At the summit of Thunder Drum Mountain, Mining Site No. 1.
Dark clouds rolled like massive black waves, stretching across the sky above the mine, casting the entire world in an oppressive gloom.
Boom!
A thick bolt of lightning tore through the clouds like a dragon, striking the lightning rod at the mountain's peak. The deafening thunder that followed seemed powerful enough to shatter the earth itself.
The sound of thunder echoed through the valley, blending with the rhythmic clanging of machinery inside the mine, creating a chaotic, heart-pounding cacophony.
Deep within the damp, shadowy mine, incandescent lamps cast bright light but also an unbearable heat.
A Cloud Village ninja, headband gleaming, shirtless, with muscles rippling like polished stone, operated a massive cutting machine over two meters long, aimed at the jagged yellow-blue rock wall above.
The drill bit, made of durable high-speed steel, was enormous. Next to the handle sat a square motor, embedded with a metallic lattice housing a deep blue crystal.
Zzzzt!
The ninja's eyes sharpened with focus.
Chakra infused with lightning nature coursed across his body, swiftly channeling into the deep blue crystal.
Hum!
The crystal glowed brighter as the lightning chakra triggered the stored energy within, the power of thunder stirring to life.
Hummmm—
The giant steel wheel at the drill's front began to spin faster, emitting a chilling, eerie whine.
Zzzzt!
The ninja pressed the drill hard against the rock wall. Sparks flew as the spinning wheel carved into the tough stone.
Fragments of rock sprayed outward, clattering to the mine floor.
Buzz buzz!
The steel wheel spun furiously, its silvery surface slowly turning red with heat. The ninja paused the chakra flow to the thunderstone, taking a moment to catch his breath.
"Water it down."
"On it!"
A shorter miner, lugging a bucket and holding a ladle, hurried forward.
Sssss!
Cold water splashed onto the scalding steel, instantly boiling and hissing with bubbles and white steam.
At the bottom of the mine, workers donned hard hats, dodging falling rocks. They seized the moment to gather the cut stones, loading them into baskets and joining others hauling raw thunderstone out of the mine.
Whoosh!
The fierce winds at the mountain's peak made the sweat-soaked workers shiver. Soon, their sweat dried, leaving a rough layer of salt on their skin.
Clatter!
They dumped baskets of raw thunderstone into a small pile on the ground, caught their breath, and headed back into the mine.
Nearby, a Cloud ninja operated a grinding wheel embedded with a thunderstone, carefully polishing the raw stones to reveal the deep blue crystals inside—identical to the one in the machine.
The polished thunderstones were placed into a hollow metal sphere.
With a pull of a lever, they waited.
Boom!
Another bolt of lightning struck the rod at the peak, and countless arcs of electricity erupted inside the sphere, enveloping the crystals in dazzling light.
When the crystals began to emit a radiant glow, the ninja flipped the lever back, waiting for the light to fade and the stones to cool. Then, they were carefully transported to a storage vault.
"Whoa!"
A young ninja polishing a raw stone suddenly gasped. In his hand, a fist-sized piece of ore revealed a strikingly deep, inky black hue.
"It's a black thunder crystal! We finally found another one!"
The ninja working beside him instantly recognized the rare stone, his eyes wide with excitement.
"Get it to Lord Yagetsu Takeo, quick!"
"Got it!"
Cradling the precious black thunder crystal, the young ninja ignored the remaining thunderstone ore and sprinted to the tent at the mountain's center, marked with a lightning emblem.
"Lord Yagetsu Takeo, we've found another black thunder crystal!"
"Bring it in."
A gruff, raspy voice came from inside the tent. The young ninja swallowed nervously.
This lord had arrived at Thunder Drum Mountain just days ago. Rumor had it he was once the captain of the Anbu, but he disliked being disturbed and spent most of his time cultivating in seclusion, rarely interacting with others.
Those who delivered his meals warned that he had a fiery temper and a poor memory, so it was best not to cross him.
Clutching the black thunder crystal, the young ninja stepped into the tent.
