Chapter 83 – Meeting the Copy Cat Ninja

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Daichi looked at the Jonin standing on the tree and internally smirked. He was sure that man was there since the beginning of the skirmish.

Daichi could have ended the fight with the three chunin spies in seconds but he wanted to put on a show for his hidden spectator. The reason was that Daichi wanted to cement his strength early on. He thought about the moment when he sensed the man lurking in the shadows.

Flashback.

Daichi threw his shurikens and watched the three ninjas clumsily dodge them. They luckily were able to avoid lethal strikes to their bodies but were still wounded.

Daichi could see the fear spreading on their faces. As Daichi was focused on the three in front of him, he was also keeping an eye out for anyone else that might be there.

'Based on my memories Kakashi should be here by now… But I can't sense his chakra nor can I smell or hear him…'

Daichi then had an idea in mind. He used Mana scout and the moment he used it and expanded the range he sensed the presence of a powerful mind. One which belonged to someone of Jonin level strength.

'I knew it. Kakashi is here. But for how long? I'm guessing probably since before I threw the shurikens. And he was hiding his presence. So that's why I couldn't detect him earlier… The fact that he is only observing means he wants to know what I'm capable of and then everything that happened here will be reported to the Hokage. I need to make a solid impression.'

Flashback End.

'Observe'

[?] [Kakashi Hatake]

?

'Of course I can't see his level. So that means he's even stronger than the old man…? No. I'm not so sure about that. My 'Observe' showed that Kensei's level regressed due to the injuries he received in the war. But he has a ton of battle experience. If he and Kakashi fought I'm pretty sure the old man would come out on top.'

Daichi then sighed and relaxed his posture. "Since a Jonin is here, I don't have to interfere with this matter anymore. I'm sure you can take these three back to the village."

The silver haired ninja tilted his head as if he was curious. "What makes you think I'm a Jonin and that too from the leaf? I could be an enemy in disguise."

Daichi had a small smile when he heard that question. "I can sense your chakra level along with its distinctive nature… Lightning chakra nature but also has a strong earth nature as well. You got 2 natures going for you. So I'm pretty sure you're a Jonin. And I'm certain my fight with these three had drawn the attention of the patrolling ninjas. I have no doubt they'll be here in less than a minute. If you were someone from another village you would have either attacked me as soon as possible or left without alerting your presence to me. So…"

The ninja put his hands in his pocket and leaned against the trunk of the tree. He looked at the kid below. 'He's smart!'

"What's your name kid?" He asked.

"Daichi Hekima… Yours?"

"You're a smart kid. Find out for yourself." With those words the ninja jumped down and looked at the three unconscious spies and once he confirmed they were alive he took an orange book from his pocket and started reading it, completely ignoring Daichi.

Daichi sweat dropped as he saw the iconic comic scene. He let out a small sigh. 'He hasn't changed from the show. That's a good thing I guess. I better get going.'

"Look, I need to get back to Iruka sensei and Naruto. I'm sure they're pissed off with the stunt I pulled. So if you don't mind I'll take my leave." Daichi said and waited for a response. But other than a small grunt he didn't get anything from Kakashi.

Daichi left the place and headed back to the academy.

Kakashi watched the child's disappearing form from the corner of his eyes. 'I've only seen one other person with such shurikenjutsu skills and strength at his age… Itachi Uchiha! And based on what I've seen today, I have a feeling this kid's talent is on the same level as Itachi's! Who is this child?'

Shortly afterwards several patrolling ninjas appeared and they took the three spies into custody. Kakashi then quickly made his way to the Hokage's office.

The Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was stamping away at the documents as usual. With the removal of Danzo from power and the loss of the Uchiha military force, his workload had increased significantly.

"Lord Hokage, Kakashi Hatake is here to see you." His secretary informed him.

"Send him in."

Sarutobi looked up from the papers and saw Kakashi casually walking in with his usual book in his hands. Kakashi then closed the book and greeted his kage.

"Lord Hokage."

"What brings you here Kakashi?"

"A couple of things. First, we found the teammates of the enemy spy that infiltrated a week ago. They are currently incapacitated and being taken to the interrogation rooms."

