Naruto: The Sarutobi Who Can't Spark

Another dawn found Raijin at the training ground.

This time he was holding a shuriken in his hand, charging it up with the lightning chakra.

Gradually, the shuriken began to hum with electrical energy, small sparks occasionally jumping between its points as the air around it became charged.

With practiced precision, he launched the lightning-enhanced projectile at a tree ten meters away.

The electrically charged shuriken cut through the air with devastating force, its rotation creating a visible spiral of electrical energy. It pierced clean through a thick tree trunk before embedding itself in a boulder beyond.

The impact point was surrounded by a complex pattern of electrical burns that spread outward like lightning bolts frozen in stone.

"Lightning Balls completed!" He declared with satisfaction.

He made numerous lightning balls until he was proficient enough. While it didn't require hand signs, he still needed a few seconds to charge the shuriken with lightning. His previous attempt with the Electric Blade technique – charging kunai and other bladed weapons with lightning chakra – gave him a solid idea for creating the lightning balls.

The training session continued until noon.

Raijin sighed, frustrated. Chakra Net was still beyond him. "I can't even get past the first step: creating chakra threads." He had meant to ask Haruko for guidance, but her three-month absence had put those plans on hold.

Despite this setback, Raijin had managed to master five out of the six techniques he had devised for himself. Only Chakra Net remained an elusive goal for the future.

Earlier, he had struggled with creating Small Bolts. However, after practicing Electric Wave, he concluded that creating small sparks might be a more practical approach. While these sparks weren't as powerful as he had originally envisioned, they could still be an effective distraction to annoy and disrupt his enemies.

After taking some time to rest and enjoy a hearty meal, Raijin set out to the library to possibly enquire about Haruko. It had been nearly three months since he last saw her, and he couldn't help but wonder why the ever-enthusiastic Haruko hadn't visited him.

Determined to find her, Raijin visited the clan library and inquired about the Elder's whereabouts, but the librarian had no useful information. "Must be buried with clan duties. Tough luck for her," he muttered.

Undeterred, Raijin immersed himself in the study of basic swordsmanship. For the past eight months, he had diligently poured over various texts on the subject. Though he had yet to hold an actual sword, wielding one fascinated him. Raijin hoped to lay a strong theoretical foundation that would make the transition smoother when he finally began hands-on training.

Keeping the scrolls of swords, he delved into the subject of chakra threads on his own. He was confident he could master the technique within a year if he worked hard enough. With Haruko's help, however, he could probably cut that time in half—or at least down to eight months.

Seated with two scrolls before him, Raijin's eyes scanned the intricate diagrams and detailed explanations. After a thorough analysis, he leaned back and mused aloud, "I see. Chakra threads are just another form of chakra manipulation. The key lies in crafting a thin, durable string of chakra and maintaining a steady supply to control it."

A faint smile crossed his lips. Sounds fun…

He chuckled softly. "I'd say creating chakra threads is just another chakra control exercise," he muttered to himself, his tone tinged with amusement.

With a sense of satisfaction, Raijin carefully returned the scrolls; one on puppet control and the other on chakra transformation, to their proper places. Turning to the librarian, he offered a polite nod of thanks for their assistance before heading home.

***

As Raijin walked from his storeroom; the electrical setup, he strolled towards his training ground.

He had maintained a routine for the past months; Each morning began with a tingling sensation, followed by normal taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, and some jutsu practice.

He started with shadow sparring, his movements sharp and precise as he visualized an invisible opponent. Then, he performed a series of bodyweight exercises. Once his muscles were warmed up, Raijin shifted his focus to practicing his lightning-based jutsu. Finally, he rounded out his training by honing his shuriken techniques, aiming for pinpoint accuracy with each throw.

Eight months into his training, Raijin had achieved a new milestone. He could now generate and maintain stable lightning around his body, be it limbs or specific parts of his body, without the aid of external currents. He could maintain its discharge and set its range of action and power level.

Raijin had already begun incorporating taijutsu and electrical discharge into his training. Practicing lightning manipulation while performing basic taijutsu forms seemed easy but maintaining consistent electrical output during movement proved challenging. All in all, this increased his attack strength on taijutsu exponentially.

Each punch and kick is needed to maintain consistent electrical output without wavering. The combination proved exhausting but powerful. In real combat, he would need to multitask. The advantages weigh more; each punch and kick would destroy or pierce the target depending on how he concentrated the lightning chakra.

