"Grandma, I'm back." Obito called out eagerly as soon as he walked into the courtyard.
"Welcome home." Grandma greeted with a warm smile at the door.
"You must be hungry, I'll go make you some food." It was just noon, and Grandma figured Obito hadn't eaten yet, so she turned to the kitchen to prepare lunch for him.
Obito chuckled and nodded, then sat down in the living room.
When Obito sat down on the chair in the living room, his body and mind completely relaxed, and he even felt a bit drowsy.
"I didn't feel tired before, so why do I feel tired now that I'm resting?" Obito scratched his head, a little puzzled.
Though he didn't understand, sitting on the chair at home felt very comfortable; he could sit however he liked.
"Obito, that Uchiha Yashiro came by looking for you yesterday, took a lot of stuff, and said that if you finished your mission and had time, you should attend the clan's young ninja gathering," Grandma said as she remembered yesterday's events while cooking.
"Young ninja gathering, what is that, just sitting around chatting?" Obito asked aloud, not quite understanding.
"Something like that, seems like there will be some sparring, and there are rewards for winning. Your father used to participate," Grandma recalled.
"What reward did Dad get?" Obito, full of curiosity, looked towards the kitchen. He rarely heard Grandma talk about his father.
"I don't quite remember, but your father was very happy back then, talked to me a lot about how strong the seniors were, how hard he worked to beat one of them," Grandma paused for a bit before answering.
Recalling the past, she realized she was indeed getting old, forgetting so much about her own child.
"It's two days from now. If you don't want to go, then don't, since they don't know when you'll finish your mission anyway," Grandma said as she continued cooking.
She knew that Obito had difficulty getting along with his fellow clansmen since he was young.
"Why not go if there's a reward, especially since there's no entry fee." Obito chuckled in response.
He wasn't interested in interacting with his clansmen, but if there's a reward, he might as well check it out.
"Eat up, you'll need energy for the fight," Grandma said happily as she brought the cooked meal to the table.
Obito quickly nodded, ready to dig in.
"Obito, how are you getting along with Rin, have you let her know how you feel?" Grandma asked with a smile.
"Cough, cough." Obito choked on his food, coughing twice.
Grandma immediately went over to pat his back to help him catch his breath.
"What feelings, Grandma, you know we're only nine years old," Obito replied, blushing.
Grandma smiled silently, easily seeing through Obito's little thoughts.
"Grandma, you should eat too, it won't taste good once it's cold." To prevent Grandma from saying anything else that might embarrass him, Obito quickly said.
After finishing his meal, Obito shared some of the things he heard about the Land of Hot Water with Grandma, and then he headed to the Southern Border Forest for training.
Just as he was about to arrive, Obito ran into someone he wasn't keen on seeing.
"Not napping at home?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly.
He felt a bit disappointed; if Obito hadn't come today, he would've had a day to work harder than Obito and receive more of Mokgetsu's guidance.
"Napping at this hour? It's broad daylight, of course, I'm going to find Teacher Mokgetsu for training." Having made it to the Southern Border Forest, Obito just said it straight.
Obito was glad he didn't rest due to a little fatigue, or else Kakashi would have had a secret day of hard work he knew nothing about.
The two exchanged glances and walked together into the Southern Border Forest, where Mokgetsu was developing the Breath of Water, and Shisui was engaged in constant cultivation.
"Why are you here at this hour? Didn't Minato take you for training or on a mission today?" Mokgetsu asked when he saw the two approaching.
Mokgetsu was merely pretending; he knew Obito and Kakashi were out doing a mission with Minato, because he had seen the rewards for completing the task.
[Disciples Kakashi and Uchiha Obito worked hard to complete the commission task, receiving a growth reward of Chakra +700]
Looking at this reward, Mokgetsu figured Obito and his group must have run into unexpected troubles during the mission. With only two disciples and without his team boost, 700 Chakra points was quite impressive.
"Is it really not my problem, but rather Obito and Kakashi have really bad luck?" Mokgetsu thought to himself.
He used to think his special selections caused so many surprises, but even without him choosing missions, Obito and Kakashi still managed consistent performances.
"We just finished our mission and came back, Teacher Minato gave us a four-day break," Obito explained.
"This mission was really dangerous. Kakashi's mouth seems to have a Ninjutsu effect. Every time he says there won't be an accident, something happens for sure," Obito eagerly began sharing the details of their mission with Mokgetsu.
"It's just a coincidence!" Kakashi emphasized.
"Didn't you hear that registering ninja's warning? The Hidden Cloud is lurking in the Land of Hot Water, and we just happened to run into them."
"I only know that we've had accidents five times in a row now." Obito stated, letting the facts speak for themselves.
