Lihuo heard Kakashi's words and immediately straightened up a little, thinking to himself,
He's going to develop Chidori. I guess I'm witnessing history.
Kakashi continued,
"The Rasengan you developed takes shape transformation of chakra to its utmost limit."
"The destructive power brought by its tremendous rotation is not to be underestimated."
"But the jutsu I want to design goes beyond that. I hope my jutsu can combine the nature and shape transformations of chakra."
Hearing this, Lihuo wanted to offer a few pointers, so he slowly guided Kakashi along.
"Have you tested your chakra nature?"
"I did that ages ago. The paper showed that I have chakra of all five natures, with Lightning Release Chakra being especially strong."
Hearing this, Lihuo seized the opportunity to say,
"Then why not develop a Lightning Release Ninjutsu? It should be relatively easy for you to master."
"Besides, Lightning Release is known for its tremendous offensive power and incredible speed, so it suits your fighting style."
After thinking it over, Kakashi nodded at Lihuo's suggestion.
Then Kakashi said,
"To bring nature and shape transformations to their utmost limits, I don't plan to develop a jutsu that requires no hand seals."
Lihuo nodded in agreement, and the two of them began discussing the jutsu.
Drawing on his knowledge of Chidori as someone from another world, Lihuo offered Kakashi numerous suggestions, which proved immensely helpful.
Over the next few days, Lihuo trained while working with Kakashi on the jutsu's development. Kakashi's talent was truly astonishing. In less than half a month, Chidori had already begun to take shape.
After training one day, Kakashi said to Lihuo,
"Lihuo, I won't be training with you tomorrow. My father is expected to return after finishing his mission."
At that, Lihuo immediately jumped to his feet!
"Uncle Sakumo is back? I've missed him so much! Let's go welcome him together tomorrow!"
The next day, at the Konoha Gate
When Kakashi and Lihuo arrived, they were surprised to find that they weren't the only ones waiting at the village entrance.
A large crowd of enthusiastic villagers had gathered there, waiting for Sakumo's return.
"Mister, why are you all so eagerly waiting for Uncle Sakumo?"
Lihuo asked one of the villagers waiting nearby.
The man was about to answer, but then he caught sight of the Uchiha Clan Crest on Lihuo's chest. He opened his mouth, then hesitated, unsure whether to speak.
Lihuo sheepishly shrugged at Kakashi.
Lihuo could more or less guess what the man was thinking: he didn't want to talk to an Uchiha, but he was also afraid of offending one.
Kakashi noticed Lihuo's awkward predicament and stepped forward to ask,
"Mister, could you tell me?"
At Kakashi's question, the man's earlier hesitation vanished, and he answered,
"It's nothing particularly important. Lord Sakumo captured an Anbu from Kumogakure who'd been sent to gather intelligence on the village while he was on patrol along the Kumogakure border."
"The news got back here, and we're all ready to line the streets and welcome Konoha's hero."
As it turned out, the news had reached Konoha the day before, but the two of them had been so busy training that neither had heard about it.
Just then, the street suddenly filled with people. The villagers grew animated and rushed forward all at once.
"Lord Sakumo! Thank you for protecting the village!"
"Lord Sakumo, you're so cool!"
Praise rang out in a way even the Hokage rarely experienced.
"Looks like Uncle Sakumo really is popular,"
Lihuo said sincerely.
"He's truly an excellent shinobi."
Hearing his friend's praise, Kakashi's face turned slightly red—a rare sight.
"Looks like we won't get to see my father right now. Let's go home and wait."
That evening, after giving his mission report to the Hokage, Sakumo returned home, exhausted.
The moment he stepped inside, he smelled the enticing aroma of a meal—the handiwork of Lihuo and Kakashi.
They had prepared it to welcome Sakumo home.
During dinner, Sakumo talked with the two of them about many things. For security reasons, he couldn't tell them much about the mission.
Instead, he shared stories about the customs and scenery along the Kumogakure border. Even so, the two who had never left the village were amazed.
"Father, I want to become a Chunin."
Kakashi bluntly shared his thoughts with Sakumo, hoping to hear his opinion.
"I heard about it from Lord Third."
Sakumo answered without a moment's hesitation.
"No one knows a son better than his father. Kakashi, I know how strong you are. The Chunin Ninja Exams won't be difficult for you."
"But remember, the Chunin Ninja Exams aren't just a promotion test. They're also the best way to broaden your horizons and consolidate your strength, so you should prepare well."
Kakashi nodded to show that he understood.
Sakumo turned to Lihuo.
"Little Lihuo, I heard that you took Orochimaru as your teacher."
Only then did Lihuo tell Sakumo the whole story. After listening, Sakumo pondered for a moment before saying,
"Orochimaru is powerful and dedicated to teaching, so he's a good teacher. But he's the sort of person who never acts without a reason. Be careful when dealing with him."
Lihuo understood that Sakumo was warning him at the risk of offending someone because he truly regarded him as one of his own.
Lihuo thanked Sakumo and assured him that he'd be careful.
Afterward, the three of them discussed the A-rank jutsu Kakashi was developing. Sakumo's swordsmanship was divine, and he also had unique insights into ninjutsu.
Thanks to Sakumo's advice, both Lihuo and Kakashi felt they had gained inspiration.
And so, a joyful family dinner warmed everyone there.
Meanwhile, at Root Base
Danzo was in a very foul mood.
"Hatake Sakumo, you've got some nerve! You captured an Anbu from Kumogakure. Aren't you afraid of starting a war?"
Danzo paced furiously around the hall. He knew perfectly well that this wasn't really what had upset him.
It was that another rival had appeared on his path to the Hokage Position!
Looking at Hatake Sakumo's impressive record in the report and remembering the grand welcome the villagers had given him that day,
Danzo could no longer hold back his jealousy.
"Why?! I've secretly contributed so much to Konoha! Why does he get to receive such treatment?!"
Danzo waved his hand.
A Root operative appeared in the shadows like a ghost. The dim light fell across his mask, accentuating his grim, murderous aura.
"Have any Anbu from the Sand Village been captured by us in the past few days?"
Danzo asked coldly.
"Yes, sir."
At that, Danzo took out a scroll and wrote something on it. Then he rolled it up and hesitated for a long time, but ultimately didn't use Sealing Jutsu. He knew all too well how skilled the Sand Village was at sealing.
They wouldn't be able to break a high-level sealing technique, while a low-level one would be useless.
He handed the scroll to his subordinate.
"Find a suitable excuse to release him, and have him deliver this scroll to Ebizo and that old woman!"
"Yes!"
The Root operative didn't question such outrageous orders in the slightest. They had long since been trained into killing machines who obeyed Danzo alone.
"Hatake Sakumo, don't blame me. To ensure Konoha gets the right leadership, I have no choice but to eliminate you!"
Danzo's face disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind only those deeply ironic words.
Lihuo and the others had no idea that a massive conspiracy was quietly unfolding from that moment onward.
The days passed, and during this time Orochimaru had Lihuo stay in his laboratory to assist with his research.
That's right. After more than three months of working together, Orochimaru had finally recognized Lihuo's scientific abilities.
In his words, Lihuo was,
"Practically useless at hands-on research, but his unexpected ideas always manage to inspire me."
And so, he officially brought Lihuo onto his research team.
Then, just today, Orochimaru showed Lihuo his most secret research.
"Little Lihuo, you should know that after seeing my research, you might lose your head."
Orochimaru's eyes were full of warning, as if trying to scare Lihuo off.
But as someone from another world, Lihuo knew exactly what Orochimaru was working on.
He had already planned what he would do after Orochimaru defected, when he chose to become his student.
Before you continue