Shinichi let out a long breath and was about to pack up and leave.
Just then, at the entrance to the training ground, a figure stood silently against the light, blocking the way.
Kakashi.
He stood there alone, his silver hair slightly disheveled, his usually indifferent eyes fixed intently on Shinichi, churning with an almost obsessive mix of burning and icy emotions that Shinichi had never seen in his eyes before.
The air seemed to freeze and cool down the moment he appeared.
"Shinichi Higashino!"
Kakashi spoke, his voice hoarse.
"I did what you said!"
Kakashi took a step forward, his voice rising in pitch, carrying a cathartic force: "Get stronger! Keep getting stronger! Throw away all hesitation, weakness, and useless entanglements... Just focus on this one thing!"
"I've staked all my time, all my energy, everything on becoming stronger! And then I'll defeat you! Only then..."
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his right hand, his five fingers curled into a claw, and held it to his side.
The next moment!
Chirp!!!
A sharp, noisy, ear-piercing sound, as if hundreds or thousands of angry birds were screeching and roaring at the same moment, ripped apart the morning tranquility of the training ground without warning!
A dazzling, azure lightning bolt erupted violently from Kakashi's palm.
Chidori!
The blinding lightning illuminated half of Kakashi's face and the depths of his dark eyes. There was no longer any indifference or confusion there, only a kind of fanatical determination and a surging obsession that could not be suppressed and was about to erupt!
"Only then did I…"
Kakashi's eyes were fixed on Shinichi, and his voice, accompanied by the shriek of Chidori, suddenly became ferocious.
"Only then did I develop this Ninjutsu!!!"
Shinichi: "...?"
Shinichi stood there, his usual calm expression now showing a rare and obvious look of surprise.
A bizarre yet incredibly intense sense of déjà vu rushed into his mind like a tsunami.
Wait, bro?
Who are you?
Sasuke Uchiha or something?
You're treating me like I'm Itachi Uchiha, right?
An indescribable feeling of utter despair surged through his heart like a wild horse, almost causing him to lose his composure.
The scene, the lines, the furious, almost aggressive tone, except for the hair color and the eyes…
He never imagined that his words on the training ground before, which combined provocation and the principle of destruction before reconstruction, would actually force Kakashi to unleash Chidori prematurely and turn him into this Sasuke-like figure.
You truly deserve to be Sasuke's teacher, don't you?
Shinichi complained inwardly.
"And you!"
Kakashi, unaware of Shinichi's inner turmoil, his voice distorted by excitement and the chirping of Chidori: "What have you been doing all this time?! Wasting your time and energy on meaningless things! What do you take getting stronger for?! What do you take the path of the ninja for?!"
Before he could reply, Kakashi moved!
A cloud of dust exploded beneath Kakashi's feet, and he transformed into a straight blue bolt of lightning, hurtling towards Shinichi at a terrifying speed far exceeding his usual limits!
Shinichi seemed to be stunned by the sudden, all-out attack, standing still without making any dodging or hand seal movements, as if he had no time to react.
The distance between the two closed rapidly in the blink of an eye!
Kakashi's eyes flashed with a fierce light, but just as Chidori's destructive edge reached within three meters of Shinichi, a complex emotion, which he hadn't even had time to fully comprehend, suddenly flashed deep within his pupils.
Seeing that Shinichi was still standing in the same spot, he subconsciously tried to turn his wrist, directing the raging Chidori towards the empty space beside Shinichi.
However… Just as he was about to turn his wrist, a hand gripped his right wrist like a steel clamp!
The force of that clamp was astonishing, instantly suppressing all his attempts to change direction, squeezing his wrist until it ached, and even halting the flow of his chakra.
Immediately afterwards, Shinichi grabbed Kakashi's wrist and pulled him sharply to his side!
Kakashi was completely unable to resist this immense force. His entire body, along with the shrieking Chidori in his hand, was pulled by this force and involuntarily changed direction.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, a blinding bolt of lightning struck a massive tree next to Shinichi that required two people to encircle it!
Wood chips mixed with charred fragments flew everywhere!
The part of the tree trunk that was hit was instantly torn apart and pierced, revealing a terrifying hole that was bright from front to back and still had tiny sparks of electricity jumping around its edges!
The tall tree trunk groaned under the weight, slowly tilting to one side before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The chirping of the birds abruptly ceased, leaving only the faint crackling of residual electric arcs crawling on the broken tree trunk and a deathly silence.
Kakashi was breathing heavily, his right hand trembling slightly from the intense release of chakra and the pain of his wrist being gripped. He stared blankly at the large tree that he had destroyed with his Ninjutsu, then suddenly turned his head to look at Shinichi, who was right next to him and still gripping his wrist.
Shinichi's eyes were calm and unwavering, as if the thrilling scene just now had merely brushed away a fallen leaf.
"My foolish…"
A classic line was almost on his lips, but thankfully, Shinichi stopped himself in time and swallowed the inappropriate remark back.
The words that came out were a statement tinged with emotion and approval: "Kakashi, seeing you no longer torment yourself with the choices of the past, but instead turn that obsession into the driving force to move forward, truly makes me happy."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi was stunned.
He had anticipated many possible reactions: mocking his overestimation of his abilities, rebuking his impulsiveness and recklessness, or coldly commenting with those all-seeing eyes, "You're still far from good enough."
But he never expected it to be such a comforting affirmation.
At this moment, Shinichi released his grip on Kakashi's wrist and asked, "What's the name of this Ninjutsu?"
"Chidori."
Kakashi answered instinctively.
"Chidori? It sounds like a thousand birds, and its movement is like thunder."
"What a great name! It's even better than my Rasengan!"
Shinichi nodded, sighed, and glanced at the tree that had been pierced: "Your Chidori demonstrates a high level of skill in the advanced application and rapid condensation of lightning nature chakra. You have truly mastered change in chakra nature."
"But as you can see, it is not refined enough. Its power relies too much on the kinetic energy of the thrust and lacks more precise constraints on the change in chakra form. The dissipation and controllability of power are its current shortcomings."
He abruptly changed the subject and extended his right hand. A highly compressed, violently rotating sphere of azure chakra appeared, humming steadily.
"Coincidentally, I happen to have done some research on the change in chakra form."
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