"Yumi-sensei, when will we start practicing Nature Transformation? Lately, every night I've been studying the manual you gave me and really want to try it out," Obito asked as he walked along the small river.
Climbing trees and walking on water is just too boring.
Moreover, Mutsuki's Nature Transformation manual truly inspired him, and he instantly felt ready to unleash his Fire Release.
"Find walking on water boring? Have you almost mastered it?" Mutsuki asked with a slight smile.
"Yeah, yeah," Obito nodded quickly. He could already run on water.
"Well then, let me test your skill level and, in the process, make walking on water a bit more interesting for you." Mutsuki swiftly formed hand seals, and Chakra surged.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
A massive water dragon quickly formed, then tumbled in the small river, instantly turning the calm surface into turbulent waves, occasionally creating large splashes.
"Uh-oh..." Obito accidentally plunged into the water and took a mouthful.
Mutsuki instantly pulled Obito out, smiling, "See, you haven't mastered it yet."
"Yumi-sensei, how can I handle it when you suddenly pull such a stunt?" Obito complained.
There were classmates on the scene and even a younger member of the family; he still had to save face.
"Then try it again," Mutsuki laughed.
Walking on water tests a ninja's control of continuous Chakra output. With distractions like the Water Dragon Bullet and the need to dodge waves, maintaining stable and continuous output under such circumstances indicates excellent Chakra control ability.
Obito talked tough, but his strength didn't match. He fell into the water again after only a few minutes.
"The shoes I'm wearing today don't fit well, affecting my performance," Obito explained, spitting out the river water in his mouth. Then, he placed his shoes on the shore and walked barefoot on the water's surface.
Mutsuki smiled faintly without saying a word.
After a while, Obito fell into the water again.
"Oh no, maybe staying up late reading yesterday affected my energy today. No wonder I made so many mistakes."
Obito stretched his limbs, twisted his neck, rolled up his sleeves, and with a serious expression, said, "I have to be serious from now on."
Splash!
The sound of falling into the water echoed once again.
After quickly pulling Obito out, Mutsuki saw that Obito's eyes were lifeless and expressionless, and hedidn't say anything more.
"Obito, it's okay. I know you just want to learn how to swim," Shisui comforted.
Obito covered his face with both hands, saying, "Shisui, go on with your business. I'll be fine on my own."
"Are you feeling bad about your performance?" Mutsuki squatted beside Obito, not looking at him but gazing into the distance.
As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison.
While Obito hadn't even begun mastering chakra control training, Shisui had already finished.
Moreover, Shisui progressed rapidly, skipping tree climbing right from the start, and handling water walking effortlessly. Even with Mutsuki's interference, Shisui could persist on the water for a long time.
With Shisui, his clan junior, performing so well, Obito kept up a tough demeanor. He admitted that he might not be as good as Shisui, but he shouldn't be that far behind.
"Actually, last weekend afternoon, I left because I became a tutor at the Hokage's house," Mutsuki said.
"The Hokage has a son, you should know him, Sarutobi Asuma, just a year older than you."
Obito nodded, indeed recognizing him.
"When he was doing water walking training, I also disrupted him with the Water Dragon Bullet. He fell into the water dozens of times in one afternoon, but finally, in the last attempt, he persisted for five minutes."
"Asuma actually..." Obito didn't expect that Asuma, the excellent student during the ninja academy, would have such a tough time. Moreover, he endured through an entire afternoon in such challenging conditions.
Obito now looked at Asuma with newfound respect. He hadn't noticed Asuma's perseverance when they first met.
"Sensei, I got it. I've rested well, let's start training!" Obito took a deep breath and said with a spirited tone.
If Asuma could persist, why couldn't he? After all, his goal was to defeat Kakashi and take first place in front of Rin!
"Have something to eat before training." Mutsuki handed Obito a portion of Dango he had bought earlier.
"Sure, thanks, Sensei!" Obito exclaimed energetically, quickly finishing the Dango and then stepping into the river.
[You have gifted your disciple Dango. Due to the disciple's gratitude, a critical reward is triggered, gaining the Chef skill.]
[Chef: Your cooking is so delicious that it can induce illusions.]
"Huh, unexpectedly triggered a skill, and it's in the lifestyle category," Mutsuki was somewhat surprised. While it's known that rewards from teaching disciples can be random, Might Guy gained him mastery in Water Nature Transformation, but Obito rewarding a Chef skill was a bit perplexing for him.
Nevertheless, it didn't stop Mutsuki from being happy, as, from the skill description, this skill seemed quite powerful.
Cooking delicious food is a significant bonus.
If he had this skill earlier, he could have pretended that the cooking equipment at home was damaged, then gone to Minato's house to cook, showcasing extraordinary culinary skills. Perhaps Kushina and Minato would have taken the initiative to befriend him.
It could also quickly boost disciple favorability. A sensei with both top-notch teaching quality and exceptional cooking skills—who wouldn't like that?
After all the disciples completed their training, Mutsuki returned early to the main area of Konoha. He wanted to see how tasty the dishes he could make with his new skill would be.
Mutsuki chose two dishes, one being egg-fried rice and the other being tempura. While he could make egg frierd rice before, he had never made tempura.
From the moment he picked up the egg, Mutsuki felt a mysterious energy surrounding him. Although the steps were similar to before, everything fell into place perfectly.
After finishing the egg-fried rice, looking at the distinct golden grains emitting a faint golden glow, Mutsuki was somewhat entranced.
He pondered that he didn't add any fluorescent powder when he was cooking, so why does it seem to be glowing?
Mutsuki tasted a spoonful - the eggs were tender, the rice was elastic, and the fragrance of chopped green onions burst in his mouth. He had never eaten egg-fried rice that was so delicious!
Mutsuki even vaguely saw a robust rooster running and occasionally taking flight in a grassy field, so free and joyful.
"It really is so delicious that it creates illusions." Mutsuki shook his head, quickly coming back to his senses.
Mutsuki switched to a flat pan and started preparing tempura.
First, he made the batter, then heated the oil in the pan, dipped the pre-prepared shrimp in the batter, and fried them in the pan.
Soon, the tempura's coating began to change color gradually, a distinctive aroma of frying filled the kitchen, drifting into the distance.
Relying on his intuition, Mutsuki scooped up the tempura and placed it on a plate, then brought it to the table.
Just as Mutsuki was about to pick up a piece of tempura to taste it, the sound of knocking on the door echoed.
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