Chapter 106

The rewards in the afternoon were a bit less captivating than the morning, consisting only of water release and earth release ninjutsu with ordinary power.

Nevertheless, Makoto deemed it quite satisfactory.

At night, Makoto persisted in practicing breathing techniques with Shisui, Might Gai, and the Obito.

All three of them were still struggling to grasp the sensation of the breathing methods, and are stuck in the initial stages of breathing training.

"Remember, it's skillful breathing. It's not just taking a big breath; it's a technique," Makoto emphasized repeatedly.

"Skill, skill, skill..." Obito kept muttering this word, attempting to hypnotize himself into breathing skillfully.

"If you're going to hint, do it silently in your mind, don't say it out loud," Makoto advised, knocking Obito's head.

Obito, feeling the pain, gasped, not expecting that something as innate as breathing could be so challenging to learn.

It proved to be much more difficult than improving his fire chakra attribute and learning Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique

While he hadn't immediately succeeded in practicing the Dragon Fire Technique, he could produce sparks. His practice with the nature transformation slowly improved, allowing him to melt ice cubes somewhat with the warmth of his hands.

But while practicing the breathing method here, Obito felt like he was almost full from breathing air and would rather not breathe anymore.

Seeing that Shisui was also struggling, Obito felt a bit relieved. If someone as talented as Shisui was finding it difficult, it truly was a challenging endeavor.

Both Obito and Shisui, practicing Flame Breathing, were stuck, not to mention Might Gai with the even more challenging Stone Breathing; there was no noticeable progress.

However, Makoto wasn't overly concerned about Might Gai. The stone-like determination and diligence of Might Gai suited the Stone Breathing well. He just needed to continue training as hard as he usually did or maybe becoming a monk.

On the second day of practicing breathing, the three disciples still showed zero proficiency.

By the night of the third day, one of the disciples finally made a breakthrough and gained some proficiency. Surprisingly, it was Obito practicing Flame Breathing.

"Teacher Makoto, I think I'm feeling something different. Could it be that I got it right?" Obito exclaimed while practicing the breathing method.

"It's not considered learned, but it does mark your official entry into the practice of Flame Breathing," Makoto replied, appraising Obito's proficiency. It was indeed no longer the zero it was before.

Makoto had expected Shisui to be the first to achieve the breakthrough, but Obito beat him to it.

After some contemplation, Makoto attributed it to Obito's personality being more suitable for Flame Breathing, allowing him to grasp the feeling sooner.

The Flame Breathing is ideal for individuals who are passionate and cheerful, with hearts as blazing as fire. Shisui, while not introverted, was far from being as passionate and fiery as needed.

"Well, hold onto this feeling and delve deeper. Once you're familiar with it, you can move on to the next stage of training," Makoto encouraged.

This phase of breathing practice was just the beginning. There were many training stages to follow, including guiding breathing by adjusting body postures to achieve different strengthening effects.

As beginners, specific postures were needed for guidance. Once mastered, individuals could freely control these effects within their bodies.

"Finally, formal practice has begun," Obito cheered, feeling a sense of accomplishment after three days of arduous effort.

Bonk!

Makoto gently knocked Obito's head, gestured toward Shisui who was still practicing, and said, "Don't disturb others' training. Get acquainted with this feeling." Obito closed his mouth, nodded with a satisfied smile, and resumed practice.

Shisui's talent rivaled that of Kakashi, and he started practicing with Shisui. While technically a roundabout victory, it was still a win over Kakashi.

By the end of the third day, Shisui and Might Gai showed no progress, while Obito gained a slight understanding.

During Wednesday's practice, Shisui engaged in various exercises, grappling with the intricacies of breathing techniques.

It was the first time he felt clueless about where to start with something.

During a break, Shisui observed Obito and Asuma boasting about their fire release techniques. Intrigued, he approached Obito and asked, "Obito, can you describe what you felt in detail?"

Obito recalled for a moment and then began to describe, "It's like eating a bowl of hot ramen, and then warm air flows into your whole body..."

Obito earnestly tried to convey his feelings, supplemented by a physical demonstration.

"So you felt heat..." Shisui pondered.

Asuma, standing nearby, was perplexed. He felt that the conversation between the two was utterly off, especially Obito, who seemed clueless about what he was saying.

Asuma chose to ignore this peculiar episode. When he saw Yuhi Kurenai resuming practice, he joined in for his own training.

Shisui continued contemplating Obito's answer, attempting to draw inspiration from it. When he went home for dinner after class, Shisui was left pondering whether he should eat ramen that day.

"Shisui, why do you sometimes feel pain in your feet when using the teleportation technique?" Uchiha Ikunori inquired upon seeing Shisui.

"I didn't feel the warm air," Shisui replied absentmindedly.

Uchiha Ikunori looked at him with a weirded out face, "huh?"

"I was contemplating training," Shisui replied.

"It's no wonder those graduated genin can't match you. You're already so strong, and you're always thinking about training," Uchiha Ikunori sighed.

Feeling a bit misunderstood, Shisui chose not to explain. After dinner, he headed to Makoto's place, continuing to practice the breathing method under his guidance.

The fourth day of breathing technique training concluded similarly to the third day, with only Obito feeling a slight breakthrough.

It wasn't until the fifth day that a new change emerged, and Shisui's Flame Breathing also showed some proficiency.

"A flow of warm air..." Shisui realized that Obito's description was unexpectedly apt. He could feel a stream of air being drawn in from his mouth and traveling along his body.

The fifth day of Breathing Technique training ended, leaving only Might Gai still struggling to gain proficiency.