Storm Release schematic

Konoha Cemetery.

Low, heavy clouds pressed down on the sky, while faint breezes threaded through the rows of gravestones, carrying a grim chill.

Asami Ri had changed into a somber black kimono and stood quietly beside Minato Namikaze and Kakashi.

Minato's golden hair looked somewhat dull beneath the overcast sky. The future Fourth Hokage stood with his eyes lowered, guilt and grief showing in them.

Beside him, Kakashi's left eye was covered by his forehead protector, while his right was as still as stagnant water.

That day, Konoha had gained two heroes who possessed the Sharingan.

One of those heroes stood among the living, gazing in anguish at this twisted world through an eye that carried his dearest friend's will.

The other hero's name had been engraved forever on the Memorial Stone.

Asami Ri lowered his head slightly, his gaze settling on the newly carved name, "Obito Uchiha."

The sleeves of his black kimono hid his hands.

He neither wept nor spoke.

This ceremony honoring the dead marked only the end of the prelude. The true climax was about to begin.

"Let's go, Kakashi," Minato said softly, resting his hands on Kakashi's and Asami Ri's shoulders.

Asami Ri took one last look at the Memorial Stone and turned away, the hem of his black kimono fluttering in the wind.

On the left side of his vision, a pale blue notification remained quietly displayed.

[Storm Release Chakra schematic analysis complete...]

Asami Ri sat cross-legged in his dim bedroom. Before him stood several pieces of precision equipment that looked utterly out of place in this ordinary home.

Holding his breath, he very carefully slid the sealed blood sample and the test tube containing White Zetsu Tissue into the ultra-low-temperature freezer he had acquired through black-market intermediaries at the cost of most of his savings.

Although he already held two keys to the treasure trove of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, he knew full well that his current strength and rudimentary research facilities did not even qualify him to stand before the gates of truth.

Celestial Pivot, display the Storm Release Chakra schematic, he ordered coldly in his mind.

In an instant, countless streams of ghostly blue data intertwined in the air, forming an extraordinarily complex chakra pathway diagram and a Chakra frequency simulation model.

Layers of intricate geometric structures nested within one another, while cursors flickered constantly, displaying the critical fusion points between water and lightning nature transformations.

"So nature fusion requires resonance at this frequency... No wonder it's a kekkei genkai. This degree of precision really isn't something ordinary people can easily achieve," Asami Ri murmured.

Lately, he had become keenly aware of this body's "talent ceiling."

As a ninja of civilian birth, the growth of his Chakra reserves and physical capabilities was noticeably slowing. Even increasing the intensity of his training only left him with injuries.

Without some external stimulus, he would likely have to wait until the physical development of puberty for his next significant period of growth.

His covert sampling and observation of Konoha's civilian-born ninja over the years had led him to a despairing conclusion.

Even at their peak after puberty, ordinary ninja could, at most, double their current Chakra reserves.

As he was now, he could cast no more than three small- to medium-scale Ninjutsu in succession during a high-intensity battle.

By his calculations, his limit as an adult would be a mere six.

If adult Kakashi's less-than-vast Chakra reserves were set as the standard unit of "1 Kakashi," his current reserves amounted to only 0.4 Kakashi. Even at his peak, he would have around 0.8 Kakashi at the absolute most.

"A gap like this can never be bridged through hard work alone." Asami Ri's lips curled in a self-mocking smile. "As expected, this is ultimately a world where bloodline determines your ceiling."

Yet the resolve in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"But if my bloodline isn't enough, I'll make up for it with technology. Storm Release isn't merely a fusion of water and lightning—it's a qualitative change in Chakra brought about by nature transformation. Once I complete that synthesis, the changes wrought by Storm Release Chakra will send my total Chakra reserves soaring."

He closed his eyes again and pressed his palms together before his chest, beginning to mold the two types of Chakra. Guided by the precise schematic, he attempted to take his first step beyond mediocrity.

A week later, Konoha, which had been shrouded in dark clouds, finally regained a little of its long-lost vitality.

With the return of Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, from the Iwagakure front, good news spread through every street and alley.

Iwagakure had officially withdrawn its troops, and a request for peace signed by the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had reached the Hokage's office.

The battle at Kannabi Bridge had, in the end, broken the Land of Earth's backbone.

Although the village remained engaged in large-scale conflict with Kirigakure of the Land of Water, the looming threat of being attacked on two fronts had dissipated.

