Naruto: The Sarutobi Who Can't Spark

One morning, after his usual session with Haruko, Raijin observed the rain – a soft cascade of droplets that blurred the world around him.

Each drop hit the ground with a gentle splash, creating tiny ripples in the puddles that had begun to form in the cracks of the ground. The heavy and gray sky spilled water as if the earth were being quietly rinsed clean. The sound was constant, the soft patter of droplets against rooftops, trees, and the ground, a beautiful rhythm that carried him away from his misery.

"Pomegranate and Marigold," he muttered.

In the span of – nearly One and half years since Raijin's rebirth in this world, he had never seen or experienced rain in the Village Hidden Under Leaves (Konoha). The droplets transformed familiar training grounds into something altogether, pool and muddle.

Raijin had planned to visit the clan library for a few cool lightning ninjutsu after learning the change in chakra nature to lightning after successfully crunching the piece of log (leaving char and burnt mark of lightning pattern). But, due to heavy rain, he changed his mind.

After finishing his meal of rice and grilled fish, Raijin made his way to his storeroom. He had noticed how the technologies in this world aren't entirely outdated or advanced.

Raijin had observed the peculiar technological landscape of this world - cathode ray tubes served as television displays, while transportation remained free of electrical vehicles and cars. Despite the presence of gunpowder, ammunition avoided the use of guns. What particularly intrigued him were the 8-bit computers in medical units and satellite dishes that transmitted viewable data to televisions.

'There aren't LED or CFL bulbs, just these incandescent ones,' Raijin mused as he was thankful even for an incandescent bulb that could be used for training lightning release by constantly keeping it lit and controlling its duration.

He carefully gathered his equipment: bulbs, an analog voltmeter, an analog ammeter, and various voltage sources, including batteries, electrochemical cells, portable current generators, and linear voltage regulators. He added electrolytic and ceramic capacitors, along with inductive coils, to his collection.

Raijin understood the necessity of gradual progression in his training. He would need to expose himself to incrementally increasing amounts of electricity, beginning with low-intensity shocks that his body could safely handle. Through consistent practice, his tolerance would grow, enabling him to withstand higher voltages while maintaining consciousness and managing pain.

"I hope this training doesn't prove fatal," he muttered, handling the measuring instruments extremely carefully.

In his mind, Raijin outlined his training regimen: - Regular exposure to progressively higher voltages and maintaining consciousness while conducting electricity. - Learn to absorb electrical attacks without damage while developing immunity to electrical feedback. - Learn to maintain consistent current flow through his body and redirect electricity from external sources like batteries and stun guns. - Learn to control the duration and intensity of electrical discharge

Raijin maintained strict safety protocols, ensuring current levels remained below 5 mA for DC or 1 mA for AC – known thresholds for human safety. For most people, anything above 5 mA can cause discomfort or be dangerous, so it's best to keep it below that threshold. He then checked the voltmeter reading to measure the voltage drop across the body(load). He ensured the voltage did not exceed 10V for dry skin or 1V for wet skin to avoid feeling the shock.

After his body gets used to the current at a low resistance, he can gradually lower the resistance to allow for a slightly higher current. Continue to monitor the readings from the ammeter and voltmeter to ensure they remain at safe levels. As the resistance decreases, the current will increase and he will feel a stronger sensation, but the goal is to ensure the current is low enough that he doesn't feel pain or discomfort.

"This is very dangerous," Raijin muttered. "I must learn shadow clone as quickly as possible, even a small mishap may cause my death. Though I'm uncertain if this approach is correct, I'll proceed with this initial test."

"Never exceed a current greater than 5 mA for DC or 1 mA for AC for training purposes." Raijin breathed as these values are safe thresholds for human perception and survival, "Pause the experiment after each session for the body to recover."

Gradual adaptation over time is key to improving tolerance to electrical exposure. So, Raijin must reassess the circuit and ensure he has not exceeded safe limits for current and voltage.

