A few days later, at Konoha's Third Training Ground.
Clack, clack, clack…
Accompanied by a series of crisp sounds, multiple kunai struck dead center on several wooden targets scattered throughout the training ground.
Seeing the results, Orochimaru exhaled in satisfaction.
Clap, clap, clap…
The sound of applause echoed in the air. Orochimaru turned around and saw a young man standing behind a tree, clapping in admiration.
Noticing it was Tōshirō, Orochimaru smiled. "Tōshirō-kun, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be with…"
The unspoken words hung in the air, but Tōshirō understood and answered, "She's taking care of her little brother."
Orochimaru nodded in understanding. "So, what can I do for you, Tōshirō-kun?"
Tōshirō stepped forward. "I'm here to return the favor, of course."
Orochimaru looked puzzled, repeating the words as if to confirm, "Return the favor?"
"Consider it repayment for you keeping watch last time."
"Ah, that time…" Orochimaru recalled helping Tōshirō and Tsunade by standing guard during their secret meeting. "That was nothing. You don't need to take it so seriously."
Tōshirō shook his head. "You may think that way, but I don't."
Seeing that Tōshirō was insistent, Orochimaru didn't argue. "Alright then, if you insist."
Now that Orochimaru had agreed, Tōshirō got straight to the point. "I plan to teach you a ninjutsu technique as a token of appreciation. How does that sound?"
Ninjutsu?
Curiosity flashed across Orochimaru's face.
As the most favored disciple of the Third Hokage, and given his own natural talent and interests, Orochimaru had already mastered a significant number of ninjutsu techniques at a young age.
Ordinary ninjutsu wouldn't catch his attention.
Tōshirō was well aware of this.
For him to specifically offer a technique as a form of repayment, it had to be something extraordinary.
"It's a bit tricky to explain, so why don't you see for yourself whether you like it or not?"
Tōshirō raised both hands, forming a cross-shaped hand seal with his index and middle fingers.
Poof!
With a burst of white smoke, another figure appeared beside Tōshirō.
A shadow clone?
Orochimaru's expression flickered with confusion—what was Tōshirō trying to do?
Tōshirō simply smiled and extended his right hand, palm facing upward. His shadow clone placed both hands in a claw-like gesture and rapidly moved them around the center of the open palm.
Within moments, a faintly glowing, light-blue sphere began to form. It quickly expanded at a visible speed until it reached the size of a human palm.
Under Orochimaru's astonished gaze, Tōshirō walked up to a large tree, the swirling sphere still hovering over his palm.
With a single thrust—
Boom!
The tree snapped in half. With a creaking sound, the massive trunk collapsed onto the ground.
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock. It was the first time he had seen such a technique.
"This is called the Rasengan," Tōshirō explained. "Consider it your reward. As for its power, you've already seen it for yourself—it's pretty decent, right? It should help cover your lack of strong single-target offensive techniques."
At his current stage, Orochimaru had mastered many ninjutsu techniques, but in Tōshirō's opinion, most of them were rather "basic" and lacked powerful single-target attacks. After thinking it over, he decided to teach Orochimaru the Rasengan. With his talent, learning it at this age shouldn't be too difficult.
From the moment he first saw it, Orochimaru could tell this technique was exceptional. He still couldn't quite believe it. "Are you really okay with this? I only helped you out a little, and now you're giving me such an important ninjutsu?"
The value of a powerful ninjutsu couldn't be understated. Even among close comrades, techniques weren't casually shared—let alone something as significant as the Rasengan.
But Tōshirō was unfazed. "It's fine. Ninjutsu exists to be learned, after all."
Tōshirō teaching Orochimaru this ninjutsu wasn't just to repay the favor of standing guard last time—it was also to use Orochimaru's talent to further develop the Rasengan.
That way, Tōshirō could reap the benefits later without putting in too much effort himself.
When it came to being a ninja, Tōshirō had always felt that Orochimaru was more talented than him. Unfortunately, Orochimaru was only held back by the circumstances of his birth.
