The Third Hokage was a bit shocked.
"To possess chakra of all natures—this kind of talent is simply overwhelming."
"And to think he could learn a jutsu like Chidori on his first try… his learning ability is extraordinary."
"Not to mention his enormous chakra reserves. It seems he really might be able to catch up to the First Hokage's legacy."
Although Kakashi didn't fully understand just how powerful the First Hokage had been, seeing the Third Hokage hold him in such high regard made it clear—he must have been immensely strong.
In fact, he might have been far stronger than the Third Hokage himself.
After all, the Third had mentioned that the First Hokage's jutsu could reshape the very landscape—a power that, in Kakashi's mind, only tailed beasts could wield.
Still, the one most shaken by all this was the Third Hokage.
He had high hopes for both Naruto and Sasuke. That was precisely why he had assigned Kakashi as their jonin instructor.
But now, to learn that the village might be hiding another ninja capable of reaching the heights of the First Hokage? In the Third's view, perhaps the revival of the Hidden Leaf was closer than he had imagined.
Maintaining a calm expression, the Third Hokage watched Kakashi, who seemed a bit worried.
"Lord Hokage," Kakashi began, "I believe we shouldn't let Yoruha draw too much attention to himself until he has the ability to protect himself."
Kakashi was concerned that other villages—or even people within the Leaf Village—might target Yoruha.
Even though the ninja world was relatively peaceful now, Kakashi, having lived through the Third Great Ninja War, knew all too well that the other villages would never allow the Leaf to nurture a ninja capable of threatening them.
Not to mention, in Kakashi's mind, Yoruha had the potential to one day rival the Fourth Hokage.
Back then, the Fourth Hokage alone was enough to keep the other villages in check.
If they discovered Yoruha's existence, they would stop at nothing to eliminate him.
This was something Kakashi couldn't bear to see happen.
Moreover, there were also people within the village who might want Yoruha gone.
Take Danzo, for example. Kakashi was certain that Danzo would never allow someone who could potentially threaten the village—or his ambitions—to exist.
To Kakashi, Danzo's true concern wasn't the village but his own desire to secure the Hokage position.
The Third Hokage, of course, understood this as well. He nodded.
"I understand your concerns. I'll leave Yoruha in your care. I hope you can help him grow into a pillar that supports the Hidden Leaf."
"And also, investigate the power within him."
"Help him control it."
The Third Hokage didn't plan to personally mentor Yoruha.
If he did, it would all but confirm Yoruha's uniqueness to everyone else.
Hearing the Third Hokage's arrangement, Kakashi felt a wave of relief.
He had been worried the Third might keep Yoruha close, which would only put the boy in greater danger.
Even if the Third Hokage meant no harm, Danzo certainly wouldn't let him be.
"Alright," the Third Hokage said. "Go check on him now. I need to deal with the aftermath of this matter."
After leaving the Hokage's office, Kakashi headed straight for Yoruha's home.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage stood by the window, gazing out at the Hidden Leaf's night sky.
His thoughts wandered back twelve years.
"I wonder if that child will grow into another First Hokage… or another Uchiha Madara."
"If he becomes like Uchiha Madara, this era doesn't have a First Hokage to balance him out."
Though he had great expectations for Yoruha's talent, the Third Hokage also knew that if Yoruha truly attained the power of Hashirama Senju, there would be no one in the Leaf Village capable of restraining him.
If Yoruha were to turn into someone like Uchiha Madara, the Hidden Leaf Village would face immense danger as well.
"This is truly a gamble," the Third Hokage murmured, his expression grave.
After all, he couldn't foresee what path Yoruha would take in the future—whether it would lead to good or ill often depended on a single decision.
"Kakashi, I hope your judgment is correct."
"Naruto, Sasuke, will you both grow to be as strong as him someday?"
The Third Hokage held high expectations for both Naruto and Sasuke.
"In the future, if Naruto fully controls the Nine-Tails and becomes a perfect Jinchūriki, and Sasuke awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan, attaining that godlike power, perhaps the two of them together could balance him out."
"Or, if something were to go wrong with the two of them, Yoruha might be the one to balance them."
Though the Third Hokage had initially been concerned about Yoruha's future, the thought of Naruto and Sasuke eased his worries somewhat.
In his eyes, both Naruto and Sasuke held tremendous potential.
In the future, if Naruto and Sasuke formed a powerful duo, they might very well be able to match Yoruha's strength.
The Third Hokage was well aware of the vast potential of the Nine-Tails and the Sharingan.
Meanwhile, Kakashi arrived at Yoruha's home.
At this moment, Yoruha was still unconscious, though his vital signs were stable.
Standing by the bedside and looking at the sleeping Yoruha, Kakashi sighed. "I've told the Third Hokage about you. I hope you won't blame me when you wake up."
"The Third already noticed. If I continued to hide it, he'd only grow more suspicious about whether you pose a threat to the Leaf."
Kakashi felt helpless.
He had originally intended to keep Yoruha's existence a secret.
Who could have predicted what would happen tonight?
Just thinking about the commotion Yoruha had caused earlier sent chills down Kakashi's spine.
Looking at Yoruha's still youthful face, Kakashi muttered, "I have no idea how someone your age possesses such terrifying chakra reserves."
"That kind of jutsu was on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb. Chidori could never cause such destruction."
"Though, in the end, it resembled a Lightning Release jutsu like Chidori."
"But that level of lightning far exceeded anything found in nature. Perhaps it's the kind of power that Sage Mode is capable of harnessing."
Kakashi speculated that the lightning Yoruha had generated might have been due to the use of Sage Chakra.
After all, Sage Chakra was inherently far more potent than regular chakra.
Kakashi remained by the bedside, watching over Yoruha, whose consciousness was fully immersed in his inner mindscape.
Even Yoruha himself didn't fully understand what had happened earlier that night.
"Your chakra reserves have doubled, and your speed has increased significantly," a voice echoed within his mind.
In the inner mindscape, all Yoruha could hear was confirmation that both his chakra and speed had improved.
No explanation was given for what had just occurred.
Yoruha thought for a moment. "Could it be because of my chakra? Did I output too much chakra? After all, my chakra is different from ordinary chakra."
"It's pure natural energy. Inside my body, it's completely under my control, but once it overflows, it goes berserk."
Yoruha was speculating, but he had guessed correctly.
The reason for the disturbance that night was entirely due to him outputting an excessive amount of chakra, which triggered a runaway reaction in the surrounding natural energy.
The natural energy within Yoruha's body had a self-protective mechanism. When it sensed a life-threatening danger to him, it instantly absorbed the natural energy around him to form an energy shield, protecting him from the lightning strikes.
Furthermore, since the lightning had been generated by Yoruha himself, it carried a trace of his consciousness. When the energy exploded, most of it didn't strike him directly.
Instead, the unfortunate surroundings bore the brunt of the disaster.
The overwhelming lightning energy was almost entirely discharged into the ground around Yoruha.
Read 4 months ahead at:
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