Chapter 31: Improving Chidori and Heading Out to Fight the Mist Shinobi

Reiji had successfully copied Chidori from Kakashi.

Since he was Might Guy’s student, he naturally had plenty of contact with Kakashi, and the two had a fairly good relationship.

Moreover, now that Reiji had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, there was no reason for Kakashi to hide the technique from him.

Besides, a ninjutsu wasn’t something that could be mastered simply by copying it with the Sharingan!

It required sufficient mastery of the corresponding chakra nature transformation, as well as a tremendous amount of practice.

Chidori was an A-rank ninjutsu, and Lightning Release techniques were inherently more difficult to learn.

How could mastering Chidori possibly be easy?

Inside the courtyard of Reiji’s home—

"Just as I thought. I mastered it effortlessly."

Reiji looked at the palm of his hand, which was filled with blue arcs of electricity, without the slightest surprise.

A high density of Lightning Release chakra gathered in his palm.

Electricity flickered violently, producing a sound reminiscent of a thousand birds chirping in unison.

With his Lightning Release talent enhanced by the system, combined with the chakra-flow pattern he had copied using the Sharingan, Reiji had effortlessly performed this A-rank ninjutsu on his very first attempt.

"Hmm..."

Reiji dispersed the chakra in his palm and frowned thoughtfully.

"The power still isn’t quite enough..."

"And it’s way too loud."

What was the difference between the Chidori of today and the Raikiri Kakashi would use in the future?

Were they actually the same technique?

"Chidori should still have room for improvement."

With his newly acquired Lightning Release talent, Reiji could clearly sense that this technique still had considerable potential for further development.

He recalled everything he knew from his previous life about the differences between Chidori and Raikiri.

First was their rank.

Chidori was an A-rank technique, while Raikiri was an S-rank technique.

Second, Chidori required the user to charge forward at high speed, whereas Raikiri did not.

Then there was the sound.

Raikiri was considerably quieter and could be used for surprise attacks.

In the original story, Kakashi had once used Raikiri to launch a sneak attack, destroying one of Kakuzu’s Earth Release hearts in a single strike.

If Raikiri made as much noise as Chidori and required a high-speed charge, how could it possibly be used for assassination?

With that thought in mind, Reiji immediately began experimenting.

Based on his understanding of Lightning Release, countless ideas surfaced in his mind.

He carefully controlled the flow of Lightning Release chakra through his body and made several subtle adjustments to the original technique.

"Gah—!"

The Lightning Release chakra suddenly ran wild, sending a powerful current through Reiji’s chakra pathways and leaving his entire arm numb.

Reiji shook his electrocuted right arm, his expression helpless.

"As expected, developing and improving a ninjutsu is on a completely different level from simply learning one."

Creating a new technique required constantly experimenting with the flow of chakra through the body.

A single mistake in controlling that flow could injure the user.

Reiji couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

Fortunately, he had a cheat.

With the chakra-control ability inherited from Indra’s talent, combined with his extraordinary understanding of Lightning Release techniques, improving Chidori shouldn’t take him too long.

Just then—

A knock sounded at the front door.

Reiji went outside and saw a young man with short, slightly tousled hair, a round nose, and a gentle expression.

"Shisui?"

Reiji immediately recognized him.

Although the two hadn’t interacted much, they were still acquainted.

"Don’t be so formal. Just call me Shisui."

Uchiha Shisui spoke in his usual gentle tone.

"The clan head has summoned the clan members to Naka Shrine."

"There have been some developments involving Kirigakure."

"I checked the list earlier, and you’re among those being sent to the front lines."

Kirigakure?

A large number of thoughts immediately flashed through Reiji’s mind.

Was the Fourth Mizukage already under Obito’s control?

Could this latest movement from Kirigakure have something to do with him?

While thinking about it, Reiji followed Shisui toward Naka Shrine.

Inside Naka Shrine.

"Oh? The two strongest geniuses of the Uchiha’s two generations actually arrived together."

Seeing Shisui and Reiji arrive together, Uchiha Inabi immediately slung an arm around Shisui’s shoulder and began boasting proudly.

"How about it, Shisui?"

"Sure, I can’t compare to you."

"But the Reiji I’ve been training is stronger than the Itachi you’ve been training!"

A short-haired Uchiha standing nearby immediately snorted and exposed him.

"Do you have no shame?"

"How much does Reiji’s strength actually have to do with you?"

"His entire physical combat ability was taught by Might Guy!"

Reiji looked up and recognized the speaker.

Uchiha Tekka.

He had an excellent relationship with Inabi and was also a squad leader in the Konoha Military Police Force.

Having been undermined by his good friend, Inabi remained completely unfazed.

"I’ve given Reiji plenty of guidance too."

"So, at least part of the credit for his current strength belongs to me."

Just as the group was chatting—

Uchiha Fugaku, who was usually expressionless, arrived.

Once all the clan’s shinobi had gathered, Fugaku immediately announced the situation.

Kirigakure had launched an attack.

He then revealed the list of shinobi who would be sent to the front lines.

"Again they’re sending us to fight Kirigakure?"

"Are the village higher-ups out of their minds?"

Uchiha Tekka immediately complained.

The Uchiha were best known for their Fire Release.

Against Kirigakure, whose shinobi specialized in Water Release, their advantage would naturally be greatly reduced.

The other Uchiha shinobi on the deployment list also began voicing their complaints.

"Alright, everyone."

Shisui stepped forward and tried to calm them down.

"Our Sharingan and Fire Release techniques are actually quite suitable for dealing with Kirigakure’s Hidden Mist Technique and Water Release."

"Besides, the Sarutobi clan, which the Hokage belongs to, is also proficient in Fire Release."

"There are quite a few Sarutobi shinobi on the deployment list this time as well."

"What’s more, the overall commander this time is the Hokage’s eldest son."

Only after Shisui spoke did the Uchiha shinobi reluctantly stop complaining.

However, some still grumbled that they hardly ever saw Sarutobi shinobi participating in the actual frontline fighting.

Whenever things became dangerous, it was always the Uchiha who were sent to risk their lives, and so on.

Reiji quietly watched from the side without saying anything.

It was obvious that Uchiha Shisui had tremendous prestige among the clan.

As the strongest genius of his generation, combined with his gentle and easygoing personality, it was only natural that Shisui had earned the respect of the Uchiha.

Soon, the day of departure arrived.

After receiving a long series of warnings from the Izumi family to be careful, Reiji made thorough preparations before setting out.

He soon received his first mission on the Kirigakure battlefield.

"You’re Uchiha Reiji, right?"

Standing before him was the temporary squad leader for this mission—

Sarutobi Korin, a Special Jonin of the Sarutobi clan.

Sarutobi Korin appeared to be around twenty years old.

He looked Reiji up and down, a faint trace of jealousy hidden in his eyes.

"This is probably your first time on a battlefield."

"Once you get there, the enemy’s traps won’t care whether you’re a genius or not."

"If you die, being a genius won’t mean a damn thing."

"Let’s move out."

"Our objective is to reclaim the supply route currently occupied by Kirigakure."

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