That evening, Asami Ri stood outside Minato Namikaze's home with a modestly but tastefully wrapped gift in hand and gently knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing Minato, who had taken off his Jonin vest and changed into loose clothes for relaxing at home.

With his battlefield edge gone, his signature gentle smile readily put others at ease.

"Ri! Come on in."

"Good evening, Minato-sensei. Sorry to disturb your time off. This is a small token of my appreciation." Asami Ri respectfully handed him the gift.

They sat down in the living room, and Minato personally poured two cups of tea, wisps of steam rising from them.

After the life-and-death struggles of the battlefield, peaceful moments like these felt all the more precious.

"Ri, have you come at this hour because you're having trouble with your training?" Minato set down the teapot and looked kindly at his consistently composed subordinate.

Asami Ri put down his cup, his expression turning solemn and earnest. "Sensei, I've made up my mind. I'd like to request that my reward from the village for completing the Kannabi Bridge mission be exchanged for an opportunity to learn Sealing Jutsu."

Minato paused in surprise, then looked approving. "Sealing Jutsu? That's an exceptionally profound and tedious field. Many talented ninja shy away from it because it's so complicated. But the fact that you're considering it means you've begun thinking about long-term tactical planning. That's good."

He paused, seemingly considering which of the village's Jonin skilled in Sealing Jutsu might have time available.

Then, as though something had occurred to him, he scratched his golden hair with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"As it happens, I'll mainly be handling the village's defenses for a while, so I won't have to go on missions very often. If you don't mind, I could teach you myself. Well... my Sealing Jutsu should be reasonably passable by Konoha's standards."

Asami Ri lowered his head to sip his tea. Hidden behind the rim of his cup, his lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

Reasonably passable?

The Nine-Tails had judged his mastery of sealing second only to Hashirama Senju's.

In this world ruled by bloodlines, Minato Namikaze was one of the very few monsters who could bridge the bloodline gap through sheer talent.

"Thank you for taking the trouble, sensei." Ri set down his cup and bowed deeply.

As the two discussed a preliminary training plan, quick, rhythmic footsteps sounded in the entryway. A moment later, the door was flung open with cheerful abandon.

"Minato! What are we having for dinner tonight, ya know..."

Her voice arrived before she did. Then a head of vivid, dazzling red hair, as rich as blazing flames, entered Asami Ri's view.

The newcomer was Konoha's Red Hot Pepper, Kushina Uzumaki.

Halfway through her sentence, she noticed an unfamiliar boy sitting in the living room. Her bustling movements abruptly stopped, and the rest of her words caught in her throat.

Asami Ri looked at this vibrant woman who was clearly close to Minato. His eyes flickered as everything he knew about her instantly fell into place.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rose promptly and politely, bowing slightly with an air of respect that stopped short of flattery.

"Hello, sensei's wife. I'm Asami Ri, and I currently serve under Minato-sensei."

"S-sensei's wife?!"

That form of address struck Kushina's heart with the precision and force of a heavy bomb.

Despite her usually outgoing personality, being formally addressed as "sensei's wife" by one of Minato's students was clearly an entirely new experience.

Kushina's face almost instantly turned as red as her hair. Her earlier awkwardness vanished, replaced by irrepressible delight and bashfulness.

"Ah... um... I'm Kushina Uzumaki, ya know." She fumbled with her hair, struggled to suppress her wildly rising smile, and waved a hand with affected nonchalance. "What's all this 'sensei's wife' business? I'm still young! Ri, right? Just call me big sis, ya know!"

As she spoke, the look she gave Asami Ri was already filled with undisguised fondness. After all, who could turn away such a pleasant-looking, "thoughtful" junior?

Sitting beside them, Minato had been caught off guard by that "sensei's wife." He looked at the blushing Kushina, then at the earnest-faced Asami Ri. A suspicious flush crept up his ears as well, and he scratched his cheek with an embarrassed, sheepish grin.

For a moment, the room was filled with the sweet-and-tart atmosphere unique to romance.

Just as planned.

Asami Ri maintained his respectful expression, but inwardly he remained perfectly clearheaded.

He knew full well that Minato and Kushina were deeply in love at this point. They might even have begun planning their wedding.

Using such a devastating form of address as his opening move would not only bring him closer to Kushina in an instant, but also subtly plant the impression in Minato's mind that he was "one of their own."