Chapter 269: Progress in Life Mission
Although most of his disciples had graduated, Mugetsu's daily life hadn't changed much; he simply went from teaching five people to teaching one. Teaching a single student was far easier, giving Mugetsu more time to train.
On the afternoon of the first day after his disciples were assigned to their squads, Mugetsu practiced Great Waterfall Technique for a while, then sat to rest and opened the system's Teacher disciple panel to check the progress of their life missions. He looked at it from time to time.
Last time, Might Guy was the most advanced at 0.5 percent, while Shisui and Obito hadn't moved yet.
"It actually jumped this much at once," Mugetsu murmured, seeing Obito at 3 percent.
"Is it because Minato is Jiraiya's disciple?" He immediately grasped the key.
Not just anyone could become Hokage. The First Hokage was chosen by all Konoha ninja, while later Hokage usually had ties to their predecessors. Hiruzen was Tobirama's disciple, Minato was Hiruzen's grand disciple, Tsunade was Hiruzen's disciple, and Kakashi was Minato's disciple.
Judging only by identity was foolish, of course. They became Hokage not just because of lineage; ability mattered most. Minato's two teammates, also raised by Jiraiya, lacked the strength, so no one thought they could be Hokage.
To Mugetsu, Hokage lineage was like a buff that scaled with ability. With both lineage and power, your chances rose greatly. Only power without identity, or only identity without power, wouldn't work.
He estimated that after Minato became Hokage, the bonus would increase again. Then Obito would be the previous Hokage's grand disciple and the current Hokage's disciple, stacking buffs.
Aside from Obito's sudden surge, Shisui's and Guy's progress hadn't changed.
After dinner, Mugetsu went to Hiruzen's home. It had been a while since he asked about Shuriken Shadow Clone. He wanted to ask about Great Waterfall Technique, further cement his image as a Ninjutsu genius, and pave the way for his coming power up.
"Lord Hokage, do you have time now? I ran into a few issues practicing Great Waterfall Technique," Mugetsu asked after greeting him.
"I happen to be free," Hiruzen, who was preparing for a post dinner stroll, nodded.
"However, Great Waterfall can't be done in the yard. Let's go to the nearby creek." He didn't want to flood his own house.
"I'm going too!" Asuma wanted to tag along.
"Why are you going? You don't even learn Water Release," Hiruzen wasn't keen on Asuma following.
He knew Asuma would likely praise one and slight the other, and the one slighted would be him.
"I'm not here to learn Water Release from you. What can you learn from one demo and a few words? I want to see if Mugetsu sensei's Ninjutsu got stronger," Asuma retorted.
"That's because everything I say is essence and key points," Hiruzen tried to make him understand that his teaching wasn't worse than Mugetsu's.
He mastered countless Ninjutsu, could use all seven Chakra Nature Transformations, and even taught the three Sannin. He didn't get why, in Asuma's eyes, he was inferior to Mugetsu.
"I don't know about key points. I only know that when I study with Mugetsu sensei, I learn fast," Asuma stated the facts.
He knew his father had three famed disciples, but Asuma had been taught by Hiruzen before, and it really wasn't as good as Mugetsu.
If he ranked his teachers: Mugetsu first, Hiruzen second, his Jonin teacher third.
As Hiruzen fell silent, Mugetsu stepped in to smooth things over, first confirming Hiruzen's guidance was useful, then speaking up for Asuma.
"Let Asuma come. I've made real progress in Wind Release Nature Transformation recently, so I can teach him a bit," Mugetsu said with a smile.
Just watching wasn't ideal. Better to ease the mood and help both sides. Asuma was Hiruzen's son; Hiruzen wouldn't truly get angry. Backing Asuma now might even earn goodwill.
"Since you have something to teach, let him follow," Hiruzen agreed after a thought.
Mugetsu had real skill, and it was good for Asuma to learn more from him.
"Since you say you learn fast with Mugetsu, study hard. The Chunin Exams aren't far. If you become strong enough, your teacher will recommend you," Hiruzen reminded.
"Do I need you to tell me that? I'll study," Asuma said, still prickly even knowing his father cared.
On the way to the creek, Asuma and Hiruzen spoke the same way as always. The words were biting, but the mood was fine, like family who annoy each other yet get along.
At the creek, Hiruzen had Mugetsu perform Great Waterfall once, then asked about his problems, giving explanations and demonstrations.
Asuma watched quietly without interrupting. When Mugetsu's improvement was obvious, he cheered.
"Mugetsu sensei, and you still say you're not a genius! You learned so fast even from the old man!" Asuma exclaimed.
He was surprised by Mugetsu's performance and excited because he looked forward to learning Wind Release Nature Transformation next. Mugetsu had humbly said he'd made big breakthroughs, so Asuma felt he must have progressed a lot.
"Thanks to Third Hokage's guidance," Mugetsu smiled, giving Hiruzen the credit.
"It's mainly your Ninjutsu talent, Mugetsu. My guidance only points the way," Hiruzen said, stroking his goatee.
Teaching Mugetsu wasn't like teaching a disciple. He could only give a few pointers; learning two A rank Ninjutsu in a short time was all Mugetsu's own ability.
A thought flickered: take him as a disciple. His three famed disciples hadn't inherited his vast Ninjutsu and combinations. Mugetsu looked like a weaker version of himself. With personal training, he might become the next Professor of Ninjutsu.
