"Teacher, I want to challenge the river sprint!" Obito found Mokgetsu and told him about his desire to try again.
It had been exactly four days since he failed the previous challenge.
During these four days, he learned Mokgetsu's special training speed-up technique and even broke his speed limit while competing with Might Guy. Obito felt he now had the capability to pass the challenge.
Of course, the main reason was that Obito felt his failures in the speed competitions were due to not having mastered Soru.
Moreover, there's a practical test in the special training next week, so Obito wanted to master Soru this week to be less passive in the practical fight next week.
He wanted to defeat Might Guy at least once.
So far, in official duels with Might Guy, Obito had never won, each time losing by just a bit.
If Might Guy mastered Soru and he did not, Obito felt that there would be even less chance of winning in the practical test this time.
It's bearable if the gap is too big, but to lose by just a little each time was really frustrating for Obito.
"Okay, follow me." Mokgetsu nodded and led Obito to the riverbank.
The second stage is different from the first; there's no need to set traps in advance, and the challenge can start directly.
Mokgetsu created a lot of shadow clones and then launched numerous Water Dragon Bombs toward the river surface.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I'm ready." Obito took a deep breath and began to gather chakra to prepare for the sprint.
"Begin!"
Obito's eyes were fixed on the Water Dragon Bombs, trying to see through the hidden pattern.
After failing the last time, Mokgetsu hinted to him that the Water Dragon Bombs weren't chaotically crashing around but were moving in a pattern.
If it were just an ordinary fifteen meters sprint on water, Obito could have dashed across instantly, but with the Water Dragon Bombs interfering, rushing through them was obviously not possible and he could easily get knocked back.
After observing for two seconds, Obito finally discovered the secret.
There were twelve water dragons on the river surface, grouped into sets of three, with each group having similar movement patterns. In other words, the twelve water dragons could actually be seen as four large water dragons.
The four large water dragons also had a pattern; approximately every one and a half seconds, a safe zone would appear between two large water dragons that could be passed through briefly, disappearing almost in the blink of an eye.
Understanding this, Obito dashed out instantly; there was no more time to observe.
The apparent ten-second clearance time actually left less than half a second of action time. This stage tested observation skills and instant action speed.
After understanding the pattern, passing the challenge became much easier. Obito paused after passing each set of four water dragons, waiting for the precise moment.
Standing on the water, Obito's eyes were glued to the ferocious water dragons, not daring to relax for a second. He couldn't afford any mistakes, as the second stage's tolerance for error was much smaller than the first.
Mokgetsu watched Obito in this state and thought that if Obito could always maintain this calm and cautious attitude, it would boost his combat power as much as learning a high-level ninjutsu.
"Success!" When he dashed past the final set of four water dragons and reached the shore, Obito couldn't help but cheer.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I didn't exceed the time, did I?" Obito asked somewhat worriedly.
Mokgetsu nodded with a smile and replied, "No, you successfully completed the taijutsu challenge."
"Great, can I start learning Soru now?" Obito jumped up in excitement, always watching Might Guy and Shisui flash around had made him crave it.
"Here is the cultivation method and experience for Soru, remember to study it carefully," Mokgetsu handed Obito a scroll.
"I'll definitely study it thoroughly, until I can recite it by heart," Obito eagerly opened the scroll and found the contents somewhat familiar.
Upon thinking carefully, he realized that some of the content was the chakra techniques Mokgetsu had previously taught him to enhance speed.
Obito instantly understood everything.
It wasn't that Mokgetsu was unwilling to teach him Soru; in fact, Mokgetsu had already planned to teach it to him since he challenged the taijutsu tests.
The first stage's forest sprint tested his physical fitness, and the second stage directly passed on part of the content of Soru.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, you really are the best teacher in the world!" Obito was deeply moved as he realized Mokgetsu's dedicated intentions.
[You presented your disciple with a Soru cultivation scroll. The disciple is very grateful and rewarded you with a massive boost, receiving Fire Release: Great Fire Extinguishing Arrow (Master Level).]
The teaching reward for today exceeded Mokgetsu's expectations, directly yielding a massive boost, providing a master-level ninjutsu, the powerful Great Fire Extinguishing Arrow.
"Almost forgot, here's your entrance fee, I forgot to give it initially," Mokgetsu smiled and handed Obito three test papers.
The smile froze on Obito's face; he wondered what was missing, and it turned out to be the test papers!
This was the one thing he hoped Mokgetsu would forget.
"Since you forgot, let it slide." obito said, feeling dizzy at the sight of the test papers.
Mokgetsu brought his two fingers together and tapped Obito, saying, "Wishful thinking, although I can't waive it, I can give you an interest-free installment once."
Hearing about the interest-free offer cheered Obito up again; this way, he could do fewer questions.
Next, Mokgetsu guided Obito in cultivating Soru.
Finally able to cultivate the cool Instant Body Jutsu, coupled with overcoming hardship, Obito practiced earnestly.
...
Anko felt her two brothers had been acting a bit strange lately, often huddled together whispering and chuckling.
"Do you have something fun you're not telling me?" The frank Anko directly approached Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo.
"Nothing fun, we've been preparing for next week's practical test," Hagane Kotetsu explained.
"Really?" Anko eyed Hagane Kotetsu suspiciously.
"Don't use your suspicious eyes to insult our honest characters," Kamizuki Izumo said, asserting that they were indeed preparing for the test.
"So how are you preparing?" Anko asked.
Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo exchanged a look, then finally replied, "This preparation content is not suitable to tell you."
Though they were good friends, they wouldn't misunderstand Anko's gender.
"Fine, don't tell me then. I'll watch and see what tricks you pull on Monday," Anko puffed up her cheeks.
She decided that if she encountered them in the test on Monday, she would strike hard and teach these enigmatic people a lesson.
As the practical test approached, everyone was preparing for it.
Some wanted to perform well and advance to higher-level teams, while others had someone they cared about whom they wished to impress.
On Saturday afternoon, Asuma requested Mokgetsu to increase his training intensity.