At seven o'clock on the evening of his first day of training, Mokgetsu went to Sarutobi Hiruzen's house.
"Teacher Mokgetsu." Asuma immediately greeted Mokgetsu with a smile upon seeing him.
"Why have you come, Teacher Mokgetsu? It's quite late; you probably didn't come for tutoring, did you?" Asuma asked curiously.
He missed training with Mokgetsu, as it had been a while since they last did.
"Mokgetsu must be here to seek my advice on ninjutsu." Sarutobi Hiruzen said leisurely from his chair.
Before Mokgetsu could answer, Asuma looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a face full of skepticism and said:
"You teaching Teacher Mokgetsu? Really? What are you teaching him?"
Feeling his son's mistrust, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but darken his expression. He was the renowned Third Hokage, a Ninjutsu Technique Professor who had mastered thousands of secret techniques; teaching a young Jonin like Mokgetsu should be no problem.
"The Third Hokage plans to teach me the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu and Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu. Both are A-level ninjutsu with notable power. The Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu is even the Third Hokage's personal creation." Mokgetsu said with a smile.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Asuma with a look that seemed to say, even the teacher you respect respects me this much.
Asuma immediately felt displeased and said, "Is this Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu really that amazing? I've never heard of it. The First Hokage's Wood Release, which he developed himself, is known throughout the ninja world."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was speechless. Comparing Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu with Wood Release is unfair. It's just an offensive technique developed from the Shadow Clone Jutsu, completely different from the legendary Wood Release.
"Of course, it can't compare to the First Hokage's Wood Release. But you'll see its power shortly," Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to showcase the technique to give Asuma some perspective while teaching Mokgetsu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen brought the two to the backyard and then flung a Shuriken into the air.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly performed hand signs right after throwing the shuriken.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
The shuriken split into two and then into four, and in the blink of an eye, one shuriken became thousands, all violently piercing the ground.
As thousands of shurikens hit the ground, the earth immediately erupted with a shower of green grass and soil, leaving the ground cluttered with shuriken.
"What do you think?" Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his small beard, looking at Mokgetsu and Asuma with a satisfied expression.
This technique was one of his proud creations, packing tremendous power.
Ninja-thrown shurikens are on a different level compared to hidden weapons thrown by ordinary people. A ninja of Sarutobi Hiruzen's caliber could crush boulders with a shuriken, and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu could turn one of such shuriken into thousands, making them hard for enemies to dodge.
"Its power is indeed quite something," Asuma had to admit that the technique, which initially didn't seem impressive, was actually quite formidable.
"Mokgetsu, have you been reviewing the ninjutsu scrolls I gave you these past few days?" With his son awed by the technique's power, Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a satisfied smile and asked Mokgetsu.
"Yes, I've begun learning it. I can use it initially, though I'm not as proficient as the Third Hokage." Mokgetsu thought for a moment before responding.
"You've already managed to use it? Show me a demonstration." Sarutobi Hiruzen was slightly surprised.
The Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu is even harder than the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu because duplicating a physical object like a shuriken is more difficult than a personal shadow clone, making it one of the more difficult A-level ninjutsu.
If Mokgetsu could master it within half a month, Sarutobi Hiruzen would be impressed, but he was surprised to see Mokgetsu using it in just one week.
Mokgetsu pulled out a shuriken, hurled it swiftly, then gathered chakra and began forming seals immediately.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
The shuriken quickly split into clones, soon turning into dozens of shurikens before stabbing into the ground.
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of white smoke, looking at Mokgetsu with growing admiration. He initially thought training talents in Root was pointless, but unexpectedly, he had discovered a ninjutsu prodigy.
"Amazing, you've learned it in just a few days? Truly impressive, Teacher Mokgetsu." Asuma said happily.
Cough, cough." Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was smoking, choked on Asuma's words.
He thought, "I split thousands of shurikens, and it's just 'not bad,' but Mokgetsu does dozens, and it's 'amazing.' Whose child is he really?"
"Asuma, go back inside and take a bath." Thinking it's better not to see him for a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Asuma back into the house.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, keep up the good work! Once you've mastered it, come teach me because the old man simply can't teach," Asuma cheered for Mokgetsu before leaving, taking a parting shot at his father.
"Mokgetsu, sorry you had to see that." Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his forehead with a headache, telling Mokgetsu with a face of helplessness.
He, a ninja technique professor, got criticized by his own child for being a poor teacher.
"Asuma is at a rebellious age, and he's probably just being mouthy. Deep down, he likely respects you a lot." Mokgetsu smiled.
In Mokgetsu's judgment, it seemed inevitable that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Asuma would clash at a younger age; there were too many triggering factors.
The clash of personalities between Asuma and Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the pressure of being the son of a Hokage, would lead to numerous conflicts.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was indeed a good politician, but his paternal skills were quite average.
"I know he's still young, so I don't pay much attention. He'll understand everything I've done for him when he's older," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, putting down his pipe and showing a faint smile.
He then started teaching Mokgetsu the secrets to stabilizing the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu to produce more shurikens.
"Mokgetsu, what do you think about working at the Ninja Academy?" Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly asked Mokgetsu.
"If you're not interested in working at the Ninja Academy, I could make you a guiding Jonin, keeping student selection for the trial teams open."
Now that Mokgetsu had demonstrated strength rivaling Gari's and shown unusual talent for ninjutsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen considered focusing on Mokgetsu's development.
Compared to teaching at the Ninja School, guiding Jonin have more flexible teaching hours, allowing them to decide on the students' schedules and leave more time to enhance their abilities themselves. Moreover, they can earn significant money by completing mission assignments to buy resources for cultivation.
Mokgetsu shook his head, declining the Third Hokage's offer with a smile, explaining:
"Thank you for your kind offer, Third Hokage, but I really enjoy teaching at the Ninja Academy. I like the students there a lot, and teaching them brings me genuine joy and relaxation."
"But don't worry, Third Hokage. Even outside teaching, I'm serious about improving myself. The more knowledge I acquire, the better the students I can train."
Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to say Mokgetsu didn't need to be so skilled to teach at the Ninja Academy, but these words turned into encouragement as he respected Mokgetsu's personal choice.
He speculated that Mokgetsu might have seen too much despair at Root, leading to his preference for the pure-hearted environment at the Ninja Academy.
"Danzo, you nearly ruined a genius." Grateful that he pulled Mokgetsu out of Root, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided post-war to strengthen his control over it.
Besides showcasing his mastery of the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, Mokgetsu also consulted Sarutobi Hiruzen on some aspects of the Great Waterfall Jutsu, laying the groundwork for his future Water Release demonstration.
...
The next day at noon, after finishing the morning's training and starting the break, Mokgetsu selected some of Shisui's topics for explanation, making all the students present for group learning.