Three years had passed since then.
I was ten years old now.
And I was fucking jacked! Hell yeah.
Not in a weird way. Not like those bodybuilder types who can't wipe their own ass because their arms are too big. More like a sleeper build. Lean. Compact. The kind of muscle that hides under clothes and surprises people when you move.
«Your physical parameters have exceeded all projected growth models. Current gravity seal tolerance: 50x. Muscle density: 340% above baseline for your age. Bone density: 210%. Chakra reserves: mid-Jōnin, pushing high-tier.»
And the seals?
«You have mastered explosive tags, storage seals, and basic barrier techniques. Your profit from seal sales over three years: approximately 42.5 million ryo. You are no longer broke.»
I'm a rich ten-year-old.
«You are a rich ten-year-old who sells explosives to a weapons dealer. The distinction is academic.»
---
= Sunday – 4:00 AM =
The streets were empty and Dark.
I walked toward Training Ground 3. My footsteps were soft. Decades of habit well not exactly decades... The gravity seal made every step feel like I was wading through concrete, but my body had adapted so long ago that I barely noticed anymore.
Kakashi always came on Sundays. Always late. Always with that damn book.
I wondered if he'd actually show up today.
«He will show up.He is always late. But he always shows up.»
You sound like you respect him.
«I respect his consistency. His punctuality is terrible. But his consistency is admirable.»
I reached the training ground. Looked around.
Nope no Kakashi at all.
Surprise surprise.
«He will arrive within 30 to 45 minutes. I recommend training while you wait.»
Yeah, figured.
I dropped to the ground. Perfect push-up form. Back straight. Core tight. Breathing steady.
One. Two. Three.
The gravity seal pulled at me. 50x. Every rep was like pushing the earth down instead of pushing myself up.
But I'd been doing this for years.
My body moved on autopilot. JARVIS tracked the count. My mind wandered.
What was I even training for anymore? The massacre was done. Mikoto was alive. Sasuke wasn't a complete emo wreck and now I'm even friend's with him. Naruto was getting stronger every day.
«You are training because the world does not stop being dangerous just because you saved one person.»
Well... Yeah.
«Then stop asking stupid questions and finish your push-ups.»
You're bossy.
«I am efficient.»
I kept going.
---
= About 30 Minutes Later =
"One thousand four hundred ninety eight. One thousand four hundred ninety nine. One thousand five hundred."
I sat back on my heels. My breathing was steady. Not even winded.
Kakashi was standing at the edge of the clearing. Book in hand. Slouching like always.
He didn't look surprised anymore. Three years of watching a kid do impossible things had that effect.
"You're late," I said.
"so?."
"It's 4:33."
"well I don't care."
I stood up. Brushed the dirt off my pants.
"Spar with me."
He raised an eyebrow. "It's 4:30 in the morning."
"yeah?"
He sighed. Closed his book. "Fine Fine. Any rules?"
I'll go easy on you since you are a kid
"Nope. Go crazy, it's not like it's our first time."
He stretched his neck. Rolled his shoulders. "Alright."
I cracked my knuckles. Smirked.
"Let's dance."
---
Kakashi moved first.
Not full speed. just Testing. His fist came at my face slow enough that I could see it coming.
«Activating thought acceleration. Removing gravity seal.»
The world slowed down.
I ducked. Pivoted. My hand went to my pouch. Storage scroll. Kunai.
Poof.
The kunai appeared in my hand. Lightning chakra crackled along the blade. I threw it.
Kakashi caught it between two fingers. Sparks flew off the metal. He looked at the kunai, then at me.
"Lightning infusion. Nice trick."
He threw it back. even Faster.
«Substitution.»
I swapped with a log. The kunai embedded in the wood with a thunk. I appeared behind Kakashi, another kunai at his neck.
He was gone.
«Behind yo ass.»
I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Shit."
I spun. Hands formed seals. Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire. A dozen small fireballs scattered in a pattern, cutting off his escape routes.
Thank god it was not thousand years of death...
Kakashi weaved through them. One clipped his vest. He looked down at the burn mark.
"Huh."
He looked up. His visible eye curved.
"You've gotten faster."
Then he lifted his headband.
Sharingan. Three tomoe. Spinning.
"But you're still a kid."
Here we go.
Kakashi blitzed.
Real speed this time. No testing. No holding back.
«Trajectory: chest. Dodge left 14 degrees.»
I moved. His fist passed inches from my face. I threw explosive tags, not at him, but around him. Boxing him in.
He read every trajectory. Twisted between the tags like a needle through thread. Each explosion went off behind him.
«He is predicting your attack patterns with the Sharingan.»
Then I'll stop moving predictably.
I pulled a storage scroll from my pouch. I Unsealed it.
A massive water dragon erupted from the paper. No water source needed. Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu.
The dragon roared toward Kakashi. He slammed his hands on the ground. Earth Release: Mud Wall.
The water crashed against stone. Steam exploded everywhere.
I was already airborne. Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves. Slicing wind bullets rained down.
Kakashi weaved through most. But one caught his cheek.
A thin line of blood appeared.
He wiped it. Smiled behind his mask.
