Chapter 557: Passing Down the Yang Seal, Zorua Evolves
Early in the morning, Mugetsu made himself a simple breakfast before heading to the South Border Forest to teach his disciples.
In truth, he had already passed the stage where he needed to personally instruct them every single day.
The further ninja training progressed, the more it depended on the disciples' own diligent practice and absorption rather than constant direct teaching.
Still, whenever there were important new techniques to pass down, Mugetsu would continue holding more concentrated lessons so his disciples could master them as quickly as possible.
That morning, Mugetsu's main body focused on teaching Obito and Shisui the Azure Flame, while his Shadow Clones watched over the other disciples' training.
Since he had completed the Yang Seal the night before, whenever he had a free moment, Mugetsu's main body refined chakra and stored it in the seal.
Because he had spent quite a bit of time preparing a lavish late night meal for Tsunade the previous night, he had gone to sleep shortly after eating to make sure he had enough energy for today. As a result, he had not yet been able to store much chakra in the Yang Seal.
During the noon break, Mugetsu's main body went alone deep into the South Border Forest.
He wanted to test the effect of the Yang Seal.
Although it had already succeeded in theory, Mugetsu would never teach a technique he had not personally used to his disciples. He had to put it into real combat use and confirm for himself that there were no problems.
After reaching a sufficient distance so as not to disturb his disciples' rest, Mugetsu stopped, focused his breathing to the limit, and simultaneously released the Yang Seal.
"Yang Seal Release!"
As the chakra stored inside the Yang Seal was released, the flame shaped mark on Mugetsu's forehead began to glow red, and fiery red patterns spread outward from it like burning flames.
"Yang Seal: Flame Breathing!"
With the change in the seal mark, Mugetsu's physical aura also rose rapidly as he entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.
He casually condensed a large fireball and hurled it off to the side, instantly blasting out a crater more than seven meters wide.
"No problems. In fact, because it's extra chakra, I can use it more recklessly and bring Flame Breathing's power to its limit." Mugetsu nodded.
Under normal circumstances, when using Breathing Technique Chakra Mode, he rarely pushed it to its absolute limit. The increase in power was not especially great compared to the extra chakra it consumed, so it was not cost effective. It was usually better to preserve chakra for emergencies.
But now, with an extra chakra reserve, that concern no longer existed.
After all, the additional chakra pool was specifically meant for maintaining Breathing Technique Chakra Mode and could not be used elsewhere anyway.
After a full series of tests, Mugetsu was very satisfied with the perfected Yang Seal. It had essentially achieved the effect he envisioned before.
Once he had confirmed that the Yang Seal was functioning without issue, Mugetsu called Kakashi over before the afternoon training began.
He handed Kakashi an organized scroll.
"This is an S rank Sealing Technique called the Yang Seal. I specifically developed it to deal with the excessive chakra consumption of Breathing Technique Chakra Mode. It can store extra chakra for use in battle."
The moment Kakashi heard Mugetsu's introduction, joy immediately lit up his face.
He needed this Sealing Technique far too much.
Although in Mugetsu's previous life Kakashi was often teased for having too little chakra, without the Sharingan, Kakashi's chakra was actually quite impressive.
But the current Kakashi had a whole set of overpowered techniques, such as Lightning Release Chakra Mode and One Thought Strike. They were indeed powerful, but they also consumed a frightening amount of chakra.
"With extra chakra to maintain Lightning Release Chakra Mode, I shouldn't collapse after just one strike," Kakashi thought to himself.
Chakra quantity was simply too important for him. With enough chakra, he did not necessarily have to lose to Might Guy.
It was deeply frustrating to possess a complete set of skills yet lack the chakra to fully use them.
He was proficient in Lightning Release and Earth Release. His mastery of Armament Haki was only slightly below Shisui's. His Lightning Release swordsmanship was exceptionally sharp.
And yet, because of chakra limitations, in battle he often could not display everything he had mastered. He had no choice but to pick and choose.
If Kakashi also had enough chakra to freely use techniques like False Darkness and Purple Lightning, he truly would not fear Might Guy with five Gates open and Rock Breathing Chakra Mode.
"First, study the contents of the scroll. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me. Learn the theory first and don't rush to practice it. The Yang Seal is a very dangerous technique, so in a couple of days I'll explain it to you in detail," Mugetsu reminded him.
Mugetsu's current level in Sealing Techniques was at least on par with Kushina's, while in medical knowledge, he had not only improved through proficiency scrolls but had also studied specifically under Tsunade.
