But Shisui found it hard to make the decision to return to Konoha alone for the examination. On one hand, he was worried that without his strength, Hatake Kakashi and the others would find it easier to encounter danger on high-difficulty missions.
On the other hand, he worried that during his absence, Obito and the others would make silent progress; Shisui had finally mastered the Breath of Flame Chakra Mode, and he didn't want to meet Might Guy and Obito again just to find out they've all managed to gain Armament and the Transparent World.
Finally, he was also worried about Mokgetsu, because there was so little information about Mokgetsu's future that he couldn't ascertain the specific time of his death, making every major battle a possibility.
"I recommend, Shisui, that you report back now and return to Konoha for the examination," Mokgetsu noticed Shisui's hesitation and spoke up.
"People's energy isn't infinite; you need to relax and unwind. You've done enough and can afford to ease your nerves a bit."
If Shisui returned to the village for the Jonin examination, he could get some rest while Mokgetsu could receive the promotion rewards, making it a win-win choice.
"Mm." Feeling Mokgetsu's concern, Shisui felt warmth in his heart, nodded, and decided to heed Mokgetsu's advice.
Seeing Shisui agree, Obito showed a complicated expression, as things were moving in the direction he least wanted to see.
"Can't some Seven-Swords Ninjas just pop out of the ground and let me cut them?" Obito's desire for achievements made him somewhat irrational.
Kakashi's lips curled up; he had already thought of a hundred ninja level taunts for Obito. As long as Obito dared to provoke him, Kakashi promised to talk him into collapsing.
Mokgetsu, after offering Shisui advice, handed the Pokemon Egg to Might Guy, smiling as he congratulated him, "Congratulations, Guy, on becoming a Jonin."
Might Guy laughed heartily, thanked Mokgetsu, and then received the Pokemon Egg.
Standing beside Obito, Kakashi suddenly felt a surge of intense jealousy, as if someone was constantly eating lemons.
When Kakashi looked at Obito, he vaguely heard phrases like "nothing special" and "not really into Summoning Beasts."
"This time, you need to be careful, Guy. Eggs are very fragile," Nohara Rin reminded him.
Might Guy tended to get overly excited, and Nohara Rin was a bit worried that Might Guy might accidentally squeeze the egg to pieces in his excitement.
"Is that so? When I touch it, this egg feels quite hard," Guy said, holding the egg with his left hand and scratching his head with his right.
Although he thought the egg in his hands wasn't fragile, Might Guy switched to holding it with both hands for stability since it was a gift from Mokgetsu, and he wanted to cherish it properly.
"No matter what, being a little more careful won't hurt," Nohara Rin noted and nodded upon seeing Might Guy become more cautious.
Unlike Obito, Nohara Rin didn't quite feel the same towards summoning beasts. Though she didn't have one yet, she was about to, and it would be from one of the Three Great Holy Lands, the Shikkotsu Forest.
Tsunade had mentioned that as long as Nohara Rin passed her examinations, Tsunade would accept her as an official apprentice and have her sign the Summoning Blood Contract with Shikkotsu Forest.
The examination Tsunade referred to wasn't about defeating someone or enduring a fight with her but about mastering specified medical knowledge. If Nohara Rin learned well, she would be considered to have passed.
In this area, Nohara Rin considered herself somewhat confident, as she couldn't compare to Kakashi and Obito in battle, but in medical knowledge, she indeed had an extraordinary talent.
Additionally, both Kakashi and Might Guy had become Jonin, while she was a special Jonin. Mokgetsu seemed to be waiting to gift her when she was promoted to an official Jonin.
{You gifted your disciple the Pokemon Egg, and because of the disciple's immense gratitude, you received a critical reward—Gentle Fist (Master Level)}
As Might Guy accepted the gift, a reward notification appeared on Mokgetsu's panel, with a flood of Gentle Fist cultivation experience emerging in his mind.
Mokgetsu, upon seeing the reward only mention Gentle Fist, initially thought it was just the most basic form. But after organizing his memory, he realized that the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Revolving Heaven were also included.
If he had received the Master Level Gentle Fist when he first gained the Byakugan, Mokgetsu would have been quite pleased. However, for him now, the positioning of Gentle Fist was a bit awkward.
Though it's a traditional Taijutsu of the Hyuga Clan, Gentle Fist holds an indispensable place within Konoha's Taijutsu system.
