https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-231-Possibilities-of-Breathing-Techniques/12558239/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-233-Attempting-the-Eight-Trigrams-Seal/12558241/
Chapter 232: A Shocking Truth
Chapter 232: A Shocking Truth
The first day back at school was an exam for the theory class. Before the exam, the students who hadn't gone on internships curiously asked those who had about their experiences.
"Obito, what do intern ninjas usually do? Is it the same as fully-fledged ninjas?" a curious classmate asked Obito.
"It should be similar. We take on missions and train with our teachers when we're not on assignments," Obito recalled and replied.
"Even though they're all commissioned missions, each one is different. We get to visit different countries and see diverse landscapes."
Obito quite enjoyed going on missions. Although they had encountered danger during their last outing, their efforts had ultimately triumphed over adversity, and that feeling of success after striving hard was exhilarating.
"You even went abroad!" exclaimed the surrounding students, their faces a mix of shock and envy.
They hadn't even left Konoha, let alone traveled to foreign countries, having spent their entire lives within the village.
"Interns can go overseas; it's a shame I wasn't selected," one student lamented.
"We'll be there soon enough. In two months, after we pass our graduation exam, we'll officially become ninjas," another added.
The students chatted excitedly, some inspired by Obito's tales to anticipate their future as ninjas, while others wondered about the world beyond their village.
"Which countries did you visit? What are they like compared to the Fire Country?" a curious student inquired further.
Before Obito could answer, Uchiha Tihuo, who had overheard the discussion, voiced his doubt. "Aren't interns only allowed to take on D-rank missions? D-rank missions are all within the village. How is it possible to go abroad?"
He had also participated in the internship, but his tasks had consisted of menial chores like catching cats and picking up trash.
Hearing Obito talk about traveling to different countries made him suspect that Obito was boasting. According to the mission registration shinobi, intern teams were only allowed to accept D-rank missions.
"Yeah, I also joined the internship, and we could only do odd jobs like garbage collection and farm work," said another student who had interned, corroborating Uchiha Tihuo's statement.
A total of thirty students from the fourth grade participated in the internship, with three to four students selected from each class. In Class 4-2, four students had been chosen for the program.
As two of the interns from the class contradicted Obito's story, the other students looked on with confusion, some even casting suspicious glances at Obito. While Obito had been exceptionally brilliant this year, his previous three years of unremarkable performance made them believe he might be exaggerating.
"Usually, intern teams can only take on D-rank missions," Obito acknowledged without getting upset at his classmates' doubts.
Seeing Obito seemingly admit to boasting, Uchiha Tihuo nodded inwardly. At least Obito hadn't lost touch with reality, considering not everyone in the class had gone on the internship.
"Then why did you say you went abroad for missions, Obito?" asked one of the students who believed in him, confused by Obito's response.
They had expected Obito to explain himself, but his words only added to their bewilderment. Was he admitting to being a liar?
"But we're not your typical intern team. The Third Hokage recognized our team's exceptional abilities and specially permitted us to take on C-rank missions," Obito explained, a proud smile spreading across his face. This privilege was granted by the Hokage himself, a unique honor.
Normally, Obito would be unhappy to be misunderstood, but he found the situation reasonable this time. After all, he was stating facts. Intern teams were generally not allowed to undertake missions above the D-rank level, as the registration shinobi had initially informed them. They had earned the right to take on C-rank missions due to their outstanding performance, which impressed the Hokage and led him to believe they had the capability to handle more challenging tasks.
Obito found this arrangement fair. Their teacher, Ms. Mu Yue, was exponentially more skilled than other instructors, and both he and Kakashi Hatake possessed strength far beyond their peers.
"Special permission from the Hokage himself!" The students in the classroom were astounded by Obito's revelation, as the Hokage was a figure revered by all in Konoha.
Even Uchiha Tihuo was left speechless. He hadn't expected Obito to bring up the Hokage's authorization, which sounded even more far-fetched than an intern ninja going abroad on a mission.
Although he didn't believe either claim, Uchiha Tihuo had to admit that the combination of the two somehow made the story seem more plausible.
"So, Obito, how many C-rank missions have you completed, and how many countries have you been to?" asked the students who believed in him, eager to know more.
"I've been to two countries—the Land of Fields and the Land of Rivers, twice. But to be honest, we haven't completed a single C-rank mission," Obito answered honestly.
While they had accepted three C-rank missions, their records showed zero completions because each mission had been upgraded mid-way.
"What? Surely you didn't fail every mission?"
