Chapter 593: Coach, I Want to Learn
"Just as I thought, with the Yang Seal, I have more tactical options," Kakashi thought to himself after deactivating it.
If he had not trained the Yang Seal beforehand, he definitely would not have been able to use so many Ninjutsu to wear Obito down, because he would have needed to conserve chakra for Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
With the Yang Seal, things were much easier. Even after spending so much chakra, he still had enough left to unleash a No Thought Strike.
"Kakashi, how do you have so much chakra?" Obito could not help asking after Mugetsu healed him.
At this moment, Obito was extremely frustrated. Not only had he lost to Kakashi right in front of Rin, he also failed to destroy that photo.
Still, his curiosity outweighed his frustration. He genuinely could not understand why Kakashi's chakra had suddenly increased so dramatically.
When Obito awakened the Sharingan or advanced it, his chakra would rise for a while too. But Kakashi was not an Uchiha, and the increase this time was simply far too absurd.
"The Yang Seal."
Kakashi did not hide it. He took off his forehead protector, revealing the lightning shaped mark on his forehead.
There was no need to conceal it. They were teammates, and it was better if they understood each other thoroughly.
"The Yang Seal can store excess chakra, and then use it to support Breathing Technique Chakra Mode."
Obito stared in shock.
There was really such a technique?
Was that not basically the same as doubling one's chakra?
"Mugetsu, you already developed this Ninjutsu?" Minato looked at Mugetsu in surprise after hearing Kakashi's explanation.
Back in the first year he had known Mugetsu, Mugetsu had already mentioned a similar concept to him, and the two of them had even discussed it with Jiraiya.
Because the difficulty was so outrageous, Jiraiya had not been optimistic about it at the time.
"More or less. This still is not the complete version. There is room for improvement," Mugetsu replied with a nod.
The current Yang Seal was usable, but it still fell short of his original vision.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I want to learn it too," Obito said at once, dusting himself off as he stood up.
Because of the Sharingan, Obito already had significantly more chakra than ordinary ninja, but even that still did not feel like enough.
If he had enough chakra to constantly maintain both his Sharingan and Flame Breathing Chakra Mode throughout an entire battle, his combat power would definitely rise by a huge margin.
"You can't learn it yet. You can only start after you master the Transparent World," Mugetsu explained, shaking his head.
The Yang Seal was more complicated than the Yin Seal, and its requirements were much higher.
"Huh?"
Obito was dumbfounded.
He had to master the Transparent World first?
How long would he have to train before reaching that level?
He remembered very clearly that the Transparent World was the pinnacle of Breathing Technique, and its difficulty was even higher than Breathing Technique Chakra Mode itself.
Aside from Kakashi, who for some unknown reason had somehow mastered it before even fully mastering Breathing Technique Chakra Mode, none of Mugetsu's other disciples had shown any sign of reaching that realm.
Shisui's expression, however, remained calm.
The moment Mugetsu finished speaking, he had also felt tempted. No ninja would reject the chance to gain more chakra.
Still, Shisui immediately understood the key point. Since Mugetsu had only taught it to Kakashi, there had to be a reason. Only Kakashi met the requirements right now.
Otherwise, for a Ninjutsu with such universal value, there was no reason Mugetsu would not have already taught it to the rest of them.
Yamato scratched his head, feeling that the topic was far too distant from him.
He had not even mastered Constant State yet, let alone Breathing Technique Chakra Mode or the Transparent World.
"I'll just wait for Teacher Mugetsu to teach Flying Thunder God," Obito sighed inwardly.
He felt that even when he reached the level where he could begin learning Flying Thunder God, there was no guarantee he would also master the Transparent World.
The Yang Seal, which required the Transparent World, felt too unreal. Flying Thunder God was still far away too, but at least that one felt tangible.
Kakashi then bid farewell to his teachers and senior disciples and prepared to head home.
At this point, he had already exhausted most of his chakra and spent a great deal of energy. It was no longer suitable to challenge Guy.
He planned to refine One Thought Cut a little more before fighting Guy again.
After Obito got home, he ate dinner, trained for a while longer, then went into his study to read.
Since he had already fallen behind Kakashi in terms of strength and had no way of catching up in the short term, he could only start improving in other areas.
…
Land of Rain, northwestern border.
"It really lives up to its name, the Land of Rain," Roshi said as he looked up at the sky and felt the raindrops falling.
