The rewards for A-rank missions vary in value.
For the Black Rain Technique, its worth would depend on how effectively it synergized with Fire Release.
If potent, the reward would naturally be higher.
As for the system...
Kyōichi had no intention of teaching each shinobi individually. With Konoha's numbers, that was impossible. The optimal approach was to distribute scrolls for self-study and peer instruction.
After all, the Black Rain Technique wasn't some advanced kinjutsu.
Without even returning to his quarters, Kyōichi immediately drafted the technique's principles and applications within the command tent—including analyses on oil-based water transformations.
Unfortunately.
The Black Rain's oil conversion remained crude, far from the sophistication of the Steaming Danger Tyranny technique.
Scroll completed, he summoned Shisui and Asuma's team outside.
"Sensei..."
"Proceed. Use ninjutsu on me. Asuma, begin with Wind Release."
Kyōichi avoided Fire Release this time.
Last experiment with tailed beast chakra had left Samehada sulking for days—only placated after repeated water-nature feedings. Yet this reassured him.
Samehada favored his chakra.
Barring extreme circumstances, betrayal seemed unlikely.
Other chakra types posed no issue.
Asuma nodded, forming seals before exhaling a Vacuum Wave.
Samehada intercepted—
The wind-nature chakra flowed directly into Kyōichi's system.
With a drawn blade—
Sshink!
The ground bore a slender scar.
"Success!"
Asuma vibrated with excitement.
If wind worked, lightning theoretically could too.
Yet.
Kyōichi wasn't that naive.
"Shisui, attempt Lightning Release."
"Only Earth Flow available."
"Sufficient."
The weak current posed no danger—
Precisely why Kyōichi dared test it.
Shisui's palms met earth, discharging electricity.
Samehada absorbed again.
This time—
Sparks danced along the blade before fizzling out. The minuscule charge couldn't sustain.
But the principle held.
Execution demanded extreme chakra control and affinity familiarity—
Impossible without the system's Chidori insights. Normal shinobi struggled mastering even their innate natures.
"Sensei... how?"
Shisui stared incredulously.
Earth Flow was Lightning Release's most basic technique—yet he'd spent months grasping just its fundamentals.
Had Kyōichi possessed lightning affinity, he wouldn't have been shocked. But this defied logic.
"Hardly mastery. Crude redirection at best."
Kyōichi dismissed the awe.
Chidori's piercing nature hadn't manifested—just raw lightning chakra.
The pitiful input constrained output.
Samehada's limitations became apparent.
Viable—but impractical as standard tactics.
Teammate chakra-sharing remained an option, yet hardly sustainable.
Yin Seal modifications seemed the true solution.
Tailed beast chakra storage...
Alternative containment?
Perhaps temporary reservoirs?
If feasible... could pseudo-Ten-Tails chakra synthesis be possible someday?
Kyōichi's imagination soared—
Though the path was daunting.
Nine tailed beasts' energies weren't easily blended. Mere fantasy for now.
"Sensei, what was today's technique called?"
"Lightning Release: Kirin."
Kyōichi spared Sasuke's naming rights—
At least nominally.
Shisui sighed wistfully.
The technique wasn't strictly collaborative—
Solo execution seemed plausible.
Were his Lightning Release not so mediocre compared to fire and genjutsu...
"Don't force unfitting paths."
Kyōichi cautioned against obsession.
Kakashi mastered multiple natures yet specialized in earth and lightning.
Jack-of-all-trades mastery required... unconventional methods.
Shisui nodded.
Envy didn't cloud his judgment.
Kirin's spectacle had cowed Ōnoki—
The Tsuchikage wouldn't risk gradual advances under stormy skies now.
Kumo's assault should pressure Konoha's eastern front—
Perhaps even forcing western redeployments. Then Iwagakure's true opportunity would arise.
Originally, Ōnoki had envisioned direct confrontation.
Kirin extinguished that notion.
Stability first.
Yet he'd never anticipate Konoha's eastern elites circling behind.
Kyōichi's experiments concluded with routine patrols.
Then—
Familiar chakra signatures pinged his senses.
Might Duy, Obito, Rin and Team Guy.
What fresh madness was this?
Kindergarten deployment?
Soon, the green-clad procession entered view—
Two spandexed figures Duy and Guy, plus...
Obito?!
The Uchiha's crimson face burned hotter than his future Mangekyō as all eyes locked onto his emerald bodysuit.
Deep breaths.
Power demands sacrifice.
"Kyōichi-sama..."
"Didn't expect you as courier, Duy-san. The Hokage awaits within. I'll oversee them temporarily."
The contagion of youth was real.
Duy departed obediently—
As a tokubetsu jōnin, he deferred to Kyōichi's authority.
Left behind, Obito withered under stares until—
"It's... practical for taijutsu!"
Silence.
Then—
"No one said otherwise."
Kurenai murmured.
"With this outfit, you too can master the Eight Gates!"
Guy's thumbs-up and gleaming teeth triggered existential regret.
"Courage to discard vanity is commendable."
Kyōichi's shoulder pat offered scant comfort.
Inside, the new arrivals assembled—
Five genin.
Only Kakashi deemed worthy for Minato's squad?
Obito's desperation made sense now.
Yet Minato's decision was sound—
That elite unit had no room for deadweight. Even Kakashi barely qualified.
"Kyōichi-sensei, what's our assignment?"
Obito's impatience surfaced immediately.
The others shared his curiosity—just more restrained.
"Combat deployment against Iwa. You'll operate under my direct supervision—no solo excursions."
"Yes!"
Eager nods all around.
Kyōichi suppressed a headache.
If not for logistical constraints, he'd pawn them off immediately.
But here—
With experience and capability, he was the obvious choice.
Others already commanded full squads.
The eastern front's brutality made it no place for children.
This arrangement was temporary anyway—
If plans succeeded, Iwagakure would soon be forced to negotiate.
Then the war's tempo would shift.
A brief stint of babysitting—nothing more.
"Current training focuses?"
"Taijutsu!"
"Shadow Shuriken Technique!"
"..."
"How to awaken the Sharingan?"
Obito's deadly seriousness made Shisui bite his tongue—
Mine activated from sheer terror...