"Of course—me being a genius is another matter," Ayato said, rubbing his chin. "In theory the Rasengan is difficult; it was developed by the Fourth Hokage himself. Base potency is around A-rank. Learning difficulty… depends on talent."
"The Fourth Hokage?" Team Seven all paused. They'd heard the name—he was the hero who'd once saved the village. If the technique came from the Fourth, it might be harder than they imagined.
Ayato nodded. "Although its base power is A, the number of people in the world who can actually use Rasengan is tiny."
That made sense. Rasengan was the shape-transformation of chakra taken to an extreme. Even many jōnin couldn't master it—yet Naruto would learn it.
Naruto crossed his arms and glanced at the little glowing sphere in Ayato's palm, then tossed his head dismissively. "This weak-looking thing is supposedly hard to learn? Who wants Rasengan anyway? I'm going to be Hokage; I want something stronger!"
He really did look unimpressed—on the surface Rasengan didn't seem imposing. It didn't flash or roar; it worked by destroying from the inside out. Ayato walked over to a great boulder and brought the Rasengan down hard onto its face.
The rock trembled; a whirling hole formed where the Rasengan struck.
Before Naruto could finish his complaint, cracks raced across the stone. With a thunderous crash the boulder split into pieces and collapsed into a cloud of dust.
Naruto went slack-jawed. "It can smash a rock that big? That's… amazing!"
"Rasengan looks tame," Ayato said, fanning away dust. "But it destroys from within. Don't judge by the looks."
"Ayato-sensei—teach me the Rasengan!" Naruto's eyes lit up. The technique suddenly smelled like glory. If he could master Rasengan perfectly, he could finally show off in front of Sasuke. The thought thrilled him.
"You change moods faster than any woman I know," Ayato said flatly. One moment Naruto mocked, the next he worshipped.
Sakura, curious, asked, "Sensei, you called Rasengan a 'shape change.' What's 'nature transformation' then?"
Ayato gave her a look. "You catch on fast," he said teasingly, glancing at Sakura's chest with mock disappointment.
Sakura's face flamed. "Pervert!" she snapped and lunged to punch him.
Ayato caught her wrist with a practiced hold and gently pinned her to the ground. She squealed in protest, cheeks bright red. "Let go! You're a pervert!"
He smirked. "Amusing," he admitted after a moment.
"Sasuke, stop them and keep quiet," Sasuke said coolly. He had no time for their antics—there was real power to chase.
"Enough clowning," Ayato said, serious now. "Rasengan is a pure form change; nature transformation is when you imbue chakra with an element. Inject lightning into chakra and it becomes electrical—very handy. I use that trick on the ladies sometimes." He tapped a fingertip charged with faint blue electricity near Sakura's waist as a playful demonstration.
The effect was a tiny electric tingle—startling, not sexual—and Sakura flushed, more from embarrassment than anything else. Ayato grinned and teased, "Feels nice, doesn't it? Work hard, and I'll show you more."
"Pervert!" Sakura demanded, but she was smiling despite herself.
Ayato concentrated in his palm and the blue chakra condensed, sparking and singing like a bird. "This is the pinnacle of nature transformation in lightning style—the Chidori."
Arcing electricity slashed the earth like blades. "Copyright belongs to that one-eyed fellow," Ayato added dryly—"the Second Hokage was big on rights."
Sparks danced. Naruto's eyes widened; Chidori looked far more destructive than Rasengan. "It's way cooler!" he breathed.
Ayato strode to the boulder and slammed his lightning-charged hand into the rock; the stone split and shattered.
The three of them stared in stunned silence—Chidori had clear destructive punch, while Rasengan's damage was subtler but no less devastating.
"Okay," Ayato said, hands spread. "You two—pick one."
Sasuke trained his Sharingan on the crackling Chidori, then flicked his gaze to the fading swirl of Rasengan. After a beat, a small, almost amused smile tugged at his mouth. "I'll learn the Rasengan," he said.
To Sasuke, Rasengan felt more adaptable—something that could be developed further. Chidori screamed when used: loud, flashy, likely to give away one's position.
