Sword Leap Flame!
More precisely, it was Sword Leap Flame: Modified!
Uchiha Shisui's three sword techniques, arranged from easiest to hardest, were Sword Leap Flame, Gale Sword, and Sun Halo Dance!
Sword Leap Flame used a katana to wield Fire Release, forming a flaming blade to attack the enemy. It was a ninjutsu sword technique centered on the fire nature, with some wind-nature characteristics incorporated into it.
Gale Sword built upon Sword Leap Flame by adding the Body Flicker Technique. It accumulated force continuously during a charging dash, increasing its explosive power and allowing it to slash out an enormous flaming blade that was faster and more powerful.
Sun Halo Dance was essentially a more powerful version of Gale Sword. Used in conjunction with the Body Flicker Technique, it unleashed three massive flaming blades in rapid succession in an instant!
Sasuke had yet to master Shisui's Body Flicker Technique, so naturally, he could only begin learning with Sword Leap Flame, the first of the three sword techniques.
However, he faced a difficult problem: he did not have wind-nature chakra!
This was rather awkward for him. Sword Leap Flame was indeed a ninjutsu sword technique primarily based on Uchiha Style swordsmanship and Fire Release ninjutsu, but wind fueled fire. To make it more powerful and faster, Shisui had incorporated some wind-nature chakra characteristics into it.
As everyone knew, wind and lightning were both attributes known for speed. One was nimble and light, while the other was swift and fierce.
Sasuke currently lacked wind-nature chakra. Developing a new chakra nature usually required jonin-level ninja to spend one or two years studying it carefully. Sasuke could not do that yet, nor did he have the time to devote his energy to it.
As for incorporating the lightning nature, Sasuke had not even learned any basic Lightning Release ninjutsu yet. How could he possibly talk about integrating lightning-nature chakra characteristics?
But this did not stump Sasuke. Since he had no wind-nature chakra, he would take another path and focus on strengthening Sword Leap Flame's fire-nature chakra while incorporating some Iaijutsu techniques!
If there were no conditions, then he would create them!
There had never been a road in the world; once enough people walked it, it became one!
The education he had received in his previous life, as well as the values he had formed, had made him willing to explore. He was not afraid of hardships, obstacles, detours, or twists and turns.
Fire-nature chakra was indeed not known for speed, but when it came to instantaneous explosive power, neither wind nor lightning could compare to fire!
And explosive power could often determine an object's instantaneous speed!
The faster molecules moved, the higher the temperature and the hotter the object; the slower molecules moved, the lower the temperature and the colder the object!
He would inject fire-nature chakra into the blade, then cover it with tiny chakra particles that imitated molecules, making them rapidly and continuously rub and move against one another to increase the blade's explosive power and temperature!
Since it was not his own body, he did not need to worry about getting injured. Therefore, Sasuke could proceed with this at a relatively fast pace!
This was the first step in his modification of Sword Leap Flame. The second step was to incorporate some Iaijutsu techniques!
Sword Leap Flame was not Iaijutsu. It was an extremely simple straight downward slash!
Iaijutsu was a sword technique that drew the blade in an instant, leaving the enemy no opening to exploit, thereby defeating them. This technique could be considered commonplace, since it was merely a simple drawing slash. It was easy to learn but difficult to master!
A katana and its scabbard had a certain curve, and Iaijutsu used that curve and the friction generated while drawing the blade to create tremendous explosive power in an instant. By drawing the blade along the curve of the sword itself and slashing, it achieved a one-strike kill!
After completing these two steps, Sasuke believed that against an opponent of equal strength, his Sword Leap Flame: Modified was no weaker than Shisui's original Sword Leap Flame. In terms of explosive power, it even surpassed it!
"To a certain extent, this counts as modifying a technique."
After sheathing his katana, Sasuke looked toward the small artificial hill in the distance and muttered to himself. Rare, heartfelt joy and accomplishment colored his tone.
