Chapter 60 Helping Kakashi! Orochimaru!

One of the biggest improvements Renjiro had made over the past month was upgrading his Mind Net Jutsu.

The new version was a game-changer.

By incorporating echolocation principles inspired by bats, Renjiro had expanded his sensory range to an impressive two kilometers. And with Arkain’s help processing the incoming data, everything appeared in his mind as crisp, 3D mental images.

But there was still one problem: even now, the system couldn’t tell the difference between a real body and a shadow clone.

His lightning-style chakra allowed him to sense thoughts and brain activity, but high-level clones had minds of their own, making them impossible to distinguish from the original.

Still, that was a problem for another time.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Renjiro felt something.

His expression turned sharp: “Enemy contact!” He said in a low voice: “Everyone stay alert. Follow my lead.”

---

Elsewhere in the forest, ten Iwa-nin moved quickly and quietly through the underbrush, clad in the standard uniforms of Iwagakure.

This mission was vital. Speed and stealth were everything.

But just as they reached a ridge, the lead shinobi, his face was half-covered in bandages suddenly stopped. His comrades froze instantly and dropped into defensive stances.

“We’ve been discovered.” He said to his team in a serious voice.

A moment later, Renjiro stepped out from behind a tree, his team right behind him.

“Konoha shinobi!” One of the Iwa-nin shouted in surprise. Their postures shifted—from cautious to aggressive.

Renjiro didn’t flinch. His voice was calm, but sharp with static, as he said: “The war is over. And yet you’re still targeting Fire Country merchants?”

Electricity crackled faintly across his skin. This time… he wasn’t giving them a warning.

Crrrkk!

A faint crackle of electricity danced across Renjiro’s body. His black eyes turned pale blue, and his hair slowly shifted from dark to a deep, electric blue. Sparks lit the air around him.

The Iwa captain, the one with bandages over his face recognized the transformation instantly. His face went pale.

“You’re… the Lightning Flash of Konoha!” He gasped in fear and shock.

The moment he said it, panic spread through the rest of the team. Wide-eyed, they stared at Renjiro in fear and disbelief.

“Damn it…” The captain muttered. After a long pause, he raised his hand and gave the signal to retreat.

“Captain—!” One of his men began, clearly wanting to object.

But the captain shook his head and replied in a firm, helpless voice: “We’re aborting the mission. Don’t worry—Tsuchikage-sama will understand. Our opponent is Konoha’s Lightning Flash.”

He made sure to speak loudly so Renjiro could hear—making it clear that they had no desire to fight.

Whoosh!

The Iwa-nin vanished into the forest, their presence faded very quickly.

Renjiro stood still, caught off guard: “Am I really that scary?”

Somehow, without even noticing it himself, he had become someone whose name alone was enough to make enemies abandon their mission rather than face him.

---

Winter faded into spring, and just like that—it was already the 48th year since the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village.

With the war now over, Konoha was thriving like never before. Under the steady leadership of Minato, who had grown into a wise and capable Hokage, even someone like Danzo didn’t dare to stir up trouble easily.

As for Renjiro, the once action-packed life he led had finally started to slow down.

With peace spreading across the Shinobi World, dangerous missions had become rare. The younger generation was stepping up, and the village no longer needed to rely on him the way they did during the war.

Still, Renjiro never slacked off in his training. By now, his position as a full-fledged Jonin was unquestioned. Against any other Jonin-level opponent, he wouldn’t claim an easy win—but he was confident he wouldn’t lose either.

Of course… someone like Minato was a different story.

One thing that did excite him, though—after nearly a year of effort, his hand seal speed had improved. He could now form two seals per second, up from just one. It might not sound like much, but in battle, that kind of speed could mean the difference between victory and death. In a shinobi’s world, speed is everything.

Another surprise came when Kakashi approached him with a proposal: he wanted to exchange his A-rank Jutsu, Chidori, in return for Renjiro’s help learning Lightning Flash.

Technically, Renjiro was getting the short end of the deal. Lightning Flash had already been classified by the village as an S-rank Jutsu, but he didn’t mind.

Even with his genius, Kakashi didn’t have the advanced mental processing that Renjiro had through Arkain. There was no way he could master Lightning Flash in its full form.

So, Renjiro set the terms clearly from the start—he couldn’t guarantee success, only that he’d do his best to guide him.

Kakashi agreed without hesitation.

In the end, Kakashi wasn’t able to master Lightning Flash in its full form, but the training was far from a failure.

With Renjiro’s guidance and his own natural talent, Kakashi developed a brand-new Jutsu: Thunder Blink.

It was a high-speed movement technique, inspired by Lightning Flash, but completely unique to Kakashi.

The core still relied on Renjiro’s Body Stimulation Jutsu, but unlike Renjiro, Kakashi couldn’t safely combine it with Soru, the sheer speed would destroy his legs.

So, following Renjiro’s advice, he turned to Guy and began learning the Eight Gates. This forbidden technique unlocked bursts of superhuman power at great cost, and with it, Kakashi started building up his physical strength.

Once again, Kakashi’s brilliance shone through. With Renjiro helping him train, he adapted fast.

Even though his Sharingan put a huge strain on his body, and he couldn’t stay in Body Stimulation Mode for long, he didn’t treat those limits as weaknesses, instead, he worked around them.

If he couldn’t hold lightning for long… he’d only use it for a single moment.

