Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Shin had made significant progress, mastering the [Adamantine Sealing Chains].
Thanks to the Shadow Clone Jutsu, he could create over a dozen clones to study simultaneously. Even without a teacher, he managed to learn the Jutsu on his own.
"Haa! [Rasengan]!"
Shin focused on the large tree before him, a rapidly spinning sphere of Chakra forming in his hand. He thrust his hand forward, smashing the Rasengan into the tree trunk.
BOOM!
Wood splintered and flew as the massive tree, one that would take two people to encircle, was pierced straight through, leaving a gaping hole with spiral patterns etched into its edges – a testament to the rotating Chakra's power.
"If that hit a person, it would go right through them, no problem."
Shin was more than satisfied with the Rasengan's destructive power. A-rank Jutsu were no joke.
He had developed the Rasengan himself. Understanding the principles behind it, recreating it wasn't that difficult.
This was the culmination of his half-month's training. Not only had he mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains, but he'd also developed the Rasengan.
"That tree must have been decades old, and you just punched a hole through it," Kushina said, staring at the poor tree.
"Hey, Kushina, do you still want to learn the Rasengan or what?"
"Of course I do! Teach me, teach me!" Kushina jumped up, grabbing Shin's arm excitedly.
"Ouch, my shoulders are kinda sore."
Shin sat down, looking expectantly at Kushina.
Kushina knew what he wanted. With a reluctant sigh, she walked over and started massaging his shoulders.
"Not bad, but a little more pressure would be perfect," Shin said, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
Kushina gritted her teeth, but for the sake of learning the Rasengan, she endured.
"It's getting late, almost lunchtime. Let's head back. I'll teach you in the afternoon."
Shin glanced at the sun high in the sky.
Kushina, though eager to learn the Rasengan, knew that food came first.
After lunch, Shin began teaching Kushina the Jutsu. Half a day wasn't enough to master it, though.
"You can already burst a water balloon. That's the second stage completed. You'll have the Rasengan down in no time."
As the sky darkened, Shin told Kushina to stop for the day and continue tomorrow.
The Rasengan had four stages. The first was simple: gathering Chakra in your palm.
The second stage involved stable and continuous Chakra release. This was practiced by placing a water balloon in your hand and releasing Chakra to make the water inside move erratically until the balloon exploded.
The third stage used a rubber ball. The goal was to maintain Chakra release, solidifying the Chakra until it could burst the ball.
At the third stage, the Rasengan could already cause damage, but its power was limited.
The final stage combined everything learned previously. High-density Chakra was gathered in the hand, released continuously, maintained, and finally completing the Jutsu.
After dinner, Kushina went to bed. Shin returned to his room.
"I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this." Shin looked out the window. The sky was unusually dark, not a moon or star in sight.
"Can't sleep. Might as well refine some Chakra."
Time passed. It was past one in the morning when Shin finally stopped. He was feeling sleepy. Just as he was about to lie down, a loud noise jolted him awake.
He rushed to the window. In the direction of the Uzumaki Clan grounds, flames lit up the night sky.
"Could it be...?"
His drowsiness vanished. He ran to Kushina's room.
"Kushina, wake up!"
"Shin, what's going on? I was sleeping so soundly. Why did you wake me up?" Kushina grumbled, her eyes barely open.
"Wake up, something's wrong!"
Shin flicked Kushina's forehead to bring her to her senses. This was no time for jokes.
If his hunch was right, the disaster had struck the Land of Whirlpools. There was nothing he could do to stop it, but he could protect himself and Kushina.
"What's wrong?" Kushina asked, seeing the seriousness in Shin's eyes.
Shin pointed towards the window. Kushina followed his gaze and saw the fire raging in the distance.
"Whoa, the clan grounds are on fire!"
"It's more than just a fire. We're under attack. Listen to that! Those explosions are from Explosive Tags."
"Who would dare attack the Uzumaki Clan?"
"Now's not the time to discuss that. Come on!"
Shin urged Kushina to get dressed, pack their essentials, and prepare to leave.
Even though they were far from the clan grounds, there was no guarantee of safety.
"Captain, this is the outer perimeter of the Uzumaki Clan grounds, right? Why is there a house here?"
Just as they stepped out, Shin saw several figures in ninja attire, their faces hidden behind masks. His heart sank.
Kushina gripped his arm, fear creeping into her eyes.
"Well, well, look what we have here. A couple of stragglers. And just kids, too."
A ninja wearing a tanuki mask leered at them.
"Talk about bad luck."
They were so far out, yet they still ran into enemies.
The five ninjas were equally surprised. They had been tasked with sealing off the Uzumaki Clan grounds, preventing anyone from escaping. They hadn't expected to find two children out here.
Judging by their red hair, they were definitely Uzumaki. And if they were Uzumaki, they had to be eliminated.
"Enough chatter. Kill them."
The leader of the squad ordered.
The squad consisted of one Jonin and four elite Chunin.
Seeing them move to attack, Shin swiftly pulled three Shuriken from his pouch and flung them at the Jonin leader.
While the Jonin was dodging, Shin made his move. He appeared before one of the Chunin in a flash, leaping up and delivering a powerful blow to the ninja's neck.
His speed was such that the Chunin didn't even have time to react. The blow snapped his neck.
Blood gurgled from the Chunin's mouth. Within a second, he was dead.
The entire encounter took less than two seconds. After taking down the Chunin, Shin retreated to Kushina's side.
"Run!"
He scooped Kushina into his arms and fled towards the forest.
"Damn it! After them!"
The Jonin leader roared in fury. To have one of his men killed by a five-year-old brat, right under his nose, was a disgrace.
The other three Chunin snapped out of their shock. Shin's ruthless efficiency had stunned them.
A five-year-old, killing an elite Chunin? Even in the brutal Warring States Period, such a thing was unheard of.
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