"Take a look at the Nature Transformation under Flame Breathing, use more Chakra," Mutsuki thought for a moment and said.
Obito nodded, adjusted his Breathing Technique, entered Flame Breathing state, sucked in a large amount of oxygen into his body, condensed a large amount of Chakra at his throat, and then rapidly sprayed out a large flame.
Too much flame was emitted, uncontrollably drifting towards the surroundings. Mutsuki prevented the forest from igniting by using Water Release to intercept.
Shisui quietly watched this scene. Familiar with Obito, he could clearly feel Obito's progress in Chakra Nature Transformation.
Only such rapid progress would lead to the situation of flames flying around. If it weren't for Mutsuki's timely intervention, Obito himself would have been burned.
"Yumi-sensei, eating spicy food really increases cultivation speed," Obito exclaimed, despite being soaked with water.
He felt that his sudden progress was due to eating Mutsuki's cooking.
After all, to him, yesterday seemed like an ordinary day, apart from Mutsuki's cooking, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"What did you do after finishing your cultivation yesterday?" Mutsuki asked.
Mutsuki didn't think it was because of the cooking. If cooking could cause such a sudden surge in proficiency, it should have been effective yesterday, not after Obito returned home. Cooking illusions don't have a delayed effect or a postponed display.
"I didn't do much, just went home as usual, then practiced for a while when I got home, and I made progress," Obito replied after some thought.
"Please elaborate," Mutsuki said.
"On the way home yesterday, Rin-chan encouraged me, and then we made a promise..."
"This part can be skipped."
"After parting with Rin-chan, I encountered an old lady who had fallen down. I carried her to the hospital for treatment..." Obito recounted various incidents on his way home, mostly either helping the elderly or on his way to help them.
"After returning home, I practiced the Breathing Technique for a while. Suddenly, I felt a bit warm in my body, and then it became like this," Obito replied.
"I see. It seems that Obito's actions and mindset resonate with the characteristics of Flame Breathing," Mutsuki understood the reason behind Obito's rapid progress after hearing his description.
Obito fits the requirements of Flame Breathing too well. His cheerful and enthusiastic nature leads him to voluntarily help those in need, akin to the warmth of a flame burning within him.
"Shisui, you should also eat more spicy food. Your Breathing Technique will surely undergo changes as quickly as mine," Obito shared his successful experience with Shisui.
"Is it really because of eating spicy food?" Shisui felt a bit dubious in his heart.
It's not that Shisui doubted Obito was lying to him; in such important matters, Obito surely wouldn't lie. However, after listening to their conversation, Shisui felt that the real reason might not be solely because Obito had eaten very spicy food.
"Stop chatting and eat first," Mutsuki handed the lunchboxes to the two.
Eating might not result in a sudden breakthrough, but it's definitely better than not eating at all.
Shisui opened the lunchbox and saw several neatly arranged large chili peppers, which made him ponder. Were they supposed to eat the chili peppers directly?
"There's meat inside the chili peppers," Mutsuki reminded.
Shisui took a bite and found that indeed the chili peppers were filled with meat. Surprisingly, there was even chili powder inside the meat, making it spicier than just eating the outer chili peppers alone. Nonetheless, the taste was still top-notch.
After delivering the food to the two, Mutsuki went to give Guy his meal, which was beef stew with potato.
Mutsuki gave Guy an appraisal and found that his proficiency had increased slightly, reaching twenty points of proficiency.
"It seems like it's not a blockage, but simply too difficult, hence the slower progress," Mutsuki thought to himself.
From the current pace, Mutsuki felt he didn't need to worry about Obito's cultivation tasks anymore.
Unless Guy has another sudden enlightenment and his proficiency surges, Obito's proficiency in the Breathing Technique will definitely be much higher than Guy's by the end of the month, giving him some advantage in terms of raw strength.
When the afternoon practice session ended, Mutsuki asked Shisui and Obito to go back together.
Today, Shisui's proficiency in Flame Breathing increased steadily from fifteen to sixteen.
But it would be even better if Shisui could learn something from Obito and progress rapidly together. If not, it's fine too. Shisui's level of self-awareness would ensure he continued his practice even without learning anything new.
"Although you're generally excellent, there are still things you can learn from Obito," Mutsuki said to Shisui.
Mutsuki still hoped Shisui could be more cheerful and optimistic.
In the original story, Shisui had very few lines and basically only existed in memories. But to commit suicide to open his friend's eyes, Mutsuki felt that's not something a normal person would do.
There are many crazy people in this world, but Mutsuki doesn't want to see his disciple become one of them.
Shisui nodded thoughtfully, prepared to observe Obito carefully on the way home.
