Chapter 258: Some Odd Disciples

After dispersing, Shisui went to a ninja tool shop named "Spin Spin Spin."

"Has my custom katana been completed?" Shisui asked the young owner.

Before the thank-you party, Shisui had the idea of giving Mutsuki a gift, since Mutsuki had previously given him a short blade. Shisui decided to give Mutsuki a weapon in return.

Although he wanted to forge a weapon himself to give to Mutsuki, he was still too young to do so conveniently. So, Shisui settled for having a high-quality weapon custom-made for Mutsuki.

However, the thank-you party was coming up, so Shisui thought it would be a good time to present the gift there.

"It's already completed. Let me show you," the young owner said with a smile, calling his wife to look after the shop. He then led Shisui out of the store and into the backyard of his home, where the warehouse was located.

The young owner walked over to the weapon rack and handed the finished katana to Shisui.

Shisui took the katana and examined it carefully. The blade was predominantly red, with a blood-red hilt and a flame-like orange-red sheath adorned with a pattern of burning flames.

Shisui nodded in his heart; this was what he had specifically requested because Mutsuki had taught him Flame Breathing.

The one-meter-long katana was almost as tall as Shisui, who was now 1.23 meters tall at just under seven years old.

However, as a ninja, Shisui easily drew the katana. Under the warehouse's lighting, the silver blade gleamed with a cold white light, and the blade had flame-like patterns.

Shisui was very satisfied. Although he didn't understand much about swords, this one looked good.

The young owner brought over a wooden practice dummy and a stone, smiling at Shisui and saying, "Try out the sword."

Shisui nodded and walked towards the dummy. Without using Chakra, he swung the katana at the dummy's arm.

Thud!

The katana easily severed the wooden dummy's arm, and the wood fell to the ground with a clatter.

Swish, swish!!

Shisui didn't stop. He swiftly swung the katana, instantly dismantling the dummy. The cuts were smooth and clean.

Then Shisui concentrated Chakra in his hand, using it to enhance the blade. With two strikes, he cut the stone into four pieces.

The young owner was secretly astonished, thinking to himself that ninjas were truly different— even a child could possess strength far beyond that of an adult.

"Very good. Here's the agreed-upon payment." Shisui sheathed the katana and took out 640,000 ryo to give to the young owner.

Previously, he had paid a 160,000 ryo deposit, making the total cost of the katana 800,000 ryo.

Although it was a lot of money, Shisui felt it was worth it. Mutsuki had also spent a lot on him. Even though the short blade was crafted by Mutsuki himself, the material costs were significant, and he also prepared training elixirs for him.

Shisui wasn't very concerned about money; becoming a ninja meant he would never be short of it.

Shisui then took the katana home and began to create a gift box for it. Although he couldn't forge the blade himself, making a gift box was no problem.

Shisui sighed in relief; he had previously worried about not finishing before the thank-you party, but he actually completed it ahead of time.

Meanwhile, Kakashi at home also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally almost done," Kakashi said, looking at the brush that was gradually taking shape, a smile appearing on his face without his mask.

Although Kakashi hadn't been with Mutsuki for very long, Mutsuki held a significant place in his heart, and he could feel Mutsuki's care for him.

Since Mutsuki liked calligraphy, Kakashi decided to make a brush as a gift for him. After some time learning, he successfully mastered how to make a brush.

Now, Kakashi had some understanding of brushes and knew that different types of hair had their own strengths. After carefully examining the calligraphy Mutsuki had given him, Kakashi concluded that Mutsuki probably used a goat hair brush, so he made a goat hair brush himself.

"If I give a brush, it might end up being similar to what others give," Kakashi thought.

Since the disciples were all aware of Mutsuki's interest in calligraphy, and it seemed like everyone would end up giving something related to it, Kakashi thought that most people would likely give a brush.

Kakashi decided to focus on refining the details. If his gift ended up being similar to others', it was fine; it just meant that everyone was putting in effort.

...

The next morning, on his way to the South Forest, Kakashi saw a golden figure.

Kakashi initially thought it was Mutsuki, but as he got closer, he realized it was Minato Namikaze, who resembled Mutsuki.

Kakashi had planned to quickly greet him and then head to the South Forest for training. However, remembering that he hadn't been able to ask Minato about this thinking he was on the battlefield yesterday, he decided not to miss the opportunity.

"Good morning, Minato-san," Kakashi greeted.

"Good morning, Kakashi," Minato responded with a warm smile while buying breakfast.

Because he would soon become his student, Minato looked at Kakashi with a very kind expression.

Kakashi noticed that Minato's attitude seemed a bit different, but he didn't pay it much attention and directly asked:

"Minato-san, what kind of gift do you think Yumi-sensei would like? The team is about to disband, and I want to give Yumi-sensei a gift."

