Chapter 386: Yang-Style Breathing Technique (6k)

Chapter 386: Yang-Style Breathing Technique (6k)



"I wonder what it feels like to hit Kakashi-sensei on the head." A mischievous smirk appeared on Naruto Uzumaki's face as well.

Having witnessed Yamato getting hit on the head by Kakashi the night before and seeing his blissful expression, Naruto was curious to experience it for himself.

Kakashi, who was still strategizing, suddenly felt a chill at the back of his head.

He reached back and rubbed the spot, looking around in confusion but couldn't spot anything amiss.

"Who wants to go first?" Mu Yue asked, looking at Yamato and Naruto.

"I'm the team leader, so I should go first." Yamato immediately stepped forward, his posture exuding confidence as if to say, "Who else but me?"

"But it's not right to let the team leader go first. I'll go instead." Naruto rubbed his palms together eagerly.

While the two were conversing with Mu Yue, they would occasionally glance at Kakashi, which left him perplexed as to why they were all staring at him.

Feeling their constant gaze, Kakashi drew out his White Fang Ninjato and examined it, but found nothing unusual.

"Yamato spoke first, so let him go first." Mu Yue replied after a moment's thought.

On the first day, Kakashi and his team had already experienced Naruto's formidable chakra, so he thought it would be better to let Yamato, who possessed Wood Release, go first this time.

Yamato smiled slightly and stepped forward, standing before Kakashi's team, he formed the opposing seal.

Kakashi's team nodded to each other and simultaneously formed the opposing seal as well.

"Begin!" Mu Yue shouted as soon as both sides were ready.

As soon as Mu Yue's voice fell, Kakashi and Obito immediately heightened their concentration on their breathing, enhancing their physical abilities.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Obito swiftly formed the seals, gathering chakra in his throat before converting it into fire-natured chakra and spitting it out as a massive fireball that hurtled towards Yamato.

Shush!

Entering the Water Style breathing state, Hinata Hyuga sprinted forward, throwing several shuriken at Yamato.

"Wood Style: Wood Pillar Wall!"

Yamato calmly formed the seals on the spot, and with the power of his wood-natured chakra, rows of wooden pillars rapidly grew from the ground and curved to form an arched wall, protecting him within.

Boom!

The giant fireball smashed into the wooden arch, causing a violent explosion that sent flames surging in all directions.

Something surprising happened that left Obito astonished. His powerful fireball had failed to break through the wooden arch.

Though the arch bore the brutal marks of the fire, it remained intact, and Hinata's shuriken were also effortlessly deflected by Yamato's wooden defense.

"Wood Release wood is different from ordinary trees, so don't be careless." Kakashi warned, his grip tightening on his White Fang Ninjato.

Even though Mu Yue had easily defeated Yamato, and his Wood Release had little impact during that battle, Kakashi wouldn't underestimate this bloodline limit that had only appeared in the God of Ninja.

Usually, Kakashi would take advantage of Obito's fireball and use the Lightning Style breathing technique to launch a swift surprise attack. However, facing an unfamiliar Wood Release ninja, Kakashi chose to gather information first.

"Wood Style: Thorn Binding Technique!"

Yamato suddenly burst out from behind the wooden wall, running while swiftly forming hand seals.

Thorny wooden tendrils shot out from the ground, reaching for the three of them like grasping thorns.

Seeing this, Obito further concentrated his breathing, entering the Fire Style chakra mode. He was determined to burn these wooden tendrils with his most intense flames.

After all, this was just a training exercise, and he could afford to be bolder. In a real battle, Obito wouldn't be so quick to reveal his trump cards.

"Fire Style: Flame Punch!"

Obito gathered a large amount of chakra in his fist, and due to being in the Fire Style chakra mode, the chakra instantly transformed into raging flames.

The fire on Obito's fist flickered in intensity, but this wasn't due to a lack of control. Instead, he was compressing the flames into a more concentrated form.

