https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-336-Predicting-Each-Other-s-Moves/12558446/
Chapter 337: Kakashi: Has Kakashi Ever Lost?
Chapter 337: Kakashi: Has Kakashi Ever Lost?
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Anko performed the hand seals with impeccable precision, channeling her chakra and infusing it with fire nature transformation before spitting out a fireball the size of her head.
As the flames left a charred mark on the ground, a smug smile appeared on Anko's face.
"Heh, I'm the best! I'll definitely be first place in Group C next time!" Anko boasted, hands on her hips.
Beside her, Kotetsu, who had only managed to produce some small electric arcs, quietly stopped his practice.
"Izumo, do you think Fire Style is easier to learn? It seems like those who practice it progress faster," Kotetsu remarked to his companion, Izumo Kamizuki, who was practicing Water Style.
Izumo nodded in agreement and added thoughtfully, "I think so too. Maybe Teacher Mu Yue is most proficient in Fire Style, so she teaches it better than the others."
Anko bristled at the suggestion, "Is it that hard to admit that I'm exceptionally talented? No matter how much you downplay my strength, it's the truth."
"Yes, it is," Kotetsu replied honestly.
He would rather spar with his cousin than sincerely praise Anko's talent.
"In my opinion, there's only one genius in our class, and that's Kakashi. Since you've also learned Fire Style jutsu, why don't you challenge Kakashi sometime? If you win, I guarantee everyone in the school will acknowledge you as a genius," Izumo goaded.
Izumo acknowledged that Anko had some skill, but compared to Kakashi, he wasn't sure if she could win even against Kakashi from last year.
Although Kakashi hadn't joined the special training this year, Izumo believed he was probably undergoing more rigorous training within his clan, learning their secret jutsu, and his strength must have increased even further.
"Why don't you go and try? If you win, I'll even call you brother," Anko retorted, not falling for Izumo's bait.
To be honest, the idea of being recognized as a genius by the entire school held some appeal for Anko. However, she wasn't foolish. Having witnessed Kakashi in battle, she knew that his Fire Style jutsu from a year ago were far superior to hers, and she stood no chance of winning; she would only end up getting beaten.
Izumo wore a disappointed expression, feeling that Anko had been tricked so many times that she had developed an immunity, and it was becoming harder to persuade her with mere words.
"Everyone, gather around," Mu Yue's voice rang out.
The students from the three groups quickly ceased their training and gathered around Mu Yue, even though the end of class was nearing. Instead of resting, they were all focused on improving their skills.
"The Third Hokage has heard about your diligent studies, and he plans to come and observe your final exam, offering guidance if needed," Mu Yue announced without beating around the bush.
This wasn't entirely surprising, as the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had visited last year as well. Nonetheless, the students were excited, as the Third Hokage was highly popular among them, and his presence would further motivate their training.
"Teacher Mu Yue really has good connections. The Hokage didn't come to the second special training session last year."
"Maybe we should thank the teachers from the last special training. If they hadn't performed so poorly, Teacher Mu Yue might not have taken over again."
Upon hearing this news, the students first expressed delight, but soon began to complain about the previous year's second special training session.
During that time, Mu Yue had been occupied with the intern program, and Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to discover other talented educators, so he selected a few teachers who usually performed well in class to lead the special training.
Comparisons are inevitable, and after experiencing that second special training, the students had a deeper appreciation for Mu Yue's exceptional teaching abilities and realized that there were indeed differences among teachers.
"Izumo, it looks like our opportunity has come again!" Kotetsu said solemnly, looking at Izumo.
"Yes, it's been a year. Maybe the Hokage has forgotten about us, so we need to leave an even deeper impression this time," Izumo nodded, his expression turning solemn.
In his opinion, this was a crucial opportunity. If he and Kotetsu could impress the Hokage, they might be heavily favored even before their graduation.
"But aside from the Confusion Technique, we don't have any other noteworthy jutsu. We already used the Confusion Technique last time, so what should we do now?" Kotetsu frowned, concerned.
He, too, saw this as a rare chance, but he couldn't think of a way to showcase his abilities.
"That's true. While the Confusion Technique is excellent, using it a second time might not yield the same impact," Izumo mused.
