The five disciples surrounded Mutsuki and continued to advance until they reached the place where they stored their gifts. Once they arrived, Kakashi used Earth Release Ninjutsu to retrieve the buried gifts.
"Yumi-sensei, you can open your eyes now," Obito said as he saw the gifts being uncovered.
Mutsuki opened his eyes, and a huge gift box with some dust on it came into view.
"Yumi-sensei, thank you for your guidance these past days," all the disciples said gratefully to Mutsuki.
"Yumi-sensei, hurry and open the gift to see it. This is a gift that the five of us made together, and everyone contributed to its creation," Obito said with a smirk, eagerly anticipating Mutsuki's reaction to their gift.
"You made it yourselves? I'm looking forward to it," Mutsuki said with a smile, slowly reaching toward the gift box.
All the disciples watched Mutsuki, focusing on his hands and face, eager to see his reaction to the gift they had prepared together.
When the box was opened, the statues inside were revealed. Mutsuki looked at it, initially surprised, then his smile grew warmer, and finally, he looked pleased.
To be honest, seeing the gift prepared by the disciples genuinely surprised Mutsuki. At first, he had some suspicions due to the subtle hints in the disciples' behavior. It wasn't until the disciples came to bury the gift that Mutsuki was sure.
Because he was training in the South Border Forest every day and was concerned about potential problems, Mutsuki had a Shadow Clone hidden there. Thus, he had known in advance about the gift-giving.
Even though he was aware beforehand, seeing how thoughtfully the disciples had prepared the gift moved Mutsuki.
Each figure in the sculpture was clearly made by different people. The statue of Kakashi was particularly exquisite, with details in both the face and clothing.
The statue of Guy was very bold, emphasizing distinctive features like his watermelon head and thick eyebrows, while downplaying other details.
Because Mutsuki observed very carefully, he even noticed that the short blade in Shisui's statue was the birthday gift he had given him.
When he saw his own statue, Mutsuki once again felt the disciples' sincerity. His statue could be said to encapsulate the essence of all the statues. The head was extremely detailed, and even Mutsuki had to admit that it was almost a scaled-down version of his own head. Although some parts seemed slightly uncoordinated, they were minor flaws that did not detract from the overall quality. Mutsuki guessed that someone had made some overall adjustments after finishing the work.
Mutsuki stood in the center, maintaining roughly equal distance from each disciple. Obito was practicing Fire Release, Kakashi was training in Thunder Breathing Swordsmanship, Shisui was practicing with his short blade, Rin was working on Enhanced Strength, and Guy was practicing Taijutsu. Each disciple was training with a serious expression, which was their daily routine.
"This gift satisfies me greatly; you really went out of your way. Even with daily training, you managed to make such a great gift," Mutsuki said with a warm smile, patting the disciples' heads.
Perhaps at first, he had a very utilitarian goal in teaching them, trying to find ways to make Obito and the others earn rewards. But over time, Mutsuki's mindset had slowly changed.
He now preferred to let the disciples' emotions flow naturally and then obtain rewards from that. After all, the essence of the system was that the stronger the disciples, the stronger he became. As long as the disciples could grow healthily, his own gains would not be small.
"That's nothing. Compared to the help you've given us, the time we spent on this gift is insignificant," Obito said with a joyful smile, seeing that their intentions had been conveyed.
From the bottom of the class to the top of the Ninja Academy, defeating the once-aspired genius, and becoming the genius that people spoke of, the extent of Obito's turnaround in this year was matched only by his gratitude toward Mutsuki.
"Yes, Yumi-sensei, you could be a bit greedier. Your help to us has already surpassed that of any sensei," Shisui added with a smile as he saw Mutsuki's gentle expression.
Shisui became a disciple earlier than Obito and Guy, but his promotion to Trust Level 3 was later than theirs. However, he reached Trust Level 4 much earlier, showing how much Shisui trusted Mutsuki after that birthday.
In Shisui's heart, Mutsuki was like family. Mutsuki accompanied him every day, cared for him deeply, and would immediately comfort him whenever he felt a bit down.
"With you, Yumi-sensei, my youth has become so vibrant!" Listening to Obito and Shisui, Guy couldn't help but think of the changes he experienced after becoming Mutsuki's disciple and shed tears of gratitude.
Although ridiculed and initially admitted to the Ninja Academy through supplementary enrollment, Guy's goal had always been to become the strongest. He firmly believed that through continuous effort, he could keep moving towards that goal.
However, the path to becoming the strongest was rugged. As a supplementary admission student with consistently poor performance and ranking last in exams, Guy quickly became known as the bottom of the class. No one believed he could truly become strong; they only thought he might struggle to even graduate.
