Chapter 9 : Learning Taijutsu With Guy?
Kakashi wanted Riku to gain a deeper understanding, so he explained many of the fundamentals behind Fire Style ninjutsu.
These were the kinds of things you couldn’t just learn in a library.
Rather than feeling impatient, Riku felt like he had gained a lot.
At the same time, as he absorbed Kakashi’s teachings, he noticed his spiritual energy had improved significantly.
He thought to himself, As expected, the knowledge taught by an elite jōnin is the real deal. I’ve been reading books in the library for over a year, and none of that helped me improve this quickly.
Kakashi was a little surprised that Riku could patiently listen to so much theoretical knowledge without losing focus.
At his age, most kids would’ve already gotten bored or distracted.
After finishing his explanation, Kakashi led Riku over to a pool of water and said, "Now I’ll show you how to perform the Great Fireball Jutsu."
Riku stood beside him and nodded. "Okay."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly and began forming hand seals. His movements were intentionally slow, hoping Riku could clearly observe the sequence.
"Fire Style:Great Fireball Jutsu."
After more than ten seconds of seal formation, Kakashi exhaled a massive flame toward the pool.
A fireball five or six meters wide shot out more than ten meters and collided with the waterfall.
Tsssshh—
The fireball struck the falling water with a loud hiss, evaporating into a thick cloud of mist.
Riku stared in awe. "That’s definitely way more powerful than the normal Fireball Jutsu. Even if they’re both C-rank, the difference in power is massive. No wonder it’s the Uchiha clan’s signature technique."
"Any shinobi with a Fire-nature chakra affinity probably dreams of learning it."
Kakashi smiled at Riku’s words. "You’re right. Even now, the number of shinobi in Konoha who’ve mastered this jutsu can be counted on one hand."
"The Uchiha clan really perfected Fire Style. Their mastery is unparalleled."
Then he turned to Riku and asked, "Do you have any idea how to do it?"
"This jutsu is fairly difficult. I originally learned it in a... special way."
Riku paused. "A special way?"
Then it clicked. Could it be the Sharingan?
Kakashi considered for a moment, then decided not to hide it anymore. "Yes, a special way—thanks to my eye."
He lifted his forehead protector.
Beneath it, his Sharingan was revealed—always active, glowing softly.
Riku was stunned. "That’s... the Sharingan?"
Kakashi smiled. "You’re well-informed. That’s right. I copied this jutsu with my Sharingan. Because of that, a lot of people call me the Copy Ninja."
Riku hadn’t expected Kakashi to be so open with him. Is this... trust?
He wasn’t sure what Kakashi’s intentions were, but he could sense there was no ill will behind them.
Grinning, Riku said, "Copy Ninja, huh? So you just need to watch someone to learn their jutsu?"
He looked visibly envious.
Kakashi chuckled. "Exactly. As long as it’s not a Kekkei Genkai technique or one that’s too advanced, I can copy it."
He didn’t hide this kind of thing from Riku.
"You know what a Kekkei Genkai is, right?"
Riku nodded. "Yeah, it’s a bloodline trait—like when chakra affinities are fused together to form a unique ability. I read about it in the library."
That kind of knowledge was available, just rarely read.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I didn’t expect you to have learned so much already. That’s impressive. Yes, that’s the basic idea of a Kekkei Genkai."
"My Sharingan is technically a bloodline limit too. It’s tied to the specificity of an organ—in this case, the eye."
Riku nodded again. The library didn’t go into much detail about these second-tier Kekkei Genkai.
"Alright, give it a try. See if anything clicked."
Riku nodded. "I think I’ve learned it."
Kakashi blinked. "You did?"
Riku didn’t reply. Instead, he rapidly formed hand seals—so quickly, only afterimages could be seen.
"Fire Style:Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Whoosh—
BOOM!
A fireball burst from Riku’s mouth.
It was six meters wide and shot dozens of meters forward in an instant, colliding directly with the waterfall.
The flame lasted a full three seconds before being extinguished by the rushing water.
A thick cloud of steam blanketed the area.
Kakashi stood there, stunned. "That’s incredible..."
Riku laughed. "Not bad, right?"
"The power of this jutsu really is something else."
Kakashi turned to face him. "You’re scary, Riku. I only showed you once, and you already got it? That’s terrifying."
Riku wasn’t that surprised. After all, he knew Uchiha Itachi had learned this same jutsu just by watching his father demonstrate it once.
He was no worse.
Riku smiled. "That’s enough training for today, Sensei."
Kakashi nodded, rubbing the back of his head with a wry grin. "I thought it would take you at least a week to get this one down. Didn’t expect you to pick it up so fast."
He had estimated Riku’s total training time—including tree climbing and water walking—would take about a week.
But it turned out Riku only needed two days. Three, at most.
Riku laughed. "So, are you teaching me another jutsu today?"
Kakashi shook his head, still smiling. "Not today. You should focus on mastering this one. I’ve got a mission tomorrow, and I’ll be out of the village for about a week. If you want to learn Taijutsu, I can ask another ninja to teach you. He’ll be around while I’m gone."
Riku immediately understood who he meant. "The guy who was eating ramen with you the other day?"
Kakashi nodded. "That’s right. He’s a jōnin too, and a Taijutsu specialist."
Riku had no interest in learning Taijutsu from Guy, nor in unlocking the Eight Inner Gates.
He had no intention of training in a technique that traded lifespan for temporary strength.
Even if his body might one day be strong enough to survive opening all Eight Gates without dying... so what?
His body was already evolving in strength naturally. There were no restrictions.
There was no need to waste time on Taijutsu like that.
So he smiled and said, "Nah, I think my Taijutsu’s fine for now."
Guy’s normal Taijutsu wasn’t much stronger than Kakashi’s anyway.
Since he had no intention of learning the Eight Gates, there was no point learning from Guy at all.
Kakashi was momentarily surprised. "Really? Don’t come crying to me later if you regret it."
Riku laughed. "I won’t. I promise."
Kakashi sighed. "You really should. He’s an incredible Taijutsu user. You could learn a lot."
Riku smiled but didn’t say anything.