"I see, how about at the end of the exam, you follow the Hokage and challenge him? Use your best Deception Jutsu to challenge the Hokage, show him your determination as a ninja," Ebisu suggested after some thought.
To avoid being tricked, Ebisu decided to take the initiative. This way, he wouldn't get dragged into anything.
"As expected of Brother Ebisu!" Kotetsu thought it was a great idea.
Izumo nodded in agreement, though it seemed a bit direct, sometimes a straightforward approach could have unexpected effects.
...
After a week of phase two training, Obito finally understood what real tough training looked like.
Exhausted from daytime training, he had to do assignments at home, and at night he was woken up, only to feel the fatigue bounce back into his body when the Shadow Clone was dispelled in the morning.
If Obito were to describe how tired he was, it would be that during his rest time, he didn't even feel like talking to Rin. Instead, he'd close his eyes and rest for a while.
Of course, it wasn't just Obito who was exhausted. Everyone else was equally fatigued, both physically and mentally. Beyond training and sleeping, there was no time to think about much else.
Though the training intensity was high, the results were quite evident when they persevered. It was hard to ensure getting enough sleep, but while awake, all four disciples could continuously use the Breathing Technique, enhancing training efficiency and physical stamina.
Perhaps due to extreme fatigue, triggering some kind of protective mechanism, Obito unknowingly completed the second phase of training. On the second Saturday, he successfully slept well, never breaking his Breathing Technique.
On the same day, Kakashi also slept well, while Shisui achieved his goal on Sunday, and Might Guy completed it in the third week.
Might Guy's progress was slightly slower mainly because he focused on the Eight Gates Technique for a while, causing his Breathing Technique proficiency to fall behind a bit.
And even though they all completed the second phase, not all the disciples' Breathing Techniques reached proficiency. Only Kakashi and Obito's techniques reached proficiency, while Shisui and Might Guy's still needed work.
This is because Kakashi and Obito's Breathing Technique limits were already high enough. One of them had already entered the Transparent World, and the other had half-activated their Pattern. They were close to proficiency before starting Constant State training, so they immediately reached proficiency after completing non-stop breathing.
Normally, one would complete phase three of the special training to reach proficiency. Phase three is an enhanced version of phase two, maintaining breathing for twenty-four hours while concentrating breathing to increase the upper limit of breathing.
After the end of phase two, Mokgetsu didn't immediately start phase three training but instead returned to regular training for a while.
After all, Obito and the others had roughly trained intensely for a month, plus the Chunin Examination was not low in intensity either. They needed some relief.
"Shisui, could you spar with me?" During the noon break, Kakashi challenged Shisui.
He had intended to challenge Shisui once he recovered, but Mokgetsu's Constant State training was too exhausting. After training, Kakashi didn't want to move, with no desire to fight.
Relaxed back to normal training, Kakashi felt at his peak after a couple of days, so he immediately challenged Shisui.
Kakashi has never forgotten those three losses in a row, losing to Might Guy, Obito, and Shisui, despite having never been defeated by peers all along, suddenly facing three consecutive losses.
Those three defeats once made Kakashi doubt life, feeling like he was just an ordinary ninja rather than a genius.
Now, regaining his confidence, he had defeated Obito and Might Guy in the Chunin Examination, needing only to defeat Shisui to become once again the unrivaled genius amongst his peers.
"No problem." Shisui hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Mokgetsu before finally accepting.
He knew his chances of winning were slim, but he didn't want Mokgetsu to think of him as a coward afraid of failure.
Mokgetsu, as always, guest-starred as the referee, while the other disciples came to watch the show during their break.
"Go for it, Shisui! I'm rooting for you!" Obito hoped Shisui could give Kakashi a good beating in front of Nohara Rin.
"What a youthful day, my friend. Let's have a match once the battle ends!" Might Guy energetically exclaimed.
"Sure, but only rock-paper-scissors," Kakashi replied expressionlessly.
Might Guy's smile instantly collapsed. Though also a competition, how could rock-paper-scissors compare to a hand-to-hand battle?
"Battle start!" Mokgetsu declared after the two formed the Seal of Opposition.
"Breath of Flame, Full Concentration!"
"Breath of Thunder, Full Concentration!"
Both concentrated their breathing, drawing greater strength from their Breathing Techniques.
From the Chunin Examination, Shisui knew Kakashi's strength was now formidable, so he was very cautious.
And though Kakashi didn't know how much Shisui's skill had grown, Shisui's ever-brilliant performance as a super genius kept Kakashi on his toes.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Continuous Balls!"
Shisui formed seals swiftly, gathered chakra, and spat out two Great Fireballs consecutively at Kakashi.
Although the power of individual fireballs decreased, the covering area widened, enhancing the probing effect.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Kakashi didn't evade using the high speed granted by Breath of Thunder. Instead, he used Earth Release to block both fireballs.
In fact, evasion required less consumption and was a more cost-effective choice, but Kakashi was wary of unknown subsequent moves from Shisui. For safety, he opted for Earth Flow Wall defense.
In this fight, Kakashi had an informational disadvantage. Shisui had seen Kakashi's tactics in the Chunin Examination, but Kakashi didn't know what new jutsu Shisui mastered recently.
If the opponent were Obito, Kakashi wouldn't think in such detail, but against an informed Shisui, Kakashi thought it better to be cautious.
"Kakashi must be using Shadow Clone to trick people again." Seeing the earth wall rise to block the view, Obito commented.
He had been deceived by Kakashi's Shadow Clone numerous times, essentially learning from experience.
"Not necessarily. During the last Chunin Examination, Kakashi didn't use Shadow Clone," Nohara Rin spoke up.
"That's because he knew I was too smart to be tricked, so he didn't use it," Obito explained with a proud expression.
Nohara Rin covered her mouth, chuckling without further comment. In the fight with Obito, Kakashi didn't use Shadow Clone to deceive him, but due to a miscalculated prediction, Obito used Fire Dragon Flame Bomb that ended up burning the ground, which, in a way, was a deception.
Unlike Obito and Nohara Rin, who were focused on Kakashi, Might Guy paid more attention to Shisui. He was curious about how much this undefeated genius had grown.
In Might Guy's view, Shisui was an undeniable genius, possessing the strength to defeat Genin as early as the first grade. Despite Might Guy's hard training, he never once claimed victory against Shisui.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, who do you think will win?" Obito asked Mokgetsu, who was sitting nearby.
No one knew their strength better than Mokgetsu.
"Just watch, and you'll soon find out the answer, but you can have more confidence in your current strength." Mokgetsu didn't directly answer Obito's question but gave a gentle hint instead.
Shisui was undoubtedly a genius, and maintaining the strongest position for the longest time as the youngest disciple was the best proof.
But Kakashi and the others now possessed strength not just from diligent training, but from surviving at the brink of life and death. Two life-and-death crises with the Hidden Cloud Jonin and Hidden Mist Jonin had led to their transformation.
From Mokgetsu's perspective, he could always act to ensure the disciples' safety. On the other hand, from the disciples' perspective, those two events were genuine life-and-death crises.