Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Seeing the Earth-Style Wall rise, Shisui immediately performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu to create a clone, while the original used Body Flicker Jutsu to hide beside a large tree.

Since he didn't know what tactics Kakashi would use next, he decided to conceal himself and observe the situation from the shadows.

Next, Shisui activated his Sharingan to enhance his insight.

In the next moment, Kakashi jumped onto the Earth-Style Wall, looking down at Shisui's Shadow Clone.

Swish, swish, swish!!

Shisui's Shadow Clone quickly threw several shuriken at Kakashi to seal off his position, then used Body Flicker to rush toward Kakashi.

Kakashi ran, jumped, and dodged the incoming shuriken on the Earth-Style Wall, ultimately colliding with the charging Shisui.

The two quickly exchanged dozens of blows, and Shisui's Shadow Clone soon fell into a disadvantage. The Shadow Clone wanted to retreat; although the Shadow Clone is a physical clone, it would dissipate after sustaining a certain amount of damage.

At that moment, another Kakashi suddenly emerged from underground and grabbed Shisui's Shadow Clone's leg. This unexpected turn of events made Shisui's Shadow Clone endure Kakashi's heavy punch, causing it to dissipate into smoke.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"

Just as the Kakashi on the ground extended his hand, a barrage of fireballs erupted from the tree and slammed down toward him.

Boom, boom!!

A large number of small fireballs engulfed the Kakashi on the ground, causing him and the Shadox clone to dissipate together.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

Another Kakashi burst from underground, forming hand seals and unleashing a powerful lightning spear.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Shisui on the tree again formed seals and shot a giant fireball toward Kakashi.

Boom!!

The razor-sharp lightning spear shattered the massive fireball as if bursting a balloon, then directly struck the large tree where Shisui was, splitting it in half and causing it to crash to the ground.

Kakashi did not show a victorious smile on his face because, at the last moment, a figure flashed out, and he hurriedly sidestepped to avoid the incoming kunai.

Swish!

Just as Shisui was about to continue his attack, a bolt of yellow lightning suddenly shot out from behind the tree, with a ferocious lightning slash aimed at Shisui's body.

Instead of panicking from the surprise attack, Shisui smiled.

Boom!!

Shisui, struck by the lightning slash, suddenly exploded, engulfing both of them in a fierce blaze.

"Kakashi, that guy deceives with Shadow Clones every day; he finally got tricked himself. But he shouldn't be killed, right?" Obito remarked while closely watching the smoke, feeling the urge to activate his Sharingan.

"How could my dear friend fall to something like an exploding tag!" Guy had full confidence in Kakashi.

The smoke quickly thinned and dissipated, revealing no one inside—only the scorched ground left by the explosion, as the two from earlier were both Shadow Clones.

Whoosh!

Just as the audience was still surprised by the battle situation, Shisui suddenly rushed out, and Kakashi instantly locked onto him, noticing the blood-red Sharingan in his eyes.

"Phantom Body Flicker Technique!"

At the moment Shisui made eye contact with Kakashi, his Sharingan activated, and he formed hand seals to use Ninjutsu.

In an instant, over twenty Shisui appeared, surrounding Kakashi.

"Multiple Shadow Clones?"

A name of a Ninjutsu immediately flashed through Kakashi's mind, but he quickly shook his head. Although this Ninjutsu isn't difficult to learn, Shisui couldn't possibly have the chakra to create over twenty clones unless they were the type without combat power. However, those would just waste chakra and be useless.

Swish!

Kakashi immediately threw a shuriken at one of the Shisui, but to his surprise, the shuriken passed through Shisui's body. The Shisui that was hit neither vanished nor was injured.

"Not physical clones?" Kakashi felt some confusion; this was even more useless.

Before Kakashi could think it through, several Shisui rushed forward to engage him in close combat. At that moment, Kakashi was surprised to discover that these Shisui were all physical.

Kakashi fully unleashed his Thunder Breathing technique, bursting out of the encirclement at high speed. At that moment, he was extremely perplexed.

In his confusion, Kakashi casually threw a ninja tool at one of the Shisui again, but it still passed through like an illusion.

Kakashi began to form some guesses in his mind. He pushed his Thunder Breathing to the limit, and within his sensing ability, his own body became transparent and visible.

This was the result of a month of hellish training that Kakashi had undergone. Although it still couldn't be considered true Transparent World, he could control it himself, not needing to rely on the elusive luck.

