Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

After returning home, Mutsuki went to the bathroom and stuck out his tongue in front of the mirror.

As Mutsuki expected, there was a black curse mark on his tongue. This was the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal that every Root member must have.

If Mutsuki remembered correctly, the effect of this curse mark was that whenever one spoke about specific matters, their entire body would become paralyzed and unable to move.

Danzo set the curse mark to be related to him and information about Root. This way, even if an organization member was captured or betrayed, they couldn't leak sensitive information.

If it were only that, it would be fine. Mutsuki had no intention of revealing Root's information to anyone. However, he worried that Danzo could actively control this curse mark, turning it into a lethal vulnerability.

Mutsuki carefully pondered, attempting to find a way to break the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal from the original work.

"Seems like there's no other way besides Danzo's death."

However, after careful consideration, Mutsuki realized that in the original work, no one managed to break this curse mark. Those ordered to leave Root by Lord Third might have the mark removed upon his orders. The only other option would be Danzo's death, causing the curse mark to deactivate automatically.

Yet, Danzo wasn't as fragile as an ADC in a MOBA game. Even if you didn't bother with him during a team fight, he might still end up dying.

Danzo, the sly old man, valued his life greatly. He usually stayed within the confines of the Root base, and there was even a chance he carried a respawn coin in Izanagi—making him tricky to deal with.

Considering his current strength, Mutsuki temporarily abandoned the idea of killing Danzo.

"I'll have to either seek out Orochimaru or research seals on my own." Mutsuki realized that at this moment, he only had two choices.

In reality, it could be considered just one choice, as the Orochimaru route was currently unavailable.

Glancing at the time, Mutsuki felt it was about right and activated Sensory Ninjutsu, sensing the approaching Shisui.

Leaving the house and entering the courtyard, Mutsuki thought that Danzo surprisingly trusted the original owner. He had used Sensory Ninjutsu many times but hadn't sensed any Root ninja monitoring him.

Feeling that Shisui should be entering soon, Mutsuki swiftly formed hand seals, channeling all his chakra and instantly creating a massive fireball, eight meters high. It turned the training wooden figures in the courtyard into ashes and transformed large sections of the ground into scorched earth.

Just as Shisui entered the courtyard, he witnessed this awe-inspiring scene, shocked by Mutsuki's proficiency in Fire Release. Although the Great Fireball was only a C-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu, the rank was determined by the difficulty of mastering the ninjutsu. Many Uchiha Jonin favored using the Great Fireball. However, Shisui was certain that even the Jonin in his own clan couldn't match this power, as they couldn't convert a large amount of chakra into flames in such a short time.

"Yumi sensei, I apologize for interrupting your training," a recovered Shisui quickly apologized.

"No problem, I just finished anyway," Mutsuki sighed and laughed, inviting Shisui into the room.

"In reality, the current state of the Uchiha is closely related to your former clan leader, Uchiha Madara," Mutsuki said as he poured two glasses of water. He handed one to Shisui and kept the other, beginning to narrate the story of the Uchiha.

"Uchiha Madara's betrayal, you should be aware of it, right?" 

Shisui nodded, "The clan's history says the clan leader left Konoha."

"If it were just leaving, things wouldn't have turned out like this," Mutsuki informed Shisui. He explained that if Hashirama hadn't been formidable enough back then, Uchiha Madara could have destroyed Konoha.

Shisui fell into silence. However, Mutsuki continued, telling Shisui that the story was far from over. This incident not only intensified Lord Second, Senju Tobirama's distrust for the Uchiha, who he already disliked but also led him, after becoming the Hokage, to implement various policies specifically governing the Uchiha.

These policies, in turn, sparked dissatisfaction among the Uchiha hawks, leading to thoughts of seizing power through force. Ultimately, they were discovered by ANBU and imprisoned. This series of events gradually tarnished the Uchiha's reputation, overshadowing their past contributions and making them unpopular among the villagers.

"So, a lot more happened than I thought..." Shisui realized he had oversimplified the situation.

"In fact, there were Uchiha who tried to change the situation, and Uchiha Kagami was one of the most successful," Mutsuki shifted the conversation to Uchiha Kagami.

"So, Yumi sensei, what do you think of Uchiha Kagami?" Shisui suddenly became curious about how his grandfather was perceived by Mutsuki.

Shisui had never seen his grandfather in person, but he had heard a lot from other clan members about Kagami being exceptionally powerful and a genius ninja. These were stories he had heard many times.

"A Uchiha with the will of fire. He transformed himself into a bridge, connecting the Uchiha with Konoha, and easing tensions between both sides," Mutsuki thought for a moment and replied.

Though Mutsuki's words lacked exaggeration, Shisui considered it the best and most fitting evaluation he had heard so far.

"I also want to become an Uchiha like my grandfather!" Shisui's gaze was determined, but he didn't realize he had just referred to his grandfather directly.

"Grandfather?" Mutsuki looked at Shisui with some confusion.

Shisui only then realized his slip of the tongue. He didn't want to seem opportunistic, and not being one to hide his feelings, he straightforwardly admitted it.

