Arashi and Kazuya stood on the precipice of the hill, the wind whipping their hair and clothes. The village lights twinkled below, a stark contrast to the darkness that enveloped them.
"Come again?" Arashi asked, his voice barely audible above the wind's howl.
"You know what I said," Kazuya insisted, his gaze unwavering. "I've seen you use it during training. It doesn't look hard, but I just want you to show me the concept."
Arashi stared at Kazuya for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he closed his eyes, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "If I do that," he said slowly, "I just want to know one thing."
"What?" Kazuya responded, folding his arms, a defensive posture.
"I want to know why you held back," Arashi stated, his voice gaining strength. "No, I want to know why you always hold back."
"What are you talking about?" Kazuya asked, his voice carefully neutral, but a bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
"Cut the crap," Arashi snapped, his eyes flashing open. The lavender hues of his Rinnegan pulsed with an otherworldly light. "My eyes are greater than yours. I saw you multiple times." He circled Kazuya, his voice taking on an accusatory edge. "Back during the bell test, whenever we had a rough fight... I can see your entire chakra pathway. Your eyes, body, even your mind."
"Ever since I was young, I've always been able to see chakra at a different level," Arashi continued, his voice taking on a distant quality. "Naruto had a warm and blue chakra, but deep down, I could also see red and resentful chakra. Not just that, but the Sharingan has different chakra, too."
"Yeah, so what?" Kazuya challenged, his voice strained, his hands clenching and unclenching. 'So does that mean he knows?'
Arashi smirked, a knowing glint in his eyes. "I suppose now you know what I'm talking about?" he pressed. "The Mangekyou Sharingan changes the colour of the chakra pouring into your eyes. I can see that, and I've always been able to see it. Even the spike in chakra flowing in your body back when we fought that girl."
Kazuya's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise betraying his carefully constructed composure. But he quickly recovered, his voice regaining its usual calmness. "What difference does it make to you? Why do you want to know?"
Arashi shrugged, his expression nonchalant. "To me, it doesn't matter," he admitted. "But you could've saved Miyu much earlier. You also could've taken that girl down with me instead of just watching. What's your problem? Is your power so limited?"
Kazuya's composure finally cracked. "You're such a pain!" he snarled, grabbing Arashi's shirt and shoving him towards the edge of the cliff.
"Is this how bad you want to keep this a secret?" Arashi taunted, his voice dangerously calm despite the precarious situation. "You'd even try to kill me? Just what happened?"
Kazuya's grip tightened, his knuckles white.
"I won't let anyone else know," he muttered, his voice a low growl, the words barely audible above the wind.
Kazuya's gaze faltered, his eyes flickering towards the distant horizon. For a fleeting moment, a shadow of pain crossed his features, a suppressed memory threatening to resurface.
"Since you want to see them so bad," he muttered, turning back to Arashi. His Sharingan spun, the familiar tomoe morphing into a straight-patterned, three-pointed pinwheel.
Arashi remained unfazed, his Rinnegan locking onto the Mangekyou Sharingan. It wasn't his first encounter with this advanced form, but it was the first time he'd seen it manifest in only one eye. 'How curious,' he mused, 'both eyes are his, no doubt.'
Arashi's brow furrowed, his patience wearing thin. "Let go, or I'll fight you," he warned, his voice low and steady. "You aren't dumb enough to take me on like this, I know you."
Kazuya's grip tightened, sparks of lightning crackling around his hand.
'This is his Mangekyou Sharingan ability?' Arashi thought, intrigued. 'Interesting...'
A smirk played on his lips as he narrowed his eyes. In an instant, he vanished, reappearing behind, leaving Kazuya grasping at thin air.
"Stop," Arashi said, his voice calm but firm. "I don't want to fight."
Kazuya whirled around, his face contorted with anger. "And what do you want?" he spat. "You're so annoying! All I wanted from you was a stupid jutsu!" His anger deflated, replaced by a wave of shame as he looked down, his Sharingan deactivating.
"I just... want to become stronger," he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.
Arashi saw the sincerity in his eyes, or perhaps it was a clever mask he put on; it didn't matter. Arashi had softened slightly already.
'I'm not sure why, but... I feel great sadness from him,' Arashi thought, his Rinnegan perceiving the depths of Kazuya's emotions. 'It's not like before...' He gently placed a hand on Kazuya's shoulder. "I'll help you," he offered.
Kazuya's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" he asked, his voice laced with disbelief. "Why would you help me?"
Arashi shrugged, a playful smirk returning to his face. "You'll owe me later," he said cryptically.
Kazuya stared at him, one eyebrow raised in confusion. 'What is he talking about?'
Arashi chuckled and retracted his hand.
"Tch!" Kazuya clicked his tongue in frustration. He didn't understand Arashi's motives, and the uncertainty gnawed at him.
"Follow me!" Arashi called, taking off into the moonlit woods.
After a while, they emerged into a secluded clearing bathed in moonlight. The tall grasses swayed gently in the breeze, and the surrounding trees rustled softly, creating a tranquil atmosphere perfect for training.
Arashi and Kazuya stood facing each other, a palpable sense of anticipation hanging in the air.
"I'm probably not supposed to show you this technique," Arashi began, a hint of mischief in his voice, "but I'll do it anyway."
He proceeded to explain the intricacies of the Lightning Blade, his words precise and clear. "Before you master, or even learn, Lightning Blade, you must learn the first form, which is called Chidori."
