Chapter 3: Teacher Mukai is a Good Person

!AN!: This story is starting as a translation of 忍校教师，我教书就能变强全文免费阅读 on qidian. HOWEVER, I will be changing the story heavily starting chapter 6.

After returning home, Mukai went to the bathroom and stuck out his tongue in front of the mirror.

As Mukai expected, there was a black curse mark on his tongue, the very symbol of the Root's indelible curse that every member must bear.

If Mukai remembered correctly, the effect of this curse mark was paralysis, rendering one unable to move if they spoke about anything related to specific matters.

The curse mark set by Danzo naturally involved him and the information about Root; this way, even if a member of the organization was captured or defected, they couldn't leak any secrets.

If it were just that, Mukai might not be too concerned, as he had no intention of revealing information about Root to anyone. However, Mukai was worried that Danzo could actively control this curse mark, which would mean holding a potentially fatal weakness over him.

Mukai pondered carefully, trying to recall from the original story any method to break the Root's indelible curse mark.

But after much thought, Mukai realized that no one in the original story had broken this curse mark. Those who left Root might have had their marks removed by the Third Hokage's order; otherwise, the mark would only disappear with Danzo's death.

"It seems that other than Danzo's death, there's no other good solution."

Yet, Danzo wasn't an easy target like some fragile character in a MOBA game who could be ignored only to die in battle.

Danzo was exceedingly cautious about his life, usually hiding in the Root base and his annoying Izanagi, making him difficult to deal with.

Considering his current strength, Mukai promptly abandoned the idea of killing Danzo.

"The only options are to find Orochimaru or to research it myself." Mukai realized that, in his current situation, he only had one choice, as the path to Orochimaru was not yet open.

Checking the time and feeling it was about right, Mukai activated his sensory ninja technique and detected Shisui approaching.

Stepping outside into the courtyard, Mukai thought to himself that Danzo seemed quite trusting of the original body's owner. He had activated his sensory technique many times and had never detected any Root ninja surveilling him.

Just as Shisui was about to enter, Mukai quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a burst of chakra, creating a gigantic fireball eight meters tall that turned the training dummy in the courtyard to ashes and scorched a large area of the ground.

Shisui, who had just entered the courtyard, witnessed this astonishing scene and was shocked by Mukai's prowess in fire-style jutsu.

Although the Great Fireball was only a C-rank fire-style technique, the ranking of a jutsu was determined by the difficulty of its mastery. Many Uchiha jonins were fond of using the Great Fireball.

However, Shisui was certain that even a few of the jonin of his clan could not produce a fireball with such power, as they were unable to convert such a large amount of chakra into flames in such a short time.

"Teacher Yūsei, I'm sorry for interrupting your training," Shisui quickly apologized, coming back to his senses.

"It's fine; I was just finishing up anyway," Mukai said with a long exhale, smiling as he invited Shisui into the courtyard.

They picked up where they left off in their last conversation

"The current situation of the Uchiha has a lot to do with your clan's former leader, Uchiha Madara," Mukai poured two cups of water, handing one to Shisui and holding the other, beginning to tell the story of the Uchiha.

"You know about Uchiha Madara's defection, right?"

Shisui nodded, "I'm aware of it from our clan's history."

"It's not as simple as just leaving the village," Mukai informed Shisui. If it weren't for Hashirama's formidable strength, Konoha might have been destroyed by Uchiha Madara.

Shisui fell silent upon hearing this.

Mukai continued, explaining that these events made the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, even more wary of the Uchiha. After becoming Hokage, he implemented several policies specifically aimed at controlling the Uchiha clan.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

These policies, in turn, led to dissatisfaction among the more militant members of the Uchiha, resulting in plans for a coup d'état. These plans were eventually discovered by the Anbu, and those involved were imprisoned.

These series of events led to the Uchiha's reputation gradually being overshadowed by their perceived disloyalty, causing them to be disliked within the village.

"So much happened..." Shisui realized he had oversimplified the situation.

Mukai seeing his expression, shifted the conversation to a more positive note, mentioning Uchiha Kagami as one of the Uchihas who had successfully attempted to change this situation.

"Teacher Yūsei, what do you think of Uchiha Kagami?" Shisui was curious about how his grandfather was perceived by Mukai.

He had never met his grandfather but had heard a lot about him from other clan members — about his strength and genius as a ninja.

"An Uchiha with the Will of Fire, who served as a bridge between the Uchiha and Konoha, easing the tensions between them," Mukai thoughtfully said.

Shisui's heart was filled, he felt this was a fitting tribute to his Grandad.

"I want to be like my grandfather!" Shisui said with determination, not realizing he had referred to him as his grandfather.

"Grandfather?" Mukai looked at Shisui, puzzled.

