"How did you suddenly become stronger, Guy?" Before the battle, Obito humbly asked Guy for advice on gaining strength.
"It's not really sudden. It's just that I've started to grasp the basics of Taijutsu that I've been learning," Guy scratched his head and said.
There are a total of eight gates in the Eight Inner Gates technique, and he can only open the first gate for now, so it can only be considered as a preliminary application.
"Don't worry, Obito. My Springtime of Youth won't let you down. I'll definitely bring out the same momentum I had when fighting Kakashi to satisfy you," Guy said, giving a thumbs-up.
Obito: ...
Actually, he was just thinking that Guy shouldn't burn too brightly with his Springtime of Youth, allowing him to win and then show off in front of Kakashi and Rin.
Of course, Obito only entertains such thoughts when daydreaming. If Guy were to let him win, Obito wouldn't be pleased.
"But you must beware of my Fire Release," Obito earnestly reminds. Feeling Kakashi and Rin's gaze, Obito decided to go all out in this battle, using up all his chakra to seize even the slightest chance of victory.
He's determined to fight in his own style, as he can't mimic Kakashi and Shisui's fighting methods, especially since Kakashi himself hasn't defeated Guy.
"Begin!" Mutsuki shouted.
Obito swiftly performe hand seals and unleashed a Great Fireball Jutsu.
As the raging fire hurtles towards Guy, he sidesteps, dodging the attack. Obito immediately follows up by hurling a barrage of shuriken at the evading Guy.
Clang!Clang!Clang!Clang!
Guy swung his kunai to block the incoming shuriken, but he was still caught off guard and got his tight-fitting clothes slashed by several shuriken, leaving behind bloodstains.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!" Obito changed his breathing rhythm, absorbing a large amount of oxygen to enhance his physical abilities and increase the speed of his fire attribute chakra nature transformation.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Then Obito swiftly released another fire release towards Guy.
"Stone Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing, Eight Inner Gates, First Gate: Open!" Seeing that Obito seemed to want to defeat him with a fast-paced attack, Guy no longer held back. He instantly used all his techniques, and with the boost from the breathing technique and the opening of the first gate of the Eight Inner Gates, his physical abilities skyrocketed, with both speed and strength greatly enhanced.
The flying speed of the fire dragon was faster than that of the Great Fireball, and it quickly rushed towards Guy.
Guy knew that the Great Dragon Fire was more flexible and Obito could control its direction to some extent, so he directly used Soru to retreat to the rear and hid behind a nearby tree.
Boom! The high-speed traveling fire dragon burned through the large tree, which crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound, raising a cloud of dust.
"Darn, he's too fast." Seeing that his fast-paced attacks had no effect, Obito knew that victory was slipping further and further away from him.
He hadn't used much chakra for the Great Fireball, employing a technique similar to Mutsuki's intimidating tactic. It looked fierce, but its power was not significant. However, the Great Dragon Fire Jutsu had indeed used a considerable amount of his chakra.
The enhancement of physical abilities by the Total Concentration Breathing of the Stone Breathing was already strong, coupled with the explosion of the Eight Inner Gates, Obito almost had no ability to engage in close combat with Guy.
"I can't see anything at all," Obito pondered countermeasures in his mind.
If there were no obstructions, it would be better. However, here, there were tall trees everywhere, ranging from a dozen to dozens of meters high, greatly affecting Obito's Ninjutsu accuracy.
The battle between the two sides became increasingly intense, with the ground scorched by Obito's Fire Release and large trees shattered by Guy's kicks.
Obito's chakra was running low, and his body was becoming more and more exhausted. He felt like he was about to lose.
Although he constantly belittled Kakashi, Obito acknowledged Kakashi's strength. He was none other than the genius ninja Hatake Kakashi.
Back in the Ninja Academy, they were rivals and friends. Kakashi was the long-standing top genius, while he was the trailing Uchiha in everyone's mouth.
In fact, Obito's overall performance was better than Guy's, but his surname was Uchiha. In the public's perception, any ninja coming from the prestigious Uchiha clan of Konoha was considered excellent.
Therefore, Obito, whose practical combat performance was mediocre, became known as the Uchiha who was trailing behind in everyone's discussions.
