https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-336-Predicting-Each-Other-s-Moves/12558446/
Chapter 335: Five Self-Created Ninjutsu
Chapter 335: Five Self-Created Ninjutsu
PS: Readers who viewed the previous chapter yesterday or this morning may want to download and read it again, as I made some edits around noon to improve it.
"Today, we will begin the final training for the Constant Mid-Level exercise, which involves maintaining the breathing technique for a full day." Mu Yue announced.
The key to the Constant Mid-Level exercise was to be able to maintain the breathing technique for twenty-four hours straight. Although Deidara and Kakashi had already pushed the limits of their breathing technique, they had not truly completed this final stage of training.
"Do we need to focus on the intense concentration, or will normal breathing be enough?" Deidara scratched his head and asked.
If intense concentration was required, he doubted he could last even an hour, let alone a whole day.
"Normal breathing will suffice," Mu Yue assured them with a smile. "And you won't need to undergo too much training. The concentrated breathing for this exercise is relative and different from the extreme concentration required during battles. Since you haven't practiced breathing for a full day yet, we'll take it step by step."
Hearing this, Kakashi nodded. This meant that even though he hadn't fully recovered yet, he could still participate in the training.
"That sounds easy," Deidara said with a cheeky smile, thinking that this was a relaxing exercise after the Chunin Exams.
"Of course, to keep you motivated, there will be a penalty for failing to maintain your breathing state," Mu Yue continued, outlining the training rules. "Each time you break your concentration, you'll have to solve a problem. And if you don't resume your breathing within ten minutes, you'll get another problem to solve."
Although his disciples were diligent, Mu Yue believed that a little extra incentive was necessary to create a sense of urgency.
While this might not work for everyone, Deidara and Might Guy were the types who would respond to this approach.
As soon as Deidara heard Mu Yue's explanation, his smile vanished, and his expression turned solemn. His instincts had been right—they were indeed facing the dreaded problem-solving training once more.
While Mu Yue's problems had helped him achieve good results in the Chunin Exams, it hadn't made Deidara enjoy problem-solving any more. Just thinking about those black-and-white test papers made his head spin.
"This training is going to be tough," Might Guy said, his face taking on a look of grim determination. Despite his diligence, even he had not yet managed to maintain his breathing technique for a full day.
If given a choice, Might Guy would rather fight another Cloud ninja for an hour than solve problems.
Under Mu Yue's arrangement, all disciples except for Naru Lin began their final Constant Mid-Level training.
Naru Lin had only recently started learning the breathing technique, and she hadn't even reached the beginner level with Water Style Breathing yet. The Constant Mid-Level exercise was still too advanced for her.
Moreover, Naru Lin's current focus was on medical ninjutsu. Her role in the team was primarily as a healer, and her offensive ninjutsu weren't strong enough to be useful in direct combat. It was better to conserve her chakra for healing purposes.
Unfortunately, on the day the Chunin Exams ended, Mu Yue had taken Naru Lin to Tsunade's house, hoping to leave her in Tsunade's care, but he was unsuccessful.
With Naru Lin's talent for medical ninjutsu, she could have learned a lot from Tsunade.
It wasn't that Tsunade didn't care about Naru Lin, but she was about to leave for the Fire Country's capital and couldn't take on a student at that time.
Although he really didn't want to solve problems, Might Guy didn't change his training plan. After all, the strength he cultivated would be his own.
However, it was challenging to achieve perfection on the first attempt, and just two hours into the training, the first person failed to maintain their breathing technique.
"Kakashi, once," reported the shadow clone that had been assigned to monitor Kakashi, recording the failure.
"Kakashi, are you okay? It hasn't even been that long," Deidara teased as soon as he heard the news.
"It's just one problem. Do you think I'm like you? Even if it were ten problems, it wouldn't affect me," Kakashi replied nonchalantly after catching his breath.
He had been attempting to enter the Transparent World repeatedly, and each attempt required him to concentrate his breathing to the extreme. This was exhausting, even without the added physical training, and taking breaks didn't help much.
Kakashi could sense that he was close to truly entering the Transparent World, so he was focusing all his efforts on that, even setting aside his training in the Color of Armed Might.
