"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Minato."
Akiyama Shun walked up to the two and greeted them.
"Oh, it's Teacher Akiyama Shun."
When Jiraiya saw Shun arrive, he slung an arm around his shoulders, and the three walked side by side toward the other end of the street.
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, passing nearby, was dumbfounded.
Wasn't the relationship between these three a little too complicated?
Anyone with common sense could tell how strange their seniority was. One called me "Lord," I called you "Teacher," and everyone used whatever title they liked.
Then there was Namikaze Minato, who was not only called "Lord" but was also Jiraiya's grandstudent.
Only these three had the nerves not to care about any of it.
Meanwhile, the three chatted as they wandered aimlessly into the distance.
Shun also learned what the two had been discussing.
"Because I experienced the Second Shinobi World War and know how terrifying war is, I've always worried that Kushina might be sent to the battlefield as a Jinchuriki. I want to create a jutsu and teach it to her, so she'll have the power to fight a Tailed Beast and protect herself."
"Of course, it would also give me a chance to improve my own abilities and get more out of my Flying Thunder God Technique. My offensive options are still a little limited."
Now that was some powerful devotion to true love!
Shun had to admit that in the Ninja World, young love was everywhere.
How old had Minato been during the Second Shinobi World War? And already he was thinking about protecting his future wife and creating a jutsu for her.
As Shun marveled inwardly, Minato continued, "If I became stronger, I could protect Kushina better. Maybe then she wouldn't have to go to the battlefield. It's just that I have no idea where to start or what this jutsu should be like. That's why I think you're incredible. You created a jutsu like Chidori at such a young age."
After hearing Minato out, Shun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He knew, of course, that the jutsu Minato had in mind was the Rasengan.
It seemed there was no need to wait for Minato to get inspiration from seeing a Tailed Beast in the future and then spend three years developing it.
"That's right, Teacher Shun. I was just helping Minato think it over. Do you have any ideas?"
Jiraiya turned to Shun, and Minato did too.
Everyone recognized Shun's talent, and both men wanted to hear what he thought. Even if he couldn't provide the key, any inspiration would help.
"So, Lord Minato needs a jutsu with tremendous power?"
Minato nodded.
"Would this work?"
As Shun spoke, he held out one hand. With a low, resonant "vmmm," a basketball-sized, azure sphere appeared in his palm.
Jiraiya: "..."
Minato: "..."
The two stared at the sphere in Shun's hand. They opened their mouths, but didn't know what to say.
They'd heard authorities like Tsunade and the Third Hokage talk about how terrifying Shun's talent was, but hearing about it was nothing like witnessing it firsthand. It was shocking!
Since when had creating jutsu become so easy?
How old was Shun now? He was the same age as Kakashi—only six!
He'd already created an A-rank jutsu with terrifying piercing power, Chidori, and now he'd made another new one?
And it was a jutsu that required no hand seals!
Most importantly, from what Minato and Jiraiya could tell, it was every bit as powerful as Chidori!
In the shadows, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been watching all along, narrowed his eyes.
Was Akiyama Shun hiding a little too much?
How had he suddenly pulled out another jutsu like this?
Tsk...
Could he be hiding even more?
Once the thought crossed his mind, it quickly took root. The more Hiruzen thought about it, the more certain he became that Shun was concealing something extraordinary.
Hiruzen was already looking forward to seeing what surprise Shun would spring on him in the finals.
While Hiruzen anticipated what the future might bring, Jiraiya and Minato had recovered and begun examining the Rasengan closely.
"What's this jutsu called?" Jiraiya asked first.
Shun was about to answer when he noticed Minato gazing at the Rasengan with eager anticipation. A mischievous thought came to him. He swallowed his reply to Jiraiya and turned to Minato instead.
"Lord Minato, what do you think this jutsu is called?"
Without hesitation, Minato answered, "Ninja Art: Flashlight Super Spiral Dragon Tornado Roar Thunder Flash!"
"What an awful, ridiculously long name..." Jiraiya mocked without mercy.
Shun, however, wore a very different expression. Smiling, he answered the hope in Minato's eyes. "No, Lord Minato, that's not it. This jutsu is called Rasengan."
At those words, Minato looked as if he'd suffered a crushing blow. His spirits seemed to sink.
"I knew it! Akiyama Shun named his first jutsu Chidori. How could his second one have such a long name?"
Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. When he'd seen Shun smiling at Minato, he'd really thought Shun had come up with such a bizarre name.
"Rasengan is a great name!"
Jiraiya bent down to examine every detail of the Rasengan.
"Would Lord Minato like to learn it? I can explain exactly how this jutsu works."
As soon as Shun finished speaking, Minato seemed to come back to life. He looked at Shun gratefully.
"Really?"
Shun nodded. "Of course. Lord Minato and I are both from Konoha, after all. If you grow stronger, you'll be able to protect more of our comrades in Konoha."
With that one sentence, Shun earned a great deal of goodwill from all three men present.
Truthfully, Shun also had a mischievous streak. In the original story, Minato got the idea after seeing a Tailed Beast Bomb early in the Third Shinobi World War, then didn't develop the Rasengan until the middle of the war.
If Minato learned it now, then early in the Third Shinobi World War, shinobi from other villages would see a yellow-haired killer zipping all over the map with a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb in his hand.
"All right, if you're ready, I'll explain how the Rasengan works."
Seeing that Jiraiya and Minato were ready, Shun began his explanation.
"First, gather chakra in the palm of your hand. Second, keep releasing chakra and make it move at high speed in random directions. Third, keep compressing the rapidly rotating chakra while maintaining its spherical shape."
As Shun explained, Jiraiya and Minato had already begun to practice.
Both men failed on their first two attempts. Jiraiya got stuck at the second step.
Minato got stuck at the second step on his first try and at the final step on his second.
"If you're finding it difficult, you can use a water-filled balloon to help with your training," Shun explained patiently when he saw them fail.
Minato replied, "It's fine. I want to try again. If I fail, we can go buy some balloons."
As he spoke, he released his chakra again and tried to form the Rasengan.
This time, Minato didn't fail!
With a resonant "vmmm," the Rasengan formed in Minato's palm!
He was still unpracticed, and couldn't yet combine it with the Flying Thunder God, but Minato had truly learned the Rasengan in only three attempts!
Jiraiya looked at the spheres in Minato and Shun's hands and rubbed his own, feeling awkward.
Even when he'd been caught peeking into the women's bathhouse, he hadn't felt this awkward.
His teacher had learned it—and he was the one who'd created the jutsu. His student had mastered it in just three tries.
He seemed to be the one who was stuck.
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