https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-272-The-Second-Time-Raikage-Got-the-Short-End-of-the-Stick/12558313/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-274-A-Brief-Separation-to-Strike-Gold/12558318/
Chapter 273: Chen Laoshi and Mu Yue
Chapter 273: Chen Laoshi and Mu Yue
"Take the next four days to rest and recuperate. No training or missions are required of you," Hiruzen told the trio upon their return to Konoha.
The mission had been too dangerous for Obito and the others, in Hiruzen's opinion. It was their first official mission as ninjas, and they had faced such formidable foes and intense battles.
If it hadn't been for the fact that Obito's team was still new, Hiruzen would have considered giving them a whole week off to recover.
"Four days off in a row?" Obito scratched his head, feeling that the vacation was a bit long.
He wasn't used to having four days of rest all at once. Usually, after completing a mission with Mu Yue, they would rest that day and resume training the next, sometimes taking an extra day or two if the mission had been particularly tiring. But they had never taken four consecutive days off before.
"I think it's pretty standard, considering the level of enemies we faced," Kakashi said, unfazed by the length of the break.
When he was in other teams, it was common to take several days off after completing a C-rank or higher mission outside the village.
However, Kakashi didn't think the duration of the break mattered much. If all mentor ninjas were like Mu Yue, he doubted that any extra days off would be necessary.
Although Mu Yue's training pace was intense, she didn't force her students beyond their limits. In fact, the students often took the initiative to train during their breaks.
"Anyway, just relax and enjoy the next few days. Don't worry about the mission debrief; I'll take care of it," Hiruzen said with a gentle smile.
He needed to report the emergence of a new AB combination in the Land of Hot Water to the Hokage, Sarutobi.
This development was not favorable for Konoha, as it suggested that Kumogakure might be gathering forces in the Land of Hot Water to launch an attack on Fire Country's borders.
"Then, goodbye, Hiruzen-sensei," Obito said, waving cheerfully.
"Goodbye, Hiruzen-sensei," Kakashi added his farewells.
"Take care and make sure you rest too, Hiruzen-sensei," Rin said with a smile.
Initially, due to their previous impressions of Hiruzen, Obito and Kakashi addressed him as "senpai" or "captain." But after this mission, they had come to know him better, felt his concern for them, and recognized his position as their teacher. So, they started calling him "sensei."
"I will," Hiruzen waved goodbye and headed towards the Hokage building.
"Four days off, huh? I'm not even sure what to do with myself for that long," Obito said curiously to Rin. "What about you, Rin? Any plans?"
"I'll probably rest today and tomorrow and go through some medical ninjutsu materials. Then, for the last two days, I might seek advice from Teacher Mu Yue on some training issues. The ninja school term is about to start, so she might get busier," Rin replied after some thought.
Obito's eyes lit up as he found her plan reasonable. However, instead of waiting until the last two days to find Mu Yue, he decided to head straight to the Southern Border Forest for training tomorrow.
It wasn't his first encounter with the Deputy Lightning Shadow, and Hiruzen had protected them well. So, Obito didn't feel exhausted either physically or mentally.
"If I spend all four days training with Teacher Mu Yue, Kakashi will fall even further behind," Obito thought to himself.
He knew he had already lost the theoretical knowledge battle to Kakashi, and he didn't want to be surpassed in terms of strength as well.
"You're not planning to sleep the whole four days away, are you, Obito?" Rin teased.
"Well, I won't sleep for four days straight, but I will definitely be training," Obito replied vaguely, not revealing his specific plans.
"What about you, Kakashi?" Obito asked, turning to his teammate.
"Training," Kakashi replied concisely.
Kakashi's desire to become stronger was intense. He wanted to surpass not just Obito but Might Guy and Genma as well, and he wanted to defeat them in actual combat.
Rin's words had reminded Kakashi that with their vacation and Mu Yue's availability, these four days presented the perfect opportunity to train with her.
Seeing Kakashi's zealous expression, Obito changed his mind about resting that day. He would head home first and then directly to the Southern Border Forest for training.
If Kakashi spent the day training while he rested, their gap in strength would only narrow.
When they reached a crossroads, the three teammates parted ways and headed to their respective homes.
...
After becoming Might Guy's mentor, Chen Laoshi finally understood why Guy had such an incredibly strong body at his age.
To his other disciples, Chen Laoshi would admonish them for not training hard enough and urge them to train more to improve their strength.
But after witnessing Guy's training regimen, Chen Laoshi instead cautioned him not to overwork himself and risk damaging his body.
Even by Chen Laoshi's rather harsh standards, Guy's training volume was excessive.
"Haha, Chen Laoshi, don't worry. I've always trained like this. Teacher Mu Yue helped me adjust my training, so it won't be a problem," Guy laughed and explained.
