Chapter 35: The Rasenshuriken
"So powerful!" Jiraiya stared, his eyes wide as saucers.
"How come I've never heard of a one-handed, seal-less ninjutsu like that?" Orochimaru asked, his face full of skepticism. Tsunade also nodded, agreeing she'd never seen anything like it.
"Of course you haven't," Tenchi said. "This ninjutsu is my own creation. I'm the only one in Konoha who knows it. It's an A-rank technique."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his right hand. A small, blue sphere of chakra formed in his palm, whirring loudly. "I call this jutsu the Rasengan. It means 'Spiraling Sphere.'"
"It really is a one-handed, seal-less jutsu," Orochimaru admitted, studying the blue ball. "But its power remains to be seen."
"Yes, yes! Brother Tenchi, show us what it can do!" Jiraiya begged, practically vibrating with excitement. If the power matched the flashy presentation, this was a truly magical technique.
"Stand back. Take cover."
Hearing this, the others moved to the side. Tōka ran even further away. He didn't want to be anywhere near a ninja's powerful technique.
"Watch closely. This is true power. Rasengan!" Tenchi slammed the chakra sphere into the ground.
***BOOM!***
The moment the Rasengan made contact, the earth erupted. A crater appeared where he struck, and a web of cracks spread out from its center.
Orochimaru and the others stared at the destruction, completely stunned.
"Holy...! A jutsu that simple to use is *this* powerful? And you *created* it? Brother Tenchi, you're the real genius here!" Jiraiya gushed, laying on the flattery thick.
"It is... genuinely impressive," Orochimaru conceded, his analytical mind whirring.
Tsunade thought to herself, *'To create a technique like this... this Uchiha is truly extraordinary.'*
"My god... This ninja is unbelievably strong. There really is hope for the Land of Rice," Tōka whispered, tears of relief welling in his eyes.
"And this is just its most basic form," Tenchi announced triumphantly, enjoying their shocked reactions. "If you develop it to its peak, it can even instantly kill a Kage-level ninja."
"Brother Tenchi! I want to learn! I have to learn!" Jiraiya yelled, grabbing Tenchi's arm. "A beginner can kill a Jōnin, and a master can take down a Kage? I'm learning this no matter what!"
"Instantly kill a Kage? That must be theoretical," Orochimaru said, still skeptical despite being impressed by the crater.
"Yeah, killing a Kage in one hit is just too terrifying to think about," Tōka added, the concept alone frightening him.
"Tsunade," Tenchi said, turning to her. "Do you believe it?"
"While a jutsu that can kill a Kage does sound unbelievable," Tsunade replied, her expression serious, "if it's coming from you, I'm willing to believe it. Because I believe you are someone who can perform miracles."
A smile spread across Tenchi's face. He then raised his right hand high above his head. "If a Hokage dared to take this head-on, it would mean certain death!"
A high-pitched, screeching sound filled the air. An immense, crushing pressure radiated from his hand, so intense it forced Tōka to his knees in fear. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru could only stare, their eyes wide with awe and terror at the energy gathering above Tenchi's palm.
"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
He called out the name and hurled the spiraling shuriken of chakra into the distant forest.
"He can... *throw* chakra of that density?!" Orochimaru gasped, his mind reeling at the implications.
***BOOOOM!***
The Rasenshuriken hit the woods and detonated, unleashing a cataclysmic hurricane of wind and pure chakra. Tōka and the three genin scrambled to hide behind Tenchi for protection.
When the storm subsided, they looked ahead. The once lush, green forest was gone. In its place was a perfectly flat, barren wasteland.
"This... this is terrifying," Orochimaru stammered, his voice hushed. "This power is on the level of a kinjutsu, a forbidden technique. If a Kage-level ninja were hit by that... survival would be impossible."
*'Uchiha Tenchi is a monster,'* Tsunade thought, a frown creasing her brow as she stared at the devastation. *'No wonder the Senju clan didn't want to provoke him. As long as he lives, the Senju will always be in his shadow.'*
"Is this the power of a Konoha ninja?" Tōka whispered, trembling. "He wiped out a forest with a single attack..."
"Brother Tenchi... are you really willing to teach me a ninjutsu this powerful?" Jiraiya asked, his voice full of disbelief.
"After this mission is over, I'll teach you when we return to the village," Tenchi said, clapping a hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. "But you'll learn step by step, starting with the basic Rasengan. Only after you've mastered that can you attempt the Rasenshuriken."
"Thank you, Brother Tenchi! I'll study hard, I promise!" Jiraiya nodded, his excitement barely containable.
"Orochimaru, Tsunade, if you want to learn, you can come to me anytime. I'll teach you everything I know," Tenchi offered, completely open-handed with his techniques.
"No, no, that's quite alright," both Tsunade and Orochimaru refused immediately, shaking their heads. It was one thing for him to teach his own jutsu to Jiraiya, but for them to learn it felt inappropriate.
"You see," Tenchi said, turning to Tōka and squinting his eyes. "If I wanted to destroy a small country, I could do it in an instant. Do you believe me?"
"I believe it! I believe it!" Tōka nodded so vigorously his neck hurt. He was suddenly terrified of the ninja he had hired. Provoking someone with this much power would be a death wish for his country.
"No wonder you were so confident about continuing the mission, Brother Tenchi," Jiraiya said with a grin. "With your strength, a mission like this is just a game. This is going to be easy."
Orochimaru and Tsunade nodded in agreement.
"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Tenchi said, dashing their expectations. "This mission will be handled entirely by you three. I will not intervene unless you face a Jōnin, or your lives are in immediate danger."
"Well, that's still not bad. At least we have a safety net," Jiraiya said, his carefree attitude returning.
As they were talking, two ninja suddenly appeared on the path ahead, blocking their way. They wore Konoha headbands.
"Halt! Identify yourselves!" one of the Konoha ninja demanded.
"We are ninja from Konoha. We're on a mission outside the village," Tsunade stated, stepping forward. As the Princess of the Land of Fire, she assumed they would recognize her.
"You say you're Konoha ninja, so you are? This is the border of the Land of Fire. I seriously suspect you are spies from an enemy nation. Show us your Konoha identification immediately, or we will detain you!" The two guards were unmoved and didn't seem to recognize Tsunade at all.
They had unknowingly arrived at the border of the Land of Fire.
"I'm Tsunade! Don't you know who I am?" Tsunade said, frustrated.
"Yeah, we really are Konoha ninja on a mission!" Orochimaru and Jiraiya added.
"It's true, Mr. Ninja! They are escorting me back to the Land of Rice! Please, you have to believe them!" Tōka pleaded on their behalf.
"Enough nonsense! Hurry up and show your proof of identity!" the guards insisted, ignoring their explanations.
When a ninja leaves the village on a mission, they are registered and given a formal mission scroll as proof. The three rookies didn't know this, but the scroll was in Tenchi's possession.
Seeing that the situation was about to escalate, Tenchi finally stepped forward.
"Hey. Do you two know who I am?" he asked calmly.
"Who do you think you—" the younger guard began, but the older, more experienced one quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. He had just recognized the man in front of them.
"It's... it's Lord Tenchi!" the older ninja stammered, his demeanor shifting instantly to one of extreme deference. "Are you... heading out on a mission, sir?" His fawning, flattering expression was a stark contrast to his previous arrogance.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru looked at the guard with pure contempt. *'What a bootlicker,'* they all thought, disgusted by the shameless display.