"Let's see after the war," Hiruzen decided. The world was chaotic and he was busy. Taking a disciple without time to teach meant nothing.
After the pointers, Hiruzen went home, telling Asuma to go home after learning and not wander.
"Seriously, I'm a ninja now, not a kid. He still says that," Asuma complained.
"That has nothing to do with being a ninja. You're only ten. The Hokage is worried about you," Mugetsu said with a smile, tapping Asuma's head.
"Enough of that. Mugetsu sensei, teach me Nature Transformation!" Asuma said, eyes bright.
Mugetsu nodded and began teaching Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation. With about ten days before the academy started, he planned to set aside time to help Asuma grow stronger.
…
"Rin, don't be scared if we run into enemies. Stay by my side and I'll protect you." On the way to the Hokage Building, Obito, as a senior, shared mission experience with Rin.
Because they passed training in one go yesterday, Minato decided to take them on a mission.
"How should I put it, you probably won't get a mission with enemies today," Minato warned Obito to avoid later disappointment.
"Newly graduated Genin can only take D Rank mission. Obito, you interned, so you should know the details."
"I know. D Rank mission are odd jobs, like picking up trash or helping on farms," Obito nodded. He had done plenty.
"But we were permitted C Rank Mission during the internship, so it's impossible to drop back after becoming official ninja, right?" He felt C Rank Mission should be fine. He had even completed an S rank Mission; only doing D Rank mission felt wrong.
Minato thought Obito was still too optimistic. Hiruzen had granted Mugetsu's squad privileges, but now they were Minato Squad, and the rules were strict.
Obito's eyes lit up when he saw Sawada, an old acquaintance, among the registration ninja. He greeted him, "Uncle Sawada, good morning."
"Good morning. Congratulations on becoming official," Sawada said with a smile, noticing Obito's forehead protector.
"Can you pick a good C Rank Mission for our squad?" Obito asked with a grin.
"No," Sawada refused directly.
"Ah, then we won't trouble Uncle Sawada. We'll pick ourselves."
"Your squad can only take D Rank mission, not C Rank Mission," Sawada explained, then took out a D Rank mission scroll.
"Huh?" Obito froze. He hadn't expected it to be this rigid, starting from D Rank again.
Kakashi wore an I knew it look. Even he, a Chunin, had to do odd jobs when joining a new team. Obito's resume was impressive for a student, but not enough to break rules.
"Uncle Sawada, didn't the Hokage grant us C Rank Mission before? We even completed an S rank Mission. Isn't it unreasonable that we can only take D Rank now?" Obito asked.
On the way, he had been telling Rin how dangerous missions were. Now that he had to do odd jobs, he was unhappy.
"That was during your internship in Mugetsu's squad. Now the squad and members are different, so you follow the normal new Genin rules," Sawada said. You didn't inherit special privileges unless the Hokage spoke up.
"Even if you can handle C Rank Mission, you must consider whether your teammates can."
Obito recalled Rin's monstrous strength and felt C Rank Mission would be fine.
Things were as Minato expected. He began looking at D Rank mission. Even knowing his disciples were strong enough, he couldn't force Sawada to give higher missions; that would be improper.
As Obito looked at the D Rank scroll, a good idea came to him. During the internship, they only got C Rank after finishing all D Rank mission.
"Minato sensei, take ten for us. We'll clear them fast and let Rin get used to missions," Obito suggested. He decided to blitz the D Rank mission.
"Then we'll take all the missions on this scroll," Minato said to Sawada.
"No problem," Sawada agreed. He knew Obito's and Kakashi's efficiency; ten D Rank mission wouldn't take long.
"Kakashi, let's use Shadow Clone together to boost efficiency and finish fast," Obito said as they left the Hokage Building. He planned to team up.
He could make two Shadow Clones to work, and Kakashi could make two. With their originals, that meant seven people working.
"Why use Shadow Clone? You'll be exhausted," Kakashi asked, not sure why Obito had become so proactive.
"Did you forget? Before, we only got C Rank after clearing all D Rank mission. Maybe it works again," Obito revealed his plan.
"Not necessarily," Kakashi said. There was no set standard.
"Then let's race and see who completes more D Rank mission. You, a Chunin, aren't scared of me, a Genin, are you?" Obito challenged.
Kakashi: …
It was a low level taunt, but it still got to him, so he agreed at once.
Their speed fired up Rin, and she moved faster.
With tireless effort, they completed thirty D Rank mission in one day. After finishing and dispelling their Shadow Clones, Obito was exhausted, but to reach C Rank and leave the village sooner, he decided to keep going like this until there were no D Rank mission left.
While Obito ground through missions, Mugetsu also received system rewards.
[Disciple Kakashi, Uchiha Obito worked hard to complete the entrusted mission, gaining a growth reward: Chakra +5.]
[Disciple Kakashi, Uchiha Obito worked hard to complete the entrusted mission, gaining a growth reward: Chakra +4.]
Maybe because they were stronger, the rewards for completing D Rank mission were tiny, dropping to only two or three points later for both combined. Luckily, the number of completions was high, so the total wasn't bad, more than a day of class gains.
Since he wasn't leading the team himself, Mugetsu felt a strange sense of getting something for nothing; his Chakra climbed while he sat at home.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]