"Teacher Mu Yue?"
"Mu Yue's full name is Yu Sheng Mu Yue. In my opinion, he is a ninja whose taijutsu skills are on par with yours," Guy said proudly.
Although Ebizu had told him that Chen Laoshi was the best in Konoha when it came to taijutsu, Guy felt that if Mu Yue used the Eight Inner Gates and the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist together, even Chen Laoshi wouldn't be a match for him.
Of course, due to Mu Yue's request, Guy didn't want to exaggerate, so he simply said that he felt Mu Yue was no worse than Chen Laoshi.
"Yu Sheng Mu Yue, is that the same Mu Yue who was in the Konoha Paper recently?" Chen Laoshi asked, vaguely recalling the name from the newspaper.
"Yes, that was when Teacher Mu Yue led us on a mission to deliver supplies, but we encountered an unexpected situation and ended up on a battlefield where Iwagakure had launched a large-scale attack. Teacher Mu Yue then led us to support the shinobi fighting there," Guy nodded.
Hearing this, Chen Laoshi could basically rule out the possibility of Mu Yue being a fraud. Anyone who could contribute in a battle involving jinchuriki was definitely not someone to be underestimated.
"Alright, find some time to talk to Yu Sheng Mu Yue and tell him I'd like to have a chat with him," Chen Laoshi said after some thought.
Seeing the respect in Guy's eyes when he spoke of Mu Yue, Chen Laoshi knew that the quickest way to resolve this issue was to speak to Mu Yue directly.
He was also curious about Mu Yue's taijutsu skills, which had apparently earned Guy's admiration.
"Okay, I'll go find Teacher Mu Yue after my training session," Guy agreed.
After their conversation, Chen Laoshi reminded Guy to take some time to rest before resuming his training.
Guy then walked towards a large tree where Hiashi Hyuga and Ebizu were taking a break in the shade.
"What did Chen Laoshi want to talk to you about? He looked so serious," Hiashi asked curiously in a low voice.
Ebizu, who had also been wondering about their conversation, turned to Guy expectantly.
"It's nothing much. He's just concerned that I might be overworking myself, so he told me to reduce my training intensity and get more rest," Guy replied honestly.
Hiashi's mouth twitched as he felt the unfairness of the world.
Not long ago, he had been reprimanded by Chen Laoshi for not training hard enough. To motivate him, Chen Laoshi had demonstrated his strength by kicking a large stone to pieces.
"But Chen Laoshi does have a point. Your training regimen is indeed a bit extreme, Akimichi. Just listening to it makes me tired," Hiashi acknowledged with a nod.
He had given up on asking Guy how he became so strong. After witnessing Guy's relentless and extreme training regimen firsthand, he understood.
As disciples of Chen Laoshi, they all underwent rigorous taijutsu training, as that was Chen Laoshi's forte, despite his proficiency in ninjutsu.
However, in Hiashi's opinion, Guy had taken it to a whole new level, bordering on self-torture. Just listening to Guy's routine exhausted him.
Hiashi felt that if he were in Guy's place, he might collapse from exhaustion before even finishing half of it.
"I'm fine, actually. I've always trained like this. Since I can't rely on natural talent like some geniuses, I have to make up for it with hard work and become a genius through effort!" Guy replied with a brilliant smile, giving Hiashi a thumbs-up.
"A genius of hard work..." Ebizu repeated the phrase, finding it very fitting for Guy.
If hard work was considered a talent, then Guy was undoubtedly one of the top geniuses in that regard, in Ebizu's opinion.
Before spending time training with Guy, Ebizu had wondered how a student like Guy, who wasn't from a shinobi clan and didn't have a powerful ninja as a father, could become so strong. Now, after just a few days of training together, Ebizu had his answer.
"If I had worked this hard back in the Academy, would I have been able to defeat Uchiha Obito?" Ebizu couldn't help but wonder.
Unfortunately, he would never know the answer to that question, as they had already graduated and become genin.
However, Ebizu had discovered a new path through Guy—with enough effort and persistence, anyone could rise to the top.
"Akimichi, I admire your dedication the most among our batch. You'll definitely be the strongest among us in the future," Hiashi said, patting Guy's shoulder.
With the powerful taijutsu Guy had displayed during the exam, which he hadn't even used in their graduation exam, Hiashi believed that Guy had surpassed Obito by a large margin.
"Akimichi will definitely become strong. You, on the other hand, should be more concerned about yourself. Why are you still resting when you've already taken so much time off from training?" Chen Laoshi appeared silently behind Hiashi, his voice calm.
"How do you move so silently?" Hiashi muttered to himself before quickly getting up to begin his training.
Without waiting for Chen Laoshi to say anything, Ebizu also stood up and began his training. The past couldn't be changed, but they could start anew from this moment.
(End of Chapter)
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