Today Seemed a Little Unusual

Sitting beneath the eaves with his head lowered over a scroll, Yun Yan extended his right hand and began his experiment.

He slowly gathered his chakra, condensing Wind Release chakra in his right palm before compressing it into a rapidly spinning mass.

Before long, a high-speed rotating sphere of azure Wind Release chakra appeared in Yun Yan's palm.

There was no need to explain what this technique was. It was clearly the Rasengan.

There was nothing strange about Yun Yan knowing this technique. After all, its training method had been thoroughly broken down in the original story. If Yun Yan still could not learn it, he would truly be letting down his talent.

However, perhaps because this was only an experiment, Yun Yan used very little chakra. The Rasengan he formed was also tiny, roughly... the size of a glass marble.

Though the Rasengan was small, that did not mean it was easy to form.

On the contrary, creating such a tiny Rasengan while keeping such a violently spinning technique steadily suspended in one's palm demanded extremely advanced chakra control.

The fact that Yun Yan could do this so effortlessly showed just how terrifying his chakra control was.

But Yun Yan was not merely experimenting with the Rasengan. He had mastered this technique long ago.

What he wanted to try was the Rasengan's more advanced form: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.

The power and destructive force of this technique were truly not to be underestimated. Yun Yan excelled in Wind Release, so how could he possibly abandon its training?

Likewise, this technique's training difficulty could not be compared to the Rasengan's. It involved both chakra nature transformation and shape transformation. Only by combining the two could one unleash the Rasenshuriken's true power.

Do not think accomplishing this would be easy. Actually attempting it was extremely difficult.

For example, Yun Yan was now testing the nature transformation and shape transformation of Wind Release chakra, working to elevate the tiny Rasengan in his hand even further.

As Yun Yan gradually adjusted his chakra output and steadily controlled its transformations, the miniature Rasengan in his hand began to change as well.

The Rasengan's rotational speed seemed to increase, until a continuous hum of air being sliced apart emerged from Yun Yan's palm.

The instant the hum sounded, the Rasengan's overall form began to shift. The entire ball of Wind Release chakra gradually flattened.

The Rasengan's gradual flattening was the process of the Wind Release chakra within it rapidly condensing. This change was correct.

Then, the Rasengan transformed further. White wind blades like those of a shuriken extended from its edges, spinning at such dizzying speed that they were truly alarming to behold.

From its appearance, Yun Yan's Rasengan seemed to have evolved into a Rasenshuriken.

It was only a miniature version. This Rasenshuriken was barely larger than a glass marble, still quietly floating in Yun Yan's hand.

Holding the miniature Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and examining the results of his experiment, Yun Yan furrowed his brow slightly.

Something... seemed a little off.

But... the result was not bad.

In that case, he would test its power.

With that thought, Yun Yan casually tossed the miniature Wind Release: Rasenshuriken in his hand.

The tiny Wind Release: Rasenshuriken shot forward at high speed and crashed directly into the ground of the courtyard before Yun Yan.

Boom! Dust and smoke erupted everywhere!

As the Wind Release chakra spun and exploded, a crater roughly two meters wide and more than a meter deep was blasted into the ground not far before Yun Yan!

Still seated calmly where he was, Yun Yan quietly observed the destructive effect of the technique.

Mm, its power was fairly good.

Such a tiny miniature Wind Release: Rasenshuriken could blast out a crater two meters wide and one meter deep.

What if it were replaced with a normal, full-sized Wind Release: Rasenshuriken? If he threw it out and it exploded, just how much destruction could it cause?

Hiss... now that was tempting.

With an eager smile, Yun Yan glanced at the crater again and discovered another pleasant surprise.

No, this crater was not simply the result of an explosion.

The reason the crater was so deep and wide, while the soil around it had not been pushed outward much, was that when the miniature Wind Release: Rasenshuriken exploded, it had not merely blown apart and compressed the earth. It had directly annihilated and destroyed a considerable portion of the soil!

