Kakashi's voice grew heavy. "No. Listen carefully. Chidori is a lightning-fast thrust. You close the gap with immense speed and stab forward. But moving that fast, your eyes cannot keep up. You will not see your opponent's counterattack. Without the Sharingan, you'll impale yourself before you impale them."
Sasuke froze. His breath came slower. 'So even this technique… it needs the Uchiha eyes. Without Sharingan, it's suicide.'
His smirk returned, dark and small. "Then it's perfect. I already have what others don't."
Kakashi's tone sharpened. "And that is why only with the Sharingan does Chidori rise to A-rank."
Sasuke lifted his head, intrigued. "A-rank, huh? Then that Raikiri you used… that must be S-rank."
Kakashi paused, then gave a small nod. "Mine is… what you could call a lower S-rank."
Sasuke frowned. "Lower?"
Kakashi sighed, raising his hand slightly as if to conjure the memory of his jutsu. "Raikiri… is both nature and shape manipulation. I can wield Lightning Nature freely, with little effort. But shaping that energy into a controlled form, combining it perfectly with its nature… is nearly impossible. What you've seen from me is a jutsu barely holding its shape, sustained with seals and discipline. It is powerful… but incomplete."
Sasuke's jaw tightened. 'Even Kakashi hasn't mastered it?'
His voice broke the silence. "Has anyone… ever truly mastered both shape and nature manipulation together?"
Kakashi's lone eye softened, distant. "Only one. A man who achieved shape manipulation to its very peak. A genius the world may never see again. The original creator of the foundation of this technique."
Sasuke's breath caught. He leaned forward, his voice sharp. "Who?"
Kakashi let the silence stretch for a moment, as though weighing whether Sasuke deserved the answer. Finally, he spoke.
"The Fourth Hokage."
Sasuke stiffened, his eyes widening. The name alone carried a weight in the air.
"What…?" His voice cracked for a fraction of a second before sharpening again. "The Fourth Hokage… was the one?"
"Yes." Kakashi nodded slowly. "It was he who achieved shape manipulation to its highest level. It was he who could mold chakra into perfect form."
Sasuke's mind spun. 'The Yellow Flash… The man who crushed armies in an instant. The Hokage who is revered even after his death. That man… had the power Kakashi speaks of.'
His lips trembled with a mix of awe and envy. "Naruto's father…?"
Kakashi's eye curved with the faintest hint of sadness. "Yes. Naruto's father."
The words rang in Sasuke's ears like a curse. 'That idiot Naruto… he actually had such a strong and talented father… he is the son of the man who reached the pinnacle?'
His nails dug into his palms, lightning crackling faintly at his fingertips. 'No. I won't let him stand above me. Not him. Not anyone. I'll master this. I'll surpass them all.'
Kakashi watched silently, his gaze heavy with unspoken worry. 'This boy… The moment he heard that name, something changed. His hunger just sharpened into obsession. Sasuke… how far are you willing to go?'
The training field fell into tense silence, the air thick with the storm that was slowly building in Sasuke's heart.
Kakashi's single eye hardened as he lifted one finger. "Now, Sasuke… listen carefully. I'm going to give you the conditions for using this technique."
The tone was calm, but it was the kind of calm that carried pressure, like a storm waiting to break.
Sasuke clenched his fists slightly, his breathing slowing. His dark eyes fixed on Kakashi's.
"Condition one…" Kakashi raised his index finger, sharp like a blade, pointed at Sasuke's resolve. "You will only use this technique when the situation absolutely demands it. You must not use this technique to either show off or out of pride... and must not out of impatience. Do you understand?"
"Mm," Sasuke's jaw tightened, and he gave the smallest nod.
But Kakashi didn't ease the pressure. Instead, he raised a second finger, his gaze unwavering.
"Condition two… You will never—" His voice dipped heavier, carrying weight like iron, "—never use this technique against a comrade of your village."
The words pierced Sasuke like a kunai as his body froze.
Never against a comrade…?
Naruto's face flashed before his mind. Their clashes and their rivalry. Their sparring matches that always felt more like real battles. His desire to surpass him. The way Naruto stood in his way…
Sasuke's fingers twitched. 'If I accept this condition… doesn't that mean… I can't ever use it on him? On the one person I have to overcome?'
Kakashi's hand slowly extended toward him, steady, unwavering. "Shake on it if you accept my conditions."
The silence was suffocating. The outstretched hand felt like a wall blocking his path forward.
Sasuke's eyes shook. He could feel Kakashi's gaze, sharp and expectant, waiting for his decision.
The weight of it bore down on him like an avalanche.
'Why… why does it feel like my chest is being crushed?'
'The Chūnin Exams… the fight against Gaara… the promise I made… Naruto… my goals… Itachi...'
His teeth ground against each other. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. 'I want power. I want strength… but why does every step forward come with chains? Why is it always conditions… restrictions… limits?'
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, voice steady, almost kind, but there was no room for refusal. "Well, Sasuke? Do you accept? Or do you turn your back on it?"
The question cut deep.
Sasuke's hand shook. His pride screamed at him to pull back. His ambition burned to reject it.
But Kakashi's presence was overwhelming, pressing down on him, suffocating him.
'Damn it… damn it all…!'
His eyes squeezed shut as if he couldn't bear the sight of the decision he was making. With a sharp breath, his hand rose, slow, reluctant, trembling, and fell into Kakashi's palm.
The clap of flesh against flesh sounded louder than a thunderclap in his ears.
"Good," Kakashi said with a firm nod, his visible eye curving ever so slightly in a smile.
Sasuke's eyes snapped open, staring in disbelief at his own hand pressed against Kakashi's. His chest tightened further, as if invisible chains had just wrapped around him.
Kakashi's smile wasn't mocking, but it was heavy with expectation, with a teacher's trust.
That, more than anything, pressed against Sasuke's pride.
Sasuke's throat tightened. 'Why does this feel like defeat? Why does it feel like I've been cornered into a cage… again?'
The moment was done, and the conditions were sealed.
And yet, for Sasuke, the pressure only grew heavier.
Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed slightly as he glanced at his student. "Use your Sharingan to observe, Sasuke."
Sasuke inhaled sharply, his pulse quickening. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his focus, before opening them again. The tomoe of his Sharingan spun to life, glowing with an eerie crimson hue.
His gaze locked onto Kakashi's hands.
The Copy Ninja moved with deliberate precision, his fingers weaving together, snapping through practiced seals.
Each movement was smooth, flowing like a well-rehearsed melody, but to Sasuke's Sharingan, the patterns of chakra became visible..
Then Kakashi shifted. His right palm turned downward, his left hand gripping firmly around his right wrist. His stance became sharper, firmer.
"Watch closely," Kakashi said, his voice low, commanding.
A strange vibration cut through the silence.
Bzz!
Sasuke's breath caught as sparks licked the edges of Kakashi's palm, at first faint, then sharper, brighter.
Bzz! Bzz!
The sound grew louder, shrill, almost unbearable. The air crackled, alive with power.
Sasuke's hair prickled from the static, his heartbeat syncing with the electric pulses.
Then came the crescendo.
BZZZZZZZ!!!
Bolts of lightning exploded into existence, whirling wildly around Kakashi's hand. It wasn't merely energy but raw, violent destruction restrained by sheer will.
Kakashi raised his hand, and the sound of countless chirping birds filled the training ground.
"Chidori!" He declared. His eye sharpened, a gleam of deadly seriousness flashing. "One Thousand Birds!"
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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