Kakashi's question made Minato thoughtful. If he were giving a gift to Mutsuki, it would either be his own experience with Sealing Jutsu or perhaps a Sealing Jutsu itself. However, since Kakashi was just a child, he clearly couldn't give such a gift. Minato struggled to recall any specific preferences Mutsuki might have had.

After several minutes of thinking, Minato couldn't come up with anything. He realized that Mutsuki didn't seem to have any clear preferences in other areas.

"I think it's fine just to convey your intentions. Just give what you want to give," Minato eventually replied.

Based on his understanding of Mutsuki, that should be sufficient.

"Sorry for troubling you, Minato-san. Thank you." Unable to obtain useful information from Minato, Kakashi didn't show any signs of disappointment. He thanked Minato and then headed to the South Forest for training.

He thought Minato's advice made sense. Since he couldn't find anything specific, there was no need to overthink it.

Minato watched Kakashi's departing figure with a smile. He wondered if Kakashi would also put such thought into preparing gifts for him in the future and looked forward to his future role as a sensei even more.

Although Kakashi was delayed a bit on the way, he had left early enough and made up for lost time, so he wasn't late, just the last one to arrive.

"Kakashi, you don't seem to value training time. You should wake up earlier and come to train sooner," Obito seized the opportunity to get back at Kakashi for interrupting him the previous day.

Kakashi glanced at Obito and replied, "I always wake up early. I just ran into Minato-san on the way, which wasted some time."

Obito was about to think of how to continue mocking Kakashi when he suddenly realized Kakashi had encountered Minato Namikaze, so he quickly asked, "Isn't Minato-san on the battlefield? How did you run into him?"

"The front line war has calmed down for now, so Minato has come back to rest," Mutsuki answered Obito's question for Kakashi.

Obito then remembered that Mutsuki was right there and that discussing the thank-you party was inappropriate. He gave Kakashi a glance and stopped the conversation.

"We'll talk after training."

Kakashi understood Obito's hint and didn't say anything more.

Mutsuki watched the scene with some curiosity. It was unusual for Obito to quiet down after just a few words, which was not in line with Kakashi and Obito's usual style.

Mutsuki calmly walked over to Obito and smiled as he asked, "Obito, you've been training with Constant for quite some time now. Have you recently felt any improvement in your Total Concentration Breathing?"

"I haven't felt anything special. Maybe I haven't been training enough at home. I've had some things to deal with lately and have been busy with other matters at home," Obito honestly replied.

He thought that his progress might not have met Mutsuki's expectations.

"But don't worry, Yumi-sensei. I always focus intently during training and will definitely train more when I have time," Obito added.

Mutsuki patted Obito's head and said with a smile, "Of course, I know you're dedicated to your training. As for your free time, you're free to manage it as you see fit."

Mutsuki then walked over to Guy, observed his training for a while, and said:

"Guy, how is your training with the Eight Inner Gates going? Do you feel like you're getting close to opening the third gate?"

*Guy shook his head and replied, "I don't feel anything at all."

"Could it be that I've been slacking off lately because of preparing gifts?" Guy couldn't help but think to himself.

Mutsuki's question indicated that the expected progress had not been achieved.

"Maybe I've been training less recently. I'll double my training today!" Guy declared with enthusiasm.

"There's no need for that. I was just asking. Just follow the normal training schedule as planned," Mutsuki said with a gentle smile, patting Guy on the shoulder.

"There's something going on." After briefly questioning Guy and Obito, Mutsuki guessed that the disciples might have been busy with things he didn't know about after training time ended and were intentionally keeping it from him.

"Is it because graduation is coming up and they're planning a celebration and gifts for me?" Mutsuki speculated.

After all, all three disciples were at Trust Level 4. Based on Mutsuki's observations, this level of trust was almost like viewing him as a family member.

Although Kakashi hadn't reached Trust Level 4, he was still in a high-trust state.

Given this relationship and the upcoming graduation, Mutsuki naturally guessed that they were planning a celebration.

While the world of Naruto is full of eccentric characters, they aren't so deranged as to plot against their sensei upon graduation, and his disciples were currently very normal.

After that, Mutsuki didn't dwell on it further. He knew he couldn't apply the same caution he used with Hiruzen and Danzo to his disciples; it would be too exhausting.

When afternoon training began, Mutsuki called Shisui and Obito, who were about to start, and informed them of a new special training session.

"Previously, I was chasing you to hit you. This time, I'll give you the chance to hit back. I'll limit my speed to be about the same as yours. You can use any means to attack my Shadow Clone, which will not attack you," Mutsuki explained the new training rules.

This training was essentially similar to the previous one, but with a different focus. The previous training emphasized positioning, while this one focused more on attacking abilities.

"Is there no exam papers this time?" Obito asked tentatively.

He was concerned that this new training might involve a lot of tasks, which would impact the time he had to prepare the gift.

"Not for now," Mutsuki replied with a smile.

