Chapter 76: Lightning Cutter (Raikiri)

Chapter 76: Lightning Cutter (Raikiri)

In the following days, Uchiha Kei kept to his usual routine, and Uchiha Fugaku made no further efforts to contact him.

Although Itachi was occasionally asked to visit Kei, every time he did, he returned empty-handed.

Kei wasn't about to sit around waiting for him, nor did he have the time or energy to teach anything. What was he supposed to say—"Think more. Analyze more. Use your own eyes to uncover the truth"?

Kei had no interest in such idle mentoring. These days, he spent nearly all his time sparring with Kakashi. He hadn't even gone to see Kenta Imai or Ayaka Hyūga.

With no new missions from above, Kei had no reason to interact with those two anyway. His impression of them had always been poor—and he was sure the feeling was mutual.

Their relationship was like three magnets with identical poles—constantly repelling, never attracting.

Sparring with a true genius like Kakashi, however, had yielded Kei tremendous benefits. What annoyed him, though, was how fast Kakashi was progressing—almost absurdly fast.

Maybe Kei's advice and encouragement had really done something. Kakashi had picked up the blade again and veered off the strange path he was headed down in the original timeline, now trying out the suggestions Kei had made.

And the result? Both of them were stunned: this new path suited Kakashi perfectly.

Kakashi had always been a capable swordsman. Even after his father's death, though he had strayed a bit, he still relied heavily on the sword—maybe due to his age.

Now, barely over a month since his blade had been broken, Kakashi picked it up again without missing a beat. In fact, this time, he seemed even stronger.

Thanks to Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi's perception had sharpened rapidly. He wasn't wasting chakra on visual genjutsu—instead, he honed the eye's insight to its limits.

Of course, Kakashi didn't focus solely on swordsmanship. He still remembered Kei's advice.

Kei had previously suggested improvements for Chidori and even talked about combining ninjutsu with kenjutsu. Kakashi had taken that to heart and begun exploring that very path.

And then it happened—during one of their sparring sessions, Kakashi, right in front of Kei, unleashed something that left even himself shocked.

As the azure glow of chakra burst from Kakashi's short blade, his sudden acceleration and the crackling lightning element caught Kei completely off-guard.

If not for Kei's Sharingan, with its superior reaction time and insight, that unexpected burst of speed could've defeated him right then and there.

In a real battlefield scenario, that would've been a fatal mistake.

What surprised Kei even more was that this fighting style didn't seem to drain chakra excessively.

Sure, Kakashi still had limited reserves and had to sustain the Sharingan, but he no longer looked like the guy who collapsed after a single fight with Zabuza—though Kei had always suspected that was just an act.

"Is that your new sword technique?" Kei asked curiously, sitting on the ground after their match. "That sudden burst of speed—is it caused by Lightning Release stimulating your body?"

"Yeah." Kakashi sat beside him, staring at his blade with a complicated expression. "I didn't think it'd work on the first try. Maybe Obito's blessing… or maybe it's because Chidori is something I created, so it fits naturally."

Buddy, Obito's not dead, Kei thought silently.

But he didn't bother explaining that. He was far more interested in Kakashi's new technique.

Kakashi didn't hide anything. He probably saw it as something they'd developed together—and since Kei had the Sharingan and knew Chidori too, it was only a matter of time before he figured it out anyway.

From Kakashi's explanation, Kei got a clearer picture.

Kakashi's blade, like Kei's, was forged from chakra-conductive material. The difference? Kakashi's was still the short sword his father had once used.

This blade had excellent chakra conductivity and compatibility, allowing him to infuse chakra and unleash jutsu through it.

Kakashi's fighting style wasn't exactly traditional either. He coated the blade in a thin layer of chakra—not too much, just enough to conserve energy.

This thin chakra layer made the blade sharper and added a surprise element.

When Kakashi saw an opening, he could instantly unleash Lightning Release chakra—stimulating his body and dramatically increasing his speed to land a hit.

And because the blade already had chakra coating it, the switch to Lightning Release was almost instantaneous. This chakra didn't just paralyze—it tore through the enemy's body from the inside out.

Three defining traits: explosive power, paralysis, and destruction. Anyone hit by that blade, unless exceptionally strong, was basically done for.

In the original story, even Yamato had been paralyzed and dropped by Sasuke's Chidori—proof of how lethal this technique was for most ninja.

Kei stroked his chin. Kakashi's transformation was going better than expected, and he'd even created something rather impressive.

This fit Kei's plan perfectly: use Kakashi's path to validate his own theories, then extract the best parts for his own development.

It wasn't exactly noble—but as long as he didn't say it out loud, he was just a "mentor," right?

Besides, he thought this move Kakashi had come up with would suit him very well too.

It was a strong beginning. Kei believed Kakashi would eventually create even more useful techniques. And when that time came, Kei would continue deepening their connection—while quietly reaping the benefits.

"By the way, do you have a name for that technique yet?" Kei leaned back against a tree and asked after some thought.

"Not yet," Kakashi replied, scratching his head. "But I think you should name it. After all, it was based on your idea—even if I was the one who developed it."

"Me?" Kei tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said slowly, "How about… Raikiri—Lightning Cutter?"