Whoosh!
The violent blue orb expanded rapidly before his eyes, spinning frantically in a counter-clockwise direction. Ren Uchiha's scalp went numb. He instinctively kicked off the ground, leaping back while drawing Kusanagi to slash the thing apart.
But in the next heartbeat, he forcibly halted his blade.
"Minato...!"
Minato was still holding the damn thing! One swing of the sword and he might accidentally blow up the future Fourth Hokage.
Minato Namikaze also realized that if the orb detonated in his hand, things would get ugly. He tried to retract his chakra, but the massive amount of energy he'd poured in was already swirling under the pull of centrifugal force. It was impossible to pull back.
Seeing the "Rasengan" grow larger, wilder, and more unstable, Minato reached into his tool pouch, left a kunai on the spot, and used Body Flicker to vanish. A yellow flash streaked across the landscape, covering a vast distance in an instant.
BOOM!
After a thunderous explosion, a disheveled Minato used the Flying Raijin to teleport back to the haystack in the deserted village. He scratched his singed blonde hair, looking embarrassed.
"Ren, about that..."
Minato was about to apologize, but Ren was frowning, staring intently at the crater left by the explosion.
The prototype Rasengan had gouged a spiraling, massive pit into the earth. The raw power... the unstable, uncontrollable form...
It immediately reminded Ren of the Dark Chakra belonging to the Zero-Tails.
Both were violent. Both were uncontrollable and seemingly impossible to use as a standard ninjutsu. Up until now, Ren had mostly used that massive chakra for "special effects"—like creating a gust of wind when powering up—or dumping it into his Body Incarnation technique.
But now, with the physical enhancement of the Cursed Seal of Heaven and the Orochimaru-style Body Replacement, he had more tactical options. He didn't have to face-tank every hit like he used to. In fact, the Body Replacement was more efficient at healing than the Body Incarnation, which left his primary forbidden jutsu in an awkward, middle-ground position.
This meant the Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra was just sitting there. A total waste. Ren had never found a good way to "grip" that power—until he saw the mechanics of Minato's prototype.
Using rapid rotation to create centrifugal force, making the chakra spin until it reached a state of controlled instability. What if he did the opposite? What if he started with chakra that was already violent?
Like Dark Chakra.
Minato, seeing Ren's dazed expression, thought the kid was traumatized by his reckless move. After all, Ren was still just twelve. He felt a wave of guilt.
"Uh... Ren, sorry, I was just—"
"Quiet!" Ren snapped, turning to glare at Minato. "How did you do that just now?"
After asking the silly question, Ren realized Minato was currently in the middle of creating the Rasengan and was likely stuck on the final stage: Control.
Inspired by the Tailed Beast Bomb—which requires a precise 2:8 ratio of Yin and Yang chakra and a compression level impossible for humans—Minato had the idea to substitute "compression" with "rotation."
This was different from the three stages Jiraiya would eventually teach Naruto. Minato was essentially starting at the third stage, trying to build a human-sized Tailed Beast Bomb from the ground up.
Ren narrowed his eyes in deep thought. Thanks to his knowledge of "Prince Naruto's" future teachings, he knew the Rasengan was an incredibly versatile "base" for almost any attribute. Naruto eventually created 37 different forms of it.
If Ren mastered the rotation and infused the Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra... he could develop a version that fit his specific combat style:
Dark Rasengan!
It was entirely feasible. But a single Dark Rasengan felt insufficient against the Kage-level opponents he was now facing. That was why he hadn't bothered with it before.
But seeing Minato's failed prototype—the one that exploded—gave him an even bolder, crazier idea.
His physical specs were far superior to a normal ninja like Minato.
He was effectively a Jinchūriki with regenerative abilities even more terrifying than the real thing.
His Fire Style: Chakra Mode acted as a partial Tailed Beast Cloak.
His Cursed Seal form provided speed and durability comparable to a Version 2 transformation.
The Fire Style: Chakra Mode's offensive output wasn't always enough to break top-tier defenses, but what if he stopped trying to use it as a concentrated attack? What if he used it as a permanent transformation state alongside the Cursed Seal?
Aside from not being able to fire Tailed Beast Bombs, Ren was already a walking, talking Man-Made Tailed Beast. And his cloak, like Roshi's Lava Release, had high-temperature burning properties.
If he could master the Dark Rasengan and then figure out how to throw the damn thing... he could effectively pass for a Tailed Beast.
Minato needed to control the form to prevent it from exploding so he could fight safely. But Ren? Ren didn't care about safety. He wanted more firepower, bigger explosions, and wider coverage!
Turning the Rasengan into a literal, exploding Tailed Beast Bomb suited him perfectly. This "incorrect" way of using the jutsu—the prototype that spiraled out of control and gained power through instability—was exactly the inspiration he needed.
He had found his path:
Sage Art: Super Big Ball Dark Tailed Beast Rasengan! (Out-of-Control Edition)
A Man-Made Tailed Beast Bomb.
This jutsu would link everything he had learned into a single, ultimate combat form. A true Man-Made Tailed Beast Mode!
Ren's brain felt like it had been kicked into overdrive. He looked up at Minato, who was standing there awkwardly not knowing whether to talk or stay silent. A mischievous grin spread across Ren's face.
"Minato... can you do that again? That thing you just did..."
Minato's eyes widened in shock. "Ren, the jutsu isn't complete! It has too many flaws. If you want to learn it, wait until I—"
Ren shook his head like a rattle. Rasengan? Who wants to learn that?
"No, no, no. I want to see the one you just used!" Ren's eyes sparkled as he gave Minato a big thumbs-up.
"That... was super cool!"
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