Even with all that, he had still performed the final completion of the Yang Seal in his own body only while Tsunade was present to protect him.
To be safe, Mugetsu planned to let Kakashi first master all the theory before practicing the Yang Seal under his supervision.
"Yes. Thank you for the trouble, Mugetsu sensei," Kakashi replied with a nod.
Since Mugetsu had said so, Kakashi would naturally never practice it recklessly.
After all, Mugetsu was the kind of person who understated things. If he described something as dangerous, then it was almost certainly the kind of dangerous where one mistake could kill you.
Once the afternoon training resumed, Mugetsu had Obito and Shisui continue practicing the Azure Flame on their own, while he began teaching Great Sunny Day to Charizard.
Because it was daytime, Great Sunny Day was not as visually dazzling as it was at night, but it still quickly attracted the attention of the nearby disciples.
Although the light orb that rose into the sky was not particularly eye catching in daylight, everything within the range of Great Sunny Day rapidly became unnaturally dry and scorching hot, the temperature soaring at a truly unreasonable speed.
Fortunately, that surge of heat came quickly and vanished just as fast. A few minutes later, Great Sunny Day dissipated, and the temperature soon returned to normal.
"Even I'd need to spend a long time concentrating to learn it. Can Charizard really learn the Solar Flare Technique?" Obito looked doubtful about Charizard's chances.
At night, Great Sunny Day felt like using a divine power to force sunlight into darkness. It could also weaken Water Release while strengthening Fire Release.
Naturally, Obito had wanted to learn such a cool and powerful technique himself, but Mugetsu had refused on the grounds that the time investment was not worth the gain.
Obito did not believe Charizard had better Fire Release talent than he did.
Back when he first began practicing Fire Release, his speed had only been average compared to Shisui's. But after his Bloodline Limit awakened, his potential surged, and as his Flame Breathing improved and further enhanced his abilities, his speed in learning Fire Release increased drastically.
Meanwhile, Charizard had struggled even to learn Great Fireball. It really did not seem all that bright.
As if sensing Obito's thoughts, Charizard glared at him.
Today, Obito looked down on it, but once it learned Great Sunny Day, he would definitely have to beg it to use it.
"Not only do I have to learn it, I have to master it," Charizard thought to itself.
It had already figured out how to torment Obito later. Once Obito was fast asleep, it would hang a small sun over his head to help "warm" his body.
To avoid disturbing Grandma's sleep, it would strictly limit the range to Obito's room.
So Charizard, determined to improve itself, studied Great Sunny Day under Mugetsu with all its effort.
Mugetsu glanced at his disciples and their Pokémon all training diligently and nodded with satisfaction. Today in the South Border Forest was yet another day filled with peaceful harmony.
After the afternoon training ended, Shisui returned home and first prepared dinner.
As usual, after taking Zorua out for a walk, he returned to the small courtyard and began training.
It was not until eleven at night that Shisui finally stopped and prepared to bathe and rest.
"Shisui, I feel like you've been training even harder than usual lately. Aside from eating and sleeping, you're practically training all day," Zorua said as it stretched lazily nearby.
"There's really no need to push this hard, right? Didn't your teacher say before that training should balance work and rest?"
Seeing Shisui train with such intensity, Zorua worried that his body might not be able to endure it.
After all, human bodies were not like Pokémon bodies. They were comparatively fragile.
"With Mugetsu sensei's secret medicine, there's no need to worry about the physical side of things. Besides, if I want to realize my ideas, strength is indispensable." Shisui wiped the sweat from his forehead, then gently patted Zorua's head.
"Thank you for worrying about me. Once the matter with the Police Force is settled for a while, I'll return to my previous training pace."
The clan meeting was drawing close, and Shisui intended to make a major move there. So during this period, he needed to increase his strength as much as possible.
If things went smoothly, Shisui might not need to display his power at all.
But if things did not go smoothly, if there were still paranoid, stubborn, or deliberately troublesome Uchiha, then Shisui would let them understand that times had changed.
He and Obito were no longer just ordinary geniuses within the clan.
"So in other words, Shisui, you're desperate to become stronger?" Zorua stood up.
"Yes. During this period, I need to become as strong as possible."
"I really can't do anything with you." Zorua looked at Shisui with a helpless expression.
Shisui lightly tapped Zorua's head with a finger. Somehow, it sounded as though Zorua were the one doting on him instead.
