Chapter 13 : Kakashi’s Promise
Riku stood up, gazing at the wall of earth in front of him—it was even larger and more imposing than the Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu that Kakashi had just released.
He let out a long breath of relief.
"Finally, a proper ninjutsu I can unleash."
"But... this technique might not be as practical as Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu or Water Style: Wild Water Wave."
Kakashi walked up to Riku, noting that he seemed completely fine. With clear surprise in his voice, he said, "You never cease to amaze me. From what I saw earlier, I thought it would be extremely difficult—maybe even impossible—for you to release this technique."
"I was ready to stop you at any moment. I didn’t expect your chakra reserves to exceed my expectations by so much."
Riku offered a faint smile. "Kakashi-sensei, at least this jutsu passed."
Kakashi looked at Riku seriously. "Passed? It was more than that—it was excellent."
"Riku, this is a B-rank Earth Style technique. It requires an enormous amount of chakra. Even though you were able to fully release it, the strain was obvious. I hope in the future you only use it when you’re absolutely confident."
"The most important thing for a ninja on a mission is to preserve their chakra. Normally, if a ninja uses up two-thirds of their chakra, they’ll abandon the mission."
"Unless it’s a mission that absolutely must be completed, staying alive should always be the top priority."
He had seen how much pressure Riku had been under when using Earth Style: Earth Wall just now. Kakashi didn’t want him to recklessly deplete chakra during real missions.
A ninja without chakra is barely stronger than an ordinary person.
Riku could feel Kakashi’s concern. With a smile, he said, "Don’t worry, Kakashi-sensei. Give me a few minutes to recover, and then we can talk about Lightning Style techniques."
Kakashi glanced at Riku’s current state and shook his head. "We’ll go over that tomorrow. You’re already exhausted."
Even though Riku’s expression hadn’t changed much, his face had indeed turned pale for several minutes after unleashing the Earth Style technique.
Riku thought about it, then nodded. "Alright."
In truth, the chakra he had used just now could fully regenerate in a matter of minutes.
But if Kakashi were to notice that, the secret of his body would be exposed—and Riku had no intention of letting that happen. He didn’t want anyone, not even a second person, to know.
Exceptional physical fitness wasn’t unheard of in Konoha—there were plenty of kekkei genkai users and elite clans with bodies far beyond ordinary.
But chakra regeneration on Riku’s level was extremely rare—comparable to the Uzumaki clan.
No matter how much he trusted someone, Riku wouldn’t reveal this secret.
As the sky dimmed, Riku smiled. "Let’s catch some fish before heading back. I’ll cook for you tonight, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi had just returned from a week-long mission. Riku had taught himself the ninjutsu he needed during that time, so he felt he should at least return the favor.
Kakashi was stunned for a moment, his gaze fixed on Riku. He suddenly felt something stir inside him.
He didn’t know why, but he was moved.
It had been over ten years since someone said something like that to him.
Looking at Riku’s gentle smile, Kakashi, for the first time, truly saw him as his student.
Up until now, he’d simply wanted to cultivate Riku into a capable ninja for the village.
But now... he felt a deeper bond.
Watching Riku walk toward the river, Kakashi chuckled. "You know how to cook?"
Riku smiled as he stepped into the water. "Of course. You think I’ve been eating takeout all these years? I’ve been cooking for myself since I was four."
Coincidentally, Kakashi had also started living independently when he was five.
Their pasts were surprisingly similar—though Riku’s was perhaps even more tragic. His parents had died when he was just a newborn.
Standing behind him, Kakashi watched as Riku waded into the stream, drew the short sword at his waist, and speared a river fish weighing close to a kilo.
Kakashi smiled. "I can cook fish too, but I’m pretty picky about the taste."
Riku smirked. "Well then, if you don’t like it, you’ll just have to sit and watch me eat."
Kakashi blinked, then smiled helplessly. "I thought you’d say, ’I’ll work hard to make it taste better.’"
Riku’s response caught him off guard.
But strangely enough, he wasn’t annoyed.
After catching two fish, the two of them made their way down the mountain together.
Though Riku’s parents had been ordinary shinobi, they had left him a considerable inheritance: a modest house with a courtyard and around two million ryo in savings.
That was enough to support him well into adulthood.
In addition, the village provided him an annual pension of 50,000 ryo.
All things considered, he was doing quite well.
A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen cost only 80 ryo.
Of course, ramen wasn’t something you’d eat for every meal—but with 50,000 ryo a year, Riku could live comfortably.
However, ninja tools were expensive. So unless absolutely necessary, Riku avoided using them.
A single standard ninja tool could cost tens of thousands of ryo—something Riku couldn’t afford to waste.
That evening, after Kakashi tasted Riku’s fried fish, he found the flavor to be surprisingly refined—far superior to his own.
Kakashi’s cooking skills were decent. Even Obito and Rin had once said his fish tasted just like what you’d find in a restaurant.
Which meant Riku’s cooking exceeded even that.
After the meal, the two sat in the courtyard, chatting casually.
At one point, Kakashi looked at Riku and asked curiously, "So, Riku... after you graduate, which department do you want to join?"
Riku paused, thinking for a moment. "I’ll become a shinobi, of course. But as for which department... I haven’t really thought about it."
Kakashi chuckled. "Want me to pull some strings and get you into the ANBU?"
The ANBU were an elite public division in Konoha, where many top-tier shinobi gathered.
But Riku clearly wasn’t someone who wanted to live in constant darkness.
He smiled calmly. "Kakashi-sensei, you’re in ANBU yourself, right?"
Kakashi wasn’t surprised—he figured Riku would be able to guess that easily, especially after their earlier training.
So he didn’t hide it. He nodded. "Yeah. I’m currently with ANBU."
Riku’s expression didn’t change. He just smiled faintly. "Do you like being in ANBU?"
Kakashi went silent.
How could he say he liked it?
Riku saw the unspoken answer in that silence and smiled again. "I don’t like it either. I’ve looked into what the ANBU does, and I don’t think I’m suited for it."
Kakashi thought for a moment, then nodded. "That’s fine. If you don’t want to join ANBU, I’ll find a good instructor for you after graduation."
Riku blinked, visibly surprised.
He hadn’t expected Kakashi to make a promise like that.
Kakashi wasn’t someone who made promises lightly. Ever since the one he made to Obito—one he failed to keep—he’d rarely promised anything to anyone.