It could even destroy dirt into fine dust. In terms of detail, the destructive power of Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was truly unimaginably strong!

No wonder it was a technique capable of destroying even cells completely. Not bad at all!

Looking at the crater before him and realizing that his experiment had gone quite well, Yun Yan felt exceptionally pleased.

Just as Yun Yan was about to continue his research and experiments, his brows drew together slightly as he sensed something.

"Why had he come at this time? What was going on with Kakashi today?"

Yes, Kakashi had come again to carry out his routine, supposedly daily surveillance mission.

It was just that the timing of his arrival today was somewhat wrong.

Ever since Izumi had returned and begun frequently keeping Yun Yan company, Kakashi had been quite tactful over the past week, barely disturbing Yun Yan and Izumi.

He had changed the time he came for his routine task each day from evening to the afternoon.

There was generally nothing going on in the afternoon, and Izumi usually did not choose to come to Yun Yan's place then, either.

Precisely because that time was more convenient and Kakashi would not disturb Yun Yan and Izumi, Kakashi had chosen to come monitor him for half an hour every day during that period over the past week.

But today was different. Kakashi had not come in the afternoon. Instead, he had once again come in the evening, as he had before.

Sensing Kakashi's concealed presence drawing closer and closer, Yun Yan formed several hand seals with his left hand and calmly used a minor Earth Release technique.

Once the Earth Release ninjutsu took effect, the soil in front of Yun Yan began to loosen and gather together. Before long, it filled the crater that had just been blasted out, and the newly gathered soil leveled it flat.

Not only that, under the Earth Release's effect, the dry soil from the surroundings flowed over and completely covered that patch of damp, circular earth, thoroughly concealing every trace of the abnormality here.

Just as Yun Yan finished restoring the ground, Kakashi arrived.

As always, he kept watch from the rooftop across the way, maintaining his hidden stance as usual.

Of course, Kakashi was merely keeping up appearances. He knew that no matter how well he hid, Yun Yan could discover him. Yun Yan also knew that Kakashi knew he had been discovered. The two had always shared this unspoken understanding.

It was just...

The same question remained: why had Kakashi come running over in the evening again today? Was he not afraid of disturbing Yun Yan and Izumi?

Normally, Izumi should have returned from buying groceries around this time. After returning with the groceries, she would make dinner, and then the two of them would eat together.

This was the time Yun Yan and Izumi spent in each other's company, and it was also a time when others should not conveniently interrupt them.

Kakashi definitely knew this. Why had he knowingly done so anyway? There had to be a reason.

Yun Yan kept his head lowered over the scroll, without paying excessive attention to Kakashi on the opposite rooftop. At the same time, something stirred in his heart, and he made a guess.

Within two minutes of Kakashi's arrival, Yun Yan's front gate opened. Izumi returned in high spirits, humming a tune as she carried a basket filled with vegetables and meat.

Moving his attention away from the scroll, Yun Yan looked up at Izumi and greeted her gently, no differently than usual:

"Izumi, you're back."

At the sight of Yun Yan, Izumi beamed.

"Mm, I'm back.

And..."

As she spoke, Izumi eagerly took out a hefty, neatly packaged piece of beef from the basket.

"Today, I bought some very high-quality beef! Let's have this for dinner!"

Looking from a distance at the beef marbled like snowflakes, Yun Yan nodded.

"Alright, handle it as you see fit. We should be in for a treat tonight."

Pleased by Yun Yan's praise, Izumi clenched her little fist and struck an energetic pose.

"Leave it to me! I definitely won't let this beef down, and I definitely won't let you down either!"

After saying that, Izumi hurried excitedly into the house, carrying the vegetables and meat into the kitchen.

Soon, the sounds of washing and chopping vegetables rang out from the kitchen. Izumi had clearly become busy.

Having someone help cook really was a wonderful feeling.

Unfortunately, Yun Yan was not in the mood to enjoy that warmth right now. He had already sensed that something was wrong.