"Failed, huh."
Twenty minutes after the results were announced, Mutsuki learned the preliminary test results without receiving any system messages.
His self-designed exams didn't work, at least not exams with such short time intervals.
Regrettably, Mutsuki had to eliminate the exam plan of daily quizzes and major exams every three days.
If exams couldn't yield rewards, doing so would be meaningless and only make students feel sick.
During the evening practice, Shisui suddenly appeared in front of Mutsuki, looking pleasantly surprised, and said:
"Yumi-sensei, it seems I've preliminarily mastered Soru."
Following that, Shisui demonstrated Soru twice in front of Mutsuki.
Having watched, Mutsuki could confirm in his mind, but still, he evaluated Shisui, and Soru indeed showed signs of being at the introductory level.
"Well, you've completed the practice of this technique. Now, familiarize yourself a bit more, and you can continue learning other techniques." Mutsuki closed the panel and nodded.
He was ready to teach Shisui some Fire Release Ninjutsu to enhance Shisui's offensive capabilities.
Shisui learned Ninjutsu quickly, so Mutsuki felt confident in letting Shisui master more techniques.
As for Obito, Mutsuki currently didn't plan on teaching him new Fire Release Ninjutsu. Having a Great Dragon Fire and a Great Fireball was temporarily sufficient, and adding more might lead to decision-making difficulties for Obito during battles.
Mutsuki looked at Guy and shook his head after an appraisal, finding that Guy's Soru proficiency was still thirty short of entry level.
"In that case, it will take about another week to master," Mutsuki thought as he closed the panel.
Mutsuki glanced at Guy, then at Obito, who was practicing speed-enhancing techniques. An idea crossed his mind.
Back when Guy and Obito trained together, both of their agility improved rapidly.
Back then, they were all practicing Taijutsu, with the main goal of landing hits on Hyuga Kamon, while Hyuga Kamon struggled to land hits on them.
Now, they were essentially still practicing something similar—Soru. However, Obito had not yet completed the full training of Soru; fundamentally, he was practicing Body Flicker Jutsu to enhance his speed.
Mutsuki called Obito and Might Guy together, smiling, and asked:
"Do you guys feel that the current learning efficiency is a bit slow?"
Might Guy shook his head, feeling that everything was quite normal.
Obito, on the other hand, lit up with excitement. Since Mutsuki asked, there must be a method to improve their learning efficiency. Quickly, Obito responded:
"Yeah, Yumi-sensei, that speed enhancement technique of yours is too difficult. Do you have any quick learning methods?"
"There are some, but it depends on whether you want them or not," Mutsuki nodded and said.
"We want it, of course," Obito said with eager eyes looking at Mutsuki.
He really wanted a quick learning method to master the speed-enhancing technique, complete the challenge, and learn Soru as soon as possible.
"If there's a way to quickly master Soru, I want it too," Guy couldn't resist the temptation of quickly gaining control.
"That's good. First, run a lap to show me your fastest speed," Mutsuki said with a gentle smile.
Hearing Mutsuki's words, although a bit puzzled, both of them followed Mutsuki's instructions and exerted their maximum effort to demonstrate their top speed.
Mutsuki silently timed the two in his mind, gaining a rough understanding of their speeds.
Mutsuki then continued, "In that case, let's see who can break their own speed limit first."
"For every half-second slower than your own speed limit, you'll have to solve five extra problems. For every half-second faster, reduce five problems. The first to reach the finish line can skip thirty problems. You both start with forty problems each." Mutsuki thought for a moment and laid out the rules of the competition.
"Since your speeds are different, Guy, your distance will be slightly longer."
Might Guy was already on the verge of mastering Soru, while Obito hadn't even started learning the true Soru. If the distances were the same, Obito wouldn't need to compete; he could just do his problems easily.
"Ah?" Obito was dumbfounded, not expecting Mutsuki's fast learning method to be this kind of terrifying training that could lead to nightmares at night.
Upon hearing the rules, he felt like he was back in the intense training for the final exams, with familiar punishment mechanisms and the familiar start of accumulating debts. Fast forward a bit, and they'd be entering the installment phase.
"Yumi-sensei, you know, I think our efficiency is already pretty high." Obito wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, attempting to salvage the situation.
Guy also expressed agreement, saying, "I think so too."
Just escaping a month of battling and doing problems, Might Guy didn't want to return to the days of doing problems every day.
"Well, I thought you would appreciate a training method that combines theory and practical combat," Mutsuki showed a disappointed expression, seemingly a bit saddened.
"I even prepared the theoretical knowledge you'll need for the next semester. You'll have to wait until the start of the next semester to use it."
Obito felt a bit uneasy in his heart. He had experienced something similar before, where an idea thoughtfully devised for the sake of comrades was easily rejected.
"After careful consideration, Yumi-sensei, your idea is indeed good. It not only strengthens speed but also increases theoretical knowledge." To console Mutsuki, Obito spoke with tears in his heart.
Even if it meant doing problems, he couldn't let Yumi-sensei down.
"Youth is about training and doing problems!" Might Guy couldn't bear to see Mutsuki looking sad. He quickly changed his tune. But when he thought about the days ahead, tears couldn't help but fill his eyes.
"Let's get ready for the competition," Mutsuki showed a gentle smile again.
Seeing Mutsuki display the warm and cheerful smile of the past, Obito breathed a sigh of relief, then scolded himself and wished he could slap himself.
"Why are you always so eager to respond? If you hadn't interrupted Yumi-sensei when he first mentioned improving efficiency, everything would be fine now." Obito cursed himself inwardly.
However, with things having come to this point, Obito had no other choice. Since the competition couldn't be avoided, the only thing to do was to minimize the damage in the competition.
Reducing five problems with every half-second breakthrough in maximum speed may seem appealing, but breaking the limit isn't that simple.
On the contrary, reaching the finish line first allows for a thirty-problem reduction in one go, making it the most substantial reduction without necessarily requiring a speed breakthrough.
Clearly, what Obito could think of, Guy could as well. Regardless, being the first to reach the finish line is the most comfortable option.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing boundless determination in each other's eyes.
This determination wasn't just about the desire for victory but also the fear of the problems.
Mutsuki first planned the running route and the finish line for the two, then positioned himself where both could clearly hear his voice.
"Ready, go!" Mutsuki shouted loudly.
The moment Obito heard Mutsuki shout, he burst into an extreme speed without looking back, utilizing every ounce of strength he had.
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