As Obito compressed the flames on his fist to their utmost limit, the wooden tendrils created by Yamato's Wood Release drew closer to his body.

Boom!

Obito unleashed his fist, blazing with crimson flames, and the combination of immense force and scorching heat caused the wooden tendrils to shatter instantly.

"What kind of jutsu is this? Won't the flames hurt yourself?" Yamato was perplexed by Obito's flaming punch.

According to standard ninja theory, Fire Style ninjutsu was detrimental to the user as well.

"Lightning Flash!"

Kakashi's feet and palms glowed with dazzling lightning, and with the activation of his lightning-natured chakra and the enhancement of the breathing technique, his physical abilities surged. With a single sprint and a swift swing of his blade, he sliced through all the wooden tendrils on his side.

Pat! The severed tendrils fell limply to the ground.

If Obito's technique had left Yamato somewhat perplexed, Kakashi's display of prowess astonished him.

"Is this how Kakashi-senpai used to fight?" Yamato wondered, his confusion growing.

In his recollection, Kakashi was a well-rounded jonin proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. In battles, he either relied on his vast repertoire of jutsu to counter his opponents or utilized his lightning-natured techniques and Sharingan.

However, this younger version of Kakashi seemed to excel in swordsmanship above all else.

Yamato couldn't help but find it odd, as he barely recalled Kakashi ever fighting with a sword.

"Could it be because of the Sharingan?" Yamato speculated that the Sharingan had influenced Kakashi's fighting style.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Claw Blaze!"

Not giving Yamato much time to ponder, Obito unleashed a barrage of shuriken, each one imbued with flames, speeding towards Yamato.

Aware of Yamato's mastery over large-scale Water Style jutsu, Obito refrained from using his most powerful Fire Style jutsu, the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

While the Phoenix Flower Claw Blaze lacked the sheer destructive power of the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, it excelled in penetration and small-scale strikes.

"Wood Style: Raging Fire Bullet!"

Yamato remained calm and continued forming seals, simultaneously performing Water and Earth Style transformations to generate wood-natured chakra. A colossal tree sprouted from his body, intercepting the incoming attacks.

Kakashi focused his breathing to the utmost limit, entering a state of heightened perception, ready to join forces with Obito for an all-out assault.

However, upon entering this state, Kakashi's movements suddenly hesitated.

Without changing his expression, Kakashi gave Obito a subtle signal before continuing his charge towards Yamato.

Although Obito didn't know Kakashi's plan, he followed Kakashi's lead and rushed towards Yamato with full force.

Hinata kept a close eye on Yamato, ready to provide support with her Water Style jutsu at any moment.

Just then, another Yamato silently appeared behind Hinata.

The Yamato who had emerged first was actually a Wood Release clone, and his true body had used Earth Style to sneak around and reach Hinata's side.

Even though this was the younger version of Kakashi, he was still the dependable Kakashi-senpai, and Yamato didn't let down his guard. He prepared to bring this battle to a steady conclusion.

With his Transparent World activated, Kakashi had already discovered Yamato lurking underground, but he pretended not to notice in order to catch Yamato off guard.

Yamato's Wood Clone attempted to block Kakashi with Wood Release, but Tobirama, having activated his Fire Style chakra mode, rushed forward with an inflamed fist, thwarting his attempt.

Kakashi moved with incredible speed, and Yamato made a split-second decision to abandon the nearby Hanare, erupting his chakra to create numerous giant trees to impede Kakashi's advance.

Hanare, seeing Kakashi rushing towards her, immediately reacted by gathering her chakra and throwing a heavy punch behind her.

However, Yamato had already given up on the attack, launching Hanare a short distance away, so her punch didn't connect. Although Kakashi slashed through many of the obstructing giant trees, he was unable to harm Yamato.

Kakashi retreated at full speed with Hanare, his expression untroubled.

Yamato had, after all, been a captain of the ANBU, and Kakashi would have been surprised if he had lost due to a slight change in the situation. That would have made him doubt the abilities of future ANBU members.

