Chapter 257

Compared to Naruto's later-developed Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken, Water Shuriken had both its advantages and disadvantages.

First, in terms of power:

Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken had significantly more power; the difference wasn't merely between S-rank and A-rank, but more like the gap between SS-rank and A-rank.

Although Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken was classified as an S-rank jutsu in the original work, that was because S-rank was already the highest official rank in Naruto. Otherwise, Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken would definitely not be just an S-rank jutsu.

What other S-rank jutsu could wipe out Kakuzu with 50% power, taking out two of his hearts in the process?

However, this excessive power came with a huge drawback for Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken.

This jutsu caused considerable damage to the user as well. Even with Naruto's Uzumaki resilience, he could only use it at 50% power.

And such a half-finished Wind Release Shuriken caused Naruto's right hand to lose its ability to move after use, and it could only be used in close combat, without the ability to throw it.

Only when Naruto entered Sage Mode or Nine-Tails Chakra Mode could he unleash the full 100% power of this jutsu.

However, such drawbacks did not exist for Water Shuriken.

Water Shuriken seemed more like a version that sacrificed power to make it flawless.

While Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken was later classified as an S-rank forbidden technique by Tsunade, Water Shuriken could possibly be treated as a regular A-rank or S-rank jutsu that other ninjas could learn and use.

This was precisely Kakashi's thought at the moment.

"When Froakie evolves and learns this move, perhaps I could develop it in a chakra-based form."

Kakashi took out his notebook and made notes.

In the process of Greninja teaching Froakie skills, it wasn't only Froakie learning; Kakashi, as a Trainer, was also making an effort to learn.

Without realizing it, he had gradually started to become a suitable Trainer.

After Greninja demonstrated its power, the real teaching began.

Teaching the skills that Froakie could currently learn.

"Froak." 'How old are you?'

Greninja asked Froakie about its age.

This would determine what kind of move Greninja would choose to teach Froakie.

As someone who had grown from a Froakie himself, Greninja knew exactly what skills he naturally learned during his growth. For those, there was no need for Greninja to teach.

He planned to teach a move that an ordinary Froakie could not learn through natural growth.

"Froak froak." 'One month!'

Froakie extended one finger.

"..."

Greninja was silent for a moment.

So it was just barely out of infancy.

Considering its age...

Greninja crossed his arms and pondered for a moment before deciding what to teach.

"Froak."

'Watch closely.'

Greninja gestured for Froakie to pay attention.

Next, Greninja crouched down, scooped some earth from the ground, and injected adhesive from its hands, a small amount of Water-type energy, and some Ground-type energy into the dirt, before throwing it toward the distant lake.

Mud Shot.

Boom!

The mud clump exploded in the lake, sending water five meters high.

This scene left Kakashi stunned.

To him, it looked like a child throwing mud just for fun—so why did it have such a massive effect?

This was something only Pokémon could achieve.

The difference between injecting Water Release chakra and energy into a clump of mud was worlds apart.

"Probably a C-rank jutsu with no hand seals... no, let's say it's a jutsu with some hand seals."

Kakashi assessed the move once again.

Judging by its difficulty, Kakashi thought it was C-rank, maybe even D or E-rank.

However, since he wasn't a Pokémon and couldn't personally experience the difficulty, he gave it a relatively high rating of C.

Judging by the power displayed by Greninja, it seemed equivalent to a B-rank jutsu used by an ordinary ninja.

However, the power of a jutsu wasn't always related to its rank. When Uchiha Madara used a C-rank Fire Release jutsu, it was stronger than an A-rank Fire Release jutsu used by an average jonin.

The key to Mud Shot wasn't its destructive power.

The key was that after hitting the enemy, it would reduce their movement speed—that was crucial.

"Froak!"

Froakie thought it seemed simple enough.

It scooped a lump of dirt and threw it.

And ended up just tossing a clump of dirt.

"...Froak?"

Froakie tilted its head in confusion.

It had mimicked Greninja's movements perfectly, so why didn't it work?

It scooped up another clump of dirt, then thought for a moment and injected Water-type chakra into it.

It threw the mud.

"Froak~"

Greninja shook its head and extended its hand.

In its hand, a blue energy glowed and then quickly turned into an earthy yellow.

