Chapter 180: Plan Explosion
"Are there any D-Rank missions available?"
Mugetsu asked the registration shinobi after leading his students into the Hokage Building's mission hall.
D-Rank missions were still excellent for grinding Chakra — ten of them could yield nearly four hundred and fifty points.
"Huh? Teacher Mugetsu, aren't we supposed to take a C-Rank mission today?" Obito asked in confusion.
Just a few days ago, they were risking their lives against enemy ninja, and now they were back to catching cats, chasing dogs, and collecting garbage. The contrast made Obito's head spin.
"Did you forget what day tomorrow is?" Mugetsu asked, lightly tapping Obito's head. "If we take an out-of-village mission now, Might Guy would have to celebrate his birthday somewhere on the road."
This time, Mugetsu didn't reuse his old trick from Shisui's birthday — doing it twice would feel lazy. He had already told his students in advance that Guy's birthday was coming up and that they would celebrate it together.
"Oh, right! It's Guy's birthday tomorrow," Obito said, scratching his head with an embarrassed grin. "I've been so busy lately, I completely forgot."
"It's fine. If Teacher Mugetsu hadn't reminded me, I would've forgotten too," Guy admitted with a sheepish laugh.
They had been busy. Before their last mission, it was all training and preparation; after leaving the village, they had been constantly on alert protecting their client. Even after completing the mission, they'd rushed back to Konoha without rest.
Kakashi, watching Mugetsu, couldn't help but think there was more to his relationship with Obito and Guy than met the eye.
After all, they'd only been under his tutelage for a short time — yet their bond already seemed unusually close.
But then, Mugetsu was a teacher at the Academy, and both Obito and Guy had studied there. Perhaps they had known each other long before this team was formed.
"Yes, there are," the registration ninja replied, opening the scroll of available tasks for selection.
D-Rank missions were almost identical in nature, so Mugetsu casually picked five and led his students out to complete them.
For some reason, Obito and Kakashi seemed especially fired up today — particularly when it came to competing with each other.
Normally, their rivalry simmered quietly, but today it was like an open flame.
Even Guy got pulled into their contest.
The result?
All five missions were completed at lightning speed, as the three of them raced to outdo one another in efficiency and numbers.
However, when Mugetsu checked the mission rewards later, he noticed something strange.
The first mission's reward was normal — about forty-five Chakra points combined from his three disciples.
But starting with the third mission, the rewards began to drop. By the fifth mission, the total was barely thirty.
That shouldn't have been possible. D-Rank missions were low-tier, yes, but their reward rates were usually stable.
Mugetsu had a hunch: perhaps the system had started to judge D-Rank missions as less meaningful for his students' growth — and was adjusting the rewards accordingly.
The idea wasn't baseless. From training sessions to mission rewards, the system consistently valued progress. When his disciples improved rapidly, the rewards surged. The more stagnant their growth, the smaller the returns.
Considering Obito and Guy's current strength, D-Rank missions no longer provided much actual development. They had already completed dozens, mastering teamwork and basic procedures. At this point, repeating such tasks held little value.
To confirm his theory, Mugetsu took another five D-Rank missions.
When he checked the results after completing them, his suspicion was confirmed — the rewards had dropped even further. The tenth mission yielded only a little over twenty Chakra points in total.
Adding up all ten missions, Mugetsu earned just over three hundred Chakra.
Not bad, but definitely a steep decline compared to before.
"It's still decent," Mugetsu thought, calculating. "A single large class only grants forty Chakra or so. But if this trend continues, the rewards might hit zero soon."
He exhaled softly. "From now on, I'll do fewer D-Rank missions and focus more on higher-level tasks and specialized training."
After turning in the reports, Mugetsu brought his team home for dinner.
That evening, Obito noticed something curious — Minato Namikaze, who looked suspiciously similar to their teacher, was once again at Mugetsu's house, casually helping with the cooking and even packing food to take home.
"Teacher Mugetsu," Obito asked curiously, "what's your relationship with Jonin Minato? He's been coming here almost every day… to take food, no less."
It felt strange. Neighbors might share meals occasionally, but every day? And Minato even took food to go? That was odd.
"Very good friends," Mugetsu replied with a smile. "You could say we also have a mentor–student relationship. He teaches me Sealing Techniques, and I teach him how to cook."
He paused for a moment, then added, "We used to eat together often. But lately, he's been too busy for that, so he just comes by to pick up dinner."
"So busy, yet he still comes to pack food?" Kakashi said skeptically.
"Of course! It's because Teacher Mugetsu's cooking is too delicious!" Obito declared confidently, nodding like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Even if you're busy, how could you skip a meal that good?"
Kakashi opened his mouth to argue — but then remembered the taste of Mugetsu's cooking.
He closed it again. Fair point.
After some lighthearted conversation, Mugetsu looked around the table. "Tomorrow morning, we'll have regular training. The afternoon and evening are yours to plan freely."
As the students prepared to head home, Mugetsu suddenly called out.
"Might Guy, wait a moment."
Guy blinked, then turned back and sat down obediently.
"I'll walk you home. There's something I'd like to discuss with your father," Mugetsu said with a calm smile after cleaning up.
Guy's eyes brightened. "Oh, that's great! My father should be home by now!"
At first, he thought Mugetsu might be planning some kind of surprise for his birthday — but it turned out to involve his father instead.
By this time, night had fully settled over Konoha. The moon hung high, bathing the quiet streets in silver light.
Guy's home was located on the outskirts of the village. The further they walked, the fewer voices they heard — replaced by the gentle sounds of the wind and insects.
"I'm home!" Guy called cheerfully as he opened the door. "Teacher Mugetsu's here too — he has something to talk to you about, Dad!"
"Oh? Teacher Mugetsu?" Maito Dai quickly came out from the inner room, smiling warmly. "I should brew some tea, then."
"No need to trouble yourself. I just came to discuss something briefly," Mugetsu said politely.
Still, Guy eagerly moved to boil water and prepare tea on his own.
"Might Dai," Mugetsu said after a moment, his tone turning serious, "do you want to become a higher-ranking ninja?"
The question hung in the air.
Based on his understanding of Guy's father, Mugetsu knew that helping him grow stronger would be the most meaningful gift — one that would ignite both father and son alike.
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