Wind Release: Rasenshuriken

The Third Hokage breathed a sigh of relief. "Ninjutsu development? Do you mean the Konoha Six Powers you created? They're a powerful form of taijutsu, but they're only A-rank, and they demand great physical strength, making them difficult to master. So the Konoha Six Powers alone probably wouldn't prove your talent for invention well enough to earn you a promotion to Special Jōnin."

Nawaki shook his head. "Not the Six Powers. It's a hand-seal-less ninjutsu."

He held out his right hand. A vast amount of chakra quickly gathered in his palm, forming a solid-looking sphere. The intense chakra fluctuations made everyone around him feel a profound sense of danger.

The Third Hokage stared at Nawaki's right hand, eyes wide with surprise. "This is the hand-seal-less ninjutsu you developed? It looks incredibly powerful!"

Nawaki casually dispersed the Rasengan in his hand and said with confidence, "That's right. Inspired by the Tailed Beast Bomb, I created this A-rank jutsu through shape transformation of chakra! It works on the same principle as a Tailed Beast Bomb: you gather chakra in your palm, compress it into a small area, then spin it rapidly into a sphere. The high-speed rotation causes tremendous tearing damage when it hits an enemy and throws their chakra into disarray. If you add Wind Release nature transformation, it gains immense cutting power. A direct hit can destroy every cell in the enemy's body, and you can also throw it like a shuriken for a long-range attack. It's a true S-rank hand-seal-less ninjutsu! I just can't demonstrate it properly in a space this small."

"What?! You've already completed an S-rank jutsu?" The Third Hokage was utterly stunned this time. He hadn't imagined Nawaki had such astonishing talent for ninjutsu.

"That's right! Developing an S-rank jutsu should be enough to earn me a promotion to Special Jōnin, right?" During the year after becoming a Genin, Nawaki had often made a dozen or so Shadow Clones to practice the Rasenshuriken. By now, he could use it proficiently with one hand. Unlike Naruto at the beginning, he wouldn't hurt himself from lack of practice, and he could throw the shuriken.

"If it's true, then of course. I'll summon the Jōnin so they can witness your jutsu at the training ground."

Several Anbu hurried off at his order.

Before long, the Konoha High Command and numerous Jōnin had gathered in the Hokage's office.

"Sarutobi, is there something important you need us for? Everyone's been busy with the caravans lately! Hm? Nawaki's here too! This must have something to do with him, right?" Ever since hearing the economic strategy, Danzo had developed a keen interest in business. He was growing more and more fascinated by this "war" of plundering other countries' resources and wealth, and had become a business-warfare fanatic. He admired Nawaki, the man behind it all, and considered him a fellow member of the Hawkish Faction. After all, who else would come up with such an aggressive strategy?

Once everyone had arrived, the Third Hokage explained, "I called you all here because Nawaki claims to have developed an S-rank hand-seal-less ninjutsu and hopes to earn a promotion to Special Jōnin on the strength of this achievement. Let's all go to the training ground to watch his demonstration and bear witness."

"What? An S-rank jutsu?"

"He's only five, isn't he? Is that even possible?"

"Geniuses are beyond our ability to predict!"

"If it's Nawaki, it might actually be true."

As they discussed it, everyone made their way to the training ground.

"Nawaki, you can begin your demonstration!" Once everyone had gathered outside the training ground, the Third Hokage said to him.

The other Genin classes naturally weren't going to miss such a spectacle, so they came along to watch. A crowd that large was impossible to miss, and they attracted the curiosity of many villagers along the way. Before long, the group had grown rapidly, and onlookers filled the area around the training ground. That suited Nawaki just fine. The more people there were, the better, since he wanted to gain Wish Power and fame.

Nawaki looked at the spacious training ground, nodded, and used Moon Step to walk into the air.

"Look! He's flying!"

"It looks like he's walking in midair!"

"What amazing taijutsu!"

"It's incredible, but surely it can't be S-rank?"

"He hasn't even started yet. Didn't Lord Hokage say it was an S-rank hand-seal-less ninjutsu? This is the taijutsu he created a few years ago."

"A few years ago? He was only two or three? It makes my whole life feel so bleak!"

"Tell me about it."

Nawaki paid no attention to the crowd's chatter. Wind Release chakra gathered and compressed in his palm, spinning wildly. A fierce gale whipped up around them, making everyone's clothes flap loudly. "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"

"Th-that chakra is so intense!"

"Is that Wind Release?"

"To control such dense Wind Release chakra and shape it so dramatically—his control over chakra is practically perfect!" The Third Hokage held down his Hokage hat with one hand and squinted up through the gale at Nawaki in the sky.

"That's not all! A jutsu with this shape is perfect for bringing out Wind Release chakra's cutting power. Their combination is flawless! And with flying and Body Flicker Technique supporting it, the enemy will have a hard time dodging. If it also has a huge range and can be used at long distance, all those factors combined make it far more effective than an ordinary S-rank jutsu. I never expected the boy to inherit the Second Hokage's intelligence and talent, too!" Danzo stared at Nawaki with his single eye as he spoke to the Third Hokage beside him.

"And if you add that other technique... he'd be the perfect ninja!"

"It really does look like a shuriken! The name suits it perfectly!"

In the sky, as Nawaki shouted, the Rasenshuriken took its final form. The rapidly spinning wind blades let out a piercing, high-pitched whine. Nawaki raised the Rasenshuriken above his head with one hand, then hurled it toward the training ground below at an angle.

With a long, mournful "whoosh," the Rasenshuriken shot toward its target, propelled by Nawaki's precise Shurikenjutsu.

"Bzzzz..." After it hit the ground, the shuriken rapidly carved into the earth, producing an even shriller, more piercing whine. The moment it landed, the Rasenshuriken's wind blades rapidly expanded at a visible speed, widening its area of destruction.

After cutting for several seconds, the Rasenshuriken suddenly erupted in an increasingly shrill, violent whine. When the sound and pitch reached their peak, the shuriken burst apart, sending countless blades flying in every direction.

The massive explosion sent dust billowing across the training ground. Chunks of earth shot dozens of meters into the air. When the dust settled, the onlookers looked toward the shuriken's landing point and saw that the once-level training ground had been transformed into a hemispherical crater dozens of meters in radius.

Everyone drew in a sharp breath. Even the civilians who knew nothing about ninjutsu could tell that this jutsu was devastatingly powerful.

"Cough, cough... You really were right. It can be thrown over long distances, and its range is enormous. If it's used with Moon Step and Shunpo, almost no one could dodge it! What a perfect combination..." Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed through the dust. He'd been so shocked that he'd just inhaled a mouthful of it.