The Rasengan I Developed Myself!

Below the rooftop.

Kakashi Hatake was still eavesdropping on the kids' conversation. When he heard Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha arranging a match, he merely frowned.

Clearly, Kakashi Hatake had no intention of stopping them.

Or rather, he would not stop them unless they were in danger.

This was a good opportunity for Kakashi to observe the two kids' strengths and weaknesses. At least until Sakura Haruno matured mentally, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha would be Team Seven's main fighting force.

"Naruto, are you really going to fight Sasuke?"

Sakura Haruno looked at the two boys standing opposite each other and said, "Sasuke has always been first at the Ninja Academy! And you've always been..."

"Dead Last, right?"

Naruto Uzumaki smiled and flexed his fingers. "Even a Dead Last has the heart to become the top student!"

During his time at the Ninja Academy, he had often challenged Sasuke. Now that he had mastered several ninjutsu, he wanted to roughly test his own strength.

Because no one in their year was more well-rounded than Sasuke Uchiha.

Aside from basic Ninja Academy techniques like the Clone Technique, Naruto Uzumaki now had four new techniques. Other than the relatively unfamiliar Sealing Art: Devour...

The Rasengan, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, and Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu all felt as familiar as if he had used them countless times!

"I'm coming, Sasuke!"

Naruto Uzumaki shouted and charged straight at him!

He launched a flying kick at Sasuke Uchiha's shoulder, only for Sasuke to block it with one arm. Sasuke then twisted with the force and kicked Naruto in the stomach instead!

Their figures instantly became entangled!

As their fists and feet collided, it was as though they had begun fighting in earnest!

Only Sasuke Uchiha knew that Naruto Uzumaki's taijutsu was clearly better than it had been at the Ninja Academy!

His improvement had been rapid!

Sasuke Uchiha stared at Naruto Uzumaki's hand, his mind stirring. He immediately hooked three fingers down and restrained Naruto's palm!

Just as he was about to make his next move, Naruto Uzumaki chuckled. "Ha, Sasuke, are you planning to use my hand to form seals?"

"Hm?"

Sasuke Uchiha froze for a moment, and Naruto promptly yanked his hand free!

His mind was still turning over why his move had been exposed...

In taijutsu exchanges between ninja, combat was too fast for most of them to find an opening to form hand seals and cast techniques. As a result, many people had invented all sorts of strange ways to form seals.

Without question, using an enemy's hand to complete a seal during close combat could save time and even catch the enemy off guard.

Aside from diligently practicing ninjutsu and shuriken techniques, Sasuke Uchiha occasionally sought shortcuts as well. To him, he could not afford to miss any chance to become stronger!

He had only just begun learning Hand Seal Borrowing, and currently could only use it for the Great Fireball Jutsu. He had intended to test whether it would work during his fight with Naruto Uzumaki, but Naruto had exposed it the moment it showed the slightest sign!

Perhaps this move would not work?

"What a terrifying method!"

Naruto Uzumaki leaped forward with a kick and said, "Using an enemy's fingers to form seals... If they don't notice it, I bet plenty of enemies won't be able to react in time, right?"

"Hmph!"

Sasuke raised an arm to block Naruto's flying kick, unable to stop himself from frowning. The heavy force nearly knocked him to the ground!

Ever since the Ninja Academy, every time he fought Naruto Uzumaki, he could feel this guy's strength growing greater and greater!

Even as a member of Konoha's once-proudest clan, he could only rely on his taijutsu skills to resist Naruto's overwhelming strength...

This Dead Last was more troublesome than before!

No, it should be said that he had truly become stronger!

Sasuke Uchiha brought his arms together and blocked Naruto Uzumaki's punch!

He did not even need to look to know that his arms had definitely turned red!

"His taijutsu techniques still mostly look like that of a Dead Last, but every now and then he throws out a startling attack, almost like muscle memory..."

Sasuke Uchiha glanced at Naruto Uzumaki, who still wore a confident smile as he continued attacking. For no apparent reason, he sensed something strange. "This guy never seemed particularly hardworking at the Ninja Academy..."

Naruto Uzumaki scratched his blond hair and smiled. "Ha, maybe I can't work as hard as the top student, but I won't let myself fall too far behind either..."

Indeed, there had been no student in the entire Ninja Academy more diligent than Sasuke Uchiha.

Perhaps because his family's hatred weighed upon his shoulders, Sasuke had never given up any opportunity to train.

Naruto Uzumaki was different. He often skipped academic classes, and aside from basic ninja taijutsu, he was not even very good at chakra refinement. He could not even cast ordinary D-rank ninjutsu...

Until that day, when he used the strange forbidden technique Sealing Art: Devour to consume all the red chakra within the Sealing Space. The Nine-Tails Fox had settled down, allowing Naruto to use ninjutsu proficiently.

His taijutsu skills had also improved strangely. For example, he could seize the flaws in an enemy's attacks and counterattack. He had clearly experienced few battles, yet now he seemed as skilled as though practice had made perfect...

"I have to admit, I underestimated you in the past..."

Sasuke Uchiha rubbed his aching wrist and said in a low voice, "But true accumulation cannot be achieved overnight!"

His hands came together as he formed the hand seals for a technique!

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!

The chakra in Sasuke's body instantly gathered in his chest, which swelled slightly. With his fingers held near his mouth, he exhaled a burst of flame. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The flames rapidly expanded!

A massive fireball shot toward Naruto!

At a window in the Ninja Academy, Asuma Sarutobi watched the two kids' fight and stared in surprise. "As expected of the Uchiha Clan. He can use a C-rank Fire Style Ninjutsu so skillfully at that age..."

