"Yumi-sensei, how long did I persist this time?" Obito wiped off the water stains from his face, looking at Mutsuki with eager anticipation.
He felt like he had been on the river for a long time, maybe persevering for an hour.
"You did well this time, persisted for twenty minutes," Mutsuki praised generously.
"Ah? Only twenty minutes? I thought it was at least half an hour." Obito was somewhat disappointed.
On the river surface, he not only had to maintain constant Chakra output but also pay attention to Mutsuki's Water Release, observe the ripples on the river, be ready to dodge at any moment, and constantly ensure a state that gave the feeling of having passed a long time.
"Chakra control practice, you've completed it. You can start practicing Nature Transformation now," Mutsuki said with a smile.
"Yeah, I'll go down right away." Obito had been practicing water walking recently. Subconsciously, he started walking towards the riverbank. It took him a few steps to realize what Mutsuki had actually said.
"Finally, no more water walking." Obito couldn't help but pump his fist and cheer, noticing the gazes from Shisui and Might Guy before quieting down.
"I've been walking on water every day recently, and I'm starting to get used to the taste of the river here." Obito couldn't help but complain.
Walking on water was different from climbing trees. Climbing trees was fine as long as Obito adjusted well or Mutsuki caught him quickly. If he didn't control water walking properly, he might end up swallowing a mouthful of water.
Fortunately, not many people came here, and the river water was relatively clean and clear, without any strange smells.
"Do you want to practice some more?" Mutsuki jokingly asked.
"Forget it, forget it. Every time I see the river lately, I want to take a detour." Obito, who had been tormented, chose not to act tough this time.
"Let's start Nature Transformation sooner. There are only fourteen days left until the competition." Obito felt the time was a bit tight.
In addition to Nature Transformation, he also needed to deepen his proficiency in the Great Fireball.
"According to my schedule, there will be enough time," Mutsuki reassured Obito.
"This is just training for participating in a civilian competition; it's not like we're training to face Pain. There's no need to exaggerate the Nature Transformation practice too much."
With the support of teaching skills and Mutsuki's Great Fireball already at a proficient level, it was straightforward for Obito to improve his Great Fireball skills.
After all, it involved the rewards for the training mission, and Mutsuki had planned it seriously.
Soon, Mutsuki's Shadow Clone brought a large wooden barrel, and Mutsuki opened it, taking out an Ice Block the size of a chicken egg and handing it to Obito.
"Place the Ice Block in your palm, then use Chakra to perform Nature Transformation and melt the Ice Block," Mutsuki explained the first step of the Nature Transformation training process.
Nature Transformation is considered a relatively difficult and advanced practice in the ninja training process. Even if you have a sufficient amount of Chakra, if your proficiency in Nature Transformation for the corresponding Ninjutsu is not high enough, the effectiveness of the Ninjutsu will be limited.
Training in Fire Nature Transformation is a bit more dangerous than Wind, as the combustible nature of fire may pose risks to the practitioner.
At first, Mutsuki wanted Obito to burn leaves, but if Obito couldn't instantly turn the leaves into ashes, his hands would get burned by the burning leaves.
So Mutsuki came up with the idea of using an Ice Block. Because it has a low enough temperature, it would only melt into water when exposed to flames. Obito's flames were not enough to heat the water from the Ice Block."
"It's so cold." Obito, holding the Ice Block, took a sharp breath. It was still spring, and the temperature wasn't high in the morning when the sun wasn't strong.
"Then release your Chakra quickly." Mutsuki tapped Obito's head with two fingers.
Obito winced, rubbed his head, and then began guiding his Chakra to gather in his palm for Nature Transformation.
"When performing Nature Transformation, remember the characteristics of fire – combustion and high temperature. Make your Chakra burn, raising the temperature," Mutsuki reminded.
Obito stared at the Ice Block in his hand, nodded, and silently recited the words "burn" and "high temperature" in his mind.
Two minutes later, Obito felt water forming in his palm, instantly revealing a pleased expression.
"Sensei, the Ice Block is melting!" Obito happily exclaimed.
"How about you take another Ice Block and hold it in your hand for a few minutes without using Chakra?" Mutsuki suggested.
Curious, Obito dropped the Ice Block in his hand and picked up another one of similar size, holding it in his hand without using Chakra. Then, he awkwardly realized that the degree of ice melting was only slightly less than before.
"The human body also has temperature. Holding an Ice Block of this size in your hand, it will melt slowly even without Chakra," Mutsuki explained, rubbing his forehead.
Fortunately, the weather wasn't hot now. If it were summer, Obito might have thought he was a Nature Transformation prodigy.
"Hehe, when using Ninjutsu, I'm used to using my mouth. Using my hands feels a bit strange now," Obito scratched his head and explained.
"When performing Nature Transformation, always remember the nature of fire," Mutsuki said, holding a head-sized Ice Block in his hand as he spoke.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"
At the moment Mutsuki finished speaking, a flash of red light passed, and the head-sized Ice Block immediately turned into billowing white smoke, transforming directly into water vapor and drifting towards the sky.
"High temperature, combustion." Obito kept muttering these two words in his mouth, continuously gathering Chakra in his palms and releasing it.
Soon, the morning was about to end, and Obito felt his hands numb from the cold. The skin on his hands had turned pale and wrinkled due to prolonged contact with water.
"Thinking about it, the taste of river water isn't bad." Obito regretted not agreeing a few hours ago to Mutsuki's suggestion of practicing more.
This Nature Transformation training was more torturous than walking on water.
"Let's take a break from training and have lunch," Mutsuki called a halt to the three of them, then took out three lunch boxes and distributed them.
"The food today smells so good!" Might Guy opened the lid and caught a whiff of a fragrance that seemed to penetrate the soul, along with the dazzling golden light from the lunch box.
"Yumi-sensei, there's something odd about this meal. It's actually glowing!" Might Guy looked a bit bewildered.
"The sun's just a reflection, so go ahead and eat." Mutsuki smiled faintly.
Might Guy took a spoonful, and instantly his eyes lit up. He swiftly waved the spoon, continuously delivering fried rice into his mouth.
"Delicious! Delicious!" Might Guy felt like he had never eaten such tasty food before.
[You have gifted the disciple Golden Egg Fried Rice, and the disciple is very grateful for it. Critical reward, gaining +100 Chakra]
Mutsuki nodded inwardly; indeed, the chef skill was quite powerful.
"Is Guy training so hard today?" Obito felt Might Guy was a bit exaggerated. Even though Yumi-sensei had good skills, there was no need to eat so eagerly.
"It does look really good." Obito slightly changed his opinion after opening the lunch box.
His meal wasn't egg fried rice but a home-cooked stir-fry.
Obito first picked up some vegetables, then scooped up a mouthful of rice and put it in his mouth.
"Delicious!" Obito's eyes widened; he felt a burst of unprecedented flavor in his mouth.
Then came the frenzy of devouring the meal, continuously stuffing food into their mouths until Obito encountered the chili in the dish.
A terrifying spiciness erupted, and in an instant, Obito felt as if he had stepped into the mouth of an imminent erupting volcano, with the air around him becoming hot and dry.
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