"I wonder what it feels like to hit Kakashi-sensei's head," a malicious grin appeared on Naruto's face.
Last night, he saw Yamato strike Kakashi on the head, and his expression showed a sense of happiness, so now Naruto also wanted to give it a try.
While Kakashi was still pondering his battle plan, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his head.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, looked around in confusion, but didn't notice anything strange.
"Who wants to go first?" Mutsuki looked at Yamato and Naruto and asked.
"I'm the captain, so let me go first," Yamato immediately stepped forward and said with a determined look.
"Why let the captain go first? I should strike first," Naruto said, cracking his knuckles.
Although the two were talking with Mutsuki, they would occasionally glance at Kakashi, which made Kakashi feel somewhat puzzled—why were they staring at him?
Under the constant gaze of the two, Kakashi drew his White Fang Tanto and used its white blade to inspect himself, but found nothing unusual.
"Since Yamato spoke first, let him go first," Mutsuki thought for a moment and replied.
On the first day, Kakashi and the others had already experienced Naruto's formidable chakra, so he thought it would be better to let Yamato, who possesses Wood Release, go first this time.
Yamato smiled slightly and walked in front of Kakashi and the others, forming the Seal of Confrontation.
Kakashi and the others nodded to each other and also formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Battle start!" Mutsuki shouted once both sides were ready.
As soon as Mutsuki finished speaking, Kakashi and Obito immediately focused their breathing to enhance their physical abilities.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu."
Obito quickly formed hand seals, concentrated chakra in his throat, then transformed it into fire chakra and expelled it all at once, forming a giant fireball that was launched toward Yamato.
Whoosh!
Entering the Water Breathing state, Rin began running, throwing several shuriken at Yamato.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Yamato calmly formed hand seals, and under the influence of his Wood Release chakra, a row of wooden pillars quickly sprouted from the ground, bending into an archway that protected him.
Boom!
The giant fireball collided with the wooden archway, causing an explosion, with flames scattering in all directions.
To Obito's surprise, his Great Fireball didn't break through the wooden archway.
Although the wooden archway was scorched with severe burn marks, it wasn't shattered by the explosion of the fireball. Rin's shuriken were all blocked by Yamato's wooden archway without falling.
"Wood Release wood is different from regular trees. Don't underestimate it," Kakashi, gripping his White Fang Tanto, reminded.
Though Mutsuki had easily and comfortably defeated Yamato, and Yamato's Wood Release had little presence in that fight, it was against Mutsuki. Kakashi wouldn't underestimate a Kekkei Genkai that had only ever been seen in the hands of the God of Ninjas.
Under normal circumstances, Kakashi would launch a swift attack using Thunder Breathing's speed while being covered by Obito's Great Fireball, but this time he was facing a Wood Release Ninja he had never fought before, so Kakashi chose to gather intelligence first.
"Wood Release: Wood Spikes Ring Jutsu!"
Yamato's figure suddenly charged out from behind the wooden wall, rapidly forming hand seals as he ran.
Wooden spikes, like thorns, shot up from the ground, each one reaching toward the three of them.
Seeing this, Obito refocused his breathing and entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode. He didn't believe his extreme flames wouldn't be able to burn these wooden spikes.
Since this was just training, being a bit reckless wasn't a problem. In an actual fight, Obito wouldn't be so quick to reveal his trump card.
"Fire Release: Fire Fist!"
Obito gathered a large amount of chakra into his fist, and because he was in Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, the chakra instantly turned into blazing flames.
The flames on Obito's fist fluctuated in size, but this wasn't because Obito lacked control; rather, he was compressing the flames on his fist.
When Obito had compressed the flames on his fist to their maximum, the wooden spikes created by Yamato's Wood Release were almost touching his body.
Boom!
Obito suddenly launched his fist, burning with red-hot flames. The wooden spikes that were close to him immediately shattered under the force and high temperature of the punch.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this? Won't the flames burn him?" Obito's Fire Fist left Yamato somewhat confused.