He was defeated in a single move when challenging Kakashi, and in the practical exam, he was quickly beaten in the first round and received an extremely low score. At that time, it seemed his efforts had little effect.
He overheard someone mocking his father and couldn't help but feel a surge of anger wanting to get revenge, but he was easily defeated by the person and could only watch helplessly as the mockery continued.
Constant setbacks, even for someone as mentally resilient as Guy, could occasionally cause doubt. Although the doubt would quickly fade, it always caused temporary discomfort.
Everything changed after meeting Mutsuki. In the first semester of the fourth grade, during the first exam, Guy became the class's top student for the first time, and for the first time, he entered the grade's practical exam and achieved second place in the grade. This was just the beginning; with Mutsuki's guidance and his own efforts, he successfully achieved first place in the grade by the end of the semester.
Not long after learning Stone Breathing, he encountered someone speaking ill of his father again. Though not from the same group, it was similar to what he had heard before. This time, however, he was stronger and used his own power to protect his father's honor, defeating the two ninjas who had mocked his father.
At that moment, Guy truly felt that all his efforts were worth it; he had protected what he wanted to protect.
Then he surpassed his long-time rival and friend, proving that a person who works hard is also a genius.
None of this would have been possible without Mutsuki's help within a year.
"Because of Yumi-sensei, dreams don't seem so unattainable," Rin said softly.
She had a lofty dream but lacked the matching talent. She wanted to save people injured by war and hoped for a world without war, but this was not a dream an ordinary person could achieve.
So, while at Ninja Academy, Rin admired Kakashi greatly, believing that such a talented Kakashi might be able to achieve it.
After learning from Mutsuki, Rin felt differently. Mystical Palm Jutsu gave her the power to heal her teammates, while Enhanced Strength provided her with the ability to combat enemies. She felt that she, too, could stand alongside Kakashi and the others to fulfill her dream.
Listening to the other disciples, Kakashi, who joined the team last, also had a flash of memories in his eyes.
Though he joined the team later, he learned a lot from Mutsuki—not just Ninjutsu and Secret Jutsu, but many life lessons as well, and he shared some unforgettable moments with Mutsuki.
Mutsuki had found him when he was feeling down and talked with him by the river to clear his doubts. After Kakashi was ambushed by an enemy Jonin, Mutsuki calmly protected him without even a tear in his clothes. When Kakashi was tormented by the death of his father and suffering from insomnia, Mutsuki took him in and patiently guided him. Kakashi still reminisces about the rich breakfast the next day and Mutsuki's figure standing alone to hold the rear agaist the Cloud Ninjas was deeply etched in his mind.
Thinking of this, Kakashi handed his personally prepared gift to Mutsuki and said, "Yumi-sensei, this is a gift I prepared for you. I'm really grateful for these past few months."
Kakashi felt that without Mutsuki, he might still be living a meaningless, numb existence.
"And there's more," Mutsuki said, somewhat surprised, not expecting Kakashi had prepared an additional gift for him.
"We prepared one gift together and then each made one individually," Shisui explained, handing his gift to Mutsuki.
His gift was a bit cumbersome to carry, so he had left it in the South Border Forest and sent his Shadow Clone to retrieve it, just in time.
"Thank you for your guidance, Yumi-sensei. One gift isn't enough; it's the least we could do to prepare one from each of us," Obito said with a grin, handing a gift box to Mutsuki.
"This gift embodies my youth!" Guy said with a radiant smile as he presented his gift to Mutsuki.
Looking at these small hands and the gifts they held, Mutsuki gave a heartfelt smile. He accepted all the gifts and placed them into a scroll for safekeeping.
"It's time for dinner. Come to my house to eat," Mutsuki said, inviting all the disciples to his home instead of offering more words of thanks.
With his current strength, he didn't need to hide much anymore. It didn't matter if news of Shisui and Rin being his disciples spread; it would only highlight his teaching abilities.
"Yay!" Obito couldn't help but jump up and cheer. The prospect of enjoying a meal cooked by Mutsuki was one of the happiest things in the world for him.
"Yes, but I need to go back and inform my family first; otherwise, my parents will worry," Rin said with a smile.
Shisui quickly nodded. He had never been to Mutsuki's home in the main city, and Kakashi, who also lived alone, agreed with a nod.
In the end, Mutsuki took Shisui and Kakashi to his home in the main city first, while the other disciples went home to inform their elders before heading to Mutsuki's house.
When Mutsuki arrived at the door, he happened to see Minato preparing to knock.
"Minato," Mutsuki greeted him. Usually, he would be starting to prepare dinner around this time.
