Kakashi was genuinely surprised by Arata's calm reaction.
"You really are different from other kids," he said with a faint smile. "Most of them would puff up the moment I said something like that—thinking I was praising them."
He tilted his head slightly. "But you don't show even a trace of pride."
Arata frowned. "Feeling proud over something like that would be foolish. I know exactly what I can and can't do. Becoming as strong as a jōnin in six months? Impossible. Going on missions with you? Even more impossible."
He crossed his arms. "I'd rather stay alive, thank you."
Kakashi chuckled softly. "Still, both I and Tomoe think you can do it."
"Then you're both overestimating me," Arata said, shaking his head. "I don't have that kind of power."
Kakashi sighed but didn't press the issue. "Whether you can or not—we'll find out soon enough."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small slip of white paper, handing it over.
"This is chakra paper. It reveals your chakra nature. Try it."
Arata hesitated for just a moment before accepting it. He didn't want Kakashi to know his secret—he possessed all five chakra natures.
That kind of thing was almost unheard of in the ninja world. In all of Konoha, he only knew of Kakashi and the Third Hokage who could do the same.
"Channel your chakra into it," Kakashi said. "Let's see what you've got."
Arata's eyes narrowed. He gathered chakra through his tenketsu and released it into the paper.
Kakashi's gaze sharpened as he watched closely.
Most ninja only had one chakra nature. Two was already considered rare.
Even most jōnin were born with only one—any additional elements were usually trained later, and the difference between natural and acquired chakra natures was huge.
Kakashi secretly hoped Arata's would be Lightning Release, so he could teach him Chidori.
But what happened next left him completely speechless.
The chakra paper split cleanly in two. One half dampened instantly, soaking through with moisture. The other half crumpled, caught fire, burned a hole clean through—and the remaining edges cracked apart like stone dust.
Kakashi froze, his eye wide. "You… you have all five chakra natures?"
He blinked in disbelief. "This… this is unreal. It's been decades—decades—since anyone in Konoha had all five!"
He looked at Arata with rare excitement. "You're destined to become a ninja as great as the Fourth Hokage himself."
Arata blinked, speechless.
Honestly, he didn't understand why Kakashi was this excited.
Kakashi himself had all five chakra types—so what was the big deal?
"Sensei," Arata said calmly, "is it really that rare? You're acting like you've seen a ghost."
Kakashi exhaled and smiled. "You don't get it. Having all five chakra natures means you can theoretically learn every elemental jutsu that exists. That's… well, it's something worth getting excited about."
Arata just nodded. "Hmm. So that means I can learn any elemental ninjutsu, right?"
Kakashi stared at him, dumbfounded. "You're really not surprised at all, huh?"
Arata shrugged. "Why should I be? I'm more interested in whether I can actually learn all five types of jutsu."
Kakashi rubbed his forehead. "You really aren't like other kids…"
Still, he smiled. "You're right, though. Having all five chakra natures means you can learn every basic elemental jutsu there is."
"Let me guess," Arata said lightly. "From your reaction earlier, there aren't many who can do that."
Kakashi nodded. "Exactly. It's incredibly rare. As far as I know, only three people in Konoha have all five—me, the Third Hokage, and now, you."
Arata gave a small grin. "Makes sense. You're the Copy Ninja, after all. If you didn't have all five, you wouldn't be able to copy so many techniques."
"That's right," Kakashi said, pleased by the insight. "Even with the Sharingan, not every jutsu can be copied. If the user doesn't have the matching chakra nature, it's impossible. And of course, bloodline abilities, forbidden jutsu, and taijutsu can't be copied at all."
For a brief moment, Kakashi's usually lazy expression softened. He looked genuinely proud of the boy before him.
"From today onward," he said, placing a hand on Arata's shoulder, "I'll put you through the strictest training possible. I'll make sure you master every fundamental jutsu you need in the shortest time."
Arata smiled faintly. "That's fine. I'll do my best… but don't expect miracles."
Kakashi laughed quietly. He couldn't help it—this boy was something else.
Arata was a rare gem—one that only needed a bit of polish to shine brilliantly.
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