Chapter 46 : Both Are Actors
The Third Hokage had begun paying closer attention—he wanted to know exactly where Riku was at that moment.
It took him quite a while before he finally spotted the boy hidden behind a large tree.
What surprised Hiruzen the most was how difficult Riku had been to locate. Even with his Telescope Jutsu, he had to scan the area one spot at a time. Had he been present in person, finding Riku would’ve been near impossible.
It was clear just how terrifying Riku’s stealth capabilities were.
"Riku... you’re a very unusual child. I can’t believe your ability to hide even surpasses that of an ANBU," the Third Hokage murmured to himself.
At the moment Hiruzen used the Telescope Jutsu to find him, Riku instantly sensed the surveillance.
However, he didn’t show any expression on the surface.
Internally, he was alert. So even the Third Hokage is monitoring me... Looks like I’ve drawn too much attention.
Truthfully, with Riku’s current strength, he had no reason to fear the Third Hokage. Though he might not be able to defeat him, escaping wouldn’t be a problem.
But he preferred a stable life—he had no intention of becoming a rogue ninja.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had been searching for quite some time. Eventually, he arrived at the large tree where Riku was hiding—not because he found him by skill, but because Riku allowed himself to be found.
Standing beneath the tree, Kakashi looked up with a smile. "Your ability to suppress your presence is getting more and more impressive."
At this point, Kakashi had no idea that he himself was being watched by the Third Hokage.
After all, Kakashi wasn’t a sensory-type ninja.
If he truly wanted to pinpoint Riku’s location, he could’ve summoned one of his ninken to track him. But there was no way to tell if the Third Hokage was using the Telescope Jutsu to observe them.
Standing on the thick branch above, Riku grinned down at him. "Kakashi-sensei, I already understand the purpose of this test. I think I could just sit up here and wait until it’s over."
Kakashi’s brow twitched. "The test for the others is already done. Now I’m here to assess you. It’s been a year since your last evaluation—who knows how much you’ve grown since then?"
Riku tilted his head thoughtfully, then smirked. "Kakashi-sensei, only the gods know the gap between our strength now."
Kakashi blinked, then chuckled. "So... you’re saying I should put on a performance?"
He instantly understood what Riku meant.
Someone was watching them.
Riku laughed. "Then you’re going to play along?"
Kakashi gave a small nod. "No need to hold back. You’ve likely reached upper Chūnin-level strength by now. I just hope you haven’t been slacking off over the past year."
Riku smiled faintly. "Alright then. Since you’re so persistent, I’ll have to show off a little."
Kakashi’s Sharingan began spinning as he activated it with intent.
What he meant earlier was simple: Riku should demonstrate strength equivalent to a high-level Chūnin.
Riku pulled two shuriken from his pouch and hurled them toward Kakashi.
At the same time, he rapidly formed hand seals. "Fire Style: Shuriken Ring of Flame!"
Engulfed in chakra-infused fire, the two spinning shuriken shot toward Kakashi, flames trailing behind and intensifying. As they spun, the edges formed a glowing ring of fire, growing in size and heat.
Kakashi’s eyes narrowed—this was a C-rank technique, but clearly not ordinary.
Boom—
The first flaming shuriken flew toward Kakashi. In an instant, he used the Body Replacement Jutsu to escape.
Where the shuriken hit, a wave of fire exploded outward. Within a five-meter radius, violent flames scorched the earth, leaving behind a charred crater over three meters wide.
The second flaming shuriken changed direction midair, homing in on Kakashi’s new position as though guided.
It covered the dozens of meters between them in a flash.
Kakashi quickly formed hand signs. "Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!"
A powerful stream of water erupted from his mouth, slamming into the flaming shuriken just before it reached him.
Tsssshhhh—
Though the ring of fire was only slightly larger than the shuriken at its center, the flames were intense. Instead of shrinking on contact, the fire flared up, growing more intense as the chakra-infused shuriken spun faster, forming a fiery vortex.
But as the water pressure increased, the fire began to dissipate. After several seconds, both the Water Colliding Wave and the flaming shuriken technique vanished simultaneously.
On the ground where they clashed, another deep crater remained.
Watching the scene unfold through his Telescope Jutsu, the Third Hokage was stunned.
"This technique... it’s a combination of Fire Style and a shuriken attack, but there’s still a layer of chakra coating the shuriken. Otherwise, they wouldn’t survive those temperatures and rotations."
He stroked his beard, eyes narrowing in thought.
"The difficulty of this technique is even higher than many B-rank Fire Style jutsu. Did he develop this on his own?"
Hiruzen could hardly believe Riku’s talent.
Although "Fire Style: Shuriken Ring of Flame" wasn’t a high-level jutsu, it was easily capable of killing a Chūnin.
That meant Riku’s strength was already nearing Jōnin-level.
At the very least, his abilities had reached the threshold of a Jōnin.
It wasn’t quite as dazzling as when Kakashi became a Jōnin at age twelve—after inventing Chidori and earning battlefield honors—but for peacetime, this was exceptional.
The Third Hokage couldn’t help but feel a hint of joy.
He was weary—Konoha was no longer in its prime.
Among the new generation, aside from Sasuke and Naruto, he hadn’t seen much potential that could rival that of his former students.
Konoha wasn’t the weakest of the Five Great Nations, but neither could it stand toe-to-toe with Kumogakure or Iwagakure like before.
As a whole, Konoha’s military strength lagged behind Iwagakure. And while Kumogakure was lacking in top-tier individuals, Hiruzen had been searching for someone to tip the balance in Konoha’s favor.
He considered Sasuke and Naruto promising, but no one else had shown the same spark.
Kakashi was a good candidate for leadership, but his lack of political clout meant he couldn’t contend with the elders on the council.
But now... Hiruzen was starting to believe Riku possessed the same kind of rare talent Kakashi once had.
While perhaps not quite equal, Riku was not far off.
"A child worth cultivating... He may even surpass Sasuke and Naruto."
"And to wield chakra of this level at such a young age—he’s not unlike Minato in that regard..."
Meanwhile, Riku showed signs of fatigue after executing the Shuriken Ring of Flame technique.
Sensing the brief moment of vulnerability, Kakashi appeared behind him in a blur, tapping a chakra-infused hand against Riku’s shoulder in a mock "finishing" move.
Riku gave a sheepish grin. "Guess I still can’t last more than five minutes."
He was clearly putting on a show.
And Kakashi? An experienced actor in his own right.
With a calm, deadpan voice, he replied, "Compared to before, you’ve improved tremendously."