"Try the new technique again now, and follow my instructions..."
Orochimaru signaled Ryun to attempt Chidori once more.
"Alright!"
Ryun quickly formed hand seals, and soon arcs of electricity appeared in his palm.
"Increasing chakra output is the key to this technique. At this moment, you must not hesitate to expend chakra. Failing to fully extend the electrical arcs is what causes injury to your hand!"
Orochimaru suddenly raised his voice to remind him. Hearing this, Ryun instantly realized his mistake.
"So that's how it is!"
He hadn't realized this before, always holding back when exerting force... This was the reason he had been failing all this time!!!
A simple reason, but because no one had pointed it out, it had troubled Ryun for a long time.
Now that he understood, Ryun no longer hesitated to conserve energy. The chakra in his body surged explosively into his palm. Gradually, the arcs of electricity began emitting a piercing screech, and the power of the technique was fully displayed for the first time.
"This level of lightning power..."
Orochimaru's pupils involuntarily contracted, and the snakes hiding in the surroundings were startled by the thunderous noise, scattering in all directions.
"Hahaha, it finally looks somewhat decent!"
Ryun laughed loudly as he held the ball of lightning in his hand.
Although his chakra was visibly depleting at a rapid rate, he couldn't help but feel exhilarated.
The previous electrical arcs hadn't made any sound, but now, this was the true "Chidori" in every sense!
"The light is so blinding..."
Orochimaru instinctively narrowed his eyes, mentally categorizing this intense glare as a flaw, as it would create blind spots in the user's vision, which could easily be exploited by the enemy.
Moreover, the piercing screech of the technique was another flaw.
The moment you begin forming hand seals, the enemy already knows you're preparing a major technique... Even a fool would know to defend or at least evade.
"Go on! Let's see its power!"
Orochimaru pointed at a large ornamental stone placed in the garden.
"Right!"
Squinting his eyes, Ryun dashed forward at high speed and arrived in front of the stone in a few steps.
His radiant hand, charged with lightning, struck forward with great force, and the terrifying lightning surged out instantly. The massive stone shattered with a loud crack!
"Impressive power!"
Orochimaru couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.
Ryun looked at his lightning-wreathed hand, which only had minor injuries. Such damage was unavoidable but entirely acceptable.
The massive chakra drain left him panting heavily. At most, he could only perform this attack three times in his current state.
Of course, once he fully mastered the technique and used chakra more efficiently and skillfully, the consumption would likely decrease.
Chidori was powerful, but its flaws were also glaring.
Numerous hand seals, intense light, loud noise, massive chakra consumption, and a fixed attack trajectory—these were all flaws of Chidori.
Despite its significant drawbacks, Orochimaru still considered it a successful technique.
"Ryun-kun, since you created this technique, have you thought of a name for it?" Orochimaru licked his lips with a smile.
"..."
After a brief silence, Ryun smiled and answered, "Let's call it Chidori."
"The piercing thunder resembles the cries of a thousand birds singing in unison. You're quite good at naming things!" Orochimaru didn't hold back his praise.
'Sorry, Kakashi...' Ryun silently mourned for three seconds in his heart.
The theoretical knowledge of chakra involved in this new technique was highly complex. Given its difficulty, Orochimaru classified it as an A-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu!
"Ryun-kun, could you explain why you wanted to create this technique? And who taught you ninjutsu theory?"
Orochimaru didn't believe the basic ninjutsu knowledge taught at the academy could enable someone to develop an A-rank high-level technique. He suspected Ryun had a mentor behind the scenes.
"To be honest, during a mission, my father obtained a ninjutsu scroll from the corpse of an enemy ninja by chance. Since he didn't possess the Lightning attribute and the technique was incomplete, the scroll was left in our family's storage room..."
"My mother found the scroll while organizing the storage. Seeing how powerful the technique was and knowing I had the Lightning attribute, I decided to try and complete this Lightning Release technique."
Ryun recited the excuse he had prepared the night before.
The reasoning wasn't particularly convincing, but it provided a plausible explanation.
Orochimaru nodded, not pressing further for details.
"Ryun-kun, to deduce a complete high-level ninjutsu from an incomplete scroll—such talent shouldn't be wasted..."
"Would you like to learn more ninjutsu? If so, I could teach you..."
Hearing this, Ryun widened his eyes in disbelief.
He never expected Orochimaru to consider taking him as a disciple, especially since Orochimaru was already the mentor of Konoha's crown prince, Nawaki...
"What? Does Ryun-kun not want to?" Seeing him frozen in place, Orochimaru found it somewhat amusing.
"No! I'm willing!!!"
Ryun snapped out of his daze and immediately responded.
With Orochimaru—one of the future "Sannin"—as his mentor, his growth and training would undoubtedly involve far fewer detours.
The benefits far outweighed the risks at this moment. After a brief consideration, Ryun quickly weighed the pros and cons. This was a rare opportunity he couldn't afford to miss!
"Teacher, please accept my respects!"
Bending forward, Ryun performed a formal bow of discipleship.
"Haha... I never said I would take you as my disciple!" Orochimaru laughed, leaving Ryun embarrassed.
Recently, Orochimaru had been idle and thought that while guiding Nawaki's training, he might as well mentor Ryun on the side.
After all, Ryun was a highly valuable talent. Though Orochimaru wasn't planning to take another disciple for now, he was willing to help nurture him.
"The academy's summer vacation has started. If Ryun-kun finds the break too boring and wants to learn ninjutsu, you can come to me. If you have any questions about ninjutsu or other aspects of training, feel free to visit anytime..."
Orochimaru left his contact information and even gifted Ryun a communication snake. If necessary, Ryun could use it to send messages in case he couldn't find Orochimaru in person.
The two sat in the garden and chatted for a while. Orochimaru taught him how to simplify the hand seals for Lightning Release: Chidori and explained its various flaws.
Ryun listened attentively. In truth, he was already aware of Chidori's weaknesses.
The high-speed thrust generated during Chidori's execution and the visual blind spots caused by the lightning's glare could both be resolved by activating the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
The flaw Orochimaru considered most troublesome was something Ryun already had the means to overcome.
However, he dared not reveal that he possessed the Three Tomoe Sharingan yet.
"Here's a scroll on the fundamentals of Lightning Release. It contains the training experiences of predecessors. You can take it home and study it. It will help you master Chidori completely..."
Orochimaru tossed a scroll to Ryun.
He believed Ryun's Lightning Release chakra nature transformation and shape transformation were insufficient, making the technique harder to execute and more chakra-intensive.
The knowledge in the scroll would help Ryun better control Chidori.
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sensei!"
Ryun accepted the scroll and immediately bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, his sly smile hidden beneath his messy hair...
"..."
Orochimaru's lips twitched slightly. Though the title felt somewhat inappropriate, it still sounded more pleasant than "Orochimaru-sama"...
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