Chapter 34: Did You See That Explosion?
Kakashi said, "The power inside Yoruha should be Senjutsu Chakra."
"When Jiraiya enters Sage Mode, that's the kind of Chakra he has too."
"Senjutsu Chakra is much stronger than ordinary Chakra."
"It's just that Yoruha has never learned Sage Mode. The Third Hokage said Yoruha might be a Natural Sage Body, meaning the Chakra in his body was Senjutsu Chakra from birth."
"And with Yoruha's Chakra reserves being so huge, if all the Senjutsu Chakra in his body was drained under that amplification, then he probably could create a ninjutsu covering that kind of range."
Actually, Kakashi himself felt this explanation was pretty far-fetched.
He had seen Jiraiya's Sage Mode before.
It was indeed very powerful, but none of Jiraiya's ninjutsu had ever had a range as massive as what Yoruha released last night.
Not to mention that Yoruha's ninjutsu had directly destroyed everything within several kilometers of the blast center.
Clearly, the destruction Yoruha caused last night far surpassed Jiraiya.
But aside from that explanation, Kakashi had no idea how else to explain the terrifying power Yoruha had released.
Kihon Toichi had not personally seen the process of Yoruha unleashing the jutsu, so he accepted Kakashi's words.
"That kind of power is already the power of a Tailed Beast."
"If Yoruha can master it, then he'll possess power no less than a Tailed Beast, right?"
Kihon Toichi looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi frowned. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Yoruha still can't control that power. He doesn't even really understand what it is yet."
"But fortunately, although that power in him can Rampage, Yoruha stays conscious the entire time."
"He doesn't become like a jinchūriki, losing awareness completely after Rampage and falling fully under a Tailed Beast's control."
"So I think the power inside Yoruha is simply an enormous amount of Chakra hidden within him."
"As long as Yoruha keeps training, he should definitely be able to master that Chakra."
"It's just probably not something he can do in a short time."
"I'll help him."
By the end, Kakashi's tone had turned firm.
After hearing that, Kihon Toichi let out a sigh of relief.
"So long as that power is different from a Tailed Beast, that's good. I was worried the power inside him might be like a Tailed Beast and seize his body."
Kakashi shook his head. "No. It's just that Yoruha can't control it, causing the power to Rampage."
"And what's hardest for me to believe is that Yoruha was at the very center of the explosion, yet survived completely unharmed. He didn't even suffer a scratch."
"Even after exhausting all his Chakra, he just slept one night and fully recovered."
"That kind of recovery ability is already comparable to Naruto."
"No—even Naruto probably doesn't have recovery that strong."
Kakashi sighed in amazement.
He had stayed by Yoruha's side all night and thought through many things.
These were all conclusions he had come to over the course of that night.
"So I think the power inside Yoruha may really be what the Third Hokage called the effect of a Natural Sage Body."
"The Third Hokage also said that the First Hokage, who possessed a Natural Sage Body, had an extremely powerful recovery ability."
"So powerful that even if his body was pierced through, he could recover in a very short time."
As Kihon Toichi listened, it all felt like hearing some mythological tale.
"That's not even human anymore, is it? It sounds more like divine power."
Kakashi sighed. "I was shocked too when I heard it."
"But the Third Hokage lived through the First Hokage's era. The First Hokage as he described him really was practically a god."
"The First Hokage's Chakra reserves were also enormous. In war, he often unleashed ninjutsu on the level of a Tailed Beast Ball."
"It's hard to imagine what other ninja in his era must have felt."
"The Third Hokage said that in the future, Yoruha may be able to possess power equal to the First Hokage's."
Kihon Toichi's expression turned grave. "With potential like that, is the Third Hokage really not wary?"
That was what Kihon Toichi cared about most.
The stronger Yoruha became, the more destruction he could cause in the future if he ever became a threat to Konohagakure.
Did the Third Hokage truly have no concerns?
Kakashi shook his head. "We can only hope the Third Hokage doesn't start thinking that way, and that Yoruha remains loyal to Konohagakure in the future."
"As his teachers, it's our responsibility to keep him from walking a path that opposes Konohagakure."
"But on that point, I think you can relax. Yoruha is different from others. He's very calm and won't be easily misled."
Kihon Toichi smiled. "That's true. Trying to fool that kid is basically impossible."
"And he's very rational. Just because he sees one or two dark things in Konohagakure doesn't mean he'll develop a bad impression of the village."
Ninja in this world were far too prone to emotional extremes.
Very few could look at problems calmly and rationally.
Many ninja would see some dark side of their village and begin to doubt it.
But Yoruha wouldn't. He was very levelheaded. In fact, both Kihon Toichi and Kakashi had spoken with him about such matters before.
Yoruha had always behaved with remarkable maturity.
He even understood why such things existed.
The truth was that as the most important military organization of a nation, a ninja village could never consist only of things under the sunlight. Dark and dirty things were inevitable.
But many times, those dark and dirty things had to be done in order to preserve a peaceful and stable life for the majority.
Kihon Toichi said, "After all, his teachers are two ninja who came out of Anbu."
Kakashi nodded.
Of course, when it came to Naruto and the others, Kakashi would not let them come into contact with the darkness.
Their thinking was still too immature.
If they learned about Akatsuki too early, it would be very easy for them to break down.
Likewise, Kihon Toichi would not let Yamada Juki and Tanako Hon come into contact with those things either.
After staying with Kihon Toichi for a while, Kakashi left.
Today, he was taking Naruto and the others to receive a mission.
Soon, the four of them gathered in front of the Hokage Building.
Kakashi arrived late as usual, and the three of them complained, "Kakashi-sensei, you're late again."
Kakashi looked at Naruto and let out a quiet sigh.
Seeing Naruto brought him back to himself, reminding him that he was teaching three students who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.
Yoruha usually acted so mature that Kakashi had overlooked his age and forgotten the gap between their years.
Kakashi casually explained, "Ah, sorry about that. I ran into an old lady crossing the road..."
Seeing Kakashi spout the same nonsense as always, the corners of the three students' mouths twitched.
Naruto said speechlessly, "Kakashi-sensei, you really have way too many excuses."
Kakashi waved a hand. "All right, all right. Let's just go get the mission."
The four of them headed toward the Hokage Building. Walking over to Sasuke's side, Sakura said with a smile, "Sasuke, did you see it last night? That explosion?"