Chapter 221: Obito's Training Mission Results

"I really lost." As Obito's kunai pressed against him and Tsukuyo declared Obito's victory, Kakashi felt a momentary daze before his eyes.

Just half a year ago, Obito had come to him for help practicing body movement techniques, and Kakashi could have instantly defeated Obito with a single Body Flicker kick.

Half a year is long—converted into days, it totals one hundred and eighty-one days. Half a year is short—so short that Kakashi still felt it was not long ago that he had easily beaten Obito several times.

Kakashi, who had never lost to anyone his age, had suffered three defeats in just over a month.

He lost to Might Guy, who regarded him as a rival and had been working hard; he lost to Uchiha Shisui, who was even more talented than himself; and today he lost to Uchiha Obito, who had lost to him countless times before.

Kakashi accepted all three defeats willingly, because in none of those battles did his opponent win by luck—they defeated him with solid, real strength.

But accepting defeat did not mean he had lost his desire for victory. In fact, he was deeply unwilling to accept his losses. Might Guy and Obito had been far inferior to him at the very beginning, and Shisui was two years younger than him.

"Don't get too cocky. You've only beaten me once, but I've beaten you who knows how many times. I'll win back soon enough." Watching Obito's arrogant, unrestrained smile, Kakashi dusted off his clothes and said calmly.

He acknowledged his failure but would not allow himself to keep failing. He knew the reason for his failure: over the past two years, he had been too slack, caught up in so-called missions and ninja rules, and had not trained properly.

Now it was different. Kakashi was determined to just be himself. He didn't seek everyone's approval; he only needed to carry through with his own convictions.

"Stop talking big. Standing against me, who has the Sharingan, you have no chance of winning." Obito paid no heed to Kakashi's harsh words and continued smiling smugly.

Though he had only won once, he felt this victory carried more weight than all of Kakashi's previous wins combined.

"Then just wait and see." The corner of Kakashi's mouth lifted slightly beneath his mask.

This time would be different. He would show Obito and Might Guy the speed at which a genius grows.

His own extraordinary talent, combined with Tsukuyo's guidance—Kakashi believed his strength would improve rapidly.

Tsukuyo watched the two, full of fighting spirit, and smiled. Having drive and goals was good—it accelerated strength growth.

【Disciple Uchiha Obito training task complete. Rewards: Chakra +2500, Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique (Mastered), Fire Style: Fire Flower Jaws (Proficient)】

Another 2500 chakra reward. Now Tsukuyo was only just over 4000 chakra away from his small goal of 50,000.

Although it was just Great Fireball, Tsukuyo never minded having mastered-level techniques.

【Disciple Uchiha Obito has unlocked an optional Life Mission.】

【Life Mission: It is not those who become Hokage who are recognized by everyone, but those who are recognized by everyone who can become Hokage.】

【Primary Objective: Become the Hokage of Konohagakure.】

【Mission Progress: 0】

【Mission Reward: Determined by mission completion level and strength growth during the mission. Settlement occurs every 10% progress increase.】

【Note 1: Auto-fail if Uchiha Obito defects from the village; auto-fail if Konohagakure is destroyed.】

【Note 2: Life Missions are extremely difficult. Once accepted, you cannot proceed to the next Life Mission until this one is completed. Choose carefully.】

【Note 3: The greater the difficulty, the higher the reward.】

Tsukuyo looked at Obito's Life Mission and fell into thought. This mission wasn't terribly hard, but it wasn't easy either.

If Minato became the Fourth Hokage and didn't die unexpectedly, and if the anti-Uchiha faction led by Danzo was eliminated, Obito still had a chance to become Hokage.

Tsukuyo thought it over and accepted the mission. Although he felt Obito might trigger some mission about ending war and bringing peace to the ninja world later, this mission could be linked with Shisui's mission.

If Obito became Hokage, the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha would be much easier to resolve.

Moreover, Tsukuyo felt this mission's progress would increase relatively quickly.

With the Hokage position as the goal, Obito's promotion in rank and gaining popularity on the battlefield should all raise the mission progress, since these are essential steps to becoming Hokage.

Besides Obito, who triggered a Life Mission, Kakashi also successfully triggered a training mission.

