---
Click.
The long-closed door creaked open.
The slightly dazzling sunlight gently tickled Hyuga Unkawa's face, making it warm and itchy. Squinting from the brightness, he took a moment to adjust—he hadn't stepped out of the house in a long time.
Yesterday's rain had been neither too heavy nor too light, and today, Konoha greeted him with beautiful weather.
Puddles on the ground reflected the blue sky like an artist's brush had painted clouds onto a blank sheet of paper.
All the gloom and stuffiness from the past days of seclusion and training seemed to have been washed away into the drainage canals by the rain.
"Looks like today's going to be a good day," Unkawa murmured to himself.
Beside him, Might Guy was shouting with burning determination as always. Together, the two stepped out of the courtyard, and a system panel opened before Unkawa's eyes:
---
[Name: Hyuga Unkawa]
[Age: 15]
[Bloodline: Otsutsuki Clan (5.1% → 6.8%)]
[Chakra Capacity: S-rank]
[Chakra Natures: Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang]
[Ninjutsu:]
Clone Technique (C-rank)
Wind Style: Wind Cutter (B-rank)
Chakra Scalpel (A-rank)
Lightning Style Armor (B-rank)
Lightning Style: Chidori (A-rank)
Lightning Style: Chidori Current (B-rank)
Lightning Style: Chidori Sharp Spear (B-rank)
…
[Taijutsu:]
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms (C-rank)
Eight Gates: Gate of Pain (Forbidden Technique)
Gentle Fist: One-Strike Body (B-rank)
Divine Sky Strike (A-rank)
[Kekkei Genkai: Unknown (20% → 20.2%)]
[Achievements:]
["Crocodile Tears"], ["Silver Tongue"], ["Bluffed My Way Through"], ["Entered the Game Personally"], ["Honeyed Words, Hidden Daggers"], ["Fake Turned Real"], ["Talking Nonsense With Confidence"], ["Played Deaf and Dumb"], ["Fake Affection"], ["Butterfly Magnet"], ["Feigned Emotion"]...
[Remaining Realization Points: 10,651]
---
"It's finally done."
Seeing the new techniques listed under [Ninjutsu], a rare smile appeared on Unkawa's face.
This body, carrying the blood of the Otsutsuki Clan, progressed in learning ninjutsu far faster than he had expected.
In just two months, not only had he mastered Lightning Style Armor, but he'd also developed Chidori based on it.
Lightning Style Armor, a B-rank technique—also known as the Lightning Chakra Mode—allowed him to envelop his entire body in Lightning chakra. This not only activated his physical cells but also improved defense and neural response time, enabling high-speed movements like the Lightning Body Flicker.
When both body and technique reached their peak, the user could rival even Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, capable of dodging Sasuke Uchiha's Amaterasu. That level of speed earned the title "Blue Lightning."
As for Chidori, it was a derivative of Lightning Blade. While both were similar, they were not the same jutsu. Chidori was A-rank; LightningBlade was S-rank. The key difference lay in how advanced the chakra shape transformation was.
Both "chakra shape transformation" and "chakra nature transformation" are core techniques for using and enhancing ninjutsu.
Shape transformation refers to molding chakra into physical forms like blades or needles, controlling the power and area of attack.
Nature transformation involves changing chakra's elemental attribute—wind, fire, water, earth, or lightning.
In practice, Lightning Blade focused more on raw power—its shape transformation gave it extreme piercing and cutting ability. Chidori, by contrast, emphasized versatility—its attacks came from the variety of forms the Lightning chakra could take.
Examples include Chidori Sharp Spear, Chidori Katana, and Chidori Blade, where Lightning chakra is transformed into lances, swords, or infused into weapons to enhance their sharpness.
Unkawa came up with the idea to develop Chidori after mastering Lightning Style Armor, remembering how in the original story, Sasuke Uchiha had mastered Chidori in just a few days.
If Sasuke could do it, Unkawa saw no reason he couldn't.
However, creating Lightning Blade would still take more time. It was the pinnacle of chakra shape transformation—a level not easily reached in just two months.
Then there was Kakashi's post–Sharingan technique Purple Electricity, which leaned more on extreme naturetransformation than shape.
"Even so, this rate of progress is really ridiculous," Unkawa couldn't help but reflect.
No wonder even the ever-optimistic Might Guy had a moment of confusion after seeing that scene…
Naruto—also known as "The Five Village Brawl: Eye Saga", "Temptation to Return Home", "My Grandpa, Dad, and Teacher Were All Hokage", and "Kuro Zetsu Saves Mom: The Movie"—was ultimately a world built around bloodline supremacy.
In such a world, Guy's traits were all the more precious.
Thinking of this, Unkawa glanced at the ever-burning Guy ahead, who seemed to have a bonfire roaring behind him.
"Guy-senpai…"
"Unkawa!"
Before he could finish, Might Guy suddenly turned around and grinned widely. "Just call me Guy from now on—no more 'senpai'!"
Unkawa hesitated instinctively, wanting to decline. After all, maintaining humility was important for his image.
But when he saw the sincerity on Guy's face—and the subtle shift in how he looked at him—Unkawa fell briefly silent.
As expected… sunshine really counters the scheming type.
He sighed inwardly, then met Guy's gaze and smiled.
"…Guy."
Guy's smile widened even more.
"Guy," Unkawa continued, "Did something happen in the village? I saw people heading toward the gate."
"No idea," Guy replied, shaking his head. But he smiled again and said, "Let's find out! How about a race to the gate?"
Unkawa didn't refuse. Seeing that Guy had already bolted off without waiting for an answer, he simply smiled and followed.
Though, in truth, he already knew why the villagers were gathering.
They were there to welcome the delegation from the Hidden Cloud Village for the alliance agreement.
Even though he had been in seclusion, it didn't mean his information channels were cut off.
Unkawa deeply understood the importance of intelligence. Naturally, he had arranged contingencies outside the clan beforehand.
He knew that the real key to bringing the Cloud delegation to Konoha wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen, who sat safely in the village, but Shimura Danzo, who had been sent abroad.
People often mocked Danzo as someone only good at internal scheming and clueless in external affairs. But in truth, Danzo had been highly active in both the Second and Third Ninja Wars. Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned the nickname "The Darkness of the Shinobi."
Even Hanzo of the Rain Village had broken ties with Yahiko's original Akatsuki due to Danzo's manipulations. Prior to that, Hanzo had been leaning toward allying with them.
Had that alliance formed, it's unclear who would've won in the Land of Rain. In hindsight, Danzo could be said to have completely altered the course of the Second Ninja War.
Like it or not, Danzo's shady tactics often proved effective at critical moments.
This time was no different.
By provoking tension between the Stone and Cloud villages, he made their relations more hostile—ultimately warming the ties between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
But Unkawa knew better.
All of this…
Was part of the Cloud Village's strategy.
"This day… has finally come."
Watching the crowd gather in the distance, Unkawa smiled.
---