Inside, Yagetsu Takeo sat cross-legged, his Cloud Village headband glinting. His fierce, tiger-like eyes gleamed. Dozens of glowing thunderstones were embedded in the floor around him, connected by intricate sealing symbols, forming a field of crackling lightning around his body.
Zzzzt zzzzt!
Arcs of electricity danced across Takeo's form, his muscular frame trembling as the energy sculpted his physique.
So powerful!
The young ninja's eyes burned with admiration as he gazed at Takeo's bare torso.
Using thunderstones to aid cultivation was incredibly difficult to control.
Thanks to his position, the young ninja had occasionally used thumb-sized thunderstones to practice his Lightning Armor technique, but he could only handle them in small batches, never overdoing it.
Yet Takeo was simultaneously using multiple thunderstones to train his Lightning Chakra Mode—a method so dangerous and demanding that only the Yagetsu clan, renowned for their lightning resistance, could attempt it.
"Just put it on the ground," Takeo said calmly, eyeing the fist-sized black thunder crystal in the young ninja's hands.
"Yes, sir."
Relieved by Takeo's mild tone, the young ninja placed the crystal on the floor and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Takeo's voice stopped him, enduring the stinging pain of the crackling lightning. The young ninja froze, visibly trembling, which made Takeo frown.
"What's wrong, my lord?" the young ninja asked, his face stiffening under Takeo's fierce gaze.
"We're heading into late autumn soon. Tell the kitchen to prepare more meat and some sake to warm everyone up."
"Yes, sir!" The young ninja's face lit up, and he moved to leave.
"One more thing."
Takeo called him back again, irritation flaring at the ninja's nervous demeanor. "Am I that scary?"
"N-no, sir!" the young ninja stammered, clearly lying as he faced Takeo's intimidating presence.
"A Cloud Village ninja shouldn't act like a coward! If I see you shrinking like that again, you're done!" Takeo barked.
The young ninja straightened up immediately, standing tall. After a moment, seeing Takeo close his eyes to resume his training, he turned to leave once more.
"One last thing!"
The young ninja sighed softly as he turned back, finally understanding what the meal runners meant about Takeo's poor memory.
"Get Darkai here."
The young ninja nodded, watching Takeo sit in meditation, waiting silently.
"You still here?" Takeo asked, puzzled, opening his eyes to see the ninja lingering.
"No, sir!"
"Then go already!"
"Y-yes, sir!" Startled by Takeo's sudden shout, the young ninja reverted to his nervous state and bolted out of the tent.
Takeo forced himself to calm down, withdrawing the chakra fueling the thunderstones.
The stones embedded in the ground slowly dimmed.
Thunderstones from Thunder Drum Mountain could store vast amounts of electricity, acting like natural high-capacity batteries. They could hold both natural lightning and a ninja's lightning chakra, and were easy to use—just channel lightning chakra to draw out the energy.
Their hardness rivaled the toughest granite, and they could withstand temperatures up to 2,000 degrees without changing, even increasing their output in high heat.
Whether powering weapons or aiding Lightning Chakra Mode training, thunderstones were a priceless treasure, considered a strategic resource for the Cloud Village.
Their only flaw was their lack of precision in energy release. They were fine for charging machines, but using them for training was highly dangerous. Only the Yagetsu clan could handle them on a large scale.
But that wasn't why Takeo had come all the way to the remote Thunder Drum Mountain.
Standing, he stretched his thick neck, his bones popping like firecrackers.
He walked to the tent's entrance and picked up the black thunder crystal, still dusted with rock fragments. His eyes gleamed with intensity.
Black thunder crystal.
A rare variant found only in the deepest veins of Thunder Drum Mountain, with roughly one fist-sized crystal produced for every fifty cubic meters of pure thunderstone.
As for its purpose…
Takeo gripped the crystal tightly, his heart pounding as he channeled lightning-natured chakra into it.
Zzzzt!
The crystal's black surface shimmered with strange patterns, emitting an ominous dark glow.
The pure blue chakra was transformed by the crystal into an ethereal Yin Release energy, blending with the lightning chakra and absorbing both.
As more chakra poured in, the patterns on the crystal's surface faded.
Soon, the patterns vanished entirely, and the crystal became an even deeper black, like a terrifying void leading to another dimension.
