Chapter 85: Raikiri

The decoration and furnishings in the captain's office were very simple—a large desk, a boss chair, and a sofa.

In the corner stood rows of cabinets filled with scrolls and various files.

"Go get your own equipment, and add some things to the room. It looks too cold," Yami said.

Yugao and Kurenai nodded and walked out of the office.

Yami sat in the boss chair while Kakashi stood silently across from him.

"Kakashi, I'm giving you orders now, aren't I?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Of course."

"But about Yamato… I still hope you won't blame him. I was the one who brought him out of Root and into Anbu. He has contributed to Konoha. There's no difference between him and anyone else."

"There's no difference," Yami nodded, then asked, "Then what's the difference between Root and Anbu?"

Kakashi fell silent.

What could he say?

Should he say, right in front of Shimura, that his grandfather was too extreme and too dark? That a Wood Release shinobi like Yamato should have followed the Third Hokage instead of Danzō?

If he really said that, not only would it be impossible to plead for Yamato, he might not even be able to walk out of this office.

"Enough," Yami waved his hand. "I didn't call you here to talk about Yamato, and you don't have to worry about me doing anything to him."

Kakashi had just breathed a sigh of relief when Yami continued, speaking to himself:

"But if he makes a mistake on a mission, or fails completely, would I not be justified in cleaning up the mess?"

Cold sweat dripped down Kakashi's forehead. He decided that once he got back, he would have a serious talk with Yamato and tell him to be extremely cautious on every mission.

Otherwise, it could very well become his final mission.

"Let's talk business," Yami said, not caring about Kakashi's reaction. He pulled out a box of milk from his ninja pouch and took a sip. "The reason I called you here is because I want to learn your famous technique, Chidori. Or rather, Raikiri. I heard you once used this move to cut through lightning. That's why it's called Raikiri now, right?"

"That's just a rumor," Kakashi sighed, holding his forehead. "It was just that one time while I was practicing. There happened to be a lightning strike across the sky, and Guy saw it. Somehow the story spread like that. But… Raikiri and Chidori are indeed different."

"Raikiri's chakra is more condensed, and the requirements for Nature Transformation are higher. The difficulty reaches S-rank. Chidori focuses more on speed, so it's easier to practice."

"But the difference between them isn't too big."

Yami nodded. "Teach me."

Raikiri, or Chidori, only required three hand seals.

It seemed simple, but the difficulty lay in the chakra's ultimate Nature Transformation and activating the body's cells with the lightning attribute.

Yami could certainly rely on his talent to study it himself, but that would take considerable time.

It was more efficient to learn directly from Kakashi, saving time to research other jutsu.

"…This," Kakashi frowned, hesitating.

This was his signature technique. No one else in the village had learned it, and it wasn't even recorded in the Scroll of Seals.

It wasn't easy for him to just hand it over to someone else.

Especially considering his relationship with Yami. It wasn't exactly friendly—they had a subtle sense of opposition.

"Are you unwilling?" Yami noticed his hesitation. "How about this, we can exchange. I'll teach you any jutsu you want to learn, including those from the Scroll of Seals."

"But the time spent teaching must be equal. I'll teach you for as long as you teach me."

"Hm?"

Kakashi was moved.

Because there was indeed a jutsu he wanted to learn.

"…Then, is Flying Thunder God included?"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "You want to learn Flying Thunder God?"

"Of course," Kakashi nodded. "My sensei taught me the theory back then, but at the time… he was busy, and so was I. I only understood the basics and didn't have the chance to fully learn it."

Thinking back to that time, Kakashi's face darkened, recalling how he lost two teammates and his sensei one after another.

"No problem. If you want to learn it, I can teach you."

Yami agreed without hesitation.

He wasn't sure whether Kakashi could truly master it, but even if he did, Kakashi would never reach the level of him or Namikaze Minato.

First of all, Kakashi's chakra reserves were too small. Minato often said his own chakra was limited, but that was only compared to Kage-level powerhouses. It was still enough to activate Sage Mode.

At his peak, Kakashi's chakra was nowhere near Minato's, and with the Sharingan's massive chakra consumption, it was even worse.

