Kakashi was clearly in high spirits, but Yoru suddenly asked,
"Kakashi-sensei, do you really have time to teach me? You're still Naruto and the others' instructor."
Kakashi waved a hand casually.
"Don't worry. I'll coordinate my schedule."
Yoru didn't bother asking how.
"As long as it works."
"Then it's settled," Kakashi said. "Starting tomorrow, come here every night. I'll be waiting unless something urgent comes up. Can you guarantee that?"
Yoru nodded.
"That won't be a problem."
He didn't exactly have a busy social life.
They spoke a little longer before parting ways.
On his way home, Yoru felt like the whole situation was slightly surreal.
Kakashi is actually going to train me…
Is this just because of Dōichi-sensei?
He assumed that without Dōichi's connection to Kakashi from their ANBU days, this never would've happened.
He underestimated the impact of his own talent.
Kakashi had accepted Team 7 primarily due to the Third Hokage's request.
He had been Minato's student, once commanded Minato's direct ANBU squad, and even guarded Kushina during her pregnancy.
With Naruto being the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and Sasuke the last Uchiha, Kakashi was the safest and most qualified choice.
But that assignment hadn't been entirely voluntary.
Yoru, however—
That was different.
Kakashi genuinely liked him.
Yoru's talent reminded him of his younger self.
Perhaps even surpassed it.
The key difference?
Yoru was calm.
Young Kakashi had appeared modest, but inwardly he was proud.
And with good reason.
Graduated at five.
Chūnin at six.
Jōnin at twelve.
Those were legendary achievements.
Yet Kakashi believed Yoru's ceiling might be even higher.
And the greater the genius—
The more dangerous it was if left unguided.
That was one reason Kakashi insisted on personally training him.
After leaving Yoru, Kakashi appeared once more on Dōichi's balcony.
Dōichi sighed.
"You know my house has a door, right?"
Kakashi leaned against the railing.
"It's settled. I've reached an agreement with him."
"He's far more talented than we initially thought."
Dōichi paused, then smiled faintly.
"That doesn't surprise me."
Kakashi chuckled.
"Oh, I think this will."
Dōichi turned to look at him.
Kakashi spoke slowly.
"I tested his current strength."
"He already surpasses most chūnin."
"Today he learned water-walking from you. Tonight, during our exchange, he applied chakra control flawlessly."
"He's already at strong chūnin level."
"He just lacks offensive ninjutsu."
"Once he gains proper attack techniques… he might catch up to you very quickly."
Even saying it aloud still felt unreal.
Dōichi smiled quietly.
"That brat…"
He was proud.
He truly had begun seeing Yoru as his direct disciple.
If he had possessed stronger combat-oriented techniques, he never would have handed Yoru over to Kakashi.
Kakashi added,
"There's something else you won't expect."
"He has all five chakra natures."
Dōichi's smile froze.
"…What?"
"All five?"
Shock overtook him completely.
Yoru having chūnin-level strength was astonishing—
But five elemental affinities?
That was extraordinary.
Most shinobi were born with one.
Two was rare.
Five?
That level of rarity rivaled, if not surpassed, certain kekkei genkai.
In Konoha, only Kakashi and the Third Hokage possessed all five.
Dōichi's gaze sharpened.
"You didn't report this, did you?"
Kakashi shook his head.
"I know how sensitive this is."
Full elemental affinity was a gift.
But precisely because it was rare—
It attracted attention.
Both of them were former ANBU.
They understood Konoha's sunlight.
And its roots beneath the soil.
Yoru had no clan.
No protection.
If the wrong people discovered this…
Human experimentation was not impossible.
Dōichi exhaled slowly.
"When you teach him, make sure he only uses one or two elements publicly."
Kakashi nodded.
"I'll instruct him."
On this matter, they were completely aligned.
Until Yoru possessed true self-protection—
No one else could know.
That night, Yoru lay in bed and entered his consciousness space.
The familiar system notification echoed.
"You have AFK-trained for one day."
"Chakra has doubled."
"Physical strength increased by 1%."
"Speed doubled."
Yoru slowly opened his eyes.
His entire body felt warm and energized.
After a moment, he smiled faintly.
"My chakra growth is getting absurd…"
"At this rate, it's almost on par with Kakashi's."
His reserves felt vast.
Dense.
Nearly overflowing.
"As for speed doubling… is that because I roughly grasped the Body Flicker Technique?"
The principle was simple—
Channel chakra to the soles of the feet.
Enhance instantaneous movement.
The learning difficulty was rated D-rank.
Any genin could learn it.
But—
Very few could execute it effectively in real combat.
Yoru flexed his fingers slightly.
His senses felt sharper.
His movements lighter.
At this rate…
Half a year might not be as impossible as I thought.
For the first time—
The idea didn't feel entirely absurd.
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