To his shock, Kakashi discovered that his chakra was in disarray; he had unwittingly fallen into Shisui's Genjutsu.

"So that's it. No wonder it felt so strange," Kakashi understood what was happening with Shisui's clones.

Those Shisui that he couldn't hit were neither Shadow Clones nor ordinary clones; they weren't even clones at all but rather the effect of Genjutsu.

As Kakashi stabilized the chakra within his body, the number of Shisui on the field rapidly decreased, leaving only three Shisui.

Realizing that Kakashi had broken free from the Genjutsu, Shisui felt a sense of foreboding. This technique had only been showcased before Mutsuki since he developed it and shouldn't have been so easily countered. It was a technique he created by combining his Sharingan, Genjutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu, and Shadow Clone technique.

Shisui immediately halted his charge, wanting to retreat. Not wanting to get closer to Kakashi after his technique was broken.

But Kakashi wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by. The three Shisui were positioned close enough that he could take them out in one go.

"Thunder Flash!"

Kakashi's gaze became incredibly sharp, and brilliant yellow lightning erupted from his body. The yellow electricity flowed from his palm into the White Fang Tanto, extending into a blade of lightning.

With the explosion of Kakashi's chakra, his entire presence surged dramatically, becoming increasingly terrifying.

While observing the battle, Shisui thought Kakashi was incredibly fast; without the Sharingan, he couldn't see his movements at all. It was only when he faced Kakashi directly that Shisui realized just how powerful Kakashi had become.

Boom!

A thunderous crash sounded as Kakashi transformed into a bolt of lightning, charging toward Shisui.

Bang, bang!

Unable to withstand the force, the Shadow Clone instantly dissipated, and Shisui was sent flying backward amidst the thunderous roar.

"Kakashi wins." Mutsuki caught Shisui for treatment and then announced the outcome of the battle.

Kakashi returned to normal breathing as the lightning around him dissipated. He let out a long breath and slowly sheathed the White Fang Tanto.

Calm. At this moment, Kakashi felt an immense sense of tranquility.

Defeating Shisui was easier than he had imagined; he had thought it would be as difficult as his final battle in the Chunin Exams.

In reality, it was not even close, and it was even slightly easier than defeating Obito in the semifinals, especially since he had sustained significant injuries after that fight.

Kakashi thought carefully and realized that Shisui hadn't graduated yet and lacked the experience of unleashing potential in life-and-death situations. It would truly be strange if he could maintain the same pace of advancement as they did.

Although winning was easier than he had imagined, Kakashi didn't think any less of Shisui's talent. On the contrary, Shisui's performance made Kakashi feel that if Shisui were the same age as him, he would most likely not be his opponent.

With the Sharingan and having the same sensei, Shisui was able to develop such excellent Genjutsu even before graduating, while Obito, despite having a double Tomoe, was completely inadequate.

"Although you are excellent, I am stronger now!" Kakashi felt a surge of joy.

Without a doubt, he was now Mutsuki's strongest disciple, having defeated all the other disciples except for Rin.

"What a pity; if Kakashi hadn't been so cunning, Shisui might have won," Obito insisted on his strategic stance of putting Kakashi down, wanting Rin to think that Kakashi's victory was just a fluke and not a result of skill.

"One could also say he was resourceful," Rin had a different perspective on this.

Obito clenched his fists, frustrated, wishing he could go up and fight Kakashi again. However, he only thought about it, as he knew he didn't have the confidence to defeat Kakashi now.

"Yumi-sensei, I really appreciate your help." Once Shisui recovered, he immediately thanked Mutsuki, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Although he had a premonition before the battle, he was still the Uchiha Shisui, who had never been defeated. It was impossible for him to have no confidence in the fight at all.

Kakashi indeed had strong abilities, but he also had an intelligence advantage, giving him a considerable chance of victory.

The moment Yumi-sensei announced Kakashi as the winner, Shisui truly felt as if the world had lost its color; he was no longer Mutsuki's strongest disciple, and his undefeated record had been broken.

"Is it because I haven't been serious enough in my training? Is it because I haven't trained enough time? Is it because I didn't think enough during the fight? Why did I lose?" Shisui questioned himself inwardly.

Shisui didn't know what Kakashi and the others had experienced; he only knew that their strength had surpassed his, and not by a small margin.

