Chapter 256

At three o'clock in the afternoon, it was the time when the Greninja group in the Alliance Breeding Base was most active.

"Those are wild Froakie."

Kakashi and Froakie were hiding on a tree branch in the forest.

This kind of forest environment was more than comfortable for a ninja from Konohagakure like Kakashi.

Ahead of them, by a lake, a group of Froakie and Frogadier were playing by or in the water, and they could also see two or three Greninja seemingly teaching some moves.

"Froak."

Froakie, staying by Kakashi's side, also saw the others of its kind.

It was its first time seeing its own species, and curiosity and nervousness filled its eyes.

As Kakashi and Froakie watched, they quickly discovered many things they hadn't known before.

"Those foam bubbles are actually elastic and sticky?!"

Kakashi observed the Froakie playing in the water, his eyes slightly widened in surprise.

The Froakie could use the bubbles on their bodies to absorb attacks and reduce damage, and those bubbles had adhesive properties—once stuck to a target, they needed water to be removed.

Though these bubbles had no offensive power, in a ninja battle, they could be used in creative ways.

For instance, the bubbles could be used to mark a target, throw them to block enemy shuriken attacks, or even assist in triggering explosive tags.

Kakashi pulled out his notebook, jotting down everything he saw.

Froakie was also surprised, rubbing the foam on its chest—it had never considered these bubbles could be so useful.

Generally speaking...

Wild Pokémon had elders to guide them in understanding their own bodies, while Froakie, who had never met others of its kind, was slower in discovering its capabilities, possibly needing more time to figure things out on its own.

"Frogadier—the evolved form of Froakie—makes excellent use of terrain, and its physical control is extraordinarily precise. It's adept at climbing..."

Kakashi then shifted his attention to Frogadier.

In his observation, Frogadier's speed as it moved between the trees was remarkable—it had no chakra, yet its speed and stability were comparable to that of a jonin.

Especially its speed when climbing upwards; Kakashi estimated it could climb 600 meters in a minute.

Its control over force was also impressive, easily throwing a pebble or spitting a stream of water to accurately hit a target thirty meters away.

Kakashi had every reason to believe...

The Greninja line was chosen as one of the Nine Families of the Alliance not only because it was suitable for beginner Trainers but also because the species had great plasticity and potential.

He couldn't even imagine what kind of powerful ninja squad would be created if this Greninja group learned to refine chakra and perform ninjutsu.

"So, what do you think? Would you like to interact with your fellow Froakie?"

Kakashi wrote a bit more in his notebook, then looked at Froakie.

"Froak..."

Froakie hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded.

It did want to meet its fellow Froakie and see if it could learn some useful skills and make some friends.

"Alright, let's go introduce ourselves then."

Seeing Froakie nod, Kakashi didn't hesitate and decided to lead Froakie over.

"Croak."

Just as Kakashi was about to take Froakie down from the tree, a strange noise came from the nearby trunk.

Kakashi and Froakie were startled and looked over.

It was a Greninja, standing upright.

This Greninja's aura and demeanor were completely different from the others below. Kakashi instantly determined that this Greninja was likely the leader of the group.

"...."

Cold sweat formed on Kakashi's forehead.

It had been a long time since he experienced this feeling.

Being watched by someone without noticing at all.

On Pokémon Island, his strength had dwindled so much that he couldn't even sense a Greninja standing right next to them, and he had no idea how long it had been there.

"Froak."

Greninja glanced at Kakashi and Froakie, then gestured with its hand.

It was indicating for them to follow.

Greninja led Kakashi and Froakie into the group.

When the foreign Froakie and human Kakashi appeared in the sight of the other Froakie, it caused quite a stir.

Froakie were good at disguising themselves and were clever Pokémon, but being in their first stage, they weren't that mature, so they were still curious about new things.

In contrast, Frogadier and Greninja had no reaction even when they saw Kakashi and Froakie; they only gave them a couple of extra glances.

