Chapter 6

The figure before him was a twelve-year-old boy with silver-white hair.

He wore a black jumpsuit, a belt fastened around his waist with a ninja tool pouch hanging from the back, and a short sword strapped across his back. His signature mask covered the lower half of his face.

It was Hatake Kakashi—the very person Akira had been waiting for.

At this point in time, Kakashi had yet to don the flak jacket of a full-fledged Konoha shinobi. Nor did he wear his forehead protector tilted over one eye. His expression still held the sharp light of youth, not yet dulled by the burdens of loss and war.

Though this Kakashi looked younger than the one Akira remembered from his past life, his unmistakable silver-white hair and iconic mask made him instantly recognizable.

Seeing a beloved anime character from his previous life appear before him so vividly, Akira couldn't help but feel a wave of excitement.

But he quickly composed himself. Now wasn't the time to be starstruck. After all, he had waited for this opportunity for months.

Akira approached with a casual wave. "Yo, isn't that Kakashi? Long time no see."

Kakashi turned at the familiar voice, blinking in mild surprise. He recognized the boy—it was Akira of the Uchiha clan, a prodigy medical-nin who had treated him several times before.

"Oh, Akira. It has been a while. I stopped by a few times, but you weren't around. Where've you been this past year?"

"Still in Konoha. Just swamped with the Academy. You look like you just returned from an out-of-village mission?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. What should've been a quick assignment got dragged out because the client changed conditions halfway through. A two-week mission became one and a half months."

Akira raised a brow in genuine curiosity. He hadn't expected Kakashi to share so freely, considering how cold and detached he was known to be in this time period.

What Akira didn't know was that Kakashi had always respected him. As someone who had become a genin at age six, Kakashi rarely met peers he could relate to. But after a fateful encounter at the hospital, when a young Akira treated his injury with surprising skill and maturity, Kakashi had started to feel a rare sense of kinship.

And when he later found out that Akira, like him, was an orphan—having lost his parents at an even younger age—that respect deepened into quiet camaraderie.

Kakashi had been to the hospital several times recently, hoping to see Akira again. And now that their paths had finally crossed, he was more open than usual.

"Are you here to get patched up?" Akira asked.

"Yeah. Took a few hits during the mission. Nothing serious, but I want to make sure there aren't any lingering issues."

"Perfect. I'm free right now—let me take a look."

Kakashi nodded, and the two found a spot in the treatment area. As Akira worked on healing Kakashi's wounds, they chatted casually about their recent training and missions.

Once Akira was sure of Kakashi's good mood, he carefully steered the conversation.

"Hey, Kakashi... you're a Lightning Release user, right? Do you think you could give me some pointers on training the chakra nature transformation?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Lightning Release? Aren't Uchiha known for Fire Release? Why the interest in lightning?"

Akira explained that while his Fire Release was already well-developed, he had a natural affinity for Lightning Release as well, and he wanted to explore its potential.

Kakashi was intrigued. "You're not even out of the Academy yet. Most genin don't start second nature training until they're up for jonin promotion."

"I know it's early," Akira said, sighing. "But I've hit a plateau in taijutsu. I figured if I can stimulate my body using Lightning Release—like increasing my reflex speed and nerve activity—I might be able to make up for it."

He paused before continuing. "I've been developing the theory for a lightning-enhanced taijutsu technique. Something that could boost my speed significantly."

Kakashi's eyes lit up.

Because Akira's idea wasn't just familiar—it was nearly identical to what he himself had been working on: the foundational theory behind the Chidori.

"That's crazy, Akira. I'm working on something almost exactly like that," Kakashi said. "A jutsu that combines lightning's piercing force with speed, to create a devastating close-range technique."

Akira played it cool, though inside he was thrilled. His hunch had been right—Kakashi had already begun developing Chidori.

He smiled. "Sounds like we're on the same page. How about we work on it together?"

Kakashi considered it for a moment. The idea was compelling. Akira's medical expertise and deep understanding of biology could help avoid the physical drawbacks of high-speed movement. And in return, he could teach Akira the fundamentals of Lightning Release.

"Alright. Let's team up. I'll show you what I know about Lightning Release, and you can help refine the technique from the medical side."

"Deal. And while we're at it, I can show you some Uchiha-style Fire Release. Might help you round out your arsenal."

With their partnership sealed, Kakashi's treatment session concluded. The two stood up, ready to part ways.

"Same time tomorrow?" Akira asked.

"You got it. Training ground 16. Don't be late."

They exchanged nods, two geniuses united by ambition and fate, both unaware that this collaboration would mark the beginning of something truly extraordinary.

