Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

"Fire Release: Small Fireball Technique!"

Anko completed the hand signs with very standard movements, then gathered Chakra in her throat for Nature Transformation, finally spitting out a fireball the size of a head.

Watching the flames leave a scorched mark on the ground, Anko revealed a proud smile.

"Hehe, it's still me! Next time, I will definitely take first place!" Anko said, hands on her hips, laughing.

Beside her, Hagane Kotetsu, who was only producing small arcs of electricity, quietly stopped practicing.

"Izumo, don't you think Fire Release is a bit easier to learn? It seems like those who study Fire Release pick it up pretty quickly," Hagane Kotetsu said to Kamizuki Izumo, who was practicing Water Impact nearby.

Kamizuki Izumo nodded and analyzed seriously, "I think so too. Maybe Yumi-sensei is best at Fire Release, so he teaches it better than the others."

Anko was unhappy and retorted, "Is it that hard to admit I'm just too excellent? No matter how much you belittle my strength, it's still real."

"It's hard," Hagane Kotetsu honestly replied.

If he had to genuinely praise Anko's excellence, he'd rather confront his cousin.

"In my heart, there's only one genius in Class A, and that's Shisui. Since you've learned Fire Release Ninjutsu too, why not look for a chance to challenge Shisui? If you win, I guarantee the whole school will praise you as a genius," Kamizuki Izumo encouraged.

Kamizuki Izumo admitted that Anko had some strength, but compared to Shisui, this year's Anko might not even win against last year's Shisui.

Although Shisui didn't come to the special training this year, Kamizuki Izumo believed Shisui must be receiving stricter training at home, learning the family's Ninjutsu, and his strength was definitely still growing.

Anko was not fooled.

To be honest, the idea of the whole school praising her as a genius was indeed quite attractive to Anko, but she wasn't foolish. She had seen Shisui fight, and Shisui's Fire Release from a year ago was already much stronger than hers now. There was no way she could win; she would just end up taking a beating.

Kamizuki Izumo showed a look of regret, feeling that Anko had been tricked too often and had developed an immunity to it; ordinary words couldn't sway her anymore.

"Everyone, gather up," Mutsuki's voice rang out.

The students from the three groups quickly stopped their training and moved towards Mutsuki, even though class was about to end. They didn't take a break and were still focused on their training.

"The Third Hokage heard that everyone is studying hard, so he plans to come and observe and provide guidance during the final exam," Mutsuki explained directly, without any suspense.

This wasn't too surprising, as Sarutobi Hiruzen had also come last year, but after all, he was the Third Hokage and was quite popular among the students. This could further boost their motivation to train.

"Yumi-sensei really has face; Hokage-sama didn't come during the second special training last year."

"Maybe we should thank the sensei from that special training; if they hadn't performed so poorly, perhaps Yumi-sensei wouldn't have taken on the role of special training sensei again."

Upon hearing this, the students first showed expressions of surprise, then started to complain about the second special training of the previous academic year.

At that time, Mutsuki was in charge of the intern program, and since Sarutobi Hiruzen thought it was a good idea to explore other educational talents, he chose a few sensei who had performed well in class to lead the special training.

No comparison, no harm; after experiencing that second special training, the students had a deeper understanding of Mutsuki's powerful teaching abilities and realized there was a gap between the senseis.

"Izumo, it looks like our chance is coming again!" Hagane Kotetsu said seriously, looking at Kamizuki Izumo.

"Yeah, it's been a year; maybe Hokage-sama has already forgotten about us. We need to leave a more profound impression," Kamizuki Izumo nodded, revealing a serious expression.

In his view, this was a very important opportunity. If he and Hagane Kotetsu could successfully leave a deep impression on the Hokage, they might be utilized right after graduation.

"But it seems we don't have any other noteworthy Ninjutsu besides Confusion Jutsu. We used Confusion Jutsu last time; what should we do?" Hagane Kotetsu's face showed a hint of worry.

He also felt that this was a rare chance, but Hagane Kotetsu couldn't think of how to showcase himself.

"That's true. Although Confusion Jutsu is excellent, it might not have a good effect for the second time," Kamizuki Izumo said thoughtfully.

"Izumo, you have a lot of ideas; quickly think of something we can do," Hagane Kotetsu placed his hopes on Kamizuki Izumo, who often had good strategies.

