Chapter 146: Battle Training (3k)
Chapter 146: Battle Training (3k)
【Disciple Uchiha Obito's Training Assignment】
【Training Mission: Defeat Kakashi】
【Reward: Dependent on completion and power growth during the mission】
Mu Yue secretly nodded in agreement, acknowledging that it had to be Kakashi. Kakashi alone bore the weight of supporting Might Guy and Obito's training missions.
"First, master the Fire Style breathing technique. In a few days, you'll spar with Itachi, familiarizing yourself with the application of breathing techniques in battle," Mu Yue instructed, outlining the next steps.
Obito nodded. To be honest, he preferred sparring with Might Guy because their matches always ended in a draw, which was more face-saving.
Fighting against Itachi was a different story, as Obito couldn't guarantee victory, especially now that Itachi had unlocked his Sharingan.
In the evening, after Mu Yue had finished cooking, Minato entered her home alone.
"Is Kushina not coming today?" Mu Yue asked as she placed the stir-fried dishes on the dining table.
Kushina and Minato were not living together, but Kushina spent most of her days at Minato's house.
"Kushina has to undertake a secret mission recently, so she probably won't be able to come by for a while," Minato explained with a smile.
"From now on, if you have any questions about sealing techniques, feel free to ask me directly."
"I see, that's a pity. I made braised pork with preserved vegetables today," Mu Yue said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Mu Yue, can I take it away to eat? I also have something urgent to attend to, so I have to leave soon," Minato said, his face reddening slightly as he felt a bit embarrassed to be taking away food after eating at someone else's home.
However, he had no choice. Although he wanted to eat, he wouldn't go as far as taking away food, but since he had the opportunity, he wouldn't miss out.
The one who really needed the food packed was Kushina. She had said that if Minato didn't bring her food, she would knock out an Anbu member and crash at Mu Yue's place to finish her meal before returning.
Minato was left with no choice. He believed that Kushina might actually do something like that.
Currently, Kushina was in a very dangerous situation, and Minato didn't want anything to happen to her.
Due to the changing situation in the Ninja World, the Konoha higher-ups hoped that Kushina, as the new Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, could become Konoha's trump card in the war. Thus, they had her undergo training to master the power of the tailed beast.
But among all the tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails was the most powerful and by no means easy to control, especially since Kushina had only become its Jinchuriki recently.
Utilizing the power of the Nine-Tails came with the risk of being influenced by its power. Given the beast's immense strength, should the Jinchuriki lose control, it would spell disaster for Konoha. Hence, Kushina's movements were restricted, and she had to spend most of her time in a building with enhanced sealing effects.
Taking her needs into consideration, the higher-ups ordered the creation of a massive sealing barrier around the building. While not as potent as the building's seals, the barrier still had an inhibitory effect on the Nine-Tails, ensuring Kushina's safety as long as she didn't stay outside for extended periods.
"Takeaway? Sure, there's plenty, and I can't finish it all by myself anyway," Mu Yue smiled and nodded, then took out two lunch boxes and filled them with food for Minato.
"This might be a little too much. Can you finish it, Minato?" Mu Yue asked.
"Thank you, Mu Yue. I can definitely finish it all; it's so delicious!" Minato replied with a smile.
Initially, he had planned to bring the food to Kushina and just eat a little himself. But now that Mu Yue had packed so much, he wouldn't have to skimp on his own portion. However, from now on, his reputation at Mu Yue's place might be that of a big eater.
Watching Minato's disappearing figure, Mu Yue activated her Byakugan and scanned the surroundings. She noticed the absence of the Anbu member who had been regularly stationed there.
"There's one less camera leading to Hiruzen's place," Mu Yue thought to herself.
In the past, when Kushina used to visit frequently, there would be two Anbu members watching the area every day.
Being under the Anbu's surveillance wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Mu Yue had made good use of those cameras, such as when she displayed her talent in sealing techniques and when she was promoted to a special jonin, she had put on an expression of joy and gratitude for being valued by the Third Hokage.
"A secret mission... Could it be that she's undergoing training to control the Nine-Tails?" Mu Yue speculated.
Knowing that Kushina was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, Mu Yue was certain that Kushina wasn't undertaking some dangerous S-rank mission.
During wartime, unless the war had escalated to the point where they had no choice but to deploy the tailed beasts, Kushina would be confined to the village. There was no way they would let her leave, much less go on a dangerous mission.
Although Mu Yue hadn't been on the battlefield herself and didn't know the current situation, she was confident that Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure were either yet to engage in full-scale war or were only involved in tentative skirmishes.
After all, Minato was still in Konoha. If the war had truly escalated, he would surely have been dispatched to the front lines, leaving him with no time to fetch meals.
Minato's presence in Konoha during the Third Great Ninja War was a significant indicator of the war's progress.
After making a simple guess, Mu Yue refrained from further speculation. Even without her, Kushina and Minato would surely live on to see the end of the war and emerge as winners in life. There was no need for her to worry.
On the contrary, her disciples might be in for a rough time. Might Guy would witness his father sacrificing himself to open the Eight Gates to save him, and Obito would first be crushed under falling rocks and then watch as his best friend killed the person he loved.