Determined, Shisui resolved that since he didn't know how Kakashi and the others had trained to achieve such strength, he would push his own training to the limit until he surpassed them.

"No need to overthink it. You've done well enough; you're younger than them and still haven't graduated." As if seeing through Shisui's thoughts, Mutsuki gently placed his hand on Shisui's head and spoke softly.

When someone who has never lost before finally does, it's inevitable that they will feel down, no matter how good their mindset is. Although Shisui appeared unchanged on the surface, Mutsuki knew that he must be feeling bad inside.

"Is losing really okay?" Shisui looked up at Mutsuki's light blue eyes.

"That depends on the situation. In this case, Shisui, you've already done well enough," Mutsuki replied, flashing a warm smile as he met Shisui's gaze.

The midday sun was bright, and Mutsuki's golden hair shone brilliantly in the light. Looking at Mutsuki's warm smile and hearing his sincere words of comfort, Shisui's previously restless heart began to calm.

If Mutsuki said he was already good enough, then he truly was. As for why he lost, there must be other reasons behind it.

"No need to overthink it; just continue training at your current pace," Mutsuki said as he patted Shisui's body to brush off the dust stuck to his clothes.

"Mm." Shisui nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Obito, not wanting to be overshadowed by the victorious Kakashi, stepped aside to prepare for training. As he passed by, he noticed Shisui's eyes and exclaimed, "Shisui, your Sharingan has turned into two Tomoe!"

Only then did Shisui realize that he had unconsciously activated his Sharingan. He drew out his Tanto and used it as a mirror to observe his Sharingan, discovering that he indeed had an additional Tomoe.

The shadow of defeat was completely lifted, and a hint of excitement flashed in Shisui's eyes. If that was the case, with a bit more training, he might be able to win back his title.

With the little episode of Kakashi and Shisui's battle, Mutsuki's disciples found their motivation to train once more.

[Disciple Hatake Kakashi's training task completed, rewards received: Chakra +2500, Raikiri (Mastery level), Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears (Proficient level)]

After Kakashi defeated Shisui, Kakashi's training task also entered the settlement phase.

Seeing this, Mutsuki secretly nodded in approval; the skills were all fine, but the 2,500 points of Chakra was particularly appealing, directly boosting Mutsuki's Chakra to 76,000, making a small step closer to the target of 100,000.

[Disciple Hatake Kakashi has received a selectable life task]

[Life Task: True strength lies in protection]

[Main Objective: Protect your comrades and everything you care about]

[Task Progress: 0 (Remaining Trigger Opportunities: 5)]

[Task Rewards: Determined by the completion level of the task and power growth during the task. Settlement occurs for every 50% progress achieved.]

[Note 1: If any comrade recognized by Hatake Kakashi dies, the task automatically fails.]

[Note 2: The difficulty of life tasks is extremely high; only upon completion can the next life task be initiated, so please choose carefully.]

[Note 3: The greater the difficulty, the higher the rewards.]

As Mutsuki expected, a life task appeared for Kakashi, given that Kakashi's trust level had reached four. Previously, it couldn't be triggered because the training task was occupying the slot, but the specific content of the task surprised Mutsuki.

Others' life tasks usually grant rewards at a 10% progress rate, while Kakashi's only rewards at 50%. However, considering the task progress still has a remaining trigger opportunity, Mutsuki guessed that Kakashi's task progress might be increasing relatively quickly.

Mutsuki casually opened the life tasks of the other disciples.

Currently, the fastest progress is Obito, whose task progress has reached 9.8%. He is just 0.2% away from receiving the first reward.

This is actually an advantage of his status; as Minato's disciple, Obito naturally leans toward the Hokage path. Additionally, his excellent performance in the Chunin Exams has contributed to his progress.

Guy's progress has also increased to 5.1%, which is an improvement after the third match of the Chunin Exams.

Shisui's progress hasn't changed for now; as a Ninja Academy student, he clearly cannot impact significant matters like the survival of the Uchiha clan.

"If the task record looked a bit better, it should be able to improve a little," Mutsuki thought while looking at Obito's life task progress.

Tasks equate to a ninja's contribution to the village, and this aspect cannot be lacking if one wants to become Hokage.

Mutsuki was very curious about what rewards could be unlocked from the life tasks, which could only be accessed at trust level four, and each one was more difficult than the last.

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