At this moment, thick, dark clouds covered the heavens like a vast black curtain draped across the horizon, completely blocking out the sunlight.
Maybe the country was deliberately showing him, an outsider, its local specialty. Or maybe he was simply unlucky. Either way, the moment he stepped into the Land of Rain, the sky had already turned gloomy.
Roshi took a deep breath and clearly felt that the air here was far more humid than in the Land of Earth.
"I'll just treat it as part of the local flavor," Roshi said with a faint smile, striding through the rain.
After walking some distance, he stopped and looked back.
By then, the rain had already begun to intensify. Distant shapes grew blurred behind the curtain of rain. Mountains and buildings seemed wrapped in a thin veil of mist, their outlines no longer as clear as before.
"Land of Earth, farewell."
Roshi quickly turned back, waved toward the far off mountain, and continued on his way.
Iwagakure was his hometown, and the Land of Earth was his homeland, yet neither place contained any truly happy memories for him.
Of course, if he ever had the chance, he might still return to visit.
There were no joyful memories there, but there were memorable ones.
For example, his first successful use of Tailed Beast chakra, and his first successful full Tailed Beast transformation.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
The rain grew heavier. Large drops kept striking the muddy earth and leaves, creating a steady chorus of splashes.
Roshi walked on without concern.
With his physique, there was absolutely no way this kind of weather could make him sick.
If he were not trying to keep a low profile, he could have simply activated Lava Release Chakra Mode and kept the rain off himself.
"Young man, still traveling in weather like this? Come in and take shelter."
A villager who had just dashed back to his house saw Roshi still walking through the rain and called out to him.
Roshi originally had no interest in bothering and intended to keep going, but then the Four Tails spoke inside his mind.
"Roshi, aren't you planning to travel the Ninja World? If you come all the way to the Land of Rain just to meet one Ninja Master, that would be a waste. You should try interacting with other people too."
The Four Tails believed Roshi needed to experience life more, a life without the constant burden of judgmental stares.
Roshi thought the Four Tails made sense, so he turned and walked toward the villager.
The villager looked him over carefully.
Roshi had maintained a Transformation Technique the entire way to avoid being recognized by Iwagakure ninja, so at the moment he appeared to be a clean cut young man.
The villager had only called out because Roshi carried no visible weapons and was dressed like an ordinary civilian.
But after taking a closer look, the villager began to regret it.
Although Roshi was dressed like a common traveler and carried no weapons, his bearing clearly did not feel normal.
The villager dared not do anything rash. He stayed silent and simply kept wiping the rain from his body.
At this moment, he was only praying, praying that Roshi was merely some odd traveler, and not a ninja.
Meanwhile, Roshi, who rarely interacted with strangers, and who was now facing an unfamiliar foreign villager, found himself unsure what to say.
After a long silence, he finally asked, "What is this village called?"
He really could not think of anything else to talk about.
The villager had just finished wiping the rain from his forehead when he heard the question. He was so startled that a fine sheen of sweat instantly formed there again.
"Could it be some Ninja Organization posted a mission against our village?" the villager thought in alarm.
"Shi… Shirakawa Village," he stammered.
He had not wanted to answer, but he was afraid Roshi would think he was being evasive and kill him on the spot.
Roshi had no idea how to continue from there, so the atmosphere immediately became awkward again.
"Dad, why aren't you coming inside yet?"
At that moment, the villager's child scurried out of the house.
"Dad, you won't get dry if you just keep wiping yourself like that," the child said, looking puzzled at how his father kept wiping his clothes and body over and over.
The villager's body stiffened.
He really was too nervous. That was why he kept wiping the same places again and again.
"It's nothing. I'm just chatting with this big brother. You go back inside first," the villager said, quickly moving to shield the child.
Roshi frowned slightly.
Because of his childhood experiences, he was extremely sensitive to atmosphere, and he could clearly sense that this villager was afraid of him.
He did not develop any ill will over that.
He simply found it strange. His transformed appearance was not fierce at all, so why was the villager so scared?
The moment Roshi frowned, the villager grew even more nervous.
The child, however, did not obediently return to the house. Instead, he peeked out and looked at Roshi.
"Big brother, are you from another country? You look unfamiliar."
The villager's expression changed, and he hurriedly tried to drag the child back inside.
"Yes," Roshi replied with a nod.
When the villager saw that Roshi did not make any sudden move, he finally relaxed a little, though he still had not completely lowered his guard. He was ready to force the child back inside at any moment.
