Chapter 696: Breathing Stream Sage Art
After the Enlightenment skill finished its cooldown, Mugetsu returned to Mount Myōboku to continue studying Senjutsu.
Fukasaku felt both happy and exhausted by Mugetsu's arrival.
He was happy because another delicious feast awaited him.
He was exhausted because Mugetsu had a very unusual way of learning Senjutsu. Instead of simply asking how to perform a technique, Mugetsu constantly wanted to understand every principle and theory behind it.
Explaining things for a while was fine.
Explaining them for an entire day, however, was genuinely exhausting. It was a kind of mental fatigue even worse than physical exhaustion.
The worst part was that Mugetsu learned incredibly quickly.
Some concepts required only a small hint before he understood them completely. As a result, the material Fukasaku had carefully prepared often failed to last even a full day.
"Thank you very much," Mugetsu said sincerely as he prepared to leave.
The more exhausted Fukasaku became, the greater Mugetsu's gains were.
Over these two days, his Sage Mode proficiency had increased by five hundred points.
At this rate, he estimated that Sage Mode would reach the Mastery Level in roughly two months.
"It's no trouble. Come back whenever you have time," Fukasaku replied with a smile as he saw Mugetsu off.
Although teaching Mugetsu was tiring, watching his understanding of Sage Mode deepen so rapidly gave Fukasaku a considerable sense of accomplishment.
"His learning ability really is terrifying. If this continues, his understanding of Senjutsu might catch up to mine within only a few years."
Fukasaku sighed inwardly.
He had to admit that humans possessed far greater learning ability than the toads.
Fukasaku had cultivated Senjutsu for several hundred years.
Mugetsu might absorb everything he knew within only a few.
After returning to Konoha through Reverse Summoning, Mugetsu went directly to the study in his home and began recording and organizing everything he had learned that day.
His memory was already exceptionally good, but Mugetsu still maintained the habit of keeping physical notes.
They were useful whenever he needed to organize ideas during research and development.
After finishing his notes, Mugetsu turned to a fresh page.
At the top, he wrote several bold words.
Breathing Stream Sage Art.
As Mugetsu's understanding of Sage Mode deepened, he increasingly felt that Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode was unsuitable for directly teaching his disciples.
The first problem was the same old issue of duration.
Even if Mount Myōboku recognized all of his disciples, only Fukasaku and Shima could perform the Two Great Sages Technique.
If all of Mugetsu's disciples wanted to use Sage Mode during a large scale battle, at most two of them could benefit from those two living "power banks."
Naruto's method of storing Sage Mode with Shadow Clones was considerably more troublesome and also vulnerable to unexpected problems.
Another major issue was the extremely high threshold required to learn Sage Mode.
Aside from Nagato, who was an exception among exceptions, even Obito, who possessed the largest chakra reserves among Mugetsu's other disciples, was still far from meeting the minimum requirement for Sage Mode.
If even Obito fell short, the others naturally had an even greater problem.
Even if Kakashi trained for another ten years, his chakra reserves might still fail to reach the necessary threshold.
Excluding the chakra stored within the Yang Seal, Kakashi's current chakra reserves were only greater than Rin's among Mugetsu's disciples.
The requirements were too high.
Learning it was troublesome.
Training was dangerous.
And even after learning it, there was no guarantee that it would provide a major benefit in actual battle.
With so many disadvantages, Mugetsu could not simply ignore the problem and wait quietly until his disciples eventually met the requirements for learning Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu.
"I need to solve the problem of sensing and absorbing natural energy first."
Mugetsu wrote down the first major obstacle he needed to overcome.
Aside from the weaknesses of Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu system, his unexpected discovery concerning Breathing Techniques during Sage Mode training was another reason he had begun developing his own system so quickly.
Even without modifying the existing Breathing Techniques, as long as a user gained the ability to perceive natural energy, their Breathing Technique would automatically become stronger.
For Mugetsu's disciples, who were already highly proficient with Breathing Techniques, this was undoubtedly excellent news.
It was almost like receiving the benefits of an entire version update for free.
"I need to develop a method of sensing natural energy that belongs specifically to the Breathing Stream Sage Art."
Mount Myōboku's secret technique for sensing and absorbing natural energy was designed specifically for Mount Myōboku Sage Mode.
Without sufficient chakra reserves, anyone using that method would inevitably be overwhelmed by natural energy and eventually transformed into a stone toad.
...
That night, after dinner.
Kakashi sat on the veranda outside his home, carefully examining the long sword in his hands.
Its polished blade gleamed with a cold light.
After Mugetsu defeated Uchiha Madara, Kakashi had collected the shattered pieces of the White Fang Short Blade.
He gathered both the fragments and the surviving portion of the weapon, then entrusted them to a renowned ninja tool blacksmith.
Kakashi spent a considerable fortune having the weapon reforged.