"Izumo, you're usually full of ideas. Come up with something quickly," Kotetsu urged, placing his hopes in Izumo, who often came up with good strategies.
"I can't think of anything for now.
Of course, they didn't forget to invite their good brother, Anko.
However, Anko was busy cultivating and vying for the top spot in Group C, so he wasn't interested in their plan.
The two of them complained about Anko together, and without giving him a chance to react, they went off to find Ebizo.
For some reason, seeing Kotetsu and Izumi Kamizuki looking at him expectantly, Ebizo had a bad feeling about this.
"Ebizo, we need your help!" Kotetsu and Izumi Kamizuki said solemnly.
"Please teach us how to leave a deep impression on the Third Hokage."
Hearing this, Ebizo's lips twitched as he recalled the memories of last year's special training. Rather than leaving an impression, Ebizo hoped that the Third Hokage would forget the memories associated with him.
"How about this," Ebizo suggested after some thought. "At the end of the exam, follow the Fire Shadow and challenge him. Use your signature Confusion Technique to show your determination as a ninja."
To avoid being outmaneuvered, Ebizo decided to take the initiative so that he wouldn't be dragged into their scheme.
"As expected of Ebizo!" Kotetsu exclaimed, thinking that this idea was excellent.
Izumi Kamizuki nodded in agreement. Although it was a bit direct, sometimes a straightforward approach could yield unexpected results.
...
After a week of Stage Two training, Obito finally understood what truly challenging training was like.
The exhaustion from training during the day, coupled with homework in the evening, and being awakened from sleep at night, left him weary. In the morning, after releasing his shadow clone, he would feel the accumulated fatigue in his body.
If Obito were to describe how tired he felt, he would say that during his breaks, he didn't even have the energy to talk to Rin Nohara. Instead, he would use that time to rest with his eyes closed.
Of course, it wasn't just Obito who was exhausted. The others were equally worn out, both physically and mentally, to the point where they could only focus on training and sleeping, with no capacity to think about anything else.
The training intensity was high, but the results were evident for those who persevered. While they couldn't guarantee uninterrupted sleep yet, the four disciples could now maintain their breathing technique consistently while awake, increasing their training efficiency and improving their endurance.
Perhaps due to extreme fatigue, a protective mechanism was triggered, and Obito unknowingly completed the second stage of training. On the second Saturday of the training, he finally enjoyed a good night's sleep without any interruptions in his breathing technique.
On the same day, Kakashi also slept soundly, while Genma achieved his goal on Sunday, and Might Guy completed the task in the third week.
Guy's progress was slightly slower because he had focused on the Eight Inner Gates for a period, which set back his breathing technique proficiency.
Even though they had all completed the second stage, not all of their breathing techniques had reached the Proficient level. Only Kakashi and Obito had achieved Proficiency, while Genma and Guy were still a bit behind.
This was because Kakashi and Obito's breathing technique limits were already quite high. With Kakashi having entered the Transparent World and Obito unlocking half of his Sharingan, they were very close to Proficiency even before the constant training began. So, once they achieved uninterrupted breathing, they immediately reached the Proficient level.
Normally, one would need to complete the third stage of training to attain Proficiency. The third stage is an enhanced version of the second, requiring one to maintain the breathing technique for 24 hours while also focusing on intense breathing to further increase the technique's limit.
After the completion of the second stage, Mu Yue didn't immediately start the third stage but instead returned to their regular daily training.
After all, it had been almost a month of high-intensity training, coupled with the moderately intense period during the Chunin Exams. It was time to give Obito and the others a bit of a break.
"Genma, would you like to spar with me?" Kakashi challenged Genma during their lunch break.
He had intended to challenge Genma as soon as he recovered, but Mu Yue's constant training was so exhausting that Kakashi just wanted to rest after training and had no desire to fight.
After a couple of days of regular training, Kakashi felt that his spirit, energy, and focus had peaked, so he immediately challenged Genma.
Kakashi hadn't forgotten about his three consecutive losses—to Might Guy, Obito, and Genma. It was the first time he had lost to peers his age, and it had shaken his confidence, making him question if he was truly a genius or just an ordinary ninja.
