Ice Release Rasengan

"If it's training, that's what I fear least right now." Having mastered the most broken training method in the Hokage World, Duke indicated that time was what he had the most of.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Poof!! As the white smoke cleared, the number of Shadow Clones had doubled.

"Objective: master the Rasengan before sunset."

"Yeah----"

"Too easy! Just watch me!"

The Shadow Clones cheered each other on. Together with the original body, they threw themselves into a blazing frenzy of training.

"What outrageous boasting. This is an advanced Hand Seal-less Ninjutsu that Minato spent three years developing. Even I took a long time to learn it, yet you, a little brat, dare say something like that?" Jiraiya scoffed, though perhaps he was trying to stir Duke's fighting spirit.

"There's no mistake about those numbers. He must be one of my clansmen. No, I need to find that old man, the Third, and have him learn the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques." Kushina stood up, intending to find the Third and claim Duke for herself.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Minato held back the impatient Kushina and patiently explained, "He's already been assigned to a class and has his own team. Moreover, his captain is Senior Zixiao."

"So what?" Kushina refused to accept it. If the Third refused, she would set the Hokage's Office on fire.

"Duke doesn't just have Uzumaki blood. He also possesses the Yuki Clan's Ice Release Bloodline, and it has already awakened." Minato lowered his voice. With Kushina already around, the village had little need for more Uzumaki blood. One Jinchuriki was enough. In comparison, the unprecedented Ice Release Kekkei Genkai was far more important.

"That happened too?" Kushina asked in surprise.

"Senior Zixiao told me before. Originally, the Third had arranged for Duke to join my team. But on the night before the team assignments, his bloodline awakened, so Senior Zixiao made an exception and became a Jonin Instructor. Senior is the Anbu Captain, yet he lowered himself to become an instructor. That shows just how seriously the village takes this matter." Minato spent quite a while explaining. In short, this child had already caught the attention of the higher-ups, so she should give up on the idea.

"What a bunch of shady people!" Kushina kicked at the weeds beneath her feet, venting her dissatisfaction.

Duke's army of trainees was in full swing as they explored the Rasengan. During that time, Duke had considered using Shadow Clones to help form the Rasengan, just like Naruto did, but he ultimately gave up on the idea. Using Shadow Clones in conjunction with the Rasengan was equivalent to using hand seals to cast it, defeating the original purpose of a Hand Seal-less Ninjutsu. The gains did not outweigh the losses. Besides, ninja battles changed in an instant; fighting for every second was the proper way.

"So hard!" Duke stopped, panting heavily. His right hand was covered in wounds, and even its tendons had been damaged. He could not continue and had no choice but to use Medical Ninjutsu to treat himself.

"Oh, your Medical Ninjutsu is quite impressive!" Jiraiya had a discerning eye and immediately saw that Duke had attained considerable skill in Medical Ninjutsu. Clearly, he had received guidance from a famous teacher. This made Jiraiya think of Tsunade, who had left the village. Amid his melancholy, he reflected on Tsunade's contributions to Konoha. Even if she herself had left, her achievements could never be erased.

"I wouldn't dare boast about anything else, but when it comes to medicine, I'm a genius." After healing his right hand, Duke spoke with confidence. Thanks to the solid foundation from his previous life, his progress in learning Medical Ninjutsu had been astonishingly rapid.

After saying that, he threw himself back into training. Following failure after failure, Duke turned to Jiraiya, who was still reminiscing about the past, and asked, "Pervy Sage, are there any tricks to this stage?"

"What tricks could there be in ninjutsu training? If I had to name one, it would probably be hard work. Only persistence can lead to success." Jiraiya switched into teacher mode and earnestly lectured Duke, who wanted to take shortcuts. However, he soon revealed a lecherous expression, drool streaming down his face. "If you can transform into a pretty young lady with curves in all the right places, this sage can break convention and teach you hand in hand. It'll speed things up!"

"I'll do it myself... I won't trouble you, Pervy Sage."

"It's nothing. This sage can reluctantly make an exception sometimes!"

"..."

I have never seen anyone so shameless!

Duke decided to focus on training and ignore Jiraiya, putting him aside entirely. Even so, one thing Jiraiya had said struck Duke deeply: the only secret to success was hard work. Intelligence came from diligence, and genius came from accumulation. There were no geniuses in this world, only hardworking geniuses. Those who wasted their time fantasized that miracles existed in this world, but they did not know that miracles had another name—hard work.

Time passed slowly amid Duke's endless training and healing, until the glow of the setting sun spilled across the land.

"I did it----"

Among the crowd, a dirt-covered clone raised one hand high. In his palm, a blue-glowing Rasengan had taken shape. Duke released the jutsu and recalled the clone. A crushing wave of fatigue returned to him, and he collapsed onto the ground. He formed a Rasengan in one hand and grinned foolishly. Compressed chakra spun at high speed in his palm, carrying a tearing force. It was like gripping a miniature typhoon, powerful enough to pierce metal and shatter stone.

"I have to say, you really are a genius!" Jiraiya praised him sincerely. Minato had spent three years developing this ninjutsu, yet Duke had learned it in a single day. Although he had benefited from the experience accumulated by those before him and avoided many detours, being able to fully grasp it in such a short time was talent that Jiraiya could not help but admire.