By general ninja theory, Fire Release and Taijutsu shouldn't be used together.
"Flash!"
Bright lightning flared from Kakashi's feet and palms. With the activation of his Lightning Release chakra and the boost from his Breathing Technique, Kakashi's physical abilities surged. In a single dash and swipe of his blade, he cut through all the wood around him, including the one near Rin.
Crash! The severed wooden pieces fell uselessly to the ground.
While Obito's technique left Yamato somewhat baffled, the ability Kakashi displayed truly astonished him.
"Did Kakashi-senpai always fight like this?" Yamato thought to himself, puzzled.
His impression of Kakashi was that of an outstanding Jonin with well-rounded skills in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. In battle, he would either rely on his vast ninjutsu library to counter his opponent or use Lightning Release and Sharingan.
But this youthful version of Kakashi, his specialty seemed to be Kenjutsu?
Yamato was confused—he had rarely seen Kakashi fight with a sword, and he found it strange.
"Is it because of the Sharingan?" Yamato wondered if the Sharingan had changed Kakashi's fighting style.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
Obito didn't give Yamato any more time to think. One by one, shuriken carrying flames sped toward Yamato.
Knowing that Yamato was proficient in large-scale Water Release, Obito didn't use his strongest Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
Though Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson was less powerful overall than Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, it had better penetration and more effective small-scale striking ability.
"Wood Release: Impaling Spear Tree!"
Yamato maintained his calm as he continued forming hand seals, using both Water and Earth nature transformation to generate Wood Release chakra. A massive tree rapidly grew from his body, blocking all incoming attacks.
Kakashi concentrated his breath to the utmost and entered Transparent World, preparing to join Obito for a full-on assault.
But once in Transparent World, Kakashi's movements suddenly paused.
His expression unchanged, Kakashi gave Obito a look, then continued charging toward Yamato.
Although Obito didn't know Kakashi's plan, he followed Kakashi's signal and charged toward Yamato with full force.
Rin kept her focus on Yamato, ready to use Water Release ninjutsu for support at any moment.
However, at that moment, another Yamato quietly appeared behind Rin.
The first one to charge had actually been Yamato's Wood Clone. His real body had used Earth Release to sneak around and come up behind Rin.
Although this was the youthful version of Kakashi, he was still the reliable Kakashi-senpai, so Yamato remained cautious and prepared to steadily end the battle.
"Flash: Twofold!"
The moment Yamato's real body appeared, Kakashi, charging directly at Yamato, used the massive tree Yamato had created earlier to change direction and sped back with even greater speed.
When Kakashi activated Transparent World, he had already noticed Yamato hiding underground, but Kakashi feigned ignorance in order to catch Yamato off guard.
Seeing this, the Wood Clone attempted to use Wood Release to block Kakashi, but with Obito in Flame Breathing Chakra Mode already charging in, he wouldn't allow it. He raised his hand and fired off a Fire Fist.
Kakashi's speed was incredibly fast, forcing Yamato to immediately abandon his close-range attack on Rin. He exploded chakra to create several large trees to block Kakashi's advance.
Rin, seeing Kakashi charging toward her, quickly gathered chakra and swung a heavy punch behind her.
However, Yamato had already retreated a short distance, so Rin's punch missed. While Kakashi cut down many of the massive trees blocking his way, he did not have the ability to inflict any damage on Yamato.
Kakashi quickly pulled Rin back, his mind not filled with regret.
Yamato had once been an ANBU Captain, so if he lost from a small mistake, it would have surprised Kakashi. It would make him worry about the future level of ANBU ninjas.
On Obito's side, the Wood Clone transformed into vines that immediately bound Obito, but Obito's body erupted in flames, turning the vines to ash and freeing him from the restraints.
"Really impressive. If it were me a few years ago, I might have actually lost without proper intel," Yamato thought to himself.
