Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 32 32 : Becoming A JōNin Three Years Early

Kakashi thought for a mont. "Your speed is impressive—but can you maintain that level of reaction while using Chidori?"

This was crucial. If Riku could move that swiftly and precisely while using Chidori, then he could safely utilize it. If not, then attempting it would be dangerous.

It could beco a death sentence.

After a brief pause, Riku nodded. "I'll give it a try."

He began forming hand seals again.

"Chidori."

Zzzzzztt...

In an instant, Riku was surrounded by crackling arcs of electricity. Lightning danced wildly around him, as if thunder serpents had been unleashed, baring their fangs. If he didn't control them properly, they could easily lash out and injure him instead.

Riku furrowed his brows, focusing.

Kakashi picked up a handful of stones. "I'm going to throw these in random directions. Each ti, you'll need to react instantly—use Chidori to appear at that location and strike."

Riku tightened his grip around the lightning in his hand and gave a firm nod. "Alright, Sensei. Let's do it."

Kakashi tossed the stones lightly in his hands, gauging their weight, and then abruptly hurled one to his left.

Riku's body flickered.

By the ti the stone hit the ground, he was already there, Chidori in hand.

Without pausing, Kakashi threw a second stone—this ti behind Riku.

The mont it was airborne, Riku blurred again, becoming an afterimage that reappeared precisely where the second stone landed.

Then a third stone flew, and Riku responded just as quickly, flashing across the field.

One after another, his timing was flawless.

As the final stone struck the dirt, Riku appeared at that exact spot—lightning crackling through the air.

But in that very mont, Kakashi suddenly materialized in front of him.

Riku's body was already mid-motion, his hand driving the Chidori forward—but sothing made him stop.

His nerves and instincts kicked in, halting the strike a hair's breadth before impact.

At that point, his eyes hadn't even registered Kakashi's face clearly.

What had saved him wasn't his vision—it was his sensory perception.

Riku's chakra sensing ability had instantly picked up Kakashi's presence. That alone had allowed him to stop his hand in ti.

Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Impressive. That wasn't your eyesight just now—it was your perception. I completely forgot that you have such sharp sensory abilities. That kind of perception is sothing most shinobi don't have."

"In fact, your perception is on par with the dynamic vision of the Sharingan."

He had been focused on visual shortcomings when using Chidori—but Riku's sensory abilities offered a completely different solution.

And arguably, an even better one.

Riku had reached the sa conclusion.

"Right," he said. "I can use my sensory perception to compensate for what I lack in dynamic vision."

"So that ans—I can use Chidori."

With Chidori now under control, combined with a variety of B-rank and C-rank jutsu, and Uzuki Yugao's swordsmanship style, Riku's strength had reached the level of a standard Jōnin.

And he was only six—almost seven years old.

At this point, even Kakashi himself was still at Chūnin level.

Riku's talent was… terrifying.

To be able to learn Chidori after seeing it just once—and then use his own perception to fully master it—that was far beyond what a normal human could achieve.

In terms of raw power, Riku was already among the elite of the village.

A Jōnin-level shinobi, at the age of six.

The weight of that realization hit Kakashi hard.

He placed a hand on Riku's shoulder and spoke seriously. "I used to think you had the potential to reach the level of the Fourth Hokage soday—but I wasn't entirely sure. Now I am. As long as nothing happens to you… reaching his level by the sa age wouldn't be a surprise. You might even surpass him."

Kakashi had not taught Riku Raikiri, the evolved form of Chidori.

But he hadn't taught Sasuke Raikiri either.

Chidori was the foundation—the rest would co from Riku's own growth, as he developed new techniques from that base.

Riku smiled slightly. "You're exaggerating, Kakashi-sensei. The Fourth Hokage was on a completely different level. I can't compare."

He didn't believe that for a second—but he said it out of courtesy.

In truth, the Fourth Hokage wasn't his end goal.

Riku's sights were set much higher—on the level of Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, even the Sage of Six Paths himself.

But he also knew one thing for certain: without Kakashi's help, reaching that level would have taken far longer. It wouldn't have been impossible, but the path would've stretched much further ahead.

Kakashi had sped everything up.

Kakashi believed every word. He gave a faint smile. "You shouldn't underestimate yourself. The Fourth Hokage is hard to surpass, yes—but your talent is even greater than his. I'm sure of it. And don't worry—until the day you're strong enough to stand above everyone, I'll protect you."

There was no joking in his tone—only sincerity.

Riku felt a little awkward. What he had just said wasn't exactly heartfelt.

But Kakashi's words had struck deep. They were honest—genuine.

That made Riku feel just a bit guilty.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think I can handle myself pretty well already," he said with a faint smile.

But Kakashi shook his head. "The shinobi world isn't about strength alone. There are things—dark, complicated things—that even the strongest can't face head-on. These things… they exist among shinobi. But for you, it's still too soon. Until you're ready, I'll keep them far away from you."

The more seriously Kakashi spoke, the more embarrassed Riku beca.

He didn't say anything more. But deep inside, he knew how much farther he still had to go.

And yet… Riku had already reached Jōnin-level strength. That had exceeded his own expectations.

Originally, he thought he'd reach that level by the age of ten if he worked hard enough.

But here he was at six.

Three years ahead of schedule.

And it was all thanks to Kakashi.

He had given Riku knowledge that couldn't be found in any academy book or library scroll. Insights you couldn't gain from casual training or public dojos. These were things that required real experience—things Riku might have only discovered years later.

Gaining them now gave him a rock-solid foundation for what lay ahead.

So for all that, Riku was deeply, quietly grateful.