Chapter 85: Discovering a New System Mechanic
Chapter 85: Discovering a New System Mechanic
On Saturday morning, Mu Yue had arranged for her shadow clone to guide her disciples while her main body stayed at home in Konoha's main district to teach cooking to her students, Mizuaki and Kushina.
The reason for not switching and having her shadow clone teach cooking while her main body instructed the disciples was that the shadow clone didn't benefit from the Chef skill boost.
Mu Yue was proficient in using shadow clones for ninjutsu, but when it came to cooking or teaching skills, the clones didn't receive the same enhancement.
Mu Yue took out a fish and placed it on the chopping board, demonstrating to Mizuaki and Kushina as she explained, "To prepare the fish, first, make an angled cut behind the gills to sever the spine."
With a swift motion, Mu Yue beheaded the fish and continued, "Now, for the fish head, we'll make a small incision near the gill cover. This will help it hold its shape when we fry it later, making the dish look much more presentable."
"No wonder my dishes never looked quite right," Kushina exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization.
As they proceeded to fillet the fish, Mu Yue cautioned them to control their strength and cut only three-quarters of the way through the flesh, being careful not to pierce the skin, as that would be considered a failure in terms of presentation.
At this step, Mu Yue provided each of them with a fish to practice on.
Mizuaki did fairly well, though he erred on the side of caution and didn't cut deep enough, while Kushina accidentally sliced through the skin.
"Haha, this fish is too soft. I cut right through it," Kushina remarked, trying to find an excuse in the fish's texture.
"Would you want to eat a fish with tough meat?" Mu Yue countered with a helpless smile.
Fortunately, Mu Yue had come prepared and handed Kushina another fish to try again.
With her previous experience, Kushina made a few more careful cuts before finally piercing the skin, showing significant improvement.
"I think I'll leave the fish cutting to you from now on," Kushina said solemnly, deciding not to wrestle with the fish further to save Mu Yue's time.
The lesson continued with Mu Yue meticulously explaining each step and then letting the couple practice it themselves.
This method of teaching was slow, and by noon, they had not yet completed preparing a single dish of Squirrel Fish, only finishing the breakdown of the process.
It wasn't until past two in the afternoon that Mu Yue finally guided them through making their own versions of the dish.
They had technically completed it, but the presentation varied greatly.
"I followed each step carefully, but how did it still turn out so different from yours?" Kushina wondered, comparing her dish to Mu Yue's.
"We're still newcomers to this," Mizuaki chimed in. "With more practice, I'm sure our dishes will look better."
Mizuaki was quite pleased with himself, considering he had managed to create such a complex-looking dish.
If there were difficulty levels for learning dishes, Mizuaki thought this Squirrel Fish dish would be at least a B-rank.
He immediately added it to his menu for when Jiraiya returned.
[Lecturing Complete]
[Evaluation: B]
[Reward Received: Magical Mapo Tofu Recipe]
Just as Mu Yue was about to say something, the system suddenly popped up with a notification.
"Does teaching cooking count as lecturing? And does it count even though I only taught two people?" Mu Yue's mind raced with questions.
She had taught before without triggering this reward, and she wondered why it was different this time.
After some contemplation, Mu Yue speculated that the system might not only consider the number of students but also their strength. Although she had only taught Mizuaki and Kushina, their high skill levels might have factored into the evaluation.
As for why teaching cooking previously hadn't triggered the reward, Mu Yue suspected it might have been due to the shorter duration and less comprehensive instruction.
This lecturing conclusion took Mu Yue by surprise, and the reward, a recipe, seemed a bit abstract. If she recalled correctly, it was a recipe from the culinary manga, "Cooking Master Boy."
Kushina and Mizuaki each tasted their attempts at Squirrel Fish and smiled with satisfaction. Although the presentation left something to be desired, the flavor was delightful.
However, Mu Yue's version of the dish was devoured first during the meal. While their own creations were good, Mu Yue's was irresistibly fragrant.
"Mu Yue, thank you so much for taking the time to teach us today. It took up most of your day," Mizuaki said with a gentle smile.
"It was no trouble at all," Mu Yue replied with a smile, indicating that they shouldn't worry about it. "And speaking of help, you two have often cleared up my doubts about sealing jutsu."
"Speaking of sealing jutsu, how is your progress with the Three-Finger Seal?" Kushina asked.
"I've made some headway in the first three days," Mu Yue shared her initial insights.
"That's good progress. The time it will take to master it should be close to my estimate," Kushina nodded, encouraged by Mu Yue's dedication.
While Kushina conceded that Mu Yue was the superior chef, she believed that when it came to sealing jutsu, no one in the ninja world could surpass her.
"I'll write down my insights on sealing jutsu and give them to you later," Kushina offered.
