"System, begin today's sign-in."
[DING! Sign-in successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the ninjutsu - Raikiri.]
A sphere of light crackling with lightning flashed into Uchiha Senya's mind.
[Raikiri: An S-rank secret technique, an improved version of the A-rank high-grade ninjutsu Chidori. When activated, chakra is concentrated in the hand to form a round, blue sphere of lightning that drives straight through the target. Its power can cleave thunder.]
He knew this technique of course. It was Hatake Kakashi's signature move.
Raikiri fused both lightning-nature transformation and shape transformation. Combined with a Sharingan, its speed and destructive force were terrifying. Before reaching Kage level, it was more than enough.
After reading the description, Senya's eyes narrowed. He slipped to a quiet corner and waited for the clan meeting to begin.
Soon, Uchiha clan's core figures arrived one after another, and the meeting started.
The Konoha Police Force had been established by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, to check the Uchiha. Though Tobirama had fallen in battle, his students Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō still guarded against the Uchiha, quietly pushing them to the margins. Villagers kept their distance too.
That vague mistrust kept the clan's nerves taut. Most of the meeting became grumbling about work, mixed with discussion of the outside world. The Land of Rain and the Land of Wind were stirring, a shinobi world war on the verge of breaking out. The Third Hokage had strengthened border defenses.
As for the guard tower Senya represented, it was practically invisible. From start to finish, he drew no attention. Only Uchiha Fugaku, seated behind the elders, glanced at him a few extra times.
Fugaku had also graduated the academy that year, though he and Senya were not in the same class. Recognized as the clan's foremost prodigy, he had already awakened the Sharingan. Seeing Senya at a clan meeting surprised him, so he looked twice.
The meeting ended quickly.
Senya, who had nearly dozed off, breathed out in relief and filed out with the crowd.
"Fugaku, why were you staring at that guard-tower brat?" the Great Elder asked once the hall had emptied. He had noticed Fugaku's distraction.
"Your focus should be on becoming the clan's young leader as soon as possible. Do not be sidetracked. That boy is your year, yes? Since he chose the guard tower, he will never be in your world. He poses no threat to you. Do you understand?"
The elder had placed his bet on Fugaku, grooming him to be the next head.
"Yes, Great Elder," Fugaku replied respectfully.
He had only glanced at Senya, then thought about other matters. The elder misunderstood. Senya's grades were average at the academy, his manner low-key, and though they shared a clan, they seldom crossed paths.
...
By the time Senya returned to the guard tower, dusk was already thick on the eaves.
Inside, pure natural energy, drawn by his Sage Body, cycled and was absorbed. After several hours, Senya opened his eyes. The feeling of growing stronger at a speed visible to the naked eye was addictive.
He checked in on his watch-room shadow clone, then blurred from the room like a black swallow.
Konoha's training grounds.
In a secluded, open patch, he began training Raikiri. With a thought, seals, chakra flow, and the lightning-nature secrets of the technique surfaced in his mind.
"So that's how it is."
A moment later, recognition clicked.
He opened his Sharingan, moved to a thick tree, and formed the seals.
"Ox, Hare, Monkey."
He sank his stance, palm half-curled.
"Raikiri."
ZZZT...
Lightning bloomed in his right palm, chirping like a thousand birds. His chakra plummeted at a frightening rate.
Thanks to the Sage Body's remodeling, his reserves had grown. Otherwise, he could not have fed Raikiri's appetite.
Once it stabilized, Senya exploded forward and thrust at the tree.
CRACK!
Blue-white light sank cleanly into the trunk. With a sharp report, the tree toppled. Bark and heartwood at the impact point powdered to dust.
"Whew... I did not expect Raikiri to drain so much."
Feeling the chakra left in his body - less than half - Senya exhaled. Now he understood why Kakashi often collapsed after using it.
Fortunately, the Sage Body boosted not only total chakra but recovery speed as well. In just a few breaths, more than half had flowed back. That was the terror of the Sage Body.
He remembered Senju Hashirama's remark when Naruto, drained dry, received half of Kurama's chakra: such a reserve could rival his own prime. A math riddle then. If the Nine-Tails equals infinite chakra, what is half of infinity?
It spoke to the Sage Body's absurd scale. Add in its monstrous regeneration and, by total, recovery, and quality, there were no weak points. No wonder Hashirama toyed with tailed beasts.
"With Raikiri, I finally have an attack that isn't just close-quarters."
He judged his strength to be on par with a standard jōnin, with enough edge to contest elite jōnin. What he lacked now was more real combat.
...
...