"Sorry, Yumi-sensei, I'm not in good shape today," Shisui said apologetically.
He felt somewhat guilty for not living up to Mutsuki's careful teaching.
Mutsuki smiled and said, "It's no big deal; everyone has off days."
"But I see you seem to have something on your mind. Can you tell me?" Mutsuki looked into Shisui's eyes.
Looking into Mutsuki's eyes, Shisui could deeply feel Mutsuki's concern for him.
"Since mastering the Breathing Technique, I haven't made much progress, while Obito seems to have no such worries. So I thought carefully about the step where I perceived the flames, and it seems that in my heart, there isn't the same passionate fire as in Obito's."
Facing Mutsuki, Shisui had no intention of hiding anything and shared his thoughts from the previous day.
"Maybe I'm not really suited for Flame Breathing."
Mutsuki placed his hand on Shisui's head, ruffled his hair a bit, and then said with a smile, "I'm very sure you are suited for Flame Breathing."
Obito was so suited for Flame Breathing, but during the Pre-Beginner stage, he wasn't actually much ahead of Shisui, at most by a dozen Proficiency points. This clearly shows that Shisui's compatibility with Flame Breathing is not low.
The reason Obito is now ahead by nearly ninety Proficiency points is due to multiple factors. On one hand, Obito's compatibility is indeed maxed out, and on the other hand, Obito gets to go on missions with him and engage in real combat, which accelerates his progress.
It's not that Mutsuki is belittling Obito, but at the start, the difference in training efficiency between Shisui and Obito was like that between a genius and a last-place student. What Shisui could achieve in one day of Ninjutsu practice might take Obito ten days or even more.
When Shisui first became a disciple, he wasn't particularly strong. After all, he was only six years old and had just started training. However, during his training with Mutsuki, the gap between Shisui and Guy, as well as Obito, grew larger and larger. This situation persisted for quite a long time.
Under such circumstances, it's easy to understand Shisui's feelings. The speed at which he was mastering important forbidden techniques couldn't keep up with the once easily surpassed last-place student, and his strength was gradually being caught up to.
Shisui was relatively mature, calmer, and stronger than his peers, but he was still a six-year-old child. In Mutsuki's previous life, children at this age were just starting first grade, so it's normal for him to doubt himself in this situation.
With the Breathing Technique, one absolutely cannot doubt themselves. Once self-doubt or self-denial sets in, the power of the breath weakens.
This is also why Mutsuki believes the Breathing Technique has a bit of Yin Release to it; it's genuinely somewhat idealistic and mentally oriented.
This is why Obito and Guy are always able to break through the Breathing Technique in battle, as they both have extremely strong self-confidence and unwavering belief.
Fortunately, Mutsuki discovered this early enough; otherwise, with Obito's rapid progress, Shisui would surely have even more doubts about his own Breathing Technique.
"Obito's passion is indeed intense, but it doesn't mean there isn't a flame burning within you," Mutsuki said earnestly. "Shisui, don't you have things you want to achieve? Don't you have dreams? Recall your dreams."
"Dreams..." Mutsuki's words made Shisui fall into contemplation.
Although an orphan, Shisui's life was never associated with poverty. His father was a distinguished Jonin of the Uchiha Clan, and his grandfather, Uchiha Kagami, almost became one of Konoha's Elders. Kagami was a renowned elite Jonin in Konoha. If Shisui wanted to live a carefree life, he could have lived comfortably off his inheritance.
Clearly, Shisui did not choose to idle away; he chose to become a genius ninja.
Shisui had heard many stories about his grandfather. People said his grandfather was a genius ninja, possessing strength that even the Second Hokage valued at a young age. Some said his grandfather was a bearer of the Will of Fire, dedicating his life to Konoha. Others said he was a great Uchiha, and if not for an accident, the Uchiha's situation would have been vastly different.
The reason he wanted to become a ninja was partly related to his grandfather.
After learning about the history of the Uchiha Clan and feeling the rejection from the villagers of Konoha towards the Uchiha Clan, Shisui resolved to become a ninja like his grandfather and complete the tasks his grandfather couldn't finish.
Everyone has two eyes and one nose, so why should they reject the Uchiha? Shisui wanted to change this situation.
"I want to change the current state of the Uchiha. We are all people of Konoha; we can live together harmoniously!" Shisui raised his head and looked directly into Mutsuki's eyes as he spoke.
"Isn't that wonderful? Just strive towards this goal. I can feel the flame burning within you." Mutsuki pointed his finger at Shisui's chest and smiled.
"Shisui, you are a very kind and righteous person. Remember your feelings at this moment and do not doubt your dreams."
Mutsuki couldn't say what the original Shisui was like, but the Shisui here, the current Shisui, was very righteous and kind. These qualities were just a bit restrained, not as overtly expressed as they were in Obito.
"Do you think you can't achieve your dreams?"
"No!" Shisui answered firmly.
In the past, he might have hesitated, wondering if he could really accomplish what his much-praised grandfather couldn't.
But now, Shisui could only give a confident answer because he had Yumi-sensei's help.
"Enter Total Concentration Breathing, I'm going to attack!" Mutsuki suddenly said, then brought his fingers together and struck at Shisui.
Shisui immediately focused his breathing and dodged, not even having time to activate his Sharingan.
"I did it..." Shisui looked at the fingers just centimeters away from him with a surprised expression.
Not long ago, even with his Sharingan activated, he couldn't avoid Mutsuki's attacks.
"Yes, you successfully dodged my attack. But this isn't training time, so dodging won't reduce your workload," Mutsuki said, retracting his hand with a smile.
"No problem." Shisui's voice was still filled with joy.
The Breathing Technique finally had a breakthrough. Even if he had to do a hundred more exercises, he would be happy.
Shisui thought about it and realized a hundred might be too many since those exercises weren't easy. But adding twenty more would still make him very happy.
"The Breathing Technique isn't something that can't be changed. If one day you have a better idea, you can modify the Breathing Technique. The best technique is the one that suits you. However, you must remain steadfast in your dreams and beliefs," Mutsuki said with a serious expression.
Shisui indeed had a compatibility with Flame Breathing, but whether it was the most suitable for him was uncertain. The Breathing Technique had great potential and could be adapted to fit one's abilities.
"Thank you for your guidance, Yumi-sensei. I will stay true to my beliefs," Shisui said, engraving Mutsuki's words firmly in his mind and expressing his gratitude.
"Go and train," Mutsuki said with a smile. Post-conversation training usually yielded excellent results.
Filled with motivation, Shisui nodded and quickly threw himself wholeheartedly into his training.
...
On February 20th, since four out of his five disciples were still students at the Ninja Academy and needed to take exams, Mutsuki decided to give all of them, including Kakashi, a break.
Mutsuki also went to the Academy, a place he hadn't visited in a long time.
Since he started mentoring trainees, he hadn't personally been to the school.
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