Sarutobi-sensei's ninjutsu mini-lesson wrapped up pretty quick. That old man's got some serious knowledge tucked away in that noggin of his.
Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's guidance, Hikari got the hang of Katon (Fire Release) nature transformation in no time. She was picking it up like a natural.
After going over the nitty-gritty of nature transformation, Sarutobi Hiruzen chatted with Hikari about everyday stuff. Of course, he couldn't resist steering the convo toward that whole Will of Fire spiel.
Guess that's the price of getting stronger.
Hikari, having already swallowed the sugar-coated pill, braced herself for the barrage of ideals. While watching the emotional glow above Sarutobi Hiruzen's head, she dove into discussing the greatness of the Will of Fire. Sometimes, she even tossed in her own unique takes.
Some of her points hit the mark, others… not so much.
When she was on point, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded like a proud teacher. When she was off, he gently corrected her with patience.
On less critical topics, Hikari would pretend to argue with him, but as soon as she saw that stubborn glow above his head, she'd act like she'd seen the light and back off.
Worked like a charm.
The friendly glow above Sarutobi Hiruzen's head grew brighter, like a full moon slowly rising in the night sky.
Just then, Kai had dinner ready, so the four of them—Hikari, Sarutobi, Kai, and Kakashi—sat down for a casual meal. Sarutobi even gave Kai and Kakashi some pointers, making it a win-win for everyone.
Dinner done.
Sarutobi asked Hikari if she wanted to graduate early and join the Anbu for some real growth and training.
Hikari politely declined.
Kakashi, with all his crazy talent, graduated early and ended up burning out in the Anbu. No way was she wasting her time there.
The downside of skipping Anbu? She'd have to head to the Ninja Academy tomorrow.
In Will of Fire terms, it was all about making friends, building bonds with the village, and not getting lost in the vast ocean of ninjutsu or taking detours, blah blah blah.
Since Sarutobi had dropped so much valuable knowledge, Hikari just pinched her nose and agreed. Besides, with Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) as her ace, going to school wouldn't waste much chakra.
After absorbing some of the Kyubi's power, she was practically swimming in chakra.
So, she went all out and split off eight Kage Bunshin.
One each for Suiton (Water Release), Katon (Fire Release), Doton (Earth Release), Futon (Wind Release), Yin, Yang, Taijutsu, and one for the Ninja Academy.
The Suiton, Futon, and Taijutsu clones stuck to their usual routine, training in the Forest of Death on various shape transformations—slicing waterfalls, honing Juken (Gentle Fist), Goken (Strong Fist), and the Taketori style.
But thanks to Sarutobi's teachings, Hikari had a clearer picture of the path ahead.
Suiton's strength lies in its overwhelming force. She'd focus on building a Suiton battlefield, emphasizing attrition and control, creating support techniques like a python's stranglehold.
High-pressure water jets? Too similar to Raiton (Lightning Release) and not as powerful. Those "useless" techniques were getting scrapped.
No path in life is ever wasted, though.
Even though she ditched the high-pressure water jet, Hikari applied its high-compression tricks to Raiton, Futon, and Katon—all more aggressive natures. The results down the line were bound to be something else.
Her Katon and Doton clones trained under Sarutobi's methods, laying the groundwork for future Kekkei Genkai fusion.
She didn't need much from these two natures.
Katon would focus on instant bursts and high heat, while Doton would emphasize supporting other abilities. Once she absorbed the Yonbi's chakra to create Yoton (Lava Release), Doton would really shine.
Yin was a bit of a mystery for now. Sarutobi wasn't an expert in it either, so Hikari planned to casually study a Genjutsu or two.
Yang was the key to solving her Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) crisis and would be her main focus for the next few years. The upcoming medical ninja training was also a job for her Yang clone.
Hikari wasn't one to ignore advice.
Since both Chihaya Tō and Sarutobi said Yin and Yang were risky, she wasn't about to use her real body for them.
Until she got some stable results, Yin and Yang would stay in the hands of her fearless Kage Bunshin.
Tasks assigned.
The real Hikari dismissed her clones, and the chillest of them all, "Ninja Academy Hikari," threw on a newly bought cloak and headed to school.
Hikari's appearance was already well-known.
The moment she stepped through the school gates with her backpack, the chatter around her grew louder.
Teachers with lesson plans paused to watch, whispering to colleagues. Students with backpacks craned their necks to catch a glimpse of this "genius" their parents kept raving about, wondering if she had three heads and six arms.
