Lightning Body Flicker

After returning home, Shiraishi Yoshijo took out a shuriken and hung it on a tree.

Just now, when Takemoto Shuichi mentioned the conductivity of lightning, he suddenly had a rather bold idea.

He wanted to utilize the conductivity of lightning to perform the Body Flicker Technique.

The speed of lightning goes without saying; if he could truly combine it with the Body Flicker Technique, then in the future, whoever dared to use the Flying Thunder God Technique in front of him would get their head smashed in.

Perhaps this Lightning Body Flicker wouldn't be as convenient as the Flying Thunder God Technique, but in a direct confrontation, its speed would definitely be inferior to no one.

The idea was great, but how should he go about it?

Shiraishi Yoshijo looked at the steel wire pinched in his hand, his chakra transforming into lightning that traveled from the wire to the shuriken.

The shuriken lit up with electric light.

In the story, the Raikage also used a Lightning Body Flicker; his version used Lightning Release to stimulate his body's cellular activity, thereby achieving unparalleled speed.

That should be considered Nintaijutsu, but Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't have that kind of body; the Lightning Body Flicker he envisioned was more of a Ninjutsu.

Ninjutsu.

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought for a moment and decided he could try it out first.

Wrapping the steel wire around his finger, he began to perform the Body Flicker Technique.

The Body Flicker was successful, but it had absolutely nothing to do with lightning.

He fell into deep thought once again.

The Body Flicker Technique he just used relied on an explosive burst of chakra for acceleration; should that be considered Taijutsu?

And since this Lightning Body Flicker was supposed to utilize the conductivity of lightning, perhaps he should turn himself into lightning?

But how could a person turn into lightning?

By covering his entire body in Lightning Release chakra?

He didn't have that kind of chakra capacity right now.

He remembered that the space-time transfer formula of the Flying Thunder God Technique required special kunai; that should be considered a spatial marker.

Could the Lightning Body Flicker also use a marker?

When the Lightning Release chakra was conducted to the marker, would the Body Flicker be triggered?

That said, the difficulty was too high; he might as well just learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed and simply closed his eyes, imagining the feeling of turning himself into lightning.

The Lightning Release chakra formed a perfect cycle within his body.

Cycle.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the steel wire wrapped around his finger, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable brilliance.

If he treated this steel wire as his own meridians and made it form a cycle with the chakra inside his body...

Perhaps he needed two steel wires?

He acted on the thought, and soon he tied another steel wire to the shuriken.

Electric light lit up on his hand, and the shuriken also lit up with electric light.

Then, closing his eyes to perceive the flow of chakra, he tried to connect his Lightning Release chakra with the chakra on the steel wires, then circulate it within his own body.

The process was not smooth.

Shiraishi Yoshijo opened his eyes and began to form Lightning Release hand seals.

Then he closed his eyes again to perceive the flow of chakra.

There were still obstacles, so he continued to form seals.

Every time he encountered an obstacle, he would form a Lightning Release hand seal. By the time the chakra in his body and the steel wires formed a perfect cycle, he had already formed six Lightning Release hand seals.

Memorizing these six Lightning Release hand seals, Shiraishi Yoshijo began to form the seals for the Body Flicker Technique.

A bolt of lightning flashed across the courtyard!

Did it succeed?

Shiraishi Yoshijo was in mid-air, his face somewhat pale, unable to stop his body.

What was this kinetic energy?

With a "bang," he slammed into the tree, and as luck would have it, he hit his nose, causing blood to flow down immediately.

"That hurts..."

Clutching his nose and rolling around for over ten minutes, Shiraishi Yoshijo finally climbed up from the ground.

After returning to his room to treat his injuries, he came back to the courtyard and stared blankly at the shuriken.

That attempt just now didn't count as a success; after he finished the Body Flicker seals, he felt a pulling force, and he launched the ninjutsu following that momentum.

He just hadn't expected the speed to be so fast that his body would lose control.

And what was up with that pulling force? He had clearly intended to use conductivity to perform the Body Flicker Technique, so how did it turn into a pull?

A backflow of chakra?

Unable to figure it out, he ran back to his room, took out paper and a pen, and jotted down the Lightning Release hand seals he had just used, adding the seals for the Body Flicker Technique.

Ten seals in total.

Having learned his lesson, he didn't dare practice in the courtyard anymore.

He ran outside to find an open area, stuck a branch into the ground, and hung a shuriken from it.

He began to form the seals slowly.

The steel wire wrapped around his fingers began to flicker with electric light as he completed the seals.

"Lightning Release: Body Flicker Technique."

Almost the instant the ninjutsu was activated, a flash of lightning ignited beside the shuriken, and he was sent flying high into the air.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was completely dumbfounded.

The technique had succeeded, but this intense kinetic energy was nothing like the Lightning Body Flicker he had envisioned.

He was suspended in mid-air with nothing around to push off of.

He landed perfectly.

Shiraishi Yoshijo limped his way back home.

He couldn't practice anymore today, or he feared he might lose his life.

Furthermore, the chakra consumption was far too high; he had only used the Body Flicker Technique twice, yet it had drained eight or nine-tenths of his chakra.

