Kushina Arrives

Compared with other A-rank ninjutsu, the Rasengan was actually much harder to master.

If ninjutsu were like a math problem, then Hand Seals would be like working it out on paper. You just had to follow the steps to reach the answer.

Training in the Rasengan was more like throwing away the paper and solving the problem in your head.

As for adding a change in chakra nature to the Rasengan, that was like combining different disciplines while still doing the math in your head. It was something an ordinary person simply couldn't do.

What was worth mentioning was that, although the Rasengan was difficult to learn, the principle behind it was simple.

Put simply, it was just rolling a ball between your hands—literally!

You could think of it as a math problem with a simple concept but complicated mental calculations, which was exactly the opposite of ninjutsu that relied on Hand Seals.

Techniques like the Flying Thunder God and Living Corpse Reincarnation were like Qian Xuesen's manuscripts. Even if they were right in front of you, you wouldn't understand them if you couldn't understand them, and you wouldn't learn them if you couldn't learn them.

Advanced techniques like the Rasengan and the Tailed Beast Bomb, on the other hand, were like building an atomic bomb. The principles weren't especially complicated, but actually making one was incredibly difficult.

Kakashi had called the Rasengan "the pinnacle of shape transformation." He hadn't been exaggerating.

Nawaki had mastered tree climbing in just two hours, which showed that he had a good talent for chakra control. He should meet the requirements for learning the Rasengan.

Watching Nawaki stumble across the water, Minato smiled knowingly and turned to head into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Water Walking was an advanced form of tree climbing. It only added one step: adjusting your chakra in real time. Once you'd mastered tree climbing, you should be able to learn it after a few more tries.

Sure enough, before Minato had finished cooking, Nawaki's delighted shout rang out from the yard.

"I did it!"

"Let's make it a little harder for him."

Minato said without turning around. The clone who had been chopping vegetables turned and headed outside.

"Minato! Look! I did it!"

In the small pond in the yard, Nawaki stood steadily on the water. When he saw the clone approach, he called out excitedly.

The clone nodded, a smile playing on his lips. "The real me sent me to make it a little harder for you."

As he spoke, he crouched down and pressed one hand against the water. A raging swell immediately surged across the surface!

"Waaah—"

The waves churned, throwing off the chakra beneath Nawaki's feet. With a splash, he fell into the water.

"When you can walk freely on the waves, you can start training in the Rasengan," the clone said with a grin.

"Damn it... I just wasn't paying attention! Just you wait—I'll master it in no time!"

Nawaki climbed back up, wiped the water from his face, and tried again to stand on the surface.

By the time Minato had finished making lunch, Nawaki had just barely managed to keep his balance amid the waves, though moving was still difficult.

"Time to eat."

Minato carried the dishes over and called out to him.

At that, Nawaki dashed inside, changed out of his soaking clothes, and sat down at the table, devouring his food.

As soon as he finished, he rushed back into the yard to continue practicing Water Walking.

Before long, another two hours had passed.

Nawaki strolled across the water. No matter how wildly the waves churned beneath his feet, they couldn't affect him in the slightest.

"I did it..."

Nawaki could barely contain his excitement. It felt as if all his hard work had finally paid off.

"Congratulations. You can start training in the Rasengan now."

The clone smiled, then vanished with a poof.

At the same time, Minato was in his room memorizing the Hand Seals for Earth Release ninjutsu. After receiving the clone's memories, he got up and walked out.

As soon as he reached the yard, he saw Nawaki sitting on the veranda, gently rubbing his ankle as he grimaced and sucked in a breath.

"Ow—That hurts!"

"You overdid it with your chakra."

Minato chuckled. "It's nothing serious, but we should get it checked out to make sure it doesn't cause problems later. My teacher should be at the hospital right now."

Lately, the border near the Land of Rain had been unstable. Injured shinobi were sent back every few days, leaving the hospital short-staffed.

Tsunade wasn't assigned to the hospital, but because of her excellent medical skills, they often called on her to help.

It was funny: thanks to that connection, her status as the First's granddaughter, and her beauty, she had more influence at the hospital than the director.

"It's fine. I'll just ask my sister to take a look when she gets home."

Nawaki sounded impatient. "Let's just hurry up and start training in the Rasengan!"

Minato shook his head. "Then we definitely need to go out. We have to buy you some training aids."

"Okay..."

Nawaki looked a little deflated.

He changed into clean clothes, and the two of them had just stepped outside when they saw Tsunade approaching the house with a red-haired girl.

"Sis!"

Nawaki waved at Tsunade.

Minato's gaze fell on the girl beside her.

She had bright red hair, vivid as flames, and a round, chubby-cheeked face. Her large, dark eyes were bright and lively.

"Where are you two going?" Tsunade asked when she saw them heading out.

"Nawaki overdid it while practicing Water Walking, and his ankle hurts. I was about to take him to the hospital to see my teacher," Minato said.

"Oh?"

Tsunade crouched down and felt around Nawaki's ankle. A moment later, she stood back up. "It's nothing serious. He'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"But I didn't expect you to have already learned Water Walking, Nawaki. Minato taught you, right? How's it going? Have you mastered it?"

"Of course!"

Nawaki folded his arms and proudly lifted his chin. "I can walk freely on the waves now!"

Tsunade smiled and ruffled his hair. "Really? That's impressive!"

Nawaki turned away awkwardly, trying to stop Tsunade from patting his head. "Don't treat me like a little kid!"

"But you are a little kid~"

Tsunade chuckled, then gently rested her hand on the shoulder of the girl beside her.

"Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This is the girl I told you about—the one who'll be staying with us for a while. Her name is Kushina Uzumaki."

"H-hello."

Kushina spoke nervously, a hint of unease lingering in her eyes.

"Oh! Hi! I'm Nawaki, Sis's little brother! Nice to meet you!"

Nawaki gave her a thumbs-up, flashed a toothy grin, and greeted her warmly.

"Hello, I'm Minato Namikaze, Tsunade-sensei's student. It's nice to meet you."

Minato's warm smile eased some of the tension in Kushina's heart.

That's more like it...

What kind of person introduced himself as "Sis's little brother"?

The blond one seemed pretty normal, at least. Though he looked a little girly, and didn't seem very manly...

Kushina couldn't help wondering.

Although she was uneasy in a new place, she was actually quite lively—some might even call her feisty.

Seeing that the first meeting was going smoothly, Tsunade smiled at Minato. "Great! To celebrate Kushina's arrival, let's make a nice dinner tonight!"

Minato smiled and nodded. "Sure, leave it to me."

Kushina's expression stiffened slightly.

Huh?

What was with this family?

Why was a kid the one making dinner?

Had the village sold her off or something?