Konoha.
A rare rainy day.
Qingye walked into the courtyard and looked up at the sky, where dark clouds blanketed the heavens. His spirits lifted.
At last, he'd gotten his chance!
He'd been wanting to try mastering the S-rank ninjutsu Lightning Style: Kirin for some time, but the technique required specific weather conditions.
In normal weather, he'd have to create a huge amount of moisture himself using Fire Style or Explosive Tags. Either way, it would cost him Chakra or money.
With his current supply of just one card's worth of Chakra, while he was still paying off his debts, he couldn't afford to waste any.
But if he waited for a rainy day and made use of naturally occurring weather, it would be much easier.
And now, at last, the day had come.
Qingye took the Lightning Blade: Fang that Raiga Kurosuki had given him as a friendly gift. After leaving home, he hesitated briefly, then decided to leave the village.
Kirin made quite a commotion.
Practicing inside Konoha would draw too much attention.
After registering his departure, he followed the Naka River north. He walked for dozens of miles before stopping beneath the thickest bank of clouds.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A fire dragon soared into the sky, carrying the moisture in the surrounding air upward with its searing heat. As it plunged into the clouds, the previously calm mass of dark clouds almost immediately began to churn!
Huge banks of clouds collided and pressed against each other overhead. Silver-white flashes of lightning flickered faintly within them.
Zzt!
Qingye formed a simple hand seal and raised his right hand high, gathering Lightning Style Chakra in his palm.
The lightning in his hand seemed to connect with the bolts brewing in the storm clouds above, as if he could control the lightning in the sky from the ground!
"This power... is really hard to control!"
Qingye clicked his tongue in amazement.
Sasuke Uchiha had specifically prepared this S-rank ninjutsu to finish off Uchiha Itachi in the original timeline, and it had forced Itachi to use Susanoo to defend himself. Naturally, it wasn't an easy technique to master.
Crack!
A flash of lightning!
As he experimented, he let his concentration slip for a moment. Some of the lightning, as if clenched in his palm from afar, suddenly escaped his control, and a bolt struck the Naka River below.
Lightning scattered across the water.
The intense heat caused the struck part of the river to steam for a moment.
Boom!
A sudden explosion!
"Hmm?"
Qingye looked down and saw that the place where the lightning had struck the Naka River had somehow exploded. By the time he looked over, flames were still fading from view.
What was going on?
Wait!
Hadn't this happened before?
Something similar had happened during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, but Kitsuchi had arrived afterward, and Qingye hadn't had a chance to think it over.
Why would lightning striking a river cause an explosion?
A theory came to mind. Qingye shifted his raised right hand slightly, intending to test it.
He channeled the lightning, and a bolt came crashing down from the sky!
It struck the river again, but this time, the explosion Qingye had expected didn't happen.
"What exactly is going on?" Qingye furrowed his brow.
He'd thought the lightning had caused a chemical reaction in the water, splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen. Then the heat from the lightning had ignited the hydrogen and oxygen, causing an explosion.
But why couldn't he reproduce it?
Was his hypothesis wrong?
But it had just happened, and so had the incident during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. It had happened twice!
Even if both had been coincidences, there had to be some reason for them.
Unable to figure it out, Qingye thought for a moment, then bit his finger and formed a hand seal.
Poof!
"Meow?"
Nine Lives poked his head out.
Why'd you summon meow?
"Nine Lives, go find me a book..."
After giving him instructions, Qingye sent Nine Lives back. The Ninja Cat would deliver the book later.
"Electrolysis of water experiments..."
"What's different about my setup? The cathode and anode... Hmm? It needs direct current?"
Qingye pondered.
How was he supposed to manage that?
After some thought, he pulled a scroll from his ninja pouch and unrolled it, taking out the pair of Lightning Blades: Fang.
He picked one up and used it to draw lightning from the clouds. This time, though, he tried a different approach. With the Lightning Blade guiding it, bolts of lightning struck the river one after another without pause!
Lightning spread across the water. After several adjustments, what looked like gas began to rise from the surface.
Whoosh—
A sudden flare of fire flashed across the water!
"No explosion?"
He'd successfully electrolyzed the water, and he seemed to have produced hydrogen and oxygen, but the explosion he wanted hadn't occurred... What else was missing?
"Better work on Kirin first."
Qingye sighed.
He'd at least get this powerful, large-scale ninjutsu working, then keep puzzling over what had caused the explosion earlier.
If he could reliably reproduce it, he might have another useful ninjutsu.
Days passed.
The various fronts in the war had mostly stabilized, but rumors said clashes on the Kirigakure front were showing signs of escalating again.
Nohara Rin walked through the Uchiha Clan Compound with a bag in her hand. She had just left flowers at Obito's grave.
She gathered her courage and stopped a passerby to ask for directions. They weren't nearly as terrifying as she'd imagined. Once she got the answer she wanted, Rin relaxed and quickly thanked them.
"So the people in the Uchiha Clan aren't that hard to get along with after all..."
Rin patted her chest, feeling relieved.
That was true. Neither Obito nor Qingye was difficult to get along with... All those rumors about the Uchiha Clan in the village really were just rumors.
Following the directions she'd been given, she arrived at Qingye's front door and knocked softly.
A short while later.
"Rin? What brings you here?"
Qingye looked a little surprised.
"Well, I... I made something, and I wasn't sure if you'd like it, Qingye."
Rin tried to work up her courage, but she still fumbled nervously. She hastily took a lunch box from her bag and opened it to reveal a whole box of strawberry daifuku.
Qingye blinked, unsure what was going on.
"Is this because I saved you before? But you already thanked me, didn't you?"
"How could that be enough? You saved my life!"
Rin was very earnest, but she spoke a little shyly. "I just couldn't think of anything else to give you, so I made some sweets... I hope you don't mind."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until she sounded almost guilty.
He'd saved her from an Iwagakure jonin, but all she could give him in return was this.
But as an orphan, she truly didn't have anything else worth giving.
"Why would I mind?"
Qingye smiled, accepted the lunch box, and tried one. The soft, chewy texture blended with the sweet-and-sour flavor in his mouth. "Mm, it's perfect! Did you make these yourself, Rin? You're amazing!"
Rin relaxed and smiled sweetly. "If you like them, I can bring you more whenever I make them."
"Sure. Come on in."
Qingye put the lunch box away and led Rin inside.
A moment later, he sensed someone watching him. He went outside and looked around carefully, but couldn't find anyone.
Was it his imagination?
No, he couldn't assume that!
But who would come and watch him?
This was the Uchiha Clan Compound. No one in the clan should be so bored... So was it someone working for Hiruzen Sarutobi or Shimura Danzō?
Of the two, it was more likely to be the latter.
Or...
Could it be White Zetsu?
Before you continue