Namikaze Minato had considerable talent in Breathing Techniques and cultivated the Basic Breathing Technique to a Constant State, providing an excellent foundation, so he picked it up quickly.
Additionally, under Mokgetsu's teaching, his proficiency soared, and he soon mastered the Breath of Wind and continued making rapid progress.
"This is truly an incredible Secret Technique. Perhaps, Mokgetsu, you'll make a significant mark in the history of Ninjutsu with it," Namikaze Minato said with a smile.
In Namikaze Minato's view, Mokgetsu was pioneering a new class of Secret Techniques, each Breathing Technique having distinct characteristics and immense power, worthy of being family secret techniques among Ninja Clans.
"Sometimes, being too famous isn't a good thing," Mokgetsu thought of some gacha games from his previous life that turned historical figures into female characters.
Not just people, even ships were turned into female characters in the gacha pool.
Though he previously played such games, considering he might become a character himself made Mokgetsu feel a bit overwhelmed.
If it were something like "Isn't Blazing Sun Mokgetsu too dark?" he could somewhat accept it.
"I don't think so," Namikaze Minato was a bit puzzled.
He believed that as long as it wasn't a case like Uchiha Madara, who went rogue wanting to destroy Konoha, leaving a mark would generally be a good thing.
Mokgetsu didn't explain, just smiled and continued teaching.
Explaining gacha mobile games to someone who's never played video games was indeed difficult.
However, considering the current technological level in the world of Hokage, Mokgetsu thought smartphones might develop within a hundred years.
Since his era was so close, nobody should model him into a game character just yet; what happens after, he couldn't predict.
As there was no need to teach regular members this afternoon and only needed to instruct the team leaders and above in the training squad at night, Mokgetsu taught until dinner time.
After having dinner with Namikaze Minato, he went to the training squad.
Noticing that Shisui was also at the training squad, Mokgetsu called Shisui to the captain's office.
"Shisui, from now on, you don't need to attend the Breath of Darkness classes at night. It's a bit of a waste of time for you," Mokgetsu said.
Since Shisui had been cultivating Breathing Techniques for several years and already mastered the Breath of Flame to the Master Level, learning the inferior Breath of Darkness was too easy for him.
"Wouldn't it be inappropriate if I'm the only one skipping?" Shisui voiced his concerns.
Shisui worried that his behavior could impact Mokgetsu's reputation, as everyone else attended the classes while he didn't.
"It won't. I'll explain the situation. If anyone meets the Breath of Darkness requirements, they also don't need to come," Mokgetsu explained.
His intention in teaching the team leaders at night was to quickly elevate their Breath of Darkness levels. If they reached the level, there'd be no point in attending classes.
"Don't overthink it; it'll only bring unnecessary pressure to yourself," Mokgetsu said, patting Shisui's head.
He felt that Obito and Shisui could balance each other out, creating equilibrium.
"Thank you, Teacher Mokgetsu," Shisui nodded, expressing gratitude.
Sparing this time allocation, whether for self-enrichment through reading or other cultivation pursuits, was excellent.
After returning home, Shisui pondered for a while and eventually went to Uchiha Fugaku's house.
Not to see Uchiha Fugaku, but to meet Uchiha Itachi.
Having been busy with training squad matters, Shisui hadn't visited Uchiha Itachi for some time.
In order to instill the right values in Uchiha Itachi, Shisui set a rule to meet with Uchiha Itachi at least every two weeks.
Politely greeting Uchiha Fugaku and his wife, Shisui proceeded to see Uchiha Itachi.
"Brother Shisui," Uchiha Itachi greeted Shisui happily.
Although Shisui hadn't visited him recently, there wasn't a set agreement for meetings, so upon seeing Shisui, Uchiha Itachi's joy far outweighed any dissatisfaction.
"Been busy with work lately; I just got free today," Shisui briefly explained.
"What kind of work?"
"It's confidential work that I can't discuss."
"Then can you tell a story? Stories shouldn't be confidential."
"Sure, where did I leave off last time?"
"It was about going to complete a mission to eliminate mountain bandits."
...
