Rasengan

The next day, the butler relayed his father's intentions to Aotian, who readily accepted the guidance of a private tutor.

Regarding the invitation to Lihuo, although Aotian did not understand why it was necessary, he could vaguely guess his father's attitude toward the matter.

Since Father is asking me to handle this, it means, firstly, that I am well-acquainted with Lihuo, and secondly, that this is not a major affair; otherwise, he would not have entrusted it to me.

"The young master is correct."

"Please tell Father that I will invite Lihuo, but only when I have defeated him! I believe that day is drawing ever closer!"

With that, Aotian headed off to school without looking back.

In the classroom, Teacher Oshima addressed the students.

"Class, today let us welcome a new student. Through his exceptional talent and diligent efforts, he has successfully been admitted to the Ninja Academy. Let us welcome—Might Guy!"

A green figure walked into the classroom.

"Hello everyone! My name is Might Guy. I am very happy to meet you all, and I hope my youth will collide with yours!"

"Indomitable, tenacious, and forging ahead through difficulties and setbacks—that is what youth is all about!"

"In the days to come, I hope for your support, and I will work even harder to let my youth bloom!"

By the time Lu Miao, wearing earplugs, had finished a nap, Guy had been "invited" off the podium by Teacher Oshima.

Seeing that the seats next to Lihuo were already full, Guy sat down next to Kakashi.

Just as Guy was about to say something to Kakashi, Kakashi raised his dead-fish eyes and remarked, "Youth idiot, listen to the lecture."

Guy fell silent.

Seeing this, Obito slapped his thigh frantically, struggling to hold back his laughter.

"Did you see that, Lihuo? There is always someone to keep the arrogant in check! Someone as pretentious as Kakashi is being completely suppressed by the newcomer, Guy! Hahaha!"

His voice was so loud that Teacher Oshima on the podium glanced over repeatedly.

"Yes, I saw it, Comrade Loudspeaker. However, you can slap your own thigh if you must; why are you slapping mine?"

With that, Lihuo gave Obito a sharp flick to the forehead.

"Listen to the lecture and focus on your training. Look at what your grades have become!"

Hearing this, Obito lowered his head, though his expression remained indifferent.

"This is what I call 'storing up power for a great breakthrough.' Once I awaken my eyes, I'll catch up to you all in no time."

Seeing that Obito remained stubborn, Lihuo couldn't be bothered to say more. In contrast, Aotian, sitting beside Obito, remained as diligent as ever.

Just like that, a month passed.

During this month, Lihuo did not stop his training; instead, he doubled his efforts alongside Kakashi and Guy.

Kakashi had once demonstrated the Hatake Clan Body Tempering Method taught by Sakumo, but Lihuo and the others quickly discovered that it conflicted with the training style of the Strong Fist.

In other words, only Kakashi could achieve twice the result with half the effort, while for Lihuo and Guy, it was the opposite.

However, the two were not discouraged. As their physical fitness improved, their training volume increased, and the weights they carried grew heavier.

Lihuo had become a regular at the Uchiha Ninja Tool Shop this month, frequently purchasing training supplies.

The rewards were gratifying; Lihuo could clearly perceive that his body had grown significantly stronger, and his chakra reserves had increased several times over.

What delighted Lihuo most were the extra gains brought by the system. Throughout the month, through a mix of coaxing, trickery, and coercion, he had managed to pat the heads of most of his classmates.

Most students only dropped "10,000 to 50,000 Ryo." Accumulating these small amounts, this fortune was used by Lihuo for training and daily expenses, while the rest was stored in the system space for emergencies.

A few notable students, however, dropped quite a few high-quality items.

Patting Ebisu yielded "Basic Knowledge Mastery."

Patting Shiranui Genma yielded "Senbon Throwing Technique."

Patting Sarutobi Asuma yielded "Minor Physical Enhancement."

Patting Yamanaka Iwen yielded "Yamanaka Secret Technique: Perception."

Lihuo chose the Yamanaka secret technique because its effects were extremely powerful and could be used without drawing attention.

The effect of "Perception" was: by closing one's eyes and releasing chakra, one could sense the enemy's position, numbers, and characteristics. With proficiency, one could even grasp the enemy's speed in great detail.

When Lihuo saw this technique, he was overjoyed.

This is a rare sensory ninjutsu. Although it is not as good as the Uzumaki clan's "Kagura Shingan," it is more than enough for scouting enemy situations.

Furthermore, it does not reveal the user's identity when used, so there is no need to worry about being tracked. Thus, Lihuo chose "Perception" without hesitation.

