Unlike the pain that accompanied previous rewards, this "Physical Enhancement" was a numbing sensation that spread through his entire body.
It started as a slight tingle, but a second later, it exploded into a wave of paralysis that swept over him.
This paralysis caused Riku's body to stiffen for a fraction of a second.
"This is intense! I can't move at all!"
Kakashi caught the awkwardness in Riku's movement and seized the opportunity, rushing toward him. With a flick of his hand, a kunai magically appeared in his grasp.
Advancing with the uniquely unpredictable footwork of the Hatake clan's fighting style, he rapidly closed the distance.
In a mere instant, Kakashi was in front of Riku, his kunai slashing horizontally toward his throat.
Since it was a specially made training kunai, the blow wouldn't cause serious injury, which was why Kakashi dared to use such a lethal-looking move.
But in Riku's eyes, Kakashi's movements seemed to have slowed down. Actions that were once difficult to track were now perfectly clear.
*Did my Sharingan activate? No! It's the physical enhancement. It's given my reaction time and kinetic vision a massive boost.*
"Looks like I made the right choice."
Riku abruptly dropped into a crouch, dodging the would-be fatal strike.
Lifting his head, Riku's battle-hungry gaze met Kakashi's look of astonishment.
*Surprised? The show's just getting started!*
Riku flipped over and kicked out, striking Kakashi squarely in the abdomen and sending him flying into the air!
A jolt went through Teacher Oshima. *That's… the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf?*
The pain from the sudden impact left Kakashi momentarily stunned.
"It's over," Riku said with a grin.
"Not by a long shot!" Having regained his senses, Kakashi quickly formed a hand seal.
Riku stomped his foot down hard, and his body appeared beneath Kakashi.
As they soared through the air, Riku remained calm and unhurried. He formed the "Rat" hand seal with his left hand and pressed it against Kakashi's waist.
"Have a taste of this!"
Riku twisted his body. The open air, where he should have had no leverage, became his personal stage. He swung a swift and powerful whip-like kick at Kakashi.
*BANG!*
Kakashi raised an arm to block, but the force of the blow made him falter.
"This is the moment I was waiting for. Lion Combo!"
Riku spun around with an elbow strike, slamming it directly into Kakashi's face. He then used his hand to brace himself, maneuvering Kakashi underneath him before throwing a straight right punch, viciously hammering him into the ground.
Then, with a flip, Riku landed heavily, rolling several times to disperse the force.
Not daring to let his guard down, Riku quickly drew a kunai and stood ready. Suddenly, he felt a faint chakra fluctuation from above.
The way this chakra was being used felt familiar.
That momentary lapse in focus gave the battle an unexpected turn. Suddenly, with a *POOF*, the Kakashi who had been knocked to the ground vanished in a puff of white smoke.
And from within Riku's own shadow, the real Kakashi silently struck.
*He hid his real body in my shadow?*
Fortunately, Riku's senses and reactions had been enhanced. He parried the attack instantly and created distance between them.
"Uchiha Riku, you are strong."
"Hatake Kakashi, I hope you'll get even stronger," Riku added silently in his mind. *That way, I can keep farming you for rewards.*
Teacher Oshima appeared just in time to stop the training session. Riku and Kakashi formed the Seal of Reconciliation, after which Kakashi promised him another match, a proposal Riku readily accepted.
Riku was discovering that constantly fighting against strong opponents not only improved his strength but also honed his combat skills. What was not to like?
The practical training session was finally drawing to a close, and Teacher Oshima began his summary.
"Asuma, your taijutsu is lacking. You need to train harder."
"Ebisu, your fundamentals are solid, but you're too rigid in combat."
Suddenly, the shadows of the distant trees trembled slightly. No one noticed except for Oshima, who paused for a split second before immediately regaining his composure.
...
"Riku, your ninjutsu and taijutsu are both excellent. Your original Lion Combo, created on the foundation of the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, is particularly creative..."
Hearing this, Riku's face flushed with secondhand embarrassment. *My bad, Sasuke. Finders keepers, I guess.*
Teacher Oshima looked at Riku, his appreciation for talent written all over his face.
"If you want to improve further, you need to put more effort into your taijutsu. In the early stages of this fight, your taijutsu was weak. You only overcame Kakashi in the end because of your enhanced physical stats."
Riku nodded humbly in agreement, marveling at Oshima Ryunosuke's sharp eye. If Hatake Kakashi, the one who had just fought him, had said something like that, Riku wouldn't have been surprised. After all, he could gauge his opponent's condition in real time during a fight. But for Teacher Oshima to notice such a detail just by watching was truly impressive.
By the time Teacher Oshima had finished critiquing all the students, Obito, the "master of excuses," finally arrived. Oshima didn't say much, just told him to train more to catch up with everyone else.
Soon, it was time for school to end. Students left the classroom in groups. Obito looked toward Riku. "Are you going to train today?"
Riku nodded. "I'm training with Guy." Obito looked a little disappointed, but when he saw Rin packing her bag, he trotted over to her. In the end, the two left the classroom, chatting and laughing.
Just then, Kakashi walked over to Riku's desk and spoke softly, "Are you going to train after class?"
"That's right. I'm meeting a good friend."
"Can I come along?"
Riku's expression was one of momentary shock before he understood. It was only natural. Having met someone his own age who was his equal for the first time, Kakashi was curious to see how he trained.
Looking up, Riku saw Kakashi's slightly flushed face and realized he had hesitated too long, making things awkward.
He quickly gave a firm reply. "No problem. I was just about to introduce you to my friend. I'm sure you two will get along great."
As they were talking enthusiastically, Aota, who hadn't left yet, suddenly stood up and dashed out of the classroom, apparently off to train with his followers again.
Riku and Kakashi walked out of the school gates side-by-side. Suddenly, Riku once again felt that unique chakra fluctuation from the sky.
He didn't make any sudden moves. He knew that the enemy was hidden while he was exposed. But now that he had detected this chakra, he held a trump card that could reverse the situation.
If he carelessly revealed that he could sense this chakra, it would alert the other party and all his advantage would be lost. So Riku remained still, carefully sensing the chakra.
It was an extremely unusual chakra. It spread over the land like light, yet it was so gentle and subtle that even a well-trained jonin wouldn't be able to detect it without a special technique.
Riku felt that the way this chakra was used was incredibly familiar. He hadn't had time to think about it during his fight with Kakashi, but now, with a moment of reflection, the answer surfaced in his mind.
*The Telescope Technique! The Third Hokage is watching!*
Because he had received the Telescope Technique as a reward when he'd touched the Third Hokage's head, Riku was extremely familiar with the chakra signature of this jutsu.
He just didn't know if the Hokage was spying on him or Kakashi. Realizing the Third Hokage had already spied on them twice, Riku instantly became aware of the many inconsistencies about himself that were difficult to explain.
The biggest problem was the origin of his ninjutsu!
*I have to deal with this immediately.*
Kakashi, however, had no idea what Riku was thinking. He just thought Riku had zoned out and prompted him, "Riku? You okay?"
"Huh? Sorry, I was just lost in thought. Come on, let me treat you to a meal before we train. What do you like to eat?"
"Fish."
"You like three-color dango, right? Let's go. I know a really delicious place." (´ε｀ )
"You're just saying that because you want dango, aren't you?" (?_?;)