Teaching Namikaze Minato the Rasengan!

"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Minato."

Akiyama Shun approached the two and offered a greeting.

"Oh! It's Teacher Akiyama Shun."

Seeing Akiyama Shun arrive, Jiraiya draped an arm over his shoulder, and the three of them walked side-by-side toward the other end of the street.

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, passing by, was left completely bewildered.

Wasn't the relationship between these three a bit too chaotic?

Any normal person could see how bizarre the hierarchy was; you call me 'Lord,' I call you 'Teacher'—everyone just went by their own rules.

And then there was Namikaze Minato, who was simultaneously addressed as 'Lord' and held the status of a grand-student.

Only these three had the mental fortitude to completely ignore such things.

On the other side, the trio continued their aimless stroll into the distance while chatting.

Akiyama Shun soon learned what the two had been discussing.

"Because I experienced the Second Shinobi World War, I know the terror of war. I've been worried that Kushina might be sent to the front lines as a Jinchuriki. I really want to create a ninjutsu that I can teach her, something that would give her the power to stand against a Tailed Beast and keep her safe."

"Of course, it would also help me refine my own skills and allow my Flying Thunder God to be utilized more effectively. My current offensive repertoire is still a bit too thin."

What powerful, pure-hearted devotion!

Akiyama Shun had to admit that in the world of shinobi, puppy love was truly everywhere.

During the Second Shinobi World War, how old was Minato? He was already thinking about protecting his wife and creating ninjutsu for her sake.

As Akiyama Shun sighed inwardly, Namikaze Minato continued, "If I become stronger, I can protect Kushina better, and perhaps she won't have to go to the battlefield. It's just a pity that I don't have a single clue where to start. I don't know what this ninjutsu should look like, which is why I think you're so amazing—to be able to create a ninjutsu like Chidori at your age."

Hearing Minato's words, Akiyama Shun felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. He naturally knew that the ninjutsu Minato was envisioning was the Rasengan.

It seemed, however, that there was no need to wait for the future Minato to gain inspiration from seeing a Tailed Beast and spend three years developing it.

"That's how it is, Teacher Shun. I was just helping Minato think about this problem. Do you have any ideas?"

Jiraiya turned to ask Akiyama Shun, and Namikaze Minato looked at him as well.

Akiyama Shun's talent was recognized by everyone, and both men wanted to hear his thoughts. Even if he couldn't provide a key breakthrough, any inspiration would be a welcome addition.

"So, what you're saying is that the ninjutsu Lord Minato needs must have immense destructive power."

Namikaze Minato nodded.

"Would this work, then?"

As he spoke, Akiyama Shun extended a hand. With a low, humming "vroom—," a deep blue sphere the size of a basketball materialized in his palm.

Jiraiya: "..."

Namikaze Minato: "..."

The two stared at the sphere in Akiyama Shun's hand, their mouths agape, unable to find the words to respond.

Although they had heard from authoritative figures like Tsunade or the Third Hokage just how terrifying Akiyama Shun's talent was, hearing about it was nothing compared to witnessing it firsthand!

Since when did creating ninjutsu become so easy?

How old was Akiyama Shun? He was the same age as Kakashi—only six!

Not only had he already created an A-rank, armor-piercing Chidori, but now he had created a brand-new ninjutsu?

And it was a hand-seal-less ninjutsu at that!

Most importantly, with the keen eyes of Minato and Jiraiya, they could naturally tell that the power of this technique was definitely not inferior to the Chidori!

In the shadows, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been observing the whole time, narrowed his eyes.

Was Akiyama Shun hiding a bit too much?

How did he suddenly pull out another technique like this?

Hiss.

Could he still be hiding even more?

Once this thought took root, it grew rapidly in his mind. Sarutobi Hiruzen became increasingly convinced that Akiyama Shun was definitely concealing something extraordinary.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was already looking forward to the surprises Akiyama Shun might have in store for the final tournament.

