Chapter 126: Lightning Release: False Darkness
Monday afternoon, Ninja School.
The homeroom teachers of each Class 1, Grade 1 had already reminded their students that theory lessons would be held in the large lecture hall. Thanks to that, there was no awkward incident of a class not showing up for the first large-class session.
"So many people."
"Isn't that Uchiha Shisui from Class 1, Grade 1?"
"And over there, someone from Class 4…"
For most students, this was their first time in such a large class. The novelty and excitement had them chattering with friends, pointing out familiar faces.
Thump-thump!
"Everyone, quiet down. Class is about to begin," Mugetsu said softly, tapping the desk as he entered.
Class 1, Grade 1 fell silent immediately, and most students from other classes followed suit—though a few bold ones kept whispering.
"That's Teacher Mugetsu. I heard he's really good at teaching."
"We'll see soon enough."
Mugetsu ignored the faint background noise—it wasn't enough to affect the lesson.
"Everyone, take out your textbooks. Today we'll be starting Konoha History I."
"During the Warring States Period, there was a great shinobi clan—the Senju—known for their ideals of benevolence…"
Though the subject was Konoha History, it didn't begin with the village's founding. The opening chapters described how Konoha came to be during the Warring States Period.
As a teacher, Mugetsu had read all three Konoha History volumes several times.
The general events matched what he remembered, but the tone and emphasis were… selective.
For example, the Senju were given extensive praise, portrayed as champions of justice, while the Uchiha had a far weaker presence. Uchiha Madara was painted as the greatest villain in Konoha's history.
On that point, Mugetsu didn't entirely disagree. At the time, Madara—already misled by Black Zetsu—cared nothing for Konoha's well-being.
Mugetsu rarely lectured while holding the textbook. He already had the historical timeline memorized, and followed it naturally, weaving in historical anecdotes alongside the key points.
It was a style he'd learned from his own high school history teacher—who made classes engaging with stories and subtle humor.
Of course, he wouldn't make jokes about Konoha's history in class. On the surface, Konoha seemed like a normal city, but in essence, it was a military base.
"This teacher is better than the last theory instructor," even the students new to him admitted.
Some theory subjects were inherently dry. If a teacher simply read aloud from the textbook, it could put anyone to sleep.
[Large-class teaching session completed]
[Evaluation: A]
[Reward: Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique; Lightning Release: False Darkness]
Water Dragon Bullet was a jutsu Mugetsu had already mastered. Receiving it again increased its proficiency on his skill panel. Lightning Release: False Darkness, however, was new.
"This semester, I'll focus on grinding chakra," Mugetsu decided, adjusting his teaching strategy. Instead of splitting his focus between skill grinding and chakra accumulation, he would prioritize chakra first.
He already knew a wide variety of jutsu—basic elemental techniques, advanced elemental jutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and even Genjutsu. He was well-equipped for teaching and combat. But his chakra reserves were only a bit more than double a normal jonin's.
If he could reach the level of the Third Hokage, he wouldn't need to "play along" anymore.
Of course, changing the approach wouldn't instantly give him a massive boost. A small class normally yielded only twenty chakra points. Switching to full chakra grinding would add about a hundred points a week. But now, with large classes, the gains would be higher.
After school, Mugetsu went to the South Border Forest. Obito and Guy had been training there most of the day.
Despite the teaching skill buff, Guy still couldn't master the Shadow Clone Technique in a few days. In the end, Mugetsu created a low-chakra Shadow Clone and transformed it into Guy for classroom appearances.
To keep Guy's theory from slipping, Mugetsu occasionally tutored him during training breaks. After all, rest periods were a good chance to review.
"I am fire… I am fire… I am burning…" Obito squatted beside a fire, trying to warm himself—and maybe hypnotize himself into faster progress.
Mugetsu used [Appraisal] on him. His proficiency was still fifteen points—the same as in the morning.
Obito's self-hypnosis clearly wasn't working.
Seeing Mugetsu's main body approach, Obito sighed.
"Teacher, this training is too difficult. I've been roasting by the fire all day—I'm about to get heatstroke—and I still haven't felt anything special."