Originally, Mutsuki's plan included penalties: if you didn't hit the Shadow Clone, you would face five tasks per minute, with a maximum of ten minutes. Hitting the clone would end the session immediately.

However, noticing that Obito and the others might be preparing for the graduation celebration, Mutsuki decided to temporarily change his plan.

He was never a rigid person. If his disciples needed more free time, he wouldn't add unnecessary pressure.

"Yay!" Obito cheered.

He completely ignored the "temporarily" part; no exam meant it was a good training session.

Shisui also breathed a sigh of relief. Although his gift was almost ready to be given, he wanted to refine it further and put more effort into the gift box. If there were too many tasks, his focus would be diverted.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Mutsuki formed hand seals and created two Shadow Clones, which moved a short distance apart.

Shisui and Obito adjusted their breathing rhythms, entering Total Concentration Breathing to enhance their abilities with a large intake of oxygen.

"Start!" Mutsuki called out as both participants were ready.

Obito immediately charged at one of Mutsuki's Shadow Clones with a raised fist.

The Shadow Clone didn't dodge but stood in place, waiting for Obito's attack, and then sidestepped to avoid Obito's straight punch.

Obito quickly swung his arm towards the Shadow Clone's head and simultaneously kicked with his left foot, but these attacks were easily evaded by the Shadow Clone, which stepped back smoothly to avoid Obito's consecutive punches and kicks.

Unwilling to be thwarted, Obito activated his two-tomoe Sharingan, his eyes turning red, and continued his assault.

Obito then found the Sharingan frustrating, as he could clearly see how close he was to hitting Mutsuki.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"

Obito formed hand seals and used the jutsu, as Mutsuki had said they could use any means.

With the hand seals, a large amount of Chakra gathered in Obito's throat, and he released a barrage of small fireballs towards the Shadow Clone.

At the same time, Obito began to sprint at full speed, trying to catch Mutsuki off guard and land a hit while evading the Ninjutsu.

However, Mutsuki remained much calmer than Obito expected. He used the large trees in the South Forest to skillfully neutralize all the Phoenix Sage Fire, rendering Obito's Fire Release ineffective.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Shisui concentrated his Chakra and unleashed a massive fireball, a blazing orange flame quickly forming a two-meter-high sphere that hurtled towards Mutsuki.

But that wasn't the end. Without forming any more seals, Shisui released another similarly-sized Great Fireball, sending two fireballs in different directions.

This technique could be called "Great Fireball Barrage." While the power of each individual fireball is reduced, the coverage area is increased.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" Mutsuki's Shadow Clone performed the hand seals for Earth Release, raising a thick earthen wall to block both fireballs.

Shisui was momentarily stunned, but he quickly remembered that the Shadow Clone was not attacking them, and Mutsuki hadn't said the Shadow Clone couldn't use Ninjutsu.

Shisui activated his Sharingan and began his next round of attacks. After five minutes of combat with the Shadow Clone, Shisui gathered some hidden information.

The Shadow Clone only used Ninjutsu for defense when he attacked with Ninjutsu. If he didn't use Ninjutsu, the Shadow Clone wouldn't use it for defense, no matter how dire the situation. There was even a moment when he almost touched the Shadow Clone, but it still didn't use any Ninjutsu.

"Is this exercise to train timing in combat?" Shisui speculated.

If his guess was correct, then the timing of using Ninjutsu was crucial. He needed to master a very subtle degree of precision.

He mustn't let the Shadow Clone sense that not using Ninjutsu would allow it to evade, and he truly needed to have the ability to disrupt the Shadow Clone's movements.

Although Shisui had this idea, it was still difficult to implement in practice. By the end of the ten-minute training session, Shisui had not managed to hit the Shadow Clone even once.

"You two didn't hit the target in ten minutes," Mutsuki announced the results.

"This is so difficult. It's like fighting a weakened version of you, sensei," Obito said after thinking for a moment.

"My Shadow Clones don't attack you. In a real fight, you'd have been defeated long ago," Mutsuki said, tapping Obito's head with two fingers.

Obito, whose Sharingan was still active, could only watch as he was tapped and couldn't avoid it.

"The difficulty isn't much greater than the last training. If you make some progress, you'll succeed. You need to think more during battles," Mutsuki reminded Obito.

Among his disciples, the strongest in combat experiece is Kakashi, followed by Shisui and Guy. Rin has insufficient data for analysis, and Obito is generally at the bottom.

If all abilities were equal, Mutsuki felt Obito would have a very slim chance of defeating Kakashi.

Kakashi has strong combat analysis skills and extensive battle experience. Although currently his hard strength might not match Obito or Guy, once his abilities catch up, his overall strength will not be weak.

"I understand. I'll strive to improve my combat abilities in this training," Obito said with a grin, scratching his head. He got Mutsuki's point.

In this regard, he indeed falls short compared to Guy and Shisui. He has had several instances where he lost his advantage in battles against Guy.

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