Tobirama's Wood Clone directly transformed into vines to restrain him, but Tobirama's body was engulfed in flames, reducing the vines to ashes and freeing himself.

"Amazing. If it were me a few years ago, without knowing the information, I really might have lost," Yamato thought in admiration.

Mu Yue's class was far stronger than he had anticipated. Kakashi and Tobirama's performance was on par with that of jonin, and although Hanare hadn't shown much, it was evident that she had good combat skills.

"Wood Style: Woodland Birth!"

Yamato mobilized a large amount of his chakra, unleashing the strongest Wood Style ninjutsu he could use.

In reality, he had practiced the Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu, a powerful Wood Style ninjutsu that could instantly create a vast forest, but Yamato didn't have enough chakra, so he settled for the Woodland Birth, a watered-down version of the Wood Dragon. It was far inferior in both power and scope.

Although it couldn't compare to the Wood Dragon, this was indeed the largest area Wood Style that Yamato could muster.

Under the influence of a large amount of Wood Style chakra, trees sprouted from the ground and grew rapidly. In the blink of an eye, dozens of giant trees surrounded Kakashi and his team.

"So this is the power of a Wood Style user?" Tobirama marveled as he watched the golden desert transform into a small forest.

Compared to Yamato's previous jutsu, he felt that this was the true Wood Style.

Under Yamato's control, the rapidly growing trees all lashed out at the trio with their branches. These trees were not meant for mere decoration.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Tobirama directly unleashed his most powerful Fire Style jutsu, and with the enhancement of his Fire Style chakra mode, he soon spat out a small sea of fire.

The extremely high-temperature red flames engulfed the approaching branches and turned many trees into fiery pillars, expanding the inferno.

Due to the intensity of the flames, Hanare had no choice but to use Water Style to protect herself and Kakashi.

As for Tobirama, being in his Fire Style chakra mode made it difficult for the flames to harm him.

Tobirama caught his breath and turned to Kakashi. His chakra had been significantly depleted, and he could now barely maintain his Fire Style chakra mode.

Recently, for reasons unknown to him, his chakra had increased considerably. Otherwise, he would have exited the Fire Style chakra mode by now.

Kakashi nodded. Tobirama had cleared most of the obstacles for him, and the outcome of the battle now depended on Kakashi's performance.

Although the towering flames obstructed Kakashi's vision, his Transparent World could penetrate the barriers and lock onto Yamato, who was at the edge of the forest.

"Water Style: Water Wave Hand!"

Seeing the ferocity of the flames, Yamato released a wave of water with his hand, intending to extinguish Tobirama's fire completely.

Hiss!

Kakashi exhaled a white breath, and the large amount of chakra he had gathered in his body transformed into lightning-attribute chakra, enveloping his body in an electric glow.

He gripped the White Fang Ninjato tightly, mobilizing all his strength without wasting a bit.

"Lightning Flash!"

Boom!

Amidst the sea of flames, a thunderclap rang out, followed by a dazzling flash of lightning that sliced through the fire and split the incoming tidal wave in two. It rushed towards Yamato with the force to cut through anything in its path.

Yamato's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Kakashi approaching. He had thought Kakashi was already fast enough, but he hadn't realized that Kakashi hadn't been using his full speed in the previous battle.

With this realization, Yamato no longer held back. Tall trees sprouted rapidly in front of him, and those that hadn't been affected by the fire also strained to obstruct Kakashi's path.

Swish!

Boom!

A flash of lightning streaked through, and the giant trees toppled over one after another, but Kakashi continued to forge ahead.

Yamato remained expressionless as he continued to channel his chakra.

Countless attacking branches and vines were slashed by Kakashi, and his body grew increasingly weary.

When he was only ten meters away from Yamato, Kakashi's sprint slowed.

At five meters, Kakashi finally reached his limit. He couldn't cut through the thick branches entangling him and was left hanging helplessly.

