Naruto: The Sarutobi Who Can't Spark

In the evening after sending Elder Sohei and Elder Haruko, Raijin sat in his electrical setup to develop electric resistance.

He'd never abandoned electric exposure from his electrical setup, even after mastering Electrical Release and developing significant resistance to electricity. He believed this relentless training would help him create a denser, more potent lightning release, one so powerful it could be feared by destruction itself and develop a resistance strong enough to leave him unaffected by its force.

During his session of electric resistance, Raijin suddenly muttered, "Damn it," with frustration, "I completely forgot to discuss my physical training regime with Elder."

He'd been meaning to talk to Haruko about increasing the intensity of his physical training. But the conversation about Academy Enrollment and the Shadow Clone Jutsu had consumed his thoughts, leaving no room for the physical training he needed to address.

Where once his muscles had burned with exertion, now they barely whispered of effort. His current routine of bodyweight exercises, including endless push-ups, squats, and core work, had become almost effortless.

Raijin craved more, needed more. His thought drifted to the iron weights he'd used in his previous life. Imagining the satisfying strain of progressive overload training, he pictured it almost clearly: methodically adding weight, week after week, watching his strength climb like a steadily rising tide, driving him toward a single goal.

"To sculpt a body worthy of…" his voice trailed off.

"Greek God." He finished, lingering in the air like a vow.

Raijin desired a more challenging and progressive physical training regimen, such as exercise with external weights. His current routine, limited to only bodyweight exercises, had become far too easy for him.

He longed to feel that familiar burn again. The resistance that'll force his muscles to adapt and grow.

The weight exercises he knew would allow him to push beyond his limits, applying the principle of progressive overload. Each increase in resistance and failure brought him closer to the peak of physical strength he envisioned.

Yet physical strength alone wasn't enough for him.

Raijin's electrical circuit also followed the principle of progressive overload, where he gradually increased the voltage.

Through this progressive training, Raijin wanted to develop a tough nervous system that could tolerate electrical shocks. This goal involved constantly subjecting himself to low-level electric shocks, gradually increasing the voltage and intensity.

Weeks after weeks, he subjected himself to controlled and low-level electric shocks, carefully increasing the voltage as his tolerance grew. Each session left him tingling, his body vibrating with residual energy, but he endured it with unwavering resolve.

Over time, he hoped to trigger adaptive neuroplasticity, enabling his nervous system to adapt and improve its tolerance to shocks and even the harshest electrical exposure. This meant turning the downside of lightning release into a formidable strength, like how muscles strengthen through incremental weight training.

As a result, his nerve cells would become more resilient to the damaging effects of electric currents. This enhanced resilience would allow Raijin to endure shocks that would otherwise harm, cripple and even kill most individuals, significantly boosting his overall physical resilience.

"Hah… lightning release combined with kicks and punches is powerful, but I still can't maintain the form for long. My limit is about fifteen minutes." Fifteen minutes of blinding speed and amplified strikes. Fifteen minutes, where his body became a living conduit for lightning. It was the result of months of electrical exposure.

But after every session, the aftermath was brutal; an unbearable, searing pain coursed through his nerves, leaving him incapacitated for hours. His nervous system wasn't strong enough yet to handle the long and continuous, high-voltage current flowing through his body during combat.

Toughening his body and nervous system was the only option Raijin had if he wanted to master this technique.

To become a force that didn't just wield lightning but embodied it, he needed time, pain, and the unyielding will to push through every limit.

But tonight, Raijin had pushed beyond his usual threshold – pushed through his limit. He miscalculated his resistance to electricity.

The voltage was much higher than ever before. The shock hit him like a thousand needles of fire shooting through his veins. His muscles seized uncontrollably, locking his body in place, as if nerves had been ignited.

This pain that followed was unlike anything he had endured. His body felt like it was breaking.

Mind swam in a haze, thoughts blurring and slipping away, and he couldn't grasp anything for more than a fleeting moment. His vision wavered, the edges of the world fraying, as though his very sense of self was being ripped apart by a violent force. Every second stretched into an eternity, and his consciousness slipped in and out of focus.

Fortunate was on his side, as his other hand barely caught the resistance, cutting the current and freeing him from the grip of the electricity.

With what little strength remained, barely enough to stand, he staggered toward the bed and collapsed. His body slowly sank into the mattress like a weightless burden.

---

Deep within a desolate forest, Raijin found himself alone. He looked above at the sky.

Towering trees stretched endlessly high. Their branches intertwined to form a dense canopy. So thick that only scattered light managed to pierce through it.

He then sensed the smell. The scent of damp earth and fallen leaves grounded him in the natural world around him.

Nature seemed to thrive in every corner, bursting with colors and subtle hues that painted vibrancy. Raijin felt that if he painted the landscape, he would be as renowned as Leonardo da Vinci. It was just way too beautiful.

But despite the forest's richness of life, there was no evidence of animals or even the chirping of birds. It remained quiet, peaceful, serene, and undisturbed.

Raijin felt a wave of calm wash over him. The silence wasn't oppressive but rather… meditative. Finding solace in this peaceful isolation, he surveyed his surroundings with growing curiosity.