"I can't think of anything good for now," Kamizuki Izumo shook his head, but he still proposed a not-so-creative idea.

"We can brainstorm together and ask Brother Ebisu for help. If Brother Ebisu can't help, we can ask Brother Asuma."

Hagane Kotetsu's eyes lit up, feeling that Kamizuki Izumo's suggestion made a lot of sense.

Of course, they didn't forget to invite their good friend Anko.

However, Anko was busy training to seize the first place in Team C and was not interested in their plans.

The two of them complained about Anko, then, without giving her a chance to respond, went to find Ebisu.

For some reason, when Ebisu saw Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo looking at him with anticipation, he felt a sense of foreboding.

"Brother Ebisu, we need your help!" Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo said earnestly.

"Please teach us how to leave a deep impression on the Third Hokage."

Upon hearing this, Ebisu's mouth twitched. He recalled the memories from the previous year's special training; rather than leaving an impression, Ebisu hoped the Third Hokage had forgotten about his involvement.

"Hmm, why not follow Hokage-sama after the exam and challenge him? Use your strongest Confusion Jutsu to challenge Hokage-sama, so he can see your determination as ninjas," Ebisu suggested after thinking for a moment.

To avoid being tricked, Ebisu decided to take the initiative, so that he wouldn't be dragged into this.

"Brother Ebisu is amazing!" Hagane Kotetsu thought this idea was quite good.

Kamizuki Izumo nodded in agreement; although it was a bit direct, sometimes a straightforward approach had unexpected effects.

...

After a week of training in the second phase, Obito finally understood what true difficult training was like.

Exhausted from daytime training, he had to do homework when he got home, and at night, he was woken up from sleep. In the morning, after dispelling his Shadow Clones, he still felt the fatigue of staying up late return to his body.

If Obito were to describe how tired he was now, it would be that during his rest time, he couldn't even muster the energy to talk to Rin; he would use that time to close his eyes and rest for a bit.

Of course, it wasn't just Obito who was exhausted; everyone else felt the same way. Each day, aside from training and sleeping, they couldn't think about much else.

The training intensity was high, but the results were also evident. While they couldn't guarantee quality sleep, during their waking hours, the four disciples could basically maintain the Breathing Technique continuously, which improved their training efficiency and made their bodies more resilient.

Perhaps due to being too tired, Obito unknowingly completed the training for the second phase. On the Saturday of the second week, he successfully had a good sleep without breaking the Breathing Technique even once.

On the same day, Kakashi also had a good sleep, while Shisui completed his goal on Sunday, and Guy finished in the third week.

Might Guy's slower progress was mainly because he focused on the Eight Inner Gates for a period of time, which caused his Breathing Technique proficiency level to lag behind.

Moreover, although they all completed the second phase, it didn't mean that all the disciples had reached the Proficient level in their Breathing Technique. Only Kakashi and Obito's Breathing Technique had reached the Proficient level, while Shisui and Guy were still a bit short.

This was because Kakashi and Obito's Breathing Technique limits were already high enough. One had entered the Transparent World early, and the other had partially opened the Mark. Before the constant training began, they were already close to reaching the Proficiency level, so after completing uninterrupted breathing, they immediately reached the Proficient level.

Normally, one would need to complete the third phase of special training to reach the Proficient level. The third phase is an enhanced version of the second phase, requiring them to maintain breathing for twenty-four hours while also focusing on their breathing to increase their breathing limits.

After the second phase ended, Mutsuki did not immediately start the training for the third phase but temporarily returned to regular training.

After nearly a month of high-intensity training, combined with the significant intensity during the Chunin exam period, it was necessary to give Obito and the others a breather.

"Shisui, can we have a match?" Kakashi challenged Shisui during the lunch break.

He had originally planned to challenge Shisui after fully recovering, but Mutsuki's constant training was so exhausting that Kakashi didn't want to move at all after finishing his training and had no thoughts of fighting.

After a couple of days of regular training, Kakashi felt that his energy and spirit had peaked, so he immediately issued a challenge to Shisui.

Kakashi still hadn't forgotten about that triple defeat: losing to Guy and then to Obito and Shisui. Having never lost to peers before, he suddenly suffered three consecutive defeats.

