Chapter 106: Breathing of Fire, Sensing Chi (25)
Chapter 106: Breathing of Fire, Sensing Chi (25)
The afternoon's reward was a little less exciting than the morning's, consisting of only a standard-power Water Release and Earth Release technique.
However, Mu Yue considered it a decent reward for four hours of teaching.
That night, Mu Yue continued to guide Danzo, Tobirama, and Might Guy in their training of the breathing technique.
None of them had yet grasped the feeling of the breathing method and were still at the initial breathing training stage.
"Remember, it's a skilled breathing technique, not just taking a deep breath," Mu Yue emphasized repeatedly.
"Technique, technique, technique..." Obito mumbled to himself, trying to hypnotize himself into breathing with skill.
"If you need to chant a mantra, do it silently in your mind. Don't say it out loud," Mu Yue said, poking Obito's abdomen with her finger.
Obito winced in pain and gasped, taking in a sharp breath of cool air.
He had never imagined that there would be a technique to something as innate as breathing, and it was surprisingly difficult to learn.
It was far more challenging than learning the Grand Fireball or chakra nature transformation.
With the Grand Fireball, he could at least spit out a few sparks, and with nature transformation, he could slowly melt ice with the heat of his hands.
But with this breathing technique, Obito felt like he was gulping down wind, yet he wasn't achieving anything.
At this rate, Obito felt that even if his Fireball Jutsu improved from all the breathing exercises, he still might not be able to master the breathing technique.
However, when he saw that Tobirama was equally clueless, Obito felt a bit relieved. If Tobirama was struggling, then it must truly be difficult.
Both Obito and Tobirama, who were practicing the Breathing of Fire, were making no progress, let alone Might Guy, who was attempting the even more challenging Breathing of Stone.
However, Mu Yue wasn't too concerned about Might Guy. The steadfast and resolute nature of the Breathing of Stone aligned perfectly with Might Guy's own personality. All he needed to do was persist in his training as he always did.
On the second day of breathing technique training, all three disciples still had a proficiency of zero.
Finally, on the third night, one of them achieved a breakthrough, and it was Obito who was practicing the Breathing of Fire.
"Teacher Mu Yue, I think I feel something a little different. Does this mean I've succeeded?" Obito said suddenly during his breathing practice.
"Not quite succeeded, but you've officially entered the realm of breathing technique cultivation," Mu Yue replied, having been observing him closely. She checked his proficiency with her Appraisal, and indeed, he had progressed from zero.
She had thought that Tobirama would be the first to achieve a breakthrough, but it turned out to be Obito.
Mu Yue pondered for a moment and attributed it to Obito's personality being more suited to the Breathing of Fire.
The Breathing of Fire was suited to passionate and cheerful individuals with an inner flame burning brightly. While Tobirama wasn't exactly introverted, he was certainly not as fiery as Obito.
"Yes, grasp that feeling and delve deeper. Once you become familiar with it, you can move on to the next training step," Mu Yue nodded.
This inhalation and exhalation breathing exercise was just the very beginning of their journey. There would be many more training stages to come.
The next training step involved guiding their breathing through adjusting their body posture to achieve different enhancement effects.
In the original breathing technique, this stage involved training different breathing style techniques with a sword. After the modification, they no longer needed to hold a sword, so it became about achieving various enhancement effects.
Because they were beginners, they needed to rely on specific postures to guide their breathing. Once they mastered it, they would be able to control it freely within their bodies.
"Finally, I've taken the first step of the formal cultivation!" Obito couldn't help but celebrate with a fist pump. After three days of effort, he finally received some feedback.
Obito closed his mouth and nodded, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he resumed his training.
Itachi's talent was comparable to Kakashi's, and since he had learned it before Itachi, it was as good as winning against Kakashi.
On the third day of training, Itachi and Might Guy made no progress, but Obito seemed to grasp the concept a little.
On Wednesday's training session, Itachi kept performing various exercises, his mind still occupied by the breathing technique.
This was the first time he had ever felt so clueless about something.
During a break, Itachi saw Obito and Asuma boasting about each other's Fire Release and decided to join them. "Obito, can you describe in detail what that breathing sensation feels like?"
Obito thought for a moment and then began to describe it. "It's like eating a bowl of hot ramen, with a warm current flowing throughout your body..."
Obito tried his best to portray his feelings, even using body language to explain.
"Feeling a warm current..." Itachi furrowed his brows in thought.
Shikamaru, who was nearby, was perplexed by the conversation, especially Obito's strange description.
Unconcerned with their odd exchange, Asuma saw Kurenai resume her training and quickly followed suit.
Itachi kept pondering Obito's answer, seeking inspiration from it. Even during class dismissal and dinner, he contemplated whether he should eat ramen that day.
"Itachi, why do you occasionally feel pain in your feet when using the Body Flicker Technique?" asked Itachi Uchiha.
"I didn't feel the warm current," Itachi replied, his answer making little sense even to himself.
As Itachi Uchiha wondered about this, Itachi suddenly amended his statement. "It's probably because you're not controlling the amount of chakra in your feet properly, causing them to get injured."
"Oh, I see. What were you thinking about just now? I had to call you twice before you responded," Itachi Uchiha asked, intrigued.
"I was thinking about training," replied Itachi Uchiha.
"No wonder those graduated genin can't match you. You're already so strong, yet you're always thinking about training," Itachi Uchiha marveled.
He felt a bit ashamed. This time, he had become the laggard of the Uchiha clan. There were three Uchiha in Group A, and during the strength test, Itachi and Obito had ranked in the top two, while he had been eliminated in the third round.
Itachi remained silent, feeling that Itachi Uchiha might have misunderstood him. Even Might Guy didn't think about training all the time. It was only because he hadn't made any progress with the breathing technique that Itachi was so focused on it.
Let the misunderstanding be, Itachi thought. Without explaining further, he finished dinner and headed to Mu Yue's place to continue practicing the breathing technique under her guidance.
Soon, the fourth day of practicing the breathing technique came to an end, with the situation similar to the third day—only Obito seemed to have a slight grasp of it.
It wasn't until the fifth day that a new development emerged, as Itachi's Fire Breathing also showed a hint of proficiency.
"A current of heat like eating hot ramen..." Itachi felt that Obito's description was surprisingly apt. He could feel a current of air entering through his mouth and traveling along his chakra pathways.
On the fifth day of practicing the breathing technique, only Might Guy was left, still struggling to find the sensation of chi.
(End of Chapter)
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