The duel began! Two figures collided in a blur of motion.
Sakumo appeared in the backyard just in time, leaning against the doorway with a smile as he watched them.
"Listen up! The most important thing in this match is to discover your own strengths and weaknesses. Winning or losing doesn't really matter."
The two boys nodded in acknowledgment before quickly tangling with each other again.
They had a tacit understanding not to use kunai to probe each other's defenses.
First, they knew each other so well that such tests were unnecessary.
Second, they had complete confidence in the other's skill, believing that mere kunai would pose no real pressure.
Thus, the moment the battle started, it plunged directly into the most intense phase of taijutsu combat.
Kakashi was the first to strike, closing the distance to Riku with dizzying, unpredictable footwork.
But thanks to "Enhanced Physical Fitness" and "Yin Chakra Amplification," Riku's current dynamic vision and reaction time were worlds apart from what they had been a month ago.
"Your footwork is useless before these eyes."
Hearing this, Kakashi changed his approach again. His steps became even more chaotic and seemingly random, yet his forward speed didn't decrease in the slightest.
"You haven't even awakened your Sharingan. Don't get ahead of yourself."
Sakumo chuckled at the sight.
"The Reverse Hatake Body Arts... Kakashi really is a bold one."
Unable to see through Kakashi's footwork, Riku decided not to just wait and see. He stomped his foot, causing the ground to crack slightly as he shot straight toward Kakashi at incredible speed.
Kakashi twisted his body, using the rotational force to deliver a sweeping kick. Riku raised an arm to block the attack.
"That was soft. My turn!"
With that, Riku threw a fierce punch at Kakashi's face. Watching the fist grow larger and larger before his eyes, Kakashi knew this was a dangerous blow.
He tried to intercept it with his palm but couldn't withstand the immense force behind the punch. He was sent flying, tumbling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.
But everyone present understood that Riku's punch hadn't truly landed. Though the power was astonishing, Kakashi's series of movements had already dispersed seventy to eighty percent of the force.
To Riku, it felt like punching cotton.
"Riku, your Monstrous Strength has gotten even stronger."
"Of course it has!"
Giving Kakashi no time to breathe, Riku rapidly closed in, his right fist raised high. Shockingly, his fist was shrouded in a pale blue, high-density chakra!
"You'd better dodge this!" Despite his words, Riku showed no mercy, swinging his fist violently at Kakashi.
"Too slow!" Kakashi flipped sideways, narrowly avoiding Riku's attack.
*THUD!* To the surprise of both father and son, Kakashi, who had just dodged the attack, collapsed to the ground in pain.
"How! I'm sure I dodged your attack," Kakashi said, his face a mask of disbelief.
Sakumo was also taken aback for a moment before his expression cleared with understanding. "Young Riku gathered chakra around his palm, which increased the attack's effective range."
"Even though you dodged his fist, you were still hit by the chakra surrounding it."
Riku marveled at Sakumo's sharp eye while feeling a surge of joy at his successful strike.
It seemed his idea of combining Monstrous Strength with Frog Kata--inspired by Naruto's Sage Mode--was correct. Substituting natural energy with his own chakra could produce the same effect!
Kakashi got up, looking a little worse for wear, and brushed the dust from his clothes.
"I'm getting serious now."
Kakashi flicked his right hand near his ninja tool pouch, and a kunai appeared smoothly in his grasp.
Riku could feel Kakashi's aura change. The weapon in his hand felt less like a kunai and more like a razor-sharp short sword.
The Hatake Sword Style!
In an instant, Kakashi launched a ferocious assault. Riku drew his own kunai, his eyes darting rapidly, trying to track every one of Kakashi's attacks.
The two went back and forth, locked in a fierce and evenly matched struggle. Although Riku was having a hard time defending, he managed to block each of Kakashi's attacks, narrowly avoiding disaster time and again.
Finally, Kakashi raised his kunai and slashed forward with a sudden burst of speed that even Sakumo found somewhat surprising.
Riku clearly saw Kakashi's intent and hastily raised his arm to parry. But Kakashi suddenly changed his move. The kunai in his hand moved like a coiling dragon, bypassing Riku's defense to strike him sharply on the calf.
Riku instantly lost his balance and fell to the ground, rolling away just before Kakashi could press his attack.
Through this intense exchange, both knew they were evenly matched in taijutsu. The next stage would be a duel of ninjutsu.
Kakashi quickly leaped back, putting as much distance between himself and Riku as he could. Even as he retreated, he was rapidly forming hand seals.
Sakumo couldn't help but wonder, "Why is Kakashi trying so desperately to get away from Riku?"
Then, he had his answer.
Riku wasn't forming any hand seals at all. He used his extreme speed to constantly close the distance Kakashi was creating.
When only a few body lengths separated them, Riku extended his palm, and a pale blue sphere of chakra formed instantly.
Even Sakumo, watching from a distance, could feel the immense destructive power of this jutsu.
Just as Riku's Rasengan was about to hit, Kakashi finally completed his hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" Kakashi roared. A wall of earth shot up from the ground. While it didn't have the carved dog heads from the original series, it was enough to block Riku's path.
*CRACK!* With the sound of the wall shattering, Riku stood before Kakashi.
"I give up. His hand seal-less ninjutsu is too fast," Kakashi said with a sigh of resignation.
Sakumo walked over, patting the dust off both of them as he offered his critique.
"Kakashi, your swordsmanship has improved significantly, but you focus too much on technique and neglect your physical conditioning. You need to properly practice the body-forging method I taught you. As for ninjutsu, you need to increase your hand seal speed."
Kakashi nodded in agreement.
"Young Riku is truly a rare genius. Excellent chakra control, brilliant chakra application, and a self-created hand seal-less ninjutsu... These are things many people can't achieve in a lifetime."
Hearing this, Riku felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
"However, if you want to advance further, you should consider the connection between your body and your chakra."
"Watching you fight, I noticed that when one attack fails, you need to pause for a moment before launching the next. You must understand that this momentary pause often reveals a fatal opening. If you can make your attacks flow together, I believe it will be of great benefit to you."
Riku understood what Sakumo meant. In essence, he needed to cancel his recovery frames after a basic attack.
After the review, both Kakashi and Riku gained valuable insights. After all, not everyone had the opportunity to receive patient guidance from an elite jonin.
After chatting for a while, Riku prepared to leave, but Sakumo called out to him.
"Young Riku, I remember that ninjutsu you created is a hand seal-less one, correct?"
"That's right, Uncle."
"I happen to know a junior who is also researching hand seal-less ninjutsu. I think you two could exchange some ideas when you have the chance."
Riku's heart skipped a beat. At this point in time, who else could be developing hand seal-less ninjutsu!
But Riku put on a curious expression.
"Uncle, who is this junior you're talking about?"
"He's the student of an old friend of mine. Like you, he's a genius."
"Sure, Uncle! Just let me know when this senior is free, and I'll definitely come."
"By the way, may I ask the senior's name?"
"Namikaze Minato."