Naruto : Cruel Rebirth

At Amegakure Village, on the top floor of the tall tower, Naruto was sipping hot tea while reading through the newly acquired scroll.

"Lightning Release Chakra Mode, B-rank ninjutsu. It's at the same level as the Shadow Clone technique, but not because it's weak. The reason it's difficult to master is not because it's too hard, but because its effectiveness in battle is mediocre for most ninjas. Well, for most ninjas..." 

Naruto paused and put down his tea cup. "In other words, both techniques are meant for ninjas who possess a 'vast amount of chakra.'" 

Konan walked over and refilled Naruto's tea. With a playful tone, she said, "Like you, a ninja who can summon dozens of summoned beasts, move around a large ninja village all night without breaking a sweat?"

Naruto looked up. "Sister Konan, I know you're teasing me, but at least smile, come on... Speaking of which, I've never seen you smile before."

Konan thought for a moment, "Really? I remember smiling a lot."

Naruto scratched his head, "Sorry, I didn't notice... How about you smile for me now?"

Konan hesitated, "Is this an order from the 'leader'?"

*Cough, cough* Naruto cleared his throat. "Well, yes." 

"Then I guess it's fine." Konan set the teapot on the table.

"..." Naruto sipped his tea, staring intently at Konan.

"Ha." Konan took a deep breath, lifted both her hands, patted her cheeks, then pulled at the corners of her mouth to force a smile.

"Ha...!" Naruto couldn't hold it in and sprayed his tea out. "What was that, a fake smile? Sorry, Sister Konan, that's just too funny!"

"If you want me to smile on purpose, I really can't do it..." Konan dropped her hands, watching Naruto laugh wholeheartedly, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. 

After the little interlude, Konan cleared the tea set and said seriously, "It's about time you rested. You didn't sleep last night, did you?"

Naruto replied, "I'm not tired."

Konan glanced at the scroll on the table. "So, are you planning to keep working on mastering this ninjutsu?"

Naruto replied, "Mastering it is easy; I can do it in one night. But before that, I need to finish a bit of groundwork." 

Konan's beautiful eyes glimmered with curiosity. 

"Oh? What kind of setup are you talking about...?" 

Boom! A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by the rumbling of thunder. 

Naruto's gaze deepened as he looked at the rain outside the tower. 

"I need to master 'Purple Lightning' first!" 

Konan frowned slightly, recalling her memories, but she had no recollection of 'Purple Lightning.' 

"Purple Lightning? I've never heard of a Lightning Release like that." 

Naruto rested his chin on his hand, speaking in a low voice. 

"Sister Konan, I showed you memories of the future, but many details weren't included in those memories." 

"In the Fourth Great Ninja War, we sealed Kaguya together, and Hatake Kakashi lost his Sharingan in that battle." 

Konan pondered, 

"Hatake Kakashi was famous for using Raikiri with his Sharingan. Losing his Sharingan must have been a huge blow to his strength..." 

Naruto smiled, 

"Yes, but after that, he became the Sixth Hokage of Konoha. It wasn't just because of his experience; it was his real strength that got him there." 

"In the years after the war, he took a different path, extending the nature change of Lightning Release, and that's how 'Purple Lightning' came into being." 

"The power of Purple Lightning is beyond imagination. Even without the high-speed charge of 'Raikiri,' it can release power far beyond Raikiri's. So, it no longer needs to be paired with Sharingan. Hatake Kakashi's strength even surpassed what it was before..." 

Naruto changed the subject. 

"To be honest, that Lightning Release made me want it too, but I didn't meet the requirements back then." 

Konan asked, 

"What requirements?" 

Naruto answered, 

"First, although I have lightning chakra, I'm not good at using Lightning Release. That can be worked on with practice. The real problem is the second requirement: I didn't have the 'Yin Release' change for chakra. [Note: Yin Release is different from Yin-Yang Release; they're fundamentally different.]" 

Konan asked, 

"Do you have it now?" 

Naruto raised his left hand and slightly covered his right eye. 

"Yes, the power of the Uchiha clan is the ultimate form of Yin Release. Shisui's Sharingan, besides the Kotoamatsukami ability, gave me the 'Yin Release' that I was missing before. Now the conditions are met, and it's time for me to master Lightning Release, taking it all the way to 'Purple Lightning'!" 

Konan remarked, 

"But you said it took Hatake Kakashi several years to develop Purple Lightning..." 

Naruto laughed, 

"Developing it and learning it are different. My father took years to develop Rasengan, but I mastered it in a week... Besides, I have a unique 'advantage' when it comes to training. Yes... that's Shadow Clone Jutsu!" 

Konan's expression became slightly resigned. 

"So, another sleepless night, huh?" 

Naruto stood up. 

"Yes, but Sister Konan, don't stay out in the rain with me, or you'll catch a cold again." 

A fleeting look crossed Konan's eyes. She gently brushed her hair aside and returned to her usual cold demeanor. 

She emphasized, 

"I'm not sick because of the rain. It's because I used too many Paper Clones, which drained my chakra and made me more vulnerable to the rain, which caused the fever..." 

"Mm, you don't look like the type to catch a cold. This time, I won't hold an umbrella for you or your clones..." 

Naruto was surprised. 

"Huh? Sister Konan, aren't you going to sleep?" 

Konan replied, 

"No. I got used to it during my time with Akatsuki. A little sleep each day is enough." 

"Alright then..." 

Naruto smiled helplessly as his fiery cloak rustled in the wind, then leaped down from the high tower.

Konan watched Naruto falling through the rain, thinking, 

"Naruto, you are the bridge of hope for the future of the ninja world. I failed to protect them before, but this time, no matter what, I will be the pillar that supports you and that bridge!" 

Splash...!! 

Konan followed, falling into the rain.

Naruto formed hand seals with both hands. 

—Ninja Art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu! 

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...! 

In the pouring rain, nearly a thousand shadow clones appeared in a puff of smoke. 

"Although after the war I practiced variations of Wind Style, I surprisingly still struggle with Lightning Release. Let me try this technique and get the hang of it first…" 

Swish! 

Naruto's real body formed another series of hand seals and clasped his left wrist with his right hand. 

—Lightning Release: Chidori! 

Crackle~~! 

Electricity surged around Naruto's left hand, emitting a sound like a thousand birds screeching! 

Naruto's clones all followed suit! 

Crackle~~ crackle~~!! 

The cries of "Chidori" filled the night! 

Naruto shouted, 

"Yosshimina [Okay, everyone]~ Let's first get 'Chidori' to the point where we don't need hand seals!!" 

The clones enthusiastically responded~! 

"Ikesouderewayooo~~~~!!" 

"Ganbatte dewayoo~~~!!" 

"Call me Uzumaki Kakashi~~~!!" 

"Call me Uzumaki Sasuke~~~!!" 

Coincidentally, this night turned into another sleepless one... 

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