Naruto looked first at Chidori, then Rasengan. A grin split his face. "I want Chidori! Chidori looks badass and it's so cool!"
Sasuke scoffed, "Rasengan uses less chakra; Chidori consumes a ton."
"You arrogant—!" Naruto snapped.
Sasuke turned away coolly. Naruto scowled back. The two traded the usual barbs.
Ayato expected it. "Both valid choices," he said. "But here's the compromise: Naruto—you learn Rasengan. Sasuke—you learn Chidori."
"WHAT?! I don't want Rasengan! Chidori is way cooler!" Naruto protested.
"Why?" Sasuke asked, puzzled. He suspected Ayato had a plan.
Ayato only smiled. "It's a practical suggestion from a fine instructor."
Practical, indeed: Naruto needed to learn to shape chakra; Sasuke needed to learn to channel elemental power. Both moves would get them closer to the mentorship objective.
Naruto crossed his arms, sulking. Ayato tossed him a bag of balloons. "Blow these up."
"Balloons? Why?" Naruto asked, puzzled, but began to inflate one.
"Put chakra into the balloon and pop it," Ayato explained, demonstrating. He infused one balloon with a pulse of chakra; its shape wavered, then—pop—it burst.
Naruto frowned and tried. One second—nothing. Two seconds—still nothing. Five seconds later, his face darkened and veins stood out as he blew with all his might.
He couldn't release chakra.
"Are you constipated?" Ayato asked deadpan.
Sasuke picked up a balloon, exhaled, and formed a small swirl of pale-blue chakra in his palm. The balloon deformed, but did not burst. Naruto gloated—"See? Told you!"
Sasuke tossed his balloon away, hands in his pockets, a faint reddening in his cheeks. He hadn't expected it to be that difficult either.
"You already producing chakra is good," Ayato told Sasuke, then looked back at Naruto. "But you… are an idiot."
Naruto scowled, determined. "I'll break a balloon in one day! You'll see!"
Ayato offered a hint. "Try this: train with Shadow Clone technique. Multiplying yourself speeds things up."
Naruto blinked, then grinned. "Oh! Got it, Ayato-sensei!"
He formed hand signs at once. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A cloud of pale smoke exploded and dozens of Narutos spilled out, all eager and ridiculous. Ayato's mouth twitched. "Quick learner, that one."
Naruto flopped among his clones. "You all practice hard! I'll nap. Wake me up when a balloon pops."
For a while a chaotic scene unfolded—shadow clones argued, sparred, and practiced, then disappeared one by one, leaving Naruto battered and exhausted.
Ayato covered his mouth to laugh. "Fools fighting themselves—hilarious."
"Not fools," Sakura muttered. "Just Naruto."
Then Ayato turned to Sasuke. "You can already emit chakra. Try infusing lightning into it. It's similar to how you release a fire jutsu—feel the element and push it into the chakra."
Sasuke found a tree and sat, concentrating. He tried to fold lightning into the small orb but couldn't stabilize it. The sensation of fire-style control didn't translate straight to lightning.
Sakura tugged Ayato's sleeve. "What about me? What should I work on?"
Ayato considered her seriously. "You're fit for hand-to-hand combat."
Sakura blinked, offended. "Really? Me? Fight hand-to-hand? I'm a girl!"
Ayato repeated, calmly: "Hand-to-hand."
Sakura glared and lightly punched his abdomen to prove she could. He merely smiled. "Your chakra reserves are small; you can't support long, high-cost techniques. So your weapon is your body—your fists."
"How small?" she asked.
Ayato popped a lollipop in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Pathetically small," he said bluntly, drawing blush and indignation. "Smaller than a certain flat-chested little bear you remind me of."
Sakura huffed. "Could you say that a different way?"
Ayato strolled over to a sturdy tree. "Punch that trunk with all your strength."
Sakura hesitated, then clenched her fist and struck the tree with everything she had. The bark shivered; a few leaves drifted down.
"Ow—!" She sank to her knees, breath sharp and eyes watering as pain shot through her hand. She clutched it, rubbing at a bruised knuckle.
Ayato nodded. "Good. It should hurt—trees are tough."
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