Prototype of the Rasenshuriken

Namikaze Minato looked at the [Rasengan] in his hand and once again gained a new appreciation for Yamanaka Tohru's talent for ninjutsu. He had spent over two years developing this technique without fully completing it, yet Yamanaka Tohru had understood its principles after seeing it only once and helped him perfect the [Rasengan].

Yamanaka Tohru was equally amazed by Namikaze Minato's talent. In the original story, even Naruto, with the cheat-like advantage of Shadow Clones, had taken a week to barely complete the Rasengan's training. Namikaze Minato had merely listened to his explanation once, then drawn inspiration from bursting balloons and rubber balls to complete the [Rasengan]. Part of that was because he was the technique's creator, but Minato's talent still left Yamanaka Tohru shaken.

No wonder people in his previous life often said that if Namikaze Minato had lived until the story began, there would have been no place for Naruto, the Crown Prince.

Both of them marveled at the other's excellence while examining their own shortcomings.

"Tohru, what comes next? Explain your understanding of the Rasengan so Kakashi can train according to your method," Namikaze Minato said. He had never been a selfish person. In the original story, he had taught the [Rasengan] to Kakashi and the Flying Thunder God to his four guards.

"The next step is to combine the experience of bursting balloons and rubber balls. Concentrate Chakra in your hand, continuously release a fixed amount to maintain the rotation, and finally condense it into a spinning sphere. Then keep attacking trees or rocks with the sphere until its power becomes stable. That completes the [Rasengan]'s training!"

Kishimoto had already laid out the Rasengan's training method in detail in his previous life, so Yamanaka Tohru merely copied it and explained it to Namikaze Minato.

"Tohru, you're truly a genius! I can hardly believe you've only seen the [Rasengan] once."

"Not at all. Brother Minato is the real genius, to be able to develop a technique like the [Rasengan]."

After a round of mutual flattery, Yamanaka Tohru and Namikaze Minato both smiled.

Namikaze Minato was happy because the [Rasengan] had been successfully developed, while Yamanaka Tohru was happy because he had become one of the people who perfected it and could use the [Rasengan] openly from now on.

Yamanaka Tohru had coveted the [Wind Release: Rasenshuriken] from the original story for a long time. He did not possess Wind-nature Chakra, but the [Rasengan] itself was a ball of non-elemental Chakra that could incorporate any nature.

If he could not use the [Wind Release: Rasenshuriken], Yamanaka Tohru could develop a [Lightning Release: Rasenshuriken] or an [Ice Release: Rasenshuriken] himself.

"Tohru, I'm very happy that you helped perfect the [Rasengan] today! I'll treat everyone to barbecue." Namikaze Minato was far more generous than Kushina. When he treated someone, it was barbecue.

Yamanaka Tohru liked Ichiraku Ramen, but anyone would grow tired of eating the same thing all the time. Since someone was treating him today, he naturally would not refuse.

Kakashi had also managed to burst a balloon while Yamanaka Tohru and Namikaze Minato chatted. Upon hearing that Namikaze Minato was treating them to barbecue, Kakashi stopped training as well and looked at Minato expectantly.

Kakashi stored the remaining balloons and rubber balls in the Sealing Scroll. Seeing this, Kushina recalled Yamanaka Tohru's envious gaze earlier and fell into thought.

The four of them went to a barbecue restaurant in Konoha. Only after picking up the menu did Yamanaka Tohru understand why even Kakashi had looked so expectant. Barbecue was simply too expensive—a single meal nearly cost as much as the reward for a B-rank mission.

As a Genin who had never taken a mission, Yamanaka Tohru could only dream of such a luxury. His work at Konoha Hospital was entirely unpaid; that old bastard, the Third Hokage, had never given him a salary. The Yamanaka Clan was not particularly wealthy either, and this was Yamanaka Tohru's first time visiting a barbecue restaurant.

Although Kushina was a Jonin, she received only a handful of missions throughout the year, most of them B-rank at best. At most, she cleared out bandits within the Land of Fire. She was poor as well.

Kakashi often went on missions with Minato and had earned quite a bit in rewards, but a six-year-old child's money naturally had to be handed over to his parents! As a result, Kakashi was broke too.

The barbecue truly tasted good, each with its own merits compared to Ichiraku Ramen, but the important thing was that it was meat. Watching Kushina eat at that speed, Yamanaka Tohru could not help mourning Namikaze Minato's wallet.

Namikaze Minato, meanwhile, watched Kushina with a gaze as gentle as water. Yamanaka Tohru automatically blocked the two of them out. He was here to eat barbecue, not to be stuffed full of their lovey-dovey display.

Other than Kushina, the remaining three did not have large appetites. Though the barbecue was delicious, they did not eat much.

"Little Sun, didn't I eat too much?" While paying the bill, Kushina recalled how wildly she had eaten and felt a little embarrassed.

"Not at all. Kushina can eat as much as she wants." Namikaze Minato's signature smile put Kushina at ease.

After leaving the barbecue restaurant, the four returned to the Third Training Ground. Namikaze Minato wanted to familiarize himself further with the [Rasengan], Kakashi wanted to learn the technique as quickly as possible, and Yamanaka Tohru's daily routine was to spend his time at the training ground. Outvoted three to one, Kushina had no choice but to come along despite not wanting to.

"Kakashi, give me a few balloons." Yamanaka Tohru also wanted to learn the [Rasengan] as quickly as possible. Earlier, he had heard from a group of wounded soldiers returning from the Land of Earth's border that the Four-Tails Jinchuriki had defected and was now wandering around the border of the Land of Earth.

Yamanaka Tohru's current strength was naturally insufficient. The key issue was his amount of Chakra, but he did not have much time left.

In the original story, the Third Shinobi World War broke out around Konoha's forty-second year. Within two years, he had to work hard to raise his strength.

Kakashi handed Yamanaka Tohru some balloons. Yamanaka Tohru poured Chakra into one of them. Coming up with the theory was easy, but putting it into practice was not nearly so simple.

Yamanaka Tohru struggled for a long time before bursting the first balloon. Rotation was the key to bursting it. With the experience of that first success, bursting subsequent balloons became easier and easier.

"Tohru, stop for a moment." Namikaze Minato interrupted Yamanaka Tohru's training.

"Brother Minato, is something wrong?"

"Tohru, I think the Rasengan still isn't perfect. Or rather, it isn't perfect enough for you all," Namikaze Minato said.

"What do you mean, Brother Minato?"

"My fighting style is extreme speed. I rely on the speed of the Flying Thunder God Technique and the sharpness produced by infusing Wind-nature transformation into the Flying Thunder God Kunai to strike enemies as quickly as possible. The [Rasengan] suits me very well. It requires no hand seals and can be cast instantly. But for you all, the [Rasengan]'s power still has room for improvement."

"You mean adding nature transformation into the Rasengan, Brother Minato?"

"That's right! For example, like this!" Namikaze Minato condensed a [Rasengan] in his left hand, then used his right hand to control Chakra and inject it into the Rasengan.

Blades like those of a shuriken began to form around the [Rasengan]. But they did not last long before it exploded.

The instant the ninjutsu failed, Namikaze Minato transferred the [Rasengan] away.

A huge hole was blasted into the northwest corner of the Third Training Ground by the [Rasengan].

"This is my idea for the Rasengan's next stage, but maintaining the Rasengan's stability is extremely difficult."

"Brother Minato, you're terrifying." Yamanaka Tohru was stunned by Minato's talent! The Rasengan had only just been completed, yet he already had an idea for a follow-up technique. The prototype of the Rasenshuriken had already appeared.