Obito was a very optimistic person, but he couldn't ignore everyone's words. He admired and even envied Kakashi, being praised by the sensei and admired by classmates.
Even the Kakashi he admired had lost. Wasn't it natural for him to lose too?
"No way!" Obito's eyes suddenly became firm, denying the voice of doubt in his heart.
What admiration? He didn't want to be like Kakashi, who was afraid to show his face all day long. What he wanted to do was surpass Kakashi!
Obito's breathing gradually became more concentrated, his eyes filled with a desire for victory.
"Extreme: Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
Guy concentrated all his strength, pouring all the power of his body into his leg, kicking out an ultimate blow, launching the final attack.
The powerful force generated by Guy's attack stirred up some gravel and rotten leaves on the ground, blowing them towards Obito. However, with the protection of his goggles, Obito didn't need to squint.
Obito's eyes were more serious than ever before. He absorbed a large amount of external energy and unleashed all the remaining chakra in his body.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing, this is my last power!" Obito concentrated all his strength in his fist. He didn't consider whether he could control the flames to avoid hurting himself later. He just wanted to gamble with the faint light of victory that was barely visible.
Boom!!
The extreme kick from Guy collided with Obito's fist, which was burning with a large amount of flames. The tremendous force generated by the collision blew up the surrounding dust.
Kakashi looked at Obito incredulously. He had taken Guy's kick before and knew how powerful it was. Yet, Obito actually withstood it?
Bang!
In the end, Guy prevailed. He kicked Obito, sending him flying backward. Guy's leg was also injured, almost causing him to fall, but he managed to stay standing through sheer determination.
"Cough, it hurts so much." Obito coughed, feeling the pain in his body, unable to help but gasp for breath.
"So that's how painful it was when Kakashi was kicked." Obito speculated about Kakashi's psychological state at the time, while controlling his own expression. If Kakashi didn't cry out in pain, then he couldn't either.
Obito tried to push himself up with his hands, but found that his right hand, the one he had used to throw punches, had no strength left. He tried to get up using his left hand, attempting three times, but failed each time.
"I still lost." Obito gave up trying to rise, turned over, and lay directly on the ground, gazing at the sky.
He didn't know how to describe his current mood.
He had tried his best, exerting all his strength, but still lost.
As he thought about it, Obito suddenly laughed. He remembered how Kakashi had been kicked by Guy, how disheveled he looked, with an expression of disbelief as he was kicked away.
He looked better losing than Kakashi did. Kakashi was kicked away directly, while he at least held out against Guy for a while.
After laughing, he thought about his record.
So far, among Mutsuki's other four disciples, Obito hadn't fought against Rin. In battles against Shisui and Kakashi, Obito hadn't won a single one. His overall record against Guy was more losses than wins.
Suddenly, Obito remembered something Mutsuki had said, "Failure always runs through life."
It was a very Mutsuki-like saying, and Obito felt it made sense, but he really wanted to win.
"What a battle filled with the exhilaration of springtime!" Guy grinned and gave Obito a thumbs-up.
Obito's final counterattack was somewhat unexpected for Guy. Without the boost from the Eight Inner Gates, he might have lost.
"You all did well. Get treated and rest properly," Mutsuki quickly appeared on the scene, taking Guy and Obito to a shaded area for rest and treatment.
Rin also stepped forward to help upon seeing the situation.
"Rin-chan, was my final punch impressive? Kakashi got kicked away with just one kick, and I almost won." Feeling Rin's treatment, Obito's expression turned into a smile, unable to resist boasting.
Just then, Kakashi walked over with a row of neat black lines on his forehead. He admitted that Obito's final punch had impressed him somewhat, but claiming he almost won was exaggerating.
"I feel like I've improved a bit in my Breathing Technique, Kakashi. Just wait until I've mastered the advanced Breathing Technique, and I'll defeat you." Seeing Kakashi approaching, Obito said confidently.
While receiving treatment, Obito kept replaying his fight with Guy in his mind. He could sense that he had improved in the final moments; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to land a blow on Guy.
Kakashi knew Obito wasn't just boasting. After days of Thunder Breathing training, he himself had gained a preliminary understanding of the Breathing Technique.
