Lightning Release: Thunderclap. Legend has it that this technique constructs a powerful, idealized current capable of casting high-level genjutsu.
When the user covers their body in this electricity to strike, it paralyzes the opponent and allows the current to infiltrate the cranial nerves, systematically dismantling their sensory perception.
This move shares similarities with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of the Hidden Cloud Village. However, its raw output and the secondary effect of generating specialized electrical illusions make it far more potent.
Unlike the Water Release "Bubble" series genjutsu Shiraishi previously mastered—which had limited killing potential—the Thunderclap style pairs devastating lethality with illusions that amplify the user's psychological pressure tenfold.
Furthermore, the electrical radiance acts as a protective shield for the user's own neural pathways, granting a high degree of resistance against external genjutsu.
The secret vault where the Hidden Sand stored its forbidden techniques was cavernous. Historically, some readers likely couldn't resist testing techniques immediately upon reading them, so the village had purposely left a wide, reinforced clearing within the chamber.
Today, Shiraishi's mastery over Magnet Release and electromagnetism allowed him to grasp the fundamentals of Thunderclap almost instantly.
Snap! Crackle!
In an instant, a golden radiance blanketed his body. Under the stimulation of this energy, Shiraishi felt the activity level of his cells leap to a new tier.
He quietly activated Agility. Shiraishi vanished, reappearing on the opposite side of the vault in a blur. Driven by the powerful current, his speed reached unprecedented heights.
I need to accelerate the collection of follow-up skills for high-speed movement, he thought. The derived skills—Extreme Speed and Teleportation—clearly promised god-like utility based on their names alone.
As he harnessed the Thunderclap energy, the Cyan Flame within his body reacted again, surging as if ready to erupt.
Shiraishi was currently in a delicate state: the power of Thunderclap and the Cyan Flame were entwined.
With electricity crackling in his left hand and cyan fire swirling in his right, he looked like a living Taiji diagram of black and white, balanced between opposing forces.
Thunderclap and Cyan Flame—two seemingly unrelated powers—were actually augmenting each other.
Is this the duality of Ideals and Reality?
The Gold Skill Cards had never disappointed him. Shiraishi quickly withdrew the second Gold card. The pattern on this card depicted the Fighting attribute.
Upon unlocking it, the Gold-tier Fighting technique Sacred Sword revealed itself.
Sacred Sword: A unique attack mode that allows the user to ignore an opponent's defensive stat changes or ability enhancements, dealing direct, raw damage.
Fighting techniques leaned heavily toward Taijutsu. The specific chakra circulation pathways and cautionary notes within the "Sacred Sword" instructions indicated a highly sophisticated form of physical combat. Following the patterns on the card, Shiraishi flicked a finger.
A powerful, invisible current of air condensed at his fingertip like a razor-sharp blade of light, capable of severing any obstacle in its path.
Feeling the lethal sharpness of the sword-light, Shiraishi's Round Eyes flickered. The radiance of his telekinesis illuminated the vault as his entire body ignited with Cyan Flame.
Combining the sword-light with the fire, he manifested a Cyan Flame Blade. With a sudden pivot—leveraging the movement speed of his Dimensional Hole coordinate shifts—he lunged forward with his fastest strike.
The combined force of the Cyan Flame and Sacred Sword was so immense that it nearly leveled the secret vault. Shiraishi quickly retracted his power.
His control over volatile energies like Thunderclap and Cyan Flame was far superior to what it had been in the past, yet he remained cautious, fearing an energy overload might bring the ceiling down.
Finally, he turned to the last of the three Gold Skill Cards. He had high expectations for the Ground attribute card, as his Magnet Release shared a natural affinity with Ground and Rock-type skills.
It promised to bring his sand manipulation to full maturity. As predicted, this Ground-type Gold Card was called Thousand-Wave Surge (Shore Up/Land's Wrath variant).
The user can stir the ground into massive waves to attack. Opponents caught in the surging waves find it impossible to escape the battlefield.
In terms of visual effect, it resembled the Earth Release: Earth Flow River, but Thousand-Wave Surge didn't require turning the ground into a marsh.
Instead, it used powerful vibrational principles to make the earth "fluid" and turbulent, physically binding the opponent.
By mainstream shinobi standards, if Earth Flow River was a B-rank ninjutsu, then Thousand-Wave Surge was an S-rank Earth Style technique.
The Diplomatic Tension
Inside the Land of Fire's embassy, Akimiya paced back and forth, his expression anxious. The conditions set by the Kazekage were terrifying: Shiraishi wanted a portion of Konoha's mission distribution rights. If this precedent were set, the consequences would be catastrophic.
For a long time, Konoha relied on its massive mission volume to acquire resources from nations across the world. A mission wasn't just a paycheck; it represented a geopolitical tie between the Leaf, the Land of Fire, and the client.
Transferring these missions would shift the strategic landscape of the entire region. Akimiya knew the Leaf, and likely the Daimyo, would never agree.
"Why fret? These are the headaches of the Daimyo and the Hokage. Just report the facts," the warrior representative remarked dismissively.
To him, while the mission system was important, some remote client nations—like the Land of Demons or the Land of Snow—could be sacrificed and handed over to the Sand to deal with.
"The Third Hokage isn't some senile fool; he knows how to judge the situation. 'Black Mist' Shiraishi's rise is unstoppable. Why look for trouble?"
Akimiya shook his head. "The Daimyo and the Hokage haven't seen what life is like here daily. They might not truly respect the Land of Wind's non-military advancements."
From civilian infrastructure to daily life, the Hidden Sand was thriving. Once given a broader stage, the strategic space for the Leaf and the Land of Fire would be squeezed.
Akimiya felt a deep sense of urgency, but the warrior representative felt he was overreacting. In his eyes, this was just the Sand being greedy.
The Eve of the Ceremony
On the eastern front of the Land of Fire, Rin Nohara had been manipulated by Madara Uchiha. A forbidden seal was placed on her heart, turning her into the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails. Subsequently, a group of Mist ninjas, under Madara's control, began a tragic play of darkness and despair.
Madara's goal was to drag Obito into total darkness. Rin, unable to control the Three-Tails and refusing to die at the hands of the Mist as Madara intended, chose to die by the hand of Kakashi's Chidori.
While this tragic drama unfolded in the shadows, the day of the Fifth Kazekage's inauguration arrived in the Hidden Sand. Envoys from all nations gathered, and the atmosphere was electric with celebration...
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