What surprised Orion the most was the growth of his chakra.
His chakra reserves had now reached a level close to that of Kakashi Hatake.
One had to understand—Kakashi's chakra reserves were already considered high even among jōnin.
The reason he often appeared low on chakra in battle was because he didn't possess the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan.
His body was incompatible with the Sharingan, and since he couldn't deactivate it, it constantly drained his chakra.
If not for the burden of the Sharingan, Kakashi's chakra reserves would absolutely rival those of typical Kage-level shinobi.
At the age of twelve, Kakashi could already casually cast the B-rank ninjutsu Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall, covering an area spanning dozens of meters.
That alone showed just how massive his chakra reserves were without the Sharingan's drain.
And now—
Orion's chakra had already reached a level close to Kakashi's.
The increase in chakra didn't just mean more energy.
It also meant his mental strength and physical body had been significantly enhanced.
After all, normal shinobi extracted chakra from within their bodies.
But Orion…
He drew chakra directly from natural energy.
Because of that, the more chakra he accumulated, the more it nourished his body instead of exhausting it.
His chakra wasn't simply produced—it was converted from natural energy.
And to withstand such a vast amount of chakra, his physical body had to grow stronger alongside it.
"Maybe it's because I've just started… so the growth feels explosive right now," Orion thought.
"Once my chakra base becomes larger, the growth rate should slow down."
He assumed the rapid increase was due to his originally low base.
But what he didn't realize was—
His current chakra reserves were already comparable to Kakashi's… a jōnin in his twenties.
And Orion himself was only twelve years old.
Even Naruto Uzumaki, without factoring in the Nine-Tails' chakra, only had reserves comparable to Kakashi.
That was only possible because the Fourth Hokage's seal constantly converted leaked Nine-Tails chakra into Naruto's own.
It was easy to imagine just how terrifying Orion's chakra had become.
The next day—
After completing a D-rank mission with Kimoto Doichi, Orion returned to the training ground.
To his surprise, Kakashi was already there, standing on a tree branch with a book in hand.
Kimoto Doichi looked speechless.
"You're a bit too eager, aren't you? Do you think I wouldn't let Orion go?"
He already knew Kakashi would be teaching Orion as well.
But he didn't expect him to show up this early.
They had just finished their mission, and Kakashi was already waiting.
Yamata Jumoku and Motoya Tako had already gone home.
Doichi had originally planned to teach Orion a few interrogation-based techniques.
Even though they weren't combat-oriented, they were still useful.
But clearly—
Kakashi had no intention of giving him that chance.
Orion stood beside Doichi, looking at Kakashi on the tree.
He felt slightly awkward.
Even though he knew Doichi had agreed, having both teachers present at the same time gave him a strange feeling…
Almost like he was betraying one of them.
Kakashi closed his book and jumped down from the tree.
"I just didn't take any missions today. I have time."
"Let's go, Orion."
He walked up to him calmly.
Orion glanced at Doichi.
Kakashi said lightly, "Your teacher already agreed. No need to worry."
Doichi sighed.
He had wanted to teach Orion a technique himself.
But since Kakashi had come, he could only let him go.
He patted Orion's shoulder.
"Learn well. He may look lazy, but his strength is real."
"In Konoha, aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi, he's already one of the strongest."
Since Tsunade and Jiraiya weren't in the village, that statement wasn't wrong.
After saying that, Doichi turned and disappeared.
He didn't dare stay any longer—
Afraid he might change his mind and keep Orion.
Watching him leave, Orion sighed.
"Sensei really thinks highly of you."
Kakashi smiled faintly.
"He just hopes you'll grow stronger as soon as possible… and become someone who can protect the village."
Taking the opportunity, Kakashi gave a bit of guidance.
Orion didn't mind.
"I won't disappoint him."
Then he asked,
"Kakashi-sensei, didn't your team have a mission today?"
Kakashi nodded.
"We just finished one. I gave them some time off."
"Before training… let's eat first. You can't train well on an empty stomach."
Orion looked at him suspiciously.
"Kakashi-sensei… you're not planning to make me pay, are you?"
He knew very well—
Kakashi was… notoriously stingy.
Kakashi froze.
Seeing Orion's expression, he looked slightly embarrassed.
Apparently, his reputation had already spread.
"Why would you think that?"
"Come on. I'm treating."
Orion twitched his lips.
"…I hope so."
Paying wasn't the issue.
But Orion lived off the inheritance left by his parents.
He had only completed a few D-rank missions—he wasn't exactly wealthy.
Still—
If Kakashi was going to teach him, treating him once wouldn't be unreasonable.
Kakashi sighed helplessly.
"Is that really how you see me?"
Orion gave a fake smile and walked ahead.
Soon, they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
As soon as Kakashi walked in, Teuchi and Ayame greeted him warmly.
"Yo, Kakashi!"
Kakashi was quite famous in Konoha.
But when they saw Orion, Teuchi looked surprised.
After all, the two had never interacted before.
"Orion, what would you like today?"
Ayame leaned on the counter and smiled.
Orion replied politely,
"One bowl of tonkotsu ramen."
Kakashi sat beside him.
"One bowl is enough?"
Orion nodded.
Since he didn't rely on physical energy to generate chakra, he didn't need food to replenish himself like normal shinobi.
Kakashi frowned slightly.
"There's going to be intense training later. One bowl won't be enough."
"I'm fine."
But Kakashi didn't listen.
"Make that three bowls of tonkotsu ramen for him. And three beef ramen for me."
He knew how exhausting the training would be.
He assumed Orion simply didn't understand yet.
Orion could only sigh and accept it.
There was no way he could explain that his chakra didn't depend on food.
Watching their interaction, Teuchi was stunned.
The way Kakashi treated Orion…
Was completely different from how he treated others.
It felt—
Almost like a father taking care of his son.
But as far as he knew—
The two had never had any connection before.
He couldn't make sense of it.
Still—
Teuchi understood one thing clearly:
Never ask about a shinobi's affairs.
That was how he had managed to run his shop safely for decades.
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