Chidori

After escorting Kushina back to the Senju Clan Compound, Qingyun wandered alone through the quiet streets, thinking over his next training plan.

He had already mastered Fire Nature Transformation, but his current foundation was not yet strong enough for him to tackle shape transformation.

His next step could be to master Lightning Nature Transformation first.

Qingyun already had an idea in mind for Lightning Nature: he would draw on the original story to develop Chidori.

Chidori was an A-Rank Lightning Release ninjutsu. Not only was it tremendously powerful, but it could also serve as the basis for developing various sword techniques. Once he developed Chidori and incorporated it into his Sword Technique, his Sword Technique would undoubtedly become even stronger. Combined with the relentless flow of Quanzhen Swordsmanship, it would leave his enemies no chance of escape once he closed in.

Furthermore, Chidori's next stage of shape transformation was the immensely powerful S+-Rank secret technique, Lightning Blade. Once he developed Chidori, he could develop Lightning Nature shape transformation in an instant as soon as he had accumulated a sufficient foundation. The benefits were considerable.

With his plan settled, Qingyun stopped dwelling on it, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began cultivating the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

The night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, Jiraiya took Minato Namikaze away, while Qingyun went to the riverside alone. As he watched the rushing water and the fish occasionally leaping from it, the peaceful scene gradually helped him relax!

He took out the Scroll Orochimaru had traded him and spread it open. Before him were the hand seals for eight Fire Release and Lightning Release ninjutsu.

The eight ninjutsu were: Fire Release, Fire Dragon Tornado, Great Dragon Fire, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, Flame Meteor, and Great Flame Technique.

Lightning Release, False Darkness, Lightning Strike Tornado, and Lightning Needles.

These eight Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques were relatively rare A-Rank ninjutsu, each tremendously powerful. Once Qingyun mastered all eight, his command of fire and lightning Nature Transformation would undoubtedly reach another level.

Without hesitation, Qingyun began making the hand seals for Fire Release: Fire Dragon Tornado.

As he continued forming the seals, they guided the internal force within his body along a unique circulation route.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Tornado!"

A stream of white flame shot from Qingyun's mouth, but it quickly died out once it lost the support of his internal force, failing to form a tornado at all.

Qingyun was not disappointed. It was an A-Rank ninjutsu, after all. Even with his exceptional talent and his experience watching Naruto in his previous life, he could not possibly master an A-Rank ninjutsu on his first attempt.

Undeterred by his initial failure, Qingyun familiarized himself with Fire Dragon Tornado's seals while slowly forming them with both hands.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Tornado!"

After a long while, Qingyun cast Fire Dragon Tornado again using those slow hand seals.

This time, white flames shot from his mouth and formed a miniature tornado outside. It spun several times before dissipating into the air.

Without hesitation, Qingyun continued making hand seals and casting Fire Dragon Tornado.

Time gradually passed, and soon half a year had gone by. Over the course of that year, besides continually familiarizing himself with the eight A-Rank Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques, Qingyun devoted plenty of time each day to gaining experience with Minato Namikaze, Nawaki, and Kushina on the battlefield they had set up in the Death Forest.

Qingyun also specifically asked Tsunade to find him a shop owner who made Explosive Tags and ordered a batch of weaker ones.

These Explosive Tags were of no real use. They could not kill anyone; at most, they could cause serious injuries.

Qingyun did this to help Nawaki. In the original story, Nawaki had carelessly gotten himself killed by an Explosive Tag while collecting bodies. Naturally, in this life, Qingyun intended to keep improving Nawaki's reflexes and awareness in that regard.

Once the Explosive Tags were ready, Qingyun used what he had learned at school to lay a Trap in the Death Forest, even placing Explosive Tags beneath some animal carcasses.

Then he sent Minato Namikaze, Nawaki, and Kushina inside to collect the animal carcasses.

