Chapter 14: Samui's Frustration, and the Lightning Release Trait
"What's wrong?"
"…Nothing."
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Samui's mind drifted once again to her younger brother's face.
She ultimately excused herself from the chamber and stepped out.
She had reported everything to Samodo and the higher-ups.
Of course, they immediately saw through it. The actual words didn't matter—the key was that Yotsuki Seiji was using her words as leverage.
Even if she hadn't said what she did, he would've found some other excuse.
At the core, it was simply that the benefits he'd been given weren't enough. He wanted more.
And the higher-ups… as long as it stayed within acceptable limits, they would surely continue to meet Seiji's demands—step by step—for the sake of acquiring the Uchiha's kekkei genkai.
If, one day, Seiji truly defected to Kumogakure…
Then Samui herself would be labeled politically compromised. She had spoken words harmful to "unity."
And worse—this would implicate her younger brother's future as well.
He had just become a genin, full of potential.
Samui felt a wave of irritation and melancholy.
Why did she have to be the one responsible for handling Seiji?
And why did Seiji have to fixate on her?
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Uchiha District – Seiji's Residence
Moonlight poured into the courtyard as Seiji slid open the paper door and stepped inside.
In his hands were two jutsu scrolls.
Thanks to his abilities, [Reading Absorption (White)] and [Foundational Memory (White)], Seiji quickly internalized their contents—reciting them from memory with ease.
He had already committed Lightning Release: Spark Finger to memory earlier.
But he hadn't started practicing it until now. This would be his first training session in Lightning Release ninjutsu.
The past six days had been spent learning E-rank techniques from scratch.
He had built his foundation by practicing tree-walking. And with the help of [Muscle Memory (White)], Seiji had now mastered the chakra control needed for E-rank techniques.
The next step was progressing from tree-walking to water-walking—maintaining stable chakra output on a fluid surface.
Seiji began to refine chakra from within his body.
Threads of chakra were drawn from his cells and flowed steadily through his chakra network.
All jutsu, no matter their form, required chakra to function.
Even a purely physical technique like Eight Gates Formation—a taijutsu—still relied on chakra for activation.
According to the book, Naruto Hiden: Rin no Sho (Scroll of Facing Character Official Databook), the fusion of physical and mental energy from approximately 130 trillion cells is called stamina—
—and stamina, in essence, is chakra.
To use ninjutsu, one must convert stamina into chakra.
That's why chakra exhaustion leads to death—it's simply dying from total exhaustion.
In the ninja world, all living things—people, animals, plants—possess chakra.
And starting from Boruto, the concept of planetary chakra was introduced.
Boruto's original jutsu, Rasengan: Uzuhiko, was based on that idea.
By embedding chakra into another's body, the energy would rotate in sync with the planet's own spin.
As long as the planet continued rotating, Uzuhiko would never stop.
It was, to date, the most powerful Rasengan variant in terms of lasting force.
Of course, such things were still far beyond Seiji's current level.
He extended his right index and middle fingers, converting his neutral chakra into Lightning Release chakra.
Among Seiji's chakra natures were Lightning, Fire, Yin, and Yang—
—which naturally gave him an edge in learning Lightning Release techniques.
A faint current of electricity began to flow under the skin of his muscles, causing a tingling sensation in his fingers.
Seiji endured the discomfort, carefully focusing on maintaining control.
Time passed unnoticed.
The night was silent, the shadows of trees outside the courtyard danced in the moonlight, rustling softly in the wind.
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"You have unlocked the trait: [Apprentice Lightning Release Ninja (White)]."
[Trait: Apprentice Lightning Release Ninja (White)]
Condition Fulfilled: Successfully used a Lightning Release jutsu once.
Progress: 100%
Effect: Increases your natural talent for "Lightning Release" chakra nature transformation by 10%.
Note: Can be upgraded .
Progression Path #1: Combine with "Muscle Memory (White)" and "Robust Physique (White)" to upgrade into [Lightning Release Genin (Green)].
Seiji listened quietly to the voice in his mind. At last, he had some insight into how progression worked.
It seemed that once he fulfilled most of the necessary conditions, the system would reveal a potential advancement path.
The term Apprentice likely reflected his current level—comparable to a student ninja, or in more technical terms, a "trainee" or "pre-genin."
"Robust Physique… sounds like that Trait wants me to improve my physical conditioning."
Seiji glanced at his body. It was already noticeably stronger than before.
If just a white-tier Trait gave him a 10% talent boost, then a green-tier one would likely provide a much greater improvement.
After a short pause, Seiji unrolled the next jutsu scroll in his hands and prepared to begin training a second Lightning Release technique: Iron Body.
Lightning Release: Spark Finger was an offensive jutsu. As long as he could release it properly, it would be effective in battle.
Thus he decided to pour his focus into this second Lightning technique, using it as both a means to train and to build up his physique.
The more deeply a ninja understood a jutsu—the more proficient they became—the more powerful it would become when used.
Just like how Sasuke's Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique grew dramatically stronger after he became proficient in it.
"Alright. Time to begin training Lightning Release: Iron Body."
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Hokage Tower – Office
"Seiji of the Uchiha must be kept under constant surveillance," Danzo Shimura declared.
Over a month ago, ninja from the Uchiha clan had located Seiji and brought him back to Konoha.
Since then, the village had been thoroughly investigating him—checking for any signs he might be a spy.
"Danzo, didn't you already assign Root's top operatives to monitor him?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled smoke from his pipe, the room gradually filling with haze.
Danzo frowned slightly.
According to information from Nonō Yakushi—based on microexpression analysis—Seiji wasn't a spy. He hadn't done anything to betray Konoha.
But Danzo still didn't trust him.
Just because he wasn't a spy didn't mean he possessed the Will of Fire.
He was an Uchiha brat, born of a clan long suspected of harboring dangerous tendencies—
—and now he carried the blood of Kumogakure's bandits as well.
How twisted could someone like that turn out to be?
To Danzo, Seiji was an unstable variable.
He needed to be absorbed into Root, and implanted with the Seal of Tongue Binding for absolute control.
"Hiruzen, give Uchiha Seiji to me. I'll wipe away his past and remake him as a loyal shinobi of Konoha."
"No. The Uchiha are already in a delicate relationship with the village. Forcing this would provoke them."
Hiruzen didn't even hesitate before rejecting Danzo's proposal.
As someone who had lived through both the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, he could feel the storm brewing.
Kumogakure was clearly preparing for military expansion.
And Konoha had only just begun to recover its strength in recent years.
If another war broke out, it would be even more brutal than the last.
He couldn't afford to create internal strife—especially not with the Uchiha.
They were one of the village's most vital military forces.
"Hiruzen!" Danzo's voice rose in protest.
"Enough, Danzo. I am the Hokage."
Hiruzen set his pipe down firmly.
To him, Danzo's idea of "the greater good" lacked one crucial element: perspective.
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