Rasengan

Minato waited at the edge of the Forest, just as he and Eiji had agreed.

He hadn't really expected Eiji to show up. The bastard had forgotten his friend the moment a girl came along. How many days had it been since they'd trained together? Even on a day off like this, Eiji probably wouldn't come.

Minato was an orphan from an ordinary family, with no one to rely on. He'd finally found a friend he got along with, someone to train alongside, and then the guy met a girl and forgot all about him!

As Minato quietly wallowed in self-pity, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.

"Eiji! You finally have time to train with me?"

Minato was overjoyed. He hurried over, ready to drag Eiji into the Forest, only to spot a familiar red-haired girl behind him.

Kushina had come too!

Minato's face fell. Why did Eiji have to bring his fierce girlfriend along to train?

Kushina saw his expression sour the moment he noticed her. She folded her arms and snorted.

"What's wrong, pretty boy? Not happy to see me?"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, no, I'm delighted! Ahaha..."

Minato scratched his head and kept his mouth shut. Inwardly, he cursed Eiji a hundred and eight times.

After spending so much time with Eiji, Minato was no longer quite the gentle boy he had been in the original story. He'd developed a sly streak and picked up plenty of swear words.

"Anyway, besides our usual training, I'm going to practice a new Ninjutsu today. I think it suits you and Kushina even better, so you should learn it too, Minato."

"Really? That's great!"

Minato was thrilled. He and Eiji were both Civilian Ninja, without many Ninjutsu to learn. Eiji was a genius, though, so sticking with him was clearly the right move!

Eiji pulled out a large bag of balloons. He and Kushina hadn't come straight to the Forest; they'd stopped at the General Store to buy them.

Eiji had told Kushina he needed them to develop a Ninjutsu, leaving her thoroughly baffled.

The technique he meant to practice was, of course, the hand seal-less Rasengan—a Ninjutsu that could hold its own against almost anything.

In the original story, Minato Namikaze had developed it. But if Eiji developed it first and then taught Minato, that made it Eiji's invention. Perfectly reasonable.

"Balloons?"

Minato was confused. What did they have to do with the Ninjutsu Eiji had promised?

He's messing with me again, isn't he? Eiji had played enough tricks on Minato already, and Minato still hadn't settled the score over the Nine-Turn Large Intestine!

So his first instinct was that Eiji was up to something.

"Why do you look so suspicious? I'm your brother. Why would I bull... why would I mess with you?"

Minato had a feeling Eiji had been about to say something else. But if there really was a Ninjutsu to learn, he could let that go.

"Actually, you can do it without balloons, but that makes things harder. You gather Chakra in your palm like this, and then—"

Eiji held out his hand to demonstrate for Minato and Kushina. A moment later, he froze.

As Chakra gathered in his palm, it began spinning faster and faster. It condensed into an azure sphere that gave off a dangerous hum!

Isn't this the Rasengan?

Eiji stared at the Rasengan in his hand, struggling to believe it was real.

How did I master it just like that?

Wait, Naruto had to work so hard to learn it in the original story!

Oh, right. I have the Six Eyes.

The Six Eyes let him control the flow of energy with precision, down to the molecular level. Guiding Chakra into a Rasengan was easy by comparison.

"Eiji, is that the new Ninjutsu you were talking about?"

Minato Namikaze stared at the azure sphere of energy in Eiji's hand. A chill ran through him. That thing was dangerous!

"Wow, that's incredible!"

Kushina felt the terrifying power of its Chakra too and even took half a step back.

"Uh, I didn't expect to get it right so quickly either. I wouldn't recommend trying it this way when you practice... But since it's here, let's test its power. Both of you, step back."

Minato and Kushina nodded and obediently retreated several meters.

Eiji picked out a thick tree with a trunk a meter across, then drove the Rasengan into it.

Boom!

The huge tree exploded in two. Splinters shot toward Eiji's face, only to be stopped by Limitless. Minato and Kushina behind him weren't as lucky; dust nearly flew into their eyes.

The tree crashed to the ground, throwing a cloud of dust across the Forest. Startled crows took flight, their sharp cries filling the air.

"Cough, cough..." Minato waved the dust away, then his pupils contracted. Pointing at the tree snapped in half, he exclaimed, "That destructive power...!"

Kushina was just as astonished by the Ninjutsu's strength.

"This technique is called the Rasengan. It's well suited to Ninja who specialize in Taijutsu or have vast reserves of Chakra. It's perfect for you two."

Minato was itching to try it. Coming here had been the right decision. This Ninjutsu would definitely suit him!

Kushina was excited too. The technique was powerful, and if she said she couldn't do it, Eiji might teach her hand over hand.

Eiji figured Minato was clever enough to learn it without much trouble. As for Kushina, she had plenty of Chakra. If she learned the Shadow Clone Technique, she should pick up the Rasengan quickly too, right?

"Kushina, before we start, did you learn the Shadow Clone Technique at the Senju Ancestral Home?"

"Hm? No. Grandma usually just has me practice Sealing Jutsu."

The Shadow Clone Technique and Multiple Shadow Clone Technique had been developed by the Second. If Tsunade and Mito hadn't taught Kushina, then she wouldn't know them.

Eiji rubbed his chin. Should he mention it to Tsunade? The Uzumaki Clan really was suited to that Ninjutsu.

"Eiji, does that mean I can't learn the Rasengan without Shadow Clones?"

Minato grew anxious. He didn't want his inability to use that technique to keep him from learning the Rasengan.

"No. If you're talented enough, you won't need them. I only brought up clones because they'd make learning faster. The experience they gain returns to the original, after all."

Eiji had them fill balloons with water, then began teaching them how to practice the Rasengan.

The first step was to inject Chakra into a water-filled balloon without bursting it.

The Rasengan might be the one Ninjutsu a person transported into the world of the Hokage could learn without a teacher. Its training process was clearly laid out; if they couldn't master it, they simply needed more time.

Minato's talent was extraordinary. Before long, he began steadily controlling the water inside the balloon. It still burst in the end, but he was getting closer to success.

Kushina had a harder time. Her Chakra reserves were so vast that controlling how much she fed into the balloon and how quickly it flowed was difficult. The balloon kept bursting.

"Eiji, can you teach me?"

"Sure. Hold out your hand."

Eiji thought nothing of it and began guiding Kushina's hands through the technique. Her cheeks reddened, and inwardly, she felt her plan had worked.

Minato kept practicing intently. He couldn't wait to master this secret technique.

This was no small thing. He'd treasure it like a family heirloom; it might be his ticket to making a name for himself!

Minato decided not to hold the Nine-Turn Large Intestine incident against Eiji anymore. Eiji was his brother through and through!