Chapter 18: Mastery of Water-Style Chakra Nature Transformation

The moment Ryuto announced the start of the exam, Obito began retreating rapidly, forming hand seals as he moved.

He knew Might Guy excelled in taijutsu, so he wouldn't engage Guy in close combat.

"Clone Technique!"

Poof, poof!

After executing the jutsu, two clones identical to Obito appeared beside him.

The three Obitos crossed paths repeatedly, trying to confuse Might Guy.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

But Guy's speed was faster than Obito had anticipated. In an instant, he closed the gap, delivering a swift whirlwind kick that dispersed the two clones and sent Obito himself flying backward over a meter.

"He's incredibly strong." Obito's arm trembled slightly, having blocked the kick with his arm, which now ached.

Guy, seizing the advantage, pressed forward, forcing Obito into close-quarters combat.

In pure taijutsu, Obito was no match for Guy and quickly fell into a disadvantage.

"Who do you think will win?" Spectating students began discussing the final match's victor.

"Might Guy, probably. It looks like Uchiha Obito is about to lose," one student analyzed based on the current situation.

"Not necessarily. When Obito fought Uchiha Tetsuka, he was also losing in taijutsu but won using a Fire Release technique," another argued, believing that Obito, who had mastered powerful Fire Release jutsus, had yet to fully exert himself.

After all, Obito had decisively defeated the former top student, Uchiha Tetsuka.

"Ryuto-sensei, who do you think will win?" Kimura Sarito suddenly asked.

"Might Guy," Ryuto replied after a moment's thought.

"Yeah, although Uchiha Obito has powerful Fire Release techniques, this exam environment doesn't favor him," Kimura agreed.

Ryuto nodded. In truth, the two were nearly evenly matched.

But Obito was currently like a turret mage with limited close-combat ability and unable to cast spells without chanting, making it difficult for him to beat Guy, a high-speed warrior, in this flat and small area.

As expected, the next moment, Guy found an opening and sent Obito flying with a Leaf Whirlwind kick.

"Might Guy wins," Ryuto announced the final result of the exam.

The student who had thought Obito would win couldn't help but cover his forehead, feeling that Obito never failed to disappoint in unexpected ways.

When you thought he'd lose to Uchiha Tetsuka, he won.

When you thought he'd win against Might Guy, he lost.

"Might Guy, you're amazing! How did you train?" a classmate couldn't help but ask for Guy's training tips.

"How did I train? Well, I get up at five-thirty in the morning to run around Konoha before class, then practice taijutsu on wooden stakes all night. On weekends..." Guy thought about his daily routine and then answered.

"Goodbye!" The student, who had asked, was deeply impressed by Guy's dedication upon hearing he got up at five-thirty in the morning and practiced taijutsu all night. He didn't even want to hear about the weekends.

He doubted even full-fledged ninjas trained that rigorously every day.

"Obito, are you okay?" Rin walked over to Obito, concerned.

Obito brushed the dust off himself and replied nonchalantly, "Of course, I'm fine. I narrowly lost this time, but I'll definitely win next time."

In front of the girl he liked, he had to act tough, even if he was hurt.

But Rin wasn't so easily fooled. She grabbed Obito's arm, rolled up his sleeve, and saw several bruises, then glared at him, saying, "Do you think acting tough helps? Injuries won't heal because of bravado. Let's go to the medical room and apply some medicine."

Saying that, Rin pulled Obito towards the medical room.

Obito, though saying he was fine, didn't resist and followed Rin.

His mouth was rebellious, but his body was honest.

After determining the class rankings, the second day's practical exam came to an end.

The next day, each class would send their top two students to compete for the overall grade champion.

With the exams over, Might Guy prepared to thank Ryuto and head home to share the good news with his father, Might Duy.

Guy could already imagine his father tearfully shouting about youth.

However, Ryuto didn't let Guy leave immediately. Instead, he took Guy to a secluded area, smiling as he said, "Guy, congratulations on taking first place."

Then, Ryuto handed a booklet to Might Guy.

"This is a taijutsu training manual I wrote recently. It includes some thoughts on the further development of the Leaf Whirlwind. Consider it a reward for your first-place finish."

Guy noticed the booklet but also saw Ryuto's hand holding it.

On the surface, Ryuto's hand looked clean, but Guy's sharp eyes spotted faint gray smudges, like ink stains that had been scrubbed but not completely washed away.

Looking at the contents of the manual, Guy instantly understood everything.

This wasn't something written casually out of boredom; it must have taken significant effort and thought. Even if Guy hadn't placed first, Ryuto would have found another reason to give it to him.

The ideas for the further development of the Leaf Whirlwind seemed tailor-made for him, something that couldn't have been done without spending considerable time.

"Ryuto-sensei, I won't let your efforts go to waste. I will definitely become the strongest taijutsu ninja!" The emotional Guy was moved to tears.

Ryuto took out a cloth to wipe away Guy's tears, patted his shoulder, and smiled, "It's great that you think that way. For a teacher, seeing their students grow stronger is the best reward."

Ryuto's expression was sincere as he said this.

"Yes!" Guy nodded vigorously, his resolve to grow stronger even more firm.

Watching the gradually departing Guy, Ryuto checked his system notifications and smiled.

[You have gifted a student a taijutsu training manual. Due to the student's deep gratitude, you have received a major reward: Mastery of Water-Style Chakra Nature Transformation.]

[Student Might Guy's trust level has increased. Current trust level: 3.]

"Not bad at all," Ryuto thought, feeling the newfound knowledge in his mind, in a very good mood.

Typically, the rewards from teaching were related to the students' specialties. For instance, Shisui and Obito often triggered Fire Release rewards, and Guy triggered taijutsu rewards. However, sometimes there were surprises, like unrelated rewards.

Compared to proficiency in a single taijutsu technique, mastering a chakra nature transformation was much more valuable. Ryuto was very satisfied, thinking that with enough of these, he might even develop a kekkei genkai someday.

As for the increase in trust level, that was an added bonus.

Ryuto felt that in the future, it would be better to carefully plan before giving high-quality items to maximize emotional impact and get better rewards.

For instance, if he had given this manual to Guy on an ordinary day, it might have triggered a minor reward, like proficiency in a basic jutsu or taijutsu technique.

But giving it to Guy at the height of his excitement after taking first place, letting him notice the ink stains indicating the effort behind the gift, and then finishing with some motivational words, had a much greater effect.

When given at the right moment, the gift would make Guy think of Ryuto's guidance, wondering if he could have achieved first place without it, initially sparking emotion.

Seeing the ink stains and realizing the effort involved would amplify his feelings, and the final motivational words would cause an emotional burst.

"After tomorrow's exam, the results should be out in a few days," Ryuto mused, wondering if the system would give him a reward for his students' performance.

Logically, with students performing so well, the teacher should receive some recognition.

(Chapter End)

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