Zzzzt!
Black lightning arced from the crystal, striking Takeo's hand.
"Argh!"
Even with his high lightning resistance, Takeo cried out in pain, his body paralyzed, unable to move. As his chakra flow halted, the crystal's dark glow faded, and the strange black arcs dissipated.
"Huff… huff…"
Takeo stood frozen, regaining control after a long moment. His powerful body trembled as he set the crystal down, clutching his forehead and sitting back on the ground.
This was the power of the black thunder crystal.
Beyond the thunderstone's ability to absorb lightning, it could also take in Yin Release energy, fusing the two into a terrifying black lightning.
This black lightning could attack the mind and spirit, even paralyzing the soul.
The Third Raikage, Ai's secret technique, Lightning Release: Black Panther, was inspired by the black thunder crystal's power, combining lightning and Yin Release into a devastating technique rivaling Storm Release, the fusion of water and lightning.
If not for its flaws—its inability to be passed down through chakra seeds—it could have been considered a unique bloodline limit.
The soul-numbing sensation faded, and Takeo regained control of his body.
The black lightning hadn't harmed his lightning-forged physique, but the deep, soul-piercing pain and paralysis left him shaken.
Yet, it also fueled a burning resolve in his chest.
His father was dead.
Killed by a child from Konoha's ninja academy, according to their spies.
Takeo knew his father's strength. Even weakened by old injuries, he could still hold his own against Takeo. There was no way a mere academy student could have killed him.
Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's ploy was obvious—fabricate a prodigy to boost morale and ease the tension from the Uchiha clan's massacre.
It wasn't a new tactic. Everyone saw through it.
But Takeo couldn't accept it.
His father's death, with the killer's identity unknown, was an outcome he refused to live with.
So he resigned as Anbu captain, sought the Third Raikage's black lightning technique, and journeyed to Thunder Drum Mountain, home of the thunderstones.
He would use the thunderstones and black thunder crystals to master the secret technique.
Once his Lightning Chakra Mode reached new heights and he perfected the black lightning technique, he would go to Konoha, uncover the truth behind his father's death, and kill the one responsible.
Step step step!
Footsteps approached the tent.
A tall, blond, blue-eyed man burst in—Darkai, one of the two jonin at Thunder Drum Mountain besides Takeo.
"Captain!"
"I'm not the Anbu captain anymore."
"You'll always be my captain!"
Takeo sighed at Darkai's stubbornness. The man had been his subordinate in the Anbu and followed him to Thunder Drum Mountain after Takeo resigned.
He was as stubborn as they came.
"Any more disappearances in the mine?" Takeo asked.
"That's what I came to report. Not only have the disappearances not stopped, they've increased. Two more chunin went missing last night."
"Any traces at the scene?"
"Same as before—clean, no clues, not even signs of a struggle. The mine's so noisy with machines, voices, and thunder that no one heard anything unusual."
Thunder Drum Mountain's thunderstone mine had one main vein and four branches, with five mining sites in total.
Last month, disappearances were concentrated at Sites 4 and 5 at the mountain's base—fifteen regular miners, two genin, and one chunin. They'd increased security there.
Now, Sites 2 and 3 were hit—five regular miners, two genin, and two chunin.
Taking out two chunin without a trace suggested an enemy at least at special jonin level. With the mine's complex caves and years of excavated tunnels, catching the culprit was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Takeo's expression darkened, his rugged brows furrowing.
He'd come to Thunder Drum Mountain not just for training but also on a mission from the Fourth Raikage: investigate the miner disappearances and resolve it. A B-rank mission.
Focused on his training and revenge, he hadn't taken the mission seriously. Yet, after a month, he still had no leads.
Even Darkai, an Anbu tracker, found nothing, making the task even more daunting for Takeo, who wasn't skilled in tracking.
"There's only one way," Takeo said.
"What's that?" Darkai asked, puzzled. The Yagetsu clan were known for brute force, not subtlety, and Takeo was no exception. Intelligence and tracking weren't his strengths.
Takeo bent down, picking up the energy-filled black thunder crystal, its glossy black surface reflecting his fierce eyes.
"We go fishing."
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