Just then, a burst of chaotic noise drifted over.
"Behave yourselves. Hand over your valuables if you don't want to die!"
A rough, loud shout reached Roshi's ears.
The villager's face changed instantly. He stood in front of his child and said to Roshi, "You can take whatever you want, just don't hurt us."
Roshi: …
So he had been mistaken for a robber.
That really was not his problem at all.
"I won't hurt you, and I don't want your things. I'm not a bandit. I'm just a passerby," Roshi said calmly.
The villager still did not lower his guard.
What kind of ordinary passerby could stay so calm after hearing a robbery happening nearby?
Roshi did not bother explaining further. He turned and walked back out into the rain, heading toward the source of the noise.
He was not some champion of justice.
He simply looked down on ninja who preyed on ordinary civilians.
He made no effort to conceal himself as he approached.
The rogue ninja carrying out the robbery noticed him coming. Just as one of them was about to shout at him, Roshi's chakra erupted.
Whoosh. Bang!
The rogue ninja saw only a blur before a terrible pain exploded through his body, knocking him unconscious on the spot.
"Tha… thank you…" one of the villagers being robbed exclaimed in joy and tried to thank Roshi.
But by the time he looked up, Roshi was already gone, having used Body Flicker Technique to appear beside another rogue ninja.
There was more than one.
They had split up to increase their efficiency.
Bang. Bang.
Roshi swung his bare fists, and with every punch, another rogue ninja dropped.
Perhaps because the earlier rainfall had been too intense, the rain gradually weakened. The drops became fewer and lighter.
By the time Roshi knocked down the fourth and final rogue ninja, the rain had nearly stopped.
"They're really weak. At this level, any Chunin from the village could deal with them," Roshi said with a shake of his head.
These rogue ninja were so weak that he could not even be bothered to take them seriously.
"I'm sorry. I misjudged you. Please forgive me, sir," the first villager who had offered him shelter apologized at once.
He had heard the commotion outside fall silent and came out to check, only to find all the rogue ninja already lying on the ground.
"Thank you for helping us, sir," the other villagers also spoke up to thank him.
Especially those who had already been robbed, or were in the middle of being robbed, their gratitude was obvious.
Roshi said nothing. He merely swept his gaze across the crowd in silence.
At this moment, he felt a little complicated.
He had only beaten a few low level ninja, yet he had received this much gratitude.
And because he was so sensitive to atmosphere, he could clearly feel that their gratitude was genuine.
That was exactly why he felt so stirred.
Back in Iwagakure, he had carried out countless S rank missions and killed countless enemies for the village, yet not once had he ever received a word of praise or a sincere smile from the villagers there.
And now, here in a foreign land, he had merely knocked down a few rogue ninja at roughly Genin level, and he had already received more appreciation and gratitude than at any other point in his life.
Some villagers even tried to offer him things to show their thanks. Others invited him into their homes so he could dry himself and rest.
For a moment, Roshi almost felt overwhelmed.
Was this really treatment he could receive?
But in the end, he declined all their kindness.
This place was too close to the Land of Earth. He still needed to keep heading south, deeper into the Land of Rain.
With his identity, staying here too long would not be good for either side.
"Are you a Shinobi Sect ninja?" one villager asked curiously from the crowd.
"Why would you think that?" Roshi did not answer directly. Instead, he asked a question of his own.
He genuinely found the question strange.
He was not wearing an Amegakure forehead protector, so why would they assume he belonged to the Shinobi Sect?
"Ninja who like helping people and don't ask for money are all Shinobi Sect ninja, right?" the villager answered honestly.
He had recently heard that Shinobi Sect ninja had arrived in the north, and judging from Roshi's actions, he suspected Roshi might be one of them.
"What about the Amegakure ninja?" Roshi asked.
Compared to the Shinobi Sect, he would have thought Amegakure should be the force actually responsible for maintaining order in the Land of Rain.
After all, Amegakure had been established since the early days of the village era, while the Shinobi Sect was a brand new force that had only appeared recently.
The villagers exchanged looks, but none of them answered.
Even so, their silence was answer enough.
Roshi did not continue asking.
He created a Shadow Clone and had it carry away the four rogue ninja.
After walking some distance beyond Shirakawa Village, he killed the four of them and then continued south.
"Sōsuke… Shinobi Sect…"
.....
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