High in the rugged mountains of the Land of Lightning, an old enemy, Kaminari, was training his son, Atsushi, a future foe for our main character.
The young boy was attempting to generate [Lightning Skin Jutsu], the signature style of his father and a downgraded version of the [Lightning Body Armour] of Raikage, but the flickering chakra on his body was unstable, failing to form a complete, cohesive layer. Grunting in frustration, the lightning dissipated. Kaminari watched with a critical eye, knowing that Atsushi still had a long way to go before mastering the technique.
"Father," Atsushi said, taking a break. "What was that strange feeling from before?"
Kaminari's mind flashed back, not to the recent tremor, but to his first encounter with Ryu Hamura. He remembered the cold, piercing killing intent that had made him feel as if he were staring into a void—an abyss from which no light could escape. A familiar, cold anger burnt in his heart, and he clenched his fist, remembering his own defeat against a boy who was years younger than his son. He shook off the anger and focused on his son.
"I don't know what it was," Kaminari replied honestly. "Now, focus on your training. To become a master of [Lightning Release Skin Armour], you need to have complete control over lightning and make sure that the lightning augmentations are spread out evenly on your skin. Perfecting this technique is the first step towards the ultimate goal: mastering [Lightning Release Body Armour]."
"The legendary Body Flicker jutsu of the Fourth Raikage is an application of his special version of [Lightning Release Body Armour]."
Atsushi's eyes widened. He had heard of the fabled Lightning Body Flicker of the Fourth Raikage, but he never knew its secrets. The jutsu made him the fastest shinobi alive.
"Dad, if I am able to do this, can I also become the fastest shinobi alive?"
"My Lightning Skin Jutsu is different than that. The Fourth's body flicker jutsu and his body armour are not simply an external layer of lightning on just skin, son," Kaminari explained. "It's a technique where your chakra is converted into bio-electricity that activates your nervous system and muscular system, forcing your muscles to contract at superhuman speeds. Lightning Skin Armour is a preparatory, incomplete form that covers only the skin, while Lightning Release Armour is a complete body technique that also protects the internal organs."
Atsushi nodded, absorbing the complex information.
Kaminari continued, "The primary side effect of this high-level acceleration is a tremendous strain on the body. The friction from the high-speed movements that can tear the skin if you lose focus, combined with your body's accelerated metabolism, causes significant heat inside of the body and physical stress."
"You can manage heat by following a strict cool-down. I have thought of a few more ways to reduce the body heat-up, but not the other side effects. They are tricky to manage. If you want to succeed, you have to find a way."
Atsushi asked, "What are other side effects?"
Kaminari continued, "A secondary, and more dangerous, side effect is the inertia on your soft organs. As your body moves at high speed, your internal organs lag behind, causing them to tear from their vessels if not properly reinforced with chakra."
Atsushi, a child of ten, thought for a moment. "So, to get faster, you have to get tougher?"
Kaminari smiled sadly. "In a way, yes. The Third Raikage took his Lightning Release Skin to a new level, focusing on endurance and hardening his body to an almost indestructible state, but his speed was limited. The Fourth Raikage, while not having the same level of hardening, compensated by mastering the acceleration technique, where his muscles contract and expand at a very high frequency."
"This gives rise to the highest grade of [Lightning Style – Body Flicker] – and he reinforces his internal organs with chakra to manage the dangerous effects of inertia, allowing for superior body movement skills."
"You, my son, will need to find your own unique way to manage the strain and side effects of the jutsu. I failed at mastering both versions, but I believe you will succeed where I failed."
Before Atsushi could reply, a few Cloud ANBU suddenly appeared, kneeling before Kaminari. The ANBU said, "Lord Raikage is asking for your presence immediately."
"Is it related to the phenomenon I just felt?" Kaminari asked.
The ANBU replied, "All will be explained by Lord Raikage." Kaminari nodded, and the ANBU disappeared.