As Kazuya watched intently, his Sharingan activated, Arashi demonstrated the jutsu. His hands moved through the necessary seals with practised ease.
Ox - Rabbit - Monkey!
A high-pitched screech pierced the silence as lightning crackled around his hand, coalescing into a ball of concentrated energy. The vibrant light illuminated the clearing, casting dancing shadows on the surrounding trees.
Kazuya stared in awe, mesmerized by the raw power emanating from Arashi's hand.
"Chidori was created by Kakashi Hatake," Arashi explained, his voice recalling its usual calmness. "I'm not sure how or why he created it, but I can tell you that no one other than those who possess the Uchiha's eyes can ever hope to use this jutsu effectively."
"What?" Kazuya asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Arashi nodded. "Anyone who uses this without the Sharingan will experience tunnel vision unlike any other," he clarified.
Kazuya's understanding dawned. "So the Sharingan acts as an additional view?" he mused. "With the Sharingan, a shinobi can foresee some events and act accordingly. We can predict our opponent's movements by reading their chakra."
"Precisely," Arashi confirmed.
He glanced past Kazuya, his eyes settling on a large boulder standing at the edge of the clearing.
"Here, watch this," he said, forming a single hand seal. His body blurred, becoming a fleeting shadow.
He reappeared in front of the boulder, his Chidori-charged hand piercing its centre.
The giant boulder shattered into countless fragments, the force of the impact echoing through the silent clearing.
Kazuya's eyes widened in amazement, his eagerness to learn the jutsu growing with each passing moment.
'With this jutsu...' he thought, his heart pounding with excitement, 'I'll be unstoppable...'
Arashi walked back towards Kazuya, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I mix the Body Flicker Jutsu and the Chidori to cover the distance," he explained, his voice laced with a hint of pride.
Kazuya nodded, his gaze intense. "Are there any limits to this jutsu?" he asked, his voice betraying a hint of eagerness.
Arashi nodded in return. "There's one limit you should be worried about," he explained. "Since you're an Uchiha, and I've studied your chakra, I can estimate that you'll only be able to use this six times in a day, seven if you push your luck." He paused, letting the information sink in. "My chakra is vast, even with my illness, so I can use Chidori for a longer time, and I've mastered it enough to increase its power tenfold."
"Six times, huh?" Kazuya muttered, considering the implications.
Arashi nodded, then, with a powerful leap, he ascended a nearby tree, settling himself on a sturdy branch. "I'll be here if you need me," he offered, his voice echoing down from above.
"I won't need you," Kazuya retorted, his pride evident in his tone.
Arashi chuckled. "Says the guy who asked for my help earlier," he teased, a playful glint in his eyes.
Kazuya scowled, but he turned his attention to the task at hand, focusing his chakra and visualising the intricate details of the Chidori.
The air crackled with anticipation as Kazuya began his training, the silence of the clearing broken only by the rustling leaves and the occasional burst of lightning.
----------------------------------------
As Kazuya diligently practised the Chidori under Arashi's watchful eye, a hidden observer lurked within the shadows of the surrounding bushes. A lone, disembodied eyeball rolled and twitched, its gaze fixed on the two boys, capturing their every move.
'Hm hm... these two truly are something,' a voice mused within the depths of the eyeball. 'Learning a new jutsu of that level on a mission.'
The eye slowly melted into a viscous pool of blood, its vision fading into darkness.
Meanwhile, deep within the village sewers, Kaito stirred. He rubbed his eye socket, a vacant hole where his right eye should have been. The missing orb slowly materialised, reconstructing itself from a swirling mass of blood and tissue. He sat cross-legged beneath a flickering lamp, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Kaito, do you copy?" Akane's voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Yeah, yeah, what do you want?" he replied, feigning boredom.
"What did you see using that jutsu of yours?" she pressed.
"Is saying its name that difficult to comprehend?" he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Say it with me, 'Partial Body Dismemberment Technique', got it?" He ended the call abruptly, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"Good thing I'm so far away," he muttered to himself, relishing Akane's impending frustration. "She'd be so furious with me."
"Kaito, stop fooling around," Tsubasa's voice boomed through the earpiece, cutting through Kaito's amusement. "What did you see?"
Kaito's grin vanished. "Nothing really," he reported, his tone nonchalant. "Just some spoiled kids thinking they can achieve impossible feats-"
"Only difference is one of them has the Rinnegan," Akane interjected, her voice sharp.
"That's right, as I was saying," Kaito continued, smoothly regaining control of the conversation, "The boy with the Rinnegan, he's the one we were warned about. No matter what, we can't kill him."
"What do you mean?" Akane questioned, her curiosity piqued.
"You know? The orders we received from the higher-ups. They seemed really serious after all. The attack starts in three weeks." Kaito replied.
"Enough!" Tsubasa commanded, his voice laced with authority. "We will do as we please. Kirigakure has no authority over us; we do not fight for them."
"Right, right, I'll get on with it," Kaito grumbled. "Just tell Akane not to fail her part of my plan, thanks." He disconnected the call, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes.
He pricked his finger, drawing a drop of blood. With practised ease, he formed a series of hand seals.
'Ninja Art: Body Dismemberment Jutsu!'
A crimson eye materialised at the top of a nearby tree, its gaze fixed on the clearing where Arashi and Kazuya trained.
'Now now,' Kaito thought, a sly smile spreading across his face. 'Before that failing buzzkill comes here, I think I'll watch and entertain myself. Maybe I'll learn a thing or two.'