He had barely used any force, more like a playful flick, so Zorua continued giggling as if it had only been tickled.
"Shisui, look at me carefully, alright? Keep my cute appearance in your heart," Zorua said with a smile as it leaped from the outer corridor into the courtyard.
After saying that, it simply stood there and looked at him.
A minute later, Zorua finally stopped suppressing the power of evolution inside its body, and dazzling white light engulfed it.
It liked playing tricks, but that did not mean it was lazy. It had already completed all the training it needed.
Zorua had even fought in the quarterfinals of the Martial Arts Tournament to help Shisui defeat his opponent.
In fact, Zorua could have evolved on the first day they returned to Konoha.
However, it had deliberately suppressed the power of evolution because it did not want to evolve.
Because once it evolved, it might become as huge as Charizard or Milotic. Then how would Shisui hold it? How could it still stand on his shoulder?
Its transformations were fundamentally illusions and did not alter its actual body size or weight. If it evolved and still clung to Shisui afterward, it might actually wear him out.
But Zorua knew what mattered more.
Shisui needed strength, and only by evolving could it protect him better.
"So that really was the reason." Shisui's expression turned complex.
Earlier, he had suspected that Zorua simply did not want to evolve.
After all, Zorua was not inferior to the other Pokémon, nor had it hatched late. There was no logical reason for it to lag so far behind the others otherwise.
The white light dissipated, and Zoroark, now far taller than Shisui, appeared before him.
Compared to its time as a Zorua, the evolved Zoroark had changed enormously. It was not merely a matter of becoming bigger.
Zoroark no longer moved on all fours, but stood upright like a person.
The red mane that had once only sat on its head now flowed down its back, thick enough to make one wonder whether it would affect movement.
Its arms and legs also bore sharp red claws, adding a dangerous edge to its appearance.
"Now I finally realize how small you are, Shisui. Should I start calling you Little Shisui?" Zoroark said with a playful grin, lightly tapping Shisui's head with its claw.
Shisui was only nine years old, while Zoroark now stood a full 1.7 meters tall. To Zoroark, looking at him really felt no different from an adult looking down at a child.
After evolving, it discovered that perhaps things were not so bad after all. Although Shisui could no longer hold it, it could now carry Shisui instead, something it absolutely could not have done before.
"Don't mess around." Shisui looked at Zoroark with a dark expression as it spread both arms with a mischievous look.
Perhaps because its body had become much larger, or because its appearance had become more mature, Zorua's old expression when it was about to do something bad no longer looked particularly cute.
Even though it could now overwhelm Shisui in pure height, when it faced the one who had hatched it and taken care of it all this time, Zoroark quickly straightened up the moment Shisui became serious.
All the casual arrogance from a moment ago disappeared instantly.
"Try using an illusion on me," Shisui said after thinking for a moment.
Illusion was an innate ability Zorua had possessed from the moment it was born. Since evolution greatly improved a Pokémon in every aspect, then logically, Zorua's illusion abilities should now be especially formidable.
"Hehe. Actually, Shisui, you're already trapped in an illusion. I'm still just a Zorua. I never evolved at all. I just used an illusion to trick you," Zoroark said with an arrogant laugh.
The next instant, when Shisui looked at it again, Zoroark had indeed become the small, four legged Zorua once more.
"I can't feel any sensation of being trapped in an illusion at all." Shisui was surprised.
Even without activating his Sharingan, Shisui was a master of illusions, highly skilled in both casting and dispelling them.
And yet just now, he had not noticed at all that he had already been caught in Zoroark's illusion.
"Try it again," Shisui said as he activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
The Sharingan naturally amplified illusion ability, and in that state, Shisui's resistance against illusions also rose sharply.
"Hmph. Little Shisui, just watch. Let the great Zoroark show you how amazing it is!" Zoroark's smug voice sounded directly in Shisui's mind.
In the blink of an eye, Shisui saw the Zorua before him begin to grow larger at a rapid pace, until it became a colossal Zorua towering over even the house, as though it might keep expanding until the whole building was crushed.
"Just this level of illusion alone is already powerful enough."
Shisui discovered that even with his Three Tomoe Sharingan activated, he would still instantly fall under Zoroark's illusion. Only by carefully examining it could he dispel it.
That level was already sufficient.
Because among the Uchiha clan, aside from Fugaku, who was still an uncertainty, none of the other Uchiha possessed illusion ability greater than Shisui's.
.....
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