"The combat practice will be divided into three stages," Mu Yue announced the upcoming training plan. "In the first stage, you will only use breathing techniques without chakra. In the second stage, you can use both breathing techniques and chakra, but no ninjutsu. In the third stage, all previous restrictions are lifted, and the Sharingan is prohibited throughout."
The Sharingan's dynamic vision provided a significant boost to taijutsu, so prohibiting its use evened the playing field for Tobirama.
"Not using chakra, huh? Maybe I'll have a chance to win this time," Tobirama said, feeling a glimmer of hope.
Without the use of chakra, his progress in the breathing techniques was even slightly ahead of Itachi's.
"When I say 'don't use chakra,' I mean don't use it to enhance your breathing technique," Mu Yue clarified. "Techniques like the Body Flicker, which require chakra, are still allowed."
The Fire Style breathing technique had two options: one could choose to combine chakra with breathing, or they could forgo chakra entirely.
Not using chakra diminished the effectiveness of the technique; for example, the Rock Style breathing technique's boost to the user's body would be significantly reduced, and the Fire Style breathing technique would lack the speed-enhancing effect of nature transformation. Additionally, all breathing techniques required chakra to activate the marked state.
Upon hearing this, Tobirama's hopes of victory diminished as he realized that Itachi's Body Flicker technique was more refined than his own.
However, in the first stage, Tobirama still held a significant advantage due to his inferior ninjutsu skills compared to Itachi.
"Do you understand the rules?" Mu Yue asked.
"Yes," Itachi and Tobirama nodded in unison.
"Then prepare to fight. We'll start with a week of Stage One combat," Mu Yue instructed.
The two disciples positioned themselves in combat stances as instructed.
"Begin!" Mu Yue shouted.
Itachi and Tobirama instantly entered their breathing technique states, inhaling large amounts of oxygen to enhance their physical capabilities.
However, just as Tobirama was about to rush towards Itachi, he found himself facing his opponent, who had appeared directly in front of him.
"So fast!" Tobirama exclaimed, surprised by Itachi's speed, which surpassed his own despite their similar mastery of the Body Flicker technique.
Fortunately, as neither of them was allowed to use chakra to enhance their breathing techniques or ninjutsu, Tobirama's slight delay only put him at a minor disadvantage.
"Fire Style: Full Concentration Breathing!" Tobirama declared, intending to turn the tables by entering the full concentration breathing state, greatly increasing his strength.
Instead of engaging in direct combat, Itachi chose to avoid a head-on collision and used the Body Flicker to create distance between them.
While Tobirama had managed to eliminate his initial disadvantage, he couldn't capitalize on his strengthened state due to his inability to catch up with Itachi, and he ended up exhausting a large amount of stamina.
In the end, Itachi seized an opportunity and defeated Tobirama.
Snap!
"You fell into the same trap as before," Mu Yue said, tapping Tobirama's head with two fingers.
"Don't use Full Concentration Breathing recklessly," she emphasized once more.
With their current stamina and chakra levels, Full Concentration Breathing was akin to a secret technique, and using it at the start of a battle would leave them with few options for subsequent maneuvers.
"I thought that if I didn't use Full Concentration Breathing, the disadvantage would only grow, so I took the chance," Tobirama explained, scratching his head as he recalled his thought process during the fight.
"The greater the enemy's advantage, the more likely they are to make mistakes," Mu Yue said. "Using it when you're at a significant disadvantage will make it easier to turn the tables."
"Moreover, you should be aware that Itachi is faster than you. If you enter the Full Concentration Breathing state so easily, he'll simply avoid engaging in close quarters combat."
He didn't want to dismiss Tobirama's ideas entirely. In some battles, it was indeed detrimental to fall behind at the start, as it would allow the opponent to set the pace. What he wanted was for Tobirama to develop the ability to flexibly assess each battle and choose the appropriate strategy.
"You have access to information about Itachi," Mu Yue stressed. "Don't waste this advantage."
He didn't want Tobirama to master a plethora of ninjutsu and secret techniques only to falter in actual combat. Practical combat ability was of utmost importance.
"I understand!" Tobirama replied, appearing enlightened.
He recalled his victories against Might Guy, and it seemed that he had unconsciously utilized information about his opponent on those occasions.
After a brief rest, Itachi and Tobirama faced off again.
This time, Tobirama heeded Mu Yue's advice and refrained from immediately entering the Full Concentration Breathing state. Although he didn't win, he managed to prolong the fight compared to their previous encounter.
In the third match, Tobirama still didn't emerge victorious, but he managed to hold on for an additional thirty seconds, and he could feel himself improving.
By the end of the first day of combat training, Tobirama hadn't tasted victory once. In their final match, Tobirama utilized Full Concentration Breathing skillfully, but Itachi still won and felt a bit tired afterward.
"Tobirama, I'm sorry, but I can't afford to lose in front of Teacher Mu Yue," Itachi thought to himself, determined to live up to Mu Yue's expectations.
Kushina's restricted movements followed the plot of the Minato storyline. If you're interested, you can check out the Minato storyline. Although Kushina is portrayed as somewhat fragile, it's generally well-executed.
There's more to come...
(End of Chapter)
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