While Sarutobi Hiruzen was busy anticipating the future, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato finally regained their composure and began to carefully examine the Rasengan.

"What is the name of this ninjutsu?"

Jiraiya asked first.

Just as Akiyama Shun was about to answer Jiraiya, he noticed Namikaze Minato staring at the Rasengan with eyes full of anticipation. A bit of mischief stirred in his heart, and he swallowed his reply to Jiraiya, turning instead to Minato.

"Lord Minato, what do you think this ninjutsu should be called?"

Hearing Akiyama Shun ask him, Namikaze Minato answered without hesitation: "Ninpō: Flash-Light Wheel Super Spiral Tornado Roaring Thunder Light Flash!"

"What a long, stinky, and ridiculous name..."

Jiraiya retorted without a shred of mercy.

Akiyama Shun, however, wore a completely different expression, smiling as he responded to the anticipation in Namikaze Minato's eyes: "No, Lord Minato guessed wrong. This jutsu is called the Rasengan."

Upon hearing this, Namikaze Minato looked as if he had been dealt a heavy blow, his spirit seemingly wilting quite a bit.

"I knew it! Since Akiyama Shun named his first jutsu Chidori, how could the second one have such a long name!"

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief; when he first saw Akiyama Shun smiling at Namikaze Minato, he had truly feared that Akiyama Shun had come up with such a bizarre name.

"Rasengan is a great name!"

Jiraiya bent down to carefully observe every detail of the Rasengan.

"Would Lord Minato like to learn it? I can explain the detailed principles of this jutsu."

As soon as Akiyama Shun finished speaking, Namikaze Minato seemed to come back to life, looking at Akiyama Shun with gratitude.

"Is that really alright?"

Akiyama Shun nodded: "Of course. After all, both Lord Minato and I belong to Konoha. If Lord Minato becomes stronger, he can naturally protect more of our comrades in Konoha."

With that single sentence, Akiyama Shun gained a massive amount of favor from all three people present.

In truth, Akiyama Shun harbored a slightly strange, mischievous sense of humor. In the original story, Namikaze Minato had drawn inspiration from seeing a Tailed Beast Bomb at the start of the Third Ninja World War, only developing the technique midway through the conflict.

If Namikaze Minato learned the Rasengan now, then at the start of the Third Ninja World War, ninjas from other villages would be treated to the sight of a yellow-haired killing machine flashing across the map while wielding a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Then, if you are ready, I will begin explaining the principles of the Rasengan."

Seeing that both Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato were prepared, Akiyama Shun began his formal explanation.

"First, you must gather chakra in the palm of your hand. The second step is to continuously release chakra, causing it to move at high speeds in irregular patterns. The third step is to continuously compress this high-speed rotating chakra while maintaining a spherical shape."

As Akiyama Shun explained, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato had already begun to experiment.

Both of them failed their first two attempts; Jiraiya was stuck at the second step.

Minato, meanwhile, got stuck at the second step on his first try and the final step on his second.

"If you find it difficult, you can use water-filled balloons for auxiliary training."

Seeing that both had failed, Akiyama Shun patiently explained.

After listening, Namikaze Minato spoke up: "It's alright, I want to try again. If I fail, we can go buy some balloons."

As he spoke, he released his chakra once more, attempting to condense the Rasengan.

This time, Namikaze Minato did not fail!

With a "hum--," the Rasengan successfully appeared in the palm of Namikaze Minato's hand!

Although he was not yet proficient and could not yet combine it with the Flying Thunder God, Namikaze Minato had indeed successfully mastered the Rasengan after only three attempts!

At this moment, Jiraiya looked at the spheres in the hands of Namikaze Minato and Akiyama Shun, rubbing his hands together in embarrassment.

He hadn't felt this awkward even when he was caught peeking into the women's bathhouse.

His teacher had mastered it—in fact, he was the creator of the jutsu—and his student had learned it in a mere three tries.

It seemed he was the one stuck.