The blacksmith incorporated chakra metal and several other precious materials, transforming the damaged White Fang Short Blade into a full length sword.
There was little practical reason to forge another short blade.
A long sword or katana suited Kakashi's current fighting style much better.
Kakashi sheathed the newly reforged White Fang and walked toward the wooden training dummy in his small courtyard.
Swish!
The instant he approached it, Kakashi drew his sword.
A silver white flash crossed the courtyard.
The wooden dummy split cleanly into two.
Kakashi nodded with satisfaction.
Although the newly reforged White Fang was still inferior to Yama, it felt much more comfortable to use than the old White Fang Short Blade.
He decided that against enemies who were not particularly strong, he would use White Fang.
When facing truly formidable opponents, he would switch to Yama.
Yama was powerful, but using it consumed a great deal of energy.
Against an ordinary jonin, there was simply no need to bring out such a weapon.
Just as Kakashi was preparing to return inside and maintain his new sword, a familiar voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Kakashi, are you home?"
It was Obito.
"No."
"I can literally see you! Why are you saying you're not here?"
Obito glared at Kakashi in annoyance.
What kind of dismissive attitude was that?
"Since you can already see me, why bother asking?" Kakashi replied calmly.
"Isn't that just basic politeness?" Obito said with an awkward laugh.
If he did not need a favor, Obito truly would not have come here.
He had won first place in the disciples' internal competition.
That naturally evil, detestable white haired bastard was surely jealous of his excellence and secretly plotting against him.
Kakashi did not bother responding.
He opened the door and let Obito inside.
"If you need something, just say it."
Obito coming to see him alone at this hour almost certainly meant he needed help, not that he had come over to hang out.
Usually, only when Obito and Rin came together was there a chance they were inviting Kakashi somewhere.
"How can you be so sure I need your help?" Obito immediately protested. "I'm the strongest ninja among Teacher Mugetsu's disciples!"
Seeing Kakashi's attitude, Obito could not resist emphasizing his current status.
Kakashi might have been stronger for a long time in the past, but that was the past.
The past was the past.
The present was the present.
And the present reality was that Obito was stronger.
"Then I suppose you don't need anything."
Kakashi remained completely unmoved.
"I'll continue training. Make yourself comfortable."
"Alright, alright! You guessed correctly. I do need your help with something."
Obito hurriedly grabbed Kakashi before he could walk away.
There was no helping it.
Although he, Uchiha Obito, was currently Teacher Mugetsu's strongest disciple, even the strongest disciple could not teach someone a Ninjutsu he did not know.
He was still far from becoming Sage Obito.
"Speak. What do you need?"
Kakashi paused.
"But I'll warn you in advance. I might refuse."
Considering Obito's occasionally bizarre thought process, Kakashi would not be surprised if he asked for something ridiculous.
"It's nothing complicated. I just want you to give one of my squad members some guidance in Lightning Release," Obito explained.
The reward he had promised his three team members was a Ninjutsu corresponding to their chakra natures.
The problem was that only Anko possessed Fire Release.
Kotetsu possessed Lightning Release.
Izumo possessed Water Release.
The strongest Lightning Release user Obito knew was naturally Mugetsu.
But Mugetsu was now the Hokage.
Obito could hardly drag the Fourth Hokage away from his duties just to teach Kotetsu.
Aside from Mugetsu, the strongest Lightning Release user Obito knew was Kakashi.
Technically, he could find some other jonin and that would probably be enough to teach Kotetsu.
However, Obito felt that if he was going to give his teammate something, he should give him the best.
Even if doing so meant losing a little face in front of Kakashi.
"Oh."
Kakashi acknowledged the request but gave no clear answer.
"Kakashi, are you agreeing or not? Give me an actual answer."
Obito scratched his head.
He felt that he had already sacrificed far too much for his team members.
"What do I gain from agreeing?" Kakashi asked.
"They're your team members, not mine. Why should I spend my time teaching them instead of using that time to improve my own Lightning Release?"
"Uh…"
Obito fell into deep thought.
Kakashi asking for compensation was not unreasonable.
Ninja followed the simple principle that work should be rewarded.
The problem was that Obito had genuinely never considered what he could offer Kakashi.
"How about I teach you a Fire Release technique? Or you can choose someone else, and I'll teach them instead," Obito suggested weakly.
Thinking carefully, he really did not possess anything Kakashi needed.
Kakashi was not short on money either, so Obito doubted that would persuade him.
Kakashi picked up White Fang and turned away.
"Kakashi, stop right there! Don't force me to beg you!" Obito shouted.
Begging was one thing.
But he absolutely could not lose his dignity as Teacher Mugetsu's strongest disciple.
Kakashi turned around, speechless.
From Obito's tone, anyone listening would think he was challenging Kakashi to a duel.
"One hundred thousand ryō."
Kakashi spoke calmly.
"If you're willing to pay, tell me the time."
