The first reaction of Namikaze Minato upon receiving the gift was that it was too precious, and he couldn't accept it.
But when the words reached his lips, Namikaze Minato couldn't say them out loud.
In a strict sense, this wasn't a gift for him, it was for Kushina, and besides, Kushina, who hadn't fully mastered the Nine-tailed Power, indeed needed such a gift.
"Thank you."
In the end, Namikaze Minato accepted the gift and sincerely thanked Mokgetsu.
"Don't worry about it, it's no big deal. For me, what Kushina taught me in Fuinjutsu is of greater value." Mokgetsu said with a smile.
Without Kushina as a channel, even with Mokgetsu's astounding talent in Fuinjutsu, mastering it to a high level in a short time would be difficult.
What Kushina gave Mokgetsu was not just a few Fuinjutsu techniques, but a complete system.
After that, Namikaze Minato didn't say much, focusing on handling the ingredients seriously.
Good friends don't need many words, and when Mokgetsu needs help, Namikaze Minato will go all out to support him.
...
"What should I do, practice cultivation?" Obito sat on the grass, looking up at the sky with a thoughtful expression.
Now that the war was finally over and Mokgetsu had also given them a month-long vacation, Obito planned to relax a bit.
He wasn't completely putting down cultivation but adjusting the time ratio he spent on it. Usually, Obito spent almost the entire day cultivating.
To relax meant he should reduce cultivation time; Obito figured that during the holiday, four hours of practice a day would be enough.
However, being alone wasn't much fun, so Obito thought of finding some friends to hang out with.
He first looked for Nohara Rin, but Nohara Rin, with her outstanding Medical Ninjutsu skills, was requisitioned to Konoha Hospital to treat battlefield injuries, so she wouldn't be available for fun anytime soon.
Then Obito went to look for Kakashi, and on the way, he ran into Might Guy who was practicing.
Might Guy enthusiastically invited Obito to join him in training, but since Obito was out to have fun, he politely declined Might Guy.
The unexpected happened when he arrived at Kakashi's house to find that Kakashi was also practicing.
Might Guy had always been a cultivation maniac, which Obito understood, but Kakashi working so hard got him puzzled. Weren't they supposed to relax?
"The war is over, and history has changed. Kakashi, you should take a break too."
With a water ghost's mindset, Obito suggested that Kakashi join him for some fun.
"Recently, I've had some inspiration to improve the Thoughtless Slash," Kakashi gave a reason that left Obito speechless.
The importance of the Thoughtless Slash to Kakashi was something Obito knew well.
If it were him, even the inspiration to modify the Green Flame would have him ramp up his cultivation intensity.
He hadn't fully mastered the Green Flame yet.
"I've already brought out my camera, so I might as well wander around."
Looking at the camera hanging around his neck, Obito made up his mind.
He didn't mind practicing, but since he was already out.
Thinking of this, Obito started wandering around Konoha, taking pictures of everything he found interesting.
"Obito, long time no see."
Asuma, seeing Obito taking pictures of the Hokage Rock, greeted him.
"Ah, it's you, Asuma. It's been a while indeed. What have you been up to recently?" Obito asked, lowering his camera to look at Asuma.
"I went to the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water for a mission and just got back recently. How about you?"
"I was on a war mission in the Land of Grass, and I also just returned to Konoha."
After chatting for a while, Obito felt it was a bit odd to stand in the street and chat, so he suggested:
"Wanna get some dumplings and chat while we eat?"
Asuma waved his hand, "No, I have things to do. I'll treat you another day."
"What's up?" Obito casually asked.
"There's an event at the Ninja Academy where I'm invited as an outstanding graduate to give a speech," Asuma explained.
"Hmm?" Obito was a bit surprised.
For an outstanding graduate, shouldn't they invite someone like him or Kakashi?
It's not that he's looking down on Asuma, but there's indeed a noticeable gap between them. That's just facts.
"Right? I was quite surprised too. If we're talking excellence, the most suitable one should be Shisui, who became a Jonin at age eight, the youngest in Konoha's history," Asuma said with a smile.
Obito nodded in agreement. Shisui's resume was indeed impressive.
"Maybe it's because Shisui and people like you and Kakashi are overly excellent that the Ninja Academy teachers worry the students might aim too high, so they picked me, who only became a Jonin at thirteen."
Obito and Kakashi both got their Jonin ranks at ten, a time when many hadn't even graduated to become ninja, let alone promoted to Jonin.
"Who asked about when you became a Jonin?" Obito joked sarcastically.
"Haha." Asuma laughed, patting Obito's shoulder.
Feeling it was about time, Asuma bid farewell to Obito and prepared to head to the Ninja Academy for the event.
"I'm not doing much anyway, so I'll join the fun," Obito said, following Asuma.
Yamato is studying at the Ninja Academy, and he's curious about Yamato's studies and performance.
Asuma nodded. Even though Obito wasn't officially invited, he's a well-known genius in the village, and the Ninja Academy couldn't possibly prevent him from entering.
So the two headed to the Ninja Academy together.
Asuma, being the specially invited outstanding graduate, was met by a designated teacher for guidance and reception.