Piercing involved concentrating the large lightning chakra in his hand faster, whereas destruction involved targeting small lightning chakra from his fist to cover a wide area without piercing the target.

Some challenges remained, particularly with creating larger-scale lightning effects and maintaining precise control during combat.

Maintaining precise control will be better with some practice but creating large-scale lightning jutsus still eluded him, it would require much more than practice. And higher voltage experiments were still risky. He was in urgent need of shadow clones. So, he refrained from the higher voltage experiments for now.

Higher voltages, more complex patterns, and better lightning discharge were tempting enough. But for now, he focused on a solid foundation in understanding, controlling, and mastering the lightning chakra.

Progress wasn't linear, and Raijin understood it. He often returned to the basic spark exercise between his fingers and palm that had started his journey. But now, what once required conscious effort flowed almost naturally. The spark between his fingers danced, responding to the subtlest shifts in his chakra.

Ring…Ring…Ring

The sudden chime of the doorbell cut through his post-training reflection. Raijin's ears perked up, hope flickering in his chest. He quickly wiped his face with a nearby towel, his muscles still warm from the morning's exertion. Could it be Haruko? Her guidance was exactly what he needed right now. His physical regimen had become too comfortable, too predictable, and he knew that comfort wasn't tolerable for progressive growth.

Sliding open the door revealed exactly who he'd hoped to see. There she was—Haruko, standing outside with her usual enthusiastic expression.

"Have you had a meal yet?" Haruko pointed at the packed lunch.

"Ah…Welcome Clan Elder, I was about to prepare some. Why don't you come inside…"

Before he could finish, Haruko interrupted him. "Here, plate this for three people. I'll be back shortly," she chirped before disappearing down the path without another word and handing him a packed meal.

Raijin stood in the doorway, dumbfounded. It had been ten months since she last appeared, and now she disappeared again just as quickly as she appeared.

'Three!? Wait a minute…Haruko's bringing two people with her? Seriously? Sigh…At least she could give me a proper number. What am I supposed to do – Plate it in three or four ways!?' Raijin stared at the packed meal in his hands.

In the warm morning light of Konoha, Raijin carefully prepared the packed meal given by Haruko, portioning it onto three plates. Noticing there was enough food remaining for another serving. With a resigned sigh, he prepared a fourth plate, just in case.

"It's been months since I last cleaned this place." Raijin voiced his thoughts eyeing a spot with clusters of spiderwebs nestled in the corner of the ceiling in the main hall.

Raijin then moved through his house with a mop in his hand ensuring every corner was spotless. The halls and dining area received special attention. To make the most of the chores, he transformed the cleaning task into a training exercise.

With chakra concentrated on his feet, he effortlessly scaled the vertical surfaces. With chakra control in his feet and with a mop and bucket filled with water in his hands, he mopped the wooden floor, ceiling, and wall, not once but twice to ensure that no dirt was left behind.

Despite finishing his work, time seemed to crawl by without any sign of the expected visitors. Anxiety began to creep into his thoughts as he pondered the identity of these guests.

'Could they be from the Sarutobi Clan?' he wondered. 'Haruko was thirty-three, so it couldn't be her fiancé – who would bring a fiancé to a kid's house anyway? They probably are someone from the Sarutobi Clan. But if they're not…what would anyone else want with me, just a kid?'

Meanwhile, two figures walked slowly through the Sarutobi compound, their robes rustling softly in the morning breeze.

Sohei Sarutobi, his gray-whitish hair neatly tied back, paused to gaze at a house far in the distance. Despite his age, his eyes were sharp as they focused on Raijin's house.

"That's the one," Haruko confirmed, following his line of sight. "He's been living alone since the incident. He keeps the place clean and does the house regularly quite often."

She added, "I'll admit, I initially misjudged him. I thought he was stubborn during those first six months when he was adamant about learning only and only taijutsu. Takeshi's influence, I assumed."

Elder Sohei raised his eyebrow "If I recall correctly, weren't you the one who complained about his unusually small chakra reserves after that six-month training period? That might explain why he was adamant about pursuing taijutsu."

Haruko chuckled, "That was... let's see... eighteen months ago now. His reserves have grown remarkably – from barely noticeable to that of a normal ninja child." Her voice filled with quiet amazement as she added, "Or rather, they've now reached the level of a typical Chūnin."

"Chūnin?" Elder Sohei stopped in his tracks, his weathered face creasing with skepticism. "Aren't you exaggerating?"

The elder had seen many prodigies. His eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if Haruko let her enthusiasm cloud her judgment.