Lightning Release Chakra Mode

Uchiha Makoto glanced at Obito and Shisui.

He had told them earlier that he wanted to create a new technique precisely because he wanted them to fill in the blanks themselves.

To imagine how amazing this technique would be. That was how people worked: when their own interests were involved, their imaginations became especially rich.

Obito wanted to learn Moonwalk, so he would assume a body-strengthening technique had to be powerful.

Shisui wanted to learn Moonwalk, so he would assume this technique had to be powerful enough to let him learn it.

That was human nature.

And it was the experiment Uchiha Makoto wanted to conduct.

He wanted to know whether human imagination could raise the ceiling of a lie when personal interests were involved.

"Makoto," Shisui began, "do you need help creating this technique?"

Uchiha Makoto glanced at him.

A five-year-old kid who spoke like an adult.

"No," he said. "I'll try it myself first. If I run into trouble, I'll discuss it with you two."

"All right." Shisui nodded. "Just say the word whenever you need anything."

Uchiha Makoto smiled.

Then his expression turned serious.

"Shisui," he said, "don't tell anyone that I created Moonwalk today."

Shisui paused.

He looked at Uchiha Makoto for a few seconds.

Then he nodded.

"All right."

He did not ask why or demand a reason. He simply agreed.

Uchiha Makoto felt relieved.

Talking to smart people really saved trouble.

You did not have to say anything. They would fill in the blanks themselves.

Things like, "Makoto doesn't want to reveal his strength," "Makoto is hiding his trump cards," or "Makoto has his reasons."

Whatever the reason, Shisui would come up with it himself. Uchiha Makoto did not have to explain.

"All right." He clapped his hands. "Starting today, Shisui will train with us too."

Obito's eyes lit up.

"Shisui's learning Iron Body too?"

"Yes." Uchiha Makoto nodded. "Iron Body first, to build a foundation."

He turned to Shisui and began teaching.

"Shisui, Iron Body is a defensive technique. The principle behind it is..."

He began explaining.

In meticulous detail.

How to mobilize chakra, how to strengthen the muscles, and how to control their hardness.

Shisui listened attentively.

Beside them, Obito was itching to have a go.

"Makoto, let me demonstrate!" He raised his hand. "I've gotten really good at it!"

Uchiha Makoto glanced at him.

"All right. Show him."

Obito immediately stood straight and took a deep breath.

"Iron Body!"

Chakra surged.

His muscles tightened, and a metallic sheen appeared on his skin.

"Flowing Iron Block!"

Chakra flowed through his body, from his chest to his arm and then into his fist. Obito punched the ground.

Bang!

A small crater cracked open in the ground.

"Well?" Obito pulled back his fist and looked smugly at Shisui. "Pretty impressive, huh, Shisui?"

Shisui nodded. "Impressive."

He genuinely thought it was impressive. How old was Obito?

Six.

At six, he could already control his chakra to this degree and use such a powerful technique.

As Uchiha Makoto watched Obito, he thought:

Sure enough, this guy needs an audience. If I'd brought Rin Nohara here, he might have learned Flowing Iron Block ages ago.

Too bad I won't do that.

Obito was dangerous. Extremely dangerous.

Uchiha Makoto was not teaching him Iron Body for his own good.

He was doing it for himself, to milk the benefits.

If Obito learned quickly, he could reap more. If Obito learned slowly, he would reap a little less.

Either way, he had nothing to lose.

"All right," Uchiha Makoto said. "Shisui, give it a try."

Shisui nodded. He closed his eyes and felt his chakra.

Then he mobilized it.

His muscles tightened, and a sheen appeared on his skin. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

Uchiha Makoto's eyes lit up. Success on the first try.

Was this what a genius looked like?

"Not bad," he said. "Getting it on your first try is impressive."

Shisui opened his eyes and examined his hands.

"They feel... a little hard."

"That's normal," Uchiha Makoto said. "Keep practicing, and you'll be able to control it."

"Okay." Shisui nodded.

He continued practicing.

Obito watched from the side, feeling a little disgruntled.

"Makoto, how long did it take me to get it right?"

"Three days," Uchiha Makoto said.

"And Shisui got it on his first try?"

"Yes."

"..."

Obito fell silent. He looked at Shisui with a complicated expression.

Envy, jealousy, and a little... unwillingness to accept it.

Uchiha Makoto saw it all and said nothing.

Competition was good. Competition brought motivation. Motivation meant learning faster. And the faster they learned, the more he could reap.

"All right, keep practicing," he said. "Obito, work on Flowing Iron Block. Shisui, work on basic Iron Body."

"Yes!" they answered in unison.

As usual, Uchiha Makoto brought his crop of suckers to the training ground.

Obito and Guy warmed up nearby. Shisui had not come today.

It was not that he did not want to come. He could not.

It seemed Shisui had recently caught the attention of the Konoha High Command.

Uchiha Makoto did not know the exact reason, but he guessed Shisui's reputation as a genius had grown too prominent and attracted attention from above.

"Shisui's not coming again today?" Obito asked as he stretched his legs.

"No." Uchiha Makoto nodded. "He's busy."

"With what?"

"Why do you need to know everything?" Uchiha Makoto gave Obito a pat. "Just train."

Obito pursed his lips and stopped asking.

In truth, Uchiha Makoto knew Shisui was under surveillance.

Those people in the Konoha High Command always showed special "concern" for Uchiha geniuses.

It had been him before. Now it was Shisui.

Perhaps even Obito would receive special attention once he started showing results.

In any case, every Uchiha genius was bound to be watched.

That's fine, Uchiha Makoto thought. With Shisui absent, I can actually let loose.

He glanced at Obito and Guy.

One was a simpleton, and the other was straightforward.

Easy to fool.

"Obito, Guy," Uchiha Makoto began. "There's something I want to tell you."

The two stopped and looked at him.

"I recently heard something from one of the adults in the clan." Uchiha Makoto lowered his voice, putting on a mysterious air.

"What is it?" Obito leaned closer.

"Kumogakure has a ninjutsu called Lightning Release Chakra Mode," Uchiha Makoto said. "It can increase your defense and speed, and strengthen your body too."

"It's that powerful?" Guy's eyes lit up.

"Yes." Uchiha Makoto nodded. "So I've been wondering whether I could create a similar technique."

Obito and Guy both knew Makoto had always wanted to create a technique that could improve physical fitness.

So they were not surprised that he had been asking about similar techniques.

"Then have you created it, Makoto?" Guy asked.

"Well." Uchiha Makoto shook his head. "I've already created a simple version."

In truth, he did not have a damn clue. He just wanted to create a body-strengthening technique.

But simply saying, "I want to create a body-strengthening technique," would be too abrupt.

So he needed to make up a reason. Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was a good one.

Obito and Guy would not know whether it was true anyway.

Vague ideas about chakra and physical enhancement.

He needed more.

More trust, more imagination, more "inspiration."