The Red Threads of Fate

"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"

Genichi slammed the chakra sphere in his hand against a tree, and it exploded with a thunderous boom.

Just kidding. It was only an ordinary Rasengan.

He had finally succeeded. Genichi thought back over the past month and a half, recalling how he had recreated the Rasengan step by step.

The first stage was gathering chakra in the palm of his hand.

The second stage was releasing chakra steadily and continuously. He placed a water balloon in his hand, then released chakra to make the water inside swirl unpredictably until the balloon burst.

The third stage involved practicing with a rubber ball. He had to keep releasing chakra and give it physical form until he could burst the ball.

The final stage was gathering and releasing chakra. He combined everything he had learned, concentrated high-density chakra in his hand, released it continuously, kept it stable, and finally compressed it into a miniature typhoon. It was incredibly powerful, capable of punching through solid rock.

"Even without Hand Seals, it's this powerful. Could it be a self-created ninjutsu?" Minato stared at the blasted tree trunk, utterly astonished.

Genichi, how had you gotten stronger again without me noticing? Minato had been working hard to catch up in Taijutsu and felt he was approaching Chunin level. But he hadn't been pleased for long before realizing his close friend had gone even further.

"That's right. I'm calling it the Rasengan." Genichi readily admitted that he had created the technique himself.

"That name's pretty ordinary. How about we call it the Gale Flash Sky-Piercing Super Whirlwind Dance Howl?" When it came to naming things, Minato felt a baffling surge of enthusiasm.

Genichi rolled his eyes at Minato. He already knew his friend had a genius for this sort of thing. Then he turned to the three still-dumbfounded girls and showed off:

"What do you think? Not bad, right?"

Hyuga Hana nodded in astonishment. The technique looked a bit like a smaller version of the Main Family's secret art, Heavenly Rotation.

"That's amazing. You can already create your own ninjutsu?" Mikoto exclaimed.

"Genichi, you're incredible!" Kushina couldn't help praising him, then muttered under her breath, "And Rasengan sounds pretty similar to Uzumaki."

That was right. It had been more than half a month since Kushina transferred here, and Genichi had invited her to join the after-school training program he organized. Now they all got along well, and their friendship kept growing stronger.

"Well, that's enough for today." Seeing that dusk was falling, Genichi picked up his Ninja Blade and said goodbye to everyone.

As he walked, Genichi toyed with the top-quality sword he had bought at the ninja tool shop for three hundred thousand ryo—a standard-issue weapon. It was incredibly durable, exceptionally sharp, and practically radiated the power of money.

It was the best weapon he could buy at the moment, only a little inferior to famous blades made from chakra-conductive metal and the legendary Kusanagi Sword. Genichi touched his index finger to his thumb, making an OK sign.

It was about time. Tonight, this blade would taste blood.

A few days earlier, at the Hidden Cloud Village.

The Third Raikage, A, summoned three Chunin skilled in infiltration and intelligence gathering, then said:

"Ever since the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails came to our village, they've caused one problem after another. They've broken through their seals several times. Not only can we not turn them into an asset for the village, they've also held back our development."

"Konoha's Nine-Tails is even stronger, yet they don't have this problem. The key lies with the Uzumaki Clan, who are skilled in Sealing Jutsu.

"According to our intelligence, more than a month ago Konoha secretly brought a little girl back from the Land of Whirlpools: Kushina Uzumaki.

"She must have some special secret. Starting today, you're all jonin of the village. Go and bring her back. I'll personally celebrate your success when you return."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three Cloud Ninja dropped to one knee in excitement and shouted, "We pledge our lives to Lord Raikage!"

Dodai, still young but highly regarded by the Third Raikage, handed out the files. Only after the three had left did he ask, "Would three Chunin really be enough to abduct someone from inside Konoha?"

"If they're discovered, even three jonin won't make it back," the Raikage explained. "But success isn't impossible. We can also use this to test Konoha's attitude. Go to the border. If they succeed, bring her back."

Tonight was the night Kushina would be kidnapped. Genichi couldn't explain where his information came from, so he had no way to stop it ahead of time.

Genichi went over the intelligence one last time. The Cloud Ninja were after Kushina because she might have a special constitution suited to sealing Tailed Beasts. They needed her alive, so they wouldn't hurt her during the kidnapping.

He took out the scroll he had prepared in advance. First, he would visit Kushina under the pretext of trading his Rasengan training method for knowledge of Sealing Jutsu. If she wasn't there, he would follow the red hair scattered along the way and catch up with them. Then he would kill the enemies and rescue her. Minato had managed it at the same age; Genichi would have an easier time.

If anything went wrong, he could go straight to Uzumaki Mito. Her Mind's Eye of the Kagura could probably cover dozens of kilometers, which was a reliable backup plan.

As for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's possible ability to sense people's good and evil, it didn't matter. It wasn't as if she could read minds.

Genichi considered his image as a studious, ambitious genius. He genuinely wanted to trade for knowledge of Sealing Jutsu, and he genuinely wanted to protect Kushina. So there was no problem. Time to act!

When he reached the Senju Clan Compound, he found the grounds expansive and sparsely populated, with a somewhat desolate feel.

"Kushina! Are you there? I came to see you!" Genichi called loudly from the gate.

There was no answer. Genichi vaulted over the wall. The place was in disarray. Applying the environmental observation techniques he had learned at school, he carefully surveyed the scene. Three intruders? Their trail led this way.

Before long, Genichi followed the red strands of hair scattered across the ground out of the village and spotted his targets in the woods. One ninja was leading Kushina by a rope, while the other two trailed several paces behind, keeping watch on their surroundings.

Genichi lowered his footsteps and followed behind the enemies at an angle. Suddenly, clouds covered the moon, plunging the surroundings into darkness. The last ninja fell slightly behind.

Seizing his chance, Genichi used Body Flicker, darting from the bushes on the right to the bushes on the left. As he passed through the air, he swept his blade across the enemy's throat. The gleaming white blade appeared out of the night, then emerged stained with blood. It was as smooth as slicing through tofu.

As the two remaining ninjas turned and saw their comrade clutching his throat in agony, shock flashed across their faces. In that instant, Genichi appeared at their side and struck the second enemy with the prepared Rasengan.

That made two. Genichi watched the last ninja's movements with a cold, oppressive gaze, his face expressionless.

Seeing his comrades die one after another threw the enemy into a panic. Desperate to protect himself, he leaped backward twice onto a tree branch and began scanning the surroundings.

Genichi caught Kushina.

"Genichi, is that you? I'm so glad you came."

"It's all right now. I'm here."

Genichi held up the red hair he had collected along the way to show her that the clues she had left behind had helped him find her.

"Kid, you're alone?" The ninja on the tree saw that Genichi was just a six- or seven-year-old boy and seemed to regain his composure. "I'm a jonin. If you want to live, hand over the little girl beside you."

Huh? Why was a dead man talking?

Genichi supported the limp Kushina with his left hand and flung a Shuriken straight at the enemy with his right, forcing him to shift position in midair. Watching his trajectory, Genichi formed the Seals for Dog, Horse, and Rooster with one hand and unleashed a full-power Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

Unable to brace himself in midair, the enemy was slammed into a tree by the Wind Release Ninjutsu. The tree snapped, and the ninja's life was extinguished.

Genichi gathered the sleeping Kushina into his arms. A faint smile touched her lips as he slowly walked back toward the village.

The red threads of fate intertwined, binding people tightly together.