"System, open personal panel."

"Host": Uchiha Lihuo
"Ninjutsu": Three Body Technique, Great Fireball Technique, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Great Waterfall Technique, Headhunter Technique, Earth Style Wall, Shadow Clone Technique, Telescope Technique, Shuriken Shadow Clone, Water Wall, Perception (Too many ninjutsu; to avoid padding, some will be replaced by ellipses in the future)
"Taijutsu": Konoha Strong Fist, Senbon Throwing Technique

"Genjutsu": None.

"Chakra": 1% Kakashi (1% of elite jonin Hatake Kakashi's chakra reserves; while you cannot unleash ninjutsu to your heart's content, you will not be exhausted after casting five or six techniques).

"Strength": Elite genin.

There were also many other attributes like "Physical Enhancement" and "Kage-level Hand Seal Speed" that, while not displayed on the personal panel, had truly become a part of Lihuo's strength.

Looking at the results of this past month, it would be a lie to say Lihuo wasn't happy, yet for some reason, he had recently been feeling a vague sense of crisis, as if someone were lurking in the shadows, watching him.

Then there was Uchiha Aotian; he was no longer just watching from the shadows. Over the past month, Lihuo could constantly feel Aotian's growth, and the fighting spirit in his eyes was becoming increasingly intense.

To improve his strength and to deal with the impending crisis, Lihuo prepared to initiate a plan he had long yearned for: mastering the Rasengan!

There were three reasons: First, the copyright issue. At this time, Minato should still be a jonin, currently training in the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The Rasengan was a ninjutsu Minato developed to increase his lethality after mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique. If he trained it now, he could potentially develop it even before Minato.

Second, the difficulty issue. As an A-rank ninjutsu, the Rasengan's training method was fully demonstrated in the anime through Jiraiya, which greatly lowered the barrier to entry.

Third, the practicality issue. As a non-seal ninjutsu, the Rasengan's characteristics of fast activation and high lethality were obvious. Furthermore, one could infuse it with Wind Style chakra nature transformation to form the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, giving it excellent growth potential.

In summary, the Rasengan was the best choice for Lihuo's training.

According to Jiraiya's method, training the Rasengan required three steps.

First, control the rotation: use chakra to burst a water balloon.

Second, increase the power: use chakra to burst a rubber ball.

Third, maintain the shape: combine the first two steps to create a membrane around the chakra; only then is the Rasengan truly mastered.

This training method was surely familiar to anyone who had watched Naruto; back then, Naruto had trained tirelessly for a month before finally mastering the Rasengan.

Since he had made up his mind to train, Lihuo would naturally give it his all. While Guy and Hatake Kakashi practiced taijutsu and swordsmanship, Lihuo began his Rasengan training.

Lihuo understood that it had taken Naruto a month just to master the technique of using shadow clones to help form the sphere.

However, possessing "Kage-level Chakra Control," he could achieve chakra shape transformation much more easily, allowing him to achieve a true instant-cast Rasengan—zero-frame startup!

To increase his training time, Lihuo even created two shadow clones; one went to train in the morning, while the other trained in the Rasengan alongside him.

Soon, half a month passed.

Looking at the high-speed rotating pale blue chakra sphere in his hand, Lihuo's eyes were filled with satisfaction.

He gently pushed it against a tree trunk.

The bark instantly shattered, followed by the trunk snapping under the immense rotational force!

With a loud bang, the trunk crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a light cloud of dust.

"Success!"

Hearing the loud noise, Guy and Hatake Kakashi rushed over.

"Lihuo, did you finally succeed?"

"Yes! Let me demonstrate it for you!"

Lihuo spread his right hand, and a pale blue sphere formed instantly, rotating at high speed while emitting a dangerous aura!

"I've never seen this technique before. What is it called?"

"I call it the Rasengan."

"Huh? Even Kakashi hasn't seen it! Is this a ninjutsu you created yourself, Lihuo?"

"That's right! Want to learn? If you do, I can teach you." And so, Lihuo taught the two of them the training method for the Rasengan. After all, both would eventually become elite jonin and would not lack opportunities to encounter A-rank ninjutsu, so it made no difference whether he taught them sooner or later.

Just as Lihuo was explaining how to train the Rasengan, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out, making Lihuo incredibly excited.

"Ding! Detected that the host has successfully self-trained an A-rank ninjutsu. Strength advanced to chunin. Novice period ended. Now issuing graduation gift package!"