Naruto: legacy of the lightning

Here's the translation into English:

Well, remember when I mentioned the danger of starting to create my own weapons and becoming obsessive about it? If you don't recall, here's a summary:

When I start something that interests me, I obsess over it so much that I become a specialist in no time—sacrificing sleep, meals, and other activities just to stay immersed in what I'm researching.

Clank Clank.

The sound of metal being hammered echoes through an Uchiha blacksmith's forge.

I asked the master blacksmith to teach me the art of blacksmithing. At first he hesitated, but when I showed him some blueprints, his curiosity got the better of him and he let me craft a few items.

Clank Clank.

I've done this before in my past life—thanks to that obsessive streak, I've picked up many skills, from martial arts to craftsmanship.

Clank Clank.

What I'm making now are the weapons I used back then—shaped like axes, but with curved handles designed for easy throwing. Since I'm smaller now, I've modified them to be lighter and shorter.

"All done," I say as I lift the new weapon—something unseen in this world—"a tomahawk."

It's more conspicuous than a kunai or shuriken, but I used plain wood and iron. The blacksmith praises my hammer skills despite my small size. You might say: he's just a little over five years old—how can he do that?

But this is a ninja world, a nearly militarized village with genius ninjas like Kakashi, Guy (even if not in ninjutsu), Kurenai with her genjutsu, and many others across generations. This isn't unusual. And I was adopted by an Uchiha woman, trained as soon as I could stand. Count yourself lucky I didn't get sent to war at four like Itachi… that would've been unthinkable cruelty.

Sorry, I got sidetracked thinking while working. Anyway, I present the weapon and blueprints to the blacksmith, who notes that I must have some income. So I pitch the idea of selling throwing axes. How can an axe fit in a ninja world? I reply: how can there be huge swords like Samehada or the Executioner's Blade as "ninja weapons"? Historically it doesn't make sense—but this is Naruto's world, so who cares?

Days pass like this—I'm consumed by the forge, waiting for my jōnin teacher to return, and still struggling with Flying Thunder God Technique. It's not just about marking a location; you need spatial awareness and chakra control to make your own "signature." The most annoying thing is the weapon material: if you use Flying Thunder God on a weapon, it consumes massive chakra and sometimes breaks it.

I tried placing a kunai on the ground as a marker—I could feel the mark. Now I have to activate it later to teleport to it, a sensation like passing through a door. I managed to teleport onto the marker, but I was moving fast and slammed into a tree. Add the dizziness from massive chakra usage and spatial shift—I wound up crashing into that tree, lying on the ground for an hour, thinking about ways to improve, and how to make it profitable.

With that in mind, I sketched designs in my head so I can draw them at home and find a shop to mass-produce them.

"AAARGH, the dizziness is so strong I feel like I'm going to throw up," I scream into the empty forge—I can do nothing but complain.

Days pass, I keep training and crafting weapons. Then, on what seems like any other day, a white-haired man with a messy ponytail and a short sword on his back approaches me.

"Hello, you must be Furukawa Kenji, right?" asks the white-haired man.

I keep hammering at the forge without looking up. "Yes." Clank.

He watches me curiously, looking stunned—what I'm forging isn't typical ninja gear. The forge's heat hits my face like a punch, sparks fly and extinguish on the stone floor, leaving the faint smell of burnt iron and oil.

Minutes pass. He sits down somewhere. After hammering and forge heat-treating, I quenched the weapon in the blacksmith's oil, then sharpened it and attached the handle. Now it's ready.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to make your own weapons—I thought you'd just buy or commission something custom," he says, impressed and smiling.

"I could have bought one with clan backing, but I prefer to create my own. That way, I give my weapon a soul—and the right to earn its name."

His eyes widen—he didn't expect that from a kid his age. Then he shakes his head and continues speaking.

"Sorry—I forgot to introduce myself." He scratches his head. "I'm Hatake Sakumo, and I'll be your jōnin instructor."

