After several uneventful days of traveling, Naruto and his group finally reached the seaside of the Land of Waves.
"The next part of the journey requires a boat," someone commented as they gazed at the gentle waves lapping against the dock.
The road so far had been incredibly dull. Bored out of his mind, Naruto decided to retreat into his consciousness to chat with the Nine Tails.
"Hey, big fox," Naruto said, grinning mischievously. "Don't you have any cool ninjutsu you can teach me?"
"Hmph! You already learned Konoha's secret technique, the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and you still want more?" the Nine Tails grumbled from within his cage.
Naruto pouted. "Of course! The more, the better!"
"Are you saying I, the mighty Nine Tails, don't know ninjutsu?" the fox growled, eyes narrowing.
Naruto smirked slightly. The provocation had worked.
'Compared to human hearts,' Naruto thought, 'this big fox is so much easier to understand. He might act grumpy, but at least he doesn't lie. Dazna, who looks like an old geezer, turned out to be hiding things. But the fox? He's straightforward, if a bit lazy.'
In a strange way, Naruto enjoyed spending time with the Nine Tails. After all, the fox could detect malicious intent nearby, meaning Naruto didn't have to worry about sudden attacks.
"How dare you underestimate me, brat!" the Nine Tails snarled. "Fine. I'll teach you a technique. But don't cry when you can't learn it!"
Naruto blinked. "I can't learn it?"
He looked genuinely confused. Until now, he'd picked up every technique he tried with impressive speed.
"This isn't just any technique," the Nine Tails said proudly. "It's an A-rank ninjutsu. No—if used correctly, it might even be considered S-rank!"
Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? That's awesome! Teach me, teach me!"
"This ninjutsu was created by the man who sealed me inside you," the fox added with a bitter tone.
"You mean... the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Yes, that bastard," the Nine Tails spat, his hatred palpable. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be stuck babysitting you every day!"
The fox let out a frustrated growl. "And you… you're not even scared of me!"
---
Meanwhile, in the observation realm—
Namikaze Minato: "Is Nine Tails really going to teach that jutsu to Naruto?"
Jiraiya: "Looks like it. It's probably the Rasengan—the jutsu you created, Minato. You based it on the Tailed Beast Bomb's principle. No one understands that better than a tailed beast."
Kakashi: "It took you three years to develop it, sensei. Even if Naruto's talented, learning it won't be easy."
Naruto: "Wait, you're talking about the Rasengan?"
Minato: "Technically, it was originally called 'Nirvana Popsicle Inspired Jiraiya Double-Style Pill.' I spent weeks thinking of that name! But your mother changed it to Rasengan…"
Tobirama: "What a ridiculous name. The kid's dumb, but that name is even dumber."
Sakura: "Thank goodness Naruto's mom had better naming sense!"
Even Sasuke, usually composed, twitched slightly at the thought.
If Rasengan had kept its original name, then every time he and Naruto clashed—
Naruto would yell, "Nimbus Popsicle Inspired Jiraiya Double Pill!"
The very idea was humiliating.
Sasuke (thinking): That name alone would've made my Chidori feel like a joke…
Minato: "Wait… Naruto already knows Rasengan?"
Naruto: "Yup! Pervy Sage taught me, and I picked it up quickly!"
Jiraiya: "Tsk, don't flatter yourself. It took you two weeks. I learned it in one!"
Naruto: "Huh? So I wasn't the fastest…"
Kakashi: "Two weeks is still impressive. But now that I think about it… I wonder if Minato-sensei spent two and a half years just naming it."
The more Kakashi thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Why else come up with a name so long and awkward?
Originally, Rasengan had no chant or fancy gestures. But with that name…
Just imagining shouting "Nirvana Popsicle Inspired Jiraiya Double-Style Pill!" before a fight made Kakashi shudder.
Hashirama: "Not bad, Fourth Hokage. Creating a technique based on the Tailed Beast Bomb… You're definitely talented."
Madara: "Tch, what's the big deal about a tailed beast? Just a chakra-filled pet. Nothing worth idolizing."
The Nine Tails fell silent at that.
Even with all its power, when faced with Madara at his peak… it had no choice but to become a husky-like lapdog.
In the safety of Naruto's mind, the fox grumbled, "You think you're so great? Try fighting without those stupid eyeballs!"
---
Back in Naruto's consciousness—
"I'm going to teach you a jutsu called the Rasengan," the Nine Tails began, still clearly annoyed.
"It's a technique that involves concentrating chakra into your palm. You make it spin in multiple directions while simultaneously compressing it into a dense sphere of chakra."
"To break it down—"
"The first stage: Rotation."
A swirling vortex of chakra appeared in front of Naruto, formed from fiery red energy. It spun wildly, its movement mesmerizing.
"The second stage: Power."
The chaotic spiral began stabilizing, gradually transforming into a massive, glowing red orb. Naruto could sense the intense energy within it.
"And finally—the third stage: Ultimate Compression."
The orb, once bigger than Naruto himself, began shrinking. The chakra condensed further and further, creating a terrifying sizzling sound. Violent winds blew across the cage as the energy grew more intense.
Naruto shielded his eyes, struggling to stand in the gust.
Eventually, the storm died down. Floating in front of him was a perfectly condensed red chakra sphere, roughly the size of a human head.
"Hmph," the Nine Tails said, obviously proud. "Did you get a good look? This is the Rasengan."
With that, the orb slowly vanished, and the Nine Tails laid back down, already looking bored again.
'He won't bother me for at least a week,' the fox thought. 'This move should keep him occupied.'
Just as the Nine Tails was about to fall asleep, a violent whirlwind erupted in front of him.
"Huh? What's going on—?"
Eyes snapping open, the Nine Tails stared in shock.
Naruto stood there, a blue chakra orb spinning wildly in his palm. The compression was perfect, and the force it radiated was immense—possibly even stronger than the one Nine Tails had demonstrated.
The fox's jaw nearly hit the ground.
"Y-Y-You little brat… Be honest—have you been secretly practicing this all along?!"