Greninja was showing Froakie that it needed to use both Water-type energy and Ground-type energy.

But Greninja didn't expect a month-old Froakie to store Ground-type energy in its body. It was just helping Froakie understand the principle of the move.

Because the difficulty of the move lay in storing Ground-type energy as a Water-type Pokémon. After that, it was just a matter of injecting the energy—nothing too complicated.

"Froak."

Froakie didn't insist, nodded, and kept the information in its mind.

However, worried that it might forget, Froakie ran over to Kakashi and asked him to write it down.

"Oh, I see—Water Release chakra and Earth Release chakra."

Kakashi nodded and wrote it down.

At this point, he hadn't yet realized that the energy inside Pokémon and chakra were different.

But Froakie knew, and it stretched out its hand to cross out the word "chakra."

Froakie didn't know many words, but it did recognize the basic kanji for "water" and "earth."

Kakashi had pointed them out while teaching Froakie about various Releases.

Froakie simply crossed out the following words.

"Hm? Not chakra?"

Kakashi understood what his little companion meant.

After pondering for a few seconds, he added a question mark next to the crossed-out "chakra," deciding to research it further when they got back.

The teaching resumed.

"Froak."

This time, Greninja was teaching Froakie a move it could quickly learn.

Water Pledge.

This was a pure Water-type move, with maybe a bit of Ice-type energy mixed in.

In any case, it was a relatively simple and practical skill for Froakie.

Greninja extended both hands forward, and a splash of cold water appeared in front of its palms, radiating an icy chill.

This scene might seem odd in the world of One Piece, but in the Naruto world, it was fairly common.

After all, jutsu there often had this kind of effect.

"It reminds me a bit of the... Ice Release from the Land of Snow."

When Kakashi was in the ANBU, he had once been sent on a mission to the Land of Snow.

During that mission, he fought against the likes of Nadare Rōga and other ninja from the Land of Snow but was defeated.

Those ninja used a strange Ice Release technique.

In reality, Ice Release was a Kekkei Genkai that combined Water and Wind chakra, but the Ice Release used by the Land of Snow ninja was a "pseudo Ice Release" that utilized their natural environment combined with Wind Release.

Watching Greninja use Water Pledge, Kakashi was reminded of the awkward mix seen in the Land of Snow.

It was called Water Pledge, but it felt more like "Freezing Water Pledge" or "Icy Water Pledge."

Kakashi jotted down the move, planning to test it out later.

He had a feeling this move wasn't as simple as it appeared.

By now, Kakashi understood that the "jutsu" used by Pokémon often had unique effects.

Just like Froakie's Growl.

It seemed like a simple shout, but any ninja who heard it felt their strength diminish a little—it was bizarre.

And Water Pledge indeed had the special effect Kakashi thought it did: reducing the opponent's attack.

This effect was only represented this way in the games.

In reality, this icy water could lower the target's body activity and make their movements more sluggish.

"Froak!"

Froakie's eyes lit up at the sight of Greninja using the move.

It felt much simpler than the previous move, and it immediately tried it.

Splat!

Froakie easily gathered a splash of water in its palm and threw it.

And this time, it wisely chose not to use Water Release chakra to create the water, instead using its own Water-type energy.

However, the resulting water was just normal water—not cold at all, and it had no additional effects.

"Froak."

'Follow me.'

Greninja saw Froakie's attempt and understood something.

It realized that Froakie lacked experience—it probably hadn't fought much or interacted with other Pokémon.

Following Greninja's lead, Froakie came to a small pool.

This pool was different from the lake earlier—the surface emitted an icy chill, and there were some beautiful, translucent blue-white stones at the bottom.

"Froak."

'Put your hands in and feel what real cold water is like.'

Greninja pointed to the pool.

Froakie nodded and put both hands into the water, immediately frowning and trying to pull them out.

But at that moment, Greninja pressed down on Froakie's hands, not allowing them to come out.

"Froak."

'Endure it, hold on.'

Greninja encouraged Froakie, who had no choice but to grit its teeth and endure the freezing sensation in its hands.

When Froakie finally pulled its hands out, they felt numb.

But...

It successfully used Water Pledge, and it remembered the sensation deeply.

(End of Chapter)

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