"We have obtained the professor's permission and have brought Froakie here to learn."

To avoid any misunderstandings, Kakashi quickly explained.

At the moment, he had little combat ability, and Froakie was young and lacked strong fighting power.

Although Kakashi didn't believe the Pokémon here would do anything excessive to them, outsiders were usually in for a beating if they invaded territory.

Thus, it was best to explain in advance.

"Froak."

The Greninja leader nodded.

It never suspected Kakashi of being anything suspicious.

Even though their behavior seemed rather suspect.

The Greninja leader understood the tight security of this base.

Thus, any unfamiliar faces that appeared had likely obtained permission; it was almost impossible that they were intruders.

If there were such intruders, it wouldn't just be the Marines and security personnel causing a ruckus—the Porygon2 would use the loudspeakers within the breeding base to notify all nine Pokémon species.

Greninja brought Kakashi and Froakie over because it overheard Kakashi and Froakie's conversation earlier and sensed that this Froakie was different from the usual ones, and it wanted to understand more.

"Froak."

Kakashi's Froakie stepped forward and said something.

In Kakashi's ears, the meaning of that phrase was clear: "I want to become stronger."

This made Kakashi feel a bit embarrassed. His Pokémon seemed a little too straightforward. Shouldn't words like these be phrased more politely?

This highlighted the difference between human and Pokémon thinking.

Pokémon didn't have the complexities of deceit or social niceties—they were straightforward. In the ears of Greninja, Froakie's words weren't out of place at all.

"Croak croak."

Greninja spoke, though Kakashi didn't understand what it said.

But seeing Greninja nod, he knew it was agreeing.

Greninja then led Froakie to the lake, while Kakashi stepped aside and watched quietly, supporting Froakie.

When Pokémon taught each other skills, they had their own process.

First...

For a Pokémon that had never seen them before, the one teaching would first demonstrate its power to gain the other's trust.

"Croak croak."

Greninja didn't use a powerful Water-type move like Hydro Cannon—it wasn't necessary.

Instead, it used a skill that all Greninja could use—Water Shuriken.

Greninja made a sound to draw Froakie's attention, then raised its hand, instantly creating a massive shuriken made of water.

Water Shuriken.

A move that only Greninja and Accelgor could learn—essentially their signature move.

It was a highly flexible move that could be thrown as a ranged attack or used as a weapon in close combat, depending on the Greninja's preferred style.

Its power also differed from the game, where it was rated only "15." In the anime, its displayed power far exceeded that.

Whoosh~

Greninja threw the water shuriken.

Despite its size, it didn't seem cumbersome at all as it spun through the air, leaving only an afterimage in its swift path, slicing through a large tree on the opposite side of the lake in just two seconds.

And the shuriken didn't dissipate after; instead, it returned to Greninja, who caught it with ease.

"Froakie!"

Kakashi's Froakie was in awe, doing a backflip in excitement.

Amazing!

First-stage Pokémon were often easily impressed by their evolved forms, while other species' evolutions didn't have the same effect.

"At least on par with Chidori, if not more—and it's a no-seal jutsu."

Though Kakashi didn't have chakra at the moment, he still tried to assess the Water Shuriken move.

Chidori was an A-rank Lightning Release jutsu that young Kakashi had developed himself, requiring hand seals and having obvious drawbacks.

Chidori was extremely fast—not only could it be hard for the caster to react, but its path was straightforward and it was difficult to see enemies, making it most effective when used with Sharingan, and for the best results, it even required Byakugan support.

Moreover, Chidori was quite loud, so opponents would immediately notice it and prepare to counter or defend as soon as it was activated.

But Water Shuriken had none of these drawbacks.

Watching the Water Shuriken, Kakashi recalled an idea he once had.

He had wanted to merge Lightning Release chakra with the Rasengan...

But after failing, he had developed Chidori instead.

Looking at the Water Shuriken now, it seemed somewhat like a version of...

Water Release: Rasengan Shuriken.

(End of Chapter)

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