"By the way, Yumi-sensei, do we need to pay an entrance fee for the second stage?" Obito suddenly remembered something important.
"The first time you clear the first stage, you can challenge the second stage for free. Normally, the fee is the same as the first stage," explained Mutsuki.
"The first time is free? That's great." Obito was very happy, as it meant he didn't have to do three extra test papers.
"Yumi-sensei, shall we start now?" Obito couldn't wait any longer.
Then, Mutsuki took Obito to the riverside and explained:
"The width of this river is only fifteen meters. You need to cross it within ten seconds and without falling into the water."
After saying this to Obito, Mutsuki created more than ten Shadow Clones standing by the river, ready to perform Ninjutsu.
At the beginning, when Obito heard that he had a full ten seconds, he was excited. The distance was only fifteen meters in total, and he had a full ten seconds.
However, when Obito saw Mutsuki create so many Shadow Clones, he became a bit uneasy and had a frightening suspicion in his mind.
Witnessing over ten Mutuskis forming seals in unison, numerous large Water Dragons quickly appeared on the water's surface, swiftly colliding back and forth along the river.
Obito, watching the nearly filled river with these water dragons, was dumbfounded. Was this considered a certain level of interference?
With so many Water Dragon Bullets colliding back and forth, he felt like there was hardly any space for him to cross.
"Obito, are you ready? If you are, I'll start the timer," Mutsuki asked.
If it weren't for being by the river, using Water Release here was much easier than in a place without water. With his current Chakra, it was challenging to perform such an operation.
"I'm ready. Let's begin," Obito said, steeling himself.
Since he had already agreed to start the challenge with Mutsuki, there was no turning back.
Obito's mind raced, contemplating how to complete the challenge of the second stage.
Although he had experienced water walking training before, dodging Water Dragon Bullets on the river during that training was in no way comparable to the quantity in the second stage challenge.
During water walking training, there was only one Water Dragon Bullet on the river, and all one had to do was be careful not to be overturned by the splashes created by the Water Dragon Bullet.
In contrast, in this challenge, the river was filled directly with Water Dragon Bullets, and finding a foothold tested one's eyesight.
"Begin!" Mutsuki shouted while using Ninjutsu.
Upon hearing Mutsuki's shout, Obito had no choice but to dive into the river full of Water Dragon Bullets.
Obito still harbored a trace of optimism, thinking he might just close his eyes and dash through, after all, it was only a distance of fifteen meters.
However, Mutsuki's idea of the challenge wasn't one that could be cleared solely through luck.
Obito hadn't even advanced three meters before being hit by a swiftly approaching Water Dragon Bullet, tumbling into the river and swallowing a mouthful of water.
"Unfortunately. Challenge failed," Mutsuki stopped the Ninjutsu, quickly lifting Obito.
"Yumi-sensei, your challenge is too difficult. How can anyone get through with so many Water Dragon Bullets?" Obito complained.
He felt like he had just set out and already failed.
"There's plenty of time, a full ten seconds. Why don't you stop and observe the movement patterns of the Water Dragon Bullets before taking action?" Mutsuki reminded.
Obito wasn't one to think twice before acting; it was more likely for him to act three times before thinking. He believed that even someone like Obito would take a moment to reflect after three failures.
"Yumi-sensei, then I'll try the challenge again." Obito, upon hearing Mutsuki's words, felt he had been reckless just now, realizing the river full of Water Dragon Bullets was quite daunting, and he hadn't paid attention to the details.
"If you want to retry, it'll cost you a hundred questions as the entrance fee. Are you sure you want to challenge now?" Mutsuki smiled at Obito.
Obito thought about the three test papers he had just received earlier and ultimately decided to give up. Despite Mutsuki's reminder, the difficulty of this stage was apparent, and clearing it seemed very challenging.
Once he failed to clear it, he would have to answer a hundred questions in vain. Obito didn't want to do such a foolish thing.
"Let's begin the training then. Today, I'll teach you a special Chakra utilization technique that can enhance your speed. If you can master it, you should be able to sprint across the river," Mutsuki said.
"Yumi-sensei, you're my Six Paths Sage!" Obito, upon hearing Mutsuki's words, was very excited, seeing a glimmer of victory once again.
"Then practice diligently," Mutsuki said, tapping Obito's head with his fingers.
"I've been practicing diligently all along," Obito chuckled.
Then Mutsuki started explaining some aspects of the Soru technique to Obito.
...
On Monday afternoon at three-thirty, Mutsuki began the first round of strength testing. This time, instead of seeking help from other senseis at the Academy, he created two Shadow Clones, with each one assigned to grade a group of students.
"Hagane Kotetsu." Shadow Clone Mutsuki took out a form and started calling students to begin the test.
Hearing his name, Kotetsu stepped forward quickly. He swiftly performed hand seals, using Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu, followed by a series of Taijutsu movements. Finally, he drew Shuriken and threw them at a target thirty meters away.
"A small improvement, keep up the good work," Mutsuki commented after grading.
"Okay, thank you, Yumi-sensei." Hearing Mutsuki's praise, Kotetsu nodded in satisfaction.
"Kamizuki Izumo." Mutsuki continued to call out.
Izumo quickly stepped forward to showcase his abilities.
After finishing the grading, Mutsuki noticed that Izumo's and Kotetsu's performances in the group test were quite similar, and their progress over the week was also comparable. Perhaps this was the bond between the gatekeeper brothers, even maintaining the same pace in their training progress.
"Mitarashi Anko." Mutsuki continued calling out names.
Upon hearing Mutsuki's voice, Anko jogged forward, first greeting Mutsuki with a bright smile before demonstrating her abilities using Ninjutsu.
Upon hearing Mutsuki call Anko's name, Izumo and Kotetsu felt a bit nervous. It wasn't until they watched Anko's performance that they could relax a bit.
Although stronger than them, Anko had limits to her strength. She probably wouldn't be directly promoted to Group B, at most a slightly higher score.
"Izumo, in next week's practical test, we'll surely make a splash!" Kotetsu, thinking about his nearly perfected Confusion Jutsu, had a bright smile on his face.
"Yeah, with the genius insights of Big Brother Ebisu, we're bound to sweep through Group C." Izumo nodded in agreement.
"It's a shame that Big Brother Ebisu is indifferent to fame and fortune, refusing to let us reveal that this brilliant idea comes from him." Kotetsu sighed.
"Big Brother Ebisu may not seek fame, but we must give credit. If we can achieve total victory, we'll make sure Big Brother Ebisu gets recognized with us!" Izumo expressed the importance of gratitude.
"Izumo, you really don't dissapoint with your thinking." Kotetsu patted Kamizuki Izumo's shoulder, and both of them flashed smiles together.
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