Konohamaru Was the Real Prodigy

"Boss, pack up all the water balloons and regular balloons for me!"

Jiraiya entered the town and went to a general store. Leaning against the counter, he tapped his fingers on it and said.

"Coming right up!"

When the shopkeeper saw how much Jiraiya was buying, his face lit up with delight!

After taking the water balloons and regular balloons the shopkeeper handed him, Jiraiya smiled and reached out to pat Naruto's head.

"I've got the tools we need. Now I'll teach you how to train in this advanced technique!"

Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he hurried after Jiraiya.

Lin Mu had wanted to wander around the market, but the two master and student didn't seem interested, and he didn't feel right going off on his own, so he followed them.

The three soon arrived at an open area outside the town.

After looking around and finding a comfortable spot, Jiraiya stopped.

He reached into his bag, pulled out a water balloon, and handed it to Naruto Uzumaki.

"Did you get a good look at the technique I used earlier? What kind of technique do you think it looked like?"

"What kind of technique?"

Naruto looked a little bewildered. After thinking it over, he answered hesitantly:

"It seemed like something was spinning."

Jiraiya snapped his fingers, approval in his voice.

"Exactly. It's all about rotation!"

As he spoke, he pulled another water balloon from his pocket and held it up in front of Naruto.

Bzzzz—

A wave of chakra hummed through the air.

The water balloon in Jiraiya's hand shook violently, bulges appearing all over it.

Then it burst.

Throughout the whole process, Jiraiya's hand didn't move at all. He had simply used his chakra with incredible precision.

Naruto Uzumaki stared in astonishment.

Surprise showed in Lin Mu's eyes, too.

Such exquisite control over chakra was simply beyond most people.

And this was only the first step in training for the Rasengan. It showed just how difficult the technique was.

Jiraiya saw Naruto Uzumaki's stunned expression, then noticed that even Lin Mu, usually so composed, looked surprised. A smug smile crept across his weathered face.

He continued explaining:

"When you trained in tree climbing, you learned to concentrate chakra and keep it where it needed to be. And when you trained to walk on water, you learned to release a certain amount of chakra. You've practiced both, haven't you?"

Jiraiya pointed at the water balloon in Naruto Uzumaki's hand and gave him his training goal.

"So, in this water-balloon exercise, you need to make your chakra flow. In other words, you need to make it rotate."

Naruto Uzumaki narrowed his eyes and examined the water balloon in his hand, unsure what to do.

"Make my chakra flow?"

"Ah... I'll explain the details of the technique once you've mastered the basics!

"First, use what you learned from tree climbing to concentrate and maintain chakra in your hand. Then use what you learned from walking on water to keep releasing chakra.

"Next, practice using your chakra to press and stir the water inside the balloon!"

Jiraiya patiently answered Naruto's questions.

"I understand!"

After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Naruto's eyes lit up. It seemed he had grasped the basics of the technique.

"So I use chakra to spin the water fast until the balloon bursts!"

"You're getting better and better at figuring things out. All right, we'll train until tonight!"

Jiraiya didn't hold back on the praise.

"Got it!"

Naruto was instantly fired up.

He was already passionate about training, and now that he had a clear goal, he was even more motivated!

"..."

Watching Jiraiya teach Naruto Uzumaki so earnestly, Lin Mu felt a swell of emotion.

Now that was what a truly dedicated teacher looked like!

He had explained how to make chakra rotate so clearly and simply that even Naruto Uzumaki had understood it right away!

Lin Mu recalled Naruto Uzumaki returning to Konoha in the future and teaching Konohamaru Sarutobi how to learn the Rasengan.

So Konohamaru Sarutobi really was the true prodigy!

Lin Mu pulled his thoughts back from the future and suddenly realized something.

Jiraiya had taught Naruto Uzumaki with Lin Mu standing right there the entire time. That meant Jiraiya hadn't tried to hide the Rasengan from him.

Did Jiraiya intend to teach me the Rasengan, too?

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Mu's heart.

Jiraiya really considered him one of his own!

"Jiraiya..."

Lin Mu's eyes shifted.

Jiraiya had always been someone he admired, both in the past and now.

But according to what Lin Mu remembered, Jiraiya would die in battle a few years from now...

That absolutely couldn't happen!

Lin Mu silently renewed his resolve. Whether for Naruto's sake as his friend or for his own, he had to stop Jiraiya from dying!

"My strength still isn't enough to face those people. I still have a long, hard road of training ahead of me!"

Lin Mu sighed inwardly.

He looked toward Naruto Uzumaki, who was training hard, then put the thought aside.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and began steadily refining his chakra.

"Great, the water's spinning! It looks like this'll be easier to burst than I thought!"

Lin Mu had barely sat down when he heard Naruto's excited voice.

He opened his eyes and glanced at Naruto, then closed them again and continued training.

Even the first step of this technique wasn't something you could master easily!

"..."

Jiraiya watched Naruto Uzumaki's excitement and didn't have the heart to discourage him.

He walked over to a tree and sat down with his back against the trunk.

Then he took a wine gourd from his pocket, opened it, and took a few swigs before speaking.

"Why don't I rest while you work on bursting it? Wake me up once you do."

Naruto suddenly felt that Jiraiya was looking down on him. He puffed up in indignation and said:

"At this rate, you won't even get to take a nap! Just you wait. I'll learn this thing before the day's over!"

Unfortunately, Jiraiya's eyes were already closed, and he didn't respond.

If the Rasengan had been that easy to learn, a genius like the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have spent three years developing it.

Training days passed in the blink of an eye, and before long, evening had arrived.

Lin Mu, who had been sitting cross-legged and refining his chakra for most of the day, slowly opened his eyes.

He could feel that his strength had improved a little more!

"Burst already!"

Naruto Uzumaki shouted again, but his voice sounded different now from how it had at noon.

When he first started at noon, his voice had been loud and full of energy.

But after several hours of practice, it had grown much weaker.

"B-burst!"

Naruto bent over, bracing his hands on his legs, his chest heaving. He had nearly run out of chakra after practicing all afternoon.

But the water balloon in his hand still showed no sign of bursting.