Lucien leaned back after the quiet celebration, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The warmth from Xiaoxing and Amemiya Narcissus lighting the cake for him still lingered in his heart.
To think... I'm actually Obito's cousin. The irony's too thick. But maybe... for once, I can accept it.
"Come on, Brother Shigure! Blow out the candles and make a wish!" Xiaoxing chirped happily, her little hands clasped as she watched him. "This cake was picked out by Miss Narcissus! I've never even gotten to taste cake myself."
Lucien chuckled lowly. "Don't rush me. Heh." His chest tugged with something he hadn't felt in a long while—belonging. He nodded to Narcissus, and her soft smile in return eased the edge of his usual cold demeanor.
The three dug into the cake together. Childlike laughter filled the small room, though on Lucien's end, it felt strange. In his past life, he'd already been a grown man in his twenties. Yet here he was again, holding a fork with frosting, celebrating as though truly a child.
Strange... but not unpleasant.
The next morning, Lucien's body felt different. His pale skin seemed even fairer, and the pressure within his eyes surged stronger. His pupil power continued to amplify steadily, pushing his Sharingan closer to another step above.
Yet... his chakra hit its wall. Though brimming with nearly Super Kage-level reserves, his young body could not utilize it all. For now, he was trapped between limits only time and growth could break.
With no urgent missions, Hizashi finally gathered his team, delivering the awaited news: they would all participate in the upcoming Chunin Selection Exam.
For Lucien, this became a period of training—and of invention.
In his secluded home, Lucien worked tirelessly. Mastery of the Rasengan had already been accomplished, but his attention shifted heavily to the Flying Thunder God.
The ritual seals he remembered from the Hokage's archives shimmered in his mind. He drew them carefully, refined his chakra, and with an almost natural grasp—he vanished, reappearing beside his marker in a single blink.
"Perfect. The first stage of Flying Thunder God—done."
This was the S-rank space-time ninjutsu that once made the Second Hokage legendary. Though Lucien replicated its first stage with unnerving ease, he knew its flaws—the fixed point was obvious. An enemy could anticipate.
Thus, he advanced to the second stage.
The combat method was simple: throw a specially marked kunai, and strike with instantaneous teleportation, often delivering a follow-up Rasengan or shuriken strike from above. He refined it until flawless, teleporting seamlessly mid-attack, his Rasengan slamming down like thunderbolts.
But his keen analytical mind wouldn't stop there.
"The flaw is obvious. If they expect me to teleport, they'll prepare their counters. So the only solution..." He clenched his fists, Sharingan spinning. "I must control the rhythm absolutely. Make them dance to my tempo."
Inspiration struck.
Shadow Clones...
"What if I fuse clones with Flying Thunder God? If a clone carries the seals on its body, then I can leap between them anywhere on the battlefield... the enemy will never know where I'll emerge."
His grin was sharp. "And... if the clone itself could use Flying Thunder God in return? That would be terror incarnate. Assassination from every angle, teleportation across an entire battlefield. It wouldn't just be deadly. It would be chaos. A nightmare for the enemy."
He tested it immediately. His clone bore the seal, but when it attempted space-jump back to him, the chakra destabilized and dispelled it.
"Tch. As I thought... clones can't sense spatial fluctuations like the original. Still..." He smirked, refusing disappointment. "They can still Body Flicker and throw marked kunai ahead. That means I can follow up instantly. An enhanced second stage. The 'Flying Thunder God Double Combo'..."
Yes. A true battlefield nightmare in the making.
When he tired of spatial trials, Lucien expanded into Rasengan research. With his vast chakra, swelling it was no problem—but controlling a growing Rasengan tested his precision beyond limits. A swirling orb expanded into the size of a great sphere, nearly overwhelming his arm.
"It works... but with my body, it's unstable. If only I were older and larger, it would be devastating..."
Still, the principle was sound. He had laid the structure of what could later be the Big Ball Rasengan, though for now, he left it untouched.
Elemental mutation, too, tempted him... but the risk lingered. "No... not yet. Much too unstable. One misstep could tear me apart."
During his refining, the silent tap of Anbu masks appeared.
"The Hokage requests your presence."
Lucien sighed, wiping his hands clean. "The Sandaime? Again...? Very well."
As he entered Sarutobi Hiruzen's office, the Third's pipe smoke wisped through the chamber. With a warm, grandfatherly smile, the old Hokage spoke.
"Shigure. I heard from Hizashi you've performed brilliantly. Word has it... you've even learned to weave compound ninjutsu seamlessly. Is it true?"
The question hung heavy. The eyes of the old strategist bore into him with polite warmth—but unmistakable weight.
P.S. This chapter developed Shigure's tactical genius as he innovates on Minato's technique, creating the terrifying "Double Combo" style of Flying Thunder God. We also layered his rapid growth in Rasengan, teasing future evolutions—while ending with Sarutobi's subtle curiosity, foreshadowing political schemes.
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