Naruto: Starting with EMS

Chapter 12: Lightning Release Training

Nan arrived at the training ground slightly earlier than the agreed time. Not long after, Kakashi showed up as well—punctual to the second.

"Looks like he hasn't picked up Obito's bad habit of always being late yet," Nan thought to himself.

The two greeted each other casually, skipping any small talk and jumping straight into business.

To develop a new jutsu, Nan first needed to master high-level Lightning Release chakra nature transformation. To speed things up, Kakashi agreed to personally tutor him.

At this point, Nan made a suggestion—they could both use shadow clones during training. That way, Kakashi could assign just one clone to teach him Lightning Release, and Nan could return the favor by having one of his own clones teach Kakashi Fire Release.

This way, they wouldn't interfere with each other's schedules, and they could both make rapid progress.

Kakashi was genuinely impressed by the idea.

"Why didn't I think of that before? Shadow clones for training... brilliant."

They each created three clones.

One clone was assigned to teach the other.

The main body and the remaining two clones trained independently with help from the other's teaching clone.

It wasn't that they couldn't create more clones—Naruto, for instance, could summon dozens or even hundreds and complete chakra nature transformation in record time.

But Nan had already learned through personal experience that quantity wasn't everything.

Naruto needed that many clones because, frankly, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He lacked complex thought processes, so he needed sheer volume to stack up experience points.

Moreover, Naruto's simple mind also meant less mental strain from each clone's feedback.

But Nan and Kakashi were different.

Not only did they lack Naruto's monstrous chakra reserves, they were also far smarter—which ironically made using too many clones dangerous. If each clone came back with complex, detailed thoughts and insights, the sheer mental overload from dispersing them could fry their brains.

After weighing all this, they decided that two clones each was the most efficient number—just enough to accelerate progress while keeping their minds intact.

---

"Nan, let me see where you're currently at with your Lightning Release training," Kakashi said.

In the two months he'd waited for Kakashi, Nan hadn't been idle. He had already begun experimenting with Lightning Release and had made some noticeable progress.

If his earlier level was equivalent to the Lightning Style: Spark Finger Jutsu, then he had now progressed to what could be jokingly called Lightning Style: Spark Palm Jutsu.

He demonstrated this jutsu to Kakashi with a smug look of satisfaction.

Kakashi stared at him, speechless.

"Why do you look so proud? That's barely scratching the surface…"

"…Your Lightning Release is… average at best. Honestly, you're still at a beginner's level.

And to be frank, you've been going about it all wrong—we're better off starting from the beginning," Kakashi said bluntly.

Nan's expression sank.

He had carefully modeled his Lightning Release training after the way Naruto trained in Wind Release in the original story, breaking the process into two major phases with a structured training plan.

He thought he had at least completed Stage One—but apparently, to an expert like Kakashi, it wasn't even worth mentioning.

Unaware of Nan's frustration, Kakashi continued, reminiscing about his own early days.

"Back when I first started training in Lightning Release under my father, it took me around three months to fully master it. That was considered extremely fast."

Nan curled his lip.

"Pfft… Three months? That's it? I thought you were supposed to be elite. Sasuke managed it in just one."

Of course, he conveniently forgot that Sasuke was much younger when he started training, while Kakashi had begun Lightning Release training at a more mature age.

Kakashi glanced at him and added, "Judging by your current progress… I'd say it'll probably take you half a year."

Seeing the contempt on Nan's face, Kakashi couldn't resist giving him a little jab.

Though, deep down, Kakashi thought: "This kid is sharp. He might just end up learning it even faster than I did."

The moment Nan heard Kakashi's estimate, he was furious.

"Even someone like Sasuke—a so-called 'civilian-level prodigy' who didn't awaken his Eternal Mangekyō until age 17—mastered Lightning Release in just a month.

But I, a monstrous genius who awakened the Eternal Mangekyō at six years old, need half a year?

What kind of joke is this? Even two weeks should be enough, let alone a month!"

Of course, he didn't say any of this out loud. On the surface, he put on a respectful and humble expression, nodding as though receiving sacred wisdom.

He realized Kakashi was messing with him on purpose—probably because he'd caught that split-second of disdain earlier.

Sure enough, seeing Nan's obedient expression, Kakashi seemed pleased and loosened up a little.

"Well… if you keep using the shadow clone training method, with you and two clones working in tandem, then maybe… just maybe… you'll finish in a month," Kakashi said.

Nan almost burst out cursing.

"Seriously? That math is insulting. Half a year is six months. Dividing that by three doesn't make one!

What, is math education in the ninja world that bad?"

But he dared not show his irritation again—who knew what other petty tricks Kakashi might pull.

So he forced a delighted grin.

"That's great! That means we could start developing the new jutsu as soon as next month!"

---

The two began training according to plan. During this time, Kakashi discovered that Nan was also attending classes using shadow clones.

This surprised him—he himself, a jōnin-level ninja, could barely manage three shadow clones while training.

Yet Nan was casually juggling five, and still looked like he had energy to spare.

His astonishment deepened when Nan, unhappy with his training speed, split off a sixth clone.

Six clones. That was double what Kakashi could handle.

Sure, Kakashi knew he had relatively low chakra reserves compared to most, but seeing a boy half his age with twice his chakra capacity still left him feeling emotionally devastated.

"If the gap is this wide now… what's it going to be like in the future?"

Once Nan reached adulthood, would his chakra reserves be four times, eight times, or even ten times larger than Kakashi's?

The more Kakashi thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed.

"It's fine," he consoled himself internally, holding back tears. "Power doesn't come from chakra alone. A ninja's strength isn't just about quantity…"

Little did he know that if Nan could hear his thoughts, he would've sneered:

"Ten times? Please. If my adult chakra reserves aren't at least a hundred times yours, I'll take your last name."

---

Time passed quickly, and both of them progressed fast. Originally, Kakashi thought he'd have to wait for Nan to catch up—after all, his Fire Release proficiency was already ahead of Nan's Lightning Release.

But to his surprise, Nan turned out to be even more of a genius than he'd expected.

His training progress wasn't just fast because of the extra clone—it was clear that raw talent played a major role.

Nan himself was aware of this, but Kakashi would never admit it.

"It's just because he used an extra clone. Yeah, that's it. It's definitely not because his talent surpasses mine…"

Before long, Nan's Lightning Release training caught up to, and even slightly surpassed, Kakashi's progress with Fire Release. The pressure was on, and Kakashi had no choice but to push himself harder.

By the third week, Nan completed his Lightning Release nature transformation—a full week ahead of schedule.

Kakashi followed shortly after, successfully mastering Fire Release nature transformation as well.

There was also an unexpected bonus: the shadow clone Nan assigned to teach Kakashi hadn't just been instructing—it had been training too.

And oddly enough, while teaching, the clone seemed to gain a deeper understanding of Fire Release. When the experience was transferred back, Nan's Fire Release had suddenly leapt to jōnin-level proficiency.

But to Nan, that was expected—he didn't even get excited about it.

What truly thrilled him was this:

Now that he had completely mastered Lightning Release nature transformation…

He could finally begin developing his own Lightning Style Taijutsu.

After a quick discussion, he and Kakashi agreed there was no point in delaying any further.

They would start developing the new technique immediately.