Minato stepped forward and nodded in agreement. As the creator of the Rasengan, he knew better than anyone how difficult the technique was.

"Of course he is! Just look whose little brother he is!" Kushina said proudly, as though Jiraiya had been praising her.

"Next comes researching the Rasengan's nature transformation!" Ignoring his exhaustion, Duke prepared to begin the next stage of training.

"Are you dreaming?" Jiraiya patted Duke on the head. Even Minato, the creator, had not made much progress. Where did a latecomer like Duke get such confidence?

"I don't care if you call it a dream. Dreams only have value when people laugh at them!" Duke climbed to his feet, faced the sunset, and let out a cry that rang from the depths of his soul.

"This really is..." Jiraiya looked at Duke before him, filled with heartfelt delight and unable to find words worthy of praising him.

"I've learned something today. I learned a lot. Thanks to you, I believe in my dream even more firmly." Minato smiled knowingly.

"Ahahaha, as expected of our Uzumaki... my good little brother." Kushina said proudly.

"Though... I don't seem to know chakra nature transformation yet..." Duke scratched his head awkwardly. Only after finishing his grand speech did he realize something was wrong.

"..." Jiraiya and the other two wore stunned expressions. Their passionate excitement had been struck head-on, leaving them feeling utterly deceived.

"It's fine even without nature transformation. I can't research the Wind Release Rasengan or Water Release Rasengan for now, but..." Seeing the three of them looking increasingly unfriendly, as though they were tempted to gang up and beat up a child, Duke hurriedly added, "I have an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. I can do it without nature transformation."

As he spoke, he formed another Rasengan in his palm. Then Cold Qi flowed through his hand, entering the spinning Rasengan together with Ice Release chakra. To everyone's surprise, the Rasengan did not reject the Cold Qi. Instead, it accepted the chakra of the Ice Release bloodline, and immediately underwent an earth-shaking transformation in form.

The sky-blue transparent Rasengan expanded to the size of a football, becoming a snow-white sphere of flowing ice. It radiated a suffocating chill, while ice crystals spilling outward frosted over Duke's palm. The rapid drop in temperature made Jiraiya and the other two shiver, forcing them to retreat several steps.

"It actually worked on the first try!?" Even Duke found it unbelievable. By all logic, the earlier stages of the Rasengan had been so difficult that there was no reason for this harder hurdle to be crossed so easily. Wasn't it supposed to get harder the farther he went? Unable to figure it out, Duke credited it all to his Golden Finger. His Ice Release was different from that of the Hōzuki in this world. His control over ice had reached the point where he could wield it as he pleased, far surpassing the Clan of Snow in Hidden Mist.

"You can use Ice Release too?" Jiraiya asked in surprise. After considering the village's darker side, he accepted it.

"This is..." Of the three, Minato was the most shocked. He had racked his brains researching the Rasengan's nature transformation, yet someone had successfully achieved it on the very first day they learned the Rasengan. The blow to him was considerable.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Without another word, Minato created a Shadow Clone and had Duke attack it, intending to personally test the power of this new technique.

"Is that okay?" Duke hesitated.

"Don't worry. A Shadow Clone can convey the destructive power of this technique more directly. To be honest, I can't wait to experience it!" Minato encouraged him. Jiraiya and Kushina knew he was anxious, so they did not try to stop him. They turned away and left an open space for the two.

"In that case, I won't hold back! Teacher Minato, take this—Ice Release Rasengan!" Duke raised his hand and pressed the Rasengan onto Minato's Shadow Clone. Cold Qi erupted and flung Duke away.

Violent Cold Qi swept outward from the Shadow Clone in every direction, wantonly turning everything in its path into ice. As it froze its surroundings, it also generated a powerful twisting force that tore all frozen things into fragments. Before long, a chaotic iceberg with no discernible shape stood where they had been. Minato's clone lasted only an instant before its fatal injuries turned it into smoke.

"How was it, Teacher Minato?" Duke wiped the ice shards from his body. Because he had been too close, his body temperature had nearly fallen to zero. A temperature that would have been fatal to an ordinary person caused him no discomfort whatsoever.

"Its destructive power cannot even be compared to the Rasengan. It's terrifyingly powerful! Once someone is hit by this technique, they can't resist at all. They can only wait for death." Minato closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then explained in detail. "The moment it hit, the clone's bodily functions completely stopped. It couldn't think. Even its chakra stopped circulating. Then it was torn into pieces by the twisting ice. The clone conveyed no pain at all. I believe anyone hit by this technique would be unable to experience the pain of death, because the moment they are frozen, they lose all sensation. Every cell in their body... it's as if time has stopped. Both in difficulty and power, this technique has reached S-rank. It is terrifying."

"So amazing! I want to learn it too!" Little stars sparkled in Kushina's eyes. She could not put down the gorgeous Ice Release. Women were like dragons; they had no resistance whatsoever to shiny things.

"It's useless. That's a Kekkei Genkai. You can't learn it." Minato sounded somewhat regretful. Even the Sharingan could not copy a Kekkei Genkai, and he himself had no way to learn this unique ninjutsu.