Naruto: The Sarutobi Who Can't Spark

The faint mutter caught her attention, but she couldn't understand it, "Erekutoron?"

"A-Ah, it's nothing Clan Elder, you may continue."

Haruko shot him a stern look before continuing, "…Lightning Release is among the most versatile of Chakra nature. Lightning possesses unique properties that make it exceptionally dangerous with faster speed, which doesn't mean it'll be fatal, but you'll have the capability to make one."

"Lightning jutsu can pierce defenses, paralyze opponents, and even enhance movement speed. The applications are limited only by your creativity and control."

"Can't Lightning also be used for bladed weapons using chakra flow?" Raijin asked as he imagined a crackling blade. He decided to learn kenjutsu as soon as possible now that he had the lightning type as his primary chakra nature. It could complement his kenjutsu and make his slice or strike (so he imagined) even more powerful.

"Yes, Kumogakure is mainly known for using chakra flow in the bladed weapons. By flowing lightning chakra through their blades, they create high-frequency vibrations that can slice through almost any defense. But…" she fixed him with a serious gaze, "…that level of control takes years to master."

Haruko paused, ensuring Raijin was following the complexities. "Lightning is weak against wind, due to its nature as a natural electrical insulator. However…" she raised a finger, "…a powerful lightning jutsu can overpower the wind jutsus. A big fire can easily overpower water if the fire is too big for water to handle. The challenge there lies in the amount of chakra." She gave him a pointed look.

"On the other hand, lightning is stronger against Earth jutsu because Earth jutsu mainly focuses on defense. While earth users excel at creating powerful defenses, lightning's piercing nature allows it to penetrate and shatter those barriers."

Raijin nodded thoughtfully, remembering the physics of his previous life. The conductivity of minerals in earth techniques would indeed make them vulnerable to lightning chakra. "How do we begin the training, Elder?"

Haruko's eyes narrowed in thought. "Wait here," she said, "We'll need something specific for this."

Raijin watched as the elder disappeared and returned after 5 minutes with a look of satisfaction.

"Here we are," she said, returning with what looked like an old weapons maintenance kit. Opening it revealed an assortment of tools, from which she selected a slender metal rod about the length of her hand. "This is chakra-conductive metal, similar to what's used in ANBU tantō blades. It's perfect for beginners learning Lightning Release."

"Unlike other elements, Lightning training begins with feeling the chakra's vibration," she continued. "Channel your chakra into this. The goal isn't to create visible lightning yet – first, you need to feel the distinctive buzz of Lightning nature transformation. Your chakra should resonate at a higher frequency than normal."

Raijin took the rod, concentrating his chakra. He felt a slight tingling in his fingers.

"Good" Haruko observed. "Once you can maintain that sensation consistently, move on to the stage of leaf exercise – crunching the leaf solely by lightning chakra."

"And what are the exercises after that stage?" Raijin placed his curiosity.

"Master the leaves first," Haruko replied firmly, tempering his enthusiasm. "Then we can discuss channeling lightning chakra through weapons."

"One final warning," Haruko added, her tone growing serious. "Lightning release is one of the most difficult and even dangerous in the sense that the user must be able to tolerate the pain over your body during high chakra vibration. While lightning jutsus is lethal to enemies, mastering them requires considerable perseverance."

Raijin understood the actual strength of lightning and electricity. In his previous life, electricity had been the foundation of civilization in the 21st-century world, powering everything from homes to businesses. It was a vital force that was revered and relied upon, yet it carried an equally dangerous edge. If left unchecked, a single spark had the potential to instantly kill someone. That same strength flowed through his chakra in the shinobi world.

'As for training my lightning chakra, I can even move up the control exercises from a leaf to a log and to a tree at last. This is a bit far-fetched but if I can crunch the whole tree...' Raijin drifted in his own thought.

Haruko also paused for Raijin to analyze and memorize her teachings. Here, Raijin was already thinking of channeling electricity to make his lightning chakra denser.

