Minato didn't return home until dinner time.
The moment he stepped through the door, Naruto rushed to greet him, eager to share every detail of his day.
"I've already heard about your performance from Kakashi and Shisui," Minato said with a warm smile, reaching out to ruffle both Naruto and Chiharu's hair. "You were outstanding."
"You've said that at least a dozen times today," Kushina called from the doorway of the living room, an affectionate smile playing at her lips despite her exasperated tone. "Your mouth must be getting dry. Come on, let's eat."
"Yeah," Minato nodded, guiding Chiharu and Naruto into the living room.
"Dad," Naruto began as they settled around the dinner table, "Shisui-sensei told us to gather at the Hokage's office tomorrow morning to officially start our missions."
His blue eyes shone with anticipation as he leaned forward. "Can you give us some really challenging missions? Then I can prove I'm better than Sasuke!"
"With your current abilities, you're not yet qualified for high-ranking missions," Kushina stated firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. She wanted her son to understand that higher difficulty meant greater danger.
"But I created thousands of shadow clones today!" Naruto protested, puffing out his chest proudly. "How can that not be enough?"
"The number of shadow clones isn't a measure of true strength," Kushina countered. "In fact, if you recklessly exhaust all your chakra creating clones, you'll put yourself in even greater danger during missions. You're still too inexperienced."
Minato had informed Kushina about the Nine-Tails' chakra stirring within Naruto as soon as he'd learned of it, and her concern was evident beneath her stern demeanor.
"Setting aside your current abilities," Minato added gently, "according to village regulations, genin cannot be assigned difficult missions without accumulating sufficient experience first."
He folded his hands on the table. "Every mission reflects on the reputation of the Hidden Leaf. We can't assign them carelessly."
"It doesn't matter," Naruto huffed, lips curling stubbornly. "I can definitely handle it!"
"Don't be so willful, young man!" Kushina's eyebrows rose sharply, her expression darkening with the first hints of genuine anger.
"Brother, please stop talking," Chiharu whispered urgently, tugging at Naruto's sleeve as she noticed their mother's expression.
"Y-yeah, Mom, I understand," Naruto quickly backpedaled, his entire body tensing as he recognized the danger signs in Kushina's face.
"Although you may not be ready for difficult missions," Minato interjected smoothly, deliberately changing the subject to ease the tension, "it is indeed time to adjust your training methods."
He turned to Chiharu. "I heard from Kakashi that you've already mastered the Lightning Release technique I taught you."
"Yeah," Chiharu nodded, seeming pleased at the recognition.
"Starting tomorrow, when you're not on missions, you'll need to undergo intensive training to improve your reaction time and speed," Minato explained.
Chiharu's expression immediately fell. "But I've already mastered the Body Flicker Technique. Why do I need more speed training?" she complained, lips forming a small pout. "At this rate, I'll have no free time at all."
"Because," Minato replied patiently, "I plan to teach you the Flying Thunder God Technique in the future. Without this foundation, you won't be able to properly utilize it."
He explained that Chiharu, like himself, possessed a natural talent for space-time ninjutsu. This was why he intended to pass his improved version of the Flying Thunder God Technique to her.
"I don't want to learn it," Chiharu declared, letting out a small huff.
Had anyone else heard her dismissal, they would have been stunned to disbelief. Throughout the shinobi world, countless ninja would give almost anything to learn the legendary Flying Thunder God Technique that had earned Minato his fearsome reputation.
"That's fine if you don't want to learn it," Minato replied, his expression growing unusually serious. "But you still need to complete the training. You're a shinobi now, Chiharu. If you don't have enough power to protect yourself, your mother and I will constantly worry about you."
"Fine," Chiharu answered sullenly, recognizing the rare gravity in her father's tone.
"Dad, I want to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique too!" Naruto interjected excitedly, sensing an opportunity.
"The Flying Thunder God isn't suitable for you," Minato replied with a gentle shake of his head, causing Naruto's face to fall immediately.
Noticing his son's disappointment, Minato quickly clarified, "It's not that I don't want to teach you, Naruto. It's simply that the technique doesn't align with your natural abilities."
He explained that mastering the Flying Thunder God required exceptionally precise chakra control and understanding of complex sealing formulas—areas that weren't Naruto's strong suit.
"I'll teach you another ninjutsu that's much better suited to your talents," Minato added with an encouraging smile.
"Really? That's great!" Naruto's mood brightened instantly. "Let's start right now!"
"Have you finished eating?" Kushina asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yep!" Naruto nodded eagerly, and Minato rose from his seat.
"Then let's head to the front yard," he suggested, guiding Naruto toward the door.
As they left, Chiharu noticed her mother's meaningful gaze fixed on her. Understanding the unspoken message, she quickly said, "Mom, I'm done eating too. Let me help you clean up."
Kushina had been preparing to give her daughter a lecture about responsibility, but Chiharu had already darted into the kitchen, skillfully avoiding the impending discussion.
In the Front Yard
"Dad, which is more powerful—the technique you're going to teach me or the Flying Thunder God?" Naruto asked eagerly, his bright eyes fixed on his father.
Minato paused thoughtfully before responding. "You need to understand, Naruto, that while ninjutsu has difficulty levels, there's no absolute measure of 'strong' or 'weak.'"
He knelt to meet his son's gaze. "The true strength and power of any technique depends entirely on the shinobi who wields it."
"Yeah, I get it," Naruto nodded, though his expression suggested he wasn't entirely convinced.
"That said, in terms of learning difficulty, the technique I'm about to show you isn't as complex as the Flying Thunder God—but for your current level, it will still be quite challenging to master."
Minato raised his right hand, palm facing upward. With focused concentration, azure chakra began to gather and condense in his palm, swirling into a perfect sphere of pure energy.
"Rasengan!" Naruto exclaimed immediately, his eyes widening in recognition.
"You know this technique?" Minato asked, genuinely surprised. He was certain he had never performed the Rasengan in front of Naruto before.
"Well, I heard about it from Pervy Sage!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "He told me it's a jutsu you created yourself!"
"Did Master Jiraiya tell you anything else?" Minato asked carefully, noticing something unusual in Naruto's expression.
"Hmm," Naruto considered, "Pervy Sage said you have a weird habit of giving jutsu strange names. He said he helped you rename several of your techniques."
"He told you that, did he?" Minato's lips twitched in mild exasperation.
"He also said that once completed, the Rasengan becomes an S-rank, super-advanced ninjutsu," Naruto continued, practically bouncing with excitement. "Are you really going to teach it to me, Dad?"
"I'll teach you gradually," Minato promised with a smile, dispelling the swirling sphere in his palm. "For now, you need to focus on mastering the basic Rasengan."
"Yes!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air. "And after I learn the Rasengan, Dad will teach me the complete version!"
The prospect of learning his father's signature technique clearly delighted him more than any other jutsu possibly could.
"The Rasengan is an A-rank technique, so it won't be easy to master," Minato cautioned, seeing that Naruto seemed to think this would be a simple task. "You need to be mentally prepared for a challenge."
Naruto's confident grin suggested he believed otherwise, but Minato knew his son would soon discover just how wrong that assumption was.