Realizing his slip-up, Shisui simply decided not to hide it, not wanting to seem ungrateful or dishonest. He straightforwardly admitted it.

"Teacher Yūsei, you don't need to dwell on the so-called debt of gratitude. If you could pay respects at my grandfather's grave, I think that would make him very happy," Shisui suggested.

"How could I not repay the debt of saving my parents?” Mukai had to seize this opportunity” Wait, I know; what if, Shisui, you were to become my disciple?" Mukai offered.

Understanding Mukai's intent, Shisui felt it was too much of a sacrifice on Mukai's part.

Yet, not wanting to see Mukai, a person who knew the importance of gratitude, in a difficult position, and also considering the benefits of becoming a disciple to such a knowledgeable and powerful teacher, Shisui finally agreed, calling out, "Teacher Mukai."

【Do you wish to establish a master-disciple relationship with Uchiha Shisui?】

The system prompt appeared immediately, and Mukai chose "Yes" without hesitation, eager to take on such a talented disciple.

【Relationship established successfully"】

【Current trust level: 2"】

【Unlocking: "Disciple's Progress Benefits Master" and "Gifts to Disciple Return"】

Mukai read the introduction, thrilled by the perks. "Disciple's Progress Benefits Master" meant that as his disciple grew stronger, so would he, with higher trust levels enhancing the benefits. A trust level of two meant double returns; for every point of chakra Shisui gained, Mukai would gain two.

"Gifts to Disciple Return" meant that any gift Mukai gave to Shisui would result in a reward for him, with higher trust levels yielding better rewards, limited to once a day.

Mukai, after some thought, pulled out a small booklet and handed it to Shisui.

Inside was a Fire Nature Chakra Transformation Training Manual that he had written in the afternoon. He had originally planned to find an appropriate moment to give it to Shisui as a way to build rapport. Now, he wanted to test the "Gifts to Disciple Return" feature.

"This is a Fire Nature Chakra Transformation Training Manual I've summarized myself. Take it and study it. I will periodically check your training progress. As your teacher, I am very strict and will not relax my requirements due to feelings of gratitude," Mukai said seriously.

Mukai felt it was essential to closely supervise Shisui's training, especially since Mukai would benefit greatly from Shisui's growth.

"Thank you, Teacher Mukai. I will train diligently," Shisui sincerely thanked him, taking the booklet.

Shisui was not bothered by Mukai's strict requirements. Instead, it proved to him that Mukai genuinely considered him a disciple, not just as a means of repaying a debt to his grandfather.

【You have gifted your disciple the Nature Transformation Training Manual. Due to your disciple's gratitude, you receive a reward: Fire Style: Majestic Dragon Flame Technique (Elite Jonin Proficiency Level)】

The moment he received the reward, Mukai's mind was flooded with memories of training the Majestic Dragon Flame Technique, as if he had practiced the jutsu thousands of times.

The Majestic Dragon Flame Technique, a B-rank fire-style jutsu, focuses not on range but on flexibility, allowing the user to control fire dragons to attack enemies freely. With Elite Jonin mastery, the user can simplify the seals to one and release multiple fire dragons simultaneously.

Since the system awarded him the proficiency level, Mukai could now instantly release three fire dragons with a single hand seal.

Mukai's gaze upon Shisui was not merely that of a teacher to a student; it was as if he saw a never-ending gold mine, a source of continual rewards.

Noticing it was getting dark outside, Mukai said, "It's getting late. I should take you home, so your family doesn't worry."

"Thank you, Teacher, but I can walk back by myself. It's just me at home now," Shisui said, waving off the offer.

He felt he had already troubled Mukai enough for one day and didn't want to impose further.

Remembering that Shisui's parents seemed to have never been mentioned and likely died soon after his birth, Mukai made a funny face as he realized the oddity of their situation: neither the student nor the teacher could boast of having parents.

"My uncle comes to look after me from time to time," Shisui added, not wanting Mukai to worry.

Mukai nodded, not insisting on escorting him home. Today was just the first day of their acquaintance, and there would be plenty of opportunities to build their relationship further.

Walking home, Shisui flipped through the training manual Mukai had given him, his curiosity about Mukai was growing, especially after witnessing the fire-style jutsu in the courtyard.

As a prodigy of the Uchiha clan and grandson of Uchiha Kagami, Shisui had been exposed to many strong Uchiha members, setting his standards high.

He felt that Mukai's abilities did not align with that of a mere chunin or a ninja school teacher, as the school didn't require teachers of such high caliber, who only needed to teach basic jutsu like the Clone Technique.

Mukai was also consumed by his thoughts, He watched Shisui walk away, looking forward to the next day even more.

With classes in the morning and afternoon, Mukai wondered what rewards he might receive, especially since the afternoon class included Might Guy and their peers. What potential did they hold?