Naruto: Reaching the Stars

After lunch with Kirikou and helping her with the goods Kanao brought, Kisuke sneaked back to the empty forty-third training ground.

Standing there, he thought, "Now that I've mastered the Body Flicker Technique, it's time to experiment and create the Jutsu I've been thinking about."

The reason he focused so hard on training the Body Flicker Technique first was because it was simpler than the Three Body Technique and quicker to master. Also, he was curious if he could modify it to resemble a technique he remembered from another world.

He recalled, "In Bleach, the Shunpo technique lets users move at high speeds, almost like teleporting, and it's useful in close combat. If I can tweak the Body Flicker Technique to be more like that, it would be incredibly useful. Even though it wouldn't compare to the Flying Thunder God teleportation, it would still allow me to move faster than the regular Body Flicker with better maneuverability. If I could reach the speed of someone like five-gate Lee, I'd be close to Chunin level, maybe even Jonin."

Kisuke knew he might be rushing things, trying to create his own Jutsu after being in this world for just over a month, but the temptation to explore ninjutsu and chakra was too strong. He was eager to see what he could achieve using his knowledge.

He wasn't a genius, and he knew that if the real geniuses of this world had his knowledge, they would create even more impressive Jutsu. They only lacked vision. So, he decided to push his advantage and create as many Jutsu as he could using his otherworldly knowledge.

Kisuke sat down and began to mentally break down the mechanics of Shunpo. It relied on quick, consecutive steps rather than a single burst of speed like the Body Flicker. The goal was to make each step faster and more controlled, allowing for better maneuverability and less chakra usage over time.

"This will be a long project, and I won't achieve it overnight, so it's better to split the technique into several parts and master each level before revealing the final Jutsu," he thought. "The first part should be learning to channel my chakra in short, controlled pulses instead of one big burst. Once I get that down, I can move to the next step."

He stood up, ready to test his theory. Forming the tiger hand seal, he tried to pulse his chakra in rapid, small bursts to his calves, visualizing moving forward step by step.

With a deep breath, he released his chakra in the first pulse. His body moved forward, but not as smoothly as he hoped due the low chakra pulse output. He tried again, this time with two quick pulses. The chakra output was greater this time, but he still stumbled.

Kisuke kept refining his approach, focusing on shorter and more controlled bursts of chakra. He began to feel the rhythm, his body adjusting to the rapid pulses of energy. It wasn't too hard; he was essentially just performing two Body Flicker Techniques in quick succession, but it was extremely chakra-consuming.

The hardest part was adjusting his vision to the second Body Flicker, as it happened just as he arrived at his destination, making him dizzy.

Thanks to his chakra pool, he could train longer without needing too many breaks. Daiki had told him that his chakra volume was comparable to a regular Genin, which made Kisuke wonder if he was talented, but Daiki dashed his hopes by saying it was common in their clan.

After many more tries, Kisuke got used to the feeling, and his vision stopped spinning.

"Now that my eyes can follow my movement, I guess it's time to move to the next level," he thought. "This time, instead of waiting until I arrive at the location, I'll release the second Body Flicker mid-way through the first."

Without wasting time, he put it to the test. As he released the first pulse of chakra, he focused on initiating the second burst before his body had fully arrived at the first destination.

The first attempt was a mess; as he executed the second flicker, he realized he was moving too fast to control. The world blurred around him, and before he could react, he collided headfirst with a tree.

Kisuke groaned in pain, rubbing his forehead where a bump was already forming. "Okay, maybe I should stay away from the trees," he muttered.

A burst of laughter interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, Kisuke saw a girl resting on a tree branch. She had tanned skin and purple hair, with golden eyes looking at him mischievously as she clutched her stomach, laughing.

"Yoruichi?!" Kisuke called out, recognizing her as a friend and Kanao's only daughter.

Wiping her tears, Yoruichi leaped from the tree and gracefully landed on the ground. "Long time no see, Kisuke." She grinned. "I didn't expect you to turn into a clown in my absence. Seriously, what were you just doing?" She laughed again.

Kisuke's eyes twitched. Being mocked by a kid wasn't exactly pleasant, especially knowing the girl in front of him was more talented.

"It's none of your business. You'll see how awesome the Jutsu I'm working on is once I finish it," he said, getting up and standing next to her.

Yoruichi's laughter subsided, and she gave him a curious look. "Oh? Now I'm interested. What's this Jutsu you're working on? Because..." she suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind him, startling him. "To me, it just looked like the Body Flicker Technique."

Seeing him stunned, she continued, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Or did you forget that I mastered this Jutsu long ago?"