"It's rare for Ninja Academy graduates to reach that level!" Kurenai Yuhi nodded seriously and said softly, "He may be a little inferior to that brother who defected, but he's outstanding compared to most students..."

Asuma Sarutobi suddenly realized something and leaped toward the window, intending to save them. "No, a technique of that level could be dangerous..."

"Hey, hey! Calm down, Asuma!"

Kurenai Yuhi pointed at Kakashi Hatake, who had already leaped up and grabbed the railing. "Don't worry. Kakashi has already gone up to save them..."

Kakashi Hatake, who had been eavesdropping below the rooftop, finally could not hold back any longer when he heard Sasuke cast the Great Fireball Jutsu and leaped up to save them...

But after climbing onto the rooftop and seeing the scene before him, Kakashi Hatake was so startled that his mask nearly fell off!

The smile on Naruto Uzumaki's face did not fade. Facing the oncoming flames, he extended his hand. "Sealing Art: Devour!"

He devoured all the chakra in the Great Fireball Jutsu!

The scorching heat vanished without a trace...

"Sasuke, you're too slow at forming seals!"

A Rasengan suddenly appeared in Naruto Uzumaki's palm. He then charged at Sasuke with it in hand. "Rasengan!"

"Wait!"

As Kakashi Hatake watched Naruto Uzumaki charge with the Rasengan, it was as though he saw another figure in him. He froze slightly!

From afar, Asuma shouted, "Hey, Kakashi, what are you doing?! Stop those two brats already!"

Kakashi Hatake immediately came to his senses. He grabbed Naruto's arm, then guided the Rasengan in his hand into the rooftop wall!

Boom!

The wall instantly collapsed!

Countless chunks of rubble clattered down to the ground!

Kakashi Hatake took a deep breath and looked at Naruto Uzumaki with stinging eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck and casually said, "Hey, the Rasengan isn't something kids your age should be learning. When did you learn it...?"

"I developed it myself at the training ground a few days ago..."

Naruto Uzumaki looked at Kakashi Hatake with some dissatisfaction. "With this technique, I definitely could have beaten Sasuke!"

"Hmph!"

Hearing that, Sasuke Uchiha could not help snorting. When he looked at the ruined wall on the ground, his eye twitched. "..."

That technique called the Rasengan was extremely powerful!

Perhaps it had some flaw because of its attack range... But if it hit his body, it would definitely defeat him in one blow!

Sasuke looked up at Naruto Uzumaki. Had the Dead Last from the academy unknowingly gained this kind of strength?

Looking at it that way, Naruto Uzumaki was far stronger than the woman named Sakura beside them. At least he would not hold Sasuke back in the team...

But if he did not want Naruto to catch up, he needed to learn even stronger techniques!

Just as Naruto Uzumaki was looking smug, Kakashi Hatake's expression cracked slightly. "The Rasengan was the Fourth Hokage's signature ninjutsu. Kid, there should be a limit to your lies! There are few people in the ninja world who understand that technique better than I do..."

"Huh? The Fourth Hokage's technique?"

Naruto Uzumaki raised his head in surprise. He thought for a moment as chakra gathered and spun in his palm again. "Then is this Wind Release: Rasenshuriken also the Fourth Hokage's technique? But I really did develop this myself!"

As more and more chakra gathered, wind-nature chakra flowed into it. The Rasengan gradually transformed into the shape of a continuously spinning shuriken!

"...This is..."

Kakashi Hatake's heart trembled. Wind-nature chakra mixed into the Rasengan had directly changed the technique's form transformation, turning it into a diamond-shaped shuriken!

This was even more dangerous than the Rasengan!

No matter how he looked at it, this was not a technique a Genin should possess! Especially when Naruto Uzumaki had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy and was supposedly the academy's Dead Last!

As the disciple of the Rasengan's creator, Kakashi Hatake understood the technique quite well. It was only because his chakra was limited that he did not dare use it so extravagantly...

But Kakashi Hatake knew one thing clearly: even the Fourth Hokage had not managed to alter the Rasengan's nature transformation!

"Become Hokage, surpass the Hokage..."

Kakashi Hatake's gaze settled on Naruto Uzumaki's face as he murmured, "At this age, you've already surpassed Sensei in the Rasengan?"

"Heh, of course!"

Naruto Uzumaki interrupted Kakashi Hatake's thoughts and raised the Rasenshuriken in his hand. "Since Sensei Kakashi is here, you obviously won't let my fight with Sasuke continue, right?"

"Of course..."

Kakashi Hatake took a deep breath and nodded at him...

If Naruto threw that Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, the Uchiha Clan's last remaining heir in the village would probably be wiped out for good!

Could I get some recommendation votes?

Underworld Headlines 1: "Rasengan embroiled in copyright dispute: Who is its true creator?"

Underworld Headlines 2: "Minato Namikaze caught in plagiarism scandal? A genius boy's Rasengan nature transformation!"

Underworld Headlines 3: "Fourth Hokage states: He has been dead for twelve years, while the plagiarist is only twelve!"

Underworld Headlines 4: "Minato Namikaze changes his tune: Perhaps they are kindred spirits, and he is willing to surrender the Rasengan copyright!"

Underworld Headlines 5: "A grand inheritance drama of fame and profit: Minato Namikaze and the plagiarist are actually father and son. Why did he give up the Rasengan copyright?"

Minato Namikaze: Second Hokage, can you shut down your tabloid?

Tobirama Senju: Tell me, is giving up the Rasengan copyright your attempt to establish a feudal system in Konoha where sons inherit from dead fathers?

Minato Namikaze: As if your family's brothers inheriting from brothers was somehow any more noble...

Tobirama Senju: ???