Yagura Karatachi had also received his teammates' files from his grandfather.
Naturally, he was particularly interested in Hozuki Mangetsu, the prodigy who could wield all seven of the legendary blades. However, Yagura set the files aside for now, leaving them in his room.
He didn't check them right away. Instead, he headed straight to the Karatachi estate's training grounds.
His daily training routine wasn't done yet.
"Tch, men… they only slow down my hand seals."
The Karatachi clan was a renowned and prestigious family in Kirigakure. As one of the village's top-ranking noble clans, their estate was not only massive, but the training grounds in the backyard—dedicated solely to their clan members—were absurdly vast.
If someone were to build an apartment complex here, they could easily construct a towering multi-story building and rent it out for a fortune.
As the young master of the Karatachi clan, Yagura had enjoyed unrestricted access to these expansive training grounds since childhood.
At the age of three or four, he had already extracted his chakra and, eager to test his abilities, immediately used a chakra paper to determine his nature affinities.
Water, Lightning, Wind.
Three chakra affinities.
Upon discovering this, Yagura locked himself in his room for an entire night, brainstorming the best path for his ninjutsu development.
Sure, he was still just a child, but he had seen enough to understand the fundamentals. He might not have firsthand experience, but he had knowledge—plenty of it.
After all, the world of Naruto and countless other anime had thoroughly explored the potential of elemental techniques.
Yagura's goal was simple: sift through his vast knowledge and extract what would best enhance his strength.
It wasn't about stacking every possible ninjutsu onto himself—more jutsu didn't necessarily make a shinobi stronger.
Every experienced warrior had their own distinct combat style.
Take Jiraiya, for example.
Jiraiya possessed a vast arsenal of jutsu and always seemed to pull out new techniques in battle, as if he had an endless supply of trump cards. However, aside from summoning jutsu, his core strengths lay in Lion's Mane Jutsu, Fire Release, and Oil Release—essentially making him a long-range artillery fighter.
This applied to other powerful shinobi as well, such as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Gaara, and Mei Terumi.
On the other hand, there was Namikaze Minato.
Minato relied on the Flying Thunder God Technique for instantaneous movement, closing the distance in an instant to eliminate his enemies with kunai or Rasengan. He was an assassin-type fighter, the complete opposite of his master, Jiraiya.
Why mention Jiraiya and Minato?
Because of Rasengan—a ninjutsu that required no hand seals and could be unleashed instantly.
Minato used it in tandem with Flying Thunder God, executing a second-stage teleportation to take down his enemies in a flash.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, employed Giant Rasengan as a mid-range, high-impact technique.
This highlighted the distinct differences in their combat styles.
Of course, this comparison applied to ordinary shinobi.
If you happened to possess both Tailed Beast Chakra Mode and the ability to activate Susanoo, then, well—you were simply the strongest. None of this mattered to you.
...
Back to our protagonist, Yagura Karatachi.
With three chakra natures at his disposal, he had far more choices than the average ninja.
He didn't have to struggle with deciding whether to become a long-range artillery fighter or a close-combat warrior.
A well-rounded skill set was the key to becoming a great leader—
(Ahem) I mean, a great Mizukage!
All high-ranking shinobi, especially Jonin and above, were proficient in taijutsu to some extent. Hiruzen, for example, had his arsenal of elemental techniques, but he also had the summon Enma to assist him in close combat.
For Yagura, Lightning Release was a no-brainer. Drawing inspiration from the Raikage, he aimed to master a Lightning Release Chakra Mode that enhanced offense, defense, and speed all at once.
A high-level melee ability required singular focus and extreme dedication.
"Thunderclap and Flash!!"
Boom!!
A blinding bolt of electricity streaked through the air, accompanied by the sharp gleam of a blade.
The training dummy was cleaved cleanly in half.
The upper portion slid off slowly, landing on the ground with a dull thud.
Yagura straightened, taking a deep breath. He approached the severed dummy and ran his fingers along the smooth, polished cross-section.
Satisfied with his progress, he gave a firm nod.
Of course, he wasn't just drawing inspiration from Naruto—other anime were fair game too.
One technique, in particular, had caught his eye: Thunderclap and Flash, used by Zenitsu Agatsuma from Demon Slayer.
Why?
Because it was cool.
Also, its raw speed perfectly aligned with Yagura's vision for his Lightning Release techniques.
"If only I could figure out the Breathing Techniques."
He had tried countless times to replicate the breathing methods described in the manga. The results? Somewhat effective, but nowhere near what he had hoped for.
His body simply didn't possess the superhuman physical traits of a Demon Slayer.
"Guess it's just a difference in power systems."
With a sigh, Yagura shook his head.
Even if he couldn't master Breathing Techniques, he had successfully replicated Thunderclap and Flash using chakra.
He kicked the severed half of the dummy high into the air before lowering into a crouch.
Lightning chakra surged through his legs, flowing into every vein and muscle fiber, pushing his body beyond its natural limits.
"Thunderclap and Flash!!"
A flash of steel—a single, precise strike.
Then, dozens of rapid, dazzling slashes followed in an instant.
Yagura landed, and the dummy's remains scattered into countless wooden fragments, tumbling to the ground.
"Whew…"
He twirled his short blade skillfully.
Unlike the katana used by the Demon Slayer Corps, Yagura had chosen a short blade roughly the length of an adult's forearm—something more suited to his fighting style.
"That's enough Thunderclap and Flash training for today."
As impressive as it looked, the technique placed immense strain on his legs.
Twice per session was his limit—any more, and he'd need a medic, followed by a long lecture from his grandfather.
...
With a thought, Yagura dispelled his blade, allowing it to dissolve back into water using Water Release Chakra.
Next up—Water Release training.
He intended to develop a long-range artillery fighting style with it.
In the original Naruto series, the most impressive Water Release users were Senju Tobirama, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Hozuki Gengetsu.
Compared to these three, others like Mei Terumi, Zabuza, and even Yagura himself as the Fourth Mizukage had far less remarkable showings.
After careful consideration, he chose to model his technique after Tobirama's Water Release: Water Severing Wave.
A technique so refined that it could slice through the God Tree itself.
...
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
...
A moment later, Yagura found himself staring at a collapsed section of the estate's outer wall.
"Uh-oh…"
Too late to run.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!"
His grandfather stormed in, witnessing the destruction.
With a furious shout, he launched a devastating kick, sending Yagura flying through the air.
"STOP TEARING DOWN THE HOUSE!!"
"I'M SORRY!!!"