"Ameyuri, do you want to become stronger?"
Hearing the girl's muttered question, Kyoichi's heart stirred. Inspiration flashed through his mind.
"If you're feeling lost… I can offer you some advice. Something to guide you."
In his memories,
Ringo Ameyuri died young—far too early to leave behind many legends in the shinobi world. Yet even so, the shinobi of Kirigakure still called her the Genius of Lightning Release. If this girl had not died prematurely… what kind of brilliance might she have shown in this world?
To this,
Kyoichi was very interested.
He didn't yet know how to prevent her early death. He had no information about the cause in his memories. For now, she was perfectly healthy, so there was no need to fear sudden misfortune. Best to watch things unfold first.
If it turned out to be an illness—
then he could simply seek out Tsunade, one of the Sannin.
If she had been killed—
then the best countermeasure was to offer guidance now, helping her avoid detours, allowing her to grow stronger faster.
"What do I need to give you in return?"
Ringo snapped out of her thoughts at once. Her eyes—sharp as drawn blades—locked directly onto Kyoichi.
She didn't believe in gifts falling from the sky.
In her view,
to gain something, one must pay something. That was the world's one unchanging truth.
"Payment… hm. That Lightning Release technique you used—where lightning encased your entire body. Could you let me take a look at it?"
Kyoichi thought for two seconds and made a request.
"Lightning Armor?"
Ameyuri frowned slightly.
"I can show it to you. The Mizukage never said the scroll couldn't be shared. But… are you planning to cultivate Lightning Release as a new chakra nature?"
"Not necessarily."
Kyoichi shook his head with a bright, honest smile.
"I haven't decided whether to open a new chakra nature yet. I want to examine your Lightning Armor because I'm designing a new jutsu—your technique serves as the perfect reference."
"Just don't complain if you think you're getting the short end later."
She agreed without hesitation.
"I don't have the scroll on me. Do you want to come with me to get it now, or should I bring it to you later?"
"No rush, no rush."
Seeing the girl's quick, decisive manner, Kyoichi hurriedly stopped her.
"The scroll can wait. Let me at least give you advice first. Otherwise I'd feel guilty taking your scroll. After all… if we're being honest, I'm basically trying to get something for nothing here."
"I'm surprised you even realized that."
Mei Terumī teased.
Just then—
His cousin, Koeda Mai, reappeared. She held the Kabutowari, which had been blasted away earlier by Ringo's lightning. Jogging over, she held it up to Kyoichi.
"Kyoichi-nii, your sword!"
"Thanks, Mai!"
Kyoichi took the axe and hammer, sealed them back into a scroll, then reached out and ruffled her hair.
"I'll teach you a secret technique sometime."
"Really?"
Mai blinked, staring at him with big round eyes.
"Kyoichi-nii, you're not tricking me, right?"
"What kind of nonsense is that? When have I ever tricked anyone?"
He glared at her.
"Hehe, true, never heard of such a thing."
Mai shrank her neck, pretending innocence while giggling.
"But just because I teach you doesn't mean you'll be able to learn it."
"Eh?"
"What do you mean 'eh'? Go fetch us something to drink—we need to talk here."
Kyoichi began ordering his cousin around.
"I was wondering why you suddenly offered to teach me a secret technique. So it was just an excuse to boss me around…"
Mai muttered under her breath, but still ran off happily. She understood very well how rare such opportunities were.
If running errands was all it took to gain a chance to learn a secret technique—
then all their cousins would probably chase Kyoichi around every day.
Once she disappeared from view, Kyoichi sat down on one of the stumps at the edge of the training field. There were several of them—originally prepared by members of the Kirigumo Clan for shinobi to rest on during training.
"Ameyuri, regarding Lightning Release training… honestly, it's not complicated. Just take the Kumogakure's shinobi as reference."
Kyoichi looked at her across the stump.
"In the past, on the battlefield, I witnessed the Third Raikage charge through enemy lines with my own eyes. I also took his strongest spear head-on…"
"What? No way!"
Before the disbelieving Ringo Ameyuri could react, Mei Terumī was the one who gasped first.
"You took the Third Raikage's strongest spear and didn't die?"
"If I died, would the one sitting here talking to you be a ghost?"
Kyoichi snapped back.
"But—but that's the Third Raikage's strongest spear! No one survives that!"
Mei was stunned.
The Third Raikage's strongest spear and strongest shield were famous throughout the shinobi world. No one had ever survived a direct hit. No one had ever broken his legendary body—the strongest shield.
The Iwagakure sent tens of thousands of shinobi and fought him for three days and nights before finally exhausting him to death.
Even his death was a legend.
"The spear was as terrifying as they say. I was almost skewered to death. But 'almost' is the key—I survived… and Mei, you're going off-topic."
Kyoichi forcibly pulled the conversation back.
He turned to Ameyuri.
"I brought up the Third Raikage because I saw him up close—lightning wrapped around him like armor, letting him move like a living bolt. Lightning Release isn't only for destructive force—it can also strengthen your body, enhance your toughness…"
Kyoichi leaned forward slightly.
"Ameyuri, I think this is a path you can absolutely explore."
"Using Lightning Release to stimulate my cells…?"
Ringo murmured.
"Exactly."
Kyoichi nodded.
"You don't have to copy the Third Raikage exactly. You don't have to focus solely on physical toughness. You can increase your speed, reaction time—whatever suits you best."
He then spent quite some time explaining in detail the various insights he had gained from observing the Third Raikage.
When he finished,
he turned to Mei with a lingering tone.
"Mei, back when I was in Iwagakure, I once went on a mission with the Five-Tails' jinchūriki."
"The Five-Tails' Boil Release is completely different from the Kirigumo clan's. If the Kirigumo's is external, then the Five-Tails' is internal. He used the Boil Release to enhance his speed and striking power—that's why he was called the 'Steam Ninja.' If you want to grow even stronger… I think you should consider this path as well."
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