Although the latter doesn't matter to a ninja, the former might make Obito quickly lose interest in the desert.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, you're overestimating him. I bet by tonight he'll be saying how much more comfortable it is to live in Konoha," Kakashi said casually.
Obito glared at Kakashi, determined that no matter how much he suffers in the desert, he will not complain—he absolutely cannot let Kakashi look down on him.
After first reaching the desert to cater to Obito's curiosity, Mokgetsu sped the rest of the way towards Loulan.
"Why are there so many tall buildings here?" Kakashi asked with a puzzled expression, looking at Loulan ahead.
The Loulan described in books isn't like this. Although it's normal for information in books to be outdated, the change here is indeed a bit rapid.
"So, Kakashi, you also don't know what Loulan is like. I thought you were so skilled, but it turns out you only know the name," Obito, taking photos, remarked with glee upon hearing Kakashi speak and promptly mocked.
Kakashi furrowed his brow slightly but didn't respond to Obito; instead, he began observing the surroundings.
He found that Loulan still had many buildings recorded in the data; those skyscrapers with Loulan style seemed newly constructed.
"Let's go meet our client," Mokgetsu said, taking out three kunai from his ninja pouch and distributing them to his disciples.
Kakashi looked at Mokgetsu with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
They hadn't fought since leaving Konoha, so Mokgetsu certainly wasn't worried about a lack of ninja tools—it had to be...
"Teacher Mokgetsu, can you use Flying Thunder God too?" Kakashi asked.
At this moment, Obito was still confused about why Mokgetsu gave them kunai, but hearing Kakashi's words, he instinctively looked at Mokgetsu.
"Yes, as long as you keep the kunai with you, I can instantly move next to you," Mokgetsu nodded and smiled.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, don't you have a long-lost twin brother?" Obito asked bluntly.
Minato resembles Mokgetsu, both can use Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and both have gentle personalities—Obito finds it hard not to suspect they are brothers.
After all, Flying Thunder God Jutsu isn't like the Great Fireball that any Uchiha can use; Obito has only seen Minato use it.
It's not just Obito; Nohara Rin and Kakashi also looked at Mokgetsu with curiosity. Although Mokgetsu has denied it many times, the resemblance is undeniable.
Pa!
Mokgetsu brought his index and middle fingers together and flicked Obito's forehead lightly, "No, stop guessing. Flying Thunder God Jutsu was taught to me by Minato; I just happened to learn it."
Without Minato's guidance, it might've taken him a long time to learn on his own, so saying it was taught by Minato is not inaccurate.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I want to learn it too," Obito said, rubbing the spot where he got flicked with a sly smile.
Obito is as unwilling to fight Minato as he is eager to learn Flying Thunder God Jutsu; to him, that ninjutsu is too cunning.
Despite all your efforts, you'll never touch Namikaze Minato's coat, but if you ever let your guard down, Minato's kunai will pierce you.
"I'll teach you when you're able to learn," Mokgetsu replied after thinking it over.
Mokgetsu intended to teach Obito Flying Thunder God, given Obito has a talent for space manipulation; however, he wouldn't teach him yet.
Flying Thunder God consumes quite a bit of Chakra, and Obito simply cannot learn it at present.
It's like nobody would teach a five or six-year-old the Great Fire Extinguishing, not because they don't want to teach it, but because it's unlearnable.
"Awesome!" Obito couldn't help but cheer, then looked at Kakashi with a provocative eye.
Once he learns Flying Thunder God, Obito doesn't believe Kakashi could beat him.
Kakashi looked at Mokgetsu; indeed, Flying Thunder God is amazing, and he wants to learn it too.
"All of you can try learning it, but the conditions for this jutsu are unique, so don't be discouraged if you can't learn it," Mokgetsu said.
He hoped all his disciples could master Flying Thunder God, which would considerably enhance their combat and survival capabilities, but this was seemingly unrealistic.
In the original story, Minato did pass Flying Thunder God Jutsu onto his guardians, so it stands to reason he must've taught Kakashi too, though Kakashi never mastered it.
Mokgetsu had learned Flying Thunder God before acquiring spatial talent and understood the feeling of complete bewilderment, unable to grasp it at all.
However, to Mokgetsu, Kakashi didn't really need Flying Thunder God for combat, since he could enter Transparent World before Constant State; Mokgetsu was sure Kakashi could cultivate the Breathing Technique to Perfect Level, which would allow him to burst speed over short distances rivaling Flying Thunder God.
After briefly discussing Flying Thunder God with his disciples, Mokgetsu led them to meet their client—the current Queen of Loulan.
The current Loulan Queen appeared to be an exceedingly graceful and youthful female, perhaps due to her royal status affording ample resources for maintenance. Based purely on her appearance, Mokgetsu could hardly see her as a mother with a child over ten years old.
"The mission requires us to investigate An Lushan; are there any particular points of focus needed?" Mokgetsu asked after confirming her identity.
"Please investigate his past and the things he's doing covertly," the Queen of Loulan said.
"Isn't he a minister in your country? How could you know nothing of his past?" Kakashi asked in confusion.
A person of unknown origin has become the second most powerful under the queen.
The Loulan Queen showed a look of helplessness and explained, "Initially, he mentioned his past and achieved great merit before becoming a minister, but now I suspect his past is a facade, and he came to Loulan with impure motives."