Trying to comprehend Flame Breathing through "feeling fire" was far too abstract. Obito felt like he had tried everything, yet sensed no change at all.
"Don't be impatient. This secret technique suits you very well—it's just hard to grasp," Mugetsu said, offering some comfort.
"Starting tomorrow, you and Shisui will have lunch and dinner here every day. I'll make some fiery dishes—it might speed up your progress," Mugetsu added after a moment's thought.
When he had trained in Fire Release nature transformation before, his illusion-inducing dishes had worked wonders. Perhaps Flame Breathing's fire-comprehension step could also benefit from such an approach.
"Shisui, you can start the next step of training tomorrow too," Mugetsu told him.
Though Shisui had initially lagged behind Obito, his diligence during the second step had paid off. Now, his progress matched Obito's—both at fifteen proficiency.
"Huh?" Obito instinctively tensed a certain vulnerable part of his body.
That memory was truly unbearable—he'd gone into the restroom perfectly fine, only to lean against the wall when he came out.
Even Shisui, upon hearing Mugetsu's words, looked as though he were facing a formidable opponent. This was no joke.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I think our current pace is fine. With a secret technique this difficult, it's normal to have no progress for a day," Obito said, trying to bargain.
"Teacher, I haven't even started perception training yet. Maybe I should see what normal training feels like first?" Shisui offered.
Mugetsu thought that was reasonable and nodded. "Alright, Shisui—you don't have to. Obito will eat first."
Obito stared at him, bewildered. So you're saving yourself, huh?
"I've thought about it carefully, and I still think your idea is excellent, Teacher. It'll definitely help with training. And cooking separate meals would be too much trouble—how about we all eat the same thing?" Obito suggested quickly.
No way was he suffering alone. If Shisui wanted to escape, he'd drag him down with him.
"Why do you keep changing your mind?" Mugetsu appeared in front of him in a flash and tapped his head.
This time, what Shisui said made more sense.
Currently, both had fifteen proficiency. If Obito ate and Shisui didn't, and Obito's progress accelerated, that would prove the method's effectiveness. Mugetsu would then feed them both fiery dishes—and also find a way to make heavy, "earthy" dishes for Guy.
Though honestly, he had no idea what sort of food could replicate a rock-and-earth environment. He couldn't exactly cook with actual rocks, could he?
Still, with the system's skill buff, even rocks might taste good.
"I'm just worried about everyone's training—and about tiring you out, Teacher," Obito said with a chuckle, rubbing the spot Mugetsu had tapped.
"Teachers aren't afraid of getting tired, as long as you make progress," Mugetsu replied with a smile.
Oh no… I really might be the only one suffering this time, Obito thought.
"May the Sage Mugetsu protect me. Please let Shisui make no progress tomorrow," Obito prayed silently with clasped hands.
If Shisui made rapid progress, it would be worse than nothing—because that would mean Obito alone would suffer from now on. He'd almost rather have Shisui also eat the super-spicy meals and surpass him than face being the lone one leaning on the restroom wall.
By the end of training that day, Obito's Flame Breathing progress hadn't budged.
When he got home, he saw his Shadow Clone lying on the bed reading a novel—and remembered he'd forgotten to dispel it.
He did so immediately. The memories of his Shadow Clone attending school for him today poured into his mind.
In an instant, it felt like he had personally endured half a day of long, boring math class.
"Damn it… math is the worst," Obito groaned, collapsing onto the bed.
Then he realized something. He formed hand seals, created another Shadow Clone, and bribed it into doing a math problem.
Once it finished, he dispelled it—and the sensation of having done the problem himself slammed into his mind.
He collapsed again. This was no different from doing it with his own hands.
"That's it… I'm revoking Senju Tobirama's title of Sage."
The Shadow Clone Technique was completely useless for escaping mental torture. Whether it was class or problem-solving, the feelings came back in full when the memories returned.
"They need to improve this technique—let you choose whether the memories flow back or not. Now that would be useful."
In his mind, only Sage Mugetsu and the Six Paths Sage deserved their titles. Tobirama was severely lacking.
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