Naruto Uzumaki's Arrival

Compared to other A-rank ninjutsu, the difficulty of mastering the Rasengan is actually significantly higher.

If one were to compare ninjutsu to a math problem, then hand seals would be the equivalent of the calculation process on scratch paper; as long as one follows the steps, the derivation is straightforward.

Mastering the Rasengan, however, is equivalent to discarding the scratch paper and arriving at the answer through mental calculation alone.

As for adding nature transformation to the Rasengan, that is akin to interdisciplinary integration, and with the added requirement of mental calculation, it is simply not something an ordinary person can achieve.

It is worth mentioning that although the training method for the Rasengan is difficult, the underlying principle is quite simple.

To put it bluntly, it is just about spinning a ball—literally spinning a ball!

It can be viewed as a math problem with a simple logic but a requirement for complex mental calculation, which is the exact opposite of those ninjutsu that rely on hand seals.

Ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God or Living Corpse Reincarnation are like the manuscripts of Qian Xuesen; even if they are placed right in front of you, if you don't understand them, you don't understand them, and if you can't learn them, you can't learn them.

On the other hand, high-level ninjutsu like the Rasengan or the Tailed Beast Bomb are like the manufacturing of an atomic bomb; the principle is not overly complex, but the actual production is extremely difficult.

Kakashi's assessment of the Rasengan as the "pinnacle of chakra shape transformation" is by no means an exaggeration.

Since Nawaki was able to master tree climbing within two hours, it is evident that his talent for chakra control is not lacking, and he should meet the prerequisites for Rasengan training.

Watching Nawaki walk unsteadily across the pond, Minato smiled knowingly, turned around, and walked into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Water walking is an advanced technique of tree climbing; it only adds the step of real-time chakra adjustment. Having already mastered tree climbing, he should be able to grasp it after a few more attempts.

Sure enough, before Minato had even finished cooking, a cheer erupted from the courtyard.

"I did it!"

"Let's go increase the difficulty for him."

Minato said without looking back, and a shadow clone nearby turned to walk outside.

"Minato! Look! I did it!"

In the small pond in the courtyard, Nawaki stood steadily on the water's surface. Seeing the clone arrive, he called out excitedly.

Seeing this, the clone nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips: "The original body asked me to increase the difficulty for you."

As he spoke, he crouched down and pressed one hand onto the water, instantly sending turbulent waves surging across the surface!

"Whoa—"

As the waves churned, the chakra under Nawaki's feet lost its balance, and with a splash, he fell into the water.

"When you can walk freely on the waves, you can begin your Rasengan training," the clone said with a smile.

"Damn it... I was just careless! You wait, I'll master it for you right now!"

Nawaki climbed up, wiped the water from his face, and began trying to stand on the water again.

It wasn't until Minato had finished lunch that Nawaki could barely stand steady amidst the waves, though moving was still a bit of a struggle.

"Time to eat."

Minato carried the dishes out and called into the courtyard.

Hearing this, Nawaki rushed into the house, changed out of his soaked clothes, and sat at the table, devouring his food.

After eating, he rushed back into the courtyard to continue practicing water walking.

Soon, another two hours passed.

Nawaki walked casually across the water, and no matter how the waves surged beneath his feet, they could not affect him in the slightest.

"Success..."

Nawaki's tone was filled with excitement, a feeling of bitterness finally giving way to sweetness.

"Congratulations, you can begin your Rasengan training."

The clone said with a smile, then vanished with a poof.

At the same time, Minato was in his room silently reciting the hand seals for Earth Style ninjutsu. After receiving the clone's memories, he stood up and walked out of the room.

Just as he reached the courtyard, he saw Nawaki sitting on the veranda, gently rubbing his ankle and hissing through his teeth as he sucked in cold air.

"Sss—it hurts!"

"You overexerted your chakra."

Minato chuckled: "It's not a major issue, but to prevent any lingering side effects, you should go to the hospital and get it checked out. The teacher should be at the hospital right now."

The border near the Land of Rain has been unstable lately, and wounded soldiers are being sent back every few days, which has left the hospital short-handed.

Tsunade's official ninja status is not tied to the hospital, but due to her exceptional medical skills, she is frequently asked to help out.

Interestingly, because of this connection, combined with her status as the granddaughter of the First Hokage and her beauty, she holds more authority at the hospital than the director himself.

"It's fine, I'll just have my sister look at it when she gets home."

Nawaki said urgently: "Let's hurry up and start the Rasengan training!"

Minato shook his head: "Then we have to go out even more; I need to buy you some tools to assist with your training."

"Alright..."

Nawaki looked rather uninterested.

He had changed into clean clothes, and just as the two of them stepped out the door, they saw Tsunade walking toward the Chao Family entrance with a red-haired girl.

"Big Sister!"

Nawaki waved at Tsunade.

Minato's gaze, however, fell upon the girl beside Tsunade.

The girl had a head of red hair, as vivid and bright as flames, with a round, chubby face and a pair of dark, bright eyes that looked full of spirit.

"Where are you two headed?" Tsunade asked upon seeing them leave.

"Nawaki overexerted himself during Water Surface Walking practice, and the meridians in his ankles are stinging a bit, so I was planning to take him to the hospital to see the teacher," Minato said.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Tsunade crouched down, reached out to knead Nawaki's ankle, and quickly stood back up. "It's nothing major; he'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"But I didn't expect you to have already reached the stage of Water Surface Walking, Nawaki. Minato taught you, right? How is the progress? Have you mastered it?"

"Of course!"

Nawaki crossed his arms and lifted his chin triumphantly. "I can already walk freely even amidst the waves!"

Hearing this, Tsunade smiled and ruffled Nawaki's hair. "Is that so? How impressive!"

Nawaki turned his head away in embarrassment, dodging her hand. "Don't treat me like a little kid!"

"But you clearly are a little kid~"

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

"Right, let me introduce you. This is the child I mentioned before who will be staying with us for a while. Her name is Kushina Uzumaki."

"H-hello, everyone."

Kushina spoke with some nervousness, a hint of unease hidden in the depths of her eyes.

"Oh! Hello! My name is Nawaki! I'm my big sister's younger brother! Nice to meet you!"

Nawaki gave a thumbs-up, flashed a wide grin, and spoke with enthusiasm.

"Hello, my name is Minato Namikaze. I am a student of Teacher Tsunade. Nice to meet you."

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

That's more like it...

What kind of normal person introduces themselves as "my big sister's younger brother"?

This blond kid seems normal enough, though he looks a bit effeminate and lacks manliness...

Kushina muttered to herself.

Although she felt uneasy about being in a new place, she was actually quite lively—or perhaps even fiery—by nature.

Seeing that the atmosphere of their first meeting was quite harmonious, Tsunade looked at Minato with a smile. "Great! To celebrate Kushina's arrival, let's make dinner a bit more lavish tonight!"

Minato nodded with a smile. "Understood, leave it to me."

Hearing this, Kushina's expression faltered slightly.

Eh?

What is up with this family?

Why is a little kid doing the cooking?

Did the village sell me off or something?