Following the musical phenomenon in the Land of Rivers, the leaders of the Five Great Nations acted swiftly and with caution. Each Kage sensed the immense power behind the event.
Their mission was simple: gather as much information as possible and uncover the true cause of the sudden, global tremor.
After what they found about the event, they would be divided on whether it was a coincidence or a sign from heaven. But Ryu will receive a few new monikers.
In the Stone Village, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, told his son-in-law, Kitsuchi, "Send some spies to the southeast to find out what happened there. That feeling... it was unnerving."
Kitsuchi nodded. "I know, Father. I had a strange urge to run in that direction. I have never felt like this before."
Onoki's expression turned grim. "I have. I felt this when my maternal grandfather, Ishikawa Kamizuru, the First Tsuchikage, was in power."
Kitsuchi asked, "When was that, and what happened then?"
Onoki replied, "Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage and God of Shinobi, and Madara Uchiha, his only equal, fought each other in a legendary fight at the Valley of the End."
Kitsuchi asked, "Were you there?"
"No… I didn't witness that battle firsthand," Onoki recalled, a shudder running through him. "But I felt the resonance of the chakra they wielded... the very air was thick with it. It was like a physical pressure, a warning. The two of them were monsters, even when compared to the other Kage of their time."
Kitsuchi's eyes widened. "I've only read about them in scrolls. Is it true they were that powerful?"
"Powerful?" Onoki snorted, a deep bitterness in his voice. "They were weapons of mass destruction. Their powers, the Mangekyo Sharingan of Madara and the Wood Release bloodline of Hashirama, were capable of taming the Tailed Beasts with a single gaze or a swipe of their hand. The sheer force they wielded shook the world to its core. Their clash reshaped the very landscape as they fought."
Kitsuchi's face paled as he imagined the scene. "Aren't all kages like that?"
"No… baby Kages of today are not like those monsters," Onoki continued, his voice low and solemn. "They keep on getting younger and weaker. Even the new Mizukage is only a brat, and without his beast, he is nothing. The brats of today know nothing of the terror of Madara and Hashirama. Even if all the Kage today were to gang up on either of them, they would still not be able to defeat them. They wouldn't stand a chance."
Onoki didn't know that he would test this theory to be true in years to come.
"They wouldn't stand a chance?" Kitsuchi repeated, a sense of awe mixed with fear in his voice. "Is that why you've always been so cautious, so slow to act against other villages? Because they might be hiding power like that?"
"Kitsuchi, the cost of victory is paid in blood; remember that. This is the reason Hiruzen and i are always against useless conflict, because we know the old world," Onoki replied, his gaze distant. "The feeling from today brought back those same terrifying memories. It reminds me that there are forces in this world that we simply cannot control or defeat with brute force."
The scene shifts to the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, in the Hidden Mist Village. This was before the era of the Bloody Mist. He, too, felt the unified chakra resonance and the shaking of the whole world. He looked up at the sky, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head. "The chakra I sensed was powerful... both similar to and strangely different from that of the Sage of Six Paths."
Yagura's serious demeanour, fitting for a Kage, suddenly vanished, replaced by a wide, cheerful grin. "Whoa! The Sage of Six Paths? You mean the guy from all the legends? What was he like? Was he super strong?"
Isobu replied, "I don't want to talk about him."
Yagura tilted his head, a playful pout on his face. "Aww, don't be stingy! Come on, tell me!"
Isobu's voice took on a sombre tone. "No one wants to talk about their dead parents."
Yagura's face fell, and he immediately apologised. "Oh, I'm sorry, Isobu. I didn't realise." After a few seconds, Yagura's cheerful demeanour returned as he shamelessly asked the same question. "So... what was he like?"
Yagura did not know his cheerful days were numbered, and soon he would become a living puppet.
The scene shifts to the Rain Village as clouds gather and darkness envelops the village once more. Obito, with his one-eyed mask, can be seen standing with Pain and Konan, and lightning flashes behind them, illuminating their ominous silhouettes.
##PoWeR StOnEs##
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