some were openly curious, wondering if this was another technique Mugetsu created himself. Others looked delighted, because in their minds, difficulty usually meant power.
"This taijutsu is called Darkness Breathing Technique," Mugetsu continued without drawing it out. "It is an A rank taijutsu I developed. Its core is strengthening the body through concentrated breathing."
"It's another technique he created himself, and it's super advanced," Shinji thought, instinctively feeling even more respect.
From Shinji's perspective, Darkness Breathing Technique was outstanding even among A rank techniques. It boosted strength and accelerated recovery.
Normally, a taijutsu like that would be reserved for disciples, or at least for the kind of disciple meant to inherit everything.
But Mugetsu was teaching it to everyone in large scale training.
It was hard not to admire him.
The other Root and Anbu members also looked startled. Learning an excellent Body Flicker Technique like Shunpo was already more than they expected. They never imagined he would follow it with something even better.
"The most important part of Darkness Breathing Technique is the breathing itself," Mugetsu said, beginning formal instruction. "In the beginning, you must maintain a specific posture so you can lock onto the rhythm."
Teaching Root and Anbu was easier than teaching Obito and the others back then. These were elite ninja who had trained for years. Holding a posture for long periods was nothing to them.
When afternoon training began, Mugetsu used the Appraisal Technique to check their progress.
Every single one of them already showed proficiency in Darkness Breathing Technique. Some even had two points.
Mugetsu nodded to himself.
That meant his modifications were a success. Darkness Breathing Technique was far easier to start than a standard Breathing Technique.
Even Obito, who was perfectly suited for Flame Breathing, only displayed one point of proficiency after three days when he first began. Here, half a day was enough for multiple people to register proficiency. That could only be called rapid progress.
By the end of the day, the fastest trainee had reached three points. Everyone else had at least one, with most hovering around two.
[System: Completed an intermediate lecture.]
[System: Evaluation: S.]
[System: Reward: Breathing Technique comprehension increased. Darkness Breathing Technique +50. Basic Breathing +25. Thunder Breathing +12.]
"Just as I thought," Mugetsu reflected. "Even if the class size is not huge, as long as the students are strong and the teaching content is good, an S rank evaluation is still possible."
His guess about the system's scoring was essentially confirmed.
He could now identify three major factors behind an S rank evaluation.
First, the number of students. Second, the level of the students. Third, the quality of the teaching itself.
The more of those that were satisfied, the higher the chance of reaching S rank.
During the holiday special training, most of the trainees were weak, with many still in the academy, but the number of people was large enough to push the evaluation upward anyway.
"If the class is large, the students are strong, and the teaching quality is also high," Mugetsu thought, "then what would the rewards look like?"
He felt his expectations could safely rise.
At present, there was still room to improve his lectures. He had techniques even more advanced than Darkness Breathing Technique, and Konoha had far more than thirty elite ninja.
He set the future aside and focused on the reward itself.
The S rank evaluation for intermediate lectures resembled the S rank evaluation for ordinary lectures. Both gave rewards related to what was taught.
Darkness Breathing Technique increased naturally. It had been developed on the foundation of Basic Breathing, so that increase made sense as well. During development, he had also borrowed concepts from Thunder Breathing, so that one rising too was reasonable.
What Mugetsu cared about most was the reward labeled Breathing Technique comprehension increased.
A raw proficiency increase already meant greater understanding, yet the system listed comprehension as a separate reward. That meant it had its own effect.
As Mugetsu considered it, a clearer idea for Wind Breathing suddenly formed in his mind.
He checked his panel and found that all his Breathing Techniques had risen slightly.
Mugetsu understood.
This reward was exactly what it sounded like. It deepened his understanding of Breathing Techniques as a whole. Proficiency rising was only one visible result. The more important part was the new insight he gained for techniques he was still developing.
Mugetsu continued teaching for a full week.
