The turmoil in Nami no Kuni had subsided, and they were now on their way back.
Naruto walked in the middle of the group, checking his system panel as he went.
[Mission: Distributing Wealth to Gather Righteousness]
[Current Status: Accumulating...]
[Current Rewards Available: C-rank treasure chest x2. Would you like to claim them?]
"No."
Naruto refused without hesitation.
In the past, two C-rank chests would have been quite good for him.
But ever since witnessing the heaven-defying effects of the Dominator's Chain from an A-rank chest, his appetite had been completely whetted.
Ordinary rewards could no longer satisfy the desire in his heart.
"Nami no Kuni is currently in a state of rebuilding, and the foundation has only just taken over the docks."
Naruto pushed up his glasses, calculating in his heart:
"As long as the port is fully operational and the trade routes are opened, that country's wealth will grow exponentially."
"Since the reward is determined by the amount and proportion, I'll let this money continue to snowball."
He wanted to save up until the limit, preferably to S-rank or even higher!
As long as the cake was made large enough, even if he gave away the lion's share of the profit, the remaining crumbs would be enough to make him as wealthy as a nation...
During the lunch break, by the riverbank.
Zzz... Zzz...
A noisy sound of electricity, like hundreds of birds chirping together, rang out, but it lasted for only two seconds before abruptly vanishing.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke looked at his charred, smoking palm and punched a nearby tree trunk hard.
The bark cracked, but the frustration in his heart could not be vented.
"Why... I clearly followed the flow trajectory of the Chakra, so why can't I condense it?"
After passing the Suimen Hokyo no Gyo training, Sasuke Chakra control had greatly increased.
Upon learning that Kakashi-sensei was teaching Naruto the Seishitsu Henka of the Raiton attribute, he, who possessed a natural talent for Raiton, was naturally unwilling to fall behind.
Kakashi-sensei didn't hold anything back either, teaching him the cultivation method for Chidori in its entirety.
But reality gave Sasuke a harsh blow.
Chidori, which combined both Seishitsu Henka and Keitai Henka of the Raiton attribute, was far more difficult than he had imagined.
Therefore, Sasuke was not satisfied with the speed of his cultivation.
"Don't be impatient, Sasuke."
Kakashi-sensei leaned in the shade of a tree, lazily flipping through Icha Icha Paradise without looking away, and said:
"The Seishitsu Henka of the Raiton attribute is one of the most difficult attributes to control. It's already quite good that you can make your Chakra produce electric arcs within a few days."
"An average Chunin would need at least half a year of hard cultivation to reach this step."
Kakashi-sensei's words were not just to comfort him.
As an A-rank ninjutsu, Chidori had an extremely high threshold for cultivation.
In comparison, Sasuke talent was undeniable.
"Half a year of hard cultivation..."
Sasuke felt a little better in his heart.
If that was the case, his current progress really wasn't slow.
Not far away, Naruto, who had been tinkering with something behind everyone's back, suddenly walked over.
He straightened his somewhat messy cuffs, a hint of humility on his face:
"Um... Kakashi-sensei, could you please come and help me take a look?"
"I tried practicing just now. Although I managed to use it barely, I always feel it's hard to control, and... my hand is a bit numb."
"Oh? Give it a try."
Kakashi-sensei put down the book in his hand, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Naruto nodded and began to condense his Chakra.
He didn't try it with one hand like Sasuke did.
Instead, he extended his right hand and gripped his right wrist tightly with his left hand to stabilize his arm.
Zzzzzzz—
A clear, though not piercing, sound of electricity exploded.
In Naruto right hand, an extremely violent mass of pale blue Chakra was leaping.
Although the form was unstable and fine electric arcs were constantly leaking out and hitting the ground, it was indeed the embryonic form of Chidori.
"This..."
Sasuke pupils shook as he stared fixedly at the electric light in Naruto hand.
He couldn't even manage to condense the Chakra yet, but Naruto could already manifest it?
"Although I can barely use it, the noise is too loud, and the backlash is very strong."
Naruto frowned, looking at the jumping lightning in his hand.
The palm of his right hand was already bright red.
