"About two years ago, during a practical combat assessment, I saw Asuma use Chakra to condense highly and steadily attach itself to his pair of blades while fighting an opponent, forming blue-glowing Chakra Blades with astonishing power."
Shinichi recalled:
"At the time, I wondered: since Chakra could be condensed so highly onto a weapon, would it be possible... to compress it directly without relying on an external object, condense it in my palm, and form a brand-new ninjutsu that could be unleashed barehanded?"
Asuma?
Highly condensed?
The Third Hokage suddenly understood and remembered the pair of Chakra Blades he had given his son as a birthday present—the Shinichi Monji.
A moment later, a trace of lingering fear and reproach rose in his heart: This child was far too daring!
Asuma used specially made Chakra Metal blades as a carrier and guide, yet Shinichi had actually dared to use his flesh-and-blood body to imitate that high-density Chakra transformation. If anything went wrong with his control...
Although his thoughts churned, the Third Hokage kept his expression calm. He did not interrupt Shinichi, instead continuing to listen attentively.
"Once I had that idea, I started experimenting. At first, it was simple: I tried my best to gather Chakra toward my palm, but it was scattered and formless, with no power at all. Later, I realized that Chakra needed restraint and form... so I tried using a water balloon. Inside the sealed water balloon, I made the Chakra move violently and chaotically until the balloon burst from within."
The Third Hokage nodded slightly. The thinking behind this first step was clear and correct, touching upon the basics of Chakra Nature Transformation.
"After succeeding with the water balloon, I felt that it wasn't stable enough. So I switched to a tougher rubber ball. The goal was to maintain a certain amount of Chakra output and make it exist in my palm as if it had material form, continuously striking the inside of the ball until it burst. This stage took a long time and required extremely precise control." Shinichi continued.
"After succeeding with the rubber ball..." He paused, seemingly recalling the difficulty he had faced at the time. "I felt that I was still missing something. I seemed to remain one layer away from the stable condensation I imagined. Later... I thought of using an even harder iron ball."
An iron ball?
So that's how it was. Only then did the Third Hokage understand why this child, whom he had been paying close attention to, had suddenly developed the habit of spinning an iron ball more than a year ago.
He had initially thought it was merely a painstaking method of training his finger and wrist dexterity to assist with Hand Seals. It turned out there had been a deeper purpose.
This child's talent far exceeded my expectations.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, the Third Hokage continued in an even tone:
"I see. Drawing inspiration from observation, having the courage to put it into practice, and devising such a gradual cultivation method—those are extremely valuable qualities and talents."
Then he changed tack. "However, Shinichi, from what I can tell, the first Rasengan you demonstrated, the one about the size of a fist, has already achieved an extremely stable and exquisite balance in Chakra transformation and control. One could say that this ninjutsu is already very mature and successful."
"Mature? Successful?" Clear bewilderment and confusion appeared on Shinichi's face, as though he had never expected to receive such an assessment.
Seeing his reaction, the Third Hokage immediately understood the crux of the matter. He could not help laughing and shaking his head. "It seems, Shinichi, that you have misunderstood something. In your eyes, the larger Rasengan you made later and the smaller one you made earlier are two forms of the same technique—or rather, the former is an unfinished product, while the latter is a perfected version strengthened to make up for its shortcomings. Am I right?"
"Two ninjutsu? But, Third Hokage..." Shinichi furrowed his brows, his face filled with confusion. He hurriedly explained:
"Although the smaller Rasengan has decent power, it takes too long to condense and its attack range is limited. From my perspective, its flaws are obvious, so it can't possibly count as a successful ninjutsu that can be used in actual combat. That's why I thought about whether I could inject more Chakra to forcibly increase its size and range of effect, covering up those shortcomings. But it's too unstable."
The Third Hokage listened quietly until he finished. His smile was gentle and wise as he slowly shook his head.
"Shinichi, this isn't a problem with the technique itself." His voice was calm, yet carried a convincing strength. "The problem is that you're still too young."
Shinichi was slightly taken aback.
"Your total amount of Chakra is still insufficient for the demands of this technique. Your mastery of fine Chakra control is also still developing." The Third Hokage patiently explained the principles of the ninjutsu:
"When you're a little older, and your body and mind have grown further, your Chakra reserves will naturally increase. Your control will also rise with your training and experience. By then, you'll naturally be able to condense it faster in battle, perhaps even nearly instantaneously. As for the larger Rasengan, as your Chakra increases and your control improves, it will eventually become stable and controllable as well."
He paused, a look of anticipation for the future appearing in his eyes, and his tone gained a trace of encouragement:
"Not only that, but with this Rasengan as a foundation, once your understanding of Chakra Nature Transformation is deep enough, you can try infusing it with the nature transformations of Wind, Fire, and other elemental Chakra. At that point, the Rasengan will truly transform into an ultimate S-rank ninjutsu! I have great hopes for you on this path."
The confusion in Shinichi's eyes gradually gave way to realization and shock, then transformed into a fervent heat born of encouragement. He took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "I understand! Thank you for your guidance, Third Hokage. I'll keep working hard and move toward that goal!"
The Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction. But then his expression grew slightly more serious as he earnestly cautioned him: "Shinichi, you're a rare genius, brimming with creativity and the courage to put your ideas into practice. That's excellent. But independently developing high-level ninjutsu, especially techniques involving high-density Chakra transformation, is extremely dangerous."
"If you have any new ideas in the future, or encounter difficulties during training, don't always bury yourself in solitary effort. Ask your teachers at the Academy or the village's senior shinobi for guidance. And if you truly encounter something you can't resolve..."
The Third Hokage looked into his eyes and said gently and clearly, "...you can come ask me as well."
That evening, in the Hokage Office.
"You'll regret this!"
Bang!
No one knew why Advisor Shimura Danzō had come to see the Hokage. They only knew that when the Third Hokage faced one of his requests, he flew into a rare rage and directly ordered him out without mercy, leaving no room for negotiation.
A few days later, Minato Namikaze had just returned home after completing a mission when Jiraiya, who happened to be in Konoha, came knocking.
"Minato, I heard there's a child whose ideas coincided perfectly with your original concept. He..."
Jiraiya recounted in detail how Higashino Shinichi had developed the Rasengan. Minato Namikaze listened quietly, surprise and admiration gradually shining in his eyes.
After hearing the whole story, he sincerely sighed, "That child really is an incredible genius. But... although the name Rasengan is quite good, it doesn't seem fitting enough."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and asked with great interest, "Oh? What do you think it should be called?"
Minato Namikaze seriously considered it for a moment, his eyes gleaming as he spoke each word: "Higashino Shinichi's Light Blade Initiation · Dancing Roar Rasengan."
"Hmm... We should add a 'Super' in the middle—Higashino Shinichi's Light Blade Initiation · Super Dancing Roar Rasengan."
Jiraiya: "..."
Before you continue