https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-256-Minato-s-Aspiration-to-Become-a-Teacher/12558264/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-258-Something-s-Not-Quite-Right-with-the-Disciples/12558266/
Chapter 257: Shadow Clones to the Rescue
Chapter 257: Shadow Clones to the Rescue
After their discussion at the dumpling shop, Obito and his friends still couldn't decide on a group gift for Mu Yue. They decided to ask the other teachers at the academy and Mu Yue's friends for more ideas before making a decision.
After the gathering, Obito headed home for dinner. Once he had finished eating, he made his way back to the main street of the city.
Even before this gathering, Obito had been thinking of giving Mu Yue a gift, so he already had an idea of what he wanted to get her.
Although Obito didn't know much about calligraphy, he was determined to find out. By asking the bookstore owner, he learned that the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone used in calligraphy were all quite particular.
Originally, he had wanted to make a brush by hand and gift it to Mu Yue, just as she had crafted her own ninja tools. However, upon realizing the difficulty of making a brush, he conceded that it wasn't his forte and temporarily abandoned the idea.
He decided to make an inkstone instead, which seemed like a simpler task.
In Obito's eyes, a regular inkstone was just a stone with a hole in it, and a more complex one might have some carvings on the stone. He believed that this was something he could accomplish.
After inquiring from many elders, Obito finally obtained three stones suitable for making inkstones from an old man who enjoyed calligraphy.
Ecstatic, Obito paid the old man and then went to the bookstore to buy an inkstone to use as a reference. He then returned home and began contemplating how to craft his own.
Obito didn't start right away, as he hadn't even decided on the shape of the inkstone yet.
He took out a piece of paper and a pen, intending to sketch out his desired design first.
Twenty minutes later, Obito frowned at the rectangle with an imperfect circle inside it and a clump of black lines next to it.
The idea was good, but he couldn't draw.
Obito admired the dragon-patterned kunai that Mu Yue had given him and wanted to carve a similar dragon design on the inkstone. However, aside from not knowing how to carve it, he couldn't even draw the design on paper.
"Damn it, drawing is so hard. It feels even more difficult than ninjutsu," Obito sighed as he slumped in his seat.
"Should I ask Hinata or Kakashi for help?" Two figures popped into Obito's mind.
Hinata Hyuga had given paintings as birthday gifts twice, and he thought she was quite skilled at drawing.
As for Kakashi, although Obito had never seen him draw, he had a strange confidence that Kakashi could definitely draw and was probably good at it.
"No, I can't ask for help with a gift I want to give personally," Obito shook his head, dismissing the idea.
For this personal gift to Mu Yue, Obito wanted to do it all by himself. If someone else drew the design, it wouldn't truly be from him.
At that moment, Obito had a sudden idea—he could use the Shadow Clone Technique to rapidly gain experience in drawing.
With the Shadow Clone Technique, the memories of the clones would flow back to him. If he created a few clones to practice drawing with him, they might be able to make it in time.
"As long as I manage the clones' time effectively, it shouldn't be too tiring," Obito thought, liking the idea more and more.
He knew he couldn't handle the fatigue from using the clones for intense training, but drawing for a while shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Of course, Obito was aware that there was still one critical problem with his plan—the shadow clones might not always follow his instructions. In combat, they could execute various tactics without question, but when it came to mundane tasks, they might even fight back if he told them to do homework.
"Shadow Clone Technique!" Obito performed the necessary hand seals and created two shadow clones.
Now that he had a possible solution, he had to give it a try.
Just as Obito was about to convince his clones to practice drawing with him, something unexpected happened.
One of the shadow clones took the initiative to walk to the table, pick up a pen, and start drawing, while the other clone found some paper and pen and began drawing on the floor.
"What are you standing there for? Start practicing already!" The clone on the floor said impatiently to Obito's original body.
Obito was stunned. He couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you two slacking off this time? You're usually so unmotivated."
He had been prepared for his clones to be uncooperative, and now they were surprisingly proactive.
The clone sitting in the chair glanced at Obito and said, "Mu Yue-sensei is such a great person. Of course, I want to do my best to give him the best gift possible."
"Stop wasting time asking questions. We only have one week left until the graduation exam. Time is running out," the other clone on the floor urged.
It was a novel experience for Obito to be urged into action by his own shadow clones, and he quickly shook off his surprise and found some paper and a pen to start drawing as well.
Obito vaguely guessed the reason for the change in his clones' behavior. Perhaps his own subconscious desires had influenced them.
