Rasengan

After nearly two months of study, the literacy lessons for Naruto and Menma were drawing to a close, and Menma couldn't wait to pull out Minato's ninja notes.

During the process of learning to read, he had already browsed through these notes; while he could only grasp the gist back then, he could now fundamentally understand them in their entirety. The notes recorded the missions Minato had carried out and detailed the development history of the Rasengan.

Condensing chakra in the palm? Menma sat on his bed, attempting to condense a Rasengan according to the notes. A pale blue, translucent sphere slowly appeared in his hand, but it didn't last long before it suddenly dissipated.

Was it too little chakra injected, or did it fail to rotate? Menma pondered, condensing his chakra once more, but the result was the same; the newly formed sphere vanished rapidly.

Still no good. It seems I have no choice but to use that method. Menma got off the bed, ran to the door of Naruto's room next door, and knocked.

Naruto opened the door quickly and asked in confusion, "Menma, is something wrong?"

"Let's go for a walk in town. We need to buy some balloons," Menma replied.

"Balloons? What do we need balloons for? Menma, do you want to buy them to play with?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"No, they're for training," Menma explained calmly.

As soon as Naruto heard the word "training," he pulled Menma and ran downstairs without another word.

"Since it's for training, what are we waiting for?" Naruto dragged Menma by the hand to the entrance, changed his shoes, and they headed out.

Because they were the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, many merchants were unwilling to sell them anything. Fortunately, they had learned the Transformation Technique; aside from the few shops that accepted them, they had to transform into the appearance of others every time they went shopping.

Menma bought many balloons and rubber balls, and the two walked home, each carrying two large bags of supplies.

Upon arriving home, they placed the items in the small courtyard. Menma set Minato's ninja notes on the courtyard table, took a balloon from the bag, and walked over to the faucet to fill it with water. Naruto followed suit, grabbing a balloon to fill as well.

Menma said, "We are going to learn the A-rank ninjutsu, the Rasengan, developed by Dad. The Rasengan has great destructive power, and it doesn't require hand seals—you only need to condense chakra."

After speaking, Menma extended a hand to condense chakra. Before long, a Rasengan formed in his palm, but it suffered from the same old problem: it vanished after a short while.

"I can't condense a perfect Rasengan yet, so I have to use this method to practice first," Menma explained.

"Then how should we practice?" Naruto asked curiously.

Menma began to inject chakra into the water balloon. The surface of the balloon began to "agitate," and as the fluctuations intensified, with a "pop," the water balloon exploded.

Menma looked at Naruto and said, "First, you must condense chakra to make it rotate, but not in the same direction—it must be an irregular rotation. The first step is to inject chakra into the water balloon, feel the rotation of the water inside, and then burst the balloon."

Menma then looked at the rubber balls nearby, walked over, and picked one up. "The second step is to burst the rubber ball."

He injected chakra into the rubber ball, but it showed no reaction, as if he were simply holding it in his hand.

Seeing Menma working hard at his practice, Naruto refused to be outdone and began his own training.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was observing the brothers through a crystal ball.

"The Rasengan, a ninjutsu invented by the Fourth. I thought Jiraiya would be the one to teach them, but I didn't expect them to start self-studying. Perhaps they are even more outstanding than I imagined." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled with gratification and continued to observe.

Suddenly, with a "pop," the water balloon in Naruto's hand exploded. Menma heard the sound and looked over.

"You succeeded? Let me see." Menma was somewhat surprised; based on past experience, it should have taken Naruto at least three days to achieve this.

Hearing the request, Naruto took out another balloon, filled it with water, and began to demonstrate. With a "pop," the water balloon burst again, but Menma spotted the issue.

"Brother, it's not about injecting chakra into the water balloon to burst it by force; you have to make the water inside rotate," Menma explained.

"Is that so? I understand now." Naruto nodded and began to practice again.

Menma's side was not going smoothly either. Every time he injected chakra, it was either too much or too little; he burst several rubber balls, and his hands were covered in wounds. Fortunately, he possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan and the Nine-Tails chakra, so his wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Just like that, the two practiced until evening. Seeing the sky darken, they returned inside, boiled some hot water, and each had a cup of instant noodles for dinner.

For the entire day, the two had spent almost all their time in the courtyard practicing the Rasengan. When they were hungry, they went back inside to eat noodles. After eating and resting for a while, they continued practicing in the living room.

It wasn't until they were exhausted that the two collapsed and fell asleep.

The next day, after having instant noodles for breakfast, they went back outside to the courtyard to practice.

In the yard, the sunlight spilled onto the ground littered with broken balloons and rubber balls, creating a mottled pattern. The small tree in the corner swayed gently in the breeze.

