The next morning, I was walking through the forest with a Rasengan spinning in my hand.
Casually.
Like a complete lunatic.
I stared at the swirling sphere of blue chakra sitting neatly in my palm, equal parts awestruck and paranoid that it would suddenly explode and remind me life hated me.
It didn't.
The chakra rotated with perfect control and balance. That was still the weirdest part. For four years, the Rasengan had felt like trying to wrestle a wild animal into submission. Violent. Unstable. Stubborn enough to make me question my sanity.
Now? Now it almost felt… Easy. Not effortless. Definitely not effortless. I still had to focus. Still had to guide the rotation and compression carefully. But it wasn't fighting me anymore. It flowed. Like breathing. Like my chakra finally stopped throwing a tantrum.
I just felt a sense of clarity when I finally got it the first time, it was kind of like finally learning how to ride a bike, and now it's hard to imagine not being able to anymore and you're confused why you ever had difficulty in the first place.
As for the reason I'd come to the forest... I wanted to test some stuff out. First of all...
Sustainability.
The Rasengan had never been my issue. Technically, I could already form one. For a few moments. Messily... It was more like if a drunken squirrel tried to build a nest, and not nearly as strong as this balanced variant, but still, I could sorta form the shape of it.
The real challenge had always been balance. Perfect balance. Control so precise the technique stopped being violent. Control so complete that a balloon wouldn't burst from the Rasengan being inside it.
And now that I finally had that… Well. I wanted to know where my limits were. So I walked. And walked. And walked. The chakra continued spinning in my hand. Smooth.
Leaves occasionally stirred around me from the subtle pressure. The sphere hummed softly. Steady. Stable. By the third minute, I started grinning. By the fifth I started feeling smug. By the seventh I started thinking I might actually be a genius. Then, around minute ten, the chakra wobbled. Just slightly. The smooth rotation became rougher and the compression became harder to maintain. My arm twitched and the Rasengan began slowly to destabilize.
"...Ten minutes... I guess that's my limit." I said with a grin. "Now, time to test this baby's potency out!"
I mean obviously, come on, I had to hit something with it.
For science.
I glanced toward the distant tree line and there sat a rocky hillside jutting upward from the earth.
Large.
Solid.
Perfect target.
I looked back at the Rasengan.
Then at the hill.
Then back at the Rasengan.
A slow grin spread across my face and chakra surged into my legs. The ground cracked beneath my feet as I launched forward. The world blurred.
Trees became streaks of green.
Wind tore against my face.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
The hill rushed toward me.
And instinctively, chakra pooled into my arm.
Precise.
Pinpoint.
Exactly where it needed to be. The way Tsunade taught me.
Monstrous strength through microscopic control.
Perfect timing.
Perfect release.
Every bit of chakra concentrated into a single devastating moment.
Usually both myself and Tsunade used it with punches and kicks.
Simple.
Direct.
Now?
Well I had a Rasengan.
Why settle for one terrifying thing when I could combine two?
Let's see what happens!
My arm pulled back, Rasengan screaming softly in my palm. Chakra enhancement loaded into my arm. I thrust my arm forward and the Rasengan slammed into the hillside at the exact moment my chakra-enhanced strike detonated and the world in front of me exploded.
Stone shattered instantly.
Not cracked.
Not damaged.
Obliterated.
The Rasengan tore violently into the rock while the chakra-enhanced impact multiplied the force into something utterly stupid.
A shockwave erupted outward, the hillside folded inward, then burst apart.
Chunks of giant stone launched into the air. Trees on the other side bent violently from the pressure and dust exploded outward like a storm. The earth beneath me cracked in spiderweb fractures stretching across the terrain. Wind screamed past me. Pebbles blasted against my skin. And the hill now had a gigantic hole going straight through it. I could now see the sun shining on the other side.
I stood there.
Arm still extended.
Blinking.
"..."
Pause.
"...Holy shit."
I stared.
Actually stared.
Because that was not what I expected.
At all.
I mean, sure, I expected strong. Big explosion. Cool destruction. Very ninja.
But that?
That looked like something a Kage would do after waking up angry.
