"Can I learn any ninjutsu, Kakashi-sensei?" Rorin asked eagerly.
Kakashi nodded slowly, then added, "Of course, it has to be something I know. And you can only choose one."
What should he learn? With only one option, Rorin rested his chin on his hand and thought carefully, then looked up with anticipation.
"Kakashi-sensei, I want to learn a no-hand-sign ninjutsu."
"…Huh?" Kakashi froze. A no-hand-sign ninjutsu? He didn't seem to know any. He shot a resentful glance at Might Guy.
Noticing the look, Might Guy was completely baffled.
Kakashi said awkwardly, "How about… you pick something else?"
Rorin lowered his head in disappointment. Then it hit him—Kakashi didn't really know any no-hand-sign techniques.
But techniques that required hand seals felt too troublesome to him.
At the same time, Kakashi felt a headache coming on. The reason he was here to teach Rorin wasn't just because of Might Guy—Tsunade had also come to him earlier, hoping he could teach Rorin some ninjutsu for self-defense.
Of course, Kakashi had also noticed Rorin's extraordinary talent. Shaking off his thoughts, he walked over and said softly,
"Let's test your chakra nature first."
Kakashi reached into the pouch at his lower back and, with practiced ease, pulled out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
Rorin and Might Guy's lips twitched instantly.
Following their gaze, Kakashi glanced at what he was holding—and immediately realized it was his personal stash.
"…Sorry. Habit. Wrong thing. Let's try again."
He quickly stuffed the book back into the pouch and pulled out a piece of chakra paper, handing it to Rorin.
"Come on, channel your chakra into this," Kakashi urged, trying to move past his embarrassing moment.
Rorin took the paper curiously. So this was chakra paper—it looked no different from ordinary paper.
At Kakashi's prompting, he didn't delay. He quietly mobilized the chakra within his body and infused it into the paper.
Zzzz—
The chakra paper split down the middle. The left half wrinkled, while the right half crumbled.
Watching from the side, Kakashi nodded and explained, "From the result, your chakra nature includes wind, lightning, and earth."
"Only three?" Rorin frowned, dissatisfied. He silently communicated with the system.
'System, do I really only have three chakra natures?'
[Not at all, host.]
Rorin felt relieved. So the paper must've been wrong. Just as he was comforting himself, the system continued:
[You currently have four chakra natures: wind, lightning, earth, and yang.]
…Uh.
'Can you say everything in one go next time? So only four… that means I'm not all-nature. Then how am I supposed to get a Kekkei Mōra?'
[Host, chakra natures can be added later. Don't worry—you'll have them all. I just need to restock.]
'You should've said that earlier! Much better.'
Although the conversation with the system seemed long, in reality only a moment had passed. Rorin quickly shook off his disappointment and looked at Kakashi with bright eyes, eager to see what he would teach.
After learning Rorin's chakra nature, Kakashi felt more at ease—his talent really was impressive. But the next step was troublesome.
Still, out of responsibility, Kakashi asked, "You said you wanted a no-hand-sign technique. Can you explain why?"
"Of course. First, I understand that my fighting style mainly relies on taijutsu. If I have to use hand seals during combat, it'll affect my performance. So I want a technique that can be used instantly without seals, to add an offensive option.
Second, hand seals are too complicated. I'm slow at forming them. If I have to split my focus to train hand-seal speed, it'll slow down my taijutsu progress."
After hearing this, Kakashi nodded silently. This wasn't a whim—it was a well-thought-out decision.
Even so… he really didn't know any no-hand-sign techniques. Wait—actually, he did know one. But that technique…
Kakashi's expression grew serious.
"I do know one no-hand-sign technique, but I didn't develop it myself. I can only teach you the theory—you'll have to figure out the rest. I also have another technique I created. It requires hand seals, but I can guide you much more thoroughly."
Rorin's eyes lit up as he waited for Kakashi to demonstrate.
"First, the no-hand-sign technique—Rasengan."
As Kakashi spoke, he gathered chakra in his right hand, forming a slowly spinning sphere like a miniature whirlwind. Then he slammed the Rasengan into the ground.
Boom!
The earth caved in, smoke and dust billowing. When it cleared, a circular crater about four meters in radius had formed beneath his feet.
Kakashi leapt out of the pit, then formed hand seals.
"This technique is called Chidori."
Zzzz—
Blue lightning crackled in his hand, radiating intense pressure. After gathering the chakra, Kakashi slammed it into the ground again.
Another cloud of dust rose. When it cleared, there was another crater—slightly smaller than the previous one.
After demonstrating, Kakashi returned to Rorin and waited for his answer.
Looking at the two craters, Rorin could clearly tell that the Rasengan had greater destructive power. Logically, he should choose it—and it didn't require hand seals, unlike Chidori.
But he knew Rasengan wasn't exclusive to Kakashi. On the other hand, only Kakashi and Sasuke could use Chidori—and learning it from Sasuke was out of the question. This might be his only chance.
Besides, even though Chidori required three hand seals, it was still manageable. And if he remembered correctly, Kakashi could eventually use Lightning Cutter without seals.
After thinking it through, Rorin spoke.
"Kakashi-sensei, I choose Chidori."
Kakashi was surprised. He had expected Rorin to pick Rasengan, especially since he wanted a no-hand-sign technique.
Seeing his reaction, Rorin explained, "Compared to figuring out Rasengan on my own, learning your Chidori suits me better. With your hands-on guidance, I'll make much faster progress. And I'm confident I can eventually improve Chidori into a technique that doesn't require hand seals."
Hearing this, Kakashi liked Rorin even more. He immediately began explaining the key points of Chidori.
...
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