"Good work bringing them in, Kakashi. Ibiki will get everything we need from those three."

"Yeah. That's the second thing. I'm not the one who dealt with them. It was a student in the academy named Daichi Hekima."

Hiruzen's eyes widened as he heard the name. 'Daichi? What was he doing fighting enemy ninjas?' "Tell me everything."

"Yes sir." Kakashi began reporting even from his point of view.

Flashback.

Kakashi was running through the tree and headed for the back hills as fast as he could. He met Shikamaru and Choji earlier while they were roaming outside the academy and heard what had happened. He instructed them to head back to the academy and left for the hills.

'There is a possibility that enemies could be lurking there. If that's the case then Iruka won't be able to keep the children safe while fighting them. I need to get there before anything happens.'

Kakashi entered the forest and was able to track their location. He neared Iruka and the two students and before he could reveal himself he heard one of the students mention that they were a shadow clone. Kakashi could see the surprise and then anger forming on Iruka and Naruto's face. But he didn't stick around to find out what happened next.

Kakashi silently leapt through the trees and headed in the direction Iruka and his group were running from. 'That reckless kid. He's going to get himself killed.'

He then sensed the presence of several people ahead. He quickly landed on a nearby tree and hid.

"What are you talking about?"

Kakashi heard the spy asking the boy. 'So that's the kid huh.'

"I'm not a clone. I'm the real deal… It's true that I did create a clone. But it's to distract them. They wouldn't have left if they knew I would stay behind to fight. So… I used the clone as a distraction. A distraction for them that is…"

Kakashi could see the smirk forming on the child's face as he said those words. Kakashi was good at reading one's body language. He saw no presence of fear or anxiousness on the child's face. Originally he was going to intervene but he was curious as to what made the child think he could take three ninjas on his own.

"You brat. If that's true then you're a bigger fool than I thought. Just because you joined the ninja academy, do you think you can take on real ninjas? How dumb. You will pay for your overconfidence."

Kakashi saw the three spies aiming their swords at the child. He had to agree with what they said. 'Sadly, I have to agree. Learning the shadow clone jutsu is impressive at his age but all it shows is that his chakra level is a bit larger than his peers. These three look like they're chunins. Even if they were on the weaker side of the chunin rank, taking three of them alone will be difficult for anyone below High Chunin or Jonin rank.'

Kakashi saw the child smirk.

"Like I said before. A bunch of fools."

He then listened as the child analyzed the three ninjas in front of him. As Kakashi listened, he became more and more impressed with the boy's analytical skills.

'From just one interaction he was able to deduce their age, gender, rank and even the nature of their chakra. He was also able to analyze their team structure. Pinpointing the leader and the healer of the group… Alright… Maybe this kid has some skill after all.'

Kakashi watched the three spies take off their face masks. 'The hidden waterfall village. What is Hisen thinking? Sending spies to infiltrate the village at a time like this? He must know there will be repercussions to this…'

Kakashi decided that he would watch the fight and only intervene if the life of the child was in danger. He wanted to see where the boy's confidence came from. He then saw Daichi forming a seal and sensed a spike in his chakra. 'He must have released his shadow clone.'

What he saw next impressed him. Kakashi watched the kid send shurikens with deadly precision, wounding them. He saw the fear appearing on the enemy's faces. He watched Daichi dodge their sword swings with ease. He looked on as the kid disappeared and reappeared on top of a nearby tree.

'He's toying with them. He's also a lot faster and stronger than he looks.'

He looked on as Daichi then engaged the three in Taijutsu. He saw the kid dismantling their abysmal defenses with practiced ease. 'He's had some serious training. Whoever he is, his skills are far beyond that of an academy student.'

Kakashi then saw the three getting ready to use Ninjutsu. He was about to intervene but he stayed put when he saw Daichi making hand seals as well. A giant wall quickly sprung out of the ground protecting the kid from the attack.

'The speed with which his chakra responded and created that earth wall… And the strength of the wall itself. Except for a few scorch marks there's no indication it had been attacked… The speed and strength of his chakra… It resembles someone who's trained in shape manipulation exercises. I'm sure of it.'

