Free Labor

After registering, Shin-getsu didn't leave right away. He seized the last bit of time to flip through a few more pages on Lightning Release basics.

Only when time was up did he finally leave the archive room.

As soon as he stepped outside, a lazy voice came from nearby.

"What did you pick?"

Shin-getsu turned.

Kakashi was leaning against the wall, holding a little orange book.

Silver hair, a mask, and half-lidded eyes.

He looked like he was just passing by.

But Shin-getsu, of course, didn't believe that.

"Senior Kakashi."

Shin-getsu looked at him.

"Are you here to keep an eye on me?"

Kakashi closed the book.

"'Keep an eye on you' sounds too harsh."

"Lord Hokage asked me to check on you while I was passing by, to make sure you weren't causing trouble."

Shin-getsu replied calmly, "Does going to the archive room to read count as causing trouble?"

Kakashi thought about it.

"If it's you, possibly."

Shin-getsu's lips twitched.

"Then what did you figure out?"

Kakashi walked over, his gaze falling on the scroll in Shin-getsu's hand.

"Lightning Release?"

"Mm."

"Earth Flash?"

"Mm."

A hint of surprise flashed in Kakashi's eyes.

"Good choice."

"Not picking more Fire Style means you know what you're lacking."

Shin-getsu asked, "Can you use Lightning Release too?"

Kakashi looked at him.

He paused for a second.

"A little."

Shin-getsu scoffed inwardly.

A little?

You developed Chidori, and you call that "a little"?

But he didn't let it show. He only asked,

"Then could you teach me, Senior Kakashi?"

Kakashi froze for a moment.

"You're not shy about asking."

Shin-getsu answered calmly, "Since Lord Hokage sent you to keep an eye on me, you can't just stand there watching."

Kakashi's expression turned curious.

"Are you trying to fleece Lord Hokage?"

Shin-getsu corrected him. "I'm making reasonable use of the village's resources."

Kakashi looked at him.

A moment later, he suddenly laughed.

"You're more interesting than most Uchiha, kid."

"But why should I teach you?"

Shin-getsu replied, "Because if I hurt myself while training in Lightning Release, the compensation Lord Hokage gave me will turn into another joke."

Kakashi: "..."

That was hard to argue with.

Shin-getsu continued, "Besides, teaching me gives you a chance to observe me."

"Isn't that exactly what Lord Hokage wants?"

Kakashi fell silent.

This kid was too direct.

So direct that sometimes Kakashi didn't know how to respond.

And yet every word made sense.

The Hokage had asked him to keep tabs on Shin-getsu.

If he simply watched from a distance, that could easily provoke resentment from the Uchiha.

Approaching him under the pretext of training really would be more natural.

Besides, Kakashi was a little curious himself.

What was this nine-year-old who had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan and turned Root's probing into evidence like when he trained in ninjutsu?

"Fine."

Kakashi put the little orange book into his ninja tool pouch.

"But I'll only teach you the basics."

Shin-getsu nodded.

"That's enough."

Kakashi glanced around.

"This isn't a good place. Let's go to the Third Training Ground."

Shin-getsu didn't refuse.

The two of them headed for the Third Training Ground.

On the way, Shin-getsu could feel several gazes sweeping over them from the shadows.

Some belonged to Anbu.

Others belonged to the Uchiha Police Force.

There might even be someone from Root.

He showed no sign that anything was wrong.

Kakashi suddenly spoke.

"A lot of people are watching you right now."

Shin-getsu replied, "I know."

"And you're still this calm?"

"Would panicking help?"

Kakashi glanced at him.

"No."

Shin-getsu said calmly, "Then I won't panic."

Kakashi said nothing more.

The Third Training Ground.

It was empty for the time being.

Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing and held out his right hand.

"Lightning Release is different from Fire Style."

"Fire Style focuses on igniting and expelling chakra."

"Lightning Release, on the other hand, relies more on sharpness and activity in chakra's transformation."

As he spoke, a faint arc of electricity appeared in his palm.

Crackle.

Blue-white light danced across his fingertips.

"Beginners make two common mistakes when learning Lightning Release."

"First, they transform too much chakra at once and damage their chakra pathways."

"Second, they fail to control the release. The jutsu hasn't even left their hand, and they've already numbed themselves with a shock."

Shin-getsu listened attentively.