Seeing Kakashi come to a halt, Yamato breathed a sigh of relief. This battle had been more challenging than he had anticipated.

The younger Kakashi's fighting style was completely different from the one he remembered, and his strength exceeded his expectations. Tobirama's Fire Style was also intimidating, with his final Fire Dragon Flame Bullet surpassing the power of many jonin's fire jutsu.

Looking at Kakashi, bound by the branches and appearing powerless, Yamato's anger rose, and he struck Kakashi's head again.

After hitting him, Yamato felt refreshed, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Kakashi looked at Yamato with a puzzled expression. This strike had no purpose; it wouldn't knock him out, nor would it restore his fighting ability.

"Sorry, I just can't help but hit you when I see your face," Yamato apologized sincerely.

Kakashi: ...

If he ever met someone in the future who looked very similar to Yamato and had the same name, he would definitely give him a punch without hesitation, blaming it on his impulse upon seeing the resemblance.

"I wonder why Kakashi-senpai gave up on Lightning Style sword techniques?" Yamato wondered, perplexed.

He felt that the current Kakashi was excellent, and if he continued on this path, he might become even stronger.

After all, the current Kakashi was already capable of defeating a jonin at the age of ten. With another seventeen years of training, it wasn't impossible for him to become a Kage-level powerhouse.

However, the younger Kakashi couldn't answer Yamato's question. Only the future Kakashi could provide that answer, and Yamato tucked away his curiosity to continue the training.

The group then moved to another location for further training, as Yamato's Wood Release, combined with Obito's Fire Release, had left their previous spot in a state of disarray.

Naruto Uzumaki's battle with Kakashi, on the other hand, was a straightforward affair.

Naruto didn't hold back, employing his signature Multi-Shadow Clone Technique and Rasengan to overwhelm Kakashi and his team with sheer force.

During the fight, Naruto managed to land a hit on Kakashi's head, as he had hoped.

Naruto originally didn't want to laugh, especially since this was his future teacher, Kakashi, but he just couldn't help himself.

As the training session came to an end, Kakashi's face darkened as he finally understood the source of his earlier foreboding feeling.

If fate were to make him Naruto's teacher once again, he vowed to show Naruto the true meaning of "tough love."

"Naruto, is that all you've got?" Obito couldn't help but tease after the training.

He envied Naruto's vast chakra reserves, as the Shadow Clone Technique seemed to cost him next to nothing. If he had Naruto's reserves, he could probably use the Flame Breathing Chakra Mode as if it were a regular breathing technique.

"Of course not, don't underestimate me," Naruto replied, shaking his head.

How could he only know the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique and Rasengan? He also had the Sexy Technique and Harem Technique up his sleeve, not to mention the Rasenshuriken.

"Sometimes, it's a good idea to focus on mastering a few useful techniques and developing them further," Mu Yue remarked thoughtfully.

While it was true that Naruto relied primarily on his clones and Rasengan in battle, that didn't make him any less formidable.

"Naruto's Rasengan is indeed impressive," Obito conceded, unable to deny the sheer power and versatility of the technique.

"If you want to learn it, I can teach you," Naruto offered generously.

He felt a connection with Obito and didn't mind sharing his knowledge.

If Obito could master the Rasengan, it would be Naruto's contribution to strengthening Kakashi's team and changing history.

"I want to learn, big brother Naruto!" Obito exclaimed, feeling that his newfound bond with Naruto was already paying off.

Mu Yue's expression turned slightly awkward. Learning the Rasengan from Naruto would be akin to creating it from scratch.

However, she didn't want to dampen Obito's enthusiasm, and since Naruto was willing to teach, she saw no harm in letting Obito try.

Having suffered two consecutive defeats, Kakashi and his team were brimming with fighting spirit as they threw themselves into night training, while Mu Yue turned her attention to guiding Naruto and Yamato in their cultivation.