His fingers curled around a slender metal walking stick. Its familiar weight grounded him in this unfamiliar place. The metal was cool to the touch, its surface marked with subtle patterns.

As he gazed downward, an unsettling realization struck him – he was sitting at an unusual height, his legs dangling far above the forest ground.

Pushing aside his unease, he began to gather scattered leaves, selecting those that still held their form rather than crumbling at his touch. He also gathered a piece of sturdy bark. Then, he arranged the leaves across the bark's surface, creating a natural cushion to protect his clothing from the damp earth.

After retrieving the dangling legs, he sat cross-legged in a lotus position. His mind went into a tranquil state, free from stress, anxiety, worry, pain, or even sadness.

The tranquility shattered as an unexpected sensation pulsed against his thigh. It was not a strong jolt, but rather a gentle, rhythmic vibration that felt almost like a soft, quick tapping against his skin.

The pocket itself felt a bit heavy and maybe… cold? Against his thigh. But the rhythmic sensation came as if it were a vibrating motor. The feeling localized around his thigh and hip and the buzz spread a little as his body absorbed the vibration.

His hand subconsciously slid into the pocket. There was a thin metal, flat cuboid similar to the size of a small book, but much smaller than the usual book with two-fifty words on each page.

The flat metal was lightweight or, not as heavy as a rock, but not as light as a leaf either.

The surface was smooth and glossy, almost like glass. A tightly woven fabric had a slightly raised line or ridge, and on the side, there were small, tiny bumps.

This was a phone!

Recognition hit him like a bolt of lightning – it was a phone. Raijin jolted back from lotus-position when his mind registered the phone. "What the fuck!?"

His gaze quickly shifted to his attire. He was wearing a T-shirt, joggers and sports shoes. The bizarre sense of familiarity mingled with confusion.

As his mind raced through a hundred frantic thoughts, his face turned pale red, the muscles in his neck tensed, and a vein bulged with rising blood pressure.

His face swelled like a balloon filling with water, expanding continuously.

His limbs and hands contorted unnaturally, and he lost control over his body as it shot into the sky.

One leg pointed upward, and one hand twisted unnervingly to touch his spine. The elbow of his other arm twisted backward, and his legs twisted sideways at angles.

Suddenly, he plummeted to the ground, exploding on impact. Exploding as if the blood had built up too much for his fragile body to contain.

His flesh or mangled body scattered across the ground, splattering into pools of red puddles at once.

---

Raijin jolted awake with a sharp gasp, his body trembling as his eyes snapped open.

He desperately tried to focus on the dim, quiet room around him.

He was drenched in sweat, and its coldness prickled against his back, causing his breath to come in ragged gasps.

Heart pounded erratically in his chest like it was fighting against something inside him. His body was aching from every bone and muscle.

Hands trembled as he pushed himself upright, trying to steady himself.

He glanced around the room, blinking rapidly as if trying to recalibrate his senses. Shaking his head, he pushed himself up, stumbling toward the window.

The cool air hit his face, but it did little to chase away the haunting image of his deformed, mangled body – pieces of flesh, lying in a pool of blood. And the searing pain from what felt like a thousand needles.

It lingered on the back of his head.

Death had followed him in the silence of the night, reminding him that even though he was here, somehow, he could die.

He had died, but this encounter of death in a dream felt more real and grueling than his previous life's death. It was a real death just by the shock. Shock of an explosion.

"Marigold and Pomegranate", he muttered to himself, trying to calm himself.

The images surfaced in his mind continuously and unstoppably. Running towards the bathroom his stomach heaved as he vomited.

His body still trembled after vomiting twice in the middle of the night.

The morning sun rays fell through the window as Raijin dragged himself out of bed.

Yesterday's electric exposure had left its mark - leaving him with a lingering tingling sensation that made even the simple exercise a new challenge.

And the vomiting twice due to the nightmare that made his body and mind, weak and sluggish.

The nightmare still flashed in his mind, lingering like a shadow he couldn't shake. But… Raijin calmed himself down with the same technique he used in the middle of the night; the rhythmic counting of sheep in his mind.

Gradually, the images began to fade, his racing heartbeat slowing and he could feel his body again, regaining control.

Raijin slowly sat up, struggling to steady his breathing, but it was still hard to shake the unsettling sensation.

Images from the nightmare still flickered in his mind but he could somehow ignore them. Slowly pushing aside, the haunting nightmare of the blood pool, just enough to breathe, to anchor himself in the present.

After a few minutes, his eyes refocused and he took a few long, deep breaths.

Breath In… Breath Out

He stood slowly, his legs wobbling beneath him, but the urgency to train was clear and undeniable.

The pain in my body? It would fade. The nightmare? It would fade too…

Despite his weak body and his mind's protests, he pushed through half of his morning routine, completing his usual unchanging bodyweight exercise. Next, he transitioned to the chakra control exercise, creating the Rasengan.

By seven a.m., he was stretching his aching body in an attempt to get the blood flowing through his muscles and speed up his recovery as quickly as possible.

Stretching felt like a placebo, offering temporary relief, much like a child's remedy for a cough or fever. Still, it worked well enough. By nine o'clock, he felt relieved and had somehow regained his flexibility.

Finally, he got ready, fully aware of the day's significance…

The Academy Entrance Examination.

***