"Big brother, you're really going to teach me the Rasengan?!"
Jiraiya was actually going to teach him the Rasengan! Uchiha Chen's eyes widened in disbelief, and he could hardly believe it was real.
"Of course I am. I, Jiraiya, always keep my word. Why would I lie?"
Jiraiya folded his arms and spoke with conviction.
"But this is a jutsu that Big Brother Minato created..."
Uchiha Chen hesitated slightly. Jiraiya had spent several months with him, after all, and his willingness to teach him was one thing,
but the jutsu had been created by Namikaze Minato. Chen had only met him once today. Would Minato be willing to let him learn it?
Jiraiya looked at Uchiha Chen with an amused smile and said with interest,
"Chen, you usually seem pretty clever. How come you're suddenly being so dense?"
"Do you think I'd teach you the Rasengan without Minato's approval?"
Only then did Uchiha Chen see the light. He smacked his thigh and said,
"Right! How did I manage to blank out at a time like this?"
"Alright, let's start training. I said there was no rush, but we should still master the Rasengan as soon as possible."
As he spoke, Jiraiya found a large rock and sat down. Then he pointed to the rock opposite him, signaling for Uchiha Chen to sit as well.
Once Uchiha Chen had sat down, Jiraiya got straight to the lesson.
"The Rasengan is basically about gathering a mass of chakra in the palm of your hand, making it flow in irregular patterns, and then compressing it until it forms a ball of chakra. That's the basic idea."
"To learn and master the Rasengan, I'm going to have you train in four stages."
"The first stage is gathering chakra in the palm of your hand."
Jiraiya had barely finished speaking when Uchiha Chen chimed in,
"Big brother, is this what you mean?"
With a smile, Uchiha Chen held out his right hand. A mass of chakra had gathered in his palm.
"Just as I thought. With your talent, the first stage won't be difficult for you."
Jiraiya nodded slightly, not showing much surprise.
"You've got the first stage down. The important parts are the second and third stages. Those are a bit more difficult."
"The second stage is training yourself to release chakra more steadily and continuously."
"The third stage is also a matter of practice. You have to make the chakra you continuously release take shape, so that it can cause destruction."
"I'll give you two days to complete those stages. After that, you can move on to the fourth and final step: gather high-density chakra in your hand, release it continuously and keep it stable, then shape it into a solid form. That's the Rasengan."
Uchiha Chen listened and nodded, resting his chin in his hand as he considered Jiraiya's words.
When he had first seen Jiraiya use the Rasengan, Uchiha Chen had already formed a vague idea of how it worked. After Jiraiya's explanation, that idea had grown clearer.
"You'll need a few tools for the second and third stages. Think things over here while I go get them."
As he spoke, Jiraiya left without waiting for Uchiha Chen to respond.
Not long after Jiraiya left, Uchiha Chen, who had been sitting on the rock and muttering to himself, suddenly brightened. He stood up excitedly and raised his right hand again, slowly lifting it as he continued to murmur,
"The Rasengan... it should work like this."
As soon as he finished speaking, a palm-sized Rasengan appeared in Uchiha Chen's hand. It was exactly like the one Jiraiya had used earlier!
"Time to test how powerful it is!"
A sharp glint flashed in Uchiha Chen's eyes. He slammed the Rasengan into the large rock beside him.
"Boom!!"
The rock shattered on impact. Just like that, he had learned the Rasengan!
But at that moment, the familiar voice rang out in Uchiha Chen's mind once more,
[Through repeated practice, you have mastered the Rasengan.]
[You have gained a deep understanding of the Rasengan. You have attained enlightenment, derived and learned the Rasengan, Big Ball Rasengan, Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, and a series of derivative jutsu.]
In the next moment, one secret after another about the Rasengan and its derivative jutsu appeared in Uchiha Chen's mind. Though this wasn't the first time something like this had happened, he still froze for a moment.
It took a while before a faint smile appeared on Uchiha Chen's face.
"As expected, it's impossible to stay calm when something this unbelievable happens. I still need to work on keeping my composure!"
"Huh? I have a Wind Release affinity too? I should take some time to study that properly."
"Even though Chen and I don't have the title of master and pupil, we already have the bond of master and pupil. Once Chen makes a name for himself in the Ninja World with the Rasengan, won't that make me the person who taught him the Rasengan... heh heh. At that point, what difference does the title make?"
A figure raced through the woods. It was Jiraiya, returning after leaving to fetch something. He now had something in his hand: an ice pop that could be broken in two.
"But can Chen really master the Rasengan in three days? It took me three days to master it back then, after all. Chen's talent might not even be as good as mine. Hahaha!"
With that thought, Jiraiya picked up speed. Before long, he spotted Uchiha Chen.
Chen had his back to Jiraiya and his head bowed, as if he were deep in thought about something.
"Hahaha, Chen, stop thinking for a bit and come have an ice pop!"
Jiraiya broke the ice pop in two and walked over to Uchiha Chen with a grin.
Just then, Uchiha Chen heard Jiraiya's voice and turned around.
Then Jiraiya saw the palm-sized Rasengan spinning rapidly in Uchiha Chen's hand. Several wind blades had appeared around it. More accurately, it was a Rasengan that looked like a shuriken!
This was Uchiha Chen's improved, miniature version of Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
"Wha—? Th-this... what is that?!"
Jiraiya's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He was completely stunned by the sight and didn't even notice the two ice pops slipping from his hands.
"Big brother, the ice pops!!"
Uchiha Chen was the one who noticed the ice pops about to hit the ground.
He casually tossed the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken in his hand off to the side, then moved like a blur. In the blink of an eye, he was beside Jiraiya, catching both falling ice pops just in time.
"Phew, that was close. The ice pops nearly hit the ground."
Uchiha Chen let out a long breath, but just then, a deafening explosion sounded behind him!
"Boom!!!"