An hour later, the smile on Nobuhiko's face had completely vanished, replaced by a slightly stiff expression.
In just that one hour, he felt like his youngest son had practically drained him of all his insights into chakra refinement—and even part of chakra nature transformation.
His answers were coming slower and slower.
He was even beginning to struggle to respond at all.
"What the hell? Since when did this brat's comprehension get so insane? Is this really my son?"
"Was he hiding his potential before, or did he suddenly get enlightened?"
Nobuhiko was screaming internally.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. If he didn't find a way to stop Riku's relentless questioning, he'd end up embarrassing himself.
And as a father, that was something he absolutely could not allow.
So, after answering another deep chakra-related question, Nobuhiko quickly glanced at his wife, signaling with his eyes.
After years of marriage, Kokomi instantly understood her husband's meaning—and his dilemma.
She couldn't help but flash a teasing smile at him.
Then she turned toward Riku and said, "Dear! Didn't you say you had urgent matters to handle at the Konoha Police Force? You really can't delay it any longer!"
Without waiting for Nobuhiko's response, she looked at Riku and said, "Riku-chan, you can't keep pestering your father. He's got important duties to handle!"
"In fact, we have quite a few scrolls here at home on chakra refinement and chakra nature transformation. Why don't you take a look through them first? You can ask your father again once you've built up more questions."
"Yes, yes!" Nobuhiko chimed in immediately. "The scrolls in my study, and the ones in the house's secret room—"
"Anything related to chakra refinement and chakra nature transformation—you're allowed to read."
"And if that's still not enough, I can borrow relevant scrolls from the clan library for you, or even issue a pass for you to access it directly."
He paused and looked seriously at Riku. "I can tell you've awakened. Your comprehension has improved tremendously, and that's a good thing—"
"But don't get cocky because of it."
"You're still a long way from becoming truly strong."
"Today, I'll teach you your first lesson on what it means to be powerful: When you run into problems, try solving them on your own first."
"If you really can't figure it out, then you can come to me or ask other elders in the clan. But don't make a habit of asking others for everything without thinking through it yourself."
"If you do that, you'll never become a true shinobi. Understand?"
At the end of the day, Nobuhiko was simply spooked by Riku's relentless questions and terrifying learning speed.
He was scared he'd embarrass himself in front of his own son, ruining his image as a wise and capable father.
Still, his words weren't entirely wrong either.
Riku, who had seen through his father's act long ago, didn't expose him.
After all, his goal was already achieved, wasn't it?
All he wanted was permission to read the family's scrolls—and the clan's.
So he could rapidly accumulate chakra knowledge and reduce the wish cost.
Hearing all this, he immediately nodded seriously. "Understood, Father! I'll study and solve problems on my own first."
"Good! Hahaha!"
Nobuhiko laughed heartily, letting out a huge sigh of relief.
Then he added, "You have permission to read the family scrolls—but I don't want you reading any jutsu scrolls yet. You don't have clearance for that."
"Right now, you should focus on building up your chakra reserves and mastering the basics of chakra refinement."
"At the same time, your physical training and daily herbal baths must continue."
"Remember—if you want to become strong, your body is just as important."
"In a few months, when your chakra increases, I'll personally start teaching you ninjutsu. That's when you'll officially begin ninjutsu training, got it?"
With Riku's current chakra levels, he couldn't even cast a basic Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique). Learning ninjutsu now would be a waste.
Even if he had the chakra for it, Nobuhiko didn't want him learning too many ninjutsu this early.
Laying a strong foundation by focusing on just one or two was much more effective than spreading too thin.
Too many jutsu, too little mastery—would only waste Riku's enormous potential.
"Alright!" Riku understood his father's reasoning well. It was sound, and clearly for his own good.
With his current level of comprehension, delaying ninjutsu training a bit didn't matter at all.
For now, the key was expanding his chakra reserves and fully awakening the latent potential in his body.
Plus, with all the chakra knowledge he planned to study, he didn't have time to practice ninjutsu anyway.
"Good! Then let's leave it at that."
"Start with the family's scrolls. Once you're done, let me know—I'll issue a pass to the clan library for you. That's it."
"Your mother will show you where the scrolls are—I've got to head out."
With that, Nobuhiko got up and quickly walked out of the house.
From Riku's perspective, his father's back looked a little too rushed, even a bit desperate, making him smirk.
Seeing that expression, Kokomi knew immediately—their little performance hadn't fooled their son one bit.
But that was fine. There was no shame in losing a little face in front of your child.
"Riku-chan, you really feel different today! It's like you've awakened—your learning speed is incredible!"
Kokomi looked at her son and commented.
"Hehe..." Riku scratched his head sheepishly and replied, "It's true. After I successfully refined chakra, I felt like my mind got sharper, my spirit stronger—maybe I really did awaken or something? I'm not totally sure myself."
"Oh?"
Kokomi's eyes lit up. "Let me take a look!"
With that, she activated her Three Tomoe Sharingan and gently placed her hand on Riku's head, using her chakra and dōjutsu to scan his body carefully.
Very soon, she discovered that not only had her son's spiritual energy increased several-fold, but his physical body had changed even more drastically.
Cell vitality and potential, the toughness and width of his chakra pathways, his overall life force—everything had improved by more than tenfold.
"Hsss..."
Once done, Kokomi retracted her chakra and eye power, deactivating her Sharingan. She looked at Riku and gasped, "Are you really my son?"
Riku rolled his eyes and muttered, "Who else would I be?"
What kind of question was that?
If he were a body-snatcher or soul thief, maybe he'd be a little guilty.
But he wasn't.
He was a true reincarnator.
And Kokomi was undeniably his real mother in this life.
(End of Chapter)
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