Konohamaru is the True Genius

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

Jiraiya entered the town, walked up to a general store, and tapped his fingers on the counter.

"Coming right up!"

The shopkeeper's face lit up with joy at the sight of Jiraiya buying so many items.

After taking the balloons handed over by the shopkeeper, Jiraiya smiled and reached out to pat Naruto Uzumaki on the head.

"The training tools are ready. Now, I'll take you to master this high-level ninjutsu!"

Countless little stars sparkled in Naruto Uzumaki's eyes as he hurriedly chased after Jiraiya.

Lin Mu had originally wanted to stroll through the market, but seeing that the master and student had no interest in it, he felt it wouldn't be right to go alone, so he followed in their footsteps.

The three of them soon arrived at an open space outside the town.

After looking around and finding a comfortable spot, Jiraiya came to a halt.

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

"Did you see clearly the ninjutsu I performed earlier? What kind of technique did it look like to you?"

"What kind of technique?"

Naruto Uzumaki was a bit dazed by the question. After thinking for a moment, he answered hesitantly:

"It felt like it was spinning."

Jiraiya snapped his fingers, his tone filled with approval.

"Exactly, it's all about rotation!"

Having said that, he pulled another water balloon from his pocket and held it up in front of Naruto Uzumaki.

Hum, hum, hum—

A sound of chakra fluctuations resonated.

The water balloon in Jiraiya's hand vibrated violently, with bulges constantly appearing on its surface.

The water balloon burst instantly.

Throughout this process, Jiraiya's hand didn't move at all; it was purely a masterful application of chakra.

Naruto Uzumaki watched, dumbfounded.

A look of surprise also appeared in Lin Mu's eyes.

Such exquisite control over chakra was truly beyond reach.

And this was merely the beginning stage of training for the Rasengan, which showed just how difficult this ninjutsu really was.

Catching sight of Naruto Uzumaki's stunned expression and seeing that even the usually composed Lin Mu was surprised and curious, a smug smile appeared on Jiraiya's aged face.

He continued his explanation:

"In the tree-climbing training, you learned to concentrate and maintain chakra in a specific area. In the water-walking training, you learned to release a constant amount of chakra. You've practiced both of these."

Jiraiya pointed to the water balloon in Naruto Uzumaki's hand and set the goal for this training session.

"So, for this water balloon training, you must create a flow of chakra—in other words, rotation."

Naruto Uzumaki squinted at the water balloon in his hand, feeling at a loss.

"Create a flow of chakra?"

"Ah... I'll give you the detailed explanation of the ninjutsu once you've mastered the introductory technique! First, use the principles of tree-climbing to concentrate and maintain chakra in your hand, then use the principles of water-walking to continuously release that chakra. Then, you must practice using that chakra to press and churn the water inside this balloon!"

Jiraiya was very patient as he earnestly addressed Naruto Uzumaki's confusion.

"I get it!"

After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Naruto Uzumaki's eyes lit up; he seemed to have grasped the essence of the technique.

"So it's training to use chakra to spin the water rapidly until the balloon bursts!"

"Your comprehension is getting better and better. Alright, we're training until tonight!"

Jiraiya did not hold back his praise for Naruto Uzumaki.

"You got it!"

Naruto Uzumaki was instantly filled with motivation.

He already possessed immense passion for training, and now that he had a clear goal, he was even more unstoppable!

Watching Jiraiya earnestly teaching Naruto Uzumaki, a wave of emotion surged in Lin Mu's heart.

This is what a truly qualified teacher looks like!

To explain the rotation of chakra in such a flexible way that even Naruto Uzumaki could understand it in one go!

Lin Mu recalled the scene where Naruto Uzumaki would eventually return to the Hidden Leaf and teach Konohamaru Sarutobi how to perform the Rasengan.

It seems Konohamaru Sarutobi is the true genius after all!

Pulling his drifting thoughts back, Lin Mu suddenly realized something.

He had been standing right there the entire time Jiraiya was teaching Naruto Uzumaki, which meant Jiraiya had made no attempt to hide the Rasengan from him.

Was Jiraiya intentionally trying to teach the Rasengan to me as well?

A wave of warmth surged through Lin Mu's heart.

He truly considers me one of his own!

"Jiraiya..."

Lin Mu's eyes flickered.

Jiraiya was someone he had always admired, both in the past and the present.

Yet, according to his memories, Jiraiya would die in battle in a few years...

That is absolutely impossible!

Lin Mu secretly steeled his resolve once more; whether for the sake of his friendship with Naruto or for his own sake, he had to prevent Jiraiya's death!

"My current strength is not enough to face those beings; the path of cultivation remains long and arduous!"

Lin Mu sighed inwardly.

Casting a glance at the hardworking Naruto Uzumaki, he withdrew his focus.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and began to continuously refine his own chakra.

"Great, the water is rotating! It looks like it'll be easier to burst than I thought!"

No sooner had Lin Mu sat down than he heard Naruto Uzumaki's excited voice.

He opened his eyes to glance at Naruto, then immediately closed them again to resume his own training.

Even the beginning of this ninjutsu is not so easy to master!

Jiraiya watched the incredibly spirited Naruto Uzumaki and didn't have the heart to dampen his enthusiasm.

He turned and walked to a tree, leaning back against its trunk to sit down.

Then, he pulled a gourd of sake from his pocket, took a few gulps, and spoke.

"Well, I'll take a rest before you manage to burst it! Wake me up once you've popped the water balloon."

Naruto suddenly felt Jiraiya's disdain, and his temper flared up as he huffed:

"At this rate, you won't even get a nap! Just you wait, I'll master this thing within today!"

Unfortunately, Jiraiya's eyes were already closed, and he paid no heed to Naruto.

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

Time flies during cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, it was evening.

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

He felt that his strength had improved just a little bit more!

"Burst for me!"

Naruto Uzumaki's roar came again, though his voice was different from what it had been at noon.

When he started at noon, his voice had been bright and full of vigor.

But after hours of grueling practice, his voice had grown hoarse and low.

"Burst... ah!"

Naruto hunched over, bracing his hands on his knees as his chest heaved violently; he had nearly exhausted all his chakra throughout the afternoon.

Yet, the water balloon in his hand still showed no signs of bursting.