"Then you need to study hard. The Breathing Technique is very difficult to learn, and the learning process isn't easy either," Mokgetsu said with a serious expression.
While the Breath of Flame is somewhat easier than the Breath of Rock, that is only relative; the actual difficulty is still maxed out.
The significance of the Breathing Technique surpasses any Ninjutsu or Taijutsu he has previously taught.
After demonstrating the power of Fire Release with Breath of Flame, Mokgetsu began formally teaching the two of them the practice of Breath of Flame.
"Stand straight, relax your upper body, stabilize your lower body, breathe with your abdomen, let the oxygen enter your body, into the Chakra acupoints and meridians."
The difference between Breath of Flame and Breath of Rock became apparent: Breath of Rock primarily enhances overall body strength, while Breath of Flame focuses on interaction with Chakra to increase the power of Fire Release.
"Huff, huff, huff!" Obito opened his mouth wide, gulping in the air.
Thud!
Mokgetsu brought his fingers together and tapped Obito on the head, then karate-chopped Obito's abdomen lightly, saying,
"Focus on using your abdomen, not just opening your mouth and breathing in wildly; pay attention to the rhythm and technique."
"Huh?" Obito looked bewildered; he hadn't expected even breathing to be so difficult.
Shisui, who usually mastered Ninjutsu quickly, also encountered difficulties with the Breathing Technique, struggling to find the key points.
However, all this was within Mokgetsu's expectations. Good talent also has its limits.
As time went on, Mokgetsu moved back and forth, teaching one side for an hour and then going to the other in a continual loop.
After the morning passed, all three students had a proficiency level of zero with the Breathing Technique, making Mokgetsu deeply aware of its difficulty.
At noon, Mokgetsu returned to his home in the Main Konoha District, collected the students' skill test information, and kept it safe. Then, during tutoring time, he took it with him.
Perhaps because Mokgetsu mentioned he would send the information, or maybe because Sarutobi Hiruzen was not busy recently, Mokgetsu saw him again.
"Third Hokage, sir," Mokgetsu greeted Sarutobi Hiruzen and then handed over the packed information.
"These are the students' skill test records," Mokgetsu explained.
"Hmm, thank you, Mokgetsu," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a cheerful smile as he took out the records to review them.
The records were organized by Mokgetsu, with the top being the initial group test scores when the special training began, followed by the weekly skill test scores.
The score sheet also noted the scoring standards, such as C and B groups aligning with the scoring standards for fourth-grade students, while A group matched the scoring standards for graduate ninjas.
The Third Hokage briefly looked through them. From the data, the three weeks of special training showed significant progress for all students.
If Mokgetsu hadn't tampered with the data, this special training was undoubtedly a great success and demonstrated Mokgetsu's teaching ability.
This wasn't just a single class; the special training included all fourth-grade students and outstanding students from grades one to three, along with a small number of graduate Genin, with a total of over three hundred students.
"You've done very well, Mokgetsu, and I appreciate your hard work," Sarutobi Hiruzen praised.
"The students have also put in a lot of effort in their cultivation; it's not just my achievement," Mokgetsu replied modestly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, then said with a cheerful smile, "I'll come over to see when you conduct your final test for this special training. Would that be an inconvenience to you?"
"Not at all, knowing that you'll visit would surely excite the students," Mokgetsu said with a smile.
That was the honest truth. Although Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation in Mokgetsu's past life was poor, his popularity in Konoha was quite high. After all, he had been Hokage for decades.
After finishing reporting to his highest superior, Mokgetsu took Asuma for cultivation.
"Sigh, Teacher Mokgetsu really shouldn't let the old man come," Asuma sighed during a break.
Whenever Sarutobi Hiruzen went, no matter how good Sarutobi Asuma's grades were, they would be overlooked because he was the Third Hokage's son; he's expected to have good grades.
"Asuma, have you forgotten what I told you before?"
"Don't mind others' opinions; you're not living for others but for yourself," Mokgetsu started his motivational talk.
After some words of encouragement, Asuma regained his spirits and started training more earnestly.
...
On Monday, Mokgetsu informed the students of the summer special training that the Third Hokage would come to watch their final exam.
The students burst into excitement; it's the Third Hokage after all.
If you randomly asked ten students at the Ninja Academy about their dreams, eight out of ten would say it's to become Hokage. An opportunity to meet the current Hokage was tremendously exciting.
"Even the Third Hokage is coming, Izumo, this is our chance to become famous in Konoha!" Kotetsu said excitedly.
"Indeed, if the Third Hokage remembers our names, we could rise to great heights later!" Kamizuki Izumo nodded in agreement, equally thrilled.
"You two should give it a rest, one of you always fails in the first round and the other in the second round. Even with the Hokage there, he won't notice you," Anko teased, feeling such expectations were unrealistic even for her.
"The Third Hokage is such a prominent figure; surely he can see through me and Izumo as unpolished gems. Brute force users like you will never understand," Kotetsu, who always loses early, retorted.
Kamizuki Izumo nodded in agreement.
"Then let me show you two unpolished gems the power of brute force!" Anko directly launched a heavy punch, sending the two fleeing in a hurry.
Yuhi Kurenai, after hearing the news, began training more diligently, striving to enhance her abilities so as not to be easily defeated by current students as before.
Upon hearing the news, Obito started fantasizing about his future.
"If the Third Hokage sees my outstanding performance, won't he praise me for having the potential to become Hokage? Hahaha..." Obito laughed, ignoring the looks from those around him.
"Oh no, if Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo start talking nonsense again, it's over," Ebisu thought he should remind his two underlings before the exam.
If such messages reached the Hokage's ears, his ninja career would end before it even started.
"Everyone, calm down, continue your practice, and let the Third Hokage see your progress," Mokgetsu said with a gentle smile, noticing that all the students were motivated, and nodded approvingly to himself.
Although the summer special training period was not long, only five weeks, the actual training time was substantial, exceeding forty hours a week. Drawing from the year-one class experience, Mokgetsu felt he could trigger a rewards upgrade.
The only concern Mokgetsu had was possibly missing the trigger by a little, so he tried to encourage everyone to train diligently.