Naruto's Multi-Shadow Clone Technique and Rasengan were already perfected to the point where he needed no further guidance, so Mu Yue decided to instruct him in taijutsu.

Thanks to Maito Gai, Mu Yue had acquired a wealth of taijutsu rewards, and in the world of ninjas, few could match her understanding of the art.

After all, the wealth of taijutsu training experience in her mind was something no one could ever hope to gain in a single lifetime—it was the power of an external cheat.

As for Yamato, Mu Yue chose to teach him Water Release and the Water Breathing Technique.

Yamato typically relied on three types of jutsu in battle: Wood Release, Earth Release, and Water Release.

While Mu Yue didn't possess the Wood Release bloodline limit, her skill in Earth Release chakra nature transformation, though at the Proficient level, was not particularly high.

Mu Yue had no qualms about teaching breathing techniques to Yamato and Naruto, but at the moment, she didn't have a suitable breathing technique for Naruto.

Naruto's personality was well-suited for the Flame Breathing Technique, but as he didn't use Fire Release, learning the Wind Breathing Technique would be more beneficial, as it could also amplify the power of his Rasenshuriken.

After developing the Wind Breathing Technique, Mu Yue had been working on a Yang-attribute breathing technique, hoping that combining it with Fire Release would eventually lead to the creation of the Sun Breathing Technique.

Naruto had arrived a bit too early, as Mu Yue was still in the process of developing the Yang-attribute breathing technique, and a few more months might have seen the birth of a prototype.

"Enhances chakra shape transformation and boosts Water Release jutsu!" Yamato's eyes widened in surprise as he listened to Mu Yue explain the effects of the Water Breathing Technique.

As the captain of the ANBU, he had come across many secret techniques, but he had never heard of anything as versatile and powerful as the Water Breathing Technique.

It could enhance physical abilities, accelerate healing, and amplify Water Release jutsu, and with enough mastery, one could enter the Water Breathing Chakra Mode and freely utilize Water Release jutsu.

Not only had he never encountered such a technique, but Yamato had also never even heard of its existence.

"Could it be that it was lost along with Mu Yue-senpai's death?" Yamato wondered aloud.

In just two days, he had grown to admire this ninja named Mu Yue.

"Mu Yue-senpai, don't you want to know about the future? Aren't you worried about potential dangers that might befall you at some point?" Yamato asked delicately, hoping to share his suspicions about Mu Yue's death with her.

"There's no need for that. We create our own future," Mu Yue replied with a gentle smile.

Yamato sighed inwardly but soon immersed himself in the study of the Water Breathing Technique under Mu Yue's adept tutelage. Indeed, he discovered that Mu Yue's teaching abilities were exceptional.

[Lesson Complete]



[Evaluation: S]



[Rewards: Water Chakra Nature Transformation +2, Water Breathing Technique +1, Minor Increase in Taijutsu Experience]



To Mu Yue's surprise, at the end of the training session, she received an S-rank evaluation for her teaching, something she hadn't expected.

Based on her experience, it usually took dozens of students to trigger the lesson reward, with the only exception being when she taught Minato and Kushina, a class of just two students.

However, it was clear that Naruto and Yamato's abilities were far below those of Minato and Kushina.

Mu Yue pondered this, then realized that she had overlooked something. When it came to potential appraisals, the system was rather rigid. For example, members of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans often had disproportionately high potential ratings compared to their actual combat prowess. Some even surpassed that of the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, despite possibly struggling to last a few rounds against them in battle.

So, Mu Yue boldly speculated that the system's assessment of strength was largely based on chakra quantity. And in that regard, both Yamato and Naruto had considerable reserves.

Furthermore, considering Kushina and Naruto's connection to the Nine-Tails, Mu Yue ventured an even bolder theory: perhaps Minato and Kushina were the ones who triggered the lesson reward, and Yamato was just along for the ride.

This train of thought gave rise to an idea: Could she speed up the development of the Yang-attribute breathing technique by teaching it as part of her lessons?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end