Naruto: Faint Smile - CH 96

[Takeshi POV.]

It took my new summons around a month and a half to contact the Toad summoning clan to arrange a reverse summoning for Jiraiya to use, during that time, I trained with my summons, learning a lot about them and how they fought. Needless to say, once I returned, he made me vow I would never tell Lord Third about my little summoning escapade.

Since then, it has been five months. Where my schedule was mostly the same day to day, training, watching Jiraiya be chased down by women angry at him…. Rinse and repeat.

Today, I was training, as usual. The sun was beating down on us as I stood in the middle of a clearing, my claymore lying unused by the tree line where I had placed it earlier, since I was now focusing on learning how to fight without it. Jiraiya-sensei paced in front of me, his hands behind his back… and knowing him like I did by now, he was probably preparing to deliver some grand announcement. This usually meant one of two things: either he was about to drop some overly complicated training exercise on me, or he’d just come up with a new way to waste both our time.

Surprisingly enough… when it came to Jiraiya sensei… no matter what he made you do for training, it always delivered the wanted results. It was honestly baffling how he could make the most ridiculous type of training, one that by no logical sense should even work and… it just works.

By now, I had stopped questioning his methods entirely, he most likely knew something I didn’t, so why bother trying to decipher his way of being.

I waited patiently, my hands clasped behind my back, a faint smile on my face.

Jiraiya finally stopped pacing and turned to face me, his grin practically splitting his face. “Alright, kid,” he said, his tone brimming with barely-contained excitement, “today’s the day you learn one of the greatest jutsus of all time!”

I tilted my head slightly, curious but unconvinced. “One of the greatest jutsus’ of all time? Oh my, that’s quite the claim, Sensei. What is it?”

“The Rasengan!” he declared, his voice booming as a dramatic explosion of confetti and smoke erupted from a safe distance behind him.

I blinked. “The Rasengan,” That was Minato’s technique, I never had the chance to see it in person, but I remember Lord Fugaku talking about it. “I see.”

“You don’t seem very impressed,” Jiraiya muttered, crossing his arms and giving me a pointed look.

I shrugged lightly. “I am surprised. But to be fair, I’m mostly wondering why you decided to teach me Minato’s technique.”

Jiraiya grumbled something under his breath that I didn’t quite catch before pointing a finger at me. “Alright, listen up, because I’m only explaining this once.”

I nodded, waiting for his explanation.

“The Rasengan,” he began, his tone becoming more serious, “Is a jutsu that relies for the most part on pure chakra manipulation, focused and condensed chakra into a rotating sphere.” He held up his hand, and in a flash, a glowing blue orb of swirling chakra appeared, humming faintly with power. “Like this.”

I studied the Rasengan carefully, noting the way the chakra flowed in a controlled, spiraling pattern. It was compact but radiated an impressive amount of energy.

I see…, so that’s how that Jutsu works. It’s remarkably simple on theory alone, and from the looks of it… very lethal.

That swirling sphere of energy wasn’t just spinning, it was alive in a sense, straining against its invisible cage. The sheer force contained within was staggering. It wasn’t just the rotation that made it dangerous or the amount of chakra that made it dangerous—it was the compression of force itself. The chakra wasn’t just swirling aimlessly; it was coiled tight, every ounce of its power folded in on itself again and again, like a spring wound to its limit. And when it was unleashed... it wouldn’t just hit—it would detonate. A controlled explosion, all of that spinning, compacted energy tearing through whatever stood in its path.

“The idea,” Jiraiya continued, “is to take your chakra and shape it into a ball while keeping it in constant motion. The more motion you push into the ball, the stronger it will be, but also the harder to control.”

“It looks quite lethal, and chakra wise… it doesn’t seem to consume much of it,” I replied, watching the Rasengan spin on his hand. “Based on first impressions alone, I have to say it looks like the best A ranked jutsu I have ever seen.”

“Finally, some respect,” Jiraiya grinned, puffing his chest. “Now pay attention, because learning this is no walk in the park. Most people take months to even get the basics down.”

I tilted my head again. “Most people… wouldn’t that be just… you and maybe Kakashi? As friendly as Minato was, I don’t see him teaching the Rasengan to anybody else, being that the case, and considering Kakashi has a sharingan which basically cheats the entire process of learning…. Does that mean it took you months to learn his technique?”

“This is the last time I take a genius under my wing, you guys drain my will to live,” Jiraiya shot back, deadpanning. “Anyway kid, I figured this would be right up your alley. Besides, if you don’t, I get to watch you struggle for once, and that’s a plus.”

I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or just trying to provoke me, but either way, I nodded. “Alright, Sensei. Show me what to do.”

Jiraiya grinned, clearly pleased with my willingness to dive in. “Good. First, you’ll need to understand the basics of chakra rotation. This is the foundation of the Rasengan, so don’t even think about skipping ahead.”

He demonstrated by forming another Rasengan, this time slowing the rotation of the chakra so I could see how it worked. “Your chakra needs to rotate constantly, in every direction at once. It’s like... stirring a pot, but way more complicated.”

I watched carefully, noting the subtle shifts in the chakra as it moved. “I think I understand.”

“Do you?” Jiraiya asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because trust me, it’s a lot harder than it looks. Here.” He tossed me a small water balloon, which I caught easily. “This is your first step. Burst the balloon using only chakra.”

I glanced down at the balloon in my hand, then back at Jiraiya. “Using chakra to burst a balloon. Noted.”

“Don’t make that face,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me. “This is an important part of the process. If you can’t do this, you’re not even going to come close to forming a Rasengan.”