I slowly looked down at my hand.
Then back at the devastation.
Then back at my hand again.
"...Okay." My voice came out quieter this time. "...That's terrifying."
And big.
That was big.
Really big.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and continued walking past the destruction.
Because this changed things.
A lot of things.
No.
Actually, this changed everything.
Yes, I had a combo technique of insane destruction now, something that can end fights outright if I land it, but even more than that... Something far more important that my stroll through the forest today showed me.
I had finally reached the level of chakra control I'd dreamed about.
The perfected Rasengan, even Tsunade's technique felt smoother to perform, maybe even stronger now that I'd gotten the hang of controlling chakra even better.
This was pinnacle needed to perform the Rasengan.
Or at least the first real summit.
Ever since I was little, I'd wanted absurd chakra control.
Not simply for flashy techniques or all that crap, but because precision meant options.
And now I had options.
First, the obvious next step.
Lightning Release.
A slow grin spread across my face. "...Lightning Style Rasengan. My own variants of it. My own spin, pun intended, haha!"
Now that sounded cool.
Which meant I absolutely wanted to try it.
The Rasengan already shredded things apart through violent rotation.
Now imagine adding Lightning Release.
Faster rotation.
Sharper chakra.
Penetration power.
Maybe paralysis.
Maybe even more raw destructive force.
Maybe both.
Honestly?
It sounded horrifying.
I wanted it immediately.
A Rasengan of my own.
Something unique.
Something mine.
Minato had the original, technically, even though I did steal it in this timeline.
But I'd make something nastier.
Something Hanzo would regret seeing.
My smile faded slightly at the thought.
Hanzo.
That bastard.
I clenched my jaw.
Just remembering him made something dark twist in my chest.
Revenge. I wanted fucking revenge and I hated that I wanted it. But I did. And if I was going back to the front lines, I wanted to be stronger. Strong enough that nobody could ever force that sadistic choice on me again.
Which brought me to the second thing.
And honestly?
Probably the more important thing.
My hand unconsciously moved toward my forehead, toward the place where I planned for a seal to rest.
The Strength of a Hundred Seal.
The Byakugō.
A technique so absurd it sounded fake.
Store chakra for extended periods of time, then release it all at once.
Near-limitless reserves.
Monster strength boost.
Monstrous regeneration.
Enough healing to recover from wounds that should kill you.
When I first managed to get Tsunade to teach me, and when I got to learn the theory behind the seal and how to use it myself, my mind flew with ideas cause it's the ultimate cheat code for what I've built thus far.
Think about it. The biggest problem with using the Eight Inner Gates wasn't activation. It was sustainability. Damage. The human body simply wasn't meant to endure that kind of force. Every gate tore you apart.
The Eighth Gate?
That one just straight up killed you.
But The Strength of a Hundred Seal regenerated damage at a ridiculous rate.
Meaning that in theory I could sustain the Gates without any negative after effects.
Maybe even absurdly longer.
The Fifth Gate without backlash.
The Sixth.
The Seventh.
Hell, maybe even the Eighth.
I stopped walking as the thought settled heavily in my chest.
The Gate of Death.
The move that killed you. Always. No exceptions.
Except Gai due to Naruto's protagonist bullshit.
But, with the Byakugō regeneration?
"...Maybe."
It sounded insane. Completely insane. But ninja history was built on insane people refusing to accept limits.
I wanted options.
Real options.
Not desperation.
Not luck.
Not impossible choices.
Because if Hanzo stood in front of me again, I wanted overwhelming force. Enough power to protect people. Enough power to kill monsters. Enough power to make sure nobody ever died in front of me again.
I exhaled slowly. "...Guess I know what I'm doing for vacation."
Most kids my age would probably spend time relaxing. Sleeping. Being normal.
Couldn't be me.
No. I was apparently going to spend the rest of my break sitting cross-legged and stuffing chakra into a microscopic forehead seal like a psychopath.
Day in.
Day out.
Preparing for the next near-death encounter.
Or ideally for revenge.
Hopefully, I don't come out of it talking like some chinese cultivator who came out of seclusion... I ain't about to start telling people they're courting death, am I?