Chapter 146: Combat Training
[Disciple Uchiha Obito: Set Training Mission]
[Training Mission: Defeat Kakashi]
[Reward: Based on mission completion and strength growth during the mission period]
Mugetsu nodded to himself. It had to be Kakashi—he was practically carrying both Might Guy and Obito's training missions on his back.
"First, master Flame Breathing," Mugetsu instructed. "In a few days, you'll fight Shisui to get used to applying Breathing Techniques in actual combat."
Obito nodded, though his preference was clear. He wanted to fight Might Guy more. Against Guy, winning or losing didn't matter as much—it was always a respectable match.
But against Shisui… Obito wasn't confident, especially now that Shisui had awakened his Sharingan.
That evening, after Mugetsu finished preparing dinner, Minato walked into his house alone.
"Kushina's not coming today?" Mugetsu asked, placing the stir-fried dishes onto the dining table.
Kushina and Minato weren't living together at this time, though she often spent her days at his place.
"Kushina's on a secret mission," Minato explained with a smile. "She won't be able to come for a while. If you have any questions about Sealing Techniques, just ask me directly."
"Oh, that's a shame. I even made steamed pork with preserved vegetables today," Mugetsu said with mild regret.
"Mugetsu… could I pack some to go? I have something urgent and need to leave soon." Minato's face flushed slightly. It felt a bit shameless—eating at someone's house for free and then asking for leftovers.
But the truth was, the food wasn't for him.
Kushina had made it very clear—if Minato didn't bring her food, she'd knock out an ANBU and sneak into Mugetsu's house herself before heading back.
Minato was helpless. He knew she wasn't bluffing. And right now, Kushina was in a dangerous stage of her training, so he couldn't risk letting her act recklessly.
With the war situation changing, Konoha's higher-ups wanted Kushina, the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, to become one of the village's trump cards. They had her undergoing strict training to control the Tailed Beast.
But controlling the strongest of all Tailed Beasts was no easy feat—especially for someone who had only recently become a Jinchuriki.
Using the Nine-Tails' power carried the risk of its will influencing the user. Given the sheer power of the beast, losing control would bring massive destruction to Konoha. For that reason, Kushina's movements were heavily restricted. She spent most of her time inside a building reinforced with powerful sealing techniques.
To meet her needs, the higher-ups had set up a large-scale sealing barrier around the building. Its suppressive effect wasn't as strong as inside, but it still weakened the Nine-Tails' influence—so long as she didn't stay outside for too long.
"Pack some? No problem," Mugetsu said with a smile. "It's too much for me alone anyway."
He took two lunchboxes, filled them with food, and handed them to Minato.
"It might be a bit much. Think you can finish it?" Mugetsu asked.
"Thank you, Mugetsu. No amount of this delicious food would be a problem," Minato replied with a grin.
Originally, he planned to deliver most of it to Kushina and just have a little himself. But with this much, he could eat properly too—even if it meant Mugetsu might start thinking of him as a big eater.
As Minato's figure disappeared from view, Mugetsu activated his Byakugan and scanned the surroundings. Strangely, he didn't spot the ANBU who had been permanently stationed nearby before.
One less camera pointed toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, he thought.
When Kushina used to visit often, there had been at least two ANBU watching the place every day.
Being "watched" by them had never been a problem—in fact, Mugetsu had made good use of those "cameras."
For example, he'd deliberately displayed outstanding sealing talent and, on the day of his promotion to Special Jonin, put on a look of heartfelt joy. Whenever the Third Hokage was mentioned, he'd wear an expression of deep gratitude.
"Secret mission… could it be she's training to control the Nine-Tails?" Mugetsu guessed.
Knowing Kushina's identity, he naturally doubted she was on any dangerous S-rank assignment outside the village.
During wartime, unless things had escalated to the point where Tailed Beasts were deployed, she would be confined within Konoha.
From what Mugetsu could tell, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure either hadn't officially started fighting yet—or were only running probing operations.
After all, Minato was still in the village. If the war had truly broken out, he wouldn't have the leisure to come by for packed meals—he'd be sent straight to the front.
To Mugetsu, Minato was like a living indicator of the war's state. As long as he remained idle in Konoha, the overall situation couldn't be too bad.
Satisfied with that conclusion, Mugetsu didn't overthink it. Kushina and Minato would live comfortably until the war's end and go on to become winners in life. They didn't need his concern.
