The moment Mutsuki announced the start of the exam, Obito quickly began to retreat, forming hand seals and performing Ninjutsu as he moved backward.
Knowing that Might Guy excelled in Taijutsu, Obito naturally avoided a direct Taijutsu confrontation with him.
"Clone Jutsu!"
Puff, puff!!
After completing the Ninjutsu, two clones identical to Obito appeared by his side.
The three Obitos continuously swapped positions as they ran, attempting to confuse Might Guy.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
However, Might Guy's speed surpassed Obito's expectations; he instantly caught up and, with an incredibly fast spinning kick, dissipated the two clones. Obito's main body also staggered backward more than a meter from the impact.
"Such immense strength." Obito's arm trembled uncontrollably a couple of times. He had used his arm to withstand the kick, and now his arm was subtly aching.
Might Guy gained the upper hand and immediately pressed forward, forcing Obito into close combat with him.
However, in a pure Taijutsu confrontation, Obito was no match for Might Guy and quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
"Who do you think will win?" Onlookers among the students began discussing the potential victor.
"It's probably going to be Might Guy. It looks like Uchiha Obito is about to be defeated," one student analyzed the situation.
"Not necessarily. When Uchiha Obito fought Uchiha Tekka before, they were in a Taijutsu showdown, and Obito was at a disadvantage, but he eventually won with Fire Release," another person argued that Obito, who wielded powerful Fire Release, might not have unleashed his full strength yet.
After all, Obito had decisively defeated the former top Uchiha Tekka, showcasing an impressive record.
"Mutsuki-sensei, who do you think will win?" Suddenly, Kimura asked.
"Might Guy, I suppose," Mutsuki pondered and replied.
"Yeah, that Uchiha Obito may have powerful Fire Release, but this exam arena doesn't suit his strengths," Kimura agreed.
Mutsuki nodded; in reality, the two of them were evenly matched in strength.
However, Obito currently seemed like a mage without much close combat ability, unable to perform non-chanting spellcasting like a turret mage. In this flat and open terrain, it was challenging for him to surpass Might Guy, a high-speed warrior.
As expected, in the next moment, Might Guy seized an opportunity, and a Konoha Whirlwind kicked Obito directly, sending him flying.
"Might Guy is the winner," Mutsuki announced the final result of the exam.
The students who had thought Obito would win couldn't help but cover their foreheads; Obito never failed to disappoint in disappointing aspects.
When you thought he would lose against Uchiha Tekka, he won.
When you thought he would win against Might Guy, he lost.
"Might Guy, you're amazing! How do you train?" A classmate couldn't help but start asking for tips on getting stronger from Might Guy.
"How do I train? Probably waking up at five-thirty in the morning and running around Konoha until class, then practicing Taijutsu against wooden stakes all night. On weekends..." Might Guy thought about his daily schedule and then answered.
"Farewell!" The inquiring student, upon hearing about waking up at five-thirty in the morning, was deeply impressed by Might Guy. However, when it was mentioned that he practiced Taijutsu against wooden stakes all night, the student no longer wanted to hear more. He felt that even a formal ninja wouldn't practice like this every day.
"Obito, are you okay?" Rin walked over to Obito with concern.
Obito brushed off the dust from his body and casually replied, "I'm definitely fine; it was just a narrow defeat. I'll definitely win next time."
In front of the girl he liked, he had to act like everything was okay.
However, Nohara Rin wasn't so easily fooled. She grabbed Obito's arm, rolled up his sleeve, and saw some bruises. Staring at Obito, she said, "Do you think acting tough helps? Injuries won't heal just because you act tough. Hurry up and go to the medical room to apply some ointment."
Saying this, Rin pulled Obito towards the medical room.
Obito protested verbally about being fine, but he didn't resist and followed Rin.
The mouth may be rebellious, but the body is indeed honest. The practical exam, which followed the day after ranking first in the class, came to an end.