'I wonder if I could find analog voltmeters or ammeters in the storeroom.' He mused, 'Measuring and gradually increasing electrical resistance could be crucial.'

Haruko interrupted his thought after two minutes of silence, "That is all the basics for lightning. You must work on yourself on developing your elemental technique, I can only help you on other aspects of training ninjutsu." She paused for a moment then continued, "Elemental Ninjutsu is based on yourself for how you use it to complement your fighting style. Don't slack on it and research on your own, Raijin."

Haruko was indeed tutoring Raijin in taijutsu and shurikenjutsu, but as for ninjutsu, it was just guidance, a right path that would fulfill his curiosity towards his gradual progress in chakra control. Raijin even learned rank-E jutsus on his own; Haruko just helped him use it in combat and complement his fighting style.

"Once again, Happy birthday Raijin." Haruko chuckled and said, "Last, but not least, as promised – your birthday grants you access to D-rank techniques in the clan library. Focus on Lightning techniques initially, but don't neglect your physical conditioning and shurikenjutsu."

"Thank you, Elder." Raijin bowed slightly, showing respect. 'Hmm…so she came today personally but not as a clone…' He thought as he walked Haruko outside of the house.

Haruko rarely came personally to his home, she would often send her clone to Raijin's training. As Raijin saw Haruko off, he thought of checking his chakra affinity privately. He quickly went over to the hall and began taking out the stack of chakra paper given by Haruko.

The two wrinkled papers that Raijin used to check his affinity with Haruko were still inside his pocket. He took the paper out and studied. The first paper wasn't wet anymore, and the stain of dirt was also barely visible. After analyzing both papers, he burnt them to ashes in the fire from the kitchen and took out the unused stack of chakra papers given by Haruko. There were roughly 13 more papers in the stack.

Raijin took out a single piece of paper and began pouring his chakra into it. A stream of chakra began to flow from the tip of his forefinger and thumb toward the chakra paper. The paper crinkled and that's it.

There wasn't any dampness or even dirt at the point of contact even after 5 minutes of more chakra pouring.

"What!?" Raijin shouted, 'Did the paper malfunction.' Raijin's thoughts ran with confusion. He wondered what the dampness and dirt were about when he previously checked his affinity.

He tried pouring chakra into two more chakra papers, but the result was the same: the papers crinkled, showing his natural affinity towards lightning.

"It is indeed true that chakra paper only shows the user's akin affinity towards nature. Even Naruto who was able to use all five natures later at the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War had wind chakra as his natural affinity." He consoled his excited mind with the logic he could conjure from the story (manga).

But the dampness and stains previously were misleading. "Was it due to sweat and dirt that my hand had?" Raijin muttered. He confirmed it once again by checking it with a chakra paper, which resulted in the paper crinkling violently. He sighed and muttered under his breath, "It must be sweaty palms and dirt from training."

'Hmm… A Sarutobi with Lightning as primary affinity…' Raijin pondered, running a hand through his hair. 'Unconventional, but perhaps that's fitting for someone like me.' However, the irony wasn't lost on him – born into a clan renowned for their mastery over fire, yet his chakra sparked with electricity instead of flame.

A wry smile crossed his face as he considered his situation. "Died in a massive explosion, and now I can't even produce a spark of flame."

"Hiruzen mastered all five natures," Raijin reminded himself, determination hardening in his voice. "I'll start with Lightning, perfect it, make it my own. Then Fire – not because I'm a Sarutobi, but because understanding opposite natures will make me stronger. After that... who knows? Water to complement Lightning, Earth for defense, Wind to challenge me."

Raijin laughed over his own absurd words.

"And here I practiced Rasengan. Quite funny if I could perform Chidori on one hand and Rasengan on another simultaneously…" Raijin muttered to himself as his whole training regime was inclined to chakra control and rank-E jutsus until today.

"First things first," he said, pulling out a fresh leaf for practice. "Master the basics, then push beyond them."