Chidori / The Mission Begins

Gekko Hayate cried out in alarm and shut his eyes in fear.

But in the next instant, a sudden sensation of weightlessness hit him. When he opened his eyes, he was already at the edge of the battlefield.

Uchiha Mo casually tossed Gekko Hayate onto the ground, then folded his arms and turned his attention back to the fight.

After using three ninjutsu in succession, Asuma had already spent more than half his chakra. Shisui had reached his side after using the Body Flicker Technique, but fortunately, Kurenai Yuhi was guarding Asuma.

The moment Shisui appeared, he hesitated no longer and brought his short blade down at Asuma.

"Such a fast Body Flicker Technique!" A chill ran down Asuma's back. He had no time to react at all.

Clang!

At the critical moment, Kurenai Yuhi blocked Shisui's slash with a kunai. At the same time, invisible ripples suddenly spread through her ruby-like eyes.

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!

bing~

But just as the Genjutsu took shape, Shisui's eyes suddenly burst with scarlet light!

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

Kurenai Yuhi's body trembled, and she instantly froze in place.

Her kunai slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. Asuma quickly tried to get up, but Shisui was clearly faster.

A cold blade rested against Asuma's shoulder. With his Sharingan activated, a hint of casual coldness appeared on Shisui's face.

"I won."

Feeling the chill against his neck, Asuma swallowed and turned his gaze toward the slowly spinning Sharingan in Shisui's eye sockets.

"Looks like you won't be getting my ninjutsu."

Mo appeared beside the three of them, a nearly imperceptible curve lifting at the corner of his mouth. He placed his right hand on Shisui's head.

"Good job."

As soon as he spoke, Shisui deactivated his Sharingan, and that sunny smile returned to his face.

"As for you three..."

At those words, the three members of Team 8 immediately grew tense.

Although they had lost the match, Team 8 had actually displayed considerable strength. Each of them had mastered at least one effective method. Even among Genin, they could be considered solidly above average, unlike ordinary ninja academy graduates.

"Come with me tomorrow to accept a mission."

The moment they heard that, Asuma and the other two let out a sigh of relief, afraid that Uchiha Mo had remembered the punishment.

After agreeing on a time to meet the next day, Mo left with Shisui.

Once he returned home, he took the scroll Kakashi had given him out of his Ninja Tool Pouch.

Leading several Genin on low-level missions was nothing but a waste of time for Mo, so he planned to use this time to thoroughly master Kakashi's still-incomplete Chidori.

While improving his Lightning Release proficiency, he could also take the opportunity to give his Fire Control ability a legitimate explanation.

Moreover, Chidori possessed tremendous power and potential. Among the Lightning Release techniques Mo had mastered at this stage, there truly was nothing more useful than Chidori.

Chidori

The sun hung high in the center of the sky.

Asuma stood cautiously atop the lake with a basket on his back, using the tongs in his hand to pick up floating trash and toss it into the basket behind him.

"Damn it! This is nothing like the ninja life I imagined!"

He gritted his teeth as he spoke, then turned and shot a vicious glare at Uchiha Mo, who was reading a scroll beneath a tree by the lakeshore.

"Stop complaining, Asuma. I asked my father. Genin have to accumulate a certain number of low-level missions before they can officially take C-Rank Missions or higher."

Kurenai Yuhi carefully gripped an empty can with her tongs, then flicked it skillfully. She bent slightly, and the can landed directly in the basket.

Nearly a month had passed since Team 8 was formed. During that time, every mission they had received had been D-Rank work like cleaning trash from the lake or helping people find their pets.

Fortunately, Mo had also taught the three of them several training methods to strengthen the basics of being a ninja during their missions. Thus, Kurenai Yuhi and Gekko Hayate were still able to keep their composure and did not grow overly impatient.

"I think Teacher Mo is just lazy! I heard Kakashi's team accepted a C-Rank Mission and left the village last week!"

