"This level of chakra!"
Kakashi opened his eyes and looked toward Kazuhiko's tent, uncertain.
He was sure Kazuhiko's tent hadn't been attacked by an enemy.
This was an S-rank confidential mission, and Kakashi hadn't dared let his guard down for even a moment. He'd remained on alert the whole time.
But this powerful surge of chakra had appeared so suddenly that he couldn't afford to be careless.
Kakashi stood up and pushed his Forehead Protector up, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly turning.
He needed to confirm whether there was only one ninja in the tent.
Then he was stunned by what he saw.
"That much chakra!?"
A guy whose file listed him as nothing more than a medical Genin actually had a chakra reserve on par with his own.
You're telling me this guy is a Genin?
Kakashi couldn't help doubting himself:
Could it be that I have very little chakra?
No!
He was an elite Jonin. His chakra reserves were already among the best in the Shinobi World!
This Genin had to be ridiculously abnormal!
"He might be training some kind of ninjutsu."
After confirming nothing was happening inside the tent, Kakashi lowered his Forehead Protector and closed his eyes again.
He couldn't turn off his Sharingan, so his chakra was constantly being drained. Even his mind and concentration were getting worn out from refining and replenishing it.
If he hadn't needed to maintain his condition and complete the escort mission, Kakashi could have gotten Kazuhiko to Tanzaku Town in a single day.
But if something went wrong while Tsunade was being treated, he wouldn't be able to guarantee Kazuhiko's safety.
Kakashi absolutely couldn't let that happen.
At that moment, another disturbance came from Kazuhiko's tent.
Kakashi sensed Kazuhiko's chakra surging like a boiling wave!
A dazzling light invisible to the naked eye lit up Kakashi's senses as bright as day, piercing the darkness of the forest.
He opened his eyes again. The entire camp was silent, with only a faint glimmer filtering through the tent fabric.
Kakashi was uncertain.
"An advanced Lightning Release technique?"
"But that light doesn't seem right!"
"Did something go wrong during his training?"
He pushed up his Forehead Protector and immediately used his Sharingan to check.
The azure chakra around Kazuhiko had somehow turned black.
"This is..."
Kakashi's mouth fell open as he stared blankly at the sight.
The next moment, a black beam of light appeared, sweeping through the air.
"Black chakra lightning!"
"No!"
"Black lightning that can be controlled and shaped!"
Kakashi gaped in astonishment.
A genius is right beside me?
Inside the tent.
Kazuhiko felt that he had already grasped Storm Release.
Lightning Release: speed, penetration, paralysis, slashing, and conductivity.
Water Release: flexibility, restraint, shaping, volume, and saturation.
Combining the perfect chakra nature transformations of both Lightning and Water Release turned the black lightning produced by Storm Release into a power he could freely control, shaping it into all kinds of chakra attacks.
Homing pursuit, light-speed attacks, the ability to curve around obstacles...
Storm Release had propelled Kazuhiko beyond the five basic nature transformations, beyond their cycle of mutual restraint.
"Two blues into one purple. What a bargain!"
After carefully sensing Storm Release, Kazuhiko checked the conditions for permanently locking in the trait.
[Permanent Lock-In Condition: Perfectly master the chakra nature transformations of Lightning and Water. Research and develop a complete set of Storm Release techniques (one each at D, C, B, and A rank).]
Developing ninjutsu wasn't difficult for Kazuhiko.
He could already whip up a D-rank Storm Release technique on the spot:
Lesser Storm Ball Technique!
A C-rank Greater Storm Ball Technique was just as easy.
And when it came to advanced Storm Release techniques, Darui and Madara were both precedents he could learn from. Developing them wouldn't be difficult either.
The approach was already there. He just had to follow it step by step.
But...
Perfectly mastering a chakra nature transformation wasn't easy.
Take the nature transformation of Lightning Release, for example:
Perfect mastery meant that when using Lightning Release ninjutsu, one had to possess all its properties at once: speed, penetration, paralysis, slashing, and conductivity.
Kakashi had reached that level, allowing him to develop Lightning Release to its full potential and create a technique capable of severing lightning—
Chidori.
Kazuhiko looked at the other traits in the Jonin Ten-Pull and fell into thought.
[Lightning Release: Chidori (Purple)]
[Water Release: Water Wave (Green)]
[Lightning Release: Lightning Dash Technique (Green)]
[Kunai Shadow Clone Technique (Green)]
[Earth Release: Earth Flow Bullet Technique (Green)]
[Sealing Jutsu: Evil Sealing Method (Purple)]
With the Chidori, mastering the chakra nature transformation of Lightning Release wouldn't be a problem.
What about Water Release?
Which technique should he learn to perfectly master its nature transformation?
"Senju Old Ghost's signature Water Release techniques, like Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade and Water Shockwave, would definitely do the trick."
"But I can't get my hands on those techniques for now. The Konoha High Command would never allow a member of the Uchiha Clan to learn the advanced Water Release techniques in the Scroll of Seals."
"The clan has plenty of Water Release ninjutsu recorded in its archives. I can study some when I get back."
The Uchiha Clan excelled at Fire Release, so they'd also developed considerable expertise in Water Release techniques that countered it.
The ones who truly understood you were often your enemies.
In front of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, no ninjutsu could escape being copied.
Every Uchiha Jonin was basically Kakashi.
Although they couldn't learn the Water Release techniques they copied, bringing them back to the clan to study and devise countermeasures was a responsibility no Uchiha could shirk.
Just then, [Deep Blue] sent a notification:
[Kakashi's favorability toward you has increased]
"Hmm?"
Kazuhiko's Two-Tomoe Sharingan activated in an instant, and he looked in Kakashi's direction.
And then...
He saw:
On the azure, human-shaped chakra, a familiar red mass with three tomoe was slowly turning.
So he was spying!
What a shameless creep!
After shooting Kakashi a disdainful glance, Kazuhiko shut off his Sharingan and immediately got up and walked out of the tent.
Kakashi, perched in the tree, looked embarrassed.
Getting caught using his Sharingan by a member of the Uchiha Clan made his ears burn.
Thinking about his reputation made him even more embarrassed.
What if he thinks I was using my Sharingan to copy his ninjutsu?
Kakashi curled his toes tightly around the tree branch and tried to explain.
"Uh... I just wanted to make sure everything was all right. I didn't actually see anything."
That was such a lame excuse. He was bound to get laughed at.
"Although the Sharingan can't see through things, you saw all the chakra I just used, didn't you?"
Kakashi nodded awkwardly.
He hadn't just seen it; he'd even guessed what the black lightning meant.
Black lightning that could be manipulated and reshaped was undoubtedly some kind of unknown Kekkei Genkai.
"Spying on someone's secrets without permission isn't something a comrade would do."
Kazuhiko's expression was stern.
He didn't want Kakashi reporting that he'd mastered Storm Release to the Third Hokage.
After all, any secret that reached the Third Hokage was as good as exposed to Danzo.
Kazuhiko couldn't predict how Danzo would react to this, so he needed Kakashi to keep Storm Release secret.
Helping Shota awaken his Sharingan had already put him in Danzo's sights.
If he added Storm Release to the mix, Kazuhiko couldn't predict what Danzo might do.
During the May Day holiday, monthly votes count double. Readers, hurry and vote so the author will write extra chapters!
Thanks to everyone who's been following along and voting. Thank you for your support, and happy May Day!
I got home pretty late, so the other chapter will be updated a little later.
Before you continue