She was right. Yoruichi was always extremely talented and had mastered the Body Flicker Technique in just one week, whereas it took him over three weeks to barely master it without occasionally failing to reach his desired destination. Despite her talent, she was immensely annoying to the original Kisuke, always bothering him and playing pranks. Because she was faster and stronger, he had no hope of catching her, which was one reason he wanted to learn Genjutsu. He figured he could trap her in an illusion and get back at her. Unfortunately, his hasty decision to learn without supervision cost him his life.

Kisuke wondered what Yoruichi's reaction would be if she found out she was one of the reasons the original Kisuke died.

"Of course, I didn't forget. I'm just making it better," Kisuke said after regaining his composure.

"Wow, are you serious?" Yoruichi looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "The bed-wetter Kisuke wants to create his own Jutsu?" She said without a hint of shame.

"That... don't call me that! That was two years ago!" Kisuke couldn't help but retort, embarrassed. Even though she wasn't wrong, it was the original Kisuke who used to wet his bed, not him.

"Hehe, you know the rules. If you want me to stop calling you that, you know what you have to do," she said with a smile.

Looking at her mischievous expression, Kisuke knew what she meant. She and the original Kisuke had made a deal that if he could catch her in a game of tag, she would never call him that disgraceful title again.

"Hmm, I'm doing something important right now. Don't bother me," Kisuke said, shaking his head and trying to get away to continue his experiment.

After taking a few steps, he felt something hit his butt, launching him against a tree and hitting his head, causing a second bump to appear.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kisuke rubbed his head before glaring at his attacker.

"Humph, do you seriously think that after months of traveling around the Land of Fire and finally coming back to Konoha to play, I would take 'no' for an answer?" Yoruichi raised her small fist. "I'll kick your ass and annoy you until you play with me."

Looking at her mocking smile, Kisuke's eyes twitched. She was serious. She would really beat him up or interrupt his experiment unless he played with her. What made him heartbroken was the fact that despite being the same age, she had immense physical strength, as expected from a Senju. Before, Kisuke had no chance of winning against her or catching her because she was simply faster and stronger than him, but now it was different. He could use the Body Flicker Technique too.

"Fine, I'll entertain you for a while. Just don't cry later when I catch you," he said, seeing no hope of continuing his experiment as long as she was there. He decided to teach her a lesson about respect.

"Hehe, yeah, that's the Kisuke I know," Yoruichi laughed, waiting for his move.

Without wasting time, Kisuke formed a seal and flickered to her side, extending his hand to catch her, but she was already gone.

Looking to his left, he saw her leaning against a tree. "She's faster than me?!"

"What's the matter?" Yoruichi smirked. "Did you think that just by mastering the Body Flicker Technique, you would suddenly be as fast as me?"

Kisuke flickered to her side again, but once more, Yoruichi was gone. Just as he looked around to find her, he heard a slight sound. Glancing in the direction, he saw a small thumb-sized ball heading toward him. Tilting his head just in time, the ball hit the tree and exploded, painting the bark yellow.

"Are you serious? Paintballs?" Kisuke exclaimed, wiping a small streak of yellow paint from his cheek.

Yoruichi laughed from her new perch on another tree. "You like my new toy? I bought a bunch of them in the capital." She patted her thigh pouch. "What's the matter? Afraid of a little make up?"

Ignoring her taunt, Kisuke refocused, forming the tiger hand seal. 'She's actually better at Body Flicker than me,' he thought. 'But that's okay. She's the perfect target to test shunpo on.'

He released his chakra, flickering toward Yoruichi. He saw her flicker away, just as he expected, and decided to execute the second flicker mid-step. But as he attempted the move, something went wrong. His control wavered, and instead of smoothly reappearing behind her, his vision blurred, and he lost his balance.

Before he could correct himself, he crashed headfirst into a nearby tree. The impact left him dazed, his forehead throbbing painfully.

Yoruichi's laughter echoed through the training ground as she hopped down from the tree, clearly amused. "Nice one, Kisuke! Didn't know you were into tree-hugging."

Kisuke groaned, rubbing the new bump on his forehead. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he muttered, trying to shake off the dizziness.

Yoruichi leaned in, grinning from ear to ear. "I think you're better off sticking to the basics for now instead of creating something. You're clearly bad at it."

Kisuke couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, but he wasn't about to give up. "Just you wait," he said, "I'll get it right, and then you'll see."

"Sure, sure," Yoruichi said, still grinning. "But maybe try not to knock yourself out next time, okay"

With that, she threw paintballs at him.

"Dammit!"