Chapter 32: Chapter 32
…Sage Chakra"
"Your chakra seems to have a consciousness of its own, almost like it's bound to your will," Kakashi explained, his tone both thoughtful and serious.
"However, I don't fully understand this power yet, so I'm unable to control it properly."
Despite the uncertainty, Yoruha couldn't help but feel a little pleased. "At least my chakra and speed doubled last night," he thought, a small smile forming on his face.
"Now, my chakra levels are probably on par with Kakashi-sensei's," Yoruha murmured to himself, "though my speed still falls short. But if things keep progressing like this, it won't take long to catch up."
Pausing, he frowned. "Still, my chakra is clearly different from the usual kind. I'll need to figure out exactly what's going on with it. If I can't control this explosive growth, then it won't matter how much it increases—it'll just be a disaster waiting to happen."
Yoruha sighed deeply, recalling the chaos from the previous night. "I really don't want something like that to happen again."
He glanced at the window in his mind's eye. "I wonder how the village reacted to all that commotion… Hopefully, I'm not locked up in one of Konoha's cells right now."
This uneasy thought lingered as his consciousness slowly slipped back into sleep.
The next morning, Yoruha's awareness returned, and he opened his eyes to the sight of Kakashi leaning casually against the windowsill, reading Icha Icha Paradise.
Yoruha sat up, rubbing his head as he asked, "Kakashi-sensei, did the village's shinobi notice what happened last night?"
That was his biggest concern.
Kakashi glanced over at him, a hint of surprise in his expression. "You're awake already? I thought you'd be out for a few days at least."
He sounded impressed. After all, Yoruha's chakra had been completely depleted the night before—a condition that could be fatal for a shinobi. At best, it usually meant several days of recovery, if not worse.
Yoruha massaged his temples and replied, "I've got a headache. What exactly happened last night?"
"You don't remember?" Kakashi asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
Yoruha shook his head. "I only remember starting to gather chakra. I was just about to form Chidori when things spiraled out of control. After that, I blacked out."
Kakashi's expression darkened as he explained, "Not even you remember? Last night, you unleashed a jutsu with power on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb."
Yoruha froze. "A Tailed Beast Bomb?"
Seeing his confusion, Kakashi clarified, "The Tailed Beast Bomb is a technique where a tailed beast condenses a massive sphere of chakra. Its destructive power is incredible—enough to obliterate an entire mountain with one blast."
He paused before continuing, "The jutsu you released last night was comparable in strength. Fortunately, we were training in the mountains. If you'd used that in one of the residential areas of the village…" Kakashi's tone grew heavier, "you wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation right now."
Yoruha was stunned. "It couldn't have been that strong, right? My chakra level isn't anywhere near enough to perform something so destructive."
He knew he had caused a significant disturbance, but equating it to a Tailed Beast Bomb seemed like a stretch. After all, that technique was essentially a map-wiping attack.
Yoruha glanced down at his hands, unsure. "I mean, my chakra isn't even as large as yours, Kakashi-sensei. How could I possibly create a jutsu on that level?"
Kakashi walked over and studied him closely before finally saying, "There's a force hidden within you, Yoruha—something even you don't fully understand yet."
"…a hidden power within you."
"The jutsu you unleashed last night must have been triggered by that power."
Yoruha froze, stunned.
There was a hidden power in his body?
How had he not known about this?
"Maybe it's because my chakra is different from normal people's," Yoruha speculated aloud.
This time, it was Kakashi's turn to look surprised.
"You're aware that your chakra is different from others?"
Kakashi had known Yoruha's chakra was unusual because of his Sharingan. But how did Yoruha know?
Yoruha lifted his gaze to meet Kakashi's, his tone calm. "I've always known. The quality of my chakra is much stronger than an ordinary person's."
"It's just that, back when I didn't know any ninjutsu, I couldn't fully understand what made it different."
Kakashi sighed in admiration. "I thought you didn't realize it."
Yoruha smiled faintly. "I'm also more sensitive to chakra than most people."
"That's how I could tell the difference."
Kakashi nodded thoughtfully and said, "I've used my Sharingan to observe your chakra before. It looks like Sage Chakra."
He continued, "I once witnessed Lord Jiraiya's chakra when he entered Sage Mode. At that time, his chakra resembled what's inside your body."
"That kind of chakra is Sage Chakra."
"What surprises me," Kakashi added, "is that you've never trained in sage techniques, let alone entered Sage Mode."
"Yesterday, I reported your situation to the Third Hokage. He said your condition might be similar to the First Hokage's. You may have been born with a Sage Body."
Hearing that Kakashi had reported him to the Third Hokage, Yoruha's brows furrowed.
He stared at Kakashi, his expression filled with doubt.
He had trusted Kakashi, but this made him feel betrayed.
Seeing Yoruha's misunderstanding, Kakashi quickly explained the situation.
"In that scenario, if I hadn't reported it, you would've been in even greater danger."
"But fortunately, the Hokage doesn't see you as a threat. In fact, he instructed me to continue mentoring you."
Yoruha's expression remained serious, but after some thought, he let it go.
After all, he had no grand ambitions. Regardless of what the Third Hokage did, Yoruha wasn't one to go down without a fight.
Once he sorted through his thoughts, Yoruha stopped dwelling on the matter.
Kakashi had been watching him intently.
At first, when Yoruha looked distrustful and tense, Kakashi felt guilty.
But when Yoruha quickly regained his composure, Kakashi couldn't help but admire him.
He realized that Yoruha had already thought it through.
When Kakashi had been Yoruha's age, such significant matters would've taken him much longer to process.
In terms of mental fortitude, Kakashi admitted he wasn't Yoruha's equal.
After clearing his thoughts, Yoruha turned to Kakashi and said, "Kakashi-sensei, you should go home and get some rest. You probably didn't sleep last night."
Deep down, Yoruha was touched.
Kakashi had stayed by his side all night.
Knowing Yoruha wasn't upset with him, Kakashi relaxed. "I'm fine. For a shinobi, staying up one night isn't a big deal."
Even so, Yoruha insisted, "You should still rest. I don't have any missions today, and I want to figure out what's going on with my chakra."
Kakashi walked closer, a hint of concern in his voice. "That power inside you is likely very strong. Controlling it might not be easy."
Yoruha nodded. "I can feel that. It got out of control last night. Even though I had already formed Chidori, just as I was about to attack, my chakra went berserk."
"But I think I can control that power. Last night's problem was just me not having enough mastery over that chakra, which caused it to spiral out of control."
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