"Alright. If you're not holding back..."
He flickered.
«Behind you!»
I spun. Too late.
Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu. Point-blank range.
The fireball grazed my left arm. I hissed. Smell of burnt cloth and burnt skin. I rolled, put out the flames, came up with a kunai in each hand.
«Injury: superficial. Can be healed easily.»
I know. What do I do? I always lose to him every time we spar.
«You cannot win like this. Not with your current speed. He has double your experience and a Sharingan.»
Then what?
«Let me drive.»
I hesitated. Half a second.
...Bet. But make it look like I'm the one fighting if not he'll get suspicious.
«Affirmative.»
---
Kakashi charged.
Chidori crackled in his palm. H was using A downgraded version non-lethal. Aiming for my shoulder.
My eyes changed.
For a split second, they glowed amber like yellow.
Kakashi's Sharingan saw it.
"What the...?"
I moved.
Perfectly.
Tilted my head one degree left. The Chidori passed through empty air. My left hand came up, palm striking his wrist at exactly the right angle to deflect the rest of the momentum. My right hand grabbed his vest.
And threw him.
Kakashi flipped mid-air. Landed on his feet. Skidded backward.
"Huh?"
I didn't answer. My face was blank.
«Analysis complete. Chakra reserves: 69% of peak. Left eye: Sharingan active, fatigue accumulating. Right eye: normal. Weakness: blind spot on lower right periphery due to headband tilt.»
Kakashi's visible eye went wide. "What did you just say?"
«I said you have a blind spot. Allow me to demonstrate.»
I flickered. it was Not Body Flicker. Something faster. Raw chakra burst that left afterimages.
I appeared at his lower right. Exactly in the blind spot.
He spun. Too late.
My palm struck his shoulder. Not hard. Just a tap.
«Boom. You are dead.»
Kakashi dashed backward. His Sharingan looked on to me. He wasn't holding back anymore.
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu. He sank into the ground, grabbed my ankle, tried to pull me under.
«Chakra burst to the foot.»
I kicked. A blast of chakra exploded from my sole. Cratered the ground. Kakashi released his grip.
I flipped backward. Hands formed seals at inhuman speed.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.
A literal wall of flame roared toward Kakashi. He countered with Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
Steam exploded everywhere. Visibility zero.
«He cannot see. But I can still track him.»
Through the steam, I threw thirty shuriken in a pattern that cut off every escape route. Kakashi deflected most. But two embedded in his flak jacket.
«Marked. Now he cannot hide.»
I flickered again. Appeared behind him. Lightning-charged kunai to the back of his neck.
He dropped and rolled. Came up with a kunai of his own. We clashed, metal on metal, sparks went flying.
«He is adapting. Sharingan is now reading my patterns. Probability of hit within next 10 seconds: 67%.»
Then end it before then.
«Agreed.»
I jumped back. Created distance. Formed a single hand sign.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Not twenty, Not even fifty.
Around Two hundred shadow clones filled the clearing. Standing on the ground, on trees, even in the air.
Kakashi looked around. For the first time, his visible eye showed something other than boredom.
"Now that's just unfair."
«You wanted a spar. This is a spar.»
"I don't believe you."
The clones attacked. Not randomly in perfect synchronization. A wave of bodies, kunai, and elemental jutsu.
Kakashi fought like the legend he was. Dodged. Countered. Dispelled clones by the dozen. But for every clone he killed, two more took its place.
«He is tiring. His chakra is at 34%. He cannot maintain this level continuously.»
Now.
The real me, the original, flickered behind Kakashi one last time. No kunai. No jutsu. Just my palm, pressed against his back.
«I could have placed an explosive tag here. I did not. You lose.»
Kakashi froze.
He lowered his hands.
The clones dispelled. One hundred six remaining clones vanished in a cloud of smoke.
---
= The Aftermath =
I switched back. Let JARVIS step out of the driver's seat.
"Well..." Kakashi said. "That was embarrassing. Losing to a ten-year-old."
"See? Told you I was strong."
«Cap. That was all me.»
Alright, alright. I'll give you credit.
Kakashi was staring at me. His visible eye was doing that thing where it was trying to figure out a puzzle with missing pieces.
"You've grown very strong, Ryū."
"Yeah, no thanks to you. Except that one time with the wind transformation. And some other small stuff."
He laughed. Sheepish. "Fair point."
The sun was starting to rise. Orange light crept over the trees.
"I gotta go," I said. "Nonō will notice if I'm not back."
"Ryū."
I turned.
Kakashi was looking at me. Not lazyly
"What happened in the middle of that fight? Your eyes changed. Your movement changed."
"oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I developed a new technique that after years of putting my mind into it, but Im not telling you"
"Everyone's got secrets, Kakashi."
He stared at me for a long moment. Then he nodded.
"Yeah. I guess we do."
I turned. Walked away.
The sun rose behind me.
It left kakashi with more questions than answers.
What the hell was that technique?
He didn't have an answer.
But for the first time in years, Kakashi Hatake was curious about something.
And that scared him a little.
---
END CHAPTER 22
A/N: in the next chapter I will explain what he has learned in the past 3 years and some more things.