"You can come and try." Kakashi replied calmly, seemingly not taking Obito's challenge to heart.
Although he was determined to intensify his training and master the Breathing Technique, Kakashi wouldn't give Obito the chance to feel too pleased with himself.
Seeing Obito still had the energy to compete with Kakashi, Rin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking there shouldn't be any major issues.
Mutsuki nodded inwardly as well, acknowledging that occasional battles were indeed beneficial for stimulating the growth of disciples' strength.
Obito deserved credit for being the fastest to progress in Flame Breathing at the Beginner level, and this battle had further improved his proficiency level.
Guy was also doing well, becoming more adept at using the Breathing Technique and the Eight Inner Gates simultaneously.
Having witnessed Obito's breakthrough in battle twice in a row, Kakashi would undoubtedly be more proactive in his training in the future.
As for Shisui, his role in this battle was mainly to apply pressure. Currently, among Mutsuki's disciples, no one could pressure Shisui, including the current Guy.
Shisui's Sharingan not only captures Guy's movements but also has almost no weaknesses. His Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are both excellent. Even if Guy simultaneously uses Stone Breathing and the first gate of the Eight Inner Gates, he still can't defeat Shisui.
However, Mutsuki believes that this situation will soon be broken.
The first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates are the safe zone. Once someone learns the first gate, they can quickly unlock tup to he third gate.
Facing Guy with Stone Breathing and the third gate of the Eight Inner Gates, Shisui will find him difficult to deal with. Sometimes, you can't react just by seeing the movements.
Mutsuki was looking forward to Guy adding a failure to Shisui's undefeated record. Maintaining a fixed ranking is not conducive to the disciples' growth; they need to pressure each other.
Obito's injuries are quite serious, so he stopped training. After receiving treatment, Guy began to exercise, while Kakashi, after a friendly exchange with Obito, quickly started training in Thunder Breathing.
After the dismissal time, Kakashi went home directly to quickly settle dinner and continue training.
In order not to be defeated by Obito, he must quickly integrate the Breathing Technique into combat to enhance his strength.
...
After bidding farewell to his disciples, Mutsuki returned to his home in the main city area.
However, this evening, an unexpected guest arrived.
"Mutsuki, let me introduce you. This is my sensei, Jiraiya," Minato said with a smile, gesturing towards the white-haired ninja standing beside him.
"Is this the legendary Jiraiya-sama, one of the Three Sannin?" Mutsuki's expression showed some surprise, but quickly softened into a gentle smile as he greeted Jiraiya.
"Hahaha, indeed I am, the legendary Jiraiya-sama, who can charm even crying children into silence," Jiraiya boasted with a proud laugh, reintroducing himself.
Then Jiraiya carefully scrutinized Mutsuki for a moment, glanced at Minato, and then rubbed his chin, asking, "Are you two related?"
"Jiraiya-sensei, didn't I introduce Mutsuki to you in my letter?" Minato scratched his head, wondering if he had remembered incorrectly.
"Haha, just kidding. I can see you two do bear a resemblance," Jiraiya replied with a laugh.
If he didn't know any better, seeing the two of them might actually lead him to think that, but Minato had already introduced Mutsuki to him in his letters. He just wanted to tease his somewhat naive student.
"It's also time for dinner. Let's have a meal together. You two sit down and have some tea. I'll go prepare dinner," Mutsuki suggested.
During this developmental period, the more friends, the better.
"Sensei, why don't you rest? I'll help Mutsuki," Minato proposed, and after Jiraiya nodded, they proficiently headed into the kitchen.
"The indescribable world's most delicious food, so tasty it's like being under a Genjutsu. It's quite exaggerated, being able to fall into a Genjutsu from eating vegetables," Jiraiya, sitting alone in the living room, recalled Minato's descriptions of Mutsuki's cooking.
He had just arrived in Konoha today, and one of the main reasons he went straight to Minato's house upon arrival was because Minato had repeatedly written to him, praising Mutsuki's cooking as unparalleled in the world.
However, Jiraiya didn't have high expectations. He was someone who traveled around the ninja world all the time. There wasn't much he hadn't eaten, so how much better could Mutsuki's cooking be?
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