Saturday morning.
Because Mutsuki had made plans with Minato and others for a detailed teaching session on squirrel fish, he dispatched a Shadow Clone to guide the disciples. Meanwhile, he himself was at Minato and Kushina's home in the main district of Konoha teaching them cooking.
The reason for not switching roles, with the Shadow Clone teaching disciples and the main body teaching cooking, is mainly because the Shadow Clone does not have the benefit of chef skill.
Ninjutsu that Mutsuki can perform can all be done by the Shadow Clone, but skills like cooking and teaching are not usable by the Shadow Clone.
Mutsuki placed a fish on the cutting board and had Minato and Kushina watch as he explained while cutting the fish:
"When dealing with fish, first make a diagonal cut behind the gills to sever the backbone."
Mutsuki chopped off the fish head and then reminded them:
"After cutting off the fish head, give it a little treatment. Cut off this side of the gill cover so that it will sit well when frying later. It will look much better when served."
"No wonder mine doesn't look good; there was still this step." Kushina revealed an enlightened expression.
While handling the fish meat, Mutsuki cautioned the two to control their strength carefully. Cutting three-fourths into the fish meat is enough; don't pierce the fish skin, or it will be considered a failure in appearance.
At this stage, Mutsuki took out two prepared fish for Kushina and Minato to practice with.
Minato's performance was decent, perhaps fearing cutting through the fish meat, he went a bit shallower. On the other hand, Kushina directly pierced the fish skin.
"Haha, this fish meat is too soft, cut through it in one go. Mutsuki, do you have a fish with firmer meat?" Kushina attempted to shift the blame of her failure into the fish.
"If the meat is too tough, would you even eat it?" Mutsuki showed a helpless smile.
Fortunately, Mutsuki was well-prepared, and he took another fish for Kushina to try.
With the experience from the first attempt, Kushina made three cuts before piercing the fish skin, showing significant progress.
"From now on, Minato, I'll leave the fish cutting to you." Kushina said with a serious expression. To avoid wasting Mutsuki's time, Kushina decided not to challenge the fish for the time being.
The teaching continued, with Mutsuki explaining each step meticulously. After the explanation, he immediately had the two practice.
Teaching this way was slow, and by noon, Mutsuki hadn't managed to guide Kushina and Minato in making a complete squirrel fish dish. They had only completed the instructional part.
It wasn't until around two in the afternoon that Mutsuki, with the two in tow, finally produced their respective squirrel fish dishes.
It could be considered completed, but there were significant differences in appearance.
"Clearly, we followed step by step, but why is there still such a big difference in the end?" Kushina felt that their finished products were still far from Mutsuki's.
"After all, we are beginners. With more practice, the appearance should improve," Minato said.
Minato was quite satisfied; he had actually completed such a seemingly complex dish.
If cooking skills had levels, Minato felt that this squirrel fish dish was at least a B-level difficulty.
He immediately added this dish to the menu for when Jiraiya returned.
[Lecture Completed]
[Evaluation: B]
[Reward: Magivcal Mapo Tofu]
Just as Mutsuki was about to say something, the system suddenly issued a prompt.
"Teaching cooking also counts as a lecture? Teaching two people can trigger lecture rewards?" Two doubts instantly popped into Mutsuki's mind.
Previously, he taught but didn't trigger any rewards. He wondered why teaching disciples didn't activate lecture rewards either.
After careful consideration, Mutsuki made some guesses.
The evaluation of the lecture might not only consider the number of people; the strength of the learners might also carry some weight. Although he only taught Minato and Kushina, their strength was high.
As for why there were no rewards triggered during the previous cooking lessons, Mutsuki felt it might be due to insufficient time and depth of instruction.
The settlement of this lecture was somewhat unexpected for Mutsuki, and the reward was a bit abstract—a recipe...
Kushina and Minato each took a bite of the squirrel fish they had made, both wearing satisfied smiles. Despite its somewhat unappealing appearance, the taste was quite good.
However, during the meal, Mutsuki's squirrel fish was the first to be finished. While theirs turned out well, Mutsuki's was too delicious to resist.
"Mutsuki, you really went through trouble this time, spending most of the day teaching us how to cook," Minato said with a gentle smile.
"It's no trouble at all. After all, you guys often help me with doubts about Sealing Jutsu," Mutsuki responded with a smile, indicating that there was no need for them to worry.
"Speaking of Sealing Jutsu, Mutsuki, how is your Three Fingers Seal practice going?" Kushina asked.
"It's showing some progress at the moment," Mutsuki shared his insights from the first three days of his practice.
"That's decent progress. The time you estimate for successful practice should be close to what I anticipated," Kushina nodded approvingly after hearing this.
In the realm of cooking, Kushina willingly dubbed Mutsuki as the strongest. However, when it came to Sealing Jutsu, Kushina believed that the entire ninja world couldn't produce anyone stronger than her.
"I'll write down some insights from my previous Sealing Jutsu practice and share them with you when I get back," Kushina said after giving it some thought.