Some boys and girls had literal stars in their eyes.
The attention was so intense it made Hikari squirm.
When she got to the classroom, the Konoha 12 swarmed her. Naruto, Kiba, and the others eagerly filled her in on what had been going on at school.
First up, Kazama Etsu stepped down as the Ninja Academy director, replaced by the more experienced Kōda-sensei.
No surprise there.
Last night, while chatting about the Will of Fire with Sarutobi, Hikari had mentioned Kazama Etsu's situation.
For ninjas who sacrifice for the village, Konoha has a standard process.
Two options.
Option one: a fat compensation payout and help finding a suitable job. This was for younger ninjas with minor injuries that didn't mess with daily life. Kazama Etsu's case called for option two.
Option two: a monthly pension until the ninja's death.
The amount depends on the ninja's rank. For a Jōnin like Kazama Etsu, the pension was roughly equivalent to the reward for a low-tier B-rank mission.
After regular hospital visits and dedicated care, it was enough for a family to live decently.
Seeing Hikari bring up Kazama Etsu, Sarutobi promised to keep an eye on the pension process and nudge the village's finance department to speed things up.
Beyond Kazama Etsu's deal, school gossip was just small stuff.
Like how Hikari already had a fanbase at school.
Yup, those starry-eyed kids who lit up when she walked in.
Her fans were a mix of boys and girls, all ages, and the group wasn't small. Some were even starting a fan club. The boys' group was called something like Ten'ichi-sha—sounded like a yakuza gang. The girls' group was like Sasuke's old fan club, apparently with a bunch of Sasuke's former diehards jumping ship.
Poor Sasuke.
Speaking of Sasuke, after he and Naruto got discharged, he went back to school for like two days before landing back in the hospital.
No clear reason why.
Hikari guessed he saw her training with Kage Bunshin and couldn't resist trying it himself. The stacked exhaustion probably wrecked his fragile body.
Naruto had his Sennin (Sage) physique to back him up, and Hikari had her Shikotsumyaku cheat code. Looks like Sasuke's Sharingan couldn't cushion the blow of Kage Bunshin's side effects.
Letting Sasuke experiment with Kage Bunshin was a little test of Hikari's.
Everyone knows when a Kage Bunshin dispels, it sends back both skills and exhaustion through chakra.
The Sharingan evolves through intense emotional triggers. Hikari wondered if the stacked fatigue and pain from Kage Bunshin could sub in for negative emotions to help awaken it.
If it worked, she'd have another use for Kage Bunshin.
Meanwhile, "Ninja Academy Hikari" chatted idly with the gang.
With her Good-Evil Perception and mental maturity way beyond her peers, she quickly closed the gap from being away so long.
In real terms, her popularity was skyrocketing.
During breaks, she'd find love letters and snacks stuffed in her desk—some signed by boys, some by girls. Who sends love letters to a "blind" person?
She shared the snacks with her buddies and burned the love letters with Katon in one go.
Watching the flames flare up, Hikari figured this was another kind of Will of Fire.
Not sacrifice or protection, but rejection and ruthlessness.
While "Ninja Academy Hikari" soaked up the sweet, easy school life, the real Hikari was having a rougher time.
The sun blazed overhead.
A Doryūheki (Earth-Style Wall) cast a thick shadow on the training field.
Zzt zzt zzt!
Thunder snakes crawled across her pale skin, blue-purple lightning flashing across the field.
Wearing clothes made of "Black Orb," the real Hikari sat cross-legged in the cool shade, training her long-dreamed-of Raiton Chakra Mode (Lightning Release Chakra Mode).
This "Black Orb" stuff was legit—fireproof, waterproof, and made from some special insulated silk.
No more awkward moments of burning her clothes while practicing Raiton.
Crackle!
High-energy Raiton particles pierced the air, scorching arcs hitting her soft skin. Hikari's body flinched instinctively. In a blink, her snow-white skin split, revealing stark burn marks.
Hiss—…didn't hurt.
Hikari sucked in a breath.
With pain blocked, the current still raced up her nerves to her head, like a red-hot blade slicing from her spine to the back of her skull.
It didn't hurt, but it sure wasn't pleasant.
This was Raiton Chakra Mode resistance training—no shortcuts, no Kage Bunshin substitutes.
Raiton Chakra's essence is chakra, life energy, not actual lightning.
Highly refined, high-energy chakra particles pierce cell membranes. Most cells die, but a few adapt to the energy, absorbing it to activate themselves.
