In the forest where he often trained with Itachi, Sasuke was diligently practicing alone.
Kunai and shuriken lay scattered across the ground.
The encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, and the paralyzing fear he felt, had deeply affected him.
Last night's gathering had also instilled in him a sense of urgency.
Many companions, once weaker than him, now possessed special abilities.
Only he remained stagnant.
Even Naruto and Kiba, those two idiots, had decided to try shouting throughout Konoha to awaken their special powers.
However, Sasuke would never resort to such an embarrassing method.
At most, he would try it here, far from prying eyes.
His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, confirming that no one was present.
Sasuke took a deep breath and then shouted with all his might:
"Super Invincible Thunderbolt Fireball!"
Indeed, it was the same chuuni technique Natsuki had used before.
His fascination with lightning and fire had always made Sasuke yearn to learn this move. But several years had passed, and he still hadn't mastered it.
Perhaps it was because his chakra had been too weak before.
Now that he had grown stronger, he might succeed. Besides, there was no other way to rapidly increase his power.
He would continue shouting.
Compared to Naruto's resolve to shout atop the Hokage Rock, practicing in this secluded place was nothing.
"Super Invincible Thunderbolt Fireball!
"No, the posture isn't right.
"Super Invincible Thunderbolt Fireball!
"No, its not loud enough. Again.
"Su...per...In...vin...cible...Thunderbolt...Fireball!
"Cough... cough... cough..."
Sasuke clutched his throat, coughing violently.
He had exerted himself too much; tears welled up in his eyes from the force of it.
However, he felt he was getting into the rhythm.
Perhaps with this desperate effort, success was not far off.
Just as he was about to continue, applause erupted from the bushes behind him. The sound terrified Sasuke.
How could anyone be there? Before he started shouting, he had clearly walked around to ensure no one was present.
Could it be that he had become too engrossed after starting? Should he silence the witness? If this got out, he would disgrace the Uchiha clan.
He glanced behind him with his sharp, murderous gaze.
He saw Teacher Kakashi emerge from the bushes, clapping and smiling.
"Excellent! Full of spirit!
"I heard you from afar and wondered which spirited young man was diligently training here. Turns out it was Sasuke."
In truth, Kakashi had been following Sasuke.
He had merely used a Transformation Technique to conceal himself.
With Sasuke's current observation skills, he wouldn't be detected.
Much like in the original story, he intended to teach Sasuke the Chidori.
The incredibly fast and powerful Chidori required the Sharingan to be utilized effectively.
Currently, no one in Konoha was more suited to learn this technique than Sasuke.
He just hadn't expected Sasuke to attempt learning Natsuki's, that chunni patient's, jutsu.
If shouting alone could lead to mastery, half of Konoha would have learned it already.
Natsuki's influence was too strong.
He seemed to have corrupted a large portion of Konoha's new generation.
The number of his admirers in the Academy was countless.
Kakashi couldn't control others, but as Sasuke's teacher, he would handle this.
He decided to steer this misguided student back onto the right path.
"Y-You heard everything?"
Seeing Kakashi, Sasuke flushed crimson, embarrassed beyond words.
Shame washed over him; he wished he could bury himself in a hole.
"Yes, you shouted with such great spirit." Kakashi nodded, initially intending to offer some praise to alleviate the awkwardness and bridge the gap between them.
But seeing Sasuke's eyes redden, his two-tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly, and killing intent radiating from him, he quickly changed his tune: "However, your method is wrong. Your efforts are in vain.
"There are many ways to become stronger. Why not try my method? I have a powerful technique that only Sharingan wielders can perform."
Kakashi's words gradually dispelled the oppressive atmosphere surrounding Sasuke.
He, yearning for strength, couldn't help but ask, "Stronger than Natsuki's Thunderbolt Fireball?"
"It's not a fair comparison. Both are classified as S-rank techniques or higher. While perhaps not as powerful as his...
"It's far superior in speed, making it impossible to defend against." Kakashi patiently explained, his right hand crackling with dazzling lightning.
A sound like a thousand birds chirping simultaneously erupted.
In the next instant, a flash of lightning streaked across the clearing.
Kakashi had moved ten meters in an instant, passing by in a blur. The large tree behind Sasuke collapsed with a thunderous crash.
"This... this..." Sasuke was dumbfounded.
Witnessing the technique's power firsthand left him utterly astonished.
As the lightning grazed him, his entire body tingled, as if he had been electrocuted, leaving him momentarily paralyzed.
If it had directly hit him... the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Even with his two-tomoe Sharingan activated, he could barely capture the fleeting movement.
This jutsu was truly tailor-made for him.
Due to the butterfly effect, Team 7 had been constantly losing missions to Team Gai and Team Kurenai.
As a result, Sasuke hadn't had the chance to see Kakashi use the Chidori.
"Sensei, can I learn this technique?" Sasuke asked hopefully.
"Of course. That's why I'm here.
"For the next month, leading up to the final exams, we'll focus on mastering this jutsu." Kakashi nodded with a smile.
…
Meanwhile, Natsuki and Hinata, who had agreed to meet last night, arrived at their usual spot, Training Ground 23.
However, they encountered unexpected guests, Jiraiya and Naruto.
"Naruto, are you guys training here too?" Natsuki called out, holding Hinata's hand as they approached.
His gaze, however, remained fixed on Jiraiya.
Up close, the man exuded an aura as powerful as Orochimaru's.
Truly worthy of being a Kage level shinobi.
"Hey, Natsuki!" Naruto jumped up, waving his arms enthusiastically.
"This morning, I went to shout at the Hokage Rock and got a special response... and this weird old man dragged me here.
"He calls himself the pervy sage. Damn it! If he hadn't interrupted my training at the Hokage Rock, I would have definitely awakened my special ability!"
Naruto rambled on like a machine gun, his mouth never stopping.
"You actually went to the Hokage Rock?" Natsuki was rendered speechless.
During last night's club meeting, Naruto had heard Choji share his successful experience in activating his special ability: he said during his transformation, his voice was so loud that the entire village heard it
Naruto then and there declared his intention to shout atop the Hokage Rock the following morning.
He never imagined the boy would actually go through with it.
Although Natsuki had anticipated that the Child of Destiny's shouting atop the Hokage Rock would be interrupted, he hadn't expected Jiraiya to be the one to do it.
It seemed the butterfly effect was still too small to significantly alter Naruto's fate.
Thwack!
"Brat! Call me sensei!" Jiraiya smacked the short boy on the head, then turned his attention to Natsuki. "You're the genius the old man mentioned, Natsuki of the Yuhi Clan?"
The Third Hokage had sent word of another genius emerging in Konoha, albeit one with peculiar abilities, a chuuni at that.
Even the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Uchiha survivor seemed to follow him willingly.
Was there some mystery behind this, or was he truly a Konoha genius?