Hearing the familiar voice from behind, Minato was a bit puzzled.
"I'm a bit late today because of some things. Come on in," Mutsuki said with a smile.
"Minato-san," Kakashi greeted Minato.
Although Shisui didn't know Minato, he addressed him politely as "Minato-san."
Minato smiled in response and then entered Mutsuki's home with the others.
"This person feels a bit like Yumi-sensei," Shisui thought as he observed Minato's warm smile. Given Minato's familiar demeanor upon entering, Shisui guessed that Minato might be a close relative of Mutsuki.
As if sensing Shisui's thoughts, Kakashi whispered, "Minato-san just resembles Yumi-sensei a bit, and they have a close relationship, but they're not relatives."
Kakashi felt that if someone were seeing the two for the first time, it would indeed be easy to misunderstand.
Shisui looked a bit surprised but quickly adjusted his expression.
"Is that child also your disciple?" Minato noticed Shisui's gaze and asked with curiosity.
"Yes," Mutsuki nodded, acknowledging it. He was prepared for this since bringing Shisui over.
"Mutsuki, you're really diligent. With this one, you now have five disciples," Minato complimented, feeling that Mutsuki was a model sensei in the ninja world.
When guiding Jonin and training disciples while also earning some commission fees, Mutsuki is truly nurturing talent for Konoha.
"Five disciples is not too bad. During my special training, I once taught over three hundred students at once," Mutsuki said with a smile.
Minato looked a bit surprised. That was indeed quite a number, considering that Konoha only sent just over a thousand ninjas during the conflict with Hidden Rock.
"Yumi-sensei, we've arrived," Obito's voice came from outside the door.
"Come on in," Mutsuki replied, raising his voice slightly.
Obito, Rin, and Guy then entered Mutsuki's home.
"Minato-san," Obito greeted Minato and introduced him to Rin.
"Even though Minato-san and Yumi-sensei look alike, they aren't brothers. However, it's not impossible that they could be separated twins," Obito said, as Rin looked curiously at Minato, who indeed resembled Mutsuki.
Smack!
A transparent force accurately hit Obito on the head, producing a crisp sound.
"Minato, I'm sorry. Obito's thinking isn't quite like normal people's, so please be understanding," Mutsuki said apologetically to Minato.
"It's fine, I don't mind," Minato replied with a smile, shaking his head. He looked at Obito and Rin with curiosity and kindness, as they would also be his future students.
Mutsuki continued cooking in the kitchen, while Minato helped out nearby. Although Minato was eager to stay for the meal and get to know his future students better, Kushina was waiting for him, so he had to bid farewell to Mutsuki once the meal was ready.
Given the number of disciples and the addition of Kushina and Minato, Mutsuki prepared an incredibly lavish feast. It included a variety of dishes from his past life as well as local Hidden Leaf cuisine.
"This is so wonderful, to have so many dishes at once," Obito said, unable to control his saliva as he smelled the array of aromas on the table.
"Let's eat quickly; some of the dishes will lose their flavor if they get cold," Mutsuki reminded with a smile as he sat down at the table and took a bite of a vegetable.
Mutsuki's action seemed to signal the charge, and the five disciples began to eat at lightning speed.
During the intense eating, to quickly grab their favorite dishes, Obito activated his Sharingan, and Kakashi used Chakra to enhance his physical speed, making his chopsticks appear as if they were flickering.
After the meal, the disciples helped clean up. While they weren't much help with cooking, washing dishes and wiping tables was something they could handle.
"Yumi-sensei, you can check if the gift is to your liking," Obito suggested after the chores were done.
The other disciples also looked at Mutsuki, hoping that the personal gifts would please him even more since the group gift had already been well received.
Mutsuki nodded with a smile and took the gift out of the scroll.
He first unwrapped Shisui's gift, as it was the largest and most prominent.
Mutsuki opened the exquisite gift box to reveal a one-meter-long katana. He took the katana out and examined it carefully.
"Wow, what a cool sword," Obito praised upon seeing it. He thought the flame design on the scabbard was incredibly impressive.
"Indeed, it's quite beautiful," Mutsuki nodded in approval, then drew the sword and infused it with fire-type Chakra.
The sword was engulfed in blazing flames, and as Mutsuki swung it, it left fiery streaks in the air.
Seeing this effect, Mutsuki knew that the sword must have cost a significant amount, likely incorporating some rare materials.
"Yumi-sensei, I want to learn this," Obito's eyes lit up, imagining himself defeating powerful enemies with a fiery blade.
"This is simple; you just need to keep diligently learning Flame Breathing," Mutsuki said with a smile as he sheathed the sword.
