Chapter 117 – Mugetsu, the Dedicated and Responsible Person
After finishing his meal, Mugetsu sat quietly for a moment in thought, then finally took out a blank scroll and began writing a mission report for Danzo.
Although, judging by the current situation, Hiruzen would likely be calling for him soon, it was too early to celebrate. He needed to be absolutely certain.
In the report, Mugetsu included Hiruzen's inspection visit that day, emphasizing the Hokage's praise and apparent regard for him—painting a picture of the Third Hokage actively trying to win him over.
He also noted the rewards he had received afterward, further highlighting the Hokage's "favor," but deliberately left out the contents of the work assignment scroll.
If Hiruzen didn't request him from Danzo right away, this report would maintain his façade as a loyal Root ninja, discouraging Danzo from causing trouble.
If, as expected, Hiruzen asked for him soon, this scroll wouldn't cause any harm—and could even prevent Danzo from quietly making things difficult after his departure from Root.
That was why he didn't include the details of the work assignment in the report. If it wasn't written down, even if the scroll eventually reached the Hokage, it would still look like Mugetsu was diligently carrying out Danzo's mission—not acting as some die-hard Root loyalist.
Only the Hokage and himself knew the contents of that scroll. As long as he didn't leak it, Danzo couldn't possibly find out.
---
Placing the completed scroll on his person, Mugetsu headed to the South Border Forest to teach his disciples.
"Good evening, Mugetsu-sensei!" Obito and Rin arrived together, smiling brightly.
"Good evening, Obito, Rin," Mugetsu replied with a warm smile.
Ever since Rin began joining the after-school training in the forest, Obito had started arriving earlier.
"Time to train! Let's start the Breathing Technique right away!" Obito said, full of energy.
He'd had bad luck in the strength test earlier—his draw had placed him close to Shisui, and he'd met him in the second round… only to be thoroughly beaten.
Fortunately, the practical exam included both rankings and scores. Even though he lost early, his solid performance in both matches earned him a high score—ensuring Mugetsu's rewards wouldn't be affected.
Shisui was strong, and Obito accepted the loss, but deep down, he was still frustrated. They were from the same clan, yet Shisui—two years younger—had completely dominated him.
Still, in Flame Breathing training, Obito saw hope for surpassing him. Flame Breathing was a powerful secret technique, and he seemed to have a natural talent for it—perhaps his best chance at a comeback.
As soon as they began, he asked Mugetsu to tie and secure him for training. His determination made Mugetsu quite pleased.
With the school term starting soon, Obito's training mission settlement was coming up. If he didn't push his Flame Breathing progress within the month, he'd fail it again.
Mugetsu couldn't manipulate Might Guy's results just so Obito could take first place—second place still gave rewards, so it wasn't worth undermining the fairness. The better solution was to push Obito to train harder.
---
Since Might Guy had already grasped the lessons from their last match, Mugetsu was ready to begin a new phase of training.
"Next, you need to perceive the power of rock… and try to merge with it," Mugetsu instructed.
It sounded abstract, but it was a key step in Breathing Technique training. The Breathing Technique was somewhat idealistic—connected to spiritual energy and Yin Release.
The stronger one's belief, the stronger the technique. A weak belief would even make the blade brittle.
"Merge with the rock?" Guy thought for a moment, then used the Transformation Technique to turn into a rock.
"Mugetsu-sensei, should I practice in this form?" he asked seriously.
Mugetsu hesitated. In the training memories of Rock Breathing, this step was done by sitting on a rock—not becoming one.
But… on second thought, turning into a rock might be even better.
"How about you sit on a rock first, then transform into one?" Mugetsu suggested.
Only children make choices—he would take both.
Guy released the Transformation, found a large rock to sit on, then transformed again.
When training ended, Mugetsu used the Appraisal Technique to check his progress: still nineteen proficiency—no change from yesterday.
He wasn't surprised. Rock Breathing was difficult, and the effects of Guy's earlier breakthrough had worn off. From here on, progress would be slow, and it wasn't unusual for there to be no improvement for several days.
He glanced at Obito's Flame Breathing—steady progress, now at eight proficiency.
---
"Guy, why did you turn into a rock?" Obito asked curiously.
"Mugetsu-sensei told me to merge with the rock and feel its power. I thought turning into one would work," Guy replied earnestly.
"Merge with the rock? Does that mean my Flame Breathing will require merging with fire?" Obito muttered, scratching his head. Could he transform into flames? Would he have to jump into a bonfire?
"Actually, I have a great idea, Guy—hollow out a rock and sleep inside it! You'd be merging with it even in your sleep. Your progress would skyrocket!" Obito said enthusiastically.
Guy looked thoughtful.
"Then you'd have to sleep in a bonfire for Flame Breathing?" Mugetsu flicked Obito lightly on the head. Sleeping inside a rock to "perceive" it was already ridiculous—Breathing Techniques weren't that abstract.
"Hehe, it's different! Sleeping in a bonfire means getting burned to death. Sleeping in a rock just makes your back sore," Obito laughed.
"Perceiving the power of rock…" Shisui murmured. If it was just about sensing an element, could Flame Breathing be enhanced through Nature Transformation to feel the essence of fire?
---
After training, Mugetsu placed the scroll he carried at the mission report submission point, then returned home to await a response.
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