"You think this is interesting because you haven't lost anything yet. You, who've never tasted despair, how could you possibly understand the cruelty of reality?" Uchiha Obito's space twisted around him; he was slowly being drawn into the spiraling void.
"This world deals in indifferent hopes. Hope and surrender are the same thing here—nothing but excuses for complacency."
Obito glanced toward the distance. "Then keep the Nine-Tails with you for now."
"No power, no anything—useless people who think getting power will change things are fools. Even if they obtain strength, it'll be in vain." Ayato watched Obito being pulled into the warped space with a faint, uninterested gaze.
Ayato pinched a black wallet between two fingers; a mocking curl lifted one corner of his mouth. "Can't even protect your own wallet and you expect to change the world? That's a pretty good joke."
"You're keeping this as a welcome gift." Obito's lips twitched; for a moment a cold killing intent flashed through his eyes.
Ayato had somehow managed, in the instant before Obito faded into the void, to snatch the wallet out of Obito's coat pocket.
Quick hands.
"Is that so? I'll accept it with pleasure." Ayato opened the black wallet and let his eyes sweep over the thick stack of bills. He feigned surprise. "Tch, you weren't stingy—this is Akatsuki money, huh?"
Obito seemed surprisingly well off.
"I'll take the Nine-Tails next time. Keep the money and enjoy it," Obito said, and then he vanished completely. The warped space dissolved.
He needed to wait for Nagato's Rinnegan to restore its strength before moving on with the plan to capture the tailed beast. Acting rashly now could jeopardize the entire operation.
If Madara used the Rinnegan, he could restore all ocular power quickly; but Nagato's Rinnegan was transplanted—it would take time.
After Obito disappeared into the earth, White Zetsu grinned at Ayato, calling, "Interesting fellow. We'll meet again."
Then he slithered into the ground and vanished completely—leaving not the smallest trace of presence. His movement was blindingly fast.
"They all run faster and faster. For escaping, I'll give you Akatsuki credit," Ayato said, tucking the wallet away. He glanced into the distance with his Reanimation Eye. Though Zetsu left no physical scent, Ayato could sense Zetsu's chakra had already moved out of the Land of Waves in an instant.
"Call down the thunder." Ayato raised a finger; pale-blue electric arcs crawled along his fingertip and then shot into the sky like thrown kunai.
The white clouds turned black. Within them pale-blue currents churned; a faint, eerie light bathed the sky. Bolts, like coiling serpents of lightning, unreeled and plunged toward where Zetsu had vanished beneath the ground.
When the lightning struck it incinerated a wide swath of earth—an entire area turned to scorched black soil.
"Missed?" Ayato shrugged in a way that showed he didn't really care; that strike had only been a test of the Resonant Thunder Fruit's capabilities.
To channel his own current to summon natural lightning was terrifyingly powerful—each strike comparable to Kirin-level thunder. When Ayato first gained the Resonant Thunder ability he'd also unlocked Enel's potential level; to further develop it he'd need to tinker and refine on his own.
Maybe he could try a railgun.
The thought of an electromagnetic cannon made Ayato want to experiment.
"A railgun, huh? Let's give it a shot." He produced a coin, aimed at a small rocky outcrop nearby, and let a wash of pale-blue current cover the metal.
With a snap of his fingers the coin shot forward, charged with electric energy. A concussive boom accompanied it as the coin punched through the rock at several times the speed of sound.
The coin tore a hole clean through the outcrop; the crater's edges glowed dark crimson with golden flashes inside—high-temperature scorching.
"Not bad." Ayato pinched his chin and examined the blasted stone with a satisfied smile. "Now that I know the principle, wielding this force isn't hard."
The only real limitation was the coin's size—the small iron piece couldn't sustain flight for long; its range topped out at a few dozen meters. To increase range, he'd need a larger iron object that could withstand high heat.
Like…
Ayato glanced at a beheading blade nearby.
The beheading blade was made of iron—and once it absorbed blood it could rapidly repair its own edge.
It was practically tailor-made for a railgun.
"The students have been training hard. Tonight the teacher should work hard too." Ayato pulled the black wallet from his pocket; he planned to spend the money on a night out with the older women. After all, the gift came from a well-meaning thief—might as well enjoy it.
Two days passed.
Morning.
A white mist lay over the ground; the sun was warm.
Inside the tent, Ayato finished washing and studied himself in the mirror. He touched his jaw, pleased. "Mm—stylish today, too."
He'd worked hard these past two days.
Worked hard at spending the money he'd taken from Obito.
And now he was bored.
"Teacher Ayato!" Naruto bounded into the tent, grinning broadly, hands clasped behind his back.
"Cut the clowning. Just spit out what you want. Seeing a man's face this early is unlucky enough," Ayato yawned and gave Naruto a look.
Naruto's clothes were smeared with dirt; he looked filthy because he hadn't rested—he'd spent the past days tirelessly training the Rasengan with Shadow Clones. He wanted a Chūnin exam slot, a chance to show off the Rasengan against Sasuke, to take down that rogue S-rank missing-nin from the Village Hidden in the Mist and win Sakura's adoration!
That was Naruto's drive.
He swayed a finger mysteriously. "Heh heh, Ayato-sensei—you're gonna be shocked in a bit."
"Really? I'm looking forward to it." Ayato feigned interest; he already had a pretty good idea what the Nine-Tails brat intended to show off.