Those three losses made Kakashi doubt himself and feel like he wasn't a genius but just an ordinary ninja.

Now, having regained his confidence, he had already defeated Obito and Guy in the Chunin exam. He just needed to defeat Shisui, and he would once again be the invincible genius Kakashi among his peers.

"No problem." Shisui hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Mutsuki before agreeing.

He knew that his chances of winning were slim, but Shisui didn't want Mutsuki to think of him as a coward afraid of failure.

Mutsuki served as the referee as usual, while the other resting disciples gathered to watch the spectacle.

"Go for it, Shisui! I believe in you!" Obito hoped that Shisui could give Kakashi a good beating in front of Rin.

"What a day of youth! My friend, let's have a match after the battle!" Guy shouted, looking fired up.

"Sure, but only with rock-paper-scissors," Kakashi replied flatly.

Guy's smile instantly faded; while it was still a match, how could rock-paper-scissors compare to a fistfight?

"The battle begins!" Mutsuki announced after the two assumed the Seal of Confrontation.

"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration!"

"Thunder Breathing, Total Concentration!"

The two focused their breathing to harness the Breathing Technique for greater power.

Shisui, having watched the Chunin exams, knew that Kakashi was very strong now, so he was extremely cautious.

Although Kakashi didn't know how much Shisui had improved, Shisui's consistent display of being a super genius made Kakashi wary.

"Fire Release: Successive Great Fireballs!"

Shisui quickly formed hand signs and gathered Chakra, unleashing two Great Fireballs at Kakashi in quick succession.

Although the power of each individual Great Fireball was reduced, the coverage area was broader, making it a better probing attack.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Instead of using Thunder Breathing's speed to dodge, Kakashi chose to block both fireballs with Earth Release.

In fact, dodging would have consumed less energy and been a more cost-effective choice, but Kakashi was concerned that Shisui might have unknown follow-up moves, so he opted for the safer Earth-Style Wall for defense.

This battle presented an information disadvantage for Kakashi; Shisui had seen all of Kakashi's techniques during the Chunin exam, while Kakashi had no idea what new Ninjutsu Shisui had mastered during that time.

If his opponent were Obito, Kakashi wouldn't be so concerned, but facing Shisui, who had the advantage of information, Kakashi felt it was better to play it safe.

"Kakashi is definitely going to use Shadow Clone to trick us again," Obito remarked as he saw the earthen wall rise up, blocking their view.

He had been tricked by Kakashi's Shadow Clone countless times, making him experienced in this regard.

"Not necessarily; Kakashi didn't use Shadow Clone during the last Chunin exam," Rin interjected.

"That's because he knew I was too smart to be fooled, so he didn't use it," Obito replied, looking quite pleased with himself.

Rin chuckled softly and didn't respond. It was true that during their battle, Kakashi hadn't used Shadow Clone to deceive Obito, but Obito had made a miscalculated prediction and used Fire Dragon Flame Bullet to burn the ground, which, in a sense, was also being tricked.

Unlike Obito and Rin, who were focused on Kakashi, Guy was more interested in Shisui. He was curious to see how much this undefeated genius had grown.

In Guy's eyes, Shisui was an undeniable genius, having had the strength to defeat Genin since first grade. Despite his own diligent training, he had never been able to secure a victory against Shisui.

"Yumi-sensei, who do you think will win?" Obito asked Mutsuki, who was sitting next to him.

No one understood their abilities better than Mutsuki.

"Just relax and watch; you'll find out the answer soon enough. But you can be a bit more confident in your current strength," Mutsuki replied, subtly hinting instead of directly answering Obito's question.

Shisui was indeed a genius, as evidenced by his ability to maintain the status of the strongest disciple at such a young age.

However, Kakashi and the others' current strength was not merely the result of hard work; it was power forged in the crucible of life-and-death struggles. The near-death experiences against Hidden Cloud Jonin and Mist Jonin had led to their transformation.

From Mutsuki's perspective, he could intervene at any moment to ensure his disciples' safety. However, the situation was different for the disciples; during those two incidents, Mutsuki was not by their side, and from their point of view, it was a genuine life-and-death crisis.

---

Don't forget to check out my patreon where you can read up to 50 advanced chapters https://www.patreon.com/CrazyNinja