Most of the students, though unaware of the significance of A-rank and B-rank missions, were nonetheless impressed by the idea of mission upgrades and couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
However, Uchiha Tihuo and another intern, who had a slightly better understanding, were skeptical. If Obito hadn't mentioned A-rank and B-rank missions, they might have believed him a little more, given that Obito did possess substantial skill.
But A-rank missions were advanced missions that even Chunin rarely participated in.
"Forget it, I can't be bothered to expose him," Uchiha Tihuo muttered, deciding against pointing out the inconsistencies in Obito's story. "They'll find out the truth after graduation anyway." With that, he returned to his seat to prepare for the exam.
Exposing Obito would require a lot of explanation, and some might still refuse to believe it, thinking that he was just jealous. It would be a thankless task.
As for those who were deceived, it was their own fault for not being capable enough to join the internship and experience it for themselves. If they had the strength, they wouldn't have been fooled by such an outrageous lie.
"The Land of Rivers is very different from our Fire Country," Obito continued, describing the landscapes he had encountered during his missions. "There are vast deserts as far as the eye can see, nothing but sand and no greenery in sight..."
Obito reveled in the envious and astonished gazes of his peers.
Only when the exam proctor entered the room did Obito reluctantly stop talking and take his seat to prepare for the exam.
But as soon as the test papers were distributed, Obito's bravado from earlier vanished, and he felt his head pounding at the sight of the black print on the white paper.
After attempting a few questions, Obito began to look around restlessly, and that was when he spotted Might Guy, writing furiously.
"Oh no," Obito thought. "I hope Akai wasn't reading the whole time." He recalled that his teammate hadn't said much earlier.
With this realization, Obito focused all his attention on the exam. After the results were announced, their mission records would surely astonish everyone, and then it would become clear who among him and Might Guy had the lowest academic performance.
At noon, many of the interns gathered to discuss their internship experiences. Obito saw this as an opportunity to join Might Guy and be part of the excitement.
"The life of a ninja is tough," sighed Hinata Hyuga. "It feels much more exhausting than being in school, either doing menial tasks or training."
"That's true," agreed one of the interns. "I heard that newly graduated Genin can only take on odd jobs at first. I wonder how long that lasts."
"It's not that bad," Obito chimed in with a chuckle. "I quite enjoyed my internship experience."
"Of course you did," Hinata said, nudging Obito with his fist. "Your mentor is Ms. Mu Yue."
"So, Ms. Mu Yue also guides interns?" The other interns looked at Obito with envy.
Everyone except Hinata Hyuga had participated in Mu Yue's summer training camp, and they knew how comfortable it was to be taught by her. It was a completely different experience from having other teachers.
"It's because Obito is the top student in the grade," Ebisu said. He didn't think it was just luck; after all, Obito came from the prestigious Uchiha clan and was the best in his year. Naturally, he would be taught by the best instructor.
"That makes sense," agreed Hinata. "It explains why Guy is interning with you." Ever since the final exam of the first semester in the fourth grade, it had mostly been a competition between Might Guy and Obito for the top spot.
"By the way, who's your third teammate? Is it Hinata Hyuga?" Hinata asked, curious that Hinata wasn't present.
Hinata Hyuga was the student he considered most qualified to be their third member, given his outstanding performance in both practical and written exams. He had consistently maintained the top rank in the second and third grades and had taken first place in the practical exam for the fourth grade.
Both Obito and Might Guy shook their heads.
"It's not Hinata? Then who is it?" Hinata's curiosity piqued.
The other students also looked on with interest, wondering who the lucky person was to be part of this high-caliber internship group.
Might Guy revealed a name that none of them had expected.
"It's Kakashi," he said simply.
"Huh? How is it Kakashi? Didn't he graduate a long time ago? I thought he became a Chunin when we were in the second grade," Hinata exclaimed. He never imagined that Might Guy would mention Kakashi.
He had assumed that Obito's teammates would be outstanding students like Hinata Hyuga, Uchiha Tihuo, or Shizune, but it turned out that none of them were even from the Ninja Academy.
"Yeah, we're interns, so why are we teamed up with a fully-fledged ninja?" the other students asked, equally surprised.
The name Kakashi was familiar to them, as he had been in the same grade as them, and even those who hadn't interacted with him had heard of his genius.
Unknowing of the Fire Within looked at Daito, who nodded in confirmation. Although he didn't know the details, Kakashi, who was already a Chunin, had indeed become their intern teammate.