【Disciple Hatake Kakashi's training mission set.】

【Training Mission: Defeat Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Shisui, and Might Guy in combat, becoming the strongest among Tsukuyo's disciples.】

【Reward: Determined by mission completion level and strength growth during the mission.】

Tsukuyo had never seen a mission requiring him to fight three people before, but after thinking about it, this mission was essentially about taking first place in the internal competition of Tsukuyo's team.

Tsukuyo could only say that this mission was somewhat difficult. Although the gap between them wasn't huge right now, if Kakashi trained hard, Obito and Might Guy weren't going to slack off for no reason.

Unless Kakashi suddenly had some special insight into breathing techniques, it would be very hard to overtake them in a short time.

"Rin, wasn't that awesome just now?" Obito couldn't help running up to Rin Nohara and asking.

"Very impressive—you even beat Kakashi. If the classmates found out, they'd be totally shocked," Rin Nohara praised with a look of surprise.

If it weren't for Might Guy setting a precedent before, Rin Nohara would have been even more astonished.

Because Kakashi's performance at the Ninja Academy had been overwhelmingly strong, leaving a very deep impression on Rin Nohara.

"It's nothing worth spreading around. After all, I've already awakened the Sharingan now; beating Kakashi is only natural." Hearing Rin Nohara's praise, Obito became even more smug, floating on air.

"The power of the Sharingan… Obito, once I can open the Second Gate normally, I want to experience the power of the Sharingan too." Might Guy said with a fiery look.

"Uh…" Obito's previously buoyant mood steadied again. If his opponent were Might Guy, he felt it wouldn't be easy to win.

Kakashi might have explosive speed, but it only lasted for an instant, whereas Might Guy, having opened the Eight Gates and using Rock Breathing, maintained high speed and power throughout.

"Haha, we'll talk about that later. I need to get more familiar with the Sharingan's power myself." Obito neither explicitly refused nor agreed.

Refusing in front of Rin Nohara would make him seem afraid of Might Guy, but if he directly agreed, he might actually end up embarrassed.

"Second Gate…" Shisui, who was nearby, felt a growing sense of urgency as he listened. It seemed that after one mission, Kakashi and the other two had all undergone a small transformation.

After resting until 1:30 PM, they resumed training. Obito and Shisui practiced Total Concentration Breathing, Might Guy did recovery training, and Kakashi was still working on entering the beginner state.

"Teacher Muyue, I've developed a technique combining Lightning Breathing with my family's sword art, but it has quite a few flaws. Could you take a look?" During training, Kakashi asked Muyue for advice.

Part of the reason he lost to Obito this time was that Lightning Flash had too many defects—once the opponent saw through the strike's trajectory, it was almost impossible to land, and the speed mismatched his reaction, making him unable to respond to the enemy's counterattack.

"Show me once." Muyue nodded.

"Thank you." Kakashi thanked him, then took out the White Fang Short Blade, changed his breathing rhythm, and prepared to strike.

"Lightning Flash!"

"Shwoosh!"

Lightning burst from Kakashi's feet, and a thunderous roar sounded. Kakashi shot forward like a bolt of lightning parallel to the ground.

"Boom!"

The tree Kakashi had targeted collapsed with a loud crash.

"Is your reaction lagging behind your speed?" Muyue thought for a moment and asked.

Muyue felt that Kakashi might have some talent in this area—he had already given Kakashi Purple Lightning, which didn't require the Sharingan, yet Kakashi went and created another technique he couldn't keep up with.

"Yeah, and I feel the technique's trajectory is too linear. If it's seen through, it won't work." Kakashi nodded.

"The attack trajectory isn't a big deal. Once your explosive power is stronger, if one Flash doesn't work, just flash three or six times consecutively. The reaction issue is more important." Muyue pointed out the core problem.

"There are two fundamental solutions. One is to master the technique of using Lightning Release chakra nature transformation to strengthen your nerves, which will boost your reaction. The other is to master the ultimate state of Breath, the Transparent World."

"Once your Lightning Breathing reaches the Constant State, you can start learning to strengthen your nerves."

"Constant State…" The term wasn't unfamiliar to Kakashi, because Obito and Shisui were already training in that area.

"Then how do I master the Transparent World?" Kakashi thought for a moment and asked.

