"Teacher Mokgetsu, I seem to feel a slight pressure in my abdomen. Could it be that my posture is perfect and the airflow is swirling through the channels and acupoints?" Obito asked excitedly.
"I think you might have just eaten too much at dinner," Mokgetsu glanced over and noticed that Obito's posture was incorrect again as he breathed, so he replied.
"Uh, maybe I did eat a little too much." Obito's face turned a bit red, and he touched his slightly protruding abdomen with an embarrassed smile.
Shisui, overhearing this ridiculous conversation, couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, disrupting his breathing rhythm.
"You need to guide the air you're inhaling into your body, rather than letting the inhaled air affect your posture," Mokgetsu corrected Obito's posture hands-on and then said.
"Shisui did well in this regard," Mokgetsu pointed to Shisui, who had already recovered and repositioned himself.
Overall, Shisui's progress wasn't as fast as Obito's, but in this part of the training, Shisui was quicker.
"Why don't you tie me up, Teacher Mokgetsu? That way, I can better guide the air I'm inhaling," Obito thought of a clever idea.
The strengthening exercises in the breathing technique were increasingly difficult; not only did the airflow impact them, but holding those high-difficulty poses for a long time made the body very tired.
For a moment, Mokgetsu wasn't sure whether Obito was eager for cultivation or had awakened some strange habit, as he wanted physical fixation.
Although Mokgetsu had thought of this method, physically fixing the body might not lead to effective results but would certainly be uncomfortable and quite inhumane.
To the knowledgeable, it was breathing technique training; to the uninformed, it might seem like interrogation tactics for foreign spies.
"This method might be viable, but the training process would be uncomfortable. Are you sure you want to do it?" Mokgetsu asked.
Since Obito volunteered to try it, Mokgetsu wouldn't oppose it.
Training to be a ninja is never easy.
Daily physical training leaves everyone sweating; climbing trees and falling hurts, stepping wrong on water lands you in it, and practicing fire attribute Chakra nature changes can burn you if you're careless.
"Let's give it a try; I'm not comfortable just holding a pose here," Obito nodded, wanting to see if taking shortcuts could accelerate progress.
Since the special training lasts only five weeks, although initially stated as a test every two weeks, the last real combat test was actually delayed to three weeks.
Previously, Obito had a hard time but managed to beat Might Guy once, seeing a glimmer of victory in the breathing technique training. He didn't want Might Guy to win back so easily.
In the Ninja Academy's two combat exams, the class and grade-level tests, Might Guy beat him four times, while he's only won once now.
Mokgetsu fulfilled Obito's wish, bringing some planks and ropes to tie Obito on a plank in a fixed position.
However, Mokgetsu didn't tie them tightly, as too tight would affect blood circulation, so he reminded:
"The ropes aren't tight; they're just auxiliary tools. You'll still need to guide the air yourself. Don't think being fixed means you only need to breathe."
Obito nodded and began earnestly practicing the breathing technique.
After practicing for a while, Obito found it somewhat effective, although being bound felt a bit uncomfortable.
Practicing one move, he'd ask Mokgetsu's Shadow Clone to switch his posture, and after an hour of training, Obito even felt pretty good.
As soon as his movements misaligned with the slightly loose ropes, he immediately knew his posture was incorrect and adjusted quickly.
As the training session neared its end, Mokgetsu brought Might Guy over to Shisui and Obito.
"Guy, use the breathing technique and then Taijutsu," Mokgetsu said to Might Guy.
Might Guy nodded, began adjusting his breathing rhythm to inhale a lot of oxygen, enhancing his strength.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Might Guy selected the thickest nearby tree, one so large three people couldn't wrap their arms around it, and with a burst of Chakra, he flashed and kicked it.
CRACK!
With a loud crash, the giant tree fell, the area struck by Might Guy already in ruins.
"The speed and strength increased a lot!" Obito, who often battles with Might Guy, said in awe.
Just now, Might Guy's whirlwind kick seemed to really bring a gust of wind; the grass around was all flattened.
"If you guys take another step, you will be close to applying the breathing technique in combat too," Mokgetsu smiled at Shisui and Obito.
The breathing technique is tough, so they needed hope. Right now, Might Guy was ahead, so Might Guy was the benchmark.
"One more thing, for the next test in two days, do not use the breathing technique," Mokgetsu said.
"Why?" Obito asked, somewhat confused.
Currently, only Might Guy can use it in combat, so isn't this forcing Might Guy to lose some of his strength?
While it's good news for him, Obito was puzzled. This wasn't just training competition but forcibly leveling the playing field. To truly level it, they'd have to ban half of Shisui's ninjutsu and Genjutsu too.
"You've just started training, and can't control it well. Using the breathing technique in battles may lead to overburdened fighting and hidden injuries," Mokgetsu explained.
That's only part of the reason; actually, the true reason is that the Third will be watching.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, is different from other ninjas, mastering numerous ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and secret techniques. At this age, Might Guy and the others are young and inexperienced, and sudden bursts are easily noticed by Hiruzen.
If it were just one person, that would be one thing, but if Obito also explosively uses the breathing technique, it would be quite intriguing.
Therefore, Mokgetsu simply instructed the students not to use the breathing technique.
Using Soru is fine; aside from being a bit faster, it looks akin to normal Taijutsu Instant Body Jutsu.
Since Obito's group is stronger, the Instant Body Jutsu speed is somewhat reasonable.
"That day, when I used the breathing technique, I thought my legs were restored, but after stopping, fatigue hit me instantly," Might Guy nodded, validating Mokgetsu's point.
Obito showed a look of sudden understanding.
...
Every student gathered at the training grounds on Saturday, ready to participate in the final combat test.
Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived as he said he would, not alone but with several teachers as well.
This was prearranged between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Mokgetsu, that on the exam day, he'd bring other teachers to look at this special training mode.
"The students are full of energy and confidence," Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing his white robe and Hokage Kasa, said with a cheerful smile.
"Let's watch the results of their five weeks of dedicated practice together."