Although it still sounds far-fetched, it seems slightly more reasonable now.
"None of the descendants of the First Hokage have had Wood Release. Do you think an ordinary Senju bloodline could be useful? Maybe Wood Release is just a unique bloodline limit for a one-of-a-kind genius," Sarutobi Hiruzen dismissed Utatane Koharu's bloodline theory.
"Mokgetsu's Ice Release was also developed by himself. Perhaps he's that kind of once-in-a-century genius," Mitokado Homura suggested.
Having ruled out other factors, no matter how impossible the remaining result seemed, it was still reality.
"If that's the case, Mokgetsu is indeed not suited for the battlefield right now."
"I'll go," Mitokado Homura volunteered after some thought.
Mokgetsu needed time to cultivate, and Utatane Koharu didn't want to go. Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the Hokage, couldn't easily be dispatched, so it had to be him.
"Homura, be careful on the battlefield," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement, adding a reminder.
Mitokado Homura was a good choice; aside from his status and experience, he was also a ninja with considerable strength.
"Don't overdo it on the battlefield. You're no longer the Mitokado Homura who trained every day," Utatane Koharu cautioned.
After becoming high-ranking officials, they not only stayed away from combat but also neglected training, causing their skills to decline.
"I'll be careful. Expect good news from me," Mitokado Homura said with a light smile.
After discussing all the matters concerning the Ninja Squad, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu left the Hokage Office.
"Hopefully, nothing unexpected happens again," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inside the office.
All he wanted now was to end the war quickly and then take revenge for his old friend. When Mokgetsu fully matured, he would hand over his position.
...
Southern Border Forest.
Mokgetsu was instructing his disciples in their training.
He deliberately staggered some of the teaching times so he could manage both; ensuring none of the disciples fell behind in their training and keeping the training squad on track.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, has Shisui been busy with something lately? It seems like we rarely see him now," Obito casually asked during a break.
"He's joined the training squad," Mokgetsu replied.
"What kind of department is the training squad? Training ninjutsu?" Obito, hearing this department for the first time, couldn't help but ask curiously.
"It has that function. You can think of the training squad as a special version of the Anbu."
Although it's a confidential department, not all information needs to be kept secret.
Hearing the word 'Anbu,' Kakashi looked over, his expression slightly surprised.
He didn't think the Anbu was particularly impressive, but for ordinary ninjas, it was indeed a very mysterious department, and Shisui joined not just any Anbu.
"So it's the Anbu!" Obito showed a look of surprise and concern.
"I read a ninja novel with such a plot where the protagonist joins the Anbu and, after executing secret missions, discovers the secrets of the higher-ups, then..."
"That's why it's a novel," Kakashi said with a speechless expression.
He didn't know much about the Anbu either, but it was a department directly under the Hokage's command. If they were indeed investigating the higher-ups, it would also be at the Hokage's behest.
"I wasn't saying Shisui would definitely encounter such things. It's just surprising that he suddenly joined such a mysterious department," Obito retorted.
Rumble!!
Amid their argument, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed from not far away.
"Is Guy digging into a new Taijutsu again?"
Obito stood up and looked towards the source of the sound, only to see Might Guy with his hands in eagle claw form, continuously attacking the surrounding trees and ground.
"The Eight Gates and Breath of Rock combined are too violent; even a simple claw swipe has immense power," Obito couldn't help but remark.
Since Might Guy's potential had burst at the Hidden Mist Battlefield, he had dominated the internal fights among the disciples, long maintaining the top position.
Only after Kakashi comprehended the Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode did battles become more competitive, rather than Might Guy's absolute dominance.
But only Kakashi could slightly threaten Might Guy; for the other disciples, facing Might Guy was a slim chance of victory.
Once strong competitors and good friends, Obito felt both happy and unwilling.
Happy for his friend's successful efforts, but unwilling that he himself hadn't held the top spot for a long time.
"After all, it's a kinjutsu honed through grueling training," Kakashi remarked.
Might Guy's daily training volume was daunting, yet he persisted for years. Bear in mind, Might Guy was only twelve, meaning most of his not-long life was spent training.
Obito did not continue arguing with Kakashi but instead focused on refining his chakra, immediately starting to cultivate Green Flame once his chakra was plentiful.
At a time when everyone was still young and their bodies undeveloped, Shisui, with extraordinary talent, dominated among the disciples for a while.
Kakashi had also once defeated all disciples consecutively using his unique Transparent World.
And he, while occasionally shining in battles, had never reigned supreme within the squad.
As Uchiha Obito, he also wished to become Teacher Mokgetsu's proudest and strongest disciple, but it was unfortunate that Fire Release in earlier stages was a letdown.
Green Flame was powerful, but he learned it too late and still hadn't fully mastered it.
At this moment, Obito focused solely on becoming stronger and eventually reaching a phase where he could dominate.
If he could never rule the internal battles among disciples, even if he achieved his dream of becoming Hokage later, he would feel dissatisfied.
After Kakashi's stamina fully recovered, he quickly resumed cultivating Thoughtless Slash and Armament.
He only had a shot at defeating Might Guy, but overall, Might Guy was noticeably stronger.
Unaware that his training had spurred Obito and Kakashi, Might Guy was thrilled with the progress of his new Taijutsu.
"With this level of completeness, it can be named," Might Guy started pondering the name for his new Taijutsu.
He believed a Taijutsu name was important; otherwise, it wouldn't sound impressive when shouted.
"This Taijutsu idea came from this morning, with inspiration from Black Feather. Let's call it Shinyo!" Might Guy didn't dwell too long, quickly settling on a name for his new Taijutsu.
Might Guy had his own approach to naming; sometimes based on the Taijutsu's characteristics, like xxx Whirlwind.
Other times, he would combine the training time or the initial inspiration with a beast, like Gohyo.
After the afternoon training ended, Mokgetsu once again headed home with Yamato.
"I've taken care of the Ninja Academy stuff for you. Just head to school directly next Monday," Mokgetsu mentioned.
Although Mokgetsu rarely went to the Ninja Academy, he was, in fact, its vice-principal, arranging things for Yamato easily.
"School..." Yamato recalled he needed to attend school after Mokgetsu mentioned it.
"Yes, thank you," Yamato expressed his gratitude to Mokgetsu.
"It's just a small matter. At your age, it's good to spend some time in school," Mokgetsu said with a smile.
After dinner, Mokgetsu chatted with Yamato for a while before leaving.
"What kind of life will school be like?" Yamato began to ponder as he watched Mokgetsu leave.
Shimura Danzo only taught him ninjutsu and the responsibility of protecting Konoha; his understanding of the Ninja Academy came solely from Obito and the others reminiscing about the past.
In Obito's words, school was a strange place where you wanted to go when you couldn't and didn't want to when you had to.
Might Guy had mentioned that school was a life-changing place, and he put in considerable effort to get into the Ninja Academy.
Kakashi hardly talked about school, so Yamato hadn't heard much from him on the subject.
"Wood Release: Razor Leaf!"
Yamato stopped pondering and began training.
Once he actually attended school, he would naturally understand what kind of place it was.
Until then, he had to train diligently since the seniors were so strong yet continued their relentless training every day. He, being the weakest, could not slack off.
PS: There's another chapter coming later, time unknown, I suggest getting some sleep and reading it tomorrow.
Trying to update a bit more