Second… while Flying Thunder God didn't require talent per se, it demanded exceptional nerve reflexes and dynamic vision.

Without the Sharingan, Kakashi's reaction speed couldn't keep up with the space-time movement. With the Sharingan, the number of teleports would increase, but Kakashi himself would collapse from the strain even before the enemy could react.

It posed no threat to Yami at all.

"Then we'll start tomorrow afternoon at the Forest of Death. It's quiet and spacious there."

"Alright," Kakashi nodded.

"You're free for now. Go."

It took Yami a day to sort out the primary duties of the Anbu Third Battalion.

Well, more accurately, it was Kurenai who organized it.

Among the four Anbu battalions, the Third Battalion was mainly responsible for the defense of the village, as well as managing two barrier teams.

In addition, they handled some intelligence gathering and escort missions for important individuals.

They were considered one of the battalions with broader authority.

The members were all generalists and often acted as reinforcements when other Anbu battalions were short on manpower.

Sure enough, after becoming an official, the exhausting days of handling everything personally were over.

Most of the work only needed to be delegated to the teams below.

Unless a particularly difficult mission came up, there was little need for him to act directly.

As for paperwork…

"Kurenai, you'll be the deputy captain from now on."

Yami placed all the documents onto the new table that had been moved into Kurenai's office.

"You really know how to slack off," Kurenai complained, but didn't refuse.

She had always felt too weak to help Yami much. Now, with real responsibilities, she was actually a little happy.

"What about me?" Yugao asked weakly.

Yami thought for a moment and replied, "Help Kurenai with daily tasks, or focus on practicing your swordsmanship. If there's a suitable mission, we'll take it together. Consider it a way to relax."

"I'll definitely work hard!" The purple-haired girl promised seriously.

The next day, Yami and Kakashi arrived at the Forest of Death.

"Do you want to go first, or should I?" Yami asked.

"I'll go first," Kakashi decided, showing his sincerity.

"Actually, Chidori and Raikiri are essentially the same technique. So learning Chidori is enough, right?"

"Yeah," Yami nodded.

Kakashi slowly formed the hand seals. "Chidori uses just three seals—Ox, Rabbit, Monkey."

As his voice fell, the piercing sound of birds chirping echoed through the forest. Lightning gathered in Kakashi's palm, chirping like a thousand birds.

"You control the lightning chakra in your hand, forcing it to vibrate at high frequency while increasing the current's intensity and penetration power. Your chakra must be fully active."

"So the key to this technique is activating the body."

Kakashi began explaining important techniques related to body activation. When it came to using Lightning Release to stimulate the body, aside from Kumo's Lightning Chakra Mode, Kakashi was one of the top masters in the shinobi world.

Or rather… Hatake Sakumo was.

White Fang's short sword was not just an ordinary blade, but a chakra short sword. His swordsmanship represented the peak application of Lightning Release.

Kakashi had created Chidori by learning from Sakumo's understanding of the lightning attribute. Both father and son favored speed and penetration, very different from Kumo's speed and defense approach.

Yami listened carefully, even taking notes in a small notebook.

Body activation was indeed critical. It could significantly improve speed.

After explaining for about half an hour, Kakashi paused.

"For today, we'll mainly focus on body activation. Learning the actual technique will come later."

He then had Yami begin practicing while he provided guidance.

Very soon… Kakashi began to feel numb.

When it came to chakra control, he wondered if Yami's chakra had reached the point of being rebellious. But looking at Yami's chakra—how obedient it was, doing exactly what he wanted, with perfect control.

Over the next few days, Kakashi grew even more speechless.

By the second day, Yami had completed the initial body activation.

By the third day, he successfully formed the hand seals, condensed lightning, and gathered it in his palm.

By the fourth day, his vibration frequency had fully reached the technique's requirements. With another half hour of adding stronger Nature Transformation, he successfully evolved it into the S-rank technique, Raikiri.

By the fifth day…

It was Yami's turn to teach Kakashi.

After seeing him master an S-rank jutsu in just four days, Kakashi was at a loss for words.