When Obito mentioned this number, Kakashi was at a loss for words. Five accidents in a row, and twice they even encountered the Raikage candidate, it was indeed rather unusual.
Next, Obito continued sharing their mission experiences with Mokgetsu, saying, "Teacher Mokgetsu, you'll never guess who we ran into this time. Thank goodness Teacher Minato's Flying Thunder God is powerful, otherwise you might not have seen us again."
Obito truly felt that this mission was thrilling. Last time, he didn't see the battle between Mokgetsu and Fourth A, so he wasn't sure of Fourth A's exact strength. This time, though Minato was holding the front, the distance wasn't that far, and he could see the details of the fight between Fourth A and Minato.
"Was it that Raikage candidate again?" Mokgetsu pondered and said, with both Hidden Cloud and strong opponents, his first thought was of Fourth A and Killer Bee.
After all, the Third Raikage isn't someone you encounter easily, usually only in very critical battlefields.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, you're amazing to guess it just like that!" Obito looked at Mokgetsu in astonishment, not expecting him to guess so easily.
Mokgetsu chuckled and replied, "Maybe I'm just lucky."
"Alright, let's chat again after training and resting. First, let's train," Mokgetsu continued. It's clear that Obito and the others came to the Southern Border Forest at this time for cultivation; they can just go to his house to chat at night.
"Kakashi, start your Breathing Technique Constant State training. As long as you have the stamina, keep maintaining Full Concentration."
"Obito, first learn a new Fire Release with me, and once you've mastered the Fire Release Ninjutsu, you'll start Breathing Technique training."
The urgent matter for Kakashi is to solve the reaction problem; the Breath of Thunder Constant State is more important to him right now than other abilities.
Training to enhance reaction has its limits; it can't fundamentally solve the problem. As long as the reaction issue isn't resolved, Kakashi's Breath of Thunder will be restricted, and fully unleashing his speed would just be a gamble, betting the opponent can't react to it.
As for Obito, Mokgetsu feels he's lacking a high-power, large-area Fire Release.
To prevent the flames from setting the forest on fire, Mokgetsu took Obito to the riverbank for training.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, what Fire Release do you plan to teach me? Is it that Fire Release that looks like a sea of flames?" Obito excitedly asked. The first time he performed a C-Class Mission, he still remembers Mokgetsu's headache.
"No, but in terms of power, this Ninjutsu isn't any weaker," Mokgetsu shook his head and said.
He's going to teach Obito the Fire Dragon Flame Bomb, which Danzo had given him in a Ninjutsu Scroll.
Mokgetsu first explained the release principle and key points, then proceeded to demonstrate.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bomb!"
Mokgetsu quickly formed hand seals, gathered Chakra, and spewed out a large mass of raging flames.
The flames of the Fire Dragon Flame Bomb are different from ordinary Fire Release. Due to the fierce firepower, it can attack from multiple directions simultaneously.
Of course, a Ninjutsu isn't powerful for no reason. Due to this characteristic, the flames of the Fire Dragon Flame Bomb are extremely difficult to control. If not used properly, it's fortunate not to burn oneself, let alone attack enemies from multiple directions.
Under Mokgetsu's control, the fierce flames split into three streams and charged into the river, evaporating a large amount of water and continuously causing white mist to rise.
Because the water was evaporated so rapidly, the surface of the river appeared extremely uneven for a moment in Obito's eyes.
"This Ninjutsu is very powerful, but it also consumes a lot of Chakra. Don't think of it as a Great Fireball," Mokgetsu reminded.
"Mm-hmm, I know," Obito's eyes lit up seeing the ferocity of the Fire Dragon Flame Bomb, nodding rapidly like a pecking chicken.
After demonstrating once, Mokgetsu carefully broke down the Fire Dragon Flame Bomb into detailed steps for a demonstration again.
He would teach differently to different people. If it were Shisui, he wouldn't go into such detail, as it would be a waste of time. Shisui could easily infer and apply upon hearing.
[You have imparted the Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bomb to your disciple. Due to your disciple's gratitude, you received a bonus, acquiring the Ninjutsu Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu (Proficient Level).]
It had been a while since they last met, and though Mokgetsu didn't deliberately stir emotions, Obito responded unexpectedly well.
The Water Prison Jutsu is indeed quite a good Ninjutsu. It can be used to trap enemies, and sometimes it can protect oneself from attacks.
When the training ended, Mokgetsu invited all three disciples back home for a meal.
"Yay, we get to eat Teacher Mokgetsu's cooking again," Obito gladly agreed.
Shisui and Kakashi were also happy to go along and agreed immediately.
Later that evening, while Mokgetsu was cooking, Minato and Might Guy also came to his house.