I nodded again, focusing on the balloon. It seemed simple enough in theory—rotate my chakra inside the balloon until the pressure caused it to pop.

I turned the water balloon over in my hand, studying its smooth surface. It was simple enough—a thin layer of rubber filled with water. I glanced at Jiraiya-sensei, who was watching me expectantly, arms crossed and a smug grin plastered on his face.

“Remember,” he said, “you’re trying to create rotational chakra inside the balloon. The goal is to make the water move in every direction at once until the balloon can’t take the pressure anymore and pops. It’s about control, not brute force.”

I nodded, my faint smile unwavering. “Understood.”

“Good,” Jiraiya said, his grin widening. “And don’t feel bad if it takes you a while. Most people—” He caught himself. “Uh, I mean, normal people struggle with this step for about a day or two. Though, your handsome sensei did it in under five minutes.”

“Noted,” I replied, already channeling chakra into the balloon.

Rotational chakra, huh? I focused on the task at hand, visualizing the water inside the balloon. It was oddly soothing in a way, like meditating. The chakra flowed naturally, and I guided it with deliberate precision, rotating it in every direction simultaneously.

The balloon wobbled slightly in my hand, the surface rippling as the water inside started moving.

Jiraiya leaned in, his smug grin shifting into mild curiosity. “Don’t rush it,” he said. “You’ll need to—”

Pop.

The balloon burst, water splashing onto the ground and soaking my hands. I blinked, lowering my gaze to the puddle at my feet.

Jiraiya stared at the remnants of the balloon, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “Wait. Did you...?”

“It popped,” I said simply, brushing some stray water droplets off my sleeve.

I suppose having learned the Quicksword was making this easier for me.

Jiraiya blinked rapidly, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and outrage. “That was supposed to take you days!”

I tilted my head slightly. “I see.”

“No, you don’t see!” Jiraiya exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to pop my first balloon? Ten minutes! I certainly expected you to take more than that at the very least!”

“Perhaps you were overthinking it,” I offered, my tone polite.

Jiraiya froze, one eye twitching as he stared at me. “Overthinking it,” he repeated flatly.

I nodded. “It seems like the kind of exercise that requires a certain level of instinct. If you were analyzing it too much, that could’ve slowed you down, besides in all fairness, some of the principles the rasengan uses are quite similar to my Quicksword.”

His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he let out a strangled noise. “Ok….”

I picked up the next item he handed me—a rubber ball—and studied it carefully. “So, what’s the next step?”

Jiraiya sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The next step is increasing the force. This time, you need to spin your chakra so fast and with so much power that the ball tears apart. It’s about more than just control—it’s about combining power and precision.”

I nodded. “Understood.”

“Don’t get cocky,” he warned, pointing a finger at me. “This step is where people usually get stuck for the longest. You might’ve breezed through the first step, but this one’s a whole different beast.”

I turned my attention to the ball, channeling chakra into it and visualizing the rotations. More power, he’d said. The principle was the same—it was just a matter of scaling up.

The rubber ball wobbled in my hand, and I felt the resistance as the chakra built up inside. It was surprisingly satisfying, feeling the energy spiral tighter and tighter.

Pop.

The ball split open, the halves dropping to the ground with a soft thud.

Jiraiya’s jaw dropped. He stared at the broken ball, then at me, then back at the ball.

“Did you...?” His voice cracked slightly.

“It popped,” I confirmed, placing the remains of the ball on the ground.

Jiraiya grabbed his hair with both hands, his eyes wild. “What is wrong with you?! That was supposed to take you days!”

I shrugged lightly. “I followed your instructions.”

He started pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath. “I had a month of training dedicated to this… How is this even possible? Do you even realize how annoying it is to watch someone just... breeze through this?!”

“I imagine it’s quite frustrating,” I said, my faint smile still in place.

Jiraiya froze mid-step, pointing an accusatory finger at me. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Learning? Yes, yes I am,” I replied honestly.

He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Alright. Fine. Let’s see how you handle the final step.” He held up a single leaf.

I blinked. “A leaf?”

Jiraiya’s grin returned, though it was more manic than usual. “Haha, no. Now, you need to create the Rasengan without any external focus. No balloon, no ball, nothing. Just raw chakra and control in the palm of your hand.”

“I see,” I said, nodding. “That makes sense. The previous steps were just training wheels.”

“Exactly,” he said, nodding. “And trust me, this is where the real work begins. Even geniuses like you won’t get it on the first try, Kakashi didn’t and he has the cheating eye.”

I held up my hand, focusing my chakra as I visualized the Rasengan. The principles were the same—rotation, compression, power, and precision. I let the energy flow, shaping it into a sphere as it spiraled faster and faster.

The Rasengan formed in my hand, glowing with a soft, blue light.

“Done,” I said calmly, holding it up for Jiraiya to see.

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Jiraiya stared at the Rasengan, his expression utterly blank.

“Sensei?” I prompted after a moment.

He let out a strangled noise, his hands twitching at his sides. “I... you... How...?”

I tilted my head. “Was that not correct?”

Jiraiya dropped to his knees, his head tilted back as he stared up at the sky. “Five minutes, it took you five minutes to complete what I had allocated two months to do so.”

I dispersed the Rasengan and lowered my hand. “I appreciate the lesson, Sensei. It was quite enlightening.”

Jiraiya let out a broken laugh. “Kid I swear to God, I will summon a toad and have it eat you if you don’t stop basking in your glory.”

I blinked. “I understand this must be difficult for you.”

Jiraiya groaned, slumping forward until he was lying face-down in the grass. “I’m too old for this. Once I’m done with you, I will retire to the red district of the fire country… no more students for me, just ladies and my books.”