Chương 177

One month later and after countless tries I finally did it. I inhaled deeply, forming the familiar hand seals with care. This time, the resistance was gone. My chakra didn't scatter or reject the shift, it finally settled, heavy and cool. Pressure built in my chest as I gathered moisture into my lungs and pushed it outward. A stream of water burst from my mouth, twisting in the air before spreading into a thin curved wall.

It wasn't high or even, but it held for five full seconds before collapsing with a wet splash that soaked the dirt in front of me. I froze, staring at the puddle.

"I did it," I whispered, half afraid to move.

"It actually worked." From behind me, Shisui crossed his arms, watching with a tired look "in the beginning seeing you struggle was a good way of humbling a prodigy such as you however the more time passed I felt like we spent way too much time, chakra and effort for a simple d rank jutsu that I am feeling bad for you." I ignored him and tried again, repeating the seals. This time the stream formed faster and spread wider before falling apart.

The feeling was strange, like holding back a breath that wanted to explode. My lightning chakra always roared. This felt quiet, heavy, and patient. As the wall splashed down again, Shisui nodded in approval.

"Good. That was a proper Water Formation Wall, not a spit take with ambition." I exhaled slowly, wiping my mouth.

"So that makes me a dual-nature genius now, right?" He gave me a flat stare.

"It means you can spit water. Barely. Don't let it get to your head. I know genin who would destroy you in a battle of water chakra nature without much effort" I grinned anyway.

"Still counts. Unlimited free water, no more paying for refills. Wait, can I shower with that water? Or water plants? Would they grow faster from the chakra? Oh, and washing clothes, they would come out cleaner and probably hum with energy. The possibilities are endless." Shisui sighed.

"If you ever open a water stand, I'm denying any association with you." The puddle shimmered at my feet as the last of the chakra faded. It wasn't perfect, but it was mine, and for once lightning wasn't the only thing that listened. Though I definitely wouldn't be trying to make anything else listen, one low rank jutsu from a different chakra nature had nearly driven me insane to learn. That was more than enough for a lifetime.

"Now we will move on to developing your Static Field jutsu," Shisui said. My eyes brightened immediately.

"Finally, after all that torture, I can go back to using lightning again. Things should be easy from now on." Shisui noticed my grin and gave a short nod.

"We'll see about that. I'll throw a kunai while your jutsu is active. I want to measure how much your field can slow it down." Shisui activated his Sharingan, his gaze sharpening as I nodded and formed the hand sign. Chakra surged through me, and the air filled with a low electric hum as the Static Field came to life. Faint arcs of lightning crawled along my arms while the buzz of energy spread outward, thickening the air like a charged mist.

In the next instant, a kunai flew toward me, fast and clean, at least chunin level. The blade cut through the air, but the moment it entered the field, its speed faltered for just a heartbeat. That heartbeat was enough. I raised my empty hand, summoning a kunai from the hand seal. It appeared in my grip with a soft pop of chakra, and I struck his weapon down midair. The blades clashed, sparks snapping before his kunai spun into the dirt. Shisui lowered his hand, watching the field flicker faintly around me.

His eyes followed the energy distortion before he finally nodded in approval.

"Impressive. You can activate it instantly with a single seal, and your control is already refined. Seeing how natural you are with lightning after your struggle with water release really highlights the difference." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I smirked, brushing off a faint static spark from my sleeve.

"Told you. Lightning and I get along just fine." He gave a small smile.

"So do I. Let's see, I think you did it like this." Before I could even react, Shisui copied the single hand sign I had just used. His chakra pulsed once, and the air shifted. A faint hum filled the clearing, followed by tiny arcs of lightning crawling across his arms. In seconds, a perfect Static Field shimmered around him. I froze, staring.

"You, did you just copy it? Already?" Shisui tilted his head, examining the crackling air around him.

"The chakra control pattern was simple enough once I saw it. A little rough around the edges, but close." My brain short-circuited.

"You've got to be kidding me. I spent months stabilizing that, and you just glance at it and steal it like you're shopping for techniques?" He let the chakra fade with a small, pleased smile.

"Observation and precision. You should try it sometime." I stood there, horrified. In my head, one thought screamed louder than anything else. I finally understand why people hate fighting the Uchiha. They just steal your shit without a single thought about intellectual property. Shisui looked at me suspiciously.

"You're thinking something insulting, aren't you?"

"Just reflecting on the tragic death of creative ownership," I said flatly.

"Just thinking about how unfair it is that one clan can turn someone's life's work into a quick jutsu copy." Shisui ignored my complaint flatly as he said, "You need to increase the amount of lightning chakra within that field. That way, the electric current will interact with any metallic weapon and slightly alter its trajectory. Not by much at first, but with time, you might be able to divert the aim." I nodded before freezing mid-thought.

"Wait," I muttered to myself, "instead of increasing the chakra and trying to find the right concentration, why don't I seed the area covered by the Static Field with lightning chakra? That seeded layer would have a higher concentration and give me more control. Since it is only about three meters, it will not consume too much chakra, and I can seed it from a single point without needing multiple nodes." I nodded to myself, satisfied with the plan, then looked up.

"Shisui-sensei, I have an idea I want to try." Shisui raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Go ahead. Let us see it." I stood still and formed a hand seal, focusing my chakra before releasing it outward. Lightning chakra spread across the area around me in a steady pulse, seeding the air within three meters. The Static Field shimmered brighter than before, and though the air remained clear, faint blue haze flickered at its edges like distant heatwaves. I looked at Shisui proudly as he watched with his Sharingan. He nodded, clearly impressed.

"Your chakra seeding training is paying off. Very smart use of your existing tools." He barely gave me a moment to celebrate before flicking a kunai at me. The weapon shot through the air, slicing straight through the field. It slowed, just slightly, the air buzzing faintly as it passed, but its trajectory held. I still had to dodge. I sighed.

"Of course, it would not be that easy." Shisui chuckled.

"It is fine. You just need to fine tune the field to find the right balance. Using chakra seeding burns more energy than building the jutsu itself, but I suspect you had another goal in mind." I nodded.

"Good thinking, sensei. With chakra seeding, I will be able to sense any weapon entering my field even from a blind spot. That will give me a chance to react faster instead of relying only on my danger sense. Not that it would help much against someone as silent as you." Shisui grinned.

"Glad my reputation motivates you to improve." I muttered under my breath, "This is not how a sensei should encourage his student." He pretended not to hear, so I got to work again. Days passed as I refined the balance between chakra density and spread. It became easier to maintain the seeded network without losing control or draining my reserves too fast. The Static Field began to feel alive, like I could sense every ripple in the air.

When Shisui threw another kunai, I felt it enter the edge of the field before I even saw it. My chakra reacted instinctively. The weapon cut through the air and, the instant it touched the boundary, its metal shell met the faint electric charge suspended in the field. The natural conductivity of the kunai made it absorb a trace of the static energy. For a split second, the opposing charges along its edge disrupted its spin, causing a brief imbalance.

The kunai trembled mid-flight, its rotation faltering as one side of the blade slowed slightly. That tiny shift was enough. The weapon wobbled, veering just off its intended line, and instead of cutting my cheek, it passed so close that I felt the air split beside me before striking the dirt behind me with a dull thud. I blinked, watching the faint spark still dancing along the metal.

"It actually worked," I muttered, half stunned. The Static Field had not stopped the weapon, but the electric charge had interfered with its motion just enough to save me from a cut. A resounding success, if I ignored the near heart attack that came with it.