She was someone who understood the principle of repaying kindness, and since Mutsuki had just earnestly and meticulously taught her and Minato how to cook, Kushina wanted to reciprocate the favor.
"That would be great trouble," Mutsuki said, feeling quite satisfied.
"Mutsuki, what are you saying? This is no trouble at all. It's just a small effort," Kushina laughed heartily.
In the evening, Obito informed Mutsuki in advance that he planned to apply for another Taijutsu challenge on Sunday.
"Are you ready?" Mutsuki asked Obito with a smile, slowly taking out three exam papers from a scroll.
Upon seeing the three exam papers in Mutsuki's hands, Obito's face immediately fell. Regardless, he wasn't keen on doing exams, no matter the circumstances.
However, when Obito looked towards Guy and Shisui, who were practicing Soru not far away, and recalled their conversation from yesterday, his fighting spirit ignited instantly as he declared:
"Yumi-sensei, I'm ready this time, and I'm sure I'll succeed!"
Since his bitter defeat last Saturday, he had been training diligently for a week. Obito chose to believe in the results of his hard work.
Seeing Obito so confident, Mutsuki handed over the entry fee and began arranging the venue.
The next morning.
Obito arrived early, even earlier than Shisui for the first time, reaching the training ground. After Obito did some warm-up exercises, Mutsuki guided him to the challenge area he had set up.
"Just like before, keep heading east, and you'll reach the finish line," Mutsuki reminded.
Obito nodded, exerting his full strength and sprinting towards the direction Mutsuki indicated.
Having learned from the last time, Obito didn't look back at the Shadow Clone. Instead, he remained vigilant, constantly checking for traps and mechanisms in his vicinity.
With a cautious attitude, Obito, having avoided any traps so far, reached the large swinging hammer obstacle where he had previously suffered defeat. Here, there could be numerous sturdy trees swinging back and forth at any moment.
Without hesitation, Obito charged in, swiftly crossing through unharmed with his incredible speed. Accustomed to running with added weight, he felt unnaturally light without it, and his running speed increased instantly.
Having passed the point where he failed last time, Obito felt considerably at ease, a radiant smile appearing on his face.
"As long as I take it seriously, this challenge is manageable."
However, Obito's confidence didn't last for more than three seconds. Shortly after expressing his words, he directly fell into the large pit that Mutsuki had dug.
"Minus one point," Mutsuki's warm voice reached Obito's ears.
Obito quickly jumped out of the pit, then proceeded to sprint carefully, no longer daring to be careless.
The cost of being careless was too heavy – not only did he have to restart the challenge, but he also had to answer an additional one hundred questions.
While the former was unpleasant but acceptable, the latter was somewhat terrifying.
Carefully running for a while, Obito spotted a Kunai inserted into a wooden stake, with a flag tied to it that read "Finish." Obito once again flashed a brilliant smile.
"I've reached the finish line; there are still two points to deduct. I guess being cautious suits me well," Obito said, confidently striding towards the Kunai.
At this moment, Obito was filled with satisfaction. Passing through the challenging obstacles with extraordinary caution through his rigorous training, there was nothing more fulfilling than this – a sense of accomplishment overflowing.
However, just as Obito was about to reach the Kunai, he was suddenly suspended in the air. What he didn't expect was that there was a trap near the finish line!
"Minus one point," Mutsuki's voice echoed in Obito's ears again.
Obito quickly freed himself from the trap, no longer daring to smile. He was afraid that laughing again would cost him the last point and leave him with three exam papers to complete.
After carefully inspecting the surroundings, Obito crossed the finish line.
It was only then that Mutsuki appeared and said, "Even though you have only one point left, it's still a success."
"Hahaha, yay!" Obito couldn't help but leap up, cheering and laughing freely. No need to worry about failing deductions, no need to face a hundred questions.
"Now I can finally learn Soru like Shisui and Guy," Obito exclaimed.
"Who told you that you can learn Soru right away?" Mutsuki asked in confusion.
"Isn't it you, Yumi-sensei? You said I can learn it after completing the Taijutsu challenge," Obito asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, that's true. After completing the Taijutsu challenge. But you've only finished the first stage, the Forest Sprint. You haven't completed the second stage yet," Mutsuki explained.
Obito thought for a moment, eventually retrieving relevant memories from some corner of his mind. Indeed, there was such a condition!
"The second stage is called River Run. You need to dash from one riverbank to the other within a set time without falling into the water," Mutsuki explained.
"Is it that simple?" Obito showed a pleased expression.
Isn't that just walking on water? It seemed too easy for him in his current state.
"I will release Ninjutsu on the river's surface to create some interference after the start," Mutsuki smiled.
"Is it the Water Dragon Bullet again?" Obito asked.
Mutsuki nodded. It was indeed the Water Dragon Bullet, though with a slightly higher quantity.
With Mutsuki's confirmation, Obito looked very relaxed. It was just the Water Dragon Bullet plus walking on water – a training he had already completed.
"Yumi-sensei, I'm ready to start the challenge for the second stage," Obito expressed his eagerness to quickly complete the challenge and begin practicing Soru.
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