"Sensei, I want to challenge the river sprint!" Obito found Mutsuki and shared his desire to have another battle with him.
It had been exactly four days since his last failed challenge.
During these four days, he learned Mutsuki's special training acceleration techniques and even surpassed the limit speed in a competition with Guy. Obito felt he now had the strength to clear the challenge.
Of course, it was mainly because Obito believed his constant failure in speed competitions was due to not mastering Soru.
Moreover, the next week's training included practical tests. Obito wanted to master Soru this week so that he wouldn't be as passive in the practical tests next week.
He wanted to defeat Guy once.
So far, in the official practical showdowns with Guy, Obito has never won once, always falling just a bit short.
If Guy masters Soru, which Obito hasn't, he feels that his chances of winning in this practical test are even slimmer.
If the differences were significant, it would be understandable, but each time, Obito falls just a bit short, and he's getting frustrated.
"Alright, follow me." Mutsuki nodded and led Obito to the riverside.
The second stage is different from the first; there's no need to set traps in advance; they can directly start the challenge.
Mutsuki summoned a large number of Shadow Clones and released a multitude of Water Dragon Bullets onto the river.
"Yumi-sensei, I'm ready." Obito took a deep breath, concentrating his chakra in preparation for the sprint.
"Begin!"
Obito's eyes were fixed on the Water Dragon Bullets, trying to discern the hidden patterns among them.
After the last failure, Mutsuki had given him hints—those numerous Water Dragon Bullets weren't randomly rushing about; they moved with a purpose.
If it were just a normal fifteen-meter water surface, Obito could sprint across in an instant, but with the interference of the Water Dragon Bullets, a reckless charge wouldn't work; he'd easily be thrown off course.
After observing for two seconds, Obito finally discovered the secret within.
There were a total of twelve water dragons on the river, grouped into sets of three. Within the same group, the water dragons had similar patterns of advance and retreat. In other words, the twelve water dragons could be seen as four larger water dragons.
There was also a pattern between the four large water dragons. Approximately every one and a half seconds, a brief safe zone would appear between two of the large water dragons. The time was extremely short, almost disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Once understanding this, Obito instantly rushed out; there was no time for further observation.
On the surface, it seemed like a ten-second clearance time, but in reality, the time available for action might not even be half a second. This stage tested both observational skills and the speed of instant decision-making.
After grasping the pattern, navigating the challenge became much easier. Obito would pause after traversing four water dragons, waiting for the opportune moment.
Standing on the water's surface, Obito kept his eyes fixed on those menacing water dragons, not daring to show any slack. He couldn't afford to make a mistake; the margin for error in the second stage was much smaller compared to the first.
Observing Obito in this state, Mutsuki thought that if Obito could maintain this calm and cautious attitude, the improvement in combat capability would be no less than mastering an advanced Ninjutsu.
"Success!" Obito couldn't help but cheer as he rushed past the final four water dragons and reached the shore.
"Yumi-sensei, I hope I didn't exceed the time, right?" Obito asked somewhat anxiously.
Mutsuki nodded and smiled, responding, "No, you have successfully completed the Taijutsu challenge."
"That's great! So, can I learn Soru now?" Obito jumped up in excitement, watching Guy, Shisui, and others move swiftly, making him eager to master it.
"Here is the training method and experience for Soru, make sure to read it thoroughly." Mutsuki handed Obito a scroll.
"I'll definitely study it seriously until I can memorize all the content." Obito eagerly opened the scroll and found some familiar techniques related to Chakra that Mutsuki had taught him earlier to enhance his speed.
Obito instantly understood everything.
It wasn't that Mutsuki didn't want to teach him Soru; in fact, Mutsuki had been planning to teach him Soru since Obito took on the Taijutsu challenge against him. The first stage, the forest sprint, tested his physical abilities, and the second stage directly imparted some aspects of Soru to him.
"Yumi-sensei, you truly are the best sensei in the world!" Obito, realizing Mutsuki's thoughtful intentions, felt deeply moved.
[You have gifted your disciple a training scroll for Soru, and the disciple is extremely grateful, receiving a critical hit reward: Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction (Proficient)]
The rewards for today's disciple training exceeded Mutsuki's expectations, directly triggering a critical hit, granting a proficient level Ninjutsu – the powerful Great Fire Destruction.
"Almost forgot, this is your admission fee; I almost forgot to give it earlier." Mutsuki smiled, pulling out three tickets and handing them to Obito.
A puzzled expression appeared on Obito's face. He thought something was missing, and it turned out to be the tickets!
Only on this matter, Obito hoped that Mutsuki's memory would be a bit worse.
"Since we've both forgotten, let's just let it slide." Obito, seeing the exam papers, was already feeling a bit dizzy.
Mutsuki tapped Obito on the head with two fingers and said, "Your wishful thinking is nice, but though I can't let it slide completely, I can offer you a one-time installment plan with no interest."
Hearing that it could be interest-free, Obito became happy again, as this meant he could skip quite a few questions.
Next, Mutsuki led Obito to practice Soru.
Finally able to practice the cool Body Flicker Jutsu, coupled with the hardships of the learning process, Obito practiced very earnestly.
...
Anko felt that her two brothers had been acting strangely lately, always huddled together, giggling about something.
"Are you guys hiding something fun from me?" Anko, straightforward as ever, confronted Kotetsu and Izumo directly.
"There's nothing fun going on; we've just been preparing for next week's practical test." Kotetsu explained.
"Really?" Anko looked at Kotetsu with a skeptical expression.
"Don't insult our honest character with your suspicious gaze." Izumo expressed that they were indeed preparing for the practical test.
"So, how are you preparing?" Anko asked.
Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged glances for a moment before finally responding, "The specifics of our preparations for this test are not suitable for disclosure."
Though they were good brothers, they wouldn't go so far as to mistake Anko's gender.
"If you won't say, you won't say. I'll see what tricks you come up with on Monday." Anko puffed up her face.
She decided that if they encountered each other in the practical test on Monday, she would deliver a fierce punch to punish the enigmatic duo.
As the practical test approached, everyone was preparing for the exam.
Some wanted to showcase their skills to advance to higher-ranked teams, while others wanted to impress someone they cared about.
On Saturday afternoon, Asuma requested Mutsuki to increase his training intensity.
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