Land of Water, Takigakure.
It was a Ninja Village hidden behind a massive waterfall, where everyone lived in a vast underground cavern.
Its unique location meant Takigakure had never been invaded by another country—only suffered internal strife.
It was one of the rare havens of peace in the Ninja World.
But recent intelligence from the border with the Land of Fire had made Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure, furrow his brow.
"You're saying powerful ninja have been practicing ninjutsu at the border between our countries from dawn to dusk these past few days?"
"Yes, Lord Shibuki."
The Jonin responsible for patrolling the border replied, "I went to investigate yesterday. Someone really was practicing ninjutsu there, and its power was immense. Its attack power alone was no weaker than an A-rank technique. It looked a bit like Lightning Release, but not quite."
Takigakure was only a small Ninja Village and had never had a Kekkei Genkai. Besides, he had only just become a Jonin, so he didn't recognize Storm Release.
Shibuki was young, but as the village leader, he knew to be cautious.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Anyone who can use A-rank ninjutsu is almost certainly an elite Jonin. Practicing at the border between our countries makes them very likely to be a rogue ninja. We shouldn't act rashly."
"Notify the Jonin from Konoha responsible for patrolling the Land of Fire's border immediately and coordinate with them. Let them decide whether to drive the person away or ignore them. We'll follow Konoha's lead. Don't stick your neck out."
"Yes, sir."
The Jonin nodded, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Meanwhile, at the border.
After a full day's work, Kazama Kaguya had finally completed the first round of revisions to his original B-rank Storm Release technique.
Floating in the air, he struck a flamboyant pose, ran a hand through his hair, then pointed his right index finger at a distant hill.
Once he'd picked his target, he began chanting the incantation.
It wouldn't make the Storm Release any stronger, but it would massively boost its cool factor.
"The scattered bones of beasts, the spire, the red crystal, the wheel of steel. Motion is wind, stillness is emptiness. The sound of lances clashing fills the empty fortress."
"Storm Release Sixty-Three: Thunder Roar Cannon."
The moment the words left his mouth, an immense amount of chakra surged from his fingertip like water from a burst dam.
In an instant, a bead about the size of a thumb, so deep a blue it was almost black, formed before him. Lightning crackled, and its light blazed.
The next moment, the bead's front seemed to burst like a pinpricked balloon. Terrifying beams and bolts of lightning blasted out in a cone, carrying unstoppable force.
The powerful energy torrent tore through the air at incredible speed, forming a powerful gale that bent every tree around it.
The hill he'd targeted first flashed with a star-like brilliance.
Then a thirty-meter sphere of energy appeared, accompanied by countless bolts of lightning, and an astonishing explosion erupted.
Rumble...
There was nothing but an ear-splitting boom and a blinding burst of light, making it seem as though a small sun had appeared in the distance.
A shock wave as powerful as a super-typhoon swept out in every direction, carrying countless rocks and trees and laying waste to an area several kilometers across.
The fierce wind sent Kazama Kaguya's white hair streaming. He activated his Byakugan and peered through the clouds of smoke to see the results.
The hill, over a hundred meters tall, had been completely blown apart by a single Thunder Roar Cannon.
Only a ten-meter-high stump remained. The rest of the mountain had been reduced to rubble.
For dozens of kilometers around, the earth trembled and beasts cried out in fear. The rumbling echoed through the forest, lingering long after the blast.
"Wow! That's powerful!"
Kazama Kaguya was delighted with his handiwork.
He lowered his hand and calmly blew on his fingertip, as if there were gunpowder smoke on it.
"Excellent. It's no weaker than Madara's Great Fire Annihilation. And the best part is that there's still plenty of room for improvement."
Kazama Kaguya reflected on the attack.
He believed he could make it even better. The Thunder Roar Cannon could have more variations in form.
For example, he could widen the cone of the shock wave, changing it from a narrow angle to a broad fan shape, turning it into a wide-area attack.
He was about to try it when a figure suddenly appeared.
"What the hell did you make?" Kisame Hoshigaki appeared with the Body Flicker Technique.
