Rasengan

"You brat, weren't these jutsu powerful enough? Are you messing with this sage?"

"Come on, Jiraiya, can't we try another jutsu that's just as powerful?"

Yi Xiang transformed back into the pretty girl from before. With a coy look on her alluring face, she spoke timidly.

"Hohoho! Of course we can. I just forgot to show you this one earlier. You're bound to like it!"

"Rasengan!"

Boom! The brown tree trunk nearby was struck by the blue, head-sized sphere, leaving behind a hollow, spiral-patterned hole.

If I hadn't forgotten how to train for this thing, I wouldn't need you to show me. Hmph!

He grumbled inwardly, but a smile appeared on Yi Xiang's face as he said,

"This one's pretty good. I'll learn this."

"Pervy Sage, I'm going to learn this first, then practice the Summoning Jutsu."

Naruto was just as amazed by its power, but Jiraiya answered with a knuckle to the head.

"Idiot! Get the red chakra out first, then we'll talk. Now go and practice the Summoning Jutsu!"

"Oh."

After Yi Xiang paid for Jiraiya's drinks out of his own pocket, handing over thirty thousand ryo, and bought more than thirty water balloons, Jiraiya became a few shades more enthusiastic about teaching. The first stage of training officially began.

Jiraiya casually took out a green water balloon. His left hand made no visible movement, yet the water inside seemed to come alive and burst through the balloon's skin of its own accord.

"Rotation is one of the key elements of the Rasengan. Tree climbing is about gathering chakra and maintaining it in a specific place, while Water Walking is about releasing a certain amount of chakra.

Since you taught Naruto those two a long time ago, he must have mastered them quite well. Rotation is about making chakra flow."

Before he had finished speaking, Yi Xiang controlled the chakra in the red water balloon in his hand, rotating it to the left, then changing to an irregular rotation. The balloon popped, leaving only moisture on his palm.

This kid's talent is even more incredible than the rumors say. Very good, very good. It's rare to find a Uchiha with such a decent character who's also so clever.

Jiraiya's distracted expression turned a little more intent. He held out his hand, looking as though payment were only right and proper.

"The materials for the second stage of training cost money too. How do you expect to train if you don't pay up?"

"How much do you need, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya raised two fingers with his other hand. He was just about to say two hundred ryo when Yi Xiang willingly pulled out two thousand and handed them over. Concealing his delight, Jiraiya nodded.

"Practice a few more times here. I'll be right back."

Watching Jiraiya's wooden sandals clack as he walked off with a spring in his step, Yi Xiang chuckled.

"To get him to work a little faster, aside from pretty faces, money's the only way. Money always works like a charm."

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

"Why does this keep happening?! Every time I summon something, all I get are tiny tadpoles the size of a finger! What am I supposed to do?!"

Hearing Naruto's sighs, Yi Xiang thought about how Naruto could only use the Nine-Tails Chakra when his emotions became extremely intense. He didn't have any good ideas, either. It wasn't as if he could just help Naruto undo the seal.

"Naruto, if it's not working, take a break for a bit. Jiraiya should know the trick. Ask him more when he gets back."

"Big brother Yi Xiang, you're way more reliable than Pervy Sage. Can you help me? How do I use a different kind of chakra?"

Yi Xiang shook his head and looked at the more than twenty water balloons left.

"Naruto, since the Summoning Jutsu isn't working, why not try the Rasengan instead? There are still lots of water balloons here."

With Yi Xiang guiding him based on his own experience, Naruto managed to burst a water balloon when Jiraiya returned. By pushing with both hands at once, he rotated the chakra irregularly to the right. Jiraiya was astonished.

"In that case, you two can both move on to the second stage.

Here, take these."

Jiraiya tossed each of them a rubber ball, then showed them a sheet of paper. He drew a dot on it and showed it to them again.

"This is what it means to focus on one point. Once you concentrate your mind, your spirit will become steady, and you'll bring out unexpected strength. So the second stage is mainly about mental focus and power."

After speaking, Jiraiya pulled a brush from his robes and drew a spiral pattern on each of their palms. Then he told them to begin practicing.

Focus. Focus. Hoo—hah!

Yi Xiang kept shutting out distracting thoughts until all that remained in his mind was the image of the ball in his left hand. Just then, a small hole appeared in the ball, and it deflated.

"Not yet. The rubber ball needs to burst completely for the power to meet the standard."

Jiraiya, drinking by himself nearby, offered a reminder.

At that, Yi Xiang picked up another rubber ball and closed his eyes. From the outside, the ball in his hand didn't move at all. But if anyone could see through the rubber, they would have found the chakra inside steadily compressing.

Naruto's rubber ball deflated twice, while Yi Xiang's still showed no sign of movement. When Naruto picked up a third ball to practice, he noticed Yi Xiang was still standing there without moving.

Naruto was about to wake him when Jiraiya started to call out and stop him. But then came a pop, and the immense force in Yi Xiang's hand knocked him to the ground. The remaining force sent him skidding backward.

Just as Jiraiya was about to help, Yi Xiang suddenly flipped himself up with all his might and planted his left hand firmly on the ground. In an instant, his whole body seemed to float in the air, supported by the strength of his left hand.

Boom! Amid a deafening roar, the compressed ball of chakra in Yi Xiang's left hand blasted a crater roughly two meters across into the earth.

"Cough, cough."

When the dust settled, Yi Xiang felt as though his left palm had gone numb. He couldn't even lift it.

"Yi Xiang, your talent for learning is almost a match for this sage's. All you need to do now is maintain the state you were just in, and you'll have fully mastered the Rasengan."

Jiraiya delivered his assessment with a hint of smugness. After all, Yi Xiang had learned it under his brilliant tutelage.

"What?! Big brother Yi Xiang, you've already learned it? I'm on my third ball and still can't figure out the trick!"

Seeing Yi Xiang learn it almost at once, Naruto's spirits visibly sank. Yi Xiang's speed had clearly discouraged him.

"Naruto, everyone has different talents. For example, I'm very talented at learning jutsu, but I'm nowhere near as good as you when it comes to diligence, courage, optimism, cooking, and all kinds of other things.

You should learn to recognize and make the most of your strengths, and do your best to make up for your weaknesses."

Actually, apart from having some talent for learning and knowing the plot in advance, I rely on cheats for everything else.

Of course, Yi Xiang kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he gave Naruto an earnest smile of encouragement.

Those two are closer than I thought. Uchiha Isho... an Uchiha... It's been a long time since a kid this interesting came along.

In Jiraiya's eyes, the two boys stood beneath the golden glow of the setting sun, looking just like an older brother encouraging his younger brother. There was something especially warm about the sight.