My jaw drops—this old "white fang" is my teacher? I thought I'd be assigned to another jōnin since I'm adopted by an Uchiha, but it seems this conspiratorial old man doesn't consider me an "evil Uchiha." He must think I can be redeemed because I'm not blood-related.

"Looks like I surprised you, haha." He smiles and offers his hand. "Nice to meet you."

I shake his hand—it's official: the White Fang is now my teacher.

"By the way," he says, pulls a notebook from his Chūnin vest (they still give them to newly promoted jōnin), flips through a few pages. "The Hokage said you'll be the only one in my squad—most genin specialize in ninjutsu or taijutsu, but you were assigned to me because of your peculiar fighting style." He closes the notebook. "So I'll give you a test to assess your skills and get a look at that 'peculiar' style."

"Understood."

Sakumo and I move to an empty training field. In the center, he pulls out a small bell.

"All right, your goal is to take this bell from me—use any method. But if you can't, I'll have to send you back to the academy. Understood?"

"Yes."

He ties the bell to his belt and assumes stance. "Go when you're ready."

Flash! I use Body Flicker to rush him, feeling out his reflexes. He draws his sword to cut me, but I use Flying Thunder God (reverse) to bring in the shield I made earlier, absorbing the strike. That jutsu leaves me breathless—but since I didn't teleport myself, I avoid the usual dizziness.

While he's recovering from the impact, I form hand seals, summon a clone, and launch a pincer attack. But he kicks the shield, which flies away, exposing my torso. So I use Substitution Jutsu—leaving a log in my place—and immediately release a massive fireball: Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, about the size of two basketballs.

He dodges easily, which is exactly the effect I wanted. My clone rushes in with the shield, trying to stun him and buy me more time—but the shield's kicked again, and the clone disperses.

At that moment, I grab my tomahawk and hurl it with all my strength. It whistles through the air, glancing off Sakumo's blade and grazing his waist. I immediately use reverse Flying Thunder God again to recall my shield and hurl it like Captain America.

He catches it, but I then use Body Flicker and fireball jutsu to cover myself and thrust forward to grab the bell—but he knees me in the abdomen while dodging the fireball and shield.

"Sometimes, over-planning is your worst enemy in a real fight," observes Sakumo, noticing my tendency to think too much during combat. He's right—I can't deny it. But when I was thrown back, I still used Flying Thunder God to appear under the shield after he'd dodged it. I appeared behind him, dizzy, forcing myself steady—seeing the bell in reach:

"You'll work. I want that damned bell, damn it," I think, full of determination.

Before he could react, I snatched the bell.

"I did it, hahaha."

I grabbed it, collapsed to the dirt, and burst into an odd, exhausted laughter.

"Hehehe, heheh."

POV: Sakumo

The kid moves fast—faster than I expected from someone his age. I watch as he launches that awkward yet gutsy flicker. His tomahawk practically pulls itself from its sheath, aiming at the test… and then I see the flash: a shield. Summoned via the Second Hokage's technique.

"Interesting—he's not summoning it defensively, but as a tool. Ready to take the hit, but cautious."

He's breathing hard—makes sense; that jutsu taxes him. I see it from the first exchange.

He forms seals for a clone. I let him—curious how far his creativity will go. His torso was exposed after the earlier kick. I swing my sword—but white smoke appears and meets resistance as if cutting wood. Substitution, huh?

Then he sends a massive fireball from a tree branch—my face warms as I dodge. He's no Uchiha, but it's strong. His thrown axe surprises me—not the weapon, but that a thread diverted it last second, grazing my waist. Where did he learn that? That's not a typical Uchiha trick.

Then another clone emerges from the woods with the shield raised. I kick the shield again—but when the clone disappears, the shield flies at me followed by a fireball. I dodge and face him—I realize he's overthinking things.

I knee him in the stomach after he appears.

"Sometimes, over-planning is your worst enemy in a real fight," I warn.

He doesn't give up. As he flies back, I notice a smile: "just as I planned." He disappears and then I feel him behind me—despite being dizzy, he grits his teeth and reaches the bell.

