When he got home, Mokgetsu opened the scroll given to him by the Third Hokage and took a glance.
After reading it, Mokgetsu discovered that it was essentially the appointment letter for a Special Jonin, with Sarutobi Hiruzen's signature on it. It was more formal than when he was promoted to Chunin, which, according to the original owner's memory, was just a piece of paper. At least the Special Jonin appointment was written on a scroll.
Casually placing this scroll in his study, Mokgetsu began to look at the Fuinjutsu materials given by Kushina.
The Five Elements Seal was much harder than Mokgetsu had imagined. It truly was an extraordinarily difficult sealing technique. Twelve days had passed since he had an entry-level understanding of the Five-Finger Seal, and Mokgetsu's proficiency with the Five Elements Seal was still stuck at over eighty and unable to reach the introductory level.
Mokgetsu considered whether he should use the Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll on the Five-Finger Seal, as that should instantly allow him to master the Five Elements Seal.
After thinking it over, he decided against it. Using a Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll on a barely practical practice ninjutsu was too wasteful. After all, it wasn't as though he couldn't master it, and indeed, he had a decent talent for Fuinjutsu.
Mokgetsu wanted to save this kind of valuable item that ignored ninjutsu difficulty and increased proficiency directly for high-difficulty techniques.
If he ever had the chance to acquire the Flying Thunder God and successfully got initiated into it, then the Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll would come in handy.
According to the system rules of stacking proficiency for the same ninjutsu, perhaps hitting several proficiency scrolls consecutively could yield a mastery level technique.
A lot of time passed, and Mokgetsu heard knocking downstairs, so he set the Fuinjutsu materials aside and went to open the door.
"Jonin Mokgetsu, this is something the Third Lord wants me to deliver to you." The ninja handed three scrolls to Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu thanked him and invited him in for tea, but the delivery ninja shook his head in polite refusal and then left.
Mokgetsu mused that the ninjas under the Third Hokage were definitely more courteous than Danzo's. At least they didn't appear silently inside his house and knew to knock.
Mokgetsu opened the scrolls in order. The first scroll recorded two techniques, Water Release: Water Rush Wave and Fire Release: Mighty Dragon Fire Jutsu.
Both techniques were quite decent. Water Rush Wave not only required few hand seals but was also versatile in attack and defense. It could either transform into a water tornado to protect the user or be controlled like a waterfall to assault the enemy. Mighty Dragon Fire was also a very flexible Fire Release.
However, Mokgetsu was already at a proficient level with Mighty Dragon Fire, and he had acquired Water Rush Wave through teaching once.
It wasn't entirely fruitless though, as he could openly use these two techniques in the future.
The second scroll contained a simple amount of three hundred thousand ryo.
Considering the monthly salary of a teacher at the Ninja Academy was a hundred thousand ryo, Sarutobi Hiruzen essentially paid him triple this time.
Mokgetsu accepted it with peace of mind, as it was his due.
He taught eight classes of fourth-year students, along with some outstanding students from other grades and a few graduated Genin. Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen were to give him a tenfold salary, it would still be deserved.
The third scroll was Sarutobi Hiruzen's work arrangements for him in the upcoming days.
The Ninja Academy would start in nine days, with teachers starting a week earlier than students, so Mokgetsu would need to go to the Academy in a couple of days.
Sarutobi Hiruzen mentioned wanting to promote Mokgetsu to the deputy class leader of the teacher class. But since Mokgetsu had not been at the academy long and had only served as a regular teacher, it could lead to criticism, so he would first spend a semester as the grade head before being promoted to deputy class leader in the third semester.
This scroll's contents were what Mokgetsu valued the most. He didn't care about the salary increase from the promotion, but he could use the power that came with it to secure more rewards for himself.
The summer special training proved that the rewards from holding large classes were twice those of regular classes.
He could fully apply for curriculum reform at the Ninja Academy and add some large classes to gain more rewards.
Moreover, adding large classes could also reduce the teaching burden on Ninja Academy teachers, as someone like Iketani Isamu, who was handling two classes, had a schedule that was nearly full.
Of course, not every class could be transformed into large classes. Mokgetsu had confidence that he could handle ninjutsu and taijutsu classes for even a hundred or several hundred people, but an ordinary Chunin teacher wouldn't have that ability and would make a mess of it.
Mokgetsu planned to apply to increase theoretical classes to large courses, like Ninja World history, Konoha history, and mathematics, to be taught en masse.
Theoretical classes were relatively easier to teach than ninjutsu and taijutsu classes; the number of students didn't matter as much, as long as they listened attentively and the effect wouldn't differ much.
Through this scroll, Mokgetsu could feel the goodwill Sarutobi Hiruzen was extending to him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen might tolerate a Root ninja quietly being an ordinary teacher, but he would not actively promote a Root ninja to a high position in the Ninja Academy.
Mokgetsu estimated that he would soon be able to leave the Root, and he might not even need to break the curse seal himself. Danzo would have to help him remove it personally.
In Konoha, Danzo couldn't outplay Sarutobi Hiruzen, because the Hokage truly could do as he pleased.
During dinner, Mokgetsu casually mentioned his promotion to Special Jonin to Kushina and Minato.
"I didn't expect the old Third to act so quickly." Kushina was a bit surprised, not expecting the Third Hokage to finalize Mokgetsu's Special Jonin status on the day it ended.
"In the future, when there's a meeting, we'll all go together," Minato said with a gentle smile, feeling happy for Mokgetsu becoming a Special Jonin.
There was a significant gap between a Chunin and a Jonin, even a Special Jonin. They were two entirely different levels.
It might not be evident in everyday life, but during wartime, their voices were at entirely different levels; a Jonin could lead teams and execute important missions.
"Earlier, I thought Mokgetsu, with your talent in Fuinjutsu, might become a Special Jonin through it, but I underestimated you," Kushina remarked with a smile.
After testing Mokgetsu's aptitude for Fuinjutsu, she intended to assist Mokgetsu in getting promoted through Fuinjutsu, but his teachings were so exceptional that he became a Special Jonin through his teaching abilities instead, just as his Fuinjutsu was getting on track.
"I'm still far from you and Minato. Official Jonin is my next goal." Mokgetsu replied with a chuckle.
"If you keep cultivating diligently, you can definitely achieve it," Minato encouraged.
Since Kushina had mentioned Fuinjutsu, Mokgetsu smoothly transitioned the topic to Fuinjutsu cultivation, bringing up some issues he had encountered.
He wouldn't place all his hopes on others. He needed to continue his research work and persist in learning Fuinjutsu.
A wide range of skills wouldn't be a burden, and mastering more advanced Fuinjutsu could enhance his overall strength, not just for breaking the Root's curse seal.