It's like natural selection.
Cells that can't adapt get destroyed by Raiton. The ones that can are filtered out.
When Raiton wipes out all the weak cells, what's left are resistant cells that can handle it.
That's when Raiton Chakra Mode is officially mastered.
From there, it's simple: keep challenging with stronger Raiton, picking the best of the resistant cells.
In theory, if her chakra and cell resistance grew infinitely, her Raiton Chakra Mode could get infinitely stronger.
Crack crack!
Her Shikotsumyaku and Kyubi's healing kicked in. Charred, bloody flesh came alive, the crispy, slightly meaty outer layer peeling off.
Underneath, red muscle and fascia, laced with lightning, grew back, quickly filling the wounds.
Her Byakugan wasn't slacking either.
Its pupil power slowly tamed the wild lightning.
Zzt zzt…
The lightning on Hikari's skin weakened.
The piercing thunder faded to a low hum, like a phone vibrating.
Faint threads of lightning flickered across her skin, like light leaking through jade or agate.
Such weak lightning couldn't do much damage.
Under the Byakugan's microscopic view, a current passed through her muscles, leaving at least 90% of healthy cells alive. Dead cells were quickly flushed out by metabolism.
Her body healed so fast that minor damage patched up right after the lightning passed.
New cells grew more resistant. The second wave of lightning left 97% of cells alive, and the third hit a perfect 100%.
Then, her Byakugan slowly eased its grip on the lightning.
Rinse and repeat, looping endlessly.
Steam from tissue repair burst from her pores, along with dead cell debris and black blood clots.
Her skin cracked, then shed, revealing tougher, softer skin beneath.
Time flew by—who knows how long.
Memories of training Katon and Suiton started surfacing in Hikari's mind as arcs reappeared on her skin.
Zzt zzt.
Hikari slowly opened her eyes.
The sun, in the east when she started, was now on the opposite side.
She raised her left hand.
Arcs climbed her distinct knuckles, the wild lightning tamed by her Byakugan, softer than a strand of hair.
Under the Byakugan's microscopic view, currents flowed through her blood vessels.
Tiny spindle-shaped muscle cells twitched, absorbing lightning and visibly growing stronger.
Each finger snap stretched countless cells.
Each stretch brought incredible elasticity.
Countless lightning-laced muscle cells formed fibers, twisting and stretching like rebar in concrete.
She slowly clenched her relaxed fingers into a fist.
Zzt zzt…
Raiton Chakra surged through her arm.
A rush of power, like blood pumping, spread from her palm to her whole body. The world slowed down, her once-heavy body now light as a feather.
Raiton Chakra Mode felt tailor-made for her. All those supposed dangers? Paper tigers in the face of her Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku.
Piece of cake!
Hikari, buzzing with excitement, clenched her fist, itching to punch something.
Kakashi, with his dead-fish eyes, strolled onto the training field.
As Kai's training buddy and part-time landlord, he had the right to step away from the kitchen and hand the spatula to Kai.
"Hikari, dinner's ready," Kakashi called, waving at the lightning-crackling figure in the distance.
Zzt zzt zzt zzt zzt!
A pale blue afterimage streaked through the air. In a blink, an iron fist wreathed in lightning grew huge in Kakashi's pupils.
His dark pupils trembled and shrank.
Zzt zzt~
Arcs danced between his legs.
Kakashi's body exploded into motion, veering left to dodge the punch that pushed past visual limits.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Spar with me, Kakashi!"
Her body flickering with faint lightning, the silver-haired witch danced lightly across the training field.
Boom boom boom!
The ground shook like a herd of elephants had stampeded through, numbing Kakashi's feet.
His right eyelid twitched.
His battle-honed instincts screamed warnings. Kakashi's eyes narrowed, hands flashing through seals.
Poof!
In an instant, Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) smoke filled the space.
"I'm not feeling great these days. Next time!" he called.
"Tch!"
Hikari, brimming with pent-up energy, bounced restlessly around the field.
Raiton Chakra Mode wasn't without side effects.
Even with resistant cells, using Raiton came with slight pain.
High-energy cells brought vitality, like blood rushing to her head. Her lightning-charged nervous system got hypersensitive, easily triggered into sudden excitement.
On a macro level, Raiton Chakra Mode ninjas often had a strong urge to destroy or fight—kinda like those roughnecks from Kumogakure.
She didn't want her head turning pointy.
Gotta keep it under control!