He was certain that the general direction of this Body Flicker Technique was correct, but there were definitely some minor details he had overlooked.

This could only be corrected through repeated practice.

Perhaps he should ask that old man Takemoto Shuichi to help him improve it?

If he could master this version of the Body Flicker Technique before the graduation exam, even a jonin might not be able to outplay him.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and the smile on Shiraishi Yoshijo's face gradually turned perverted.

Back in his room, after treating his injuries in front of the mirror, he winked at his reflection.

The person in the mirror winked back at him.

Is that perverted-looking person me?

He stuck out his tongue.

The pervert in the mirror also stuck out his tongue.

Ah, it really is me.

The smile froze on his face.

Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth twitched; it seemed he needed to start managing his expressions immediately.

How could a villain show such a smile?

It was simply a disgrace to villains everywhere.

Facing the mirror, he began to manipulate his face.

Before long, a sunny, handsome smile appeared on his face.

Not bad, it had a bit of that Namikaze Minato vibe.

This smile was an eighty.

After grading himself, he reached out a hand toward his reflection.

"Nice to meet you, I am Shiraishi Yoshijo. Please treat me well from now on."

That evening, Kawano arrived on time with his daughter, Mie.

Shiraishi Yoshijo had gone to the market to buy groceries after treating his injuries that afternoon, preparing quite a lavish feast.

His cooking skills were decent; after all, he had an uncle who was a drunkard and often passed out cold.

Self-reliance had become particularly important.

Shiraishi Eizawa had returned home while he was cooking and was now drinking with Kawano.

Mie sat to the side, looking slightly reserved, barely saying a word.

She hadn't been like this when she spent time with Shiraishi Yoshijo in the past.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was thoughtful; was this the gap between social classes?

The Kawano family were commoners, and while his own family had fallen from grace, they still held the title of a ninja clan.

Commoners always felt a sense of inferiority when facing ninja clans, so it was no wonder Mie was so reserved.

This was going to be tricky.

Shiraishi Yoshijo groaned inwardly.

He was still thinking about playing matchmaker to improve Shiraishi Eizawa's mental state.

Given the current situation, that was likely a fool's errand.

As for the issue of his graduation exam, Mikawano had already explained the situation when he walked through the door.

The time was set for one month from now, in the underground training ground.

Mie helped the completely drunk Mikawano home, and Shiraishi Yoshijo stood up to see them off.

There were very few people living around their home; it wasn't noticeable during the day, but at night, it was enough to make one's skin crawl.

Even Shiraishi Yoshijo generally didn't go out at night; if you walk the night road enough, you're bound to encounter ghosts, and their clan was practically no different from a ghost clan anyway.

If he were to summon a Ninja Butterfly and turn it into a human—

Just thinking about that image made his scalp tingle.

Shiraishi Yoshijo saw them off to the brightly lit main street.

After returning home, Shiraishi Eizawa had already cleared the table and was sitting on the steps waiting for him.

"Did you see them home?"

"Yeah."

"That's good."

After those few simple words, Shiraishi Eizawa stood up to head to his room.

Shiraishi Yoshijo asked from behind him, "What do you think of teacher Mikawano?"

He had originally wanted to ask if his uncle had any feelings for Mie, but he didn't dare be too blunt; if his intentions were discovered, he feared he would be hung from a tree and beaten.

"He's alright."

That's it?

Shiraishi Yoshijo scratched his head.

Another new day.

Shiraishi Yoshijo got up while yawning, then washed up and made breakfast.

When Shiraishi Eizawa got up, the two sat down to eat together.

"Uncle, what happens if I don't pass this graduation exam?"

"You go back to the Ninja Academy and continue your studies."

Alright, it seemed he would have to give it his all.

As he was heading out the door, Shiraishi Eizawa stared at his back, lost in thought, and suddenly asked, "Do you feel like there's anything wrong with your body?"

"No, why?"

"It's nothing."

Shiraishi Yoshijo gave him a strange look before turning and heading out.

Shiraishi Eizawa sighed, his expression desolate.

He wanted to tell him about Mei, but he was afraid that Shiraishi Yoshijo would develop a wariness toward their secret techniques.

His father's dying instructions, his clansmen's heroic deaths on the battlefield, the determination of his brother and sister-in-law to cover his retreat—

Shiraishi Eizawa felt like he was going crazy; even relying on alcohol to numb himself, the struggle and pain in his heart had not diminished in the slightest.

The Third Hokage had been pressuring him constantly, two more small clans had recently been courted by the Third, and Danzo was making constant underhanded moves in the shadows, yet he couldn't resist.

After all, he was currently nothing more than a drunkard without even the status of a ninja.

If things continued this way, he feared this clan would be completely finished once he died.

By that time, the better Shiraishi Yoshijo's talent was, the faster he would die.

The hospital could only be considered a delaying tactic; he knew very well that the ninja clans led by Takemoto would never let Shiraishi Yoshijo live a life of leisure.

He also couldn't abandon these ninja clans; without their protection, he and Shiraishi Yoshijo would quickly vanish from Konoha.

Like a pebble thrown into a pond, there might be ripples, but it would soon return to stillness.

This was politics.