Asuma snorted. Seeing that Mo was not paying attention to him, he immediately stuck out his tongue and made a face.

But at that very moment, he seemed to sense something and abruptly turned his head.

"Eh?!"

Asuma's heart jolted. His chakra wavered, and he fell straight into the water.

Mo withdrew his gaze and returned his attention to the scroll, ignoring Asuma.

Over the past month, Mo had already completely mastered Kakashi's Chidori scroll. Since the hand seals for Chidori were no secret in the original story, he had spent more of his time refining the technique.

"Almost there."

Mo put away the scroll and rose to his feet, thoughts rapidly surging through his mind.

"The external key to Chidori lies in physical activity sufficient to sustain thrusting speed and generate powerful chakra. Its inner core is an extreme Lightning Release nature transformation, taking the characteristics of lightning..."

As he thought, Mo raised both hands.

Ox—Rabbit—Monkey!

After forming the three hand seals, Mo gripped his right wrist with his left hand. Powerful chakra wildly gathered in his palm.

Chidori!

Screech—!

After a sharp sound like the cries of a thousand birds, blazing white light burst from Mo's right palm. Dense arcs of electricity danced wildly, crackling with electric current.

The two people on the lake and Asuma, who had just climbed out of the water, immediately turned to look. Shisui, who was practicing swordsmanship nearby, also suddenly felt an intense sense of danger. He abruptly stopped and quickly leaped back to widen the distance.

Looking at the lightning in Mo's hand, a bead of cold sweat slid down Shisui's temple.

"What a dangerous technique!"

Chidori, an A-Rank ninjutsu, was also the strongest Lightning Release ninjutsu Uchiha Mo currently possessed.

In truth, a ninjutsu's rank only represented how difficult it was to learn. Although the power and learning difficulty of most ninjutsu were proportional, while Chidori was A-Rank, its power was no weaker than certain ultimate techniques, and its practicality could be called among the greatest of all ninjutsu.

Uchiha Mo turned toward the large tree behind him, then thrust out his right hand like lightning.

Thud!

With a crisp, strange sound, Mo's entire forearm pierced through the thick tree as easily as a blade through tofu, meeting no resistance whatsoever!

Then lightning erupted, dealing secondary damage, and the tree crashed down.

The onlookers' eyes widened. The three members of Team 8 all fell into the water after getting distracted, while Shisui approached with an excited expression.

"Brother, what technique is that? Can I learn it?"

Shisui's chakra natures were fire, wind, lightning, and yin, while Chidori could be said to have been tailor-made for the Uchiha Clan...

Mo shook his right hand and looked at Shisui, answering calmly, "No. Master everything you need to learn now first."

After all, trying to swallow too much only led to indigestion. Moreover, the core of Shisui's fighting style was the Body Flicker Technique, which conflicted with Chidori's requirement for a thrusting charge to maximize its power. It was not suitable for him.

Perhaps many Chidori-derived techniques could be incorporated into Shisui's arsenal, but before Shisui's combat strength had fully taken shape and he developed his own fighting instincts, teaching him Chidori would not be a good thing.

After saying that, Mo ignored the dejected Shisui. Instead, he stepped onto the lake, fished the three members of Team 8 out of the water, and tossed them onto the shore.

He stood by the lakeside and looked down at the three members of Team 8 sprawled on the ground.

"Gather at the training ground the day after tomorrow. I'll accept the C-Rank Mission you've been waiting for. If you fail to satisfy me then, get ready to pick up trash for a month."

After saying that, Uchiha Mo used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot. Shisui hurried after him, leaving only the three members of Team 8 lying on the ground.

After Uchiha Mo returned home and put his things away, his consciousness quickly sank into his mind, and he immediately focused on the panel.

After half a month of Chidori training, Mo's Lightning Release proficiency had surged by nearly four percent. Green Child's unlock progress had also reached 10.82% + 16.23%. If he continued to fully develop the Chidori system, Lightning Release proficiency would likely be the first to reach the twenty-percent threshold.

