The Genius with Two Hair Whorls

"It might not be wrong. I've always imagined refining chakra in a clockwise direction because the whorl on my head turns right..."

Jiraiya wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he looked utterly serious.

"Uh... then which way does my whorl turn?"

Jiraiya walked behind Minato and examined his hair, then fell silent.

Minato immediately sensed that something was wrong. "What is it?"

"You have two hair whorls, one turning left and the other right."

Minato was shocked. "Ehhhhh?!"

"Then which direction should I use?"

"Uh... I don't know either..."

Jiraiya scratched his head, out of options as well.

"Let's take a short break. Have a popsicle. Kid, you don't get one today. Children shouldn't eat too many popsicles; they're bad for the stomach."

Heh-heh~

That stingy Pervy Sage. Aoba had seen Jiraiya heading toward Kabukicho Ichibangai yesterday.

His pockets were probably emptier than his face today.

Forget it, no point arguing with a pervert. Aoba pulled out a pill and popped it into his mouth. It was a Military Ration Pill he had recently developed. It restored more chakra than ordinary Military Ration Pills, and most importantly, it tasted much better.

Smack!

Jiraiya broke the popsicle in two. "Which half do you want?"

Minato froze on the spot.

Aoba also stared without blinking. He knew the Rasengan had succeeded.

That was genius: the ability to firmly seize inspiration before it vanished in a flash.

Minato leaped into the air. "I see now, Jiraiya-sensei!"

Jiraiya: ???

"Huh? What is it? You don't want any? Then I'll eat both."

If chakra was refined the same way no matter which direction...

The piercing shriek rang out again, but this time, it was purer and sharper than before.

Jiraiya couldn't help staring blankly at the chakra sphere in Minato's hand.

Had he succeeded?

Stable! High-speed!

Without the previous violent, disorderly, chaotic chakra pattern, this chakra sphere was clearly extremely stable.

What astonishing talent for ninjutsu!

I've heard that anyone with two hair whorls is a genius!

Jiraiya turned to look at the kid. Although this kid was also a genius, he still paled in comparison to Minato.

Aoba stood up, looked at the chakra sphere in Minato's hand, and raised his hands in applause.

Only someone who had developed ninjutsu knew how difficult it was to create an A-rank technique.

He was still stumbling along with his C-rank [Chakra Absorption Technique].

Even if he had already learned the Rasengan, that was only because future Minato and Jiraiya had already cleared the path.

He was merely someone following along behind them.

There wasn't the slightest bit of pretense in his applause. It came sincerely, for Minato and every developer of ninjutsu.

It had nothing to do with good or evil, right or wrong.

This was a researcher's most devout faith in technology!

"Now that the technique has begun to take shape, let's give it a name."

Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked at Minato expectantly.

Aoba's heart skipped a beat.

It's here. Minato's legendary naming scene is here.

After pondering for a moment, Minato said with a grave and serious expression, "Since it was modeled after the Tailed Beast Ball, how about calling it... the [Halo Popsicle Inspiration Spiky-Haired Jiraiya Aoba Ball]?"

The wind swept through the forest, carrying several fallen leaves with it.

The atmosphere became extremely awkward for a moment.

Aoba's mouth twitched as he forcibly held back his complaint.

Jiraiya looked even more constipated as he complained inwardly, What a long, awful name.

Minato was good at everything except naming things. He had absolutely no talent for it.

Still, since Minato had developed it, whatever he called it was Minato's business.

With the development of the new technique settled, the atmosphere at the training ground became much more relaxed.

Although it still couldn't be fired like a Tailed Beast Ball, as Aoba had said, this form of chakra sphere still had room for further development. Even as it was, it was already an incredible A-rank ninjutsu.

Combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique, it could achieve a one-hit kill at a critical moment.

Minato dispersed the chakra in his hand, let out a long breath, and turned toward the boy sitting beneath the shade of a tree.

"Aoba."

Minato walked over to Aoba. With his signature gentle smile, he said sincerely, "Your suggestion really helped this time. Otherwise, I might have kept going down that dead end for a long time."

Aoba quickly stood and waved his hands. "You're too kind, Minato-senpai. I should be the one thanking you for letting me observe the development of such a powerful ninjutsu. Even without me, Minato-senpai would have succeeded. It's like playing shogi. You were so immersed in the game that you didn't notice something, while I, standing on the sidelines, happened to see through a little of it. If I were actually made to play, I'd only make a fool of myself."

Not bad. This kid knows how to talk. He doesn't get arrogant over his contribution. He's got potential.

"No, an idea is often more important than effort."

Minato shook his head, his expression earnest. "As thanks, I think I can teach you a ninjutsu. Of course, this would be a little... personal gift from a senior to an outstanding junior."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow but said nothing, merely watching the scene with interest.

In Konohagakure, it was not uncommon for jonin to privately teach non-clan-secret ninjutsu to people who were not their direct disciples.

A famous example was old Kosuke, known as the Eternal Genin. He had once received guidance from the Second Hokage and learned several powerful Water Release techniques.

The Strength of a Hundred Tsunade had taught Aoba was the same.

Even without formally taking him as a disciple, anyone who saw Aoba use the Strength of a Hundred would understand that Tsunade looked after him and thought highly of him. It was a different kind of protection.

Minato's offer likewise acknowledged Aoba's potential. Besides repaying a favor, it was also a senior's care for a junior.

"I specialize in the Body Flicker Technique and Fuinjutsu, but both have very high requirements. Other than that, I also know some decent Fire Release and Wind Release techniques. Which area are you interested in, Aoba?"

Aoba quickly weighed his options.

Minato's ninjutsu system was actually quite simple. Apart from the Flying Thunder God and the Rasengan still under development, most of it consisted of Wind Release and Fuinjutsu.

Wind Release was out. He had yet to fully figure out Fire Release and Earth Release, and one Great Fireball was enough for Fire Release. As for the Flying Thunder God, forget it. Didn't Minato say Body Flicker? The Flying Thunder God was core classified information. If he dared mention those three words, he would probably be investigated by the Anbu the next second. Fuinjutsu was too broad and complicated, and he had no foundation in it anyway. Even if he asked for it, he would probably only get some basic Fuinjutsu.

Aoba's gaze passed over Minato and landed on Jiraiya behind him, who stood with his arms crossed and an amused expression on his face.

Minato's ninjutsu basically revolved around the Flying Thunder God. What Aoba really wanted was Jiraiya's hair-based ninjutsu. Although he had gained some inspiration by watching Jiraiya perform it, having the complete technique would let him develop his own new technique much faster.

"Um..."

Aoba scratched his head awkwardly and looked at Jiraiya with blazing eyes. "Actually, compared to Minato-senpai's ninjutsu, I'm more interested in Lord Jiraiya's hair technique."

The air suddenly fell silent for a second.

Minato froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile and turned to look at his teacher.