What shocked Yoru the most wasn't the speed increase.
It was the chakra growth.
His reserves were now nearly on par with Kakashi's.
And Kakashi's chakra reserves were considered high even among jōnin.
The reason Kakashi often appeared short on chakra in battle wasn't because he lacked it—
It was because he wasn't an Uchiha.
His body was incompatible with the Sharingan.
He couldn't deactivate it.
That constant drain consumed massive amounts of chakra.
Without the Sharingan's burden, Kakashi's reserves would absolutely rival many Kage-level shinobi.
At twelve years old, Kakashi could casually cast Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, a B-rank technique spanning dozens of meters.
That alone proved how enormous his reserves truly were.
And now—
Yoru's chakra was approaching that level.
The increase didn't just expand his reserves.
It strengthened his spirit and body as well.
Ordinary shinobi extracted chakra from their own cells.
Yoru's chakra came from natural energy.
The greater the volume—
The more it nourished him instead of draining him.
His body had to adapt to contain that density.
It was evolving alongside it.
"Maybe it's growing this fast because I'm still at the early stage," Yoru muttered inwardly.
"Once the base gets larger, growth should slow down."
He didn't realize how ridiculous that thought was.
He was twelve.
And already rivaling a twenty-six-year-old Kakashi in raw reserves.
Even Naruto—excluding the Nine-Tails' chakra—only had comparable reserves because Minato's Eight Trigrams Seal gradually converted leaking Nine-Tails chakra into Naruto's own.
Yoru's growth was terrifying.
The next day, after finishing a D-rank mission with Dōichi, they returned to the training field.
Kakashi was already there.
Standing on a tree branch.
Reading.
Dōichi sighed the moment he saw him.
"You're early. Afraid I won't let Yoru go?"
He had planned to teach Yoru a technique himself—something useful from his interrogation background.
But Kakashi clearly wasn't giving him the chance.
Yoru stood awkwardly beside Dōichi.
Even knowing Dōichi had agreed—
Seeing both teachers at once made him feel strangely guilty.
Like he was being "taken away."
Kakashi closed his book and jumped down.
"I simply have time today."
He walked toward Yoru.
"Let's go."
Yoru glanced at Dōichi.
Kakashi said calmly, "Your teacher agreed."
Dōichi sighed, then patted Yoru's shoulder.
"Learn well. He looks lazy, but in Konoha, aside from the Third Hokage, he's the strongest."
With Tsunade and Jiraiya absent from the village, that wasn't an exaggeration.
Then Dōichi vanished.
If he stayed longer, he might change his mind.
Yoru watched him go.
"Dōichi-sensei really respects you."
Kakashi smiled faintly.
"He wants you to grow strong enough to become one of the village's pillars."
He couldn't resist slipping in a little lecture.
Yoru didn't mind.
"I won't disappoint him."
"You didn't take a mission today?" Yoru asked.
Kakashi nodded.
"We just finished one. I let them rest."
"Before training, we eat. You can't train on an empty stomach."
Yoru blinked.
"…You're not expecting me to pay, right?"
Kakashi froze.
He stared at Yoru.
"…Why would you think that?"
Yoru gave him a skeptical look.
Kakashi cleared his throat awkwardly.
Apparently, his reputation for frugality had spread.
"I'm treating."
Yoru muttered under his breath, "I hope so."
He wasn't rich.
He lived off his parents' inheritance.
A few D-rank missions didn't pay much.
Though, to be fair, if Kakashi was going to teach him, paying wouldn't have been unreasonable.
Kakashi shook his head helplessly.
"Is that really how you see me?"
They soon arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
Teuchi greeted them warmly.
"Yo, Kakashi!"
Kakashi was well-known in Konoha.
But seeing Yoru beside him surprised Teuchi.
They had never interacted much before.
Ayame leaned on the counter with a smile.
"Yoru, what'll it be?"
"One tonkotsu ramen, please."
Kakashi sat beside him.
"Just one bowl?"
Yoru nodded.
Since he didn't extract chakra from his own body, he didn't rely heavily on food for energy replenishment.
Kakashi frowned.
"Training will be intense. One bowl won't be enough."
"It's fine."
But Kakashi waved a hand toward Teuchi.
"Make that three tonkotsu for him. And three beef ramen for me."
Yoru sighed internally.
There was no way to explain.
He couldn't exactly say,
"I generate chakra from natural energy."
Teuchi and Ayame exchanged subtle glances.
They had served shinobi for decades.
They could tell something was different.
Kakashi's tone toward Yoru—
It wasn't how he treated normal students.
It felt… paternal.
Yet they had no known connection before.
Still—
In Konoha, some things were better left unasked.
That was how Ichiraku had survived so long.
By knowing when not to pry.
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