The students with lightning-nature chakra jumped up in excitement, cheering wildly. The other students couldn't help but look dejected.
That was a B-rank and an A-rank ninjutsu! Within the clan, jutsu of B-rank and below were available for free study. To learn A-rank and above, one had to achieve great merit or reach the rank of Jonin. This was to motivate the clan's ninja to strive for improvement; after all, if you were too weak, there was no point in learning advanced jutsu. A ninja who peaked at chunin level might never get to learn an A-rank jutsu in their entire life.
To be able to learn an A-rank jutsu before even officially becoming a ninja—how could these children not be ecstatic?
Behind them, an Uchiha jonin with a crippled right leg whispered to Uchiha Kai, "Third Elder, is this alright?" They all knew the rules. Izuna's actions were, without a doubt, a breach of Uchiha clan regulations.
Uchiha Kai saw through Izuna's plan. He shook his head. "Izuna is the creator of the jutsu, after all. We'll just pretend we didn't see this."
***
The two hundred-plus students followed Izuna to a ninjutsu training ground outside the clan compound's main gate.
Facing a row of scarecrows used for shuriken practice, Izuna stood sideways to the crowd and explained, "The first is a B-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu. It doesn't require many hand seals. Though most of you probably haven't awakened your Sharingan yet, it should be manageable."
With that, Izuna formed the hand seals at a slow, deliberate pace that even the children could follow. "The sequence is..."
After a few seals, much like performing the Great Fireball Technique, Izuna brought his right hand to the side of his mouth. "Lightning Release: Emotion Wave!"
*Crackle!*
Dozens of thread-like, curved bolts of lightning converged and shot from Izuna's mouth toward the distant scarecrows. Halfway there, the tendrils of lightning spread out, striking in three different directions, much like the Uchiha's unique curved shuriken throwing technique.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A trio of explosions rang out, and three training scarecrows were instantly blown to smithereens.
"Whoa, that's amazing..."
"It's a new Lightning Release technique, one never before seen in the Uchiha clan."
Teachers and students alike gasped in awe.
Izuna lowered his hand from his mouth. "The hand seals aren't difficult, but it involves the principle of shape transformation. It might seem hard at first, but once you master it, you will benefit greatly. With practice, this technique can also be combined with Water Release to increase its power."
He paused, then continued, "The second is an A-rank ninjutsu. Without the Sharingan, it will be very difficult for you to master, but I'll show it to you anyway."
Izuna brought out his left hand, knelt on one knee, and began to form hand seals. There were even fewer than for the B-rank jutsu, only three.
Ox—Hare—Monkey!
Easy enough to remember even without the Sharingan.
The next moment, everyone could feel a high concentration of chakra, visible to the naked eye, gathering in the palm of Izuna's outstretched left hand. At some point, his eyes had transformed into the three-tomoe Sharingan.
"The first condition for this technique is immense physical strength."
As he spoke, lightning flared in his left palm.
*Kzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!*
A piercing shriek of lightning filled the air, like the cry of a thousand birds.
***
Uchiha Kai, a former Kage-level powerhouse, watched intently. "A massive amount of lightning-attribute chakra is being concentrated into his left palm," he explained in a low voice. "It's a thrusting jutsu that stimulates the body's cells to their peak!"
Suddenly, Izuna kicked off his right foot, launching forward like a black flash.
Kzzzzzzzz—BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the area, and the resulting shockwave blasted outwards, carrying with it a cloud of pulverized rock. Everyone instinctively raised their arms to shield themselves from the flying debris and crushing wind pressure.
After half a minute, the aftershock subsided. When they looked up again, the scene left them utterly stunned.
There, on a large rock face, Izuna's left hand was extended forward. A crater the size of a large mansion had been blasted into the cliffside.
"So... so strong..." one of the children stammered, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"The name of this technique..." Izuna's cool voice drifted from the front. "Is Chidori."
"So... amazing..." another boy gasped after a few seconds of shock. Then, as if injected with adrenaline, he started shouting with excitement. "Amazing! That was amazing, Lord Izuna!"
Within moments, the other children snapped out of it and began cheering, their fists in the air.
"Seriously, I've never seen such a powerful Lightning Release jutsu before!"
"I have to learn Chidori!"
"Dammit! Why isn't my affinity Lightning Release? Dammit! Dammit!"
"All hail Lord Izuna!"
Behind the ecstatic students, Uchiha Kai wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow. A slight smile touched his lips. "A thrusting attack that sounds like a thousand birds chirping... Chidori," he murmured. "A fitting name."
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Just then, several armored Uchiha ninja appeared using the Body Flicker Technique. "Third Elder," one of them asked Uchiha Kai, "we heard a massive commotion from this direction. What happened?"
The concept of a 'Guard Corps' didn't exist yet; these men were known as the Uchiha's 'Protectorate,' under the command of the Second Elder, Uchiha Tianzang.
Uchiha Kai just smiled faintly and nodded toward Izuna. "Don't get worked up. It's just a jutsu demonstration."
The three Protectorate members paused, their eyes instinctively following his gaze. When they saw the gaping hole in the cliff—at least six or seven meters high and three meters deep—they couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
*What kind of jutsu could possess such destructive power?*
***