In truth, Kakashi had no objection to teaching someone.
There was an old saying that teaching and learning complemented one another. Explaining techniques to someone else could also deepen one's own understanding.
The main problem was Obito's arrogance.
If Kakashi agreed immediately, that would be giving him far too much face.
Obito froze.
So Kakashi could actually be persuaded with money?
If he had known it was this easy, he would have walked in and immediately said, "I want to buy your time."
"Deal! Tomorrow morning, Training Ground Two."
Obito agreed instantly, afraid Kakashi might change his mind.
Kakashi nodded calmly.
Obito finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He waved goodbye and quickly ran toward Rin's house.
He did not know many skilled Water Release users.
Rin's Water Release might not be as advanced as Kakashi's Lightning Release, but Obito genuinely had no better option.
Unlike when he was heading toward Kakashi's house, merely thinking about Rin's adorable face caused a smile to appear on Obito's face as he ran.
He had deliberately arranged the order like this.
Kakashi first.
Rin afterward.
Bitterness before sweetness.
It also reduced the possibility that Rin would learn Kakashi was on the list of instructors and decide to accompany Obito when he went to ask him.
Obito absolutely did not want Rin witnessing him beg Kakashi.
When Obito arrived near Rin's house, he saw her taking an after dinner walk with her parents.
Obito unconsciously stopped.
The three of them walked together in a warm, peaceful atmosphere.
As an orphan, Obito had never experienced anything like that.
"Obito, good evening!"
Rin noticed him and greeted him with a smile.
Obito's mind was still lingering on the sight of Rin with her family.
He merely nodded blankly.
Rin jogged over and stopped directly in front of him.
She looked into his eyes with her own large, bright eyes.
"Obito, why are you spacing out?"
Obito suddenly snapped back to reality.
His gaze instinctively focused on Rin's face.
Her eyes were so clear and pure that his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Ah... haha."
Obito took a step backward and laughed awkwardly.
He had no idea how to answer, so laughter was the only way he could hide his embarrassment.
"That hateful Kakashi. If he knew Water Release too, none of this would be necessary."
Obito fiercely condemned Kakashi in his heart.
"Rin, we're heading back now," Rin's parents called.
"Okay."
Rin turned and waved goodbye.
She could tell Obito probably had something he wanted to discuss with her.
"Goodbye, Auntie, Uncle," Obito quickly added.
He was, after all, a polite and well behaved ninja.
"Obito, did you come looking for me because you need something?" Rin asked with a smile after her parents left.
"Yeah. Rin, you're really smart."
Obito scratched his head shyly.
Inside, however, he felt secretly delighted.
Rin understood him so well.
Just as he understood Rin.
"I recently became a captain, and one of my team members has an affinity for Water Release. I wanted to ask if you could teach him a little," Obito explained.
"I won't ask you to do it for nothing, Rin. I'll give you one hundred thousand ryō for the trouble."
Since he was paying Kakashi, he naturally could not offer Rin less.
"So in your eyes, Obito, I'm that kind of person who only helps if I'm paid?"
Rin lowered her head slightly.
She looked a little hurt.
Obito froze.
Was offering money somehow wrong now?
"That hateful Kakashi!"
Obito condemned Kakashi again with even greater fury.
Kakashi's demand for payment might have been perfectly reasonable, but it had indirectly damaged Obito's relationship with Rin.
That was an unforgivable crime.
"That's not what I meant, Rin!"
Obito immediately became nervous.
"I just didn't want you working for nothing."
The next moment, Rin's expression changed again.
She giggled.
A mischievous smile curved across her lips, as beautiful as cherry blossoms beginning to bloom in spring.
"Obito, you're way too easy to fool."
Rin covered her mouth as she laughed softly.
"I know you're not that kind of person."
Teasing Obito every once in a while was genuinely fun.
Mugetsu and Kakashi both seemed to enjoy doing it too.
"I'd agree whether you paid me or not. After all, it's your request, Obito."
Obito had helped Rin many times.
During missions, he often protected her from behind without saying anything.
Rin remembered all of it.
"Uh... then... then it's settled."
Obito suddenly found it difficult to speak normally.
"To... tomorrow morning. Training Ground Two."
"Rin... Rin, I just remembered something urgent, so I need to go now. See you tomorrow!"
With his face slightly flushed, Obito stammered out his farewell and fled toward the Uchiha Clan Compound like a startled rabbit.
Only after running several kilometers did his violently beating heart gradually calm down.
"Rin really is the best."
Obito gave Rin a mental thumbs up.
Then he gave Kakashi a mental thumbs down.
As he walked home, countless thoughts filled his mind.
He wondered whether Rin's kindness toward him meant what he hoped it meant.
Or whether it meant something completely different.
Obito did not dare ask Rin directly.
If her answer was not the one he hoped for, he knew he would be devastated.
…..
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Frieren: The Demon Who Learned to Love