"
I don't care whether you understand or not," Yoruha said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "But you'd better remember one thing—if you mess up this mission, I won't hesitate to kill you."
In his heart, he added silently:
Ino… don't blame your brother for being harsh. I've already given him a fair warning. If I really end up killing your future husband… that's on him for being an idiot.
That night.
Yoruha and his team camped in an open area and pitched their tents. He personally made beggar's chicken for everyone. The group sat around, laughing and eating, enjoying the rare moment of peace.
"Hey Naruto," Yoruha said as he bit into a drumstick, "you've been training with Jiraiya for years now. How's your Rasengan progress going?"
"Uh… development?" Naruto mumbled through a mouthful of chicken. "Well, my Rasengan's gotten bigger and stronger. That counts as development, right?"
"...So you've spent three years with Jiraiya, and all he's taught you is how to make the Rasengan bigger and rounder?" Yoruha gave him an exhausted look.
Jiraiya had many good qualities—but when it came to teaching, he could be incredibly lazy.
"I mean, that's not all," Naruto said, scratching his head. "He also discussed how to refine the Sexy Jutsu. He said it might even save the ninja world someday!"
"...That damn old perv." Yoruha pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't tell me he's already..."
He couldn't even finish that sentence.
Naruto's transformation technique was indeed... versatile. But Jiraiya? Really?
"Forget it," Yoruha muttered. "Actually, the Rasengan can be enhanced by adding a chakra nature. Want me to show you?"
"Wait, what? You can add chakra natures to the Rasengan? What does that even mean?"
Naruto was clearly lost.
"Listen carefully," Yoruha said patiently. "Chakra is composed of two aspects—form and nature. Take Kakashi's Chidori, for example. The lightning is a nature transformation. Its shape—sharp and focused—is the form transformation. Your Rasengan is only a form transformation. That's why it lacks destructive force compared to Sasuke's Chidori."
"Oh!" Naruto's eyes lit up. "So if I add nature transformation to Rasengan, it'll become stronger?"
"Exactly," Yoruha said. "You could finally match Sasuke."
Even though Naruto didn't fully grasp the theory, he understood one thing—his signature move could be upgraded. And that meant he might be able to beat Sasuke one day.
"Let me show you." Yoruha flipped his palm up. Five small glowing Rasengans appeared at his fingertips.
"My god..." Naruto gawked. "You can do that?"
Sakura was also stunned.
"No wonder Yoruha became an elite Jonin so quickly, and the rest of us are still Chunin or Genin..." she murmured, casting a sidelong glance at her own chest... then quickly looked away.
Can't compare. Just can't.
"Now watch carefully," Yoruha said. "I'm going to fuse each of these with a different chakra nature."
And then he did just that.
Miniature Wind-Style Rasenshuriken.
Miniature Fire-Style Rasenshuriken.
Miniature Lightning-Style Rasenshuriken.
Miniature Water-Style Rasenshuriken.
Miniature Earth-Style Rasenshuriken.
Each one shimmered with elemental power, dancing at his fingertips like chakra sprites.
"That's insane! I want to learn all of those!" Naruto yelled, eyes burning with excitement.
"You can't," Yoruha said bluntly. "Your chakra affinity is Wind. So your development path is the Wind-Style Rasenshuriken."
"Aww man, just one?" Naruto deflated a little.
Yoruha rolled his eyes. "Be grateful you have one. Most people can't even master a single element. You think you're the Sage of Six Paths or something?"
"Exactly," Sakura added. "It's hard enough just mastering one. I only have Yang Release, and I still haven't learned the Five Basic Natures. You should be glad you can focus on one path."
"Alright, alright!" Naruto said, fired up again. "Teach me! I'm ready!"
Yoruha grinned. "Sure. I'll teach you on the road."
Honestly, he didn't mind. He couldn't use Wood Release himself, and he couldn't suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra in Naruto's body. Teaching Naruto would at least help keep him distracted—so he wouldn't go berserk the moment he saw Orochimaru.
Two Days Later.
The group finally arrived in the Land of Grass.
"Yoruha, are we really not getting closer to the Tenchi Bridge?" Naruto asked with concern.
At that moment, Sakura was already hiding nearby, acting as Kankuro's contact and waiting for Sasori's informant to appear.
Naruto was worried.
This world was different from the original.
In this version, Sakura's bond with Sasuke hadn't gone beyond that of teammates.
Her bond with Naruto, however, was much stronger.
"Don't worry," Yoruha said calmly. "If I get too close, Orochimaru might sense me. And as for Sakura—relax. I'll be there the moment things go south."
He had already given Sakura a Flying Thunder God kunai.
The moment Orochimaru or Kabuto showed up, he could teleport in instantly.
Besides, Sakura was no pushover.
With her monstrous strength, Yin Seal, and masterful taijutsu, she was easily one of Konoha's top-tier young ninja. Sure, she wasn't on Tsunade's level yet—but she was definitely strong enough to hold her own.