"Then your team is incredibly well-assembled! Teacher Mu Yue is a special Jonin, and you have Kakashi, a Chunin, along with being the top student in your grade. It feels like menial tasks would be a waste of your talents." One of the students exclaimed, awe-struck.
"You guessed it! The Hokage saw how powerful we are and specially permitted us to take on C-rank missions," Daito said with a mischievous smile.
Daito's words made the surrounding students even more envious, and no one doubted his story.
If a Chunin teacher had led a few ordinary interns and received special permission from the Hokage, it might have seemed far-fetched. But Daito's team composition was simply too luxurious.
Their teacher was a special Jonin, their teammate was a genius Chunin, and Might Guy and Daito had both proven their strength by defeating official Genin during the summer training camp.
"With your treatment, I feel like I was on a fake internship." Unknowing of the Fire Within thought about his life over the past two months and couldn't help but sigh. It was truly a case of keeping up with the Joneses.
"Come on, tell us more about the C-rank missions! What kind of enemies did you encounter?"
"C-rank missions are nothing much," Daito said, trying to suppress his rising excitement and feigning nonchalance. "They usually involve escorting clients, hunting down fierce beasts, or subduing mountain bandits."
Compared to Kakashi, he was a newbie, but among the school interns, he was already a seasoned veteran.
"As for enemies, it depends on luck. If we're unlucky, we might encounter ninja enemies. If there's a Jonin present, the mission would be upgraded to an A-rank; with only a Chunin, it's usually a B-rank. Our luck doesn't seem that great, as we've encountered Jonin enemies twice."
"What? You encountered Jonin enemies not once, but twice during your missions!" The surrounding students wore extremely shocked expressions, and some even looked at Daito with a hint of suspicion in their eyes.
Even as students, they were aware of the value of a Jonin. It was common knowledge that Jonin were rarely seen at the Ninja Academy, and while they had interacted with Teacher Mu Yue on several occasions, she was a special Jonin, a rank lower than a standard Jonin.
For those from ninja families or clans, the value of a Jonin was even more apparent. Even the powerful ninja clans rarely boasted many Jonin among their ranks.
"You encountered Jonin enemies and not only survived but also successfully completed your missions? Teacher Mu Yue is only a special Jonin," one of the interns said, eyeing Daito with suspicion.
It wasn't that he doubted Daito's character, but what he was saying seemed too far-fetched.
"Jonin are indeed strong, but that doesn't mean they're invincible. If you fight hard enough, you can defeat them!" Might Guy flashed his pearly whites, his smile unwavering.
The memory of their combined efforts to defeat a Jonin was still vivid in his mind. During that battle, Might Guy had truly felt the breath of death. Even with the Two Gates and full concentration, he hadn't been a match for the Jonin, and it had taken the combined might of Daito, with his Sharingan activated, for them to emerge victorious.
"Ninja rank doesn't necessarily reflect one's true strength," Daito said earnestly. "I haven't even graduated yet, but I've defeated official ninjas. While Teacher Mu Yue is a special Jonin, a regular Jonin is no match for her."
"I believe Teacher Mu Yue might be capable of defeating a Jonin," Unknowing of the Fire Within said, choosing to trust in Mu Yue's prowess.
"That's different," the student who had voiced his doubt earlier explained. "A genuine Jonin is incredibly powerful. While I like Teacher Mu Yue, it's hard to believe that she could be that strong."
His parents were both ninjas, Chunin themselves, so he understood the difficulty of attaining the rank of Jonin. It required not only exceptional strength but also a flawless performance and remarkable achievements.
Daito wanted to elaborate further, but the warning bell rang, signaling the start of class. "You'll know if what I said is true in a few days when the mission records are released," he said hastily. "Both Akai and I will have two A-rank mission completions listed, as we encountered Jonin enemies."
With that, Daito and Might Guy quickly returned to their classroom.
Seeing Daito's unwavering confidence, the student who had questioned him earlier began to waver in his skepticism.
When exam results were announced, the number of missions completed by the interns would also be revealed. This was common knowledge, as their instructors often used this fact to motivate them to take on more missions.
"That's impossible. If Teacher Mu Yue is that strong, she shouldn't be teaching at the Ninja Academy. She should be out on missions," the doubtful student reasoned with himself, his doubts momentarily assuaged.
In his opinion, Teacher Mu Yue's strength lay in her teaching abilities rather than her combat prowess, which was why she was a special Jonin at the Ninja Academy instead of a standard Jonin on active duty.
(End of Chapter)
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