Local Breathing Techniques don't require sword use, but it's possible if one wants to.
"Of course, even if you learn it, don't use it at home like I do. Poor control might burn down the house," Mutsuki advised.
"Shisui, I can see that you put a lot of thought into this. I'm very happy to receive such a wonderful gift," Mutsuki said with a genuinely warm smile.
As an orphan, Shisui giving such an expensive gift made Mutsuki want to offer him a large sum, but he knew Shisui would definitely refuse.
Shisui smiled and said, "I'm glad you're happy, Yumi-sensei."
Next, Mutsuki unwrapped Obito's gift and found it to be an inkstone carved with a dragon. However, the dragon wasn't very detailed, and the craftsmanship was a bit lacking.
"There's still not enough time. Once my skills improve, I'll give you an even better one, Yumi-sensei," Obito said, scratching his head and smiling awkwardly.
"I'm already very satisfied with this one," Mutsuki said with a smile, patting Obito on the head.
In truth, Mutsuki wasn't particularly concerned about the gift itself; he was moved by the thought and effort his disciples had put into it.
As for inkstones and swords, he could get those anytime he wanted.
Mutsuki then opened Kakashi's gift, which turned out to be a nice-looking brush with the words "Faith" lightly inscribed on it.
"Kakashi, I'll make good use of this brush that embodies faith," Mutsuki said with a smile, recalling some previous conversations with Kakashi.
"It's just the word 'faith' written on it. If it ever wears out, I'll make a new one," Kakashi replied. Even though the brush was well protected, it was still a consumable item.
The mask concealed Kakashi's expression, but from Kakashi's words and eyes, Mutsuki felt that Kakashi was in a good mood.
Seeing that Kakashi's gift was a brush, Obito immediately felt relieved that he hadn't given a brush as well. He thought it would be awkward if his gift had been similar to Kakashi's.
Guy's gift surprised Mutsuki a bit because it wasn't the green jumpsuit he had expected; instead, it was a sketchbook. The style was cartoonish, and as Mutsuki flipped through it, he realized that it was a collection of drawings depicting events that had occurred after Guy met him, essentially a diary.
"This is quite an undertaking," Mutsuki remarked, considering that Guy had an average memory and drawing was a new field for him.
"Recording youth is not a problem for someone as youthful as me!" Guy said with a broad grin and a hearty laugh.
He had indeed wanted to give a jumpsuit, not because it was easier, but because he wanted to promote it. However, as Obito mentioned, not everyone liked jumpsuits, so Guy managed to restrain himself and found that expressing his thoughts through drawing was a good alternative.
Rin's gift was also special—a flower bud ready to bloom.
"I had my family buy the seeds and planted them myself," Rin said with a smile.
"Although I don't have much experience with raising flowers, I will do my best to keep it alive," Mutsuki thanked her with a smile.
He felt that if his disciples could repay him, they must have received considerable rewards by now.
Seeing everyone in high spirits, Mutsuki took out some suitable calligraphy works as gifts for his disciples. For instance, Guy received a piece related to self-improvement and endless effort, Kakashi received one related to belief, and Obito's was a reminder to stay determined and not forget his goals...
[You gifted your disciples handwritten calligraphy. Due to their immense gratitude, you received a critical reward—Wind Attribute Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery level).]
Seeing the sudden reward notification, Mutsuki nodded in satisfaction. He had deliberately given Kakashi his gift first, thinking that with Fire Release and Taijutsu already abundant, he might get other rewards. As a result, Kakashi directly granted him a Mastery-level Wind Attribute Nature Transformation.
Occasionally, the rewards for teaching can be random, and Mutsuki felt that this time the randomness was favorable. Kakashi, who specializes in Lightning and Earth Ninjutsu, would likely have opportunities to give Lightning and Earth attributes in the future, while Wind attributes are not currently covered by any of his disciples.
"I really appreciate it. Today has been so joyful," Mutsuki said, expressing his gratitude to his five disciples.
Apart from the new Chakra Mastery reward, he was genuinely happy today. Receiving so many heartfelt gifts all at once, Mutsuki, not being an unfeeling person, was deeply moved.
"I'm just glad you're happy, Yumi-sensei. Your happiness proves our efforts were worthwhile," Obito said with an excited smile.
The other disciples nodded in agreement. Mutsuki often told them that growing well was the greatest reward for him, and today it was their turn to show their appreciation.
"Your happiness is the greatest affirmation for us, Yumi-sensei," the disciples said in unison.
---
Don't forget to check out my patreon where you can read up to 50 advanced chapters https://www.patreon.com/CrazyNinja