On the Monday of the second week, he did not teach Breathing Technique. Instead, he spent the day teaching Nature Transformation.
"Taijutsu must be trained well, but ninjutsu cannot be neglected," he said.
That was the explanation he gave.
In truth, it was an experiment. He wanted to compare the difference between an S rank intermediate lecture and an ordinary S rank lecture.
No one questioned him. If anything, they looked even happier.
All ninja learned Nature Transformation, but few could reach Mugetsu's level. None of them had forgotten the Fire Release that swallowed their combined attacks.
[System: Completed an intermediate lecture.]
[System: Evaluation: S.]
[System: Reward: Chakra Nature Transformation comprehension increased. Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation +20. Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation +18. Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation +13. Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation +9.]
Mugetsu glanced at the settlement and felt his conclusion settle firmly.
Teaching content comprehension increased was a special reward tied to S rank evaluations in intermediate lectures.
He also noticed something else.
Even his Ice Release proficiency had risen. The increase was not large, only a dozen points, but it suggested that if he consistently earned S rank intermediate evaluations, he might even grind Bloodline Limit progress over time.
Still, he had no interest in developing a new Bloodline Limit right now. It would not raise his strength enough to justify the effort.
Compared to Nature Transformation, he was far more tempted by one thing.
If he could earn a Sealing Technique comprehension increase, his Sealing Technique development would accelerate dramatically.
But it was not appropriate to teach Sealing Technique during this training. It was different from ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. It was not a required subject for ninja. Suddenly making it the focus would feel strange, like a regular class abruptly turning into high level competition problems.
Mugetsu would not compromise his persona for a small boost.
Besides, Enlightenment already accelerated his research speed.
Time quickly reached the middle of November.
By then, Mugetsu had been training Root and Anbu for a full month.
In that month, the trainees gained a great deal. Most could use Shunpo, and their progress in Darkness Breathing Technique was already around the halfway point.
Mugetsu gained plenty as well.
The A rank evaluations had earned him secret techniques from the Ino Shika Cho clans and the Inuzuka clan. The S rank evaluations accelerated his Wind Breathing development. With his current pace, he would complete Wind Breathing within two weeks, then begin researching Sun Breathing.
Then, something genuinely pleasant happened.
His Sealing Technique power bank plan finally advanced.
"Let's call it Yang Seal," Mugetsu murmured, smiling as he looked at the stack of draft papers on his desk.
Because he had an existing technique to reference, he developed a cultivatable Yang Seal by following the framework of the Yin Seal.
But it was still only a semi finished product.
After all, the Yin Seal he was referencing was also a semi finished product. His Yang Seal still lacked a complementary technique like Creation Rebirth to pair with it.
Mugetsu already had an idea.
He wanted to bind it to Breathing Techniques.
Outside of battle, Yang Seal would release only a weak flow of chakra, enhancing the Constant State effect of Breathing and raising physical ability.
In battle, Yang Seal would be released, automatically entering a Breathing Mark state.
The chakra consumption of the Mark state was terrifying. But if Yang Seal supplied that cost during combat, it would be like routinely storing a powerful ultimate move, one that did not drain his normal reserves.
The idea was clear.
The execution was not.
How to bind Breathing Technique and Yang Seal together was the biggest obstacle.
Mugetsu disliked wasting resources, so that afternoon he went straight to Tsunade's house.
Many people mocked Tsunade for turning her grandfather's legacy into an ultimate move, but in Mugetsu's eyes, anyone capable of developing Creation Rebirth was unquestionably a genius. She possessed knowledge he lacked.
"Mugetsu, you're here." Tsunade had been sprawled on the sofa, contemplating life, but she smiled the moment she saw him and got up. Then her hand shot out to snatch the bag he carried. "Let me see what delicious things you brought."
"No chicken," Mugetsu said. "But beef."
Tsunade inspected the contents and nodded with satisfaction.