Tomorrow's exam would involve the top two students from each class in a practical test, determining the overall top student of the year.
After the exam, Might Guy prepared to bid farewell to Mutsuki and head home. He wanted to share the good news with his father, Might Duy, envisioning his father shedding tears of joy and shouting about youth.
However, Mutsuki didn't let Guy leave immediately. Using the excuse of having something to give him, Mutsuki took Guy to a secluded place and smiled.
"Guy, congratulations on securing the first place."
After saying this, Mutsuki handed a small booklet to Might Guy.
"This is a Taijutsu training manual I casually wrote recently. It also contains some of my thoughts on the further development of the Konoha Whirlwind. Consider it a gift for being the top student in your class."
Might Guy looked at the manual, but he also noticed the hand Mutsuki was using to hold the booklet.
Mutsuki's hand appeared clean on the surface, but the keen-eyed Might Guy noticed some faint specks of dust, as if diligently washed but not entirely removing traces of ink stains.
Glancing at the contents, Might Guy instantly understood everything. This wasn't just casually written; it seemed like Mutsuki had invested considerable effort and contemplation into crafting it for him. Even if he hadn't secured the first place, Mutsuki would have found another reason to give it to him.
The ideas regarding the further development of the Konoha Whirlwind inside made Might Guy feel like it was tailor-made for him. If it hadn't taken time, Might Guy wouldn't believe it.
"Mutsuki-sensei, I will definitely not let your efforts go to waste. I will become the strongest Taijutsu ninja in the future!" The emotionally charged Might Guy was moved to tears.
Mutsuki took out a piece of tissue to wipe away Might Guy's tears, patted his shoulder, and smiled.
"It's great that you think that way. For sensei, the best reward is seeing the disciple grow stronger."
As Mutsuki spoke, his expression was incredibly sincere.
"Mm!" Might Guy nodded emphatically. At this moment, his conviction to become stronger grew even firmer.
Watching Might Guy gradually move away, Mutsuki glanced at the system messages and a smile appeared on his face.
[You gifted the disciple a Taijutsu training manual, and due to the disciple's deep gratitude, the reward triggered a large critical hit, gaining mastery in Water Attribute Chakra Nature Transformation]
[Disciple Might Guy's trust level increased; current trust level: three]
"Not bad luck at all." Mutsuki felt the additional memories in his mind, in a very good mood.
Typically, the rewards returned from the disciples were related to what they excelled in. For example, Shisui and Obito returned him many rewards related to Fire Release, and Guy returned many related to Taijutsu. However, there were also unexpected rewards that were sometimes unrelated.
Compared to proficiency in a particular Taijutsu, mastery in a Chakra attribute was undoubtedly much better. Mutsuki was very satisfied; with more of these, he might even develop his own Kekkei Genkai.
As for the increase in trust level, that's an additional pleasant surprise.
Mutsuki felt that in the future, when giving out high-quality items, it would be wise to plan carefully to maximize emotional impact, making it easier to trigger better rewards.
For example, if he had casually given Might Guy something ordinary this time, it probably would have resulted in a modest reward, maybe proficiency in a Ninjutsu or Taijutsu.
But by presenting it to Might Guy in the midst of his excitement over achieving first place, subtly revealing the ink stains on Mutsuki's hands that couldn't be washed away, and adding a bit of motivational talk, the effect became entirely different.
Giving a gift when achieving first place would remind Might Guy of Mutsuki's guidance. Without Mutsuki's guidance, could he have secured this first place? This would initially stir some emotions.
Then, showing Might Guy the ink stains, making him aware of the difficulty involved in the gift, imagining Mutsuki's efforts, intensifying the emotions, and finally adding a bit of motivational talk would make the emotions explode instantly.
"After tomorrow's exam, the results should be out in a couple of days." Mutsuki was still pondering whether the system would issue rewards for the exam.
In theory, when students perform so well, the sensei should receive commendation.
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