"However, this is only a product built upon someone else's foundation. I cannot be arrogant. But one day, I will definitely create a unique ultimate technique of my own!"
After quietly reminding himself of this, Sasuke sensed someone watching him. His heart stirred, and he followed the direction of that gaze.
A cat had appeared on the rooftop at some point. It was Denka.
And Denka's back was loaded with five tiny scrolls!
What I wanted has arrived!
Sasuke smiled faintly and walked toward Denka.
That night, after conducting his usual daily review and meditation training, Sasuke took out the ninjutsu scrolls he had received from Denka that day.
The first one he opened was a Lightning Release ninjutsu scroll!
Most of its contents were basic theoretical knowledge about Lightning Release ninjutsu, along with D-rank and C-rank techniques such as Lightning Style: Earth Flash and Lightning Style: Thunder Ball. There was not even a single B-rank or higher-level advanced ninjutsu.
Yet Sasuke was not disappointed. Nor did he underestimate it simply because it was basic. Instead, he studied it extremely carefully, not overlooking a single detail.
An hour later, Sasuke set down the Lightning Release ninjutsu scroll in his hands and let out a long breath.
"As expected, there is no record of a method for using lightning-nature chakra to stimulate and activate the body's cells."
Besides its powerful offensive properties, strong penetrating power, and ability to paralyze enemies, Lightning Release had another trait: it could activate the body's cells through chakra, increasing the user's speed!
In the original story, only two techniques possessed this characteristic. One was Hatake Kakashi's Chidori, and the other was the Raikage lineage's Lightning Style Chakra Mode!
Kakashi's Chidori used a special method to stimulate the caster's leg and arm muscles, enhancing the speed of a straight thrust as well as the arm's immense piercing power!
The Raikage lineage's Lightning Style Chakra Mode was even stronger, strengthening the entire body and even the brain's reflex nerves.
One had to know that Kakashi's Chidori did not enhance reflex nerves. When Kakashi had first created Chidori, without the Sharingan's assistance, its thrusting speed was so fast that not only could enemies not react in time, even Kakashi himself could not react in time. If he encountered a slightly stronger enemy, his opening would be seized instantly and he would be counterattacked!
Lightning Style Chakra Mode concentrated Lightning Release chakra throughout the entire body, covering it in chakra and lightning. It could activate the body, enable Lightning Flash Body Flicker, and greatly increase defensive power. At the same time, the lightning erupting within the body could increase the transmission speed of the nerves.
It could even form Lightning Release Armor covered in lightning, protecting the caster's body.
"Looks like I'll have to set my sights on Kakashi in the future..."
It was impossible to say Sasuke was not disappointed that the scroll lacked a method for using Lightning Release chakra to activate the body's cells.
But Sasuke had been mentally prepared for this. Lightning Release chakra itself was an extremely dangerous kind of chakra. A single mistake in its use could result in killing oneself rather than the enemy.
Moreover, using Lightning Release chakra to activate the body's cells was a rare, advanced technique even among Lightning Release techniques. There was no way basic, low-level Lightning Release ninjutsu would include methods for practicing it.
Although he had not found a method for using elemental chakra to stimulate and activate the body's cells, Sasuke still intended to diligently practice these low-level Lightning Release ninjutsu in the future.
After all, a towering building rose from level ground. Laying a solid foundation was more important than anything else!
In the original story, before the Chunin Exams finals, the original Sasuke had spent a month desperately mastering Chidori. Kakashi's exact words to Might Guy at the time had been:
"To master this technique, Sasuke nearly lost his life!"
This showed that Chidori was not so easy to master!
But at that time, Sasuke had not mastered any basic Lightning Release ninjutsu. At least, neither the manga nor the anime showed any sign that Sasuke knew Lightning Release ninjutsu before learning Chidori.
If he began practicing Lightning Release ninjutsu now and built a solid foundation, then when the day came for him to learn Chidori, he would surely spend far less time than the original Sasuke had!
Before you continue