Mugetsu put the food in the kitchen, then returned and asked, "Lady Tsunade, I have new ideas about the automatic healing ninjutsu we discussed last time, the one meant to pair with the Yin Seal. Can we talk about it?"
Shizune arrived with two cups of tea and set them down.
Tsunade picked up her cup, took a sip, then slumped back into the sofa with absolutely no dignity.
"Go on," she said. "If you didn't remind me, I would have almost forgotten."
Tsunade had little interest in raising her combat strength now. She no longer wanted to fight as a ninja.
Even if she had considered the idea before, she had no drive to develop it. She only entertained it when she was truly bored.
Mugetsu's gentle smile did not change.
"My idea is like this," he said, then explained in detail, drawing from his impression of Creation Rebirth and his understanding of Medical Ninjutsu.
At first, Tsunade remained unmoved, still collapsed on the sofa.
Then, as she listened, her posture slowly straightened.
She realized Mugetsu had truly done serious research. This was not a casual thought. It was the kind of result that came from sustained work.
"You don't need to invest yourself this deeply," Tsunade said, scratching at her hair. "You cannot practice the Yin Seal, and this technique does not mean much to me."
Mugetsu was too good to her, and that made her uncomfortable.
It interfered with her ability to slack off in peace.
"I developed a Yang Seal similar to the Yin Seal," Mugetsu explained, then sipped his tea. "It has similar flaws. I believe your insight will also help me develop a complementary ninjutsu for Yang Seal."
"Yang Seal?" Tsunade looked surprised.
The Yin Seal was an S rank technique. Creating something similar so quickly sounded absurd.
Mugetsu took out a scroll and tossed it to her.
It contained the Yang Seal he had developed.
Tsunade opened it and read carefully. Because she knew the Yin Seal so well, the structure felt familiar.
"You must have had the Yin Seal sitting right beside you while you made this," Tsunade said dryly.
But inside, she was shaken.
Even if it imitated the Yin Seal, it was still a genuine S rank Sealing Technique. In the time she had lent Mugetsu the Yin Seal, an ordinary person would not even have learned it. Yet Mugetsu had replicated a technique with similar function.
His talent in Sealing Technique was obvious.
Since Mugetsu had gone this far, Tsunade had no choice but to dig through her own thoughts and offer some ideas.
"So exhausting," Tsunade muttered, feeling mental fatigue and the unstoppable urge to slack off rising like a tide. She turned toward Shizune. "Shizune, am I good to you? Are you willing to listen to me?"
Shizune smiled softly. "Yes, Lady Tsunade. You are very good to me. Of course I will listen."
Even though Tsunade often drank herself into a stupor and refused to leave bed, forcing Shizune, a child not yet ten, to manage daily life, Shizune still felt grateful. She felt warmth that resembled family.
"Good." Tsunade nodded. "Then I order you to reach my level of Medical Ninjutsu within a week and then research ninjutsu with Mugetsu."
Shizune froze.
For a moment, she wondered if Tsunade had somehow been drinking without her noticing, because those words made no sense.
"Don't make things difficult for Shizune," Mugetsu said, almost failing to hold his expression.
Then he added, calmly but clearly, "Lady Tsunade, if you truly dislike these things, I will come less often in the future."
Tsunade's face turned complicated.
On one side was a life of pure slacking, drinking daily, doing nothing.
On the other side was a normal life that came with delicious cuisine, but also came with being dragged back into research.
It was a cruel choice.
"Fine," Tsunade said at last. "We'll gamble, with dice."
She met Mugetsu's eyes.
"If I win against you, I will fully help you develop the ninjutsu you envision. If I lose, we pretend this never happened, and you simply come to learn Medical Ninjutsu as before."
Tsunade loved to gamble, but she was painfully aware of her luck.
Others might lose nine out of ten.
She lost ten out of ten.
After losing for so long, if she somehow won this time, then she would truly have nothing left to complain about.
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