If Mu Yue had known what Kakashi was thinking, he would have confirmed that Kakashi's guess was correct.
According to Mu Yue's assessment, Kakashi's proficiency in the Transparent World had already reached ninety percent. He only needed to improve by another ten percent to truly master it.
"Just grit your teeth and bear it. You'll be the one suffering when it's time to solve the problem," Deidara retorted, thinking that Kakashi was just putting on a brave face.
Kakashi didn't argue further and, after resting for a few minutes, reentered the breathing state.
Once his body had recovered, he intended to challenge Itachi again. It had been a while since they'd had a sparring match among the disciples, and Kakashi didn't know how strong Itachi was now. To ensure victory, Kakashi wanted to make himself as powerful as possible during this period, as improving his strength was never a bad idea.
Soon, just two and a half hours into the training, the second person failed to maintain their breathing technique—none other than Deidara, who had mocked Kakashi earlier.
Kakashi didn't say anything; he just glanced at Deidara and chuckled.
"The Fire Style Breathing chakra mode consumes a lot of energy," Deidara explained, his face slightly flushed.
It wasn't a problem with his endurance; he had just been practicing Fire Style jutsu like the Blazing Dash, which were very chakra-intensive, and that had caused him to lose focus momentarily.
No one responded, as everyone was busy training, so Deidara took a short break and then resumed his breathing technique.
As the training progressed, the number of people who struggled to maintain their breathing technique increased, and everyone had to concentrate hard just to keep going.
Even during the midday break, Mu Yue insisted that everyone maintain their breathing technique.
The afternoon session was even more challenging due to the morning's exertions, and the number of times people failed to maintain their breathing technique increased.
"Everyone has worked hard today. You can head back and get some rest early. Tomorrow, we'll continue with the same training regimen," Mu Yue reminded them.
For now, Kakashi and the others could still get a good night's rest, but once they reached the stage where they had to maintain their breathing technique even while sleeping, quality sleep would become a luxury.
"See you tomorrow!" Obito exclaimed, stumbling a little as he almost lost his balance.
Ever since their graduation, Mu Yue rarely conducted consecutive training sessions focused on problem-solving. Usually, it was only once a week or so.
Obito felt a shudder run through him as he imagined mountains of test papers crashing down on him, heralding the start of a miserable existence.
"Although the training is challenging, I believe in you, and I'm sure you'll complete the Constant Mid-Level exercise soon. When that happens, I'll treat you all to a feast to celebrate," Mu Yue encouraged them with a smile.
Obito swallowed his complaints, feeling motivated by Mu Yue's trust in them. How could he even think of giving up now?
The abundance of problems wasn't Mu Yue's fault; it was because he hadn't mastered the breathing technique well enough. It was his own shortcoming. If he could maintain his breathing state, he wouldn't have to solve so many problems.
Due to the ongoing summer intensive training, Mu Yue only sent a shadow clone to instruct Obito the next day, while his main body went to teach the students in the summer program.
The summer intensive training was now roughly halfway through.
On this particular day, Mu Yue gathered Groups B and A together to announce a new lesson plan.
"From now on, Groups B and A will be taking classes together temporarily, and we will be learning ninjutsu!" Mu Yue announced.
Group C would also be learning ninjutsu, but due to their slightly delayed curriculum, they would start a few days later.
"We're going to learn ninjutsu too?" One student exclaimed with delight. He had already thought it was incredible to be taught attribute changes without any enrollment fees, and now they were being offered ninjutsu as well.
Groups B and A were mostly composed of genin, with only a small number of exceptional students from the Ninja Academy. Nonetheless, for genin, the opportunity to learn ninjutsu from Mu Yue was a rare and valuable one.
After all, he was a formidable figure capable of battling tailed beasts, and his teaching abilities were exceptional.
"I wonder what kind of ninjutsu it will be," thought Hiden Hibachi, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
He still vividly remembered Mu Yue's performance on the first day of the intensive training, and if they were going to learn those five ninjutsu, it would be an incredibly worthwhile endeavor.
"This course isn't mandatory," Mu Yue explained. "If any of you feel that these ninjutsu won't be of much help to you, you can choose not to learn them. The ninjutsu I'll be teaching are some low-level techniques that I've created myself."