"Yumi sensei, you don't need to worry too much about so-called debts of gratitude. If you have the time, go to my grandfather's grave and pay your respects. I think he would be very happy," Shisui suggested.

"The debt of saving your father and mother should not go unpaid. How about this, Shisui, would you be willing to become my disciple?" Mutsuki asked.

Shisui understood Mutsuki's intentions and felt it might be too much in his own favor. However, he didn't want to see Mutsuki, a person who repaid kindness, in a difficult situation. Besides, Shisui thought that becoming the disciple of a knowledgeable and powerful sensei like Mutsuki wouldn't be a bad thing. In the end, Shisui nodded and said, "Mutsuki sensei."

[Establish a master-disciple relationship with Uchiha Shisui]

The system prompt immediately appeared, and without hesitation, Mutsuki chose "yes." This was a talented disciple that he had managed to convince after all.

[Relationship established successfully, current trust level: 2, unlocking "Return Favor in Apprenticeship" and "Return Favor in Teaching"]

Mutsuki glanced at the information and was instantly overjoyed. "Return Favor in Apprenticeship" meant that as his disciple improved through training, Mutsuki would also benefit and grow stronger. The higher the trust level, the more feedback he would receive. With a trust level of 2, it meant double the returns – if Shisui gained one point of chakra, Mutsuki would gain two!

"Return Favor in Teaching" was when Mutsuki gave Shisui something, and the system would randomly reward him. The higher the trust level, the better the rewards, limited to once a day.

After some consideration, Mutsuki took out a small booklet and handed it to Shisui. Inside was a manual on the changes in the nature of fire attribute chakra that he had written in the afternoon. Originally, he had planned to find an appropriate time to give it to Shisui as a gesture of goodwill, but now he wanted to test the "Return Favor in Teaching" function.

"This is a manual I've summarized on the practice of changing the nature of fire attribute chakra. Take it back and have a look. I will regularly check your training progress. As a sensei, I am strict and won't relax my requirements just because of gratitude," Mutsuki said with a serious tone.

If Shisui became stronger, Mutsuki would also grow twice as strong. Mutsuki felt the need to diligently supervise Shisui's training.

"Thank you, Mutsuki sensei. I will practice diligently," Shisui sincerely thanked as he accepted the booklet from Mutsuki.

Regarding Mutsuki's strict requirements, Shisui didn't see any issue with it. Instead, it proved that Mutsuki genuinely considered him as a disciple, not just someone repaying a debt to his grandfather.

[You have gifted your disciple a manual on the practice of changing nature. Due to the disciple's deep gratitude, a critical hit in rewards occurred. You have obtained Ninjutsu: Fire Release - Great Dragon Fire Jutsu (Proficient Level).]

As Mutsuki received the reward, a large segment of memories flooded into his mind, as if he had practiced the Great Dragon Fire Jutsu thousands of times.

Great Dragon Fire Jutsu was a B-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu. Unlike the Great Fireball, it didn't focus on area coverage but prioritized flexibility. It allowed the user to freely control fire dragons to attack enemies. Once proficient, the hand seals could be simplified to one, enabling the simultaneous release of multiple fire dragons.

Since the system provided the proficient level directly, Mutsuki now only needed to form one seal to instantly unleash three fire dragons.

Mutsuki observed Shisui's eyes, which were no longer just eyes but resembled an inexhaustible gold mine

Noticing that the outside sky was gradually darkening, Mutsuki said, "It's getting late. I'll escort you home so that your family doesn't worry."

"Thank you, sensei, but I can manage to walk back on my own. I'm the only one at home right now," Shisui waved his hand, expressing his preference.

Feeling he had troubled Mutsuki enough for the day, Shisui didn't want to waste any more of Mutsuki's time.

Upon hearing Shisui's words, Mutsuki remembered that Shisui's parents seemed to have never appeared. They probably passed away not long after Shisui was born.

It struck Mutsuki that as mentor and disciple, they couldn't even make up one set of parents between them—an unusual situation.

"Though my uncle comes by often to take care of me," Shisui explained, fearing that Mutsuki might be concerned.

Mutsuki nodded and didn't insist on escorting him. Today was just their first meeting, and there would be plenty of opportunities to strengthen their bond in the future.

On the way home, Shisui flipped through the training booklet that Mutsuki had given him. Recalling the Fire Release Ninjutsu he had seen when entering the courtyard, his curiosity about Mutsuki grew even stronger.

As a renowned prodigy within the clan, and with Uchiha Kagami as his grandfather, Shisui had encountered many formidable Uchiha. His perspective far surpassed that of his peers.

He couldn't fathom why someone with Mutsuki's strength would be a Chunin. It seemed odd for him to stay at the Academy as a sensei since the Ninja Academy didn't require such a powerful instructor; typically, they taught only the Three Basic Jutsu.

As Shisui gradually moved away, Mutsuki watched him with growing anticipation for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, he had classes in both the morning and afternoon. He wondered what rewards he might gain.

Moreover, the afternoon class was with Might Guy and Obito. What level of potential would the two of them have?

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