Chapter 30: Colt vs Kakashi
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
Ps: Leave reviews and comments, thank you.
****************
At the training ground, Kakashi once again took out his Icha-Icha book.
"Use your full strength to attack me. I'll decide which ninjutsu to teach you based on your performance."
His nonchalant words carried a faint air of provocation.
Colt fell silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.
Was Kakashi really going to gauge him properly while reading his scandalous literature?
However, since the jonin seemed so confident, Colt decided to take him as seriously as he did Naruto in the original story.
No need to hold back then.
Clapping his hands together, Colt called out.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Two clones emerged from the smoke and rushed at Kakashi alongside the original.
While running, Colt rapidly formed hand seals, ninjutsu coalescing around them.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The coordination between the three ninjutsu was exquisite.
A swampy pool formed under Kakashi's feet, restricting his movements.
The wind fanned the scorching fire dragon, increasing its speed as the raging inferno grew vastly in size.
In an instant, the mixed onslaught of the three elemental techniques took shape.
As a shinobi, one's battles should be spectacular affairs.
Colt had no desire to fight as Naruto did later on, just clones and Rasengan spam.
Hence, from now on, he consciously cultivated an intricate fighting style.
Although Kakashi allowed him to go all out, Colt definitely held back.
What he displayed were merely D and C-rank ninjutsu.
Even so, Kakashi could not help but be surprised.
One had to remember Colt was only in his fourth year at the academy currently. Ordinary Chunin did not possess such prowess.
After a moment's consideration, Kakashi realized that at the same age, he would have been no match for Colt.
No wonder the Third valued this boy so highly to personally request his tutelage.
But it was naive to think of defeating Kakashi through sheer ninjutsu bombardment.
His mind made up, Kakashi put away the Icha Icha novel he had barely read.
His hands rapidly formed seals before slamming the swampy ground.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
A massive earthen bulwark carved with a snarling canine head rose up, interposing itself before Kakashi.
The fire dragon ravenously devoured the wall, even gnawing off part of the dog's head.
But it bought Kakashi enough time to disappear into the swamp.
Colt had his two clones flank him warily, scanning their surroundings.
"Headhunter Jutsu!"
Kakashi's voice rang out suddenly from below as an arm burst from the waterlogged soil, grabbing for Colt.
But midway through the move, Kakashi's eyes widened and he released his grip hurriedly.
"Boom!"
A tremendous explosion rocked the area.
Detonators attached to the shadow clones' bodies ignited simultaneously, the blast rivaling high-level Fire Style techniques.
This was Colt's personalized ninjutsu inspired by Itachi's clone suicide bombers - the Big Blast technique.
Kakashi erupted from the bog, his face smeared in soot and his usually stylish hair was disheveled.
He looked properly annoyed.
The jonin had grown careless, underestimating Colt's power and falling for such a basic ploy.
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
Colt's voice rang out again as Kakashi leaped back, eyes widening incredulously.
He was a split-second too slow.
The torrential surge burst from the swampy crater, drenching Kakashi's lower half completely.
It left him in a rather unsightly appearance.
"You clever little brat, well played," Kakashi groused, with a deadfish glare that promised retaliation despite the compliment.
This kid was clearly playing tricks on him.
"No need for that. It would be better if you simply cooperated," Colt smiled down from his vantage point atop a large tree.
"This cheeky rascal..." Kakashi's eye twitched as a kunai appeared in his grip.
The jonin no longer wished to continue testing Colt's ninjutsu repertoire. Now he just wanted to rush up and teach this disrespectful brat some manners.
And Colt showed no fear, facing his senpai, head-on.
For too long, Colt had lacked real combat experience to apply his enormous physical conditioning rationally.
Hinata had tried imparting the Hyūga's Gentle Fist to him, but he refused.
Colt fought with the philosophy of the unstoppable force, ill-suited to the Gentle Fist's redirection of an enemy's attacks.
Though Kakashi appeared underwhelming, his taijutsu skills were definitely not to be dismissed.
Only by opening the first few gates of that technique, could one match him.
Thus, the two began exchanging a flurry of blows, in a fierce bout of hand-to-hand combat.
Though annoyed, Kakashi knew to hold back initially.
Reluctantly, Colt just barely managed to keep up, his movements growing increasingly with time.
Feint, provoke, grapple, block, parry, sweep.
Gradually, Kakashi found this boy improving at an astonishing rate, his movements becoming smoother and more natural.
When Kakashi's sweeping kick came, Colt blocked with his forearm, the residual force driving him back several paces.
Kakashi disengaged, sensing his chance.
"Alright, you've proven enough."
Exiting his combat stance, Kakashi reverted to his typical laidback demeanor.
"We're done already?" Colt felt a tinge of dissatisfaction. He had just begun to taste the thrill of true battle.
With more practical experience, his taijutsu foundations would solidify immensely.
Kakashi rolled his eye. He had no idea where this kid got such absurd stamina from, but Kakashi's own arms were still aching slightly.
'What a little monster…'
"So, what kind of ninjutsu did you want to learn?"
Seeing Kakashi raise the question, Colt set aside his reluctance over ending their spar.
"I wish to focus on Lightning Release techniques."
"Not Fire or Wind Style?" Kakashi was mildly surprised. He had assumed those two were Colt's affinities based on his earlier ninjutsu.
"I have an all-encompassing chakra nature, but Lightning is undoubtedly my strongest."
"It's just that my current Lightning repertoire is severely lacking."
While ninjutsus were categorized by difficulty tiers rather than raw power, offensive techniques did generally scale upwards in both aspects.
After Colt's explanation, Kakashi fell silent, deep in thought.
An all-nature affinity was uncommon but not unheard of, even for Kakashi himself.
What set Colt apart was the sheer vastness of his chakra reserves, destined to become another Hokage-level existence once he matured fully.
But this prodigy now sought to learn Lightning Release - did he understand the significance?
After careful consideration, Kakashi decided to bestow his signature technique upon Colt.
Firstly, in deference to the Third's personal request, he could not treat this casually.
Secondly, Colt's own formidable talents had thoroughly impressed Kakashi already.
The idea of taking on such a protégé held a certain... allure.
Before that, however, Kakashi still needed to verify one last aspect.
The Jonin spoke up.
"Tell me, how acute is your dynamic vision? The Lightning Style technique I have in mind requires extraordinary physical abilities and visual perception to perform properly."