Somewhere in a small town.
Kaede was staying at a local inn. After taking a bath and changing into a fresh set of clothes, he pulled out a scroll and sat down in his room to study it intently.
The scroll contained a secret technique: the Lightning Release Chakra Mode used by the Third Raikage.
Of course,
It wasn't complete.
The information had been extracted by the intelligence division's shinobi while handling the corpse of the Third Raikage. Since the Raikage had already died, the data gathered from his brain was fragmented. Even after it had been compiled, a significant portion remained missing.
Kaede wasn't particularly interested in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode itself. No matter how powerful it was, it couldn't compare to his own Eight Gates Lightning Release Technique.
What interested him more was the knowledge hidden within it, insights on training with and controlling Lightning Release chakra. This was something even Orochimaru couldn't provide.
After all,
The Kumogakure were true masters of Lightning Release, and the Third Raikage stood at the very peak of that mastery. His control and understanding of Lightning Release ninjutsu far surpassed that of Orochimaru.
That was something worth studying.
Kaede's control over Lightning Release chakra was still somewhat lacking, partly because the Eight Gates Lightning Release technique was inherently wild and volatile, making it difficult to control.
"Lightning Release Secret Art… Hell Stab…"
Kaede muttered to himself as he read the scroll.
The Hell Stab itself was technically just a B-rank ninjutsu, but because of the Third Raikage's immensely powerful physique and incredible chakra control, its destructive force was comparable to that of an S-rank technique.
The scroll explained that during the use of Hell Stab, the arm essentially became a "vessel" for Lightning Release chakra, just like how Kaede's short sword White Fang and the legendary Kusanagi sword acted as chakra conductors.
By using the arm as a vessel to hold and condense massive amounts of chakra, it could exhibit the sharpness and piercing power of a concentrated chakra flow.
The key to this technique lay in two points: first, turning the arm into a vessel; second, concentrating Lightning Release chakra to a high degree, this required incredibly precise chakra control.
And the method for increasing control over Lightning Release chakra...
The first part, about turning the arm into a vessel, was relatively intact. But the latter half, which detailed controlling Lightning Release chakra, was fragmented and incomplete. Worse still, many of the gaps occurred at critical points, and the final section was outright missing!
"This is just… frustrating."
Kaede sighed in mild exasperation.
He wasn't sure whether to blame the Third Raikage or the intelligence division's ninja.
Ultimately, it was thanks to the intelligence division that he even had this scroll to begin with, and the person who compiled the material had clearly done their best. He could only cut them some slack.
As for the Third Raikage… well, the man was already dead. Complaining that he hadn't left behind a more complete legacy might just anger his spirit into coming back to life shouting, 'What the hell else do you want from me?!'
Thankfully,
The section about using the arm as a chakra vessel was fairly comprehensive.
After studying it closely, Kaede realized it could be very useful, not just for his arm, but for his whole body. He could apply this method to train his entire physique!
Granted, full-body training wouldn't yield results as intense as focusing solely on the arm. But it would allow his body to adapt better to Lightning Release chakra overall. That would make it easier to control, and maybe, just maybe, help him break through the sixth gate of the Eight Gates technique!
"These two missing segments… hmm, they should go something like this."
Using his own understanding and context from the scroll, Kaede began trying to fill in the two missing portions of the vessel section.
As he theorized, he also experimented on his own arm, after all, with his time-reversal ability, he could always reset if something went wrong. There was no risk.
Roughly half a day later,
Kaede confirmed his reconstructed segments were stable and sound.
Still, he didn't rush into training. Instead, he continued to theorize, attempting to restore the missing sections that dealt with Lightning Release chakra control.
This part was far more complicated. In many places, entire chunks of information were missing, not just a word or a phrase, but whole passages. Even with context, he could only roughly determine what should go there, no way to accurately reconstruct it all on theory alone.
Kaede activated four-times speed.
He worked nonstop until noon the next day, managing to restore most of the easier sections. The rest would require extensive hands-on training and testing to piece together properly.
"Whew…"
Stretching his body, Kaede exited four-times speed and decided to grab something to eat.
But just as he was about to leave, his expression shifted slightly. He stood up, walked to the window, and pulled aside the curtain to glance out in a certain direction.
There,
He could faintly make out ninja clashing in battle. One group wore Konoha forehead protectors. The others… looked vaguely familiar.
….
On the town's streets,
There were about a dozen ninja wearing Konoha forehead protectors, while the opposing group wore those of the Amegakure, numbering less than ten.
"Stop!"
"You're from Konoha, right? Why are you attacking this town?! There are no Amegakure shinobi here, only innocent civilians!"
Yahiko gritted his teeth as he defended against the onslaught and shouted at the enemy ninja.
But the Konoha shinobi ignored him completely. Their expressions were cold, and their attacks relentless and savage. In an instant, Yahiko's group was overwhelmed.
"Damn it…"
"They're not even responding…"
Yahiko clenched his jaw, furious at the lack of explanation.
Elsewhere, Konan was surrounded by three enemies, defending herself with paper shuriken. She looked over at Yahiko and called out, "Yahiko, what do we do?!"
If they kept fighting, they'd eventually be defeated. But if they tried to retreat, the town would be destroyed in their absence.
Yahiko hesitated, torn between both options.
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
Suddenly, an enemy used an Earth Release technique. The ground beneath Konan surged upward, catching her off-guard and launching her into the air.
A ninja charged at her with a short sword, piercing her body, only for her form to burst into countless paper slips and scatter.
"Yahiko, this isn't working!"
One of the Rain ninja shouted, "We need to retreat, we can't stop them!"
Yahiko continued fending off attackers with Water Release techniques, gritting his teeth. "Why… why is this happening… Konoha's ninja…"
And then,
A voice suddenly called out from a nearby rooftop.
"What unit are you with? What's your mission?"
The voice made Yahiko freeze. The Konoha ninja also paused and turned to look.
On the rooftop's railing stood a lone figure, wearing a conical hat and a Konoha forehead protector. He looked to be no older than fifteen or sixteen, about the same age as Yahiko and his group.
But,
Despite his young appearance, his voice and demeanor carried the calm authority of a superior officer questioning subordinates.
Kaede's arrival brought the battle to a sudden halt. Yahiko stared at him, furrowing his brows, a question surfacing in his mind.
Who is he?
Nagato, Konan, and the others had also noticed the shift. They looked at Kaede in confusion and suspicion, because the so-called "Konoha shinobi" attacking them had almost all frozen in place.
"Silver Flash?!"
"Retreat, quickly!"
As soon as someone recognized Kaede's identity, cold sweat beaded on their forehead, and their eyes filled with fear. They hadn't expected to run into Konoha's Silver Flash in the Land of Rain!
Seeing the fake Konoha ninja scatter the moment they saw him, Kaede immediately understood the situation. His voice was cold as he muttered:
"Thought so… They're not really Konoha ninja."
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