"Wait and see!" Naruto produced a water sphere with both hands. Pale-blue chakra welled inside, spinning so fast the ball popped with a sharp sound—evidence he'd completed the second-stage Rasengan training.
"Wow, so awesome—should I praise you?" Ayato pretended to be impressed and then regarded Naruto coolly.
Two days. One day for the first stage, two days for the second. Two stages in two days. The Nine-Tails brat learned fast.
Using nearly a hundred shadow clones can speed training by a factor of a hundred, but even among those who used clones, few could learn so quickly; it required enormous chakra reserves—without a tailed beast's chakra, such tactics would be suicidal. Naruto, however, had tremendous reserves.
During his training Naruto had overdrawn his chakra several times and the Nine-Tails' energy flared up, but Ayato always stopped it.
Naruto lost his composure and, red-faced, pointed at Ayato. "You jerk—what kind of attitude is that? We're training every day while you go drink with big sisters and spend all the money I saved up!"
Ayato raised his chin, delightedly proud. "Don't say that. Spending time with older sisters is also hard work. A man who works hard is the most handsome."
No matter right or wrong—work hard and it's admirable.
"You bastard, Ayato—" Naruto's eyes flashed with fury, but before he could finish—
"Naruto, you're doing great." Ayato put a hand on Naruto's head and smiled. "You might even surpass the Fourth Hokage, the developer of the Rasengan."
Naruto's anger evaporated, and he cocked his head. "Hah—I'm gonna be Hokage!"
Ayato said, "A fine dream."
Got him.
The brat wanted recognition—ideal for a carrot-and-stick approach. With recognition within reach, Naruto was the perfect puppet.
"Alright, start the third stage." Ayato stepped out of the tent and glanced at Sasuke, who was training in the distance, then at Sakura concentrating on sealing chakra.
Naruto walked out behind Ayato, grumbling, "A third stage? I thought I could use the Rasengan to beat Sasuke now."
"No complaints. Your progress has already outpaced Sasuke." Ayato deliberately raised his voice so Sasuke and Sakura could hear.
Sasuke, training far off, paused—his ears pricking up. He pretended not to hear but listened anyway.
Naruto's face brightened. "Really?"
"More than real. Let me tell you a secret." Ayato leaned in and, covering his mouth, whispered directly into Naruto's ear with mock conspiratorial tone: "Master the Rasengan fully and Sasuke and Sakura will still be standing in place. You'll be the strongest in Team 7."
"In three days there's a decisive battle with the Mist shinobi. When that happens, I'll need you to protect the two kids who have no real strength. And you can show off to Sasuke." Ayato glanced at Sasuke—Sasuke wasn't paying full attention to training; he was listening with a dark face.
Got him.
Sparking rivalry would push Sasuke harder; making Naruto feel ahead would push him too. It was a simple, effective trap—both would bite.
"Heh heh, my time to shine!" Naruto covered his mouth to laugh, sneaking a look at Sasuke and Sakura and picturing the scene: Sasuke getting stomped, Sakura in peril, and Naruto's heroic Rasengan save.
"Hey, Sasuke—you arrogant brat. Now you know how I roll. Sakura, I'll protect you!" Naruto clapped his hands on his hips and smiled like an idiot.
Ayato couldn't help a snort. "Cute."
That's the idea—to use Naruto to provoke Sasuke, and Sasuke to prod Naruto. Get them both pushing themselves, and the master-disciple task will be completed faster.
"By the way, if you finish your training first I'll sign you up for the Chūnin exam." Ayato lowered his voice and whispered into Naruto's ear, "Don't tell anyone."
He actually broadcast the words with chakra so they carried farther than a whisper, but Naruto nodded eagerly like a chick pecking.
"Now the third stage—the final stage of the Rasengan." Ayato pulled a hand-sized leather ball from his pocket. Pale-blue chakra swirled in his palm, and the ball flexed and shifted violently.
With a pop the ball split apart, rubber shards raining to the ground.
"Combine what you've learned: compress the chakra, spin it, and then burst the ball. This time use two hundred shadow clones to train."
"Two hundred shadow clones?" Naruto startled. "Are you kidding? That'll kill me!"
He'd already pushed nearly a hundred clones to the limit; a doubled count could be fatal. But Ayato waved a hand casually. "Don't worry. I'll be here."
With Naruto's chakra reserves, two hundred clones should be manageable. And if Naruto overexerted himself, the Nine-Tails' chakra would spill out to support him.
"Naruto, shut up—don't be noisy," Ayato muttered, then hoisted Naruto and tossed him onto the grass.
"Bastard!" Naruto cried out as he landed hard.
Sakura, concentrating on chakra flow, frowned at Ayato's words. She muttered in resentment, "Ayato-sensei is so mean—he promised to sign me up."
Stupid Naruto—daring to take my slot! Sakura thought fiercely. If she finished before Naruto, she'd show him.
She punched a tree in frustration until the bark cracked in long fissures, cursing Ayato under her breath.
Meanwhile Sasuke's face had darkened. "Naruto's the fastest learner in Team 7? He's already surpassed me?" He glared at Naruto training with clones.
For the first time Sasuke felt pressure from a peer—and that peer was the perennial underdog. Rage boiled in him; he slammed his fist on the ground and the Sharingan flashed into being with two tomoe.
"How can a loser like that beat me?" he snarled, and redoubled his own training.
"How can I draw out more lightning?" Sasuke wondered aloud, testing the faint electric tingle he could currently produce—just a whisper of electrostatic chakra. He had only managed to summon the tiniest amount of thunder attribute so far.
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