A month later, I was still out there, posted up at one of the few good patches left in the forest. Still working on improving my lightning chakra utilization, quantity, quality, and control. And honestly, I was making real progress.
Progress good enough that I could actually perform an elementary ninjutsu, which had my heart pounding with excitement. I could've started a few days ago, but I chose to keep refining my control and command over lightning chakra. Better safe than fried.
I was finally ready to begin building my fighting style. My plan? Focus on two, maybe three ninjutsu this year, then master the hell out of them. By the time graduation rolled around, I wanted to be a genin who could actually hold his own.
After heading home and enjoying some borrowed food from the Academy cafeteria on a borrowed plate with a borrowed spoon, I wrapped up the meal with my new favorite dessert: sugar water. Don't knock it. It's cheap, and it works.
Training under Daiken, both physically and through sparring, had done a number on my body in a good way. My taijutsu wasn't spectacular, but it was acceptable for a six-year-old. I ended the day with two hours of meditation, one of my favorite routines. It helped clear my mind, improved my limited chakra sensing, and boosted my circulation. With all that and my steady chakra training, I had the base I needed. Now it was time to build on it.
When the meditation ended, I crashed on my bed and drifted off almost instantly. Another perk of nightly meditation. it made sleep come easier.
The next morning, I woke up to the familiar ceiling of stars I'd drawn above my bed. My little chakra control mural of the cosmos. It was getting bigger every week. I rolled out of bed and started my morning routine, intentionally skipping chakra circulation and chakra-enhanced movements to conserve energy for later. Today was ninjutsu day.
At the Academy, Daiken greeted us with his usual expression, carved from the same stone as the Hokage Monument. The day started with intense physical training, followed by more spars, then a lesson on shinobi tools and trap placement that expanded on the earlier sessions.
It was becoming clear that the village had placed a high-level instructor like Daiken in charge of us for a reason. Our pace was brutal, faster than anything I'd seen in the normal classes. But we kept up. We thrived. The higher-ups clearly believed this class had the potential, and we were proving them right. I smirked to myself. "Those old fogies really do have an eye for talent."
The moment Daiken dismissed us, I took off before Shizuru could even try to drag me into another tutoring session. Not today. Today, I had more important things to do.
I reached my destination fast.
The Academy library.
I went straight to the ninjutsu section, eyes locked on the elemental categories. The Fire section? Massive. Earth? Solid. Water? Surprisingly big. Wind? Smaller, but respectable. And then I got to the Lightning section.
My heart dropped.
It was tiny. Barely more than a shelf. And half the scrolls were gone. I could literally fit every single D-rank Lightning ninjutsu into one row. I muttered under my breath, "I know size doesn't matter, but come on…"
I'd known that Konoha wasn't exactly famous for its Lightning Release users, but this? This was depressing. I dreaded what I'd find when I advanced to C, B, and A-rank scrolls. One technique per shelf? Maybe I needed to befriend the Hokage after all. Old Man Hiruzen probably had lightning techniques stashed away in his secret pockets.
I sighed and started browsing. Took me less than ten minutes to go through the whole shelf. That hurt more than it should've.
Eventually, I found it. My first technique. The stepping stone to something greater:
Lightning Style: Flicker Step
A movement technique. Flexible, practical, and versatile. Perfect for attack, defense, repositioning. basically, everything I needed. It relied heavily on chakra control and a solid body, which were two things I had going for me. If my fighting style was going to be built around speed, then this jutsu was the foundation.
I sat down with the scroll and began reading.
Classification: D-rank
Type: Supplementary – Mobility
Chakra Nature: Lightning Release
Primary Use: Rapid repositioning, close-quarters combat, pursuit, evasion
I skimmed through the boring parts. Diagrams, chakra conversion formulas, stuff that would give even Daiken a headache, Until I found something readable:
"The Flicker Step is a short-distance, high-speed movement technique that applies Lightning-nature chakra to the user's legs to temporarily enhance nervous system responsiveness and muscular contraction speed. It is often mistaken for a variation of the Body Flicker Technique, but differs in that it uses elemental manipulation instead of pure chakra control and is optimized for combat scenarios."
Translation? Zap your legs. Go zoom.
Next section:
Execution Method:
"Begin by gathering Lightning-nature chakra at the soles of the feet. Do not flood the muscles, this will result in cramping, nerve strain, or in rare cases, partial paralysis. The chakra must be layered in a thin sheath, similar to the tree-walking technique, but tuned to vibrate at a high frequency."
"Once stable, apply a pulse of chakra to stimulate explosive acceleration. The pulse should coincide with muscle contraction during the step. Mistiming the pulse will cause imbalance or, in worse cases, injuries."
"This technique is not designed for long-distance travel. It is best utilized in bursts, covering a few meters at a time with high precision."
So basically, don't yeet yourself into a wall. Again. Noted.
Training Recommendation:
"Before attempting full-step execution, practice triggering brief chakra pulses through the soles of the feet while standing still, then while walking, then mid-jump. Do not attempt combat integration until chakra feedback is minimized and direction control is stable."
In other words: Baby steps. Electrified baby steps.
I moved to the final section, where all the scary stuff was hiding:
"Repeated use without conditioning may result in overstimulation of the nervous system, twitching, impaired motor control, and localized muscle fatigue. A cooldown between uses is advised until the user builds sufficient tolerance."
I nodded solemnly and told myself: leg spasms = bad.
Finally, I reached the scroll writer's personal note. And it did not disappoint:
"This jutsu will make you feel like a god for exactly half a second. Then you'll trip, fall on your face, and wish you were never born. Enjoy."
My eyebrow twitched.
"When I finally find a scroll written by someone who isn't a dried-up old man, I end up with a cheeky sadist. Typical."