Chapter 56:
"Uncle Sasuke, please take me as your student! I'm begging you. No matter what, I don't want to abandon my friends and run away by myself again. I want to stand and face the enemy alongside them."
A week after the encounter with the Ōtsutsuki clan, Boruto knelt in the forest of Training Ground One in Konoha, pleading earnestly with Sasuke.
"Why don't you ask your own father?" Sasuke found it strange that Boruto wanted him as a master. After all, Naruto was just as powerful as he was—why would Boruto bypass him to come to Sasuke instead?
"...Because my dream is to become a cool and powerful ninja like you, Uncle Sasuke."
As Boruto stood before him, Sasuke began to see the image of the young Naruto overlapping with him. That drive to train harder out of concern for his friends—it was exactly like Naruto back in the day. Sasuke even felt that maybe Boruto and Shuyu could become the next Naruto and Sasuke.
Of course, Sasuke also had a bit of personal pride mixed in.
He had competed with Naruto his entire life, and now that Naruto's own son admired him more, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority.
"Well then, can you use the Rasengan?"
Sasuke had been back in the village for a while and already knew Boruto hadn't learned the Rasengan yet. He asked not to get an answer, but simply because he didn't want to accept Boruto as a student too easily.
Although Sasuke had already decided to take Boruto under his wing, he still had to go through the motions.
It wasn't about anything else—it was about appearances. After all, powerful people never take disciples casually; they always put up a little resistance first. Unless, of course, the student was a once-in-a-generation prodigy, like Shuyu.
Besides, the Chūnin Exams never judged just individual strength—they measured the overall strength of the whole team. Frankly speaking, Boruto was currently the weakest of the three, and Sasuke didn't want his daughter's chances of passing to be dragged down by Boruto.
"Huh? Rasengan?" Boruto frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Oh! That's the jutsu Brother Konohamaru always uses, right? I remember the Rasengan involves changing the chakra's form or something like that..."
"Looks like you don't know how to use it. If you really want me to be your master, then go learn the Rasengan. That'll be your test. If you can't even master the Rasengan, then it proves you're nothing special and unfit to be my student."
Sasuke thought to himself that since Boruto was Naruto's son, learning the Rasengan should be a piece of cake.
"Hmph, it's just a small move. Give me a week—no, three days! I'll learn it in three days! If I can pull it off, you'll take me as your student, right?"
Seeing Sasuke nod, Boruto continued confidently, "I'll go learn it right now and prove it to you!"
In Boruto's memory, only two people could use the Rasengan—his father and Brother Konohamaru.
Asking Naruto for help wasn't even an option; Boruto would never go to his father to learn the Rasengan.
"So it's you, Boruto? Today's a day off—what are you looking for me for?" Konohamaru greeted him with a smile as Boruto came rushing over.
"Brother Konohamaru, teach me your Rasengan! I want to learn it right now!"
Konohamaru was taken aback.
Was this really Boruto? It was the first time he'd seen Boruto voluntarily ask to learn a jutsu. He was deeply moved.
"So you want to prepare a special move for the upcoming Chūnin Exams and blow Lord Seventh away, huh?"
"Not bad, Boruto. You're finally starting to act like a real ninja."
Although Konohamaru misunderstood his intention, Boruto still nodded and said, "Yeah, something like that."
Konohamaru mistook Boruto's awkward response for shyness.
"To think I have the honor of teaching this jutsu to Boruto as his instructor... Fourth, Seventh, I'll take this responsibility seriously!"
Konohamaru assumed that since Boruto's father could use the Rasengan—and use it better than him—Boruto must've come to him because he acknowledged his Rasengan skills. That thought made Konohamaru proud.
After running through some basic preparations, Konohamaru looked at the dejected Boruto and said, "What's wrong? Where's all that spirit from earlier? Come on, let's try again. Watch closely, and focus…"
"I am focusing, but I still can't get it right! Isn't there an easier way to learn the Rasengan?" Boruto grumbled as he stared at the water balloon in his hand.
"The Fourth Hokage took three years to develop this jutsu and another six months to master it. In terms of difficulty, Rasengan is an A-rank jutsu—there's no shortcut. You don't just learn this kind of jutsu instantly. Come on, let's try again, Boruto."
As Konohamaru demonstrated, he encouraged Boruto to follow along.
"Here I go!" Boruto gathered Lightning Release chakra into his palm, a crackling noise mixing with the sound of a bursting water balloon. "I did it!"
"Idiot, you just used Lightning Release to burst the balloon. You're supposed to sense the chakra's flow and feel the invisible vortex," Konohamaru said, tapping Boruto lightly on the head.
Of course, he didn't actually hit him hard—he could get away with that with the Uzumaki side of the family, but it'd be a problem with the Hyūga side.
Neither the retiring Hyūga Clan Head Hiashi, nor the soon-to-be new head Hanabi, would take kindly to Boruto getting roughed up.
"You've said that so many times my ears are growing calluses! How am I supposed to 'feel' something I can't even see?" Boruto grumbled, rubbing the spot Konohamaru had just hit.
"Well, my ears are getting calluses from your excuses. Quit whining and keep going—"
Before Konohamaru could finish, Shuyu happened to walk over, just finishing his training with Sasuke.
"Boruto, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, it's you, Shuyu. I'm practicing the Rasengan, but I just can't get the water balloon to burst. Brother Konohamaru says I have to feel the chakra flow and imagine some invisible vortex."
Shuyu took the balloon from Boruto. In his hand, the water balloon began to spin rapidly before suddenly popping. The water spilled down his hand to the ground.
"Ama—zing, Shuyu! How did you do that?!" Boruto asked eagerly.
"I told you, it's about channeling your chakra flow and sensing the invisible vortex..."
Before Konohamaru could finish, Shuyu cut in again, "Gather the chakra to the center of your palm and spin the balloon without letting it slip from your hand. If it spins fast enough, it'll burst."
Listening to Shuyu's explanation, Boruto's water balloon began to rotate slowly in his hand.
Three minutes later, the balloon was spinning faster and faster, and finally—pop!
"I did it! I really did it! Shuyu's explanation is way easier to understand than Brother Konohamaru's! Brother Konohamaru, let's move on to the next step!" Boruto exclaimed excitedly.
"Hmph. That's exactly what Lord Seventh said when he taught me the Rasengan..." Konohamaru muttered as he handed Boruto a rubber ball.
...
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