"I did it, hahaha," he says—and collapses, laughing, exhausted.

I smile. This kid… has talent, and the guts to risk everything for his goal.

"Good job, Kenji," I praise.

But he keeps laughing… it's awkward. He really pushed himself to his limit—best let him rest.

Despite his speed and tactics, he's a clever strategist—though overthinking is his weakness. But if he finds a team, he could shine on the battlefield.

Also, his strong will stands out under pressure—something a normal genin his age wouldn't try. The Hokage was right: he fights unconventionally and uses tools I've never seen. I never saw him use his main axe—maybe he underestimated it or thought it useless since I'd block it anyway. If it's the former, I admire his logic—ninja fights are intelligence games. If you don't know your opponent, you're likely to lose.

zzz…

He seems to have fallen asleep from exhaustion while I think. I observe his sleeping face—he looks peaceful. But now that I think about it, even though I know he's adopted, I can't deny the Uchiha resemblance—but I also saw a mark on his neck during the fight… where's that from? No way to investigate—it's not my business. His mother died on a road, and there's no sign of his father. So I can only wonder and let it go.

Bleeeergh…

Ah, he vomited in his sleep.

POV: Kenji

I slowly come to, feeling cool air and softness. I'm on a bed? I open my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling—I always wanted to say that line, if only for laughs.

"Am I… dead?" I ask in a monotone.

"No, you're safe. You just exhausted all your chakra and energy."

I hear a voice nearby, but I can't place it—just as I struggle with faces, I can't distinguish voices unless they're really unique.

"Hi there, Sleeping Beauty."

…That voice—red-haired girl—Kushina?

"…"

I'm confused—how did I go from nearly dying to seeing Kushina beside me? This must be a genjutsu, right? Let's test it—I can say anything here, right?

"I think I died—this must be heaven. Surrounded by such flamingly beautiful hair like the Uchiha flames… What good deeds did I do to deserve such a blessing?"

I say it dramatically—and because it's a genjutsu, I feel free to be silly. But Kushina blushes and punches me on the head.

"AAAGH!"

That hurt… so it's not a dream at least. Let's see.

I do hand seals to dispel the genjutsu—but it doesn't go away. Oh no.

"So it's not a genjutsu?" I say, rubbing my head to ease the pain.

"Of course not, idiot. And why are you saying such nonsense?"

"Well, it occurred to me when I saw you."

Kushina calms down, puts a hand on my head, and begins to gently stroke it.

"I'm glad you're awake. I saw you being carried by a jōnin and was worried you were injured. Then I realized you'd only collapsed from exhaustion—and vomited on yourself in your sleep."

Damn, I vomited? That explains why I'm so hungry like I haven't eaten in days.

But anyway… why am I here? It's not like we're friends, right? Sure, I planned to learn sealing techniques from her, but not this situation.

"Judging by your face, I take it you don't know why I brought you here, right?"

How does she know? Does my expression give it away?

"No, but your body language does—you tilt your head when you don't understand something."

"How do you know that? Have you been watching me?" I narrow my eyes suspiciously.

"A little. But only because I saw in you the same feelings I had at the academy… because I was alone there as an outsider. I see the same eyes in you." She smiles softly as she stands.

"Don't overthink it, or you'll pass out again. Your fatigue was both physical and mental—if you keep using that brain, you'll just exhaust yourself more."

She leaves for a moment, returning with a bowl of ramen.

"Here—this is all I could do for now. I hoped you'd wake soon."

The ramen has meat, vegetables, and a boiled egg. I slurp the broth and quickly grab the bowl and chopsticks—the hunger feels endless.

Kushina's face looks happy. I don't understand why—it's sudden, but maybe to her it's like caring for her past self. I don't know, and I don't want to think about it—time to enjoy this ramen.

By the way, I found a note from Sakumo saying I passed—so now I can truly be called a ninja… Genin. But it's a start, right?