The roar of the river had become Matsuri's metronome.
Standing on the surface of the rushing water, the ten-year-old boy closed his eyes, tuning out the chaotic splashing. He focused entirely on the intricate network of chakra pathways running down his legs.
For the past few months, the two support jutsus the Third Hokage had gifted him—Raiton: Senka (Flash Spark) and Raiton: Denki Shoku (Electric Shock)—had been dissected and completely reconstructed in Matsuri's mind.
The Hokage gave me a flashbang and a taser, Matsuri thought, his analytical mind evaluating the raw data of the techniques. Useful for a standard genin. But for an assassin? A flash of light can be countered by simply closing your eyes or using a substitution. A direct-contact shock requires a grapple, which exposes me to a counterattack from a physically stronger opponent.
He needed synergy. He needed lethality.
Matsuri exhaled slowly, his Nature Breathing steadying his heart rate. Instead of gathering the chakra for the Senka in his hands to create a blinding flash, he forced the electrical nature downward, pooling it into the soles of his feet and his calf muscles. It was a dangerous gamble; pushing raw lightning chakra into the nervous system without proper control could cause permanent paralysis.
Calculate. Compress. Ignite.
Crack!
A faint blue spark snapped against the surface of the water. In the same millisecond, Matsuri vanished.
The Micro-Shunshin, already fast, was now supercharged. The electrical stimulation forced his muscles to contract at speeds beyond human limits. He reappeared three meters ahead, his wooden sword slicing through the air with a sharp hiss. At the exact moment of the swing, he channeled the Denki Shoku into the hilt. Tiny arcs of electricity danced along the wooden blade, humming like an angry hornet.
"Repurposing a C-rank visual distraction into an impromptu neurological movement booster. And turning a D-rank contact shock into a localized blade conduit."
Matsuri halted his swing instantly, the electricity dissipating. He didn't flinch, nor did he turn around immediately. He simply let out a controlled breath and lowered his sword.
Sitting lazily on a large boulder on the riverbank, reading his infamous orange book, was Kakashi Hatake.
"You're late for our sporadic check-in, Kakashi-san," Matsuri said calmly, walking over the water towards the bank.
"A turtle was struggling to cross the road. I had to help it," Kakashi replied without missing a beat, finally lowering the book to look at his autonomous subordinate. His visible eye held a glint of genuine appraisal. "I have to admit, Matsuri. The Hokage intended for those jutsus to keep you busy with standard support tactics. You turned them into a close-quarters executioner's toolkit. If an enemy blocks that wooden sword with a metal kunai now..."
"...The steel will conduct the Denki Shoku directly into their hands," Matsuri finished the thought, stepping onto the grass. "It won't kill them, but the low voltage will cause immediate muscle spasms. Their grip will loosen, their guard will break for a fraction of a second, and that is all I need to deliver a fatal strike."
Kakashi nodded slowly, crossing his arms. "Highly efficient. You minimize chakra waste by keeping the electricity localized. You fight like someone who knows exactly how fragile they are."
"I am fragile," Matsuri stated, devoid of ego. "Against a Jōnin's brute force, my bones are glass. I survive by not getting hit, and by making sure my first hit is the last." He paused, his dark eyes locking onto the veteran. "I have laid the foundation. Now, I want the advanced scrolls. Domu, Moguragakure, and the Lightning Clone."
Kakashi sighed, scratching the back of his head. He jumped down from the boulder.
"You have the tactical mind, Matsuri. I won't deny that. But you are trying to run before you can even crawl."
Matsuri frowned beneath his mask. "I just demonstrated my control over Lightning."
"No. You demonstrated your ability to manipulate the shape and flow of a pre-existing basic jutsu," Kakashi corrected, his tone shifting into that of a strict instructor. "The Lightning Clone is an A-rank technique. Domu is a B-rank absolute defense. To use high-level elemental jutsus without blowing yourself up or draining your entire chakra reserves in three seconds, you need to master the absolute core of ninja arts: Nature Transformation."
Kakashi walked up to a nearby tree and plucked a fresh, green leaf from a low-hanging branch.
"Chakra control—like walking on water—is just energy management. Nature Transformation is fundamentally altering the property of that energy," Kakashi explained, holding the leaf between his index and middle fingers. "If you have an affinity for Fire, the leaf burns to ash. If you have an affinity for Wind, the leaf is sliced in half. Water dampens it. Earth turns it to dust."
Kakashi focused his single visible eye on the leaf. A faint, almost imperceptible hum resonated from his fingers.
Before Matsuri's eyes, the smooth surface of the green leaf began to violently crinkle. It curled inward, the veins collapsing as if subjected to an intense, invisible static pressure, until it became a completely wrinkled, crumpled ball.
Kakashi tossed the crumpled leaf to Matsuri, who caught it, analyzing the texture.
"Lightning wrinkles," Kakashi stated flatly. He reached up, plucked another fresh leaf, and handed it to the boy. "Your test for the advanced scrolls starts here. Wrinkle this leaf using only your chakra. No hand seals. No tricks. Just raw Nature Transformation."
Matsuri looked at the innocent green leaf in his palm. In his past life, sitting on a comfortable couch, he had watched Naruto Uzumaki struggle with the wind training. It looked simple on a screen.
How hard can it be? he thought, closing his eyes and channeling his chakra into his hand, trying to visualize electricity. He pushed the energy into the leaf.
Nothing happened.
He pushed harder, trying to recall the feeling of the Senka in his legs. The leaf grew slightly warm, but it remained perfectly smooth and intact. It was like trying to flex a muscle he didn't even know he had. It was incredibly frustrating.
Kakashi pulled out his orange book again, turning around to leave. "It took me days to master this when I was young, Matsuri. And I had a Sharingan to help me understand the flow. I'll come back when you have a pile of wrinkled leaves waiting for me. Until then, don't even think about the Lightning Clone."
With a swirl of leaves, the Jōnin vanished.
Matsuri was left alone in the clearing, the roar of the river echoing behind him.
He stared at the leaf. The adult mind inside him calculated the cruel reality of the ninja world. He was a "normal" person. He didn't have Kurama's infinite chakra to create thousands of Shadow Clones to speed up his training. He didn't have a Dojutsu to cheat the learning curve. He only had his discipline, his foreknowledge, and an agonizing amount of hard work.
The timeline is ticking, Matsuri reminded himself, the faces of the Akatsuki and the bloody mist of the Land of Waves flashing in his mind. The monsters are coming. And if I don't master this, I am dead.
He sat down in the lotus position on the wet grass, placing the leaf in the palm of his hand.
"Calculate. Compress. Ignite," he whispered to himself.
And so, the grinding began. Days bled into nights. Matsuri exhausted his chakra reserves until he vomited from chakra depletion, forced himself to sleep for a few hours, ate a cheap ration bar, and started again.
The ground around him slowly became littered with green leaves. None of them were wrinkled. But the Silent Blade did not know how to quit.
[Author's Note]
Hello everyone, I hope you are enjoying Matsuri's journey! Writing and planning each chapter takes a lot of time, dedication, and effort (even more so dealing with hand pain from the keyboard!). If you like my work, believe in the potential of this story, and want to encourage me to keep posting frequently, please consider supporting me with any amount. Every bit of help makes a huge difference and motivates me a lot!
☕ To support (PIX[Mercado Pago] or PayPal): [email protected]
Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and for all the support! ❤️