She was the type to always return a favor, and so she wanted to reciprocate Mu Yue's thorough cooking lesson with something the younger woman would appreciate.
On the evening of the same day, Obito informed Mu Yue that he would once again be applying to take the Taijutsu Challenge on Sunday.
"Are you ready?" Mu Yue asked with a smile, slowly unfurling three test papers from a scroll.
Seeing the three test papers in Mu Yue's hand, Obito's face fell. Regardless, he really didn't want to do the tests.
However, as Obito glanced at Maito Guy and Kakashi practicing in the distance and recalled their conversation from yesterday, his fighting spirit ignited.
"Teacher Mu Yue, I'm ready. This time, I will definitely succeed!" Obito declared.
Ever since his crushing defeat last Saturday, he had been rigorously training for a whole week, and now he chose to believe in the fruits of his labor.
Seeing Obito's confidence, Mu Yue handed him the admission fee and began setting up the challenge course.
The next morning, Obito arrived early, even earlier than Kakashi, at the training ground.
After Obito finished his warm-up exercises, Mu Yue led him to the challenge area she had prepared.
"Just like before, keep running eastward, and you'll eventually reach the finish line," Mu Yue reminded him.
Obito nodded and immediately dashed off at full speed in the direction Mu Yue had indicated.
Having learned from his previous lesson, Obito didn't look back at his shadow clone; instead, he paid close attention to his surroundings for any traps or mechanisms.
Thanks to his cautious attitude, Obito made it past the first few traps unscathed and soon arrived at the giant pendulum obstacle, where massive trees swung back and forth.
Without hesitation, Obito charged in, relying on his incredible speed to dash through without a scratch.
Accustomed to running with weights, Obito felt exceptionally light and agile without them, and his running speed increased significantly.
Having overcome the point where he had failed last time, Obito felt much more relaxed, and a brilliant smile spread across his face.
"As long as I'm serious, this challenge is not a big deal."
However, Obito's triumphant moment didn't last long. Just moments after he finished speaking, he fell into a large pit that Mu Yue had dug.
"That's one point deducted," Mu Yue's warm voice rang out.
Obito quickly jumped out of the pit and then cautiously sprinted forward, no longer daring to be careless.
The consequences of being careless were too severe—not only would he have to restart the challenge, but he'd also have to answer an additional hundred questions.
While the former was unpleasant, the latter was downright terrifying.
After running carefully for a long time, Obito spotted a kunai stuck in a log. A flag attached to the kunai fluttered in the breeze, and on it was written the word "Finish."
Obito's face lit up with a brilliant smile once more.
"So, this is the finish line. There are still two points left to be deducted, but careful me is still awesome," Obito boasted, striding towards the kunai with a look of utter disdain for his teammates.
At this moment, Obito felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Overcoming these difficult challenges through his hard work and extraordinary caution gave him a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
However, just as Obito was about to reach the kunai, he was suddenly lifted into the air. He had not expected there to be another trap right at the finish line!
"That's another point deducted," Mu Yue's voice rang out again.
Obito quickly freed himself from the trap, no longer daring to smile. He was afraid that if he smiled again, he might lose that last point and end up with those three test papers.
After carefully inspecting his surroundings, Obito finally crossed the finish line.
Only then did Mu Yue appear and say, "Even though only one point remains, you've still succeeded."
"Hahaha, yes!" Obito couldn't help but jump for joy, laughing out loud without a care. He no longer had to worry about failing and facing those dreaded test papers.
"Finally, I can learn the Rasengan along with Kakashi and Maito Guy!"
"Who told you that you can learn the Rasengan now?" Mu Yue asked, confused.
"Didn't you say that after completing the Taijutsu Challenge, I could learn it?" Obito asked, perplexed.
"Yes, that's right. After completing the Taijutsu Challenge... but you've only finished the first part, the Forest Sprint. You still haven't completed the second part," Mu Yue explained.
Obito thought for a moment, eventually recalling the relevant information from a corner of his memory. Indeed, there was a second part to the challenge!
"The second part is called the River Sprint. You need to sprint from one bank of the river to the other within the time limit without falling into the water," Mu Yue explained.
"Is that all?" Obito asked, his face lighting up with joy.
Wasn't that just treading water? For him, that was too simple.
"After you start, I will release ninjutsu on the river's surface to create some interference," Mu Yue said with a smile.
"Will it be Water Dragon Bullets again?" Obito asked.
Mu Yue nodded. Indeed, it would be Water Dragon Bullets, but there would be a lot more of them this time.
With Mu Yue's confirmation, Obito relaxed his expression. So, it was just Water Dragon Bullets and treading water—a training exercise he had already mastered.
"Teacher Mu Yue, I want to start the second part of the challenge," Obito said, eager to complete the challenge and begin practicing the Rasengan.
(End of Chapter)
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