Chapter 22: Spatial Ninjutsu is so Powerful, and You're Playing with Basic Taijutsu!?

Kakashi's hands flew in a blur, completing a series of hand seals in the blink of an eye.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The temperature around Naruto spiked dramatically, and a massive fireball, about two meters in diameter, erupted from Kakashi's mouth.

Honestly... Naruto couldn't help but wonder if all fire-style ninjas had really bad breath.

"Naruto!"

Kakashi shouted in warning, seeing the boy standing there in a daze. In his heart, Kakashi marveled at how nonchalant Naruto was. The fireball was nearly at his face, and yet... he still had time to space out?

Snapping back to his senses, Naruto's pupils reflected the approaching flames. This was his first time facing such an elemental jutsu, and a wave of nervousness washed over him.

Seeing Naruto still unmoving, Kakashi braced himself, ready to use the Body Flicker Technique to rescue the boy at the last moment. Though, in all honesty, Kakashi figured it probably wouldn't be that bad—Naruto would likely be up and running again in just a few minutes, even if the fireball hit him.

Naruto swiftly raised his hands, and in the next instant, a purple energy barrier formed in front of him. The great fireball roared through the barrier, but then Kakashi suddenly noticed a familiar glow right in front of him—the purple energy was now in his face, and with it, the massive fireball!

Kakashi was moments away from cursing. Why the hell did Naruto teleport the fireball right back at such close range!?

Fortunately, Kakashi's reflexes kicked in, and he leaned back just in time. The fireball grazed his head, but only barely.

Had he been a second slower, his beloved silver hair would've been toast.

"Not bad!" Kakashi remarked, his tone even, though Naruto could sense the underlying excitement.

That was a beautifully executed teleportation jutsu, Kakashi had to admit. In fact, as far as he knew, no one else in the entire ninja world could use a technique quite like Naruto's.

"Uncle! Let's go again!" Naruto beamed, the success of transferring the fireball clearly fueling his excitement. He now wanted to see if he could teleport other kinds of jutsu.

Kakashi's reaction to dodging the fireball wasn't as relaxed as the first time—Naruto could tell.

Naruto had suddenly realized just how powerful his spatial jutsu could be in battle. He wasn't just moving techniques around—he could redirect tailed beast bombs, or even Truth-Seeking Orbs. Anything with a physical trajectory could be relocated.

'In essence... if you attack me, you're just hitting yourself!'

Naruto was elated, like a child who had just been given a new toy.

Kakashi, observing Naruto's glee, wasn't sure whether to be happy that the boy was moving beyond basic taijutsu or concerned that this technique might lead him down a more reckless path.

"You, a jinchūriki with chakra reserves as vast as an ocean... and you still want to play around with basic taijutsu?"

Even so, Kakashi was curious to see just how far Naruto's new jutsu could go.

"Alright." Kakashi nodded, forming hand seals again.

Naruto, seeing Kakashi take a longer time with the seals, quickly recognized the jutsu. Forty-four seals... Not many jutsu in the ninja world required that many.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

As Kakashi finished the last seal, the water from the nearby river began swirling and converging rapidly. In an instant, a massive water dragon, over twenty meters long, rose up behind him, its gaping maw roaring as it lunged straight at Naruto. The sheer pressure and size of the jutsu were overwhelming.

Naruto glanced at the dragon and felt a sinking realization.

'Wait... my spatial gate is only about two meters tall and one meter wide. There's no way that water dragon is fitting through!'

Though doubts ran through his mind, Naruto still reacted quickly. He threw up a spatial gate in front of him. Just in case it couldn't handle the dragon's size, he placed another gate behind him as a precaution. Then, without hesitation, he threw himself backward into the purple glow and vanished.

Sizzling sounds filled the air as the water dragon clashed against the gate. Due to its immense size, only a fraction of the water dragon was able to pass through, the rest splashing violently around the area.

By the time the gate closed, the remaining part of the dragon that emerged from the other side was a mere fifth of its original size. It was obvious that its power had diminished significantly.

Naruto, cautiously choosing not to redirect the attack right at Kakashi, breathed a sigh of relief. He figured if he messed up, he might be out a team leader.

Still, he wasn't completely satisfied with the jutsu's diminished effectiveness.

"So... jutsu with a wide range seem to weaken when transferred through the spatial gate," Kakashi commented, his Sharingan now exposed as he analyzed the situation.

Naruto wasn't too concerned. After all, most of the ninja world's deadliest techniques were small and concentrated. Well... except for stuff like the Susanoo or Hashirama's giant Buddha, but those were rare exceptions.

His spatial jutsu was already quite formidable in both offense and defense. Not to mention, Naruto had plenty of tricks left up his sleeve.

"Again, Naruto. One more time."

Kakashi cracked his knuckles. Naruto guessed this time he was going to use his signature move—Chidori.

Naruto nodded, placing another spatial gate in preparation.

The air sizzled as Kakashi's hand lit up with blue lightning. The sharp, chirping sounds of birds echoed as the Chidori formed, its brightness nearly blinding.

Naruto, ears ringing, instinctively covered them with his hands as Kakashi shot forward, the Chidori trailing in a blaze of blue. He vanished into the spatial gate, only to reappear ten meters away.

"Impressive. You can even use it to support your teammates in an attack," Kakashi remarked, deactivating his Chidori and lowering his headband over his Sharingan. He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

Naruto's spatial abilities had tremendous strategic value—not only could they be used to escape or pursue, but also to attack, evade, and even assist teammates in combat.

Now that Kakashi had a better grasp of Naruto's powers, his expression became more complicated.

Why was this kid, with such a game-changing technique, still fooling around with basic taijutsu?

"Uncle, do you want to continue?"

"No, I'm out of chakra." Kakashi's response was calm, but Naruto's face twisted into a mocking expression.

'Come on, seriously? Three jutsu and you're done?'

Curious about how much chakra Kakashi had, Naruto mentally asked the Nine-Tails.

"Hey, big fox, how much chakra does Kakashi have?"

The Nine-Tails didn't even lift an eyelid, answering lazily, "Thirty mags."

"What!? That's less than a third of mine!"

Naruto was stunned, only to realize how absurd it was to compare Kakashi's chakra reserves to his own.

"You're talking nonsense, kid," the Nine-Tails grumbled. "As of yesterday, you had one hundred and fifty units."

Once again, Naruto was floored. His growth was astonishing—even he couldn't believe it. At this rate, he might actually be able to rival the First Hokage one day.

For now, though, he had something else on his mind—he needed to learn how to unlock the Eight Gates technique. If he could just get a look at how it worked, maybe he could adapt it into something better suited for himself.

"Uncle Kakashi…"

"Hm?"

Kakashi had just squatted down to rest, fishing out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise when Naruto called out.

"I've been working on a technique lately... It's about compressing chakra inside the body to enhance speed and strength..."

'Huh?'

Kakashi listened with a puzzled expression. 'Wasn't that just the Eight Gates?'

"Don't bother. There's already a forbidden jutsu in the village called the Eight Gates that does exactly that."

Kakashi explained patiently, unsure where Naruto got these wild ideas from. But he also thought Naruto didn't need to go down that path—he'd be better off focusing on how to use the vast amount of chakra inside him.

However, as Kakashi finished speaking, he noticed Naruto crouched next to him, staring with wide, eager eyes, clearly waiting for more.

'Fine...' he thought, giving in to the inevitable.

With a sigh, Kakashi slowly stood up.

Seeing this, Naruto's face lit up with excitement. His forbidden jutsu training was about to begin.

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