When Mu Yue decided to teach attribute changes, he also developed five ninjutsu specifically for instructional purposes. After all, learning attribute changes alone without any practical ninjutsu applications wouldn't be very useful in combat.
Although he possessed a wide array of low-level ninjutsu, for most students, even C-rank techniques like Phoenix Flower Fire and Great Fireball were not easily mastered.
Taking this into consideration, Mu Yue utilized his extensive knowledge of ninjutsu to further reduce the power of these techniques, creating five D-rank ninjutsu.
"These are ninjutsu created by Teacher Mu Yue himself!" Asuma's eyes lit up with excitement. The fact that these techniques were devised by Mu Yue, a ninjutsu prodigy, made them seem full of potential, even if they were low-level.
Asuma recalled when he first met Mu Yue; he could only use fire and water-style ninjutsu, but now he was proficient in all five nature transformations.
"Katon: Small Fireball Jutsu!"
Mu Yue instructed the students to spread out, and then he performed the necessary hand seals, exhaling a fireball that reached half the height of a person, leaving a charred mark on the ground.
Fire-style ninjutsu was Mu Yue's strongest suit at the moment. Not only had he achieved a perfect level in his attribute change for this nature, but he had also mastered a large number of advanced fire-style techniques. Hence, this D-rank fire ninjutsu was the easiest for him to develop.
Mu Yue had also conveniently devised more advanced versions: the C-rank 'Great Fireball Jutsu' and the B-rank 'Sea of Fire Jutsu.'
"Futon: Wind Cutter!"
Mu Yue performed the necessary hand seals once more, and a fierce gust of wind erupted from his palm, leaving deep gashes on the trunk of a nearby tree.
Among the five low-level ninjutsu he had created, this wind-style technique was the most challenging to master, as one's proficiency in attribute change needed to be reasonably high for wind-style attacks to be effective.
"Suiton: Water Blast!"
"Raiton: Lightning Beam!"
"Doton: Rock Pillar!"
Mu Yue swiftly demonstrated the remaining three ninjutsu: Water Blast involved exhaling a powerful stream of water, Lightning Beam emitted a bolt of electricity, and Rock Pillar caused rocks to protrude from the ground for offensive purposes.
He had further development plans for these techniques, such as enhancing the Water Blast by altering its form to increase its penetrative power and manipulating the Lightning Beam to move in a serpentine fashion.
Mu Yue was highly satisfied with the S-rank evaluation he had received for the intensive training, and he intended to continue offering these programs. If any of the participating ninjas wished to continue their training, they would have the opportunity to learn more advanced ninjutsu.
"I wish last year's intensive training had been like this," one student sighed wistfully.
It had been several months since his graduation, and his mentor still hadn't started teaching him ninjutsu. Instead, they had been doing various training exercises.
If he had learned these techniques while still in school, he would have been far ahead of his peers.
Even for genin, mastering techniques like the Great Fireball or Phoenix Flower Fire was considered impressive. Most newly graduated genin relied primarily on taijutsu and ninja tools for combat.
Many civilian genin empathized with this sentiment, understanding the challenges of the ninja path they had chosen.
If one happened to encounter a teacher who could help them identify their chakra attribute, it was considered a fortunate turn of events. However, if their natural attribute was water, for example, and they ended up with a mentor who specialized in fire-style ninjutsu, their progress would be hindered.
After the demonstration, Mu Yue created five shadow clones to instruct the students in the corresponding nature transformations for the ninjutsu.
"They've already started learning ninjutsu!" Gang Zitie exclaimed enviously, watching the activity of Group B and Group A.
Gang Zitie then asked the shadow clone of Mu Yue in Group C, "Teacher Mu Yue, when will we in Group C start learning ninjutsu?"
Gang Zitie looked at Mu Yue anxiously, afraid that he would say they wouldn't learn it at all.
"According to your current progress, probably in about four days." The shadow clone of Mu Yue replied after some thought.
It wasn't that he was partial; it was just that Group C's progress was indeed slower, so they would start a little later.
"Alright!" Gang Zitie was excited. Finally, he could learn other ninjutsu; he was sick of practicing the Three Body Technique.