At that point, he could unlock Thunderstorm and obtain its core Lightning Manipulation ability. Then Mo could begin developing his own Kekkei Genkai. However, all that was still far away. His most urgent task was to complete Cat Granny's mission and obtain the Kusanagi Sword.

With that thought, Uchiha Mo left a note telling Shisui to cook, then hurried out of the house and headed for the mission hall to choose a mission.

This mission had to be located in the Land of Birds so Mo could investigate the underground black market merchant. Second, the mission could not be too easy. Since Mo had just displayed Chidori before the three members of Team 8, coupled with the information he had inadvertently revealed to Kakashi earlier, now was the perfect time to give his Fire Control ability a legitimate explanation.

Therefore, the mission had to contain enough twists and turns to give Mo an opportunity to display that ability before everyone.

Uchiha Mo moved quickly and reached his destination in less than a quarter of an hour. He stepped into the hall, his eyes constantly scanning the mission boards around him.

"Land of Waves... Land of Hot Water..."

Uchiha Mo's requirements were rather strict. Although he scanned every mission currently posted on the boards, he failed to find one that satisfied him.

Several missions in the Land of Birds did meet Mo's requirements fairly well, but they had all been classified as B-Rank Missions due to their difficulty, which his team could not currently accept.

Mo frowned. Just as he was about to take a B-Rank Mission and negotiate with the Third Hokage, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

He turned his head with a cold look, and a blond man with a sunny smile entered his field of vision.

The Mission Begins

"Mo, are you looking for a mission?"

Minato Namikaze wore a sunny smile as he bent down beside Uchiha Mo.

Mo turned his gaze back and resumed searching through the mission board.

Minato did not receive a response and felt a little awkward, but he still struck up a conversation enthusiastically.

"Didn't find anything you liked? I have a mission from Lord Hokage. Do you want to take a look? I heard a minister who visited the Land of Birds is returning home, leaving the day after tomorrow. Although it's a C-Rank Mission, it specifically requests that someone capable from Hidden Leaf lead the team."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo immediately turned back. He looked into Minato Namikaze's blue eyes and, without rushing, asked first, "Why aren't you going?"

Minato smiled. "Team 7 only returned to Hidden Leaf not long ago. It was Obito and Rin's first time going out on a mission, so they need some time to adjust. If you're willing to take this mission, I'll discuss it with Lord Hokage."

He waved the mission scroll in his hand, seeming to radiate warm light.

Uchiha Mo took the scroll from Minato Namikaze, opened it, and carefully read through it.

The client's requirements were written at the top of the mission scroll. Mo merely glanced over them before shifting his gaze to the route plan.

A line ran straight from Hidden Leaf to the border of the Land of Fire. After entering the Land of Rain, it began twisting sharply back and forth. It wound through the Land of Rain several times, then, after reaching the border of the Land of Birds, went straight toward the capital of the Land of Birds.

Uchiha Mo frowned slightly. He said nothing, merely rolled up the scroll and stuffed it back into Minato's hand.

"I owe you a favor."

Minato froze briefly, then smiled.

"Understood. I'll discuss it with Lord Hokage."

With that, a flash of golden light appeared, and Minato vanished from the spot.

"Yellow Flash..."

Mo slowly murmured the name. Only when Minato Namikaze placed his hand on his shoulder had he realized that the man had already arrived at his side...

"Looks like my strength is nothing special after all."

Mo shook his head and turned to leave the mission hall.

The next day, Minato delivered the news that the mission scroll had been assigned and the handover completed to Uchiha Mo.

After putting away the scroll, Mo returned to his room to study it.

Although the route planned by the client was extremely strange, Mo did not pay it much mind. There were too many strange people in the Ninja World, especially among the nobility. This minister might simply have some peculiar habit.