If the Rasengan was a compressed hurricane, then Nagato now felt as though he stood at the very center of that hurricane. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. What kind of technique had his opponent used?
Li looked at Nagato, who stood at the center of a faint blue expanse, and sighed softly. Where did the Rasengan's greatest destructive power lie? On its surface? No...
The Rasengan's true power lay in its core.
The Rasengan and Chidori were two entirely different techniques. Comparatively speaking, Chidori was more straightforward. It possessed incomparably powerful piercing force; even an opponent with extremely strong defenses could be pierced through in an instant.
The Rasengan, on the other hand, was different. Generally speaking, the instant the target was struck, the influx of a large amount of wind-element chakra would first leave them unable to make effective movements. Then the user would follow through and press the Rasengan against the target's body. At that point, the core of the Rasengan would come into contact with the target's body.
Only then would the target be crushed by the Rasengan.
Of course, that did not mean either Chidori or Rasengan was inherently stronger or weaker. Chidori was a typical quantitative-change Ninjutsu. It was especially effective against enemies whose defenses had not reached the absolute peak, yet were still extremely strong.
For example, Gaara's Sand Release. But when facing a boss like the one in the Land of Snow movie, whose armor could effectively defend against chakra attacks and whose innate defense was also immensely powerful, Chidori could not inflict effective damage.
As for the Rasengan, its weakness was equally obvious. If the opponent reacted effectively the instant they were hit—by retreating backward, for example—then the follow-up attack from its most crucial core would never land.
Thus, Li