Smooth.
That was the only word Hirakawa Yuuki could use to describe the chakra flow he summoned this time.
It felt as silky as ice cream melting on a summer day, as velvety as the finest chocolate.
It wasn't that his chakra control had improved overnight.
In the terms of web novels, it was as if his chakra pathways had been widened and reinforced, letting his chakra circulate as though it had been lubricated to perfection.
Compared to before he had loaded [Lightning Release Mastery], it was like the difference between a winding, bumpy country road and a broad, well-paved highway.
Feeling the chakra reach its designated point within his body, Yuuki quickly shifted his focus to his hands and began forming seals.
And he discovered something else. It was like his mind had been strengthened. He could now easily coordinate both his internal chakra flow and his hand seals at the same time.
Just like with [Extreme Reflexes], the benefits of [Lightning Release Mastery] were showing in all sorts of ways.
A crackle sounded as a faint electric hum filled the air.
Yuuki stared at the tight web of blue-violet currents dancing across his palm, unable to hide the excitement surging in his chest.
Before he had loaded [Lightning Release Mastery], he'd barely been able to produce even a spark. Dozens, hundreds of attempts, with just one success.
But now, after installing the skill just this morning, he had succeeded on his very first try, and the result was perfect.
Yuuki could hardly believe it. He cut the chakra flow to his palm and started again from scratch.
Channel chakra, form seals, convert to Lightning chakra.
It all flowed together seamlessly.
A second burst of crackling light flared even brighter than the first, illuminating the dark training ground like a lantern.
The arcs of electricity flared wildly, wrapping Yuuki's right side in a halo of violet sparks.
Yuuki's eyes widened. Another flawless success.
And this time, he had sensed the subtle flaws in his previous attempt and corrected them on the spot.
This was no longer just a basic jutsu for practice. It had real combat potential.
Yuuki even felt that he could start refining it, making the technique more efficient.
Hard to believe that just yesterday, he had first laid eyes on the scroll for this C-rank Lightning jutsu.
The power granted by [Lightning Release Mastery] was astonishing.
Yuuki glanced at the faint currents still flickering on his hand.
He decided to test their strength.
His gaze settled on a tree four or five meters away.
With a thought, Yuuki gathered more chakra into his palm, feeding the currents until their arcs stretched out nearly two meters.
His pupils shrank as he hurled the crackling current at the target.
The blue-violet bolt darted forward, zigzagging through the air.
In Yuuki's eyes, its speed was no longer a snail's pace. It was faster than a slug, faster than a turtle. It had finally climbed into the realm of a sloth.
The current reached the tree and struck its trunk with a sharp hiss.
A flash of light, then silence.
Yuuki walked up to inspect the damage, using the faint light around him.
The trunk was charred black, with a fist-sized hole burned straight through its center.
A grin crept onto Yuuki's face.
The actual force of the attack didn't quite match the dramatic display of sparks and sound, but it was already beyond what he had hoped for.
Given the offensive strength and low defenses typical of shinobi, this was more than enough to be deadly.
Yuuki straightened up and glanced at his bag.
According to the scroll, mastering this jutsu meant being able to hit a target two to three meters away.
Yuuki had already surpassed that.
It felt almost unreal. For once, he could enjoy the kind of progress that came naturally to geniuses.
Just a few attempts, and he had fully grasped a Lightning jutsu.
The sky was only just beginning to lighten in the distance, the sun still hidden.
Yuuki picked up his bag and drew out another scroll.
There was time.
He would try another Lightning jutsu.
This scroll held the technique Lightning Release: False Darkness.
It described focusing violent electrical currents into a piercing spear of lightning capable of punching through solid rock.
Leaning against the tree, Yuuki studied the scroll intently.
Within ten minutes, he had committed the entire technique to memory.
He stowed the scroll and stepped back to the center of the training field.
Closing his eyes, he recalled the instructions, channeled his chakra, and formed the necessary seals.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness."
The air crackled as thick currents gathered and merged into a shimmering, unstable spear of electricity.
Yuuki panted as he stared at the floating spear, a rush of excitement washing over him.
It was just one spear, and it flickered at the edges, on the verge of collapse.
But for his first attempt at this B-rank jutsu, it was a success.
His concentration wavered under the effort of maintaining it, and the unstable spear began to shudder.
No time to waste.
Yuuki locked onto a nearby boulder and let the spear fly.
It shot forward with a sharp crack, striking the boulder with a thunderous boom.
The blast shook the trees and sent leaves tumbling down as smoke billowed into the air.
Yuuki waited for the dust to clear, then stepped closer to inspect the results.
The boulder, waist-high, had been split into pieces.
A nearly perfect hole ran through its center, clean and sharp.
Yuuki knew that was the signature of this jutsu's terrifying penetrating power.
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