When it comes to practicing secret techniques like the Breathing Technique, Obito always progresses faster than him, which means there must be areas where Obito excels more than him.
And so, Shisui embarked on the path of observing Obito.
"Rin-chan, did my Shadow Clone do anything strange at school?" Obito asked.
"No, it was just like you, Obito," Rin replied with a smile.
"That's good, I was worried that my Shadow Clone would affect my image at the Academy."
Shisui watched this scene, silently noting that Obito enjoyed talking to Rin.
No one knew if the Shadow Clone had done anything strange better than Obito himself, but he still asked. The question was meaningless; obviously, Obito just wanted to chat with Rin.
However, today they didn't encounter any elderly people in need of help, so the two of them made it home smoothly.
The next day, Shisui and Obito gathered together to practice in the Southern Boundary Forest.
On the way to breakfast, Obito helped an old lady, and Shisui noticed Obito smiling after helping the old lady.
After safely arriving at the Southern Boundary Forest, Shisui no longer paid attention to Obito, but focused on practicing.
He continued to observe Obito in the afternoon when they returned.
However, this time was a bit rougher than yesterday. They encountered an old man carrying a large sack coming to Konoha to visit his family.
The old man was from a village near Konoha. His daughter had married into Konoha, and with the recent good harvest in the fields, he wanted to bring some produce for his daughter's family to enjoy.
The sack the old man was carrying wasn't insignificant; it might not have been light for ordinary people, but for them, as ninjas with chakra, it wasn't much of a burden.
But after they took the old man to where his daughter's family was supposed to be, they found out that they had moved. To not waste the old man's heartfelt gesture, Obito went door to door in the nearby area to inquire about their whereabouts and then went to search for them. By the time they found them, it was already quite dark.
Shisui understood why Obito's visits to the Southern Boundary Forest were inconsistent; encountering such situations occasionally indeed made it difficult to be punctual.
"Thank you so much. These aren't anything valuable, but please take some home with you," the old man said gratefully, wanting to share the contents of the sack with Obito and Shisui.
"You don't have to, Grandpa. Even if we hadn't helped, you would have found them eventually," Obito smiled warmly, waving his hand in refusal.
Declining the reward, Obito and Shisui returned to their respective homes in the Uchiha clan compound.
As he lay in bed, Shisui continued to recall the memories of Obito from the past few days.
After observing Obito carefully, Shisui truly felt that Obito was a unique Uchiha, unlike any other Uchiha he had ever met, to the point where he didn't seem much like an Uchiha at all.
Most of the time, Obito seemed quite careless and absent-minded. Despite being considered outstanding among his peers, he could still trip or bump into things while walking without paying attention.
Moreover, Obito rarely seemed to control his emotions, displaying various emotions almost openly on his face.
When it came to noticing those in need of help, Obito's observational skills were top-notch, able to spot things that Shisui didn't notice.
After observing for three days, Shisui sought out Mutsuki.
"Sensei, if Obito's progress in the Breathing Technique is due to his enthusiasm for helping others, then I'm afraid I won't be able to learn. I can't genuinely and sincerely seek out strangers in need of help like he does," Shisui admitted honestly.
Shisui didn't reject helping others, but he couldn't reach Obito's level.
Upon hearing Shisui's words, Mutsuki smiled. He ruffled Shisui's hair and said with a smile:
"You can learn from Obito, there's no need to imitate him. Perhaps you are kinder inside than you think."
Mutsuki didn't know exactly what Shisui and Obito did, but he could see that although Shisui's proficiency in Flame Breathing wasn't as high as Obito's, his progress wasn't slow either.
...
On Monday at noon, Mutsuki received news of another Jonin meeting.
Since it was at the Academy, this time Mutsuki went alone.
Minato and Kushina arrived slightly earlier than Mutsuki; when Mutsuki entered the meeting room, they were already standing inside.
Mutsuki greeted the two as he approached.
"It's only been a few days, and we're already having another meeting," Kushina said with a hint of exasperation.
Mutsuki smiled but refrained from joining in the complaint. There were too many people here, and some things couldn't be said casually. Unlike Kushina, whose status was special, Mutsuki couldn't afford to criticize meetings or even curse casually.
During the last meeting, Mutsuki briefly acquainted himself with some of the Jonin. This time, he continued to mingle, exchanging a few words but not engaging in lengthy conversation.
Once everyone had gathered, the Third Hokage explained the reason for convening the Jonin meeting for the second time so quickly.
"The Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning has declared war on us," Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly.
"The Hidden Cloud Village? Weren't they already at war with the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand Village?" a Jonin exclaimed in surprise.
