Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Upon hearing this, Haneda thought for a moment.

When Sasuke performed Kirin, he raised his hand toward the sky, a gesture that resembled the tip of a lightning rod. Could it be that Sasuke was imitating a lightning rod to draw lightning?

Haneda realized the principle.

The general idea was to point to the sky and gather lightning chakra at the fingertips. The key was that the lightning released from the fingertips needed to be positively charged!

As for guiding the lightning, it would require constant practice and a deep understanding of lightning chakra nature transformation.

However, practice could only happen on rainy days, which posed a limitation for Haneda. But with the help of Shadow Clones and his Sage Body, training for one day would be equivalent to ten days. So the progress wouldn't be too slow.

If Haneda could successfully develop the S-rank lightning jutsu, Kirin, he would have a powerful ace up his sleeve to threaten even Kage-level opponents!

If Sasori tried to use iron sand again to create a 360-degree defense, he would surely suffer when facing Kirin! After all, iron conducts electricity!

"Thank you, sensei," Haneda bowed in gratitude.

"You're welcome, just be careful... Haneda!" Before Takakura Bunta could finish his sentence, Haneda had already opened the door and dashed out, not forgetting to close it behind him.

Watching the closed door, Takakura thought to himself that he should inform Sakumo about this. Developing new jutsu could be dangerous; it would be better to have someone watching over Haneda.

…

Two weeks later, at Training Ground Three, Minato's team had gathered.

Obito was lying on a large rock, a blade of grass hanging from his mouth, hands behind his head as he gazed up at the clear blue sky, talking to himself.

"Haven't seen Haneda in a while. Didn't he say he was training in sealing techniques with Minato-sensei and Kushina-sensei? How come he gave up after such a short time? Hmph, no perseverance..."

"Haneda was making choices, you dead-last!" Kakashi walked over from the forest nearby.

Upon seeing Kakashi after not meeting for two weeks, Obito sat up and shouted, "Stupid Kakashi! Are you saying he's been training with Sakumo-uncle then?"

"No." Kakashi hadn't trained with Haneda in the past two weeks either, only occasionally running into him in town. Other than his hair looking like it had been electrocuted, Haneda seemed the same as usual.

"Minato-sensei called us here today, so it's probably about the Chunin Exams. My father said the Ninth Squad would participate, and Haneda will be there too." Kakashi smiled, thinking about finally having the chance to face Haneda in a real battle.

Over the past two weeks, he had been training intensely with his father, improving both his swordsmanship and combat experience. He didn't want to lose in their promised rematch from five years ago.

Just then, Minato and Kushina arrived.

If Minato could hear the Nine-Tails' voice inside Kushina, he would probably hear it grumbling about her not going to see Haneda.

"Minato-sensei!" Obito, Kakashi, and Rin greeted simultaneously.

"Since everyone's here, I'll announce the details about the Chunin Exams."

Minato took out three consent forms for the exam and handed them to the team.

"I've recommended you all to participate in the Chunin Exams to the Hokage. These are the consent forms. Take a look and sign if you have no issues."

Excited about getting closer to becoming a Chunin and the Hokage, Obito eagerly signed his name.

Kakashi, focused on his upcoming battle with Haneda, skimmed the form and quickly signed it.

However, Rin read the form carefully, then looked up and asked, "Minato-sensei, what does 'no concern for life and death' mean? Does this mean the exam could be dangerous?"

Minato smiled confidently, knowing that Kakashi would protect both Obito and Rin. He replied, "That's right. Sunagakure's ninja will also be participating, and they may fight with lethal intent."

"The second part of the exam will be held in the Forest of Death, which is too vast for the proctors to fully monitor."

"What?!" Obito exclaimed, shocked. "Minato-sensei, it's just an exam!"

Kakashi glanced at Obito with a smirk and said mockingly, "If Haneda were here, he wouldn't be worried about that. It's the Sunagakure ninja who should be concerned."

"Shut up, stupid Kakashi! I'm just worried you'll drag me down!" Obito retorted.

"Heh… we'll see, dead-last," Kakashi said coldly.

Seeing the two about to argue again, Rin quickly placed one hand on Obito and the other on Kakashi, calming them down.

"Come on, we're all on the same team. If the other villages see us fighting, it'll be embarrassing."

"Hmph, for Rin's sake, I'll let it go this time, stupid Kakashi," Obito said.

"Heh, whatever you say, dead-last," Kakashi replied with a smirk.

…

At the Hatake clan's training ground, the Ninth Squad had gathered.

Just like Minato's team, Sakumo had called Haneda and his team together to discuss the Chunin Exams.

Seeing Haneda approach, his hair standing on end as if he had been electrocuted, Sakumo couldn't help but laugh and ask, "How's the training going? Controlling lightning isn't easy, is it?"

"It's going okay," Haneda replied. Thanks to his Sage Body's impressive recovery, and having grown accustomed to getting shocked, he was beginning to feel almost nothing. Over the past two weeks, his understanding of lightning chakra had deepened significantly, and he had become much more proficient in various uses of Chidori, especially combining Chidori Blade with swordsmanship.

"How's Kakashi doing? With you training him one-on-one in swordsmanship, I bet he's improving fast," Haneda asked with a smile.

"Kakashi? He's doing fine, same as always, just not as gifted as you," Sakumo replied. While he was proud of Kakashi's progress, he downplayed it a bit in front of Haneda. After all, compared to Haneda, most people's talent would pale in comparison.

"Haneda!"

At that moment, Asuma and Kurenai arrived.

After two weeks of not seeing Haneda, Asuma had missed him greatly.

He quickly ran up to Haneda, intending to give him a hug, but Haneda gently pushed him away.

"Long time no see, Asuma. Let's skip the hugs," Haneda said with a smile.

"Haha, Haneda! I've learned an awesome new jutsu from Sakumo-sensei recently!"

"I definitely won't drag you down in the Chunin Exams this time!" Asuma said excitedly.

Over the past few weeks, Asuma had learned how to manipulate Wind Release chakra under Sakumo's guidance, and he could now cut through rocks with a single strike. Additionally, his father had taught him several practical jutsu.

Asuma knew he couldn't match Haneda in higher-level battles, but he felt confident in his ability to hold his own in the Chunin Exams.

"Is that so?" Haneda smiled, feeling pleased with Asuma's progress. He encouraged him, saying, "Keep working hard. Being a Chunin is just the start of your journey."

"Yes, Haneda!" Asuma replied excitedly.