Lightning Release was one of Uchiha Sasuke's signature affinities in the original timeline—but being the story's "second lead," his training process was never shown in detail.Which meant Fujimoto Tōma had no reference material to steal from.
So he would have to figure it out himself.
Every day during his Lightning Release conditioning, he'd begun paying closer attention to sensations he once ignored:the sting, the flow, the charge, the subtle shifts in speed and force.
Every chakra nature carried its own inherent traits.Even if a shinobi didn't consciously use them, those traits were still present—hidden under the surface.Nature transformation was simply the act of pushing those traits to their limits.
Tōma tapped his pencil against the page.
For conductivity, he'd need to experiment with special chakra-conducting tools.Start with weapons designed for chakra flow, then downgrade to less efficient metals, and finally test whether he could force lightning-nature chakra through materials that resisted conduction.
If he could manage that, he'd know he'd crossed the threshold.
For acceleration, he already had a clue.Lightning Release conditioning always boosted his speed more than his strength.If he could isolate that sensation and apply it to external lightning chakra, he could shape that trait into something usable.
As for paralysis… that one simply came with the territory.He didn't need to reinvent the wheel.
He sifted through his notes again, adding and removing lines with each pass.
Then he frowned.
"Lightning has all these traits… wind really only has cutting?"
It felt too simple.
Wind could be sharp, but it could also be cold, swift, gentle, scattered, invisible—But none of those translated clearly into combat traits.
He scribbled messy circles and arrows across the page, then gave up with a tired sigh.
"No point overthinking it. Learn the basics first. Discover the extras along the way."
Once satisfied, Tōma reviewed the entire plan one last time.
Then he reached for a lighter.
He wasn't leaving these notes lying around.Real shinobi kept their plans in their minds, not in notebooks waiting to be stolen.
The pages curled and blackened, flames licking them clean.
On Borrowing Ninja Tools
Tōma stretched as the ashes died, then considered his next challenge: equipment.
Chakra-conducting weapons weren't exactly common.His family certainly didn't own any.If he wanted one, he had to borrow it.
But from whom?
His classmates came to mind—Nara Shikamaru, for example.Not close friends, but close enough.The Nara clan definitely had chakra-conducting tools, and lending one to a promising classmate would barely cost them anything.
But borrowing something valuable meant owing a favor.
Tōma paused.
Then sighed.
If he was going to owe someone, it might as well be someone who already had… certain misunderstandings about him.
Yamanaka Ino.
He rubbed his forehead.
"Fine. Since I'm already in that hole… one more shovel won't kill me."
He'd ask after the break.
He didn't have time to waste trying to learn nature transformation the slow, painful way.
Moonlight
The last scraps of his planning paper crumbled into ash.
Tōma stood, walked to the window, and gazed at the moon.
Perfectly white.Perfectly serene.
And hiding, somewhere on its dead surface, a clan of celestial parasites who refused to die.
"What a pain," he muttered. "Why can't the universe ever leave things alone?"
A moon should be just a moon.Not a reminder of world-ending threats hiding in plain sight.
He closed the curtains and climbed into bed.
Tomorrow, training would begin in earnest.
His body needed rest.
A Fast Winter Break
Time blurred.
Training devoured the days without mercy.By the time the academy reopened, Tōma felt as though the break had lasted only minutes.
His shadow clone stepped into the familiar classroom and blinked.The quiet routine of winter break clashed with the return to noisy desks and chattering children.
But to him, holiday or not… every day was the same.
Still, something was different today.
The moment he entered, half the girls in class lit up.
These were the same girls who'd seen him during the New Year festival—when he'd actually dressed properly.
And now?
Back to plain clothes, messy hair, zero effort.
They frowned in unison.
Once he's my boyfriend, I'm fixing that.That was the shared, silent declaration behind their determined eyes.
They surrounded him.
Warm greetings, friendly questions, competitive glances.
Tōma froze, expression flattening.
Then he put on his best "cold, untouchable prodigy" face and walked straight through them, ignoring every single attempt at conversation.
Near the windows, Ino watched the chaos.
She'd wanted to greet him too, but the crowd killed her courage.Still, she spotted him slipping free, icy expression in place—classic Tōma.
A tiny, misplaced irritation tugged at her.
They'd held hands.They'd spent an entire evening together.And then he didn't visit her once all break?
She puffed her cheeks slightly.
But then, as he passed her desk—
"Morning," Tōma said quietly.
Ino looked up.
"Morning, Tōma!"
Her mood flipped on the spot.And as she caught the envious glares of the other girls, her smile sharpened with triumph.
See? I'm different.