The strength of Mutsuki's team far exceeded his expectations. Kakashi and Obito's performance was entirely at Jonin level, and although Rin didn't do much, it was clear she had solid battle instincts.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees!"
Yamato mobilized a large amount of chakra, using his strongest Wood Release ninjutsu.
In fact, he had trained in Nativity of a World of Trees, a powerful Wood Release technique capable of creating a vast forest in an instant. However, due to insufficient chakra, he had to resort to the weaker version, Nativity of a Sea of Trees, which had significantly less power and range.
Although it couldn't compare to Nativity of a World of Trees, this was indeed the largest-scale Wood Release Yamato could produce.
With a massive amount of Wood Release chakra, giant trees shot up from the ground, growing at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, dozens of large trees surrounded Kakashi and his team.
"So this is what a Wood Release ninja is like?" Obito marveled as the golden desert landscape suddenly transformed into a small forest.
Compared to the ninjutsu Yamato had used before, Obito felt that this was the true power of Wood Release.
Under Yamato's control, the rapidly growing trees launched their branches at the three of them. These weren't trees for landscaping—they were weapons.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Obito immediately used his most powerful large-scale fire technique. With the boost of Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, he quickly exhaled a small sea of flames.
The intensely hot red flames consumed all the branches and turned many of the trees into fiery trunks, expanding the firestorm.
Due to the intense flames, Rin had no choice but to use Water Release to protect herself and Kakashi.
As for Obito, in his Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, it was hard for the flames to harm him.
After taking a few deep breaths, Obito looked at Kakashi. His chakra had already been heavily depleted, and he could only barely maintain his breathing in Chakra Mode.
This was despite the fact that his chakra had recently increased for some unknown reason—if it were before, he would have already automatically exited Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.
Kakashi nodded. Obito had cleared most of the obstacles for him, so the outcome of the upcoming battle now depended on him.
Although the raging fire obstructed Kakashi's vision, his Transparent World allowed him to see through the obstruction and lock onto Yamato, who was on the edge of the forest.
"Water Release: Water Wave Hand!"
Seeing the flames raging, Yamato stretched out his hand and released a wave of water, hoping to douse Obito's flames.
Sizzle!
Kakashi exhaled a puff of white mist, and the large amount of chakra he had already gathered within his body transformed into lightning chakra, enveloping his body in a flash of electric light.
He gripped the White Fang Tanto tightly, channeling all his strength, not wasting a single ounce of power.
"Thunder Flash!"
Boom!
In this world of flames, a sudden thunderclap rang out, followed by a dazzling bolt of lightning slicing through the fire, splitting the incoming tidal wave in two. With an unstoppable momentum, the lightning surged toward Yamato, cutting through everything in its path.
Yamato stared in surprise at the approaching Kakashi. He had thought Kakashi's speed was already fast enough, but he hadn't realized that Kakashi had not been using his full strength in the earlier battle.
Realizing this, Yamato stopped holding back. Many tall trees rapidly grew in front of him, and even the trees that hadn't been affected by the firestorm exerted their full force to impede Kakashi's advance.
Swish!
Boom!
A flash of lightning streaked through the massive trees, which then collapsed one by one, but Kakashi continued to push forward.
Yamato, unfazed, continued pouring chakra into his technique.
Countless branches and vines attacked Kakashi, but he cut them all down. Yet, his body grew more and more fatigued.
When Kakashi was only ten meters away from Yamato, his speed began to slow.
When Kakashi was only five meters away from Yamato, he finally collapsed from exhaustion. He failed to cut through the trees with a single strike, and his body was ensnared by thick branches.
Seeing Kakashi stop, Yamato let out a sigh of relief. This battle had been harder than he had imagined.
The youthful version of Kakashi fought in a completely different way from the Kakashi he remembered, and his strength was also beyond Yamato's expectations. Obito's Fire Release was also very impressive; the final Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had power that surpassed many Jonin's Fire Release techniques.
