Reflecting on the memories of his time spent with the two, Yamato completely sided with Mokgetsu, feeling that Mokgetsu was indeed right.
"Teacher Mokgetsu is perfect, so he cannot be wrong." The more Yamato thought about it, the more he felt that Mokgetsu was reasonable.
After all, even Shimura Danzo himself said that Mokgetsu was the most perfect ninja in the Root.
"But then, as Yamato, what is the purpose of cultivation?" Yamato found himself questioning again.
Compared to his time as Yamato, he spent much more time as Alpha. He wasn't immediately sure why he, as Yamato, needed to cultivate.
"This is something you need to discover for yourself. Just follow your heart." Mokgetsu smiled, refraining from interfering much.
Yamato exhaled, his eyes slightly closing. From meeting Mokgetsu, to being taken to the Southern Border Forest and meeting Kakashi, becoming Mokgetsu's disciple, to today's practical training, one bit of memory after another surfaced vividly in his mind.
The time spent with Mokgetsu and Kakashi wasn't long, but in terms of value, the memories with them surpassed the sum of his previous ones.
This was because memories before meeting Mokgetsu were really dull and simple.
Before entering Konoha and being taught by Mokgetsu, his activity was limited to twenty-five meters around a wooden house.
There was no one to talk to him, and young Yamato even thought he was the only person there, unaware that Root Ninjas were secretly watching.
It was only when Shimura Danzo taught him knowledge or tested his capability that Yamato had the chance to communicate, so he greatly relied on and respected Shimura Danzo back then.
Until that day came, Yamato saw Mokgetsu, seemingly radiating warmth like sunshine, and it completely changed his life.
Although his residence remained remote, it wasn't an uninhabited place.
Due to his trust in Mokgetsu, Yamato entrusted everything to Mokgetsu entirely, while Shimura Danzo just emphasized not to use Wood Release Ninjutsu in front of outsiders. He was no longer restricted in movement, or rather, Mokgetsu chose not to limit him.
Initially, Yamato could only have two to three hours a day under Mokgetsu's teaching, having more time on Sundays to be with Mokgetsu.
Recalling the first Sunday of cultivation, Yamato couldn't help but think of the sometimes stern, sometimes gentle Senior Kakashi.
Although Kakashi always teased him by tapping his head, Kakashi was also impressively swift in paying the bill after meals.
"In any case, I can't let Teacher Mokgetsu's teachings go to waste, and I must at least tap Senior Kakashi's head once." Yamato found what he believed to be the meaning of his training.
He wanted to continue cultivating with Mokgetsu, to become stronger than Kakashi, and then tap Kakashi's head while Kakashi looked stunned, to let Kakashi know that having one's head tapped can indeed be painful.
Seeing Yamato's increasingly firm gaze, Mokgetsu smiled again, "It seems you've found your answer."
Yamato nodded emphatically, "Teacher Mokgetsu, please teach me how to surpass Senior Kakashi!"
"Just strive diligently in your cultivation. Although there is a significant gap between you and Kakashi now, in a few years, things might be different." Mokgetsu encouraged.
Yamato's foundation is actually not bad; with sufficient chakra and the Wood Release Kekkeigenkai, with proper guidance, he might become a youthful version of Hashirama.
At least in Mokgetsu's hands, Yamato would not require more than twenty years to master an entry-level Wood Release.
"Actually, Obito and Might Guy used to lose often to Kakashi, and they kept working hard afterwards..." Mokgetsu shared the past experiences of Obito and Might Guy to inspire Yamato.
Yamato was astounded, never expecting that Obito, capable of using a fearsome Fire Release, was once the underdog who could be defeated by Kakashi in one move.
As for Might Guy, until Mokgetsu recounted Kakashi's team stories, Yamato didn't know that now Might Guy was the strongest in the team.
Initially, he considered switching to Might Guy, but seeing that Might Guy seemed never to have practiced ninjutsu, he gave up. Now Yamato felt like he dodged a bullet, knowing Shisui and Kakashi were so strong, letting alone the strongest Might Guy.
What surprised Yamato more was that Might Guy was once even more of an underdog than Obito.
Hearing Might Guy's story of turning the tables through hard work stirred every cell in Yamato's body with excitement, wishing he could do a thousand push-ups right away.
"If Senior Might Guy and Senior Obito can defeat Kakashi through effort, I must strive to try as well!" At this point, Might Guy and Obito had already become Yamato's idols.
[Disciple Yamato has set a cultivation task]
[Cultivation Task: Strive with seniors as the goal]
[Time: Two years (Challenge objectives may settle early)]
[Rewards: Based on task completion and strength growth during the period]
Mokgetsu nodded in his heart, knowing that before Trust Level Four, life missions couldn't be triggered, but cultivation tasks could still be initiated.
Though the reward quality was much lower compared to life missions, the difficulty was equally low, meaning following the routine of cultivation would naturally complete it - gains if sought, nothing lost if not.
Mokgetsu had Obito and Kakashi alternately fight with Yamato intending to ignite Yamato's desire for cultivation, which turned out to be highly effective, even washing away considerable traces of Shimura Danzo's manipulation on Yamato.
While Yamato's spirits were high, Mokgetsu gifted him with calligraphy written during idle times.
Regular apprentice return can be supplemented with small tokens unless the threshold is high; it prevents larger outbursts.