After nearly three days of hard practice, just before the balloons and rubber balls were about to run out, Naruto completed the first stage of training, and Menma completed the second stage. Naruto and Menma's hands were either aching or covered in wounds, but neither of them cared much about it.

After the two went out to buy more rubber balls, Naruto began the second stage of practice, while Menma started the final third stage.

Some time later, because rubber balls were dozens of times harder than water balloons, Naruto's palms began to ache, and he had sustained a few minor cuts. As for Menma, while the duration of his chakra condensation had improved, it was still quite unstable.

"I'm so tired these past few days. If I eat instant noodles again, I'm really going to throw up. Let's go out and eat something else," Menma said to Naruto, putting his hands down.

"Fine, let's go eat grilled meat!" Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Anything is fine, as long as it's not instant noodles or ramen. I'll really vomit if I eat those again," Menma complained.

To avoid the pointing fingers of others, the two decided to use the Transformation Technique while walking on the streets of Konoha.

They arrived at the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant. The shop was filled with an enticing aroma, and amidst the swirling smoke, charcoal fires burned fiercely under the grills. The tables and chairs inside were arranged neatly, and the walls were hung with decorations characteristic of Konoha.

Once they entered, they spotted some acquaintances. Looking closely, it was Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi.

The two walked up to greet them. When Kakashi and the others saw two strangers greeting them, they all felt baffled.

Soon, Naruto and Menma realized what was happening, and Kakashi and the others guessed that the two in front of them might have used the Transformation Technique.

"My, my, why use a Transformation Technique just to eat some grilled meat?" Kurenai Yuhi teased.

Hearing this, Naruto and Menma had no choice but to dispel their transformations. Upon seeing who they were, Kakashi was not surprised, but Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi were somewhat startled, while Might Guy enthusiastically invited them to sit down.

In Konoha, almost no one didn't know Naruto and Menma; aside from a few small children, most people were aware of them, and almost everyone knew they were the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Might Guy reacted and pointed to the two people beside him, introducing them to Naruto and Menma: "This is Asuma, son of the Third Hokage; this is Kurenai Yuhi, a master of genjutsu."

"Hello, big brother and big sister," Naruto greeted with a smile.

Menma did not speak. As if he understood him well, Might Guy patted his head and said, "What is a man being shy for? Be more outgoing."

Kakashi followed up with a smile, "Actually, calling them big brother and big sister is perfectly fine." Kakashi knew Menma quite well and understood that he wasn't being shy, but rather that he had always been that way regarding titles.

Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi exchanged a smile. "Might Guy was just talking about you two. We didn't expect you to arrive so soon," Kurenai Yuhi said to Naruto and Menma with a smile. Judging by her attitude, she did not seem to harbor any resentment because they were the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"That's right, but why are you two using the Transformation Technique?" Asuma asked from the side.

Hearing Asuma's question, images of being rejected by shopkeepers flashed through Naruto's mind, and he felt a sharp sting in his heart. But he quickly thought of his dream of becoming Hokage and told himself he could not be defeated by these setbacks, so he secretly clenched his fists, his gaze becoming firm once again.

Kurenai Yuhi quickly sensed Naruto's change and nudged Asuma with her arm. Asuma also noticed Naruto's mood and scratched his head, apologizing embarrassedly: "Sorry, I..."

Before he could finish, Menma interrupted: "It's fine, my brother won't be brought down by this. As for why we use the Transformation Technique, I'm sure you can guess."

The four of them naturally knew the reason, and they were also puzzled as to why the fault of the Nine-Tails should be blamed on these two children.

At this moment, Naruto cheered up and said: "I am going to become Hokage and gain everyone's recognition; that has always been my dream." Seeing Naruto perk up again, the four of them felt very relieved.

"What a cute child." Kurenai Yuhi called the waiter over to order more meat, then picked up a piece of freshly grilled meat and placed it in front of Naruto, saying: "Eat more."

Seeing this, Naruto's eyes welled up. The four of them were at a loss when they saw Naruto crying again. Menma was also a bit dazed seeing this; he knew why Naruto was crying.

Seeing Naruto cry, Kurenai Yuhi's eyes were filled with pity as she said softly: "Naruto, don't cry. The meat here is delicious, hurry and try some."

Menma's eyes also welled up with tears involuntarily. The four of them were even more at a loss seeing Menma cry as well, wondering if they had said the wrong thing again to make both children cry.

Menma watched as everyone became flustered by his and Naruto's reactions. He knew they meant no harm and that Naruto's inner scars had simply been touched, but he didn't want them to worry too much, so he tried his best to control his emotions.