Looking at Kakashi, who was bound by the branches and appeared completely powerless, Yamato, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, couldn't resist giving Kakashi's head another tap.
After the strike, Yamato immediately felt refreshed, his whole body feeling much lighter.
Kakashi, looking at Yamato with a confused expression, thought to himself that the strike was pointless. Even without it, he was still out of the fight. With it, he wouldn't faint either.
"Sorry, I just couldn't help it when I saw your face," Yamato said with an apologetic look.
Kakashi: ...
If he ever encounters someone in the future who looks just like Yamato and is also named Yamato, he would definitely punch him in the head without hesitation, simply because he couldn't help himself given the resemblance.
"Why did Kakashi-senpai give up on Lightning Release Kenjutsu?" Yamato thought, completely puzzled.
He thought the current Kakashi was doing well, and if he continued on this path, he might become even stronger.
After all, the current Kakashi, before even turning ten, already had the strength to defeat a Jonin. With another seventeen years of training, it wasn't impossible for him to become a powerful Hokage.
But clearly, the youthful Kakashi couldn't answer Yamato's question. Only the future Kakashi could. Yamato tucked his doubts away and continued his training.
With Kakashi completely out of commission, Yamato easily took care of the remaining Obito and Rin, and the training session quickly came to an end.
After the battle, it was time for a debrief. Mutsuki went over everyone's issues and provided feedback.
After a rest, they moved to a new location for training, but Yamato's Wood Release combined with Obito's Fire Release made the area a complete mess.
Naruto and Kakashi's battle was simple.
Naruto didn't hold back, using Multiple Shadow Clones and Rasengan to overwhelm Kakashi and the others with sheer strength.
During the battle, Naruto got exactly what he wanted and tapped Kakashi on the head.
Naruto had originally intended not to laugh, after all, this was his future sensei, but he just couldn't help it.
After the training ended, Kakashi's face darkened. He finally understood what that bad premonition had been.
If history ever made him Naruto's sensei again, he would definitely make Naruto know what "sensei's love" really meant.
"Naruto, is that all you can do, just these two jutsu?" Obito couldn't help but complain after the training.
He was a bit envious of Naruto's chakra. The Shadow Clones seemed to use no chakra at all. If Obito had Naruto's chakra reserves, he could use Flame Breathing Chakra Mode as his Total Concentration Breathing.
"Of course not, don't underestimate me!" Naruto shook his head and denied it.
How could he only know Multiple Shadow Clones and Rasengan? He also knew Sexy Technique, Harem Jutsu, and Rasenshuriken.
"Sometimes, focusing on developing a useful jutsu and mastering it is a good choice," Mutsuki said after thinking for a moment.
Although Naruto mainly relied on Multiple Shadow Clones and Rasengan in battle, that didn't stop him from being incredibly strong.
"Naruto's Rasengan really is powerful," Obito had to admit. This jutsu was formidable—no hand signs and immense power.
"Obito, if you want to learn it, I can teach you," Naruto said casually.
He felt a strong connection with Obito and didn't mind teaching him the jutsu.
If Obito learned his Rasengan and became stronger, it would be Naruto contributing to changing history for Kakashi and the others.
"Naruto, I want to learn!" Obito immediately felt like he hadn't made a mistake in choosing to follow Naruto.
Mutsuki's expression was a bit subtle. Learning Rasengan from Naruto was almost like creating it from scratch.
However, Mutsuki didn't want to discourage Obito's enthusiasm. After all, he knew Rasengan himself, and if Obito really wanted to learn it, he could teach him.
After two consecutive failures, Kakashi and the others threw themselves into training with renewed determination, while Mutsuki began guiding Naruto and Yamato in their training.
Naruto didn't need Mutsuki's guidance for Shadow Clones and Rasengan, so Mutsuki decided to teach him Taijutsu instead.
Thanks to Guy, Mutsuki had received a lot of Taijutsu training rewards, and considering the entire ninja world, he could confidently say that no one in Konoha knew Taijutsu better than he did.