His disciples, however… their futures were far less certain. Might Guy would one day watch his father open the Gate of Death to save him, and Obito—Obito would first be crushed under rock, then watch his best friend kill the woman he loved.
A few days later, Shisui had fully adapted to the Total Concentration Breathing training. Now, all he needed was to deepen what Mugetsu had taught him, and mastery of Flame Breathing would be within reach.
To help them familiarize themselves with using Breathing Techniques in battle, Mugetsu arranged a spar between Obito and Shisui.
"Combat practice will be divided into three stages," Mugetsu explained. "Stage One: Breathing Technique only—no chakra. Stage Two: Breathing Technique and chakra allowed, but no ninjutsu. Stage Three: all restrictions removed. Sharingan is forbidden in all stages."
The restriction was necessary—Sharingan's dynamic vision gave too much of an advantage in taijutsu. Without it, Obito might actually have a chance.
"No chakra, huh? Then maybe I can win," Obito thought, a spark of hope lighting in his eyes.
When it came to pure Breathing Technique training, his progress was actually slightly ahead of Shisui's.
"No chakra means the Breathing Technique isn't enhanced by chakra," Mugetsu clarified. "The Body Flicker Technique, which does require chakra, can still be used."
The Naruto's personalized Breathing Techniques had two modes: with chakra, or without. Without chakra, many effects were weakened—Rock Breathing's bodily enhancement was reduced, Flame Breathing lost the Nature Transformation acceleration, and the Mark state for all Breathing Techniques was impossible to activate without chakra.
Obito's confidence dropped immediately. Shisui's Body Flicker was better trained than his own. Still, compared to Stage Three, Stage One was his best shot, since Shisui's ninjutsu was stronger.
"Are the rules clear?" Mugetsu asked.
"Clear," both replied in unison.
"Good. We'll do Stage One for one week," Mugetsu said.
The two assumed their stances according to his instructions.
"Start!" Mugetsu called.
Both instantly entered their Breathing Technique state, lungs drawing in large amounts of oxygen to strengthen their bodies.
But before Obito could rush in, Shisui was already in front of him.
So fast! Obito was stunned. Even though he'd trained Body Flicker too, Shisui's speed left him trailing.
Luckily, neither of them could use chakra to boost their Breathing Techniques or ninjutsu. Obito was slower, but only slightly disadvantaged.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!" Obito declared, forcing himself into the state to turn the tables.
Shisui didn't meet him head-on. Instead, he avoided Obito's rush entirely, using Flicker to widen the distance.
Obito's disadvantage vanished—but so did his chance to press an advantage. He couldn't catch Shisui, and his stamina began draining fast.
In the end, Shisui spotted an opening and finished the match.
Clap!
"You've made the same mistake I told you about a few days ago," Mugetsu said, tapping Obito on the head with two joined fingers. "Don't use Total Concentration Breathing so carelessly."
With Obito's current stamina and chakra, it was an ultimate move. Using it right at the start of close combat left him with nothing for the later fight.
"I thought if I didn't use it, my disadvantage would just get worse, so I used it right away," Obito admitted, scratching his head.
"The greater the enemy's advantage, the more likely they are to expose a weakness," Mugetsu explained. "It's easier to turn things around if you use it at a critical disadvantage."
He continued, "And remember—Shisui is faster than you. If you enter Total Concentration Breathing too early, he'll avoid close combat altogether."
Mugetsu wasn't rejecting Obito's thinking entirely. Sometimes, starting strong was necessary to prevent falling into an opponent's rhythm. But Obito needed to adapt his strategy based on the situation.
"You know Shisui's intelligence—don't waste that point," Mugetsu said firmly. He didn't want Obito to pile up techniques yet fail to perform in actual combat. Practical application mattered most.
"I understand!" Obito replied, looking as though he'd realized something.
He thought back to his wins against Might Guy—come to think of it, he'd always made use of Guy's intelligence, even if unintentionally.
After a short rest, they fought again. This time, Obito held back his Total Concentration Breathing. He still lost, but lasted longer.
The third fight brought another loss, but he survived half a minute more than before. Progress, even if small.
By the end of the first day's training, Obito hadn't won once. But in the final match, his timing with Total Concentration Breathing was perfect, forcing Shisui to work harder for the win.
Obito, I'm sorry, Shisui thought silently. But under Mugetsu-sensei's gaze, I can't allow myself to lose.
He wanted to live up to Mugetsu's expectations.
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