Perhaps it was because they could only learn the Three Body Technique in school, but the students of the Ninja Academy had a great passion for learning ninjutsu.
After learning that the delay was due to their progress, the students of Group C studied nature transformation diligently, eager to learn ninjutsu as soon as possible.
This enthusiasm made them achieve the requirement a day earlier, and after three days, they also started learning ninjutsu from the shadow clone.
After learning ninjutsu for two weeks, a new practical exam arrived, and many students gained a deeper understanding of ninjutsu in battle. Being able to use ninjutsu and applying it effectively in combat were two different things.
After two practical exams, the special training also came to an end, as it only lasted for five weeks.
In the last week, at the strong request of many students, Mu Yue changed the special training schedule and extended it to six weeks.
"There are still many aspects of ninjutsu that we don't understand. Anyway, there's not much to do during the vacation, so Teacher Mu Yue, please teach us a little longer."
"Teacher Mu Yue, if it really doesn't work, let's not take a break on the weekends. If school starts, we definitely won't be able to learn this at school."
Many students begged Mu Yue to extend the training time or make up classes during the holidays.
Although if they added another week of classes, their summer vacation would be reduced to just a few days of rest, the students didn't seem to mind. There would always be vacations, but opportunities to learn ninjutsu were rare.
Compared to themselves, the students were more worried about Mu Yue, after all, Mu Yue had to teach so many people, which was much more tiring than learning.
Facing such eager students, Mu Yue had no reason to refuse. The harder one worked, the more one reaped. While teaching more classes was indeed tiring, the rewards were also greater.
However, this was an unplanned change, and Mu Yue reported the matter to Hiruzen Sarutobi when he went to his house to learn ninjutsu.
Nowadays, when Mu Yue went to Hiruzen Sarutobi's house, he usually did two things: first, he consulted with Hiruzen Sarutobi about ninjutsu and demonstrated his progress to solidify his genius persona, and second, he reported the progress of the special training.
Because of the large number of students this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi also paid special attention to this special training.
"If the students are willing, adding one more week of classes is fine. It's just hard work for you, Mu Yue." Hiruzen Sarutobi said, stroking his goat beard.
When Mu Yue set up the special training, he considered the students' vacation time. Even with the extension, the students would still have more than a week of vacation before the Ninja Academy started, and the lower ninja would have even more freedom.
"As long as the students can learn something, my hard work is worth it." Mu Yue said sincerely.
He meant what he said because the more the students learned, the more he would be rewarded.
"If every teacher were as excellent as you, the strength of the Ninja Academy students would definitely improve by leaps and bounds." Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but praise Mu Yue.
Hearing Mu Yue's sincere words, Hiruzen Sarutobi was touched.
Originally, a ninja of Mu Yue's caliber would not be allowed to teach at the Ninja Academy. With such strength, he could take on missions to earn a lot of money and resources, and by taking on high-difficulty missions, he could also enhance his reputation and build credentials for assuming high positions.
"Such outstanding ninjas should be given more rewards." Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to give Mu Yue more rewards to compensate him.
After discussing the extension of the teaching time, Mu Yue reported the progress of the students in this exam to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Your self-created ninjutsu?" Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a keen interest.
Mu Yue simply demonstrated his ninjutsu to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Although they are all very simple ninjutsu, they show your solid foundation in ninjutsu. Well done." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in approval.
"If school starts, the teachers will be surprised to find that the students have learned new ninjutsu." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.
Mu Yue's special training always brought him surprises. One could say that Mu Yue alone accomplished what all the teachers of the Ninja Academy together could not.
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment and decided to create a new position specifically for Mu Yue at the Ninja Academy.
The position of class monitor of the teacher's class could not be removed casually, and Mu Yue had basically reached the highest position in the Ninja Academy. If Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to promote Mu Yue further, he would have to either assign him to another position or create a new one.
Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to inspect the final exam and, if there were no problems, he would make Mu Yue the vice-principal of the Ninja Academy.
Since its establishment, the Ninja Academy had never had a vice-principal because the principal's position was so unique; the principal was the Hokage, so who could be the vice-principal?
Hiruzen Sarutobi now felt that Mu Yue's abilities were sufficient for the position of vice-principal.
(End of Chapter)
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