Akira arrived a little earlier than the agreed time. Kakashi showed up shortly after, punctual to the minute.

It was clear that, at this stage, Kakashi hadn't yet been influenced by Obito—he hadn't developed his infamous habit of being late.

After greeting each other, the two got straight to business. If they wanted to develop a new ninjutsu, Akira first needed to attain a high level of Lightning Release chakra nature transformation. To speed things up, Kakashi decided to personally guide him.

Akira suggested they utilize Shadow Clones to enhance their efficiency. This way, Kakashi could use a clone to teach Akira Lightning Release, while Akira could have one of his clones teach Kakashi Fire Release. Two birds with one stone.

Kakashi was impressed. He had never considered using Shadow Clones for collaborative training before.

They each created three clones. One clone taught, and the remaining two trained alongside the main body. While Naruto could create dozens—if not hundreds—of clones thanks to his massive chakra reserves and simple thought processes, Akira and Kakashi had to be more conservative.

Neither had the same chakra capacity as Naruto, and more importantly, both were highly intelligent. Using too many clones could cause cognitive overload when the memories returned, creating a high risk of mental burnout. After some deliberation, they decided three clones each was optimal for productive, safe training.

"Akira, show me how far you've gotten with Lightning Release nature transformation," Kakashi requested.

Akira had made some progress over the past two months while waiting for Kakashi. If he had once been at the level of a Spark Finger Technique, he was now at the Spark Palm Technique.

He demonstrated the current extent of his Lightning Release.

Kakashi nodded slowly, but his expression was unimpressed.

"This is barely beginner level. Looks like we'll have to start from scratch since your method so far hasn't been quite right."

Akira's smile faltered.

He had modeled his training after the two-stage approach Naruto used for Wind Release, confident he was already through the first phase. But to Kakashi, it didn't even qualify.

Kakashi, oblivious to Akira's inner despair, continued, reminiscing about his own training days.

"When I started training Lightning Release under my father, it took me about three months to fully master the transformation from scratch. And that was considered fast."

Akira silently scoffed. "Even Sasuke only needed a month. And I'm supposed to be a genius. You think I'll take longer than Sasuke?"

Outwardly, Akira wore a calm, respectful expression, though Kakashi had clearly caught the flicker of disdain earlier.

Smirking slightly, Kakashi continued, "Based on your current level, you'll probably need... half a year."

Akira clenched his fists under his sleeves. Half a year? Sasuke did it in one. I've already awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan at age six. Half a year my ass!

Still, he kept a composed demeanor, pretending to take Kakashi's words seriously.

Seeing the respectful attitude, Kakashi eased up. "Actually, with your Shadow Clone method, and with three clones training in parallel, you might cut it down to a month."

Akira nearly choked. Six months reduced to one month because of three clones? What kind of ninja math was that?

But he forced a cheerful response. "That's great. So we can probably begin developing the new technique in a month."

They began their training in earnest. Kakashi was surprised to learn Akira was using Shadow Clones to attend the Ninja Academy while training.

When Akira added a fourth Shadow Clone to speed up progress, Kakashi's jaw nearly dropped. Six clones total—twice as many as he could maintain.

Despite being close to jōnin level himself, Kakashi was shocked at the disparity in chakra reserves between them.

He sighed inwardly. "If he has this much chakra at age six... how many times more will he have than me when he's an adult? Four times? Ten?"

Trying to reassure himself, Kakashi muttered mentally, "It's fine. Chakra reserves aren't everything. A true shinobi's strength lies elsewhere... right?"

Akira had no idea how shaken Kakashi was. Had he known, he would have scoffed: "Only ten times? If I don't have a hundred times your chakra as an adult, I'll take your name."

Time passed quickly, and their training progressed rapidly. Though Kakashi's Fire Release was more advanced than Akira's Lightning Release at the start, Akira caught up faster than expected—partly thanks to his additional clone, and partly due to his extraordinary talent.

Kakashi refused to admit it. "It's just the extra clone... definitely not talent."

After just three weeks, Akira completed his Lightning Release nature transformation—an entire week ahead of schedule. Kakashi finished his Fire Release training soon after.

An unexpected bonus: while teaching Kakashi, Akira's clone had continued to refine its own Fire Release. That self-reflection boosted Akira's proficiency, elevating his Fire Release to jōnin level.

But what truly excited Akira wasn't that. It was the fact that he had finally mastered Lightning Release. The time had come.

He and Kakashi looked at each other, fire in their eyes.

It was time to begin developing their new ninjutsu.