He looked at Kazama Kaguya, then at the vanished mountain in the distance, his expression puzzled.
"That attack's explosive power already surpasses many A-rank techniques. Did you increase the ratio of Lightning and Water chakra?"
He'd immediately figured out how the Thunder Roar Cannon had managed to shatter a mountain.
Of the five nature transformations—Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Lightning—only Lightning could produce such a powerful burst of destructive force.
"Yeah, I increased the Lightning-to-Water chakra ratio in the Thunder Roar Cannon to eight to two."
Kazama Kaguya didn't hide his approach. He explained at length, "With a seven-to-three ratio, the explosion wasn't as powerful. And your compression idea was really useful, Teacher Kisame."
Originally, the Thunder Roar Cannon's point of detonation had been a three-meter-wide ring of concentrated energy. Now, he'd compressed it into a bead no bigger than his thumb.
Compressing it so thoroughly made its Lightning nature many times more volatile, allowing it to deal far more critical damage.
"Eight to two?"
Kisame Hoshigaki nodded, his expression complicated. "Generally speaking, the chakra fusion in a Kekkei Genkai is very stable. A few Kekkei Genkai prodigies have superb control and can adjust the chakra ratio to a certain extent when developing ninjutsu, but they'd never go beyond seven to three. I've never heard of anyone messing around with their Kekkei Genkai like you do without it going berserk and biting back."
He paused, sounding impressed. "Sometimes, I really wonder if chakra was born for you."
"I'm an Otsutsuki, after all." Kazama Kaguya knew the reason well.
He grinned at Kisame. "I treat Kekkei Genkai like dirt a thousand times, and it loves me like a first love. That's what you mean, right, Teacher Kisame?"
Kisame Hoshigaki: ...
At those words, Kisame Hoshigaki fell silent.
He looked at the smug expression on Kazama Kaguya's face and opened his mouth to mock him, but every insult he could think of seemed utterly feeble in the face of such monstrous talent.
He stared at Kazama Kaguya for a long while before finally saying flatly, "Even if you improved the Thunder Roar Cannon, it's still only a B-rank technique. Don't forget your task: three B-rank techniques and one A-rank technique. You've got two and a half days left. If you can't finish, heh..."
Kisame Hoshigaki let out a malicious chuckle, glanced at the sun overhead, folded his arms, and teased, "By the way, it's lunchtime. You should go cook."
"Uh..."
The smug expression on Kazama Kaguya's face froze. He'd forgotten he was moonlighting as a chef.
Damn it, I'm a noble Otsutsuki. A gentleman should stay out of the kitchen. How can I...
Kazama Kaguya grumbled to himself.
But when he saw Kisame Hoshigaki's knowing smile, he immediately changed his tune. "Sure. I'll go right now."
He didn't want Kisame Hoshigaki using some minor issue to hold it over him.
If his assignment turned into three A-rank techniques, he'd really be done for.
Seeing the boy quickly get his emotions under control and settle into a calm, unflustered demeanor, Kisame Hoshigaki nodded in approval and thought, He knows when to bend and when to stand firm, and he has monstrous talent. He's the perfect student.
Kazama Kaguya, if only you weren't a rogue ninja.
He watched Kazama Kaguya tidy up the cooking pots, his eyes filled with regret and frustration.
What a pity. What a pity.
The Village Hidden in the Blood Mist... Sigh. Fourth Generation, who's controlling you? Who would dare bring such ruin upon Kirigakure? The Hozuki and Mizuki clans have both been wiped out. Damn them.
Countless thoughts swirled through his mind. He glanced again at the shattered hill in the distance, and one thought after another came to him.
With his talent, maybe I won't be able to beat him in three months.
In that case, that's fine...
At least I won't have betrayed the Intelligence Protection Force's principles. Ninja fail missions all the time. There's no shame in being beaten by a student you taught yourself.
The Kaguya Clan's contributions to Kirigakure are clear for all to see. If I ever rise to power, perhaps the three months I spent training him will give me a chance to bring him back to Kirigakure.
Before you continue