Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 74 Incomplete Lightning Release Chakra Mode

In a small town on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Frost, Uchiha Touya walked in with ease.

"This must be it... that so-called traitor to Konoha, Hattori Ichiro!"

According to intelligence reports, this so-called Hattori Ichiro is a commoner Jonin who stole many secrets from Konoha. He is quite proficient in Lightning Release and swordsmanship, and his fighting style is very similar to that of Konoha's White Fang.

Of course, in Uchiha Tou's opinion, this fighting style was less similar to Konoha's White Fang and more similar to those ninjas from Kumogakure. Uchiha Tou even suspected that this guy might simply be a spy for Kumogakure's development in Konoha.

His soul perception ability spread out. Although Uchiha Tou had never sensed Hattori Ichiro's soul before, as a Jonin, his soul strength was far superior to that of ordinary people, making him stand out like a crane among chickens in this town full of ordinary people.

"Found it, it's right there!"

Uchiha Touyu turned his head and looked at a rather dilapidated church in the town.

The ninja world is a melting pot of things, and churches do exist, though they are nowhere near as well-off as the monks. This particular church must have been abandoned.

Reaching the dilapidated church door, Uchiha Touya pounded on it twice and shouted:

"Hello, is anyone there? I need to check the water meter!"

A flurry of sounds came from behind the door, followed by two loud bangs and then silence. Uchiha Hiyu knocked on the door a few times, but when no one responded, he simply kicked the two broken doors away.

With a loud crash, the kicked-away door slammed into the statue inside the church, knocking it down with a crack as it was already half-destroyed.

A piercing scream rang out. Uchiha Hiyu covered his ears and glanced around the church. Five or six children who looked to be seven or eight years old were huddled under a table.

At the table stood a tall man with a cold expression; it was Hattori Ichiro, whom Uchiha Touyu was looking for.

While in town, Uchiha Touyu inquired and learned that several orphans lived in the dilapidated church. Obviously, those children were the orphans living in the church. As for why Hattori Ichiro was staying there, Uchiha Touyu didn't know.

His soul perception spread out, and Uchiha Hiyu sneered. Lightning flashed across his body, and with a whoosh, he charged straight at Hattori Ichiro.

Without a word, Hattori Ichiro grabbed two brats from under the table and threw them at Uchiha Hiyu. Uchiha Hiyu snorted and dodged the two brats without even trying to catch them.

With a deafening roar, accompanied by faint screams, the two poor children were blown to pieces by the explosive tags attached to their bodies. Blood and broken bone fragments flew everywhere, and for a moment, the entire church resembled a hellish abyss.

"Those brats from Konoha, they're really ruthless!"

Hattori Ichiro spoke in a cold, stern voice, causing Uchiha Touyu to raise an eyebrow slightly:

"Judging from your tone, you don't seem to be a rogue ninja from Konoha?"

"Hmph! There's no point in hiding it now. I am a ninja from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning!"

"So you're saying it wasn't defection, but that you were a spy all along? It's amazing that the Land of Lightning could find someone who looks like you."

The people in the Land of Lightning are either white or black, somewhat like Western white and black people in the real world. Ninjas with this kind of appearance would be easy prey if they came to Konoha Village. They wouldn't even be able to get through the gate before being captured by the Anbu ninjas.

It must have been quite a struggle for the Hidden Cloud Village to find a ninja who met both the requirements for strength and appearance to act as a spy—you have to understand that Jonin are not easy to find; in any ninja village, a Jonin is considered a high-ranking official.

After exchanging a few meaningless words, Uchiha Hiyu's figure flashed rapidly, transforming into a streak of light as he headed straight for Hattori Ichiro. However, this spy from the Cloud Ninja was also crackling with lightning, and he brandished his long sword, causing two flashes of light to clang and draw bright arcs in the church.

The tables, chairs, benches, and window sculptures in the church were instantly swept away by the flash of the blade and turned to dust. A dozen seconds later, Uchiha Hiyu's figure flashed and retreated, returning to the church entrance.

Hattori Ichiro looked surprised and pained, clutching his neck. Thin streams of blood hissed out, gradually thickening into a bright red flow.

"Such fast... swordsmanship... I never imagined that after White Fang's death... Konoha still has such... swordsmanship... masters."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hattori Ichiro collapsed to the ground, dead. Uchiha Touya simply waved his hand and withdrew a shining soul.

"This guy must have been holding back a lot of his strength in Konoha. Ordinary Jonin don't have this kind of swordsmanship... and what he just used... could it be the Cloud Ninja's Lightning Release Chakra Mode?"

The Cloud Ninja's Lightning Release Chakra Mode is famous throughout the ninja world. In comparison, the method of stimulating the physical body with Lightning Release, pioneered by Konoha's White Fang, can be considered a knock-off of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

A normal spy ninja would certainly not possess highly advanced ninjutsu, lest they be tortured out of their knowledge if discovered, leading to the loss of ninjutsu from the ninja village. However, it's hard to say about these Cloud Ninja.

Compared to other ninja villages, although the Cloud Village is more greedy and brutal to outsiders, at least the internal atmosphere is much stronger. The loyal Raikage is more like a big brother than the village leader, and might even give his village spies more advanced ninjutsu.

Moreover, as a spy ninja, Hattori Ichiro's mind must have been sealed with many restrictions, so it wouldn't be easy to obtain the ninjutsu in his mind under normal circumstances.

However, no matter how profound the restriction, it was obviously meaningless against the unconventional method of summoning souls, such as the Spirit Binding Technique. Uchiha Hiyu directly began searching for Hattori Ichiro's memories through his soul.

"I see. So he only learned a portion of the most basic Lightning Release chakra techniques? Or was it a reward for his talent and determination...?"

After searching, Uchiha Touyu only found a half-finished Lightning Release chakra pattern in the spy's soul. Both its speed and defense were greatly reduced. In Hatake Sakumo's opinion, it should only be the first half of a complete ninjutsu.

However, even just the first half of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode is far superior to ordinary Lightning Release ninjutsu that stimulates the physical body. Even in the entire Hidden Cloud Village, there are probably no more than 20 ninjas who have been taught it.

(End of this chapter)