Rasengan

Snowflakes drifted slowly beneath the gloomy sky. It was another snowy day, but the people living here had long since grown used to it.

A week had passed since Haku's Kekkei Genkai had been discovered by her mother. Nothing had happened during that week; everything remained as usual. This made Miao breathe a sigh of relief. He had been on full alert the entire week, ready to act the moment anyone discovered Haku's Kekkei Genkai.

In a secluded patch of grass on the Back Mountain behind the small village, Miao stood quietly in a black short-sleeved shirt. He held a bag filled with balloons in his hand. He was ready to begin training the Rasengan.

He had watched over a hundred episodes of the anime in his Previous Life, and he had naturally seen the process of Jiraiya teaching Naruto the Rasengan. He knew how to train in this Ninjutsu.

When he had first Refined Chakra, his father had tested his Chakra nature with Chakra paper. He possessed wind and fire, which was already extremely rare. Most people only displayed one nature when they first Refined Chakra, only developing a second after their strength reached a certain level.

Those who displayed Two Attributes or more immediately after Refining Chakra all possessed extraordinary talent. Of course, that did not mean those with only one attribute lacked talent. It could only be said that those with Two Attributes were geniuses, though not every genius necessarily displayed dual attributes.

According to what Jiraiya had said in the Original Work, the Rasengan was a hand-sign-free Ninjutsu developed by the Fourth Hokage. Its principle was the same as a Tailed Beast Bomb: Chakra was gathered in the hand, compressed into a small area, and spun at high speed to create immense tearing force that destroyed the enemy. It formed a palm-sized sphere of Chakra to attack the opponent. Once it hit, it could not only damage the surface but also destroy the enemy's insides. It was a powerful Ninjutsu that pushed Chakra shape transformation to the limit.

It could be activated instantly without hand signs and possessed tremendous power, making it an extremely practical Ninjutsu. In the early part of the Original Work, Naruto had even used it to catch Orochimaru's subordinate, Kabuto Yakushi, off guard and defeat him. Though Kabuto had been careless, he was a Jonin on Kakashi's level. If not for that carelessness, Naruto's amateur skills could never have hit Kabuto.

Moreover, Naruto in the early stages had not brought out the Rasengan's true strengths. Its power was secondary; there were plenty of powerful Ninjutsu, and no shortage of techniques comparable to the Rasengan. The truly terrifying part of this technique was that it required no hand signs. When fighting an enemy at close range, it could be launched instantly, leaving the opponent almost no time to react. A hit meant death or injury. It was especially a perfect match for a fast Ninja.

Naruto could not use the Rasengan with one hand and needed a Shadow Clone beside him to help gather Chakra. It took too long to perform, and the commotion it created was far too obvious. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible to hit anyone with it. If not for Shadow Clones luring the enemy in, his Rasengan would have been utterly useless. In Miao's view, it would have been more practical to simply use a kunai to slit an enemy's throat. Ordinary Ninja could not casually use Shadow Clones like Naruto either, because few possessed such a terrifying Chakra Amount.

Yet Miao had chosen to train this Ninjutsu precisely because of its practicality. Its power was secondary; the key was that it required no hand signs. Battles between Ninja happened in an instant. The less time spent forming hand signs, the better. Powerful enemies would never give someone extra time to form them.

Another reason was that Miao currently lacked powerful offensive Ninjutsu. He did not have sufficiently strong physical attack methods. Aside from powerful Fire Style techniques, although he had mastered the Uchiha Clan's ordinary Fire Style Ninjutsu and Shuriken Technique proficiently, they were fine against ordinary Ninja but not nearly enough against Jonin-level opponents or Ninja with special abilities.

Although his Sharingan had evolved to Three-Tomoe, he could not reveal it. He did not yet possess enough strength to protect himself, and it would be troublesome if it attracted the attention of powerful Ninja. This was especially true of Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. Although the Water Country maintained a Closed-door policy, Konoha surely had spies and agents here. He did not dare take that gamble. Besides, this was the Water Country, where Ninja possessing Kekkei Genkai were taboo and targets for pursuit.

Furthermore, the Sharingan consumed an enormous Chakra Amount. Although his Chakra was comparable to a Chunin's, it was nowhere near enough for a Ninja with the Sharingan. He had no room to squander it freely.

According to Jiraiya, the Rasengan was still an incomplete Ninjutsu. It was merely the ultimate form of shape transformation and had yet to incorporate nature transformation. But that was still far too distant for him now.

The first step of training the Rasengan was to gather Chakra in the palm. This first step was quite simple for ordinary Ninja, but beginning with the second step, it started testing the user's Chakra control. Under his father's guidance, he had already completed his Chakra control training.

The second step was an advanced version of the first. It required releasing Chakra steadily and continuously. For example, one could place a water-filled balloon in the hand, then release Chakra to make the water inside move irregularly until the balloon burst. Miao had specifically gone to the market to buy a bag of balloons for this purpose.

This step tested Chakra control considerably, but the third step was even harder. It required a tougher rubber ball as a tool. Not only did one need to release Chakra continuously and steadily, but also make it tangible until the ball burst. At this stage, the Rasengan could already inflict damage, but its power was extremely weak. The Rasengan Kakashi had demonstrated for Naruto in the Original Work was at this level.

The Final Step was to combine everything from before: gather Chakra in the palm, release it continuously and maintain it, then finally solidify it into a small, constantly spinning typhoon. Its power was immensely strong. Only then was it a complete Rasengan, vastly different from the Rasengan of the third step. In the third step, its power was dispersed, while this step compressed all of the Rasengan's power within the sphere. Its explosive force was terrifying.

Having thought everything through, Miao let out a soft sigh. Then he looked at his palm with an incomparably resolute gaze. "Let's begin!!"