Suddenly, Orochimaru asked, "Did you teach this technique to Tsunade?"
Tōshirō thought for a moment before replying, "Tsunade doesn't really need this technique."
Her monstrous strength combined with the Earth Spear technique was far more practical than the Rasengan.
Orochimaru, recalling Tsunade's raw power, quickly understood. "So, I'm the first outsider to learn this technique?"
"More or less…"
"Well, I'm honored then." Orochimaru paused before asking, "Did you develop this technique yourself, Tōshirō-kun?"
Thick-skinned, Tōshirō shamelessly ignored the fact that he had basically copied the Rasengan. "Something like that…"
"As expected of Tōshirō…" Orochimaru genuinely admired him. "A technique of this level—if it were me at my current stage, I definitely wouldn't be able to develop it."
Hearing Orochimaru's praise, Tōshirō actually felt a bit embarrassed and let out a dry laugh. "Just a lucky break."
"You're really too modest, Tōshirō." Orochimaru said seriously, "Luck alone wouldn't be enough to create a technique like this."
I swear, I'm really not being modest… Tōshirō thought to himself before quickly changing the subject. "Alright, let's leave it at that. I'll explain the principles of this technique to you now."
"I'll be counting on you then." Orochimaru perked up, ready to listen.
Tōshirō began explaining in detail, breaking down the mechanics of the Rasengan.
As he listened, Orochimaru's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He had already realized how powerful the Rasengan was, but even then, he had still underestimated it.
For Tōshirō to develop such a technique—it was truly unbelievable.
If Orochimaru's talent was something seen once in a decade, then Tōshirō's was likely the kind that appeared once in a century.
Orochimaru's admiration for Tōshirō deepened.
After finishing his explanation, Tōshirō's throat felt dry. He grabbed the water flask hanging from his waist and took a few gulps. "That's basically the entire theory behind this technique. Do you have any questions?"
Orochimaru hesitated for a moment. "There is one thing."
That's normal. Tōshirō, eager to play the role of a mentor, encouraged him. "Go ahead, ask."
Orochimaru voiced his confusion. "In the final step, why do you need to refine chakra in two opposing rotational directions simultaneously?"
How should I know? I just copied it…
Tōshirō suddenly found himself in an awkward position. He thought for a moment before deciding that it was best to be honest—better that than misleading Orochimaru. "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Orochimaru was puzzled. Hadn't Tōshirō created this technique? How could he not know?
After thinking for a second, Tōshirō quickly made up an excuse. "That's why I said there was some luck involved in developing this technique. Back when I was working on it, it was really unstable, and I couldn't figure out the best method. So, I just kept trying different approaches, and maybe I got lucky—I stumbled upon the right method after a few attempts."
Orochimaru nodded. That explanation actually made sense.
Tōshirō apologized, "Sorry, I couldn't give you a proper answer."
"Don't worry about it. Just passing this technique to me is already more than enough—I'm the one being greedy here." Orochimaru shook his head before continuing, "Tōshirō-kun, I have an idea. Have you ever thought about refining chakra in an additional direction?"
Tōshirō was caught off guard. "An additional direction?"
Orochimaru nodded. "Yes, meaning three rotational directions instead of two."
Tōshirō was confused. "Why add a third? Isn't two already enough to stabilize the chakra?"
"This is just a bold idea of mine," Orochimaru said with a smirk. "You're familiar with how gears work, right?"
"Gears?"
"Exactly. It's a fascinating mechanism—moving just one gear can set an entire system in motion."
Hearing this, Tōshirō started to understand.
If the chakra rotated in three directions instead of two, it could function like an interlocking gear system.
"Want to give it a try?" Orochimaru asked, clearly excited.
"Of course."
Following Orochimaru's suggestion, Tōshirō immediately began testing the idea. Previously, using two rotational directions required the help of one shadow clone. Now, with three, he would need an additional clone to assist.
End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Soul Land 2: Golden Dragon King]."
"If you want an early access join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"