Naruto: Teaching Makes Me Stronger Chapter 63 63: Good Brothers

On Sunday evening, while preparing dinner, Mugetsu casually ntioned that he had mastered One-Finger Sealing.

"You've already mastered it? Let see... exactly seven days!"

Kushina counted on her fingers and lit up with surprise.

"Learning it in seven days ans you've got real talent for sealing techniques, Mugetsu," she said warmly, clearly pleased with his progress.

With such aptitude, she thought, reaching Special Jōnin rank wouldn't be far off—if he kept studying seriously.

"I actually think the real reason I picked it up so fast is because you and Minato-sensei taught it so well," Mugetsu replied with a smile as he set the dishes down on the table.

It was a bit of give-and-take; after all, they'd teased him as "Mugetsu-sensei" not long ago.

"Hehe, of course! Minato learned all his sealing techniques from , hand-in-hand," Kushina said proudly.

Back when her relationship with Minato had just started to improve, she often dragged him to train together, helping him step by step. Thanks to her guidance, Minato had already beco a master of sealing techniques, even learning several advanced ones.

"Maybe I'm really suited to be a teacher…" Kushina thought aloud.

She'd only taught sealing to two people: Minato and Mugetsu. One had already beco a master, the other just learned One-Finger Sealing in a week.

"Kushina-sensei, enough talk—let's eat," Minato said teasingly as he scooped so rice into her bowl.

"Student Minato, is that how you speak to your teacher? Your punishnt is to serve your teacher more food," Kushina replied in a mock stern tone, mimicking their old Academy instructors.

"Alright, alright."

Minato gave a helpless smile and obediently served her a few dishes.

Mugetsu stood nearby with his bowl, a faint smile on his face. Even though this was his house, for a mont, he felt like the third wheel.

Maybe I should eat outside after all…

"If you two keep this up, I'm going to eat everything," he warned, switching into full 'eating machine' mode. With practiced speed, he began shoveling rice and dishes into his mouth.

"Hey!"

Seeing the food rapidly disappearing, Kushina and Minato quickly abandoned their play-acting and focused on eating seriously.

In no ti, the table was cleared of every dish. Afterward, Kushina and Minato helped with the dishes, as they often did when eating at Mugetsu's house. The favor was mutual—Mugetsu helped out when he ate at theirs too.

Once everything was cleaned up, Kushina handed Mugetsu a reminder:

"Get more familiar with One-Finger Sealing and the scroll notes. I'll teach you Three-Finger Sealing in a few days."

"Three-Finger Sealing is an advanced form of One-Finger Sealing. With your talent, you should be able to pick it up in about a month," she added.

"Wait… are there Four-Finger Sealing and Five Fingers Seal above that?" Mugetsu raised a brow, feeling like the naming was a bit… blunt.

"There's no Four-Finger Sealing. Only Five Fingers Seal," Kushina answered.

There really was.

"If you can master Five Fingers Seal, learning most sealing techniques will be much easier. That seal is part of a high-level technique and a solid foundation in itself," she explained.

With her breakdown, Mugetsu finally understood the deeper purpose behind these seemingly numbered techniques.

"What do you two want to eat tomorrow? I'll prepare the ingredients ahead of ti," Mugetsu offered.

Despite their close friendship, Kushina and Minato teaching him was no small favor—he wanted to show proper appreciation.

"Braised pork belly!" Kushina replied without hesitation.

"Stir-fried mushrooms," Minato said after a mont's thought.

Kushina's answer didn't surprise him, but as for Minato—Mugetsu made a ntal note to remind him that mushrooms needed to be cooked thoroughly... and also to leave a Flying Thunder God mark at Konoha Hospital. Just in case.

---

… … … …

Monday – Early morning, Ninja Academy

Kotetsu arrived at the classroom earlier than usual.

He casually placed a novel on the desk and began to read.

This was the final week. Next Monday, the final exams would begin, lasting three days.

And after that… the long-awaited holiday.

When it was nearly ti for Izumo to arrive, Kotetsu quietly put away his textbook and pulled out a novel, laying it casually on his desk.

"Kotetsu, good morning," Izumo greeted him with a bright smile.

"Reading a novel again?" he asked, glancing at the book. Confirming it was indeed a novel, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

"That's right. Only one week left until the exams. Studying now won't help much—just makes more anxious. It's better to relax a little," Kotetsu replied with an easy smile.

"Oh, right—Izumo, I found a great ga recently. Co check it out, you might like it."

Kotetsu rummaged through his bag and pulled out a square iron box.

Inside was a popular ga called Backgammon—sothing he'd heard about from various sources. It was said to be incredibly addictive. One round led to another, and before you knew it, hours had passed.

Since Izumo liked gas, this would be the perfect way to keep him... thoroughly occupied for the entire week.

"Backgammon, huh? I played this once at a relative's house—it was so fun!" Izumo's eyes lit up. "Kotetsu, you're way too loyal."

He hadn't expected Kotetsu to actually rember the little lie he told earlier to cover up his studying. That small gesture made Izumo feel a bit guilty.

Kotetsu had treated him like a real brother. How could he…

"I just bought a bunch of great ninja novels. I won't be able to finish them all in ti. Here—take three, Kotetsu," Izumo said with a smile, pulling a few books from his bag and handing them over.

Brotherhood was precious… but his goal to win over his neighbor's younger sister was slightly more pressing.

Since Kotetsu liked reading novels, then he should spend the entire week doing just that. After all, he himself said he wanted to relax.

"These are all trending titles… Izumo, you…"

Kotetsu was genuinely touched as he accepted the novels. He hadn't expected Izumo to take his fake excuse seriously—and even use such an obvious cover to give him a gift.

There was no such thing as "too many" novels. Good books only made you crave more.

"I've been collecting all kinds of gas recently. Here—take this list," Kotetsu said, handing Izumo a piece of paper.

It had more than a dozen gas written on it, both indoor and outdoor. The goal was simple: full coverage.

For Miho… I'm sorry, Izumo, Kotetsu apologized internally.

"Shisui, want to borrow a novel to unwind? I see you studying every day—it looks exhausting. I've got plenty I can't finish," Kotetsu called out to the boy sitting behind him.

"I've got gas too. Want to borrow so?" Izumo quickly added.

But to their shared disappointnt, Shisui politely shook his head and declined.

"Hey! Are you two still good brothers or what? You're asking Shisui and not ?" Anko crossed her arms and glared at them, eyes narrowing.

Kotetsu and Izumo: "…"

They both fell silent. Anko's grades were already worrying… and if she got even more distracted—

"Uh… Anko, maybe… maybe you should do a little review?" Kotetsu offered cautiously.

Anko didn't pose any threat in terms of academic rivalry. He was more concerned that she might actually bomb the exam if she kept this up.

"Why review? Didn't you just say reviewing would only make us anxious? Are you reviewing?" Anko asked, frowning.

Kotetsu didn't dare admit the truth. He simply shook his head.

"Then… Izumo, are you reviewing?" she asked, turning to him.

"…No," Izumo also shook his head.

"There you go."

Anko nodded in satisfaction.

In the end, Izumo and Kotetsu shared their novels and ga list with her.

"Now that's how good brothers should act," Anko said with a wide smile, patting them both on the shoulder.

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