He was struck by the jumping current from time to time, and even had some slight burns.
However, in the face of the Kyuubi's Chakra and the powerful constitution of the Uzumaki clan, the wounds were healing at a visible speed, only to be torn open again.
It was a repeating cycle.
"Before I can even attack an opponent, I'll shock myself half to death. The side effects of this technique are too great."
Naruto shook his hand, dispersing the Chakra in his palm.
"Compared to the perfect form you release, Sensei, mine is at most... a half-finished product."
Naruto said shamefully:
"It seems I'm still far off when it comes to Keitai Henka."
The scene was dead silent.
Kakashi-sensei's exposed dead-fish eye widened, his face full of disbelief.
"Naruto, have you practiced Raiton Seishitsu Henka before?"
"I haven't had the chance yet. This is the first time."
Naruto answered honestly.
"Most of my previous energy was spent on Fuinjutsu and medical knowledge."
"The first time you've encountered Seishitsu Henka, and you've reached this level in just a few days?"
Kakashi-sensei felt his common sense was being challenged.
Even for himself, who had been hailed as a genius since childhood, he probably couldn't have achieved this level.
"It's probably because I found an efficient cultivation method."
Naruto explained:
"My Chakra volume is relatively large, so I created a hundred Kage Bunshin."
"I had those hundred clones and my original body practice Seishitsu Henka at the same time."
"Although each clone could only last for a moment before disappearing due to being shocked, the experience would be transmitted back."
"As long as these hundred-plus clones keep stacking..."
Naruto pushed up his glasses, his tone matter-of-fact:
"I have a hundred times the cultivation speed."
"By forcing my body to remember the sensation of being pierced by lightning in a short period, I naturally managed to use it."
Saying this, Naruto glanced at his still slightly trembling right hand and smiled bitterly:
"The downside is... the moment the clones are released, it feels like every cell in my body has been shocked hundreds of times."
Hearing this explanation, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke fell silent.
The principle of accelerating training through Kage Bunshin was simple.
But the problem was... who could create a hundred Kage Bunshin just to practice!
And who could endure the pain and fatigue of being shocked a hundred times over?
"You guy..."
Sasuke looked at Naruto slightly trembling arm, and the jealousy in his eyes gradually dissipated.
It was replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness and admiration.
It wasn't just a matter of talent and hard work; more importantly... he was training with his life on the line.
"What a reckless kid."
Kakashi-sensei sighed, stepped forward, and grabbed Narutos hand to examine it:
"Sure enough, the meridians are slightly damaged. Don't practice this technique again for a while."
"However..."
Kakashi-sensei's gaze toward Naruto was somewhat complex:
"Since you can barely condense it, you have indeed touched the threshold of this A-rank ninjutsu."
"What you lack now is higher-intensity Keitai Henka training—compressing the lightning, and then compressing it again."
"When the current in your hand no longer leaks out and can cut through rock like cutting tofu, you'll have mastered it."
"Understood."
Naruto nodded obediently, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
As long as he mastered Chidori, combined with his perception and speed, he would have another trump card in his arsenal.
For Naruto now, the biggest problem was having too many trump cards, so many that he didn't even have time to practice...
The group stopped and started on their journey.
After another two days, they finally saw the familiar gates of Konohagakure.
Sakura breathed a long sigh of relief and stretched out lazily.
"Ah—finally back."
"It feels like we've been gone for a year."
She instinctively touched the scroll in her ninja tool pouch, a confident smile appearing on her face.
Although she hadn't learned much ninjutsu these past few days, under the guidance of Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, she could now draw a few basic Fuinjutsu seals, albeit crookedly, and apply them to traps.
This made her feel that she was finally no longer a useless burden.
"Alright, let's disband here."
"Go home and rest. I'm going to report the mission to Hokage-sama."
Kakashi-sensei looked at his three students, who had undergone a complete transformation, and the corners of his mouth under the mask curled up slightly:
"You've worked hard these past few days. Enjoy this rare holiday."
"After all..."
Kakashi-sensei's voice suddenly became somewhat meaningful:
"Next, Konohagakure might become very lively, and you won't even have a chance to rest then."
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