Land of Water, Mizukage Building.
"The Hidden Cloud Squad is battling with the Konoha Ninja Squad in the Land of Hot Water," the Third Mizukage observed the latest intel concerning Konoha, revealing a hint of a smile.
He thought that the Hidden Cloud always made big moves, first breaching the Land of Fire's defenses, then directly engaging the Konoha border forces.
Unlike the Hidden Rock, which dawdled and had yet to penetrate the Land of Fire's defenses.
"In this case, should Yagura proceed with action?" the Third Mizukage pondered with a thoughtful expression.
Originally intending to observe a bit longer, he reconsidered that if the Hidden Mist acted now, it might pressure the Hidden Cloud to escalate, or attract other Great Ninja Villages to join in.
The Third Mizukage closed his eyes for a moment of deep contemplation, then began writing orders.
The Hidden Mist found it hard to singlehandedly defeat Konoha; hence, seizing the opportunity was crucial.
This imminent raid posed risks, yet compared to the potential benefits, the risks were minimal and cost-effective.
Other Great Ninja Villages might fear being backstabbed by other onlookers, but the Hidden Mist lacked such worries.
Any attacks by other Ninja Villages on the Hidden Mist required lengthy sea transportation, while the inland Great Ninja Villages lacked naval warfare skills, making it difficult to invade the Land of Water.
Even if the Hidden Mist blundered and lost again, it would only cost a few ninjas slain on the battlefield.
The Third Mizukage's order swiftly reached Karatachi Yagura shortly after he arrived in the Land of Waves.
Holding the confidential message from the Third Mizukage in his right hand, Yagura clenched his left hand into a fist, a hint of excitement flashing on his face.
The opportunity arrived sooner than he expected; he initially thought he'd remain in the Land of Waves for a few months.
"Habu Mokgetsu, this time I won't be as embarrassed as before," Yagura mused to himself.
In the previous Hidden Mist midnight raid, as they seemed to gain the upper hand, Mokgetsu transformed night into day with a Ninjutsu that suppressed Water Release, then slew a Hidden Mist stronghold on the battlefield, reversing the situation.
This time, Yagura meticulously studied the Hidden Mist's Secret Technique Scroll, identifying one that could use Chakra to create a rainy environment.
If Mokgetsu deployed that Blazing Sun Ninjutsu again, Yagura would employ the Secret Technique to change the weather to rainy.
Even if it couldn't entirely nullify the opponent's Ninjutsu, it could somewhat mitigate its effects.
"Assemble the troops, prepare to invade the Land of Fire!" Yagura called a meeting, explaining the invasion plan before sternly commanding.
"Yes, Lord Yagura!" the Jonin unanimously nodded, promptly exiting the conference room to organize their respective subordinates.
Soon, boats carrying the ninja squad set forth mightily towards the Land of Fire.
The residents of the Land of Waves breathed a sigh of relief, having feared that the Hidden Mist intended to wage war on their shores.
As a small, impoverished Island Country with scarce resources, war would have rendered their lives unbearable.
The last time, Yagura had chosen to land on the southern part of the East Coast, an underdeveloped region of the Land of Fire, receiving little attention and lesser defensive forces.
This time, Yagura chose a coastal area in the northeast as the landing site.
This connected to the Third Mizukage's core intent in issuing troops now.
The Third Mizukage wasn't aiming for a single strike to Konoha's homeland; he wanted to showcase a gradually weakening Konoha.
Moving further up from Yagura's landing site, they would reach the combat zone between the Hidden Cloud and Konoha in the Land of Hot Water.
To prevent their own ninja squad from being flanked, Konoha would undoubtedly rush to dispatch forces to counter.
At this stage, the Hidden Mist squad wouldn't engage in direct confrontation with Konoha, instead opting for guerrilla warfare to skirmish around.
The primary strategy was to deplete Konoha's focus, drawing other ninja villages into the fray.
The ideal scenario was allies attacking Konoha together; however, striking others wasn't unfavorable for the Hidden Mist either. The more chaotic and fiercely contested the mainland became, the greater the advantage for the Hidden Mist.