CH34: Land Of Grains (5)

(night before the mission)

Under the vast canopy of a moonlit sky, Yuichi sat cross-legged beneath a large tree, the Rasengan forming faintly in his hand before flickering out in failure. The cool breeze carried the faint rustling of leaves, a quiet contrast to the frustration boiling within him.

He sighed, his breath fogging slightly in the crisp night air. "Why the hell is this so hard?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes at his trembling palm. Another attempt. Another failure. 

The chakra sphere collapsed, dispersing into the air like smoke.

The two previous steps of mastering the Rasengan had been challenging, but manageable. This final step, however, forming and sustaining a stable chakra sphere, was proving to be a battle against the limits of his chakra control.

"I get it now," Yuichi said aloud, as if confessing to the empty forest. "Why they call chakra shape manipulation the pinnacle of chakra control."

Determined, he tried again, summoning chakra into his hand, spinning and compressing it with precision. But before it could fully take form, the rotation wavered and fell apart, leaving him clutching nothing but frustration.

His hands fell to his lap as he closed his eyes, allowing his breathing to steady. Then, an idea struck him, a dangerous but exhilarating idea. 'What if I let it collapse on purpose?'

Yuichi focused, forming the Rasengan once more. This time, instead of forcing it to maintain its spherical shape, he let the chakra unravel deliberately, allowing it to spin wildly around his hand. 

As the energy spiraled outward, it created layers of chakra, each rotating in opposite directions. A sharp, almost palpable hum filled the air.

The tree behind him groaned but before the bark could split further and the trunk could get toppled, he stopped. 

"Ha… ha… ha…" Yuichi chuckled to himself, his breathing uneven. "So that's how Chidori came to be."

The revelation ignited a spark of excitement. If he could integrate his lightning chakra into this structure, it would become something far more destructive. Something unique.

For the rest of the night, Yuichi worked tirelessly under the tree, experimenting with his lightning chakra. He combined hand seals, tested different methods of layering the chakra, and adjusted the flow to prevent it from destabilizing. Though he made progress, he knew it wasn't perfect.

~~~

Later on the battlefield, the missing piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Suspended in midair, his katana gleaming in the sunlight, Yuichi's mind raced. His body was already coursing with lightning chakra thanks to his Lightning Enhancement technique.

The connection was obvious now, his entire chakra network had already adapted to the lightning element. 

'Why not let my body fuel the attack entirely?' in the millisecond in air, this thought came into his mind.

With no hesitation, he rotated and layered his chakra just as he had practiced, but this time his chakra infused in with the high-voltage lightning surging through his body.

His right hand erupted in a crackling aura of energy. The intensity was staggering, the sound deafening.

Yuichi brought his hand to the katana's hilt, and as soon as the lightning touched the blade, it flowed into the steel like water, enveloping it in a blinding glow. 

The katana absorbed and amplified the energy, its surface radiating a purplish-black lightning that hummed ominously.

"Chidori…" Yuichi muttered. He focused his Yin chakra, stabilizing the flow and giving form to his jutsu.

As he descended toward the battlefield, his attack struck true, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The enemy had no chance.

When the dust settled, Yuichi sheathed his katana, catching a brief glimpse of the lightning's unusual color. His brow furrowed in thought. 'What's with this blackish purple color?'

On the battlefield, those who had witnessed Yuichi's technique stood frozen. The tension in the air was almost suffocating.

Kagami wore a grin, his pride unmistakable. Masaru, on the other hand, stared at the aftermath in disbelief.

"Is this why you stopped me from intervening when the beast went berserk?" Masaru asked, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and unease.

Kagami nodded lightly. "Exactly."

Masaru shook his head. "I don't get it. Why is Konoha letting kids learn such dangerous, high-level techniques?"

With a smirk, Kagami replied. "It's not something he learned from us. That technique is his own creation. Self-made."

"You're not serious, are you?" Masaru's eyes widened in disbelief.

Kagami shrugged. "I am as serious as the fact that your student used a blood-related jutsu, which looked much more dangerous than what my students had shown."

Masaru's expression hardened a little, "It's her Kekkei Genkai," he admitted after a moment. "Not inherited, but… different. She's not pure-blooded, her father wasn't an Uzumaki. That might explain the deviation. Either way, it's classified. Keep it quiet. I am only explaining it to you due to the comradery we share."

Kagami nodded, giving him a thumbs-up before vanishing in a blur of motion, appearing on the battlefield congratulating Yuichi.