Sure, using both Thunder Blink and the Eight Gates at the same time was extremely risky. But if activated briefly, Kakashi could just barely endure the combined pressure. After all, he wasn’t just any shinobi—he was a Jonin.

The idea was brilliant, but the training was brutally hard. With Renjiro’s Arkain Processor helping optimize the process, and Kakashi’s Sharingan analyzing every movement, they made it work.

Through this collaboration, Renjiro realized just how terrifying Kakashi’s raw talent was.

Without Arkain's help, Renjiro would’ve been completely outpaced. In fact, Renjiro had to admit, even he was tempted to try Thunder Blink, because in his opinion it had the potential to evolve.

Thunder Blink was based on Body Stimulation fused with the Eight Gates. Meaning, every gate opened would exponentially increase its speed.

If someone used Thunder Blink with all eight gates open, the sheer velocity would be unimaginable.

It was, without question, an S-rank forbidden technique, a true instant-movement Jutsu.

Of course, that was all in theory.

Even for someone as gifted as Kakashi, the absolute limit was Thunder Blink: Third Form—using the technique while opening the Third Gate.

Anything beyond that, and his body would break down. He simply couldn’t withstand the pressure of the Fourth Gate or higher.

To reach Thunder Blink: Fourth Form or beyond, you’d need something extraordinary—like a fusion of Kakashi and Might Guy, with a Sharingan thrown into the mix.

Or maybe… an Uchiha born with Guy’s monstrous physicality and Itachi’s talent.

In other words—it was nearly impossible.

Uchiha genes alone couldn’t create a Guy-level body. And a Kakashi-Guy hybrid? That was pure fantasy.

In Renjiro’s opinion, only someone like Madara, after fusing with Hashirama’s cells, could achieve Thunder Blink Fourth Form and beyond.

Because Madara possessed both: the unlimited evolution of the Sharingan, and the raw, monstrous physical strength needed to handle it.

When Minato learned about the newly developed Jutsu, he was stunned.

A genius like him could instantly see its potential.

Yes, Thunder Blink had clear limits—Kakashi might never go beyond the Third Form. But even that level would place him among the fastest shinobi alive, rivaled by only a select few.

Still, the drawbacks were serious.

The technique put enormous strain on the body. After a single use, Kakashi needed at least three hours of rest before he could attempt it again.

That recovery time might shrink as he grew stronger—but the more advanced the form, the greater the cost.

Thunder Blink was a technique of explosive speed and power, but it was also incredibly dangerous.

A true Forbidden Jutsu, not because of its secrecy, but because of the risk it carried with every use.

---

Inside a massive underground training chamber, large enough to fit a football field, with ceilings towering nearly fifty meters high chaos reigned.

The facility was in ruins, as if a hurricane had torn through it.

At the center of the destruction stood Renjiro, his body battered and bruised, blood trickling from shallow cuts.

"Phew!"

Bent at the waist, he rested his hands on his knees, breathing hard. Slowly, he let go of Body Stimulation Mode, his muscles gradually returning to their normal state.

"Perfect..."

After a long pause, his strength began to return. He straightened up, took in the wreckage around him, and gave a small, satisfied nod.

Without a word, he turned to leave.

“Not bad. Looks like you’ve completed it.”

The voice was raspy and smooth, like a whisper carried by smoke rang in Renjiro's ears.

Renjiro paused at the threshold and turned, smiling faintly: “All thanks to your help, Lord Orochimaru.”

Standing just outside the chamber, clad in standard Jonin gear, was Orochimaru himself. His golden eyes burned with focused interest and quiet seriousness.

“No need for thanks.” Orochimaru said, licking his lips with that unnervingly long tongue: “We both got what we wanted. Though I must admit… I didn’t expect you to grasp Senjutsu so quickly. This is the realm of Sage Techniques—something even I have only recently begun to understand.”

Renjiro remained calm and said: “I could only progress so fast because I had your research to build upon, Lord Orochimaru. I truly appreciate your help.”

“Hehehe… spare me the flattery.” Orochimaru chuckled, his voice slithering like a serpent’s hiss: “As I said—mutual benefit. If your technique hadn’t piqued my curiosity, I wouldn’t have helped you refine it.”

His golden, snake-like eyes narrowed as he studied Renjiro with focused intensity.

“Tell me, Renjiro… have you ever considered becoming my subordinate?” He asked in low and tempting voice: “Your talent is… exceptional. But raw and untapped. Under my guidance, you could go further than anyone else. Only I can help you reach your true potential.”

The offer caught Renjiro off guard. He froze for a moment, but only for a moment, before giving a smooth, diplomatic reply.

“Whether I serve under you isn’t for me to decide. That’s up to the village.” He replied calmly: “If the Hokage assigns me to your command, then of course—I’ll follow orders without hesitation. And if that happens… I hope I can count on your guidance, Lord Orochimaru.”

“And, since I’m moving into a new house today.” Renjiro added: “I must take my leave now. But if you're free, Lord Orochimaru… I’d be honored if you joined me for the housewarming feast.”

Thud!

With that, Renjiro turned and walked away, each step steady and measured.

Orochimaru said nothing. He stood in silence, watching the young shinobi’s retreating figure, his slitted pupils were gleaming with something unreadable.

Only after Renjiro vanished into the distance did he finally lower his gaze. His tongue flicked across his lips as he muttered in a low voice tinged with regret: “What a shame…”