As far as he knew, Obito and the others had been training in Breathing for half a year and had only just started training in the Constant State. He had no idea when they would complete it—meaning it might take him a year just to reach the Constant State.

Kakashi didn't dare imagine how arrogant Obito would become in that year.

"I can't say for sure. It depends on each person's enlightenment. Some might practice Breathing their whole lives and never master it; others might be born with it." Muyue said.

The reason he only explained strengthening the nerves and not the Transparent World was that the Transparent World was far too difficult.

It required mastering the forbidden-level Breathing technique to a perfect level of understanding, and the difficulty of raising different skills varied.

For example, the difficulty of nature transformation was on a different level from ninjutsu, and high-level ninjutsu was another level from low-level ones.

By the time Lightning Breathing truly reached perfection, Kakashi's problem would have long been solved. Not to mention Lightning Flash—even Lightning Ten Flashes would be no issue.

Of course, Muyue, who was well-versed in Breathing, knew that it was possible to attain the Transparent World even before reaching perfect Breathing, but he felt that was even harder than reaching perfection.

This was no longer a matter of personality compatibility; it required extremely high talent in Breathing.

"That difficult? Even a lifetime might not be enough to master it?" Muyue's answer surprised Kakashi.

"Otherwise, why would it be called the Essence of Breathing?" Muyue smiled, preparing to show Kakashi the effects of the Transparent World.

"Attack me."

Kakashi did not hesitate and swung at Muyue.

"You're aiming for my left arm." The instant Kakashi swung his sword, Muyue spoke, and precisely dodged Kakashi's attack.

"Your target is my thigh."

"You're going to stab my heart."

Next, Muyue seemed to be able to predict the future, accurately stating each attack Kakashi was about to make, and although his speed was not fast, Kakashi couldn't even touch the hem of Muyue's clothes.

The expression on Kakashi's face grew more and more astonished. Muyue's displayed ability was simply too exaggerated.

It wasn't relying on physical fitness or a large amount of chakra; he easily dodged all of Kakashi's attacks with just extreme reaction speed.

"This is just one of the abilities of the Transparent World. The Transparent World can also see through an enemy's weaknesses and bring out one's own power to one hundred percent." Muyue explained.

Just from hearing Muyue's description, Kakashi could sense the power of this ability and couldn't help but feel yearning.

If he could master such a powerful ability, even Obito's Sharingan would mean nothing.

"If one day you have a transparent sensation in your mind, and you can see and control every muscle and every blood vessel in your body, then you have entered the state of the Transparent World." Muyue briefly described the feeling of activating the Transparent World.

Kakashi showed a serious expression and memorized what Muyue had said.

"Although it can't be completely cured in a short time, there is a way to alleviate it to a certain extent—you can do special training to enhance your reaction ability." Muyue continued.

Reaction ability can be enhanced through training, but there is an upper limit. Hoping to reach the level of Minato or the Fourth Raikage through training is certainly unrealistic. It can only enhance reaction ability to a certain extent.

"Also, in battle, unless the timing is right, try not to use it too much. Don't use it more than once or twice per battle." Muyue advised.

The reason Obito could counter Kakashi's Lightning Flash was first because of the Sharingan, and second because Obito had seen it once before and knew some information.

"Thank you for your guidance. I understand what to do." Kakashi nodded and thanked him again.

"Keep it up. As long as you tap into your own talent, you will eventually master the Transparent World." Muyue encouraged.

Saying nice things costs nothing. Muyue liked to encourage his disciples. Though it was difficult, maybe they would succeed.

To defeat Obito as soon as possible, Kakashi was highly motivated in training. After asking his questions, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to training in Thunder Breathing.

"Teacher Muyue, next school year I also want to go on missions with you." After training ended, Shisui approached Muyue and said.

"I feel I also need to leave the village to train." Shisui explained. Seeing that Obito and the others had greatly improved from going on missions, Shisui couldn't sit still.

"If I'm still in charge of trainees by then, no problem." Muyue agreed.

Shisui indeed needed real combat to grow. And if everything went smoothly, by the third semester of the next school year, his chakra should be over seventy thousand, making him safer.

4k, next should be 3k. Considering whether to buy some melatonin. It seems this time can't be skipped. Yesterday I went to bed at 11:30 but couldn't fall asleep until after two.