He then watched the kid incapacitate the three by striking the back of their necks. What surprised Kakashi the most was when the boy turned to face his direction.

"How long are you gonna hide there and watch me like a creep?"

'He knows I'm here?! Seems there's no point in hiding myself.'

Kakashi stepped forward from the shadows. 'I made sure to hide my presence… Che!… To think I would be made by an academy student… Either I'm getting sloppy and made a mistake or this kid has some exceptional senses. I'm betting it's the latter.'

"Since a Jonin is here, I don't have to interfere with this matter anymore. I'm sure you can take these three back to the village." The child spoke.

"What makes you think I'm a Jonin and that too from the leaf? I could be an enemy in disguise." Kakashi wanted to see if he could glean any more information on the child's abilities.

As Daichi laid out his explanation, Kakashi came to a conclusion. 'To even pick out a person's chakra nature with such accuracy. He must have a powerful sensory ability. And his intelligence and observational skills….. This child…'

'He's smart!'

"What's your name kid?" Kakashi asked the child.

"Daichi Hekima… Yours?"

"You're a smart kid. Find out for yourself."

Kakashi saw the slight twitch in the kid's eyes. He slightly smirked under his mask at being able to irritate the boy.

Flashback End.

"After that, he left!" Kakashi completed his verbal report.

The Hokage leaned back in his chair. "I see."

After a few seconds Hiruzen made a decision. He made a hand gesture and a second later the Anbu and guards hidden in the room left without a word.

"Daichi is one of the most talented students currently in the academy. He's at the top of his class and if these were war time circumstances then he would have graduated long ago… And you were not mistaken in your observation of his skills. He's been training in shape manipulation technique and based on what you said I'm assuming he's completed it."

"Sir?"

"Kakashi! What I'm about to tell you next is information about Daichi not known to others except his grandfather."

Kakashi realized the seriousness of the situation and paid close attention to the Hokage's words.

"Shortly after the academy exams last month Daichi's teacher approached me with the proposal to move Daichi up a grade. I had a talk with the boy afterwards about it and what I learned at that time startled me. His skills have already grown beyond that of academy students and he was preparing to train in change in chakra form and then nature transformations."

"But such training for someone his age… Is he ready?" Kakashi asked with some doubts.

"I had my doubts as well but he understood the risks and he showed me he was ready. Despite his talents I wanted him to stay with his classmates due to his close friendship with Naruto. So I said he could collect a favor from me if he stayed with his class. Daichi agreed and the favor he asked truly surprised me."

Hiruzen stood up from his chair and went to the windows of the room. He looked at the people below and a moment later he continued.

"He asked me for instructions on how to master the Rasengan."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "What?"

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes. Apparently when his grandfather was away on some trip he went through his jutsu library and found some mentioning on the Rasengan. Just a few basic notes from what I understand. But Daichi was able to accurately figure out the secrets of the Rasengan with just the information on those notes. He figured out that mastering the Rasengan is a shortcut to mastering one's change in chakra form. I have no doubt that with time he would have been able to learn the Rasengan even without my help. So I made the choice to give him the steps for learning Minato's jutsu."

Kakashi couldn't believe his ears. "Lord Hokage, no offense but are you sure that was wise? He's just a kid… If someone learns about the secrets of that jutsu then…"

"I'm aware of the risks, Kakashi. I haven't grown senile yet… It was a calculated move. He's growing too strong, too fast. I needed to make sure he formed some strong loyalties to the village. It's one of the reasons I wanted him to stay with his peers. And this way I can keep tabs on his progress… I thought I had an understanding of his talents but… It seems I've underestimated him again…" Hiruzen then turned to look at Kakashi.

"Even though it's only been a few weeks since I told him how to perform the Rasengan… I have no doubt that he's already learned the technique. I'm sure of it."

Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief. "But that's…"

"Incredible… And frightening. Such talent is indeed amazing and yet fearsome at the same time." Hiruzen then looked back outside and saw Iruka, Daichi and Naruto entering the tower.

"They're here."

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