Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 14 14 : I Want Him To Learn Eight Inner Gates From M

Kakashi noticed Riku's surprise and smiled. "Don't look at like that. With your talent, you should have a matching Jonin to guide you."

Kakashi hadn't expected that he would make such a promise to Riku.

Riku smiled in response. "So… am I getting special treatnt early?"

That made Kakashi chuckle. "Sothing like that."

After chatting with Riku for more than an hour, Kakashi finally left. It was already quite late.

Riku didn't dwell on it and went to bed.

However, just as Kakashi stepped out of Riku's house, he ran into Might Guy on the road.

Guy was standing at an intersection, clearly waiting for him.

"Kakashi, you've been hiding sothing from lately."

"I've challenged you to a duel several tis, but you keep refusing."

Kakashi looked at Guy calmly. "You've been around long enough to know what I've been up to."

"Your tracking skills are still terrible."

Guy didn't argue. He just looked at Kakashi seriously and asked, "Is that kid really worth so much of your ti?"

Kakashi sighed. "He reminds a lot of myself back then… but I don't want another showing up in Konoha."

At those words, Guy understood exactly what Kakashi ant.

He went quiet.

Kakashi leaned against a wall, hands in his pockets. The moonlight was sparse, casting long shadows. People passed by on the nearby street, unaware of the quiet conversation happening in the corner.

Guy frowned, the usual passionate fire absent from his eyes.

"All these years, and you still can't let it go."

"It wasn't your fault."

Kakashi shrugged, smiling faintly. "Let's not talk about that. I actually recomnded you to him before—wanted him to learn taijutsu from you. But he turned down."

Guy blinked, startled, and then widened his eyes. "What?! He turned it down? He rejected the opportunity to sweat and bask in the sunshine? That's a sha!"

Considering the bond between Kakashi and Guy, if Kakashi had seriously asked, Guy would have agreed without hesitation.

Kakashi watched Guy's dramatic reaction and felt a bit exasperated. He thought to himself, Good thing he said no. If he ended up like you, that'd be a disaster.

Although Kakashi wanted Riku to have a brighter outlook on life, he definitely didn't want him to be too bright—like Guy.

"I think he'll surpass soday. Maybe even beco soone like the Fourth Hokage."

Kakashi glanced up at the full moon, his voice calm but full of conviction.

Guy frowned. He couldn't understand why Kakashi had such high hopes for Riku.

"Aren't you being a little presumptuous? How could he surpass you—or beco anything like the Fourth? Is he really that talented?"

Kakashi continued looking at the starry sky and replied in a composed tone, "He will."

Guy stared at him. "Why?"

Kakashi chuckled softly. "Call it a feeling."

Guy looked puzzled. "A feeling? What's so special about him?"

"I don't believe you'd invest so much in soone without a solid reason. What kind of talent does he have?"

Kakashi finally looked away from the sky, turning his gaze to the passing villagers.

"He's only six years old, and I've already taught him three jutsu—two C-rank and one B-rank. Each ti, he was able to perform the technique imdiately after hearing my explanation."

"The important part is, he wants to learn. Most kids would fall asleep listening to ramble about boring theory. You should know that better than anyone."

Guy looked slightly embarrassed. As a taijutsu specialist, he rembered how he used to beg Kakashi to teach him ninjutsu when they were younger—only to nod off during the explanations.

Kakashi didn't care about the awkward look on Guy's face. He continued, "But Riku listens with genuine interest. I know he not only rembers everything I say, but understands it clearly. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to pull off the techniques after a single explanation. And the strength of his jutsu? It's often stronger than mine."

"He's a genius. Plain and simple."

After hearing all this, Guy finally understood.

"You rarely take soone this seriously. That kid must have incredible potential. I'd really like to et him."

"Maybe he should still train in taijutsu. He might even—"

Before Guy could finish, Kakashi raised a hand to stop him. "Don't even think about it. He has no interest in learning taijutsu. From what I've seen, his current physical combat ability is far above average for his age, but nothing exceptional yet. You, of all people, should know—taijutsu takes an enormous amount of ti and dedication."

"Sotis, you end up devoting your entire life to it."

Taijutsu required not only natural talent but also relentless hard work.

Riku had refused, and Kakashi didn't want him to follow that path either.

But Guy's eyes lit up. "If he's already ahead of his peers just from self-training, then that ans he does have talent in taijutsu! Isn't it a waste not to develop it further? You can't be sure he's unwilling until he's seen my full strength. Maybe that will change his mind!"

Kakashi glanced at him, a faint smile on his lips. "You're overthinking it."

Guy clenched his fists, eyes sparkling. "Kakashi, I've decided. I must train him in taijutsu! You know my Eight Inner Gates technique needs a successor!"

Just the ntion of the Eight Inner Gates had Guy visibly fired up.

Kakashi, however, looked completely unamused.

He had studied the Eight Gates himself, though not as deeply as Guy, who had taken it as his primary focus. Because of that, Kakashi knew better than most—the technique demanded total commitnt. If Riku chose that path, there would be no room left for other forms of ninjutsu training.

"Forget it. His future lies elsewhere—not in taijutsu, and definitely not in the Eight Inner Gates. You should let go of that idea."

"The Eight Gates aren't ant for him."

But Guy didn't respond. His eyes were shining too brightly, clearly lost in his own thoughts.

Kakashi saw his expression and sighed inwardly.

"I really regret telling you about him."

Guy grinned. "I will get him to train in taijutsu with . When it cos to hand-to-hand combat, only the Hokage himself—and you, Kakashi—can rival in all of Konoha!"

In normal circumstances, Guy's taijutsu really was on par with Kakashi's.

In their youth, for a long ti, Guy's taijutsu lagged behind. Kakashi was well-rounded—proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

That's why Guy had always viewed Kakashi as his lifelong rival—not just because of their bond, but because Kakashi truly was that talented.