After all, the Taijutsu experience in his mind was something no one could achieve through a lifetime of training—it was a cheat-like power.
As for Yamato, Mutsuki chose to teach him Water Release and Water Breathing.
Yamato generally used three types of Ninjutsu in battle: Wood Release, Earth Release, and Water Release.
Mutsuki didn't have the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, and although his mastery of Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation was at the Mastery level, his proficiency wasn't very high.
Mutsuki didn't mind teaching Yamato and Naruto the Breathing Techniques, but he currently didn't have a Breathing Technique that would suit Naruto.
Naruto's personality was well-suited for Flame Breathing, but since Naruto didn't use Fire Release, learning Flame Breathing would be less effective than learning Wind Breathing. Wind Breathing would at least enhance the power of Rasenshuriken.
After developing Wind Breathing, Mutsuki had been working on a Yang Release Breathing Technique. He thought that combining Yang Release with Fire Release might eventually lead to the creation of Sun Breathing.
Naruto arrived too early. Mutsuki hadn't finished developing his Yang Release Breathing Technique yet. If Naruto had come a few months later, Mutsuki might have already developed a prototype.
"Enhance Chakra transformation, enhance Water Release power!" Yamato couldn't help but show a look of astonishment when Mutsuki introduced the effects of Water Breathing.
As an ANBU Captain, he had encountered many Secret Jutsu, but he had never seen anything like Water Breathing, such a comprehensive and powerful Secret Jutsu.
Not only could it enhance the body and accelerate recovery, but it could also boost the power of Water Release. With enough training, one could even enter Water Breathing Chakra Mode and use Water Release at will.
Yamato had never heard of such a Secret Jutsu, let alone encountered it.
"Could it have been lost because Mutsuki-san died in battle?" Yamato thought of a possibility.
Yamato's gaze toward Mutsuki was very complicated.
Although they had only known each other for two days, he truly admired this ninja named Mutsuki Yumi.
"Mutsuki-san, don't you want to know about the future? Aren't you worried about encountering misfortune at some point?" Yamato asked politely.
He wanted to tell Mutsuki his speculation about the time of Mutsuki's death, hoping to make him more cautious.
"There's no need for that. Our future is something we'll create ourselves," Mutsuki replied with a gentle smile.
Yamato sighed inwardly, but under Mutsuki's careful guidance, he quickly immersed himself in learning Water Breathing. Yamato then realized that Mutsuki's teaching ability was truly exceptional.
[Lecture Complete]
[Evaluation: S]
[Reward: Water Attribute Chakra Nature Transformation +2, Water Breathing +1, Taijutsu experience slightly increased]
When the training ended, something unexpected happened—Mutsuki received an S-level evaluation for the teaching reward.
This was completely unexpected for Mutsuki. Based on his experience, it usually took dozens of students to get a teaching reward; the only exception was when he taught Minato and Kushina, and even then, there were only two students.
But Naruto and Yamato's abilities were clearly not on the same level as Minato and Kushina's.
Mutsuki thought hard and suddenly realized he had misunderstood something. In the system's view, Naruto and Yamato might not be that far behind.
From the system's potential assessment, it was actually very rigid. Clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha often had high potential that didn't match their actual combat strength. Some individuals had higher potential than even Sarutobi Hiruzen or Minato Namikaze, but their actual combat ability might not be able to last more than a few rounds.
Mutsuki then boldly speculated that the system's assessment of strength was mostly based on Chakra, and both Yamato and Naruto had quite a bit of Chakra.
When he thought about Kushina and Naruto having the Nine-Tails inside them, Mutsuki became even bolder in his assumption. Perhaps Yamato and Minato were just fillers, and the real trigger for the lesson reward was Naruto and Kushina.
This made Mutsuki come up with an idea—if he used the Yang Release Breathing Technique he was currently developing as part of a lesson, could it speed up his development process?
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