Kakashi knew his chances of winning were slim, but he didn't want Mu Yue to think he was a coward afraid of failure.
As always, Mu Yue acted as the referee, and the other disciples who were resting also gathered to watch the spectacle.
"Go for it, Kakashi! I'm rooting for you!" Obito cheered, hoping Kakashi would give Rin Nohara a show by thoroughly defeating Kakashi.
"What a spirited day! Dear friend, let's have a match after this battle as well!" Might Guy shouted enthusiastically.
"Sure, but only if it's rock-paper-scissors," Kakashi replied expressionlessly.
Might Guy's smile instantly faded. While it was still a contest, how could a game of rock-paper-scissors compare to a real fight?
"Begin!" Mu Yue announced as the two opponents took their battle stances.
"Breath of Flames, Full Concentration!"
"Breath of Lightning, Full Concentration!"
They both focused their breathing, harnessing the power of their breathing techniques to augment their strength.
Kakashi knew from their Chunin Exam battle that Kakashi was now very strong, so he proceeded with caution.
Although Kakashi was unsure of Kakashi's current abilities, Kakashi's consistent display of superhuman talent made him wary.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Kakashi quickly formed the hand seals, channeling his chakra as he spat out two fireballs in rapid succession.
While the individual fireballs were less powerful, their combined area of effect was greater, making them ideal for probing.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Instead of using the high speed of his Lightning Breath to dodge, Kakashi chose to defend by erecting an earthen wall to block the fireballs.
Dodge would have been the less costly option in terms of chakra expenditure, but Kakashi was concerned about Kakashi's unknown abilities and opted for a more cautious approach.
In this battle, Kakashi was at an informational disadvantage. Kakashi had seen all of Kakashi's tricks during the Chunin Exam, but Kakashi had no idea what new jutsu Kakashi had mastered during this time.
If his opponent had been Obito, Kakashi wouldn't have been so cautious. But against Kakashi, who had the upper hand in terms of information, Kakashi felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
"He's definitely going to use his shadow clones to trick me again," Obito commented as he watched the earthen wall obscure his vision.
Obito had been tricked by Kakashi's shadow clones countless times; he had learned the hard way.
"Not necessarily," Rin Nohara interjected. "He didn't use shadow clones during the Chunin Exam."
"That's only because he knew I was too smart to fall for them," Obito explained smugly.
Rin covered her mouth and chuckled softly, refraining from commenting further. Indeed, during their battle in the Chunin Exam, Kakashi had not used shadow clones to deceive Obito. However, due to Obito's misjudgment, he had ended up burning the ground with his Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, which could be considered a form of deception.
Unlike Obito and Rin, who were focused on Kakashi, Might Guy paid more attention to Kakashi. He was curious to see how far this undisputed genius, who had consistently remained at the top since their first year, had progressed.
In Might Guy's eyes, Kakashi was also an undisputed genius. Even as a first-year student, he had possessed the strength to defeat a lower ninja. Despite Might Guy's relentless training, he had never managed to best Kakashi in battle.
"Teacher Mu Yue, who do you think will win?" Obito asked Mu Yue, who was sitting nearby.
No one knew their strengths better than Mu Yue.
"Just watch and you'll soon have your answer. But I suggest you have more confidence in your current strengths," Mu Yue replied, gently hinting at something.
Kakashi was undoubtedly a genius. The fact that he had maintained his position as the strongest disciple at the youngest age was proof of that.
However, the strength that Kakashi and the others now possessed was not merely the result of hard work. It was forged in the crucible of life-and-death battles—the Cloud Ninja and the Mist Ninja had pushed them to evolve and unlock new powers.
From Mu Yue's perspective, she could always intervene to ensure her disciples' safety. But for her disciples, it was different. During those two life-threatening encounters, Mu Yue had not been by their side. In their eyes, those had been genuine brushes with death.
4k words again. I can't stay up late anymore. I fell asleep at 3 a.m. yesterday, and today my mind is foggy, and I don't know what to write. So, I'll aim for 4k words today, go to bed early, get up early, and update early. I'll try to write more during the day.
(End of Chapter)
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