Gentle Fist can directly damage an enemy's chakra meridian system and internal organs, as internal organs are nearly impossible to train. Thus, even the strongest ninja getting hit by Gentle Fist could be fatal.
However, most ninjas possess high offense but low defense, and Mokgetsu, having Armament and the ability to enter various Breathing Chakra Modes, had attacks that overflowed in strength.
The people Mokgetsu could kill using Gentle Fist could be killed more easily using other methods, albeit at the cost of more chakra.
After looting Might Guy's gold coins, Mokgetsu handed out the secret medicine, instructing Might Guy and Nohara Rin to keep it well and use it directly if they were severely injured.
Then Mokgetsu used the Byakugan to look at the Pokemon Egg he gave to Kakashi.
It seemed that because it was now incubating by a designated person, Mokgetsu's Byakugan didn't see a void but could faintly see a silhouette.
Though he still couldn't tell exactly what it was, it seemed like a four-legged Pokemon resembling a dog.
Finally, Mokgetsu took Kakashi away under the pretense of examination, intending to check the results of Kakashi's Chakra Nature Changes in the Lightning Attribute and his swordsmanship practice over the past two months to see if they met the requirements of the Thoughtless Slash cultivation.
Mokgetsu first gave Kakashi an identification.
{Name: Hatake Kakashi}
{Chakra: 7800}
{Skills: Transparent World, Lightning Attribute Chakra Nature Changes (Master Level: 100/15000), Earth Attribute Chakra Nature Changes (Proficient Level: 2700/3000), Hatake Blade Technique (Master Level: 150/15000), Breath of Thunder (Proficient Level: 2600/3000)...}
With over seven thousand chakra, a Master Level Nature Change plus a Nature Change nearing Master Level, this was almost the standard configuration for a Konoha Jonin. For a typical Konoha Jonin, these data points usually fluctuated within this range.
However, taking into account all the other skills, Kakashi's panel was anything but ordinary, featuring Transparent World, Master Level Hatake Blade Technique, and several Master Level Lightning Release and Earth Release skills.
Given Kakashi's age, his panel indeed qualified as that of an undeniable genius, achieving in a few years what others couldn't reach in ten or twenty years of cultivation.
"Use your Lightning Release Blade Technique to attack me with all your might," Mokgetsu said, closing the panel.
The identification didn't show full information; only by combining it with real combat performance could he make the most accurate judgment.
Kakashi didn't waste any words, immediately adjusting his breathing to its utmost, entering the Transparent World state, and drawing the White Fang Short Blade.
Crackle!!
The dazzling yellow lightning flowed from Kakashi's palm into the White Fang Short Blade, extending into a lightning blade. Kakashi stepped forward with his right foot and drew back his left foot, making a charging stance.
Under the influence of the Transparent World, Kakashi gathered all his strength into the blade. The next slash would be the strongest strike he could unleash.
After all, his opponent was Mokgetsu, whose strength allowed Kakashi to unleash his full power without any scruples.
The Seven-Swords Ninja, who had given them trouble, had been randomly slaughtered by Mokgetsu, making it evident that Mokgetsu couldn't be harmed by his attacks.
Kakashi desperately wished he had the ability to harm Mokgetsu, as this would mean he had the power to change the future. However, he still needed to distinguish between reality and the goals of his effort.
"Fire Thunder God!"
Rumble!
A thundering explosion erupted as Kakashi rushed towards Mokgetsu, wielding the lightning blade at lightning speed, as fast and dazzling as a real bolt of lightning.
If Mokgetsu hadn't purposefully taken Kakashi further away, the camp's patrolling ninjas might have already come to investigate.
Facing the aggressive Kakashi, Mokgetsu entered the Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode, then conjured a lightning tachi from thin air and swung a cleave at the approaching Kakashi.
It's not that this was the only way to use the Thoughtless Slash; directly using Enma would be more powerful, but Mokgetsu didn't need such force since he only intended to test Kakashi's ability, not split him in two.
Because he was in the Transparent World, though surrounded by yellow electricity, Kakashi could clearly see Mokgetsu's movements.
The moment Mokgetsu swung his sword, an intense foreboding crept over Kakashi's heart. Mokgetsu's seemingly ordinary slash employed some deep, frightening technique that gave Kakashi an overwhelming sense of danger.
Danger! Danger!
Kakashi's instincts repeatedly sent this message like a broken record. If it were anyone other than Mokgetsu standing before him, Kakashi would have abandoned the attack to consider the possibility of dodging.