Chapter 102: Special Attributes
Compared to trying to control two different elemental transformations at once, mastering two divergent expressions of a single chakra nature was far simpler.
It was like asking one eye to turn left and the other to turn right—different directions, but still drawing the same pattern. Even ordinary shinobi, if they trained long enough in nature transformation, might achieve it.
For Nan, with his dual-core mind, this was hardly a challenge.
He began with Fire Release. In his left hand, he shaped chakra along his usual habit—focusing on sustained combustion. In his right, he attempted to push in the opposite direction—maximizing heat.
It felt like relearning the nature transformation from scratch. His ingrained habits constantly pulled the flames toward the familiar pattern.
Fortunately, Nan had spent the past months splitting his attention between two bodies, learning how to isolate streams of perception and separate thought. That training now paid off.
With the support of multiple shadow clones, he quickly achieved stable separation—one hand's fire focusing on burn duration, the other on sheer temperature.
The results showed themselves in the flames.
Ordinary Fire Release typically glowed somewhere between bright orange and gold, burning at around 1000–1200°C. But in Nan's right hand, the flames grew brighter, shifting into a golden-yellow hue. Temperatures spiked past 1300°C and were still climbing when he halted.
He stopped deliberately. Heat alone wasn't his natural strength, and forcing the path felt inefficient.
Instead, Nan returned to what he excelled at—pushing fire's persistence.
By comparing the two, he deepened his understanding of how heat and combustion interplayed within Fire Release. Focusing his left hand, he reduced the flames' heat output, diverting chakra purely into sustaining the burn.
The color dimmed from orange to red, then into deep crimson. The fire cooled, yet its ability to cling and spread grew sharper.
Over the following days, he pushed this path further and further. Until finally, he produced something entirely new—
A flame so cold it no longer radiated heat. Its hue darkened almost to pitch black, eerily reminiscent of the Uchiha clan's legendary Amaterasu.
Eager to test it, Nan performed a basic Uchiha fire technique, weaving the seals for Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.
From his mouth burst not the usual orange inferno, but a sphere of black fire. It struck a tree in the training field, and the bark erupted in an otherworldly blaze.
The fireball itself was small—he had spent very little chakra on it. Under normal circumstances, such an attack would scorch the bark, perhaps char the surface, and die out quickly.
But this black flame clung.
Ten seconds passed. Then twenty. A normal fireball would have burned out long ago. But this one lasted over a full minute, still smoldering stubbornly on the tree's surface.
The difference was stark.
Unlike Amaterasu, whose eternal flames devoured matter with searing heat, Nan's black fire was nearly heatless. Its damage was limited—the bark wasn't even penetrated fully. In combat, its practical value was meager.
Compared to Darui's Black Lightning or Kakashi's Purple Lightning, this was far from impressive.
Still… it was proof. Proof that he had succeeded in splitting a single element into separate traits, isolating and amplifying them.
He realized then that Amaterasu must have been the fusion of Uchiha ocular power—the Yin Release of the Mangekyō Sharingan—with a similar refinement of Fire Release.
Nan lacked both the deep mastery of Yin–Yang Release and the ocular experience to reproduce such a feat.
But he didn't need to. For now, just creating a wholly new variant of fire was already a monumental step.
Nan allowed himself a rare grin. This was progress—tangible, undeniable progress.
Having succeeded with the development of Black Fire Release, Nan applied the same method to Lightning Release, beginning his research into a specialized variant.
Lightning Release possessed two fundamental traits: current strength and propagation speed. The former determined destructive power; the latter, velocity.
Because Nan had already developed his Divine Speed Technique, he was naturally more adept at enhancing speed.
He channeled lightning chakra into both hands—keeping one at its usual balance while amplifying the other purely for speed. The traits separated cleanly.
His research here was deeper than with Fire Release, and so within a shorter time, Nan succeeded in forging a new variant: White Lightning.
To test it, he returned to the half-burned tree from his earlier experiments.
"Ninpō: Lightning Release — Earth Current!"
A white spark flared in his palm, arcing into the ground.
In less than the blink of an eye, the white bolt streaked upward and struck the tree, so fast that the human eye could barely track it.
Yet, just like the Black Flame, this technique lacked power. The white bolt left little more than a scorch—Nan could have done more damage with a single punch.
Still, it wasn't without value.
When Nan infused White Lightning into his Divine Speed, the reduced current meant weaker stimulation to his muscles—so he didn't gain as much raw speed. But its effect on his nervous system was astonishing.
The moment he ran the chakra along his nerves, his reflexes sharpened to an impossible degree.
To his perception, the world slowed. Rivers seemed to crawl, leaves caught in the breeze trembled in near stillness.
It wasn't true time manipulation, but accelerated thought—his mind processing far faster than his body could move.
The sensation reminded him of the Flash in the films of his past life, darting through frozen time.
Nan couldn't replicate that level—his body simply wasn't fast enough—but the extra thinking space allowed him to formulate countermeasures and combat strategies in the span of a heartbeat. In battle, that was priceless.
Unlike Darui's Black Lightning or Kakashi's Purple Lightning, Nan's methods were different.
Those men had refined existing transformations, enhancing select traits while retaining balance. Nan, however, abandoned all unnecessary aspects, sharpening one attribute to its absolute peak.
He understood the trade-off well. Human energy was limited; to specialize was to sacrifice. His flames burned cold and eternal, his lightning blazed bright but hollow. Not stronger by default—but perfectly suited to him.
And that was enough.
Because his true goal wasn't merely creating odd variants, but forging a new nature altogether.
With Fire and Lightning both pushed to their extremes, Nan was ready to attempt fusion.
Fire, he reasoned, was easier to control. He would use Lightning's hand seals and techniques, but channel both of his newly refined transformations into it—the consuming Black Fire and the rapid White Lightning.
To attempt this safely, he would need the assistance of Kabuto's body. Only with that second brain could he properly divide the strain.
He checked through his connection. In the orphanage, Kabuto sat idly, watching the other children play.
Nan smiled faintly. Kabuto might have cared for them, but he was no true child—never able to fully blend in.
Which was perfect. With nothing demanding his attention there, Nan could proceed with the experiment here.