Early the next morning.
Kakashi brought Akiyama Shun to a stretch of wasteland. It was where Kakashi had been training all this time.
Kakashi felt a little uneasy. He had never imagined that one day Akiyama Shun would be teaching him.
Akiyama Shun, however, didn't seem to feel anything unusual. As soon as they arrived, he casually sat down on a large rock and began explaining things to Kakashi:
"First, I'll introduce you to the Chidori so you have a basic understanding of the technique. The Chidori gathers Lightning Release chakra in your palm to create a powerful electric current. It makes your hand as sharp as a blade, giving it tremendous penetrating power."
"When you use the Chidori, the Lightning Release chakra also stimulates your cells, activating them and increasing your speed so you can reach your opponent faster."
As Akiyama Shun began his explanation, Kakashi gradually settled into it and listened intently.
"However, this technique has one drawback. When a person charges straight ahead at their maximum speed, the scenery on either side blurs into lines, leaving them able to see only a tiny fan-shaped area directly in front of them. At the same time, it's difficult to change direction mid-charge. You don't need me to explain how dangerous that can be in a fight. Be sure to keep it in mind."
After Akiyama Shun finished explaining, Kakashi asked, "Is there any way to get rid of that drawback?"
"There is."
Hearing the definite answer, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. No problem. As long as there's a way to solve it, I'm sure I can do it. I'll just have to train harder.
"It's simple. You just need the Sharingan."
"..."
How was that simple?
Where was he supposed to find a Sharingan?
Seeing Kakashi at a loss for words, Akiyama Shun gave an awkward laugh. "All right, let's get started. Get ready to train."
Kakashi looked at Akiyama Shun and nodded. The drawback was real, but the Chidori's advantages were simply too tempting.
Soon, training began in earnest.
At first, Kakashi struggled to get started because he wasn't used to the way Lightning Release chakra stimulated his body.
But Kakashi was determined and hardworking. He could spend the entire day getting used to the sensation, taking breaks only to eat.
With that kind of effort, it didn't take long for Kakashi to adapt to the feeling of Lightning Release chakra stimulating his cells.
The next step was converting chakra into an electric current, then concentrating that current into the Chidori.
Normally, this was the most important and most difficult part. For a genius like Kakashi, though, it turned out to be the easiest!
"Zzzzt! Zzzzt! Zzzzt!"
After a few initial attempts, Kakashi quickly managed to gather an electric current in his palm. But before he could feel happy about it, a sharp pain shot through his arm, forcing him to stop.
"Hah... hah..."
Once the current disappeared, Kakashi was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, panting heavily.
"The Chidori does require you to output a huge amount of chakra in a very short time, but you put out too much just now. You went beyond the limit you can handle. It's like filling a bucket from a faucet: you meant to turn on a moderate flow, but you opened it all the way instead."
After Akiyama Shun finished speaking, Kakashi glanced at him and nodded, then immediately began gathering chakra again.
And so, the days went by.
Before long, the day of the official matches arrived, but Akiyama Shun and Kakashi were still training.
"Zzzzt! Zzzzt! Zzzzt!"
The piercing crackle sounded like thousands of birds calling all at once, ringing out from Kakashi's palm.
Blue-white lightning now enveloped his hand.
The Chidori was complete!
Kakashi lowered his stance and aimed at a boulder in the distance. He drove off with both feet, vanishing from the spot in an instant as he rushed toward it like a bolt of lightning.
"Zzzzt!!!"
At the moment the Chidori struck, Kakashi's hand pierced the boulder with ease, his entire arm buried inside it.
And the fist-and-kick stuff.
No, wait.
Akiyama Shun shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts from his mind. He'd been hanging around with Jiraiya too much lately. The man was starting to rub off on him.
"You've got enough control over the Chidori now to use it in a real fight. Take a good rest and recover your chakra. There's still time, so don't rush."
The official matches began.
As soon as the Third Kazekage took his seat, he swept his gaze across the stands. Only after spotting Karura did he relax.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, however, looked a little puzzled. Why hadn't Akiyama Shun and Kakashi arrived yet? Were they still training?
"Why don't I see Konoha's Akiyama Shun and Kakashi? I hear those two have been training very hard lately. It would be a shame if their training kept them from competing in the official matches."
The Third Kazekage sounded regretful, but inside, he was overjoyed.
I hope they don't show up. Then Karura can win without even fighting!
"It's fine. Those two are clever children. I'm sure they know what matters most."
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand, his expression calm and unhurried.
Kakashi's match was the third one. A little delay wouldn't matter.
The first two matches were nothing special, just ordinary Chunin exams. The spectators didn't find them very interesting.
There were only two matches everyone was looking forward to at these Chunin exams.
One was Kakashi versus Karura. The other was seeing Akiyama Shun in action. They wanted to find out what the three strongest competitors were really capable of.
The three of them had won all their previous matches by overwhelming their opponents, so no one had seen their true strength.
Yet even after the first two matches ended, Kakashi and Akiyama Shun still hadn't arrived.
But now the referee was announcing, "The next match is Karura versus Kakashi!"
Karura had already entered the arena after hearing her name.
Kakashi still hadn't arrived.
The referee didn't say anything more. He immediately began the countdown.
If Kakashi didn't show up before time ran out, he would forfeit by default.
Time ticked by, and soon the final thirty seconds began.
"Thirty."
"Twenty-nine."
"Twenty-eight."
"..."
The referee watched his timer as he counted down.
The spectators were already murmuring among themselves.
"Where's Kakashi? Why hasn't he come? Did he run away?"
"Are you kidding? Kakashi's one of the strongest in this year's exams. Why would he run?"
"If he performs well, he can become a Chunin. There's no reason for him not to show up."
"Maybe he trained too hard and hurt himself, so he couldn't make it? Akiyama Shun hasn't shown up either."
"That could be it. This sort of thing happens in the Chunin exams all the time."
"It'd be a shame if something like that happened to someone as strong as Kakashi. I wanted to see how powerful he'd be going all out."
The spectators weren't the only ones talking. The two Kage seated on the raised platform were discussing it too.
"Looks like Kakashi really is a hardworking boy. But rules are rules, and we can't wait much longer."
The Third Kazekage looked relaxed, a faint smile on his lips.
Sarutobi Hiruzen only smiled and nodded without saying anything. He glanced at Namikaze Minato so subtly that no one else would notice.
Namikaze Minato immediately understood what Sarutobi Hiruzen meant. He had just risen to leave using the Flying Thunder God when—
A second later, he sat back down.
Namikaze Minato wasn't the only one. Every ninja present of Jonin rank or higher sensed that something was happening.
A cloud of sand suddenly whipped up in the arena.
The Land of Wind nobles in the front row of the stands narrowed their eyes and raised their hands to shield themselves from the blowing sand, peering at the arena through the gaps between their fingers.
The other ninja in the stands were drawn to the sudden change as well.
The sandstorm came quickly and vanished just as fast.
In only five seconds, the sand had settled completely. When it cleared, everyone finally saw the two people who had been missing all along, standing at its center.
Akiyama Shun and Kakashi!
Before you continue