"These are the theoretical notes from the Second Hokage and Fourth Hokage on space-time techniques. Memorize them first, then I'll teach you the jutsu."

After handing over a stack of information to Kakashi, Yami left casually. Instead of heading to Anbu, he went home to accompany Karin.

He had found a tutor for Karin—Ebisu Shizuka, cousin of his former tutor.

The Ebisu family had almost monopolized Konoha's tutoring industry. Though there was also Ebisu, known for being cheap and reliable, Yami still chose Ebisu Shizuka, who was several times more expensive.

The reason was simple—women were more patient, and Karin was currently sensitive. She couldn't afford to be agitated.

Now that Yami was the Anbu captain, he suddenly had more free time. He would personally guide Karin from time to time.

It wasn't until half a month later, when Kurenai told him that Kakashi had been looking for him, that Yami remembered he hadn't been to Anbu for quite a while.

The next day…

"You finally remembered me…" Kakashi stared at Yami with a deadpan look. "I thought you were going to ghost me."

"Stop talking nonsense. Did you finish reading those theories?"

"I read them, but I won't say I've memorized them completely."

"Then let me test you." Yami casually asked a few questions, and Kakashi answered them all… perfectly.

But it was clear he hadn't developed his own understanding yet.

"Let me demonstrate it for you."

To sum up Yami's teaching method—it was basically: do this, then that… and hey, it works. Amazing, right?

Kakashi was stunned.

No, hold on.

What about the complex theories and formulas?

"I understand the principle, but… what exactly is chakra of the space attribute? Does such a chakra even exist?"

"It's chakra that can be attuned to space," Yami scratched his head, unable to come up with a better explanation.

It felt like tuning a frequency—adjusting chakra to sync with space.

Those with the talent could naturally sense it. Those without talent could search forever without finding the right frequency.

"Oh, right."

Yami's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Kakashi, you know the Summoning Technique, right?"

"Yeah," Kakashi replied, eyes as lifeless as ever.

"It feels similar to that. When you summon your ninja dogs, your chakra shifts slightly. When using Flying Thunder God, your chakra needs to undergo that same kind of change."

This time, Kakashi finally understood. He began to seriously ponder it.

Right… wasn't Summoning Technique a space-time jutsu?

If he could grasp the feeling Yami mentioned through Summoning, it might help.

After that, Kakashi constantly summoned his ninja dogs, trying to catch that fleeting chakra shift.

Yami, on the other hand, didn't bother with him again.

More than a month passed in the blink of an eye. A new batch of Ninja Academy students graduated.

Izumi had received Yami's permission for early graduation. She graduated first in both academics and combat.

"Yami, I finally graduated!" she announced excitedly.

After telling her mother the good news, Izumi ran next door to Yami's house like a lark and threw herself into his arms.

"Can I team up with you now?"

"This…" Yami gently stroked her head, looking a little awkward. "Even though I became a Jōnin, Anbu shinobi aren't allowed to lead a team."

"Why is that…" The overjoyed girl's expression immediately turned downcast. Her lips quivered as though she was about to cry.

Yami hurried to comfort her. "It's the rules. But I'm working on a solution. Don't worry, I won't let you get stuck on a team with some random idiots."

"Just wait for my news at home, alright?"

Izumi wiped away her tears, breaking into a smile.

Hiding behind a large tree, watching Yami patiently combing Izumi's hair, Karin felt a surge of envy.

Karin realized that Yami always treated Izumi with the gentlest attitude and never refused any of her requests.

She quietly made up her mind—she had to be extra good to Izumi from now on.

That way, Yami would treat her and her family well, and maybe even like her more.

The next day, Yami had planned to visit the Third Hokage to discuss Izumi's team assignment.

But before he could act, someone else seemed even more concerned about Izumi's placement.

Three elderly men, all wearing the same Uchiha fan emblem, appeared at the door of Izumi's house.

The leader wore a cold expression, tapping his cane on the ground with a dull thud.

"Uchiha Izumi! Now that you've become a shinobi, why haven't you reported to the Police Force yet?"

(To be continued.)