Kakashi glanced at him.

"You have the Sharingan, so you can observe the flow of chakra."

"Activate it."

Shin-getsu didn't hesitate.

His Two-Tomoe Sharingan appeared.

Two tomoe slowly revolved in his crimson eyes.

Seeing those eyes, Kakashi felt conflicted.

The Sharingan in his left eye had been given to him by Obito.

But the eyes of the Uchiha boy in front of him had been awakened by repeated brushes with death.

In a way, both of their fates had been changed by these eyes.

"Watch my hand," Kakashi said.

Shin-getsu stared at his palm.

Through his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Kakashi's chakra flow became clear.

Chakra traveled through the pathways in his arm and flowed into his palm.

Then it split at his fingertips into tiny currents of active electricity.

The strength of every arc was controlled with perfect precision.

Nothing leaked out unnecessarily.

There was no backlash.

It was like a precisely woven web of lightning.

Kakashi asked, "Can you see it clearly?"

Shin-getsu nodded.

"First, the chakra gathers. Then it splits into tiny streams."

"It isn't released all at once."

A hint of approval flashed in Kakashi's eyes.

"Not bad."

"Most beginners can't figure that out even after watching ten times."

Shin-getsu replied calmly, "I have the Sharingan."

Kakashi said, "The Sharingan is just a tool."

"Understanding what you see is another matter."

He dispelled the arc in his palm.

"Give it a try."

Shin-getsu held out his right hand.

He didn't rush to form Hand Seals. Instead, he first stirred the chakra inside him.

Fire chakra came more naturally to him.

Lightning chakra felt sharper and more volatile.

As soon as he guided it into his palm, a faint sting ran through his fingertips.

Shin-getsu furrowed his brow.

Kakashi reminded him, "Don't rush."

"You can't push Lightning Release out all at once like Fire Style."

"First, make the chakra active."

Shin-getsu nodded.

He closed his eyes and, with the help of the Chakra Control trait, lowered the amount of chakra in his palm.

A thin blue-white arc slowly appeared.

It was faint.

Like a thread about to snap.

But it had appeared.

Kakashi's eyes shifted slightly.

He'd managed to produce an arc of lightning chakra on his very first try?

That was impressive talent.

But in the next second, the arc in Shin-getsu's palm suddenly went wild.

Crackle!

His right hand went numb.

The chakra dissipated in an instant.

Shin-getsu's face paled slightly.

Kakashi spoke. "Did you feel it?"

"Lightning Release won't obey me."

Shin-getsu looked at his palm.

His fingertips were still a little numb.

"Again."

Kakashi nodded.

"Go ahead."

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Shin-getsu kept trying to gather Lightning Chakra.

Failure.

Loss of control.

Numbness.

Failure again.

Adjustments.

Kakashi didn't rush to correct him too much.

He could tell that Shin-getsu learned very quickly.

After each failure, he immediately corrected one small mistake.

That ability to self-correct was even more impressive than sheer talent.

Half an hour later, a small cluster of electric arcs finally appeared in Shin-getsu's palm, steady at last.

It was weak.

But steady.

Kakashi nodded.

"That's enough for today."

Shin-getsu looked up.

"I can keep going."

Kakashi refused outright.

"No."

"Your body hasn't recovered yet."

"If you keep training, you'll damage your chakra pathways."

Shin-getsu fell silent for a moment, then lowered his hand.

He knew when to stop.

Sometimes, pushing himself to the limit was necessary.

But pointless overexertion would only hinder his growth later.

Seeing that Shin-getsu wasn't forcing himself, Kakashi seemed to approve of him a little more.

"You're more level-headed than I expected."

Shin-getsu said, "I have to stay alive to grow stronger."

Kakashi said softly, "A lot of people understand that too late."

Shin-getsu looked at him.

"Are you talking about yourself?"

Kakashi paused.

For an instant, his gaze turned somber.

But it quickly returned to its usual languid look.

"You ask too many questions, brat."

Shin-getsu didn't press him further.

He knew Kakashi bore too many scars.

White Fang.

Obito.

Rin.

Minato.

The Nine-Tails Incident.

Kakashi might seem languid now, but the past had long since left him struggling to breathe.

People like him weren't beyond being reached.

It just wasn't the right time yet.

Poking at his wounds now would only backfire.