His safety guidelines were absolute. This included: Do not expose yourself to dangerous levels of current or voltage. If at any point you feel discomfort, immediately stop the experiment. If using high voltages, ensure the voltage is very low no more than 5-10V at the start. Use current-limiting resistors to avoid any accidental overcurrent conditions.

With precision, he assembled his circuit: connecting the battery as a power source, incorporating a rheostat, and adding the voltmeter in parallel with large resistance and the ammeter in series with small resistance. Rheostat in series allows adjustment to the current connected to the battery as a power source.

Raijin methodically set up the electrical circuit, double-checking each device. There was no room for error because this might cost him his life. This would also be essential for building resistance to electricity and developing his lightning chakra without any mishaps.

The low voltage will ensure the current is not high enough to cause harm. Setting the rheostat to maximum resistance initially would limit the current that flows through the circuit and will allow him to increase the current as he builds tolerance gradually. Slowly decreasing the resistance on the rheostat will increase the current flowing through the circuit and his body. Decreasing resistance will cause the ammeter to show an increase in the current, and the rheostat will be adjusted to control how much current passes through the body.

"Starting small – one-volt output," Raijin muttered as he flipped the switch. A subtle tingling sensation spread across his palm where it contacted the circuit. As the feeling settled into his nerves, he focused on his free hand, attempting to recreate that distinctive electrical sensation through chakra manipulation. To his surprise, channeling lightning chakra to his fingertips came almost naturally.

Chrip…Crack…

A sharp crack split the air as a bluish-white spark leaped between his thumb and forefinger.

Raijin's eyes lit up at the sight. The lightning chakra's sensation flowed like liquid electricity from his palm down into his fingers. It was quite an ethereal feeling followed by a tingling pain. The feeling was indeed like flowing water but more violent and unstable.

'More like a scared cat that'll leave you a bloody scar if not handled carefully.'

He methodically tested the electric spark from his thumb to each finger in turn, while his other hand maintained continuous contact with the circuit's output.

When he switched off the circuit, the artificial tingling faded even when he channeled chakra from his palm.

Now came the real challenge – replicating that same sensation purely through the change in chakra nature. Slowly he concentrated chakra in his palm to vibrate at its highest frequency, seeking that distinctive spark between his fingers.

Minutes passed in focused concentration. Gradually, a familiar tingle built in his palm, and finally, the bluish-white arc danced between his forefinger and thumb – this time purely from his chakra.

Crack

With renewed confidence, he switched the circuit back on, finding the dual sensation far easier to maintain now that he had mastered it independently. He could channel the electricity from his hand with the circuit back on but only spark with his fingers without it.

He again switched off the circuit and began concentrating the chakra in his hand to spark the lightning through his forefinger and thumb.

"Hahaha... This is incredible!" Raijin's laughter echoed through the quiet storeroom, drunk on the success of his experiment.

His fingers crackled with small arcs of electricity as a grin spread across his face.

"Who said I couldn't spark?"

The air around him hummed with lightning sparks as he continued his practice, each successful spark bringing him one step closer to mastering lightning release.

"Higher voltages can wait – mastering this spark comes first."

Raijin exposed himself as a load in the electrical setup he had made to build his resistance to electricity for the past two days. He had a sore body and a painful sensation throughout his nervous system for the very first 24 hours.

The next day, after 4 hours of sleep, his 'lightning resistance build training' was scheduled as a one-time event in his daily schedule.

Even after the third day, Raijin still felt tingling throughout his body. He contemplated the training schedule he had tailored to be on the right path. But alas, he continued the same exposure, but with a limited number of times.

After successfully producing sparks using an electrical circuit, Raijin settled into a rigorous training routine. Each morning, he would start with the electrical circuit, using it to sensitize his chakra pathways to electrical flow. The familiar tingle became his baseline for manipulating his lightning chakra.