"Teacher Makoto, when will we start Chakra Nature Transformation training? I've been reading the manual you gave me every night recently. I really want to try it in practice," Obito Uchiha asked while walking back and forth across the surface of the river.
Practicing tree climbing and water walking every day was honestly too boring.
Besides, Makoto's manual on Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation had truly inspired him.
He suddenly felt like his Fire Release abilities were about to take off.
"You think water walking is boring? Already mastered it?" Makoto asked with a smile.
"Yeah!" Obito nodded quickly.
He could already run across the water's surface.
"Alright then," Makoto said.
"I'll test your level—and make water walking a bit more interesting."
He rapidly formed hand seals as chakra surged.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive water dragon instantly formed and began churning through the river.
The previously calm surface became turbulent, waves surging violently as water splashed everywhere.
"Gulp—!"
Obito slipped up and plunged straight into the water, swallowing a mouthful of river water.
Makoto immediately pulled him back out.
"See? You haven't mastered it yet."
"Teacher Makoto, how am I supposed to deal with something like that all of a sudden?" Obito complained.
After all, there was a classmate and a junior clan member watching.
He still cared about his reputation.
"Then try again," Makoto said with a smile.
Water walking heavily tested a ninja's ability to maintain steady chakra output.
With the Water Dragon Bullet Technique disrupting the water, forcing distractions and requiring dodging waves, maintaining stable chakra control under those conditions would prove true mastery.
Obito talked big, but his ability didn't quite match his confidence.
Within minutes—
Splash!
He fell into the water again.
"My shoes aren't comfortable today. They're affecting my performance," Obito said while spitting out river water.
He placed his shoes on the riverbank and continued walking barefoot on the water.
Makoto simply smiled without responding.
A while later—
Splash!
Obito fell again.
"Ah, I must've stayed up too late reading the manual yesterday. No wonder I keep making mistakes."
He stretched his limbs, cracked his neck, rolled up his sleeves, and said seriously,
"Now I'm getting serious."
Splash!
Another fall.
After Makoto pulled him out again, Obito stared blankly ahead with lifeless eyes.
He stopped talking.
"Obito-nii, it's okay. I know you're doing this because you want to learn how to swim," Shisui Uchiha comforted him.
Obito covered his face with both hands.
"Shisui… just go practice. I need a moment."
"Do you feel like you performed terribly?" Makoto crouched beside him, looking toward the distance rather than directly at him.
There was a saying—
Comparison breeds frustration.
Before Obito had even begun chakra control training, Shisui had already started.
And Shisui progressed extremely quickly.
He skipped tree climbing entirely, and even during water walking—with Makoto interfering—he could remain standing on the water for quite a long time.
With a younger clan member like Shisui performing so well, it was natural that Obito felt embarrassed.
He could accept being weaker.
But not that much weaker.
"Actually," Makoto said, "last weekend when I left early, it was because I went to the Hokage's residence to work as a tutor."
"The Hokage has a younger son—you probably know him. Asuma Sarutobi. He's only one year above you."
Obito nodded.
He definitely knew him.
"When Asuma was practicing water walking, I interfered with Water Dragon Bullet Technique just like this."
"He fell into the water dozens of times that afternoon."
"But on the final attempt, he managed to stay on the water for five minutes."
"Even Asuma…?" Obito said in surprise.
He hadn't expected that Asuma, one of the Academy's top students, had gone through such a miserable training session.
And yet he had persisted the entire afternoon.
Obito suddenly gained a new respect for him.
"Teacher, I understand now!"
Obito took a deep breath and stood up energetically.
"Let's continue training!"
If Asuma could persist, why couldn't he?
His goal was to defeat Kakashi in front of Rin and win first place in the tournament!
"Eat something first," Makoto said, handing him a pack of dango he had bought earlier.
"Thanks, teacher!"
Obito shouted energetically, quickly finishing the snack before stepping back into the river.
[You have gifted your disciple Red Bean Dango]
[Because the disciple is extremely grateful, reward critical hit!]
[Obtained Skill: Cooking]
[Cooking: The food you make is so delicious it can cause hallucinations]
"…A skill?" Makoto was surprised.
A life skill, no less.
The system rewards from teaching disciples could sometimes be random.
After all, Might Guy had previously triggered Water Release mastery, which already seemed unusual.
But Obito triggering Cooking felt even stranger.
Still, Makoto was pleased.
Judging by the description, this skill was extremely powerful.
Being able to cook delicious food was a huge advantage.
If he had obtained this skill earlier, he could have simply pretended his kitchen was broken and gone to cook at Minato's house, showing off his extraordinary cooking skills.
Perhaps Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki would have taken the initiative to become friends with him.
It would also be an excellent way to increase his disciples' affection.
After all—
Who wouldn't like a teacher who teaches perfectly and cooks amazing food?
After the students finished training, Makoto returned early to the main district of Konohagakure.
He wanted to test just how delicious food made with the new skill would be.
He chose two dishes:
Egg Fried Rice
Tempura
He already knew how to make fried rice since he liked egg dishes.
But he had never made tempura before.
The moment Makoto picked up the egg, he felt something subtle guiding him.
Although the cooking steps seemed the same as before, everything felt perfectly timed and balanced.
When the fried rice was finished, Makoto stared at it in astonishment.
The grains of rice were distinct and golden, faintly glowing with a golden shimmer.
"…I didn't add any glow powder while cooking, did I?"
Makoto scooped up a spoonful and tasted it.
The smoothness of the egg, the springy texture of the rice, and the fragrant aroma of scallions exploded across his taste buds.
He had never eaten such delicious fried rice.
For a moment—
He even vaguely saw a healthy rooster running freely across a grassy field, occasionally spreading its wings and soaring through the air.
So free.
So lively.
"So it really is delicious enough to cause hallucinations…" Makoto muttered before quickly snapping back to reality.
Next, he prepared a flat pan to make tempura.
He mixed the batter, heated oil, coated prepared shrimp in the batter, and placed them into the hot oil.
Soon the tempura coating began turning golden.
A rich fried aroma spread through the kitchen and drifted outward.
Trusting his instincts, Makoto removed the tempura from the oil and placed it on a plate.
He set it on the table.
Just as he picked up a piece to taste—
Knock knock.
Someone was knocking on the door.
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