Although the Third Kazekage has disappeared, the Hidden Sand Village still holds its strength as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. It's unlikely that the Hidden Cloud Village could defeat the Hidden Sand Village in a short period.
At this moment, the Hidden Cloud's declaration of war against Konoha suggests only one possibility: the Hidden Cloud seeks to engage in a two-front war, simultaneously attacking both Konoha and the Sand Village.
"Those darn brutes from the Hidden Cloud, they deserve to die!" Kushina cursed mercilessly.
Upon hearing this news, Mutsuki wasn't surprised. After all, Konoha was already under threat of being besieged by the Four Great Shinobi Villages, and a declaration of war was just another declaration; the conflict hadn't even officially begun yet.
Mutsuki could somewhat guess at the intentions of the Hidden Cloud ninja.
Before the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, there had been significant friction between the Hidden Cloud and Konoha. This indicates that the Hidden Cloud had its sights set on Konoha.
However, due to the immense turmoil caused by the events in the Hidden Sand Village, including the disappearance of the Kazekage, the Hidden Cloud chose to strike first against the now leaderless Hidden Sand Village.
If Iwagakure didn't declare war on Konoha, Mutsuki estimates that the Hidden Cloud wouldn't declare war on Konoha without gaining a significant advantage over the Sand Village.
However, with Iwagakure declaring war on Konoha, it changes the situation. Even though the Hidden Cloud is engaging in a two-front war, with Iwagakure's involvement, Konoha would also need to fight on two fronts.
Would the Third Raikage believe that, under the same circumstances, the Hidden Cloud is inferior to Konoha? Of course not. If that were the case, the Hidden Cloud wouldn't be making such bold moves in the ninja world.
Mutsuki speculated that the Third Raikage's plan is to engage in combat with the Sand Village while draining Konoha's strength, then defeat the Sand Village first before dealing with Konoha. Finally, they would take down Iwagakure, which is at war with Konoha, and dominate the continent.
Mutsuki can only say that it's a good plan, but they are overestimating their own strength and underestimating both Konoha's strength and Iwagakure's ambition.
The direction of the Third Great Ninja War can already indicate that Onoki is very ambitious. If the Third Raikage wasn't so fierce, a large wave of Hidden Cloud ninja would have perished in Iwagakure's siege.
"We should immediately deploy spies to disrupt their operations with the Sand Village," Danzo spoke up.
As long as the Sand Village can hold off a sufficient number of Hidden Cloud ninja, Konoha wouldn't have to worry too much about the pressure of fighting on two fronts.
Nara Shikaku fell into a contemplative expression. If the Hidden Cloud wants to attack Konoha, it would be easier than dealing with Iwagakure.
Because if the Hidden Cloud wants to attack Konoha, they generally have two choices: entering from the northeastern country of the Land of Hot Water or entering from the country directly to the north, the Land of Rice Fields.
The ninja forces in the Land of Hot Water are weak, and even weaker in the Land of Rice Fields, where there isn't even a ninja village.
This means that Konoha needs to be vigilant in a large area, especially in regions bordering the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Water.
"We need to stop the Hidden Cloud from defeating the Sand Village while strengthening our border defenses," Nara Shikaku said.
This time, he agreed with Danzo's opinion. They absolutely couldn't allow the Hidden Cloud to divert its forces and fully attack Konoha.
Mutsuki could sense that the atmosphere of this meeting was heavier than the last one; many Jonin wore serious expressions.
"Sand and the Hidden Cloud are already in conflict, and Iwagakure will soon be at war with the village as well. It seems like the Third Great Ninja War is about to erupt," Minato said with a heavy heart after recalling the situation.
Minato is experienced in missions, but he hasn't experienced the Great Ninja Wars firsthand. When the Second Great Ninja War occured, he was still studying at the Academy and barely had any involvement.
However, just by looking at the recorded texts, he could feel the brutality of the Great Ninja Wars - the large number of ninja casualties, even the Kages of entire villages could perish in the war.
Kushina's status is special; once the war intensifies, she will be on the battlefield. That's exactly what worries Minato.
"Those Hidden Cloud savages are just eager to stir up trouble!" Kushina's expression was grim.
However, Kushina isn't worried about herself being on the battlefield; she's reminded of her own country, which was destroyed by war.
Kushina hates war. She witnessed firsthand how her country and village were destroyed in the chaos of war, and those memories are still vivid to her.
"Obito's training missions, students' exam rewards, and the promotion rewards for the year..." Mutsuki silently contemplated the rewards that are relatively close to him.
War is gradually approaching, and at the moment, his strength is not yet sufficient to protect himself in the chaos of war.
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