"The Sharingan is indeed powerful, but pinning all your hopes on it would make you nothing more than trash."
"Sensei, I was joking! I've been training in taijutsu lately!"
Obito coughed awkwardly.
He did desperately want to awaken his Sharingan—his entire journey had been consumed by fantasies of a dramatic power-up. But rationally, he knew diligent training was the true path.
"Your strengths lie in ninjutsu and speed. Focus there."
Kyōichi was blunt.
Taijutsu?
Save it.
Obito wasn't bad at taijutsu, but he was far from exceptional—certainly no candidate for the Eight Gates. If he specialized in it, he'd likely never even find the First Gate.
"Yes!"
Obito nodded, cheeks burning with embarrassment at his own desperation.
"Of course, don't neglect physical conditioning. The body is foundational."
After assessing their skills, Kyōichi tailored individual guidance. Team Guy required little adjustment. The challenges lay with Obito and Rin.
Constant warfare had stifled their education—
Rin especially suffered. Medical expertise demanded extensive study, impossible amidst battlefields. Her recent focus? Chakra Scalpel.
Kyōichi assigned Kurenai to tutor her one-on-one.
As for Obito—
"Frankly, your best path is intensive theoretical study. But wartime permits no such luxury, so I'll teach you Earth Release instead."
The core issue wasn't power—
It was knowledge.
Uchiha Obito's infamous "Intelligence: 2" stat spoke volumes. Even Naruto and Kiba had scored higher at graduation.
"Thank you, sensei."
Obito fidgeted like a chastised academy student.
Despite his... unique analytical skills, Obito's ninjutsu aptitude wasn't lacking.
Earth-Style Wall eluded him, but Earth-Style Return was quickly mastered. The Hiding Like a Mole Technique took only two explanations to grasp.
Yet.
Kyōichi knew of another latent talent—
Space-Time Ninjutsu!
But...
Such arts were vanishingly rare—limited to Summoning and Flying Thunder God. The latter's intellectual demands were staggering—
At minimum, one needed mastery of sealing formulas.
Obito?
Not even close.
This crash course aimed purely at survival—ensuring they could withstand Iwa's chuunin squads.
Thus—
Most received escape techniques. Only Guy posed a dilemma—
His lifelong taijutsu obsession left little room for ninjutsu, despite having respectable affinity.
Even Hatake Sakumo's kenjutsu lessons were rejected in favor of nunchaku and anti-genjutsu drills.
Kyōichi supplemented with Shunshin training—
His expertise far surpassed Guy's needs.
Evening approached as drills concluded.
A sparse camp meal later, Kyōichi prepared a patrol—
Until the Sandaime summoned him.
"Continue training independently."
"Yes!"
...
Inside the command tent—
Might Duy stood awkwardly while the Sandaime frowned.
"That fool Jiraiya! Minato's kunai are useless without a Flying Thunder God user here. How do we coordinate?"
The Hokage's frustration was palpable.
Duy, a newly minted tokubetsu jōnin, lacked operational insights.
"Minato is meticulous. He'll send a toad when ready."
Kyōichi remained unworried.
The Katsuyu communication method was known to Minato—a simple reverse-summoning would suffice.
"For now, it's our only option."
The Sandaime sighed.
He understood the logic—
Yet craved real-time updates to safeguard Minato's team.
Kyōichi noted his concern but had no solution.
Space-Time techniques demanded immense scholarly foundations—even he might struggle. The Nidaime's notes were confiscated long ago, leaving only vague references.
Then—
A thought struck him. His gaze flicked toward Duy before hesitating.
The Sandaime caught the tell instantly.
"Duy rest here. Your strength will be needed against Iwa."
"Duy"
"Dismissed."
Once alone, the Hokage arched a brow. "Speak freely."
"May I study the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags?"
Kyōichi's request drew a sharp look.
"That technique requires another forbidden jutsu. Why?"
"Zero interest in the paired technique. But I believe it could synergize with a... borrowed secret art."
Kyōichi extended his sleeve—
Explosive tags morphed into birds midair, then stone, indistinguishable even to sensors.
The Sandaime's eyes widened.
After a long pause: "This technique..."
"Apologies, Hokage-sama. Learned covertly from... an ally. Disclosing further would be inappropriate."
The implication was clear—
Jiraiya's disciples.
"I'm not demanding you teach it. But what's its control range? Multiplying Tags are catastrophically destructive."
"Considerable distance. Self-harm is impossible."
Kyōichi added, "I intend to adapt, not replicate. The summoning matrix will be modified."
"Very well. Master it safely, and a third of our explosive tag reserves are yours."
A staggering offer—
Those tags represented the western front's entire stockpile.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
"Consult Tsunade via Katsuyu. But Kyōichi—that other technique is absolutely forbidden."
The warning was stern.
Orochimaru's descent pained him enough.
"You worry unnecessarily."
Kyōichi had zero interest in Edo Tensei's abominations.
...
Tsunade initially refused—
Until learning of Kyōichi's paper techniques and the Hokage's approval.
The Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags' scroll was copied from the Forbidden Scroll, then immediately incinerated after study.
The principle?
Recursive summoning.
The brilliance of Tobirama Senju shone through—
Every line was crafted to counter the Uchiha.
Adapting it to paper techniques proved tricky—
Distance increased summoning lag.
In combat, even microseconds mattered.
Yet perfection was unattainable.
After exhaustive testing, Kyōichi reported to the Sandaime—
Just as Minato's messenger toad arrived.
A tiny amphibian spat out a scroll—
Marking Team Minato's position at the Land of Grass's eastern border.