At first, Qingyun's arrangements left all three in a miserable state. Nawaki was even seriously injured by an Explosive Tag on the spot. Fortunately, Qingyun was highly proficient in Medical Ninjutsu, or Nawaki would have suffered even more.

After being injured by the Explosive Tag, Nawaki's eyes were filled with terror. The moment the tag began burning beside him, he had frozen completely, his mind going blank. He had no idea how to react.

It was precisely because Nawaki had failed to react that the Explosive Tag detonated beside him and seriously injured him. Had he responded even a little faster, he would not have suffered such severe injuries, even if he could not escape the blast radius.

After healing Nawaki, Qingyun gave him a vicious beating, stopping only when his face was bruised and swollen. He wanted to burn that moment into Nawaki's memory so he would never dare make the same mistake again.

After Qingyun beat him up, Nawaki understood that Qingyun had done it for his own good. Rather than getting angry, he worked even harder at the training methods Qingyun had taught him.

Gradually, Nawaki's reactions grew faster and faster. Only when he could react instantly and escape the blast radius even if an Explosive Tag went off beside him did they end that phase of training.

Afterward, Qingyun sought out Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru and asked them to explain the unexpected situations they might encounter on the battlefield.

The three readily cooperated after hearing Qingyun's request. They even got personally involved, having the four form a standard squad and transport supplies to a designated area while they disguised themselves as enemy ninja and ambushed them along the way.

When this training first began, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru put Qingyun and the others through absolute hell. Even Qingyun sported a bruised, swollen face every day.

It was not that Qingyun did not want to heal himself. The moment he healed, his face would just get battered again. Wasting his internal force like that was not worth it.

Although the process was agonizing, the four became increasingly adept at handling all sorts of unexpected battlefield situations during that period. Eventually, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had to unleash their full strength to suppress the four working together.

At that point, Qingyun ended the training altogether, because continuing would no longer serve any purpose. If they wanted to improve their sense of danger further, they could only do so on a real battlefield. This simulated battlefield environment was no longer much help to them.

Afterward, they each began their own training. Qingyun continued researching Chidori and honing his command of the eight Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques.

Regardless, he trained in Wind Nature Transformation under Jiraiya.

Kushina also returned to the Senju Clan Compound to study Sealing Jutsu under Mito Uzumaki.

Nawaki, meanwhile, miserably pored over the Water Release insights his second grandfather had left behind, trying to study water Nature Transformation.

After a year of training, Qingyun had long since mastered all eight Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques. Not only that, by examining the inside of his own body and studying their internal circulation routes, he had eliminated some unnecessary pathways and reduced the hand seals required, allowing him to cast these immensely powerful techniques more quickly.

Besides those, Qingyun had also mastered the Body Flicker Technique and Shadow Clone Technique.

Qingyun's strength now rivaled that of an ordinary Jonin. Once he activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, even an average Elite Jonin was no match for him.

By then, Qingyun had begun considering graduating early.

Originally, Qingyun had planned to spend the full six years at the Ninja Academy and graduate normally.

But now his strength had hit a bottleneck. Aside from studying the Nature Transformations of various elements and incorporating them into his martial arts, he had reached a point where he could progress no further.

Moreover, very few missions were triggered while he stayed at the Ninja Academy. By now, Qingyun had achieved major mastery in all his Martial Arts, and even his Nine Yang Divine Skill was approaching that level. He had a feeling that within three days, he would break through his Governing and Conception Vessels and achieve complete major mastery of the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

Qingyun shook his head, clearing away his stray thoughts. There was still more than a week until graduation; there was no need to rush.

After calming himself, Qingyun continued researching Chidori.

Recalling Kakashi's thinking when he created Chidori in the original story, Qingyun converted his internal force into Lightning Nature and continually gathered electric current in his hand. Immediately, a chirping sound like countless birds calling together came from his right hand.

Once the lightning reached a certain intensity, Qingyun's gaze sharpened, and he charged forward at full speed. "Chidori!"

Boom!