He strongly resisted doing homework, and unless it was assigned by Mu Yue, he had no motivation to complete it. But this time was different. He was drawing to create a better gift for Mu Yue, and there was no resistance or reluctance in his heart towards this task.
That was why his clones were behaving so differently this time compared to when he tried to make them do homework.
"Regardless, it's still a shame that Tobirama Senju didn't consider this when he invented the technique," Obito ultimately passed the blame to the developer of the ninjutsu.
After drawing for two and a half hours, Obito released the shadow clones, and their collective drawing experience flowed into his mind, leaving him with a slight look of fatigue on his face.
Although it was still far from the image in his mind, it was an improvement from the initial meaningless clump of black lines.
After practicing alone for another hour, Obito went to bed. Perhaps due to fatigue, he felt sleepy as soon as he lay down and quickly drifted off.
The next morning, Obito woke up around the same time as usual, thanks to his body clock. After his morning routine, he had breakfast and headed to the Southern Forest for training.
Maybe because he had practiced a bit too much the night before, Obito found himself contemplating how the scenery along the street would look on paper.
"Good morning, Obito," Hanabi greeted him with a smile.
Hearing Hanabi's voice, Obito, who had been in a daze, immediately snapped out of it and returned her greeting with a smile. "Good morning, Hanabi."
"Did you stay up late last night, Obito? You seem a little out of it," Hanabi asked, concerned.
"Let me guess, you're busy preparing a gift for Teacher Mu Yue?"
With how well Hanabi knew Obito, it wasn't hard to guess, especially since they had been discussing gift ideas the day before.
"Hehe, you know me so well, Hanabi. But I didn't stay up late. I just used shadow clones to accelerate my learning, so I'm a little tired, but it's nothing serious," Obito explained with a chuckle.
Indeed, he hadn't stayed up late because he had heard that it would stunt his growth, and he was determined to become the Hokage—he couldn't afford to be short.
"Mmhmm, don't push yourself too hard. Regular training is already demanding, and you don't want to get sick," Hanabi reminded him with a smile.
Obito patted his chest and laughed. "Don't worry, I'm the man who's going to be Hokage. I know how to manage my energy. After all, any loss to me would be a loss for the entire Konoha."
Hanabi couldn't help but laugh at Obito's words, covering her mouth with her right hand. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, Obito. You're not the Hokage yet."
"I think the real loss here is you wasting Hanabi's time, Obito," Kakashi interjected as he walked by, not bothering to look back.
"Damn Kakashi," Obito muttered, annoyed.
He had been enjoying Hanabi's smile, and then Kakashi had to show up.
"Yes, we shouldn't waste any more time. Let's go train, and we can chat during our break," Hanabi suggested with a slight smile, heading towards the training area.
Obito quickly caught up and walked alongside her.
When they arrived, Might Guy and Itachi were already training, and Kakashi had drawn his White Light Chakra Sabre, ready to begin.
Obito took a spot next to Itachi and started practicing his Haki.
Breathing exercises were their main focus at the moment, but they didn't neglect Haki training. They dedicated two to three hours to it daily, with the rest of their time spent on breathing exercises.
Learning Haki would raise their power ceiling, although it required more chakra. Haki was challenging to master, and by the time they did, their chakra reserves would be far greater than they were now.
After their training session, the five of them gathered once again to discuss gift ideas.
"Itachi, did your shadow clone find out anything useful?" Obito asked.
Since Itachi's shadow clone still attended classes, they tasked him with asking the teachers at the Ninja Academy about gift ideas. Itachi's clone could casually inquire about it during class.
"No, the teachers don't seem to know Teacher Mu Yue any better than we do," Itachi replied, shaking his head as he recalled the memories of his shadow clone.
They knew that Mu Yue liked egg dishes, but the teachers at the academy only knew that she enjoyed practicing calligraphy.
"What should we do now? The only person I can think of who's close to Teacher Mu Yue is Kakashi, but he's away on a mission," Obito said, scratching his head.
"How about we all pitch in and make a bodysuit for Teacher Mu Yue?" Might Guy suggested.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Itachi rejected the proposal.
"Guy, not everyone likes bodysuits, especially green ones," Obito added, unable to resist teasing.
He couldn't imagine how Mu Yue would look in a green bodysuit; it would be too jarring.
After discussing it in circles, the five of them still couldn't come to a decision. However, they agreed that they had to finalize the gift by the next day, or they might run out of time.
(End of Chapter)
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