Chapter 4- Rasengan! The Intense Training!
Kohaku came back with a two packed bags of balloons. Kohaku walked in the setting sun as the breeze was picking up while Haruko behind him with two bowls of hot rice and BBQ pork. Nobuki looked hungrily at the bowl of steamy food. Kohaku walked over to Nobuki and handed him the bags.
"No food until you master the first stage of the Rasengan: rotation," Kohaku said grabbing a bowl of food from Haruko. Kohaku sat down and started eating. Nobuki looked at him with the most evil eye ever and grabbed a balloon out the bag.
"First, fill it with water," Kohaku said pointing to the waterfall. Nobuki walked over to the waterfall and filled it and tied it. Nobuki walked back over to Kohaku.
"Now, gather chakra into the balloon and make it spin until you pop it," Kohaku said eating the last chopstick full of food. Nobuki's stomach grumbled and he started with the technique. Nobuki put the water balloon in his right hand and held his wrist with the left. Nobuki started to gather chakra in his hand and started to rotate it. The balloon moved a little, but still didn't move enough. Nobuki tried again and again, but the balloon wouldn't budge.
"Dude, make it more intense," Kohaku said goading Nobuki with his bowl of food. Kohaku took his bowl of food from Haruko and started to get his chopsticks. Nobuki rushed to finish this stage of the Rasengan. Nobuki quickly gathered chakra in his hand. Slowly starting off he spun his chakra. Then picked up the pace moving it a little faster. The balloon shook and then the water sloshed around until the chakra moving fast enough for the rotation to work. The balloon was shaking and the water was jumping around.
"Keep it up until it pops," Kohaku reminded him. Nobuki kept the pace up and it shook more violently. The water was in the balloon revolved and the balloon started to stretch and then with the speed up the balloon popped open. The water flowed over the rubber into his hand and a ball of blue chakra was spinning in one direction.
Kohaku looked at Nobuki's half-finished Rasengan. Kohaku shook his head in disappointment. Nobuki's mouth dropped open in shock. Wasn't the whole point of this training was to pop the balloon?
"Your Rasengan wouldn't be a Rasengan. You need to spin it in several directions to achieve perfect rotation," Kohaku said. Kohaku made a spinning ball of chakra and the chakra was spinning in all directions and Nobuki watched it spin.
"Okay, but don't touch my food or else I'm gonna beat you up this time," Nobuki said. Nobuki grabbed a balloon and ran to the waterfall and filled it with water and tied it. Nobuki stayed at the waterfall and started again placing it in his right hand. Nobuki held his right wrist with his left hand again.
The sun was going down and a violet sky signaled the nocturnal animals to come out and play. Owls started to fly around and the moon in the sky took control of the sky relinquishing the hold the sun had in the sky. The stars floated in the night time sky. Nobuki stood in training grounds alone with Kohaku and Haruko who watched him silently.
Nobuki started the process. He spun his chakra in the balloon in one direction at first with top speed and then he tried adding more chakra to it to make it spin in another direction. As he did that the original spinning motion stopped. Nobuki yelled in frustration and almost threw the balloon on the ground. Nobuki breathed in and kept on holding his right wrist.
"Chakra control," Kohaku simply said.
"What?" Nobuki replied.
"This technique is all about chakra control. Keep trying you'll find a way," Kohaku said encouraging him. Nobuki tried again and the one way chakra spin started. Nobuki used the chakra in the balloon to change directions. Then, Nobuki made the chakra move in a different direction keeping the original direction. Nobuki nodded and the balloon shook more, but remembered chakra control.
"So you mean to tell me that the speed of the Rasengan doesn't matter," Nobuki said.
"No the speed means a lot, but only if you can control it," Kohaku replied. Nobuki listened and Nobuki speeded up his chakra and then he got the chakra to move in another direction. Then he slowed it down a little to see how it felt to hold that chakra. Then again he speeded it up merging that process with the adding another direction of chakra movement. He slowed it down to see how that felt. Finally after repeating all those steps he finally got rotation down. Then he spun it up and the ball had speed with it. The water jumped around popping up and down until the water finally busted out. The rubber flew to the ground and the water scattered.
"That's it! Good job now eat and go home," Kohaku ordered him. Haruko clapped and hugged Nobuki. Nobuki hugged her back and she quickly let go smiling. A friendly hug couldn't hurt. Nobuki quickly grabbed some chopsticks and started to eat. The food wasn't hot, but very warm and Nobuki enjoyed every bite. Kohaku and Haruko started to walk away while Nobuki grabbed another balloon. Kohaku noticed that and stopped making Haruko turn around too.
"What are you doing the rotation training again for?" Kohaku asked with an agreeing nod by Haruko.
"I did it once, but I need to master and perfect the rotation. I need to learn how to make the whole orb at one time," Nobuki explained heading to the waterfall. Haruko opened her mouth to protest, but Kohaku stopped her.
"He won't stop until he does it. He has dedication," Kohaku observed. His hand was stopping her from running on to catch him. Accidentally his hand was against her chest. Kohaku noticed and quickly removed it. Haruko smiled evilly cracking her knuckles.
"You pervert!" Haruko shouted punching Kohaku into the sky into town. Haruko jumped after him and Nobuki laughed as it was funny as he was on the opposite side of the punch. Nobuki filled the balloon with water from the waterfall and Nobuki tied it.
Nobuki started the technique. Nobuki tried to do the full rotation, but it was a little bit complicated. Then he tried it halfway and it worked. Nobuki smiled and did the other half and stopped keeping the balloon intact.
"I wonder how to get the rotation at one time," Nobuki thought out loud. Nobuki tried again and it happened the same way. Nobuki's smile started to fade and was replaced with a big frown.
The sun was now completely down and Nobuki stood with only the rushing waterfall as noise to interrupt him. Nobuki appeared to be alone, but you could never know since the world had ninjas. Nobuki kept on with the technique and finally he figured something out.
"Why don't I make the two halves at one time?!" Nobuki announced and put words to actions. Nobuki gathered the chakra in his hand and then at one time he made the rotation perfectly. Nobuki shouted and rejoiced as the balloon busted open. Someone started to clap forcing Nobuki to make the hand signs: Ram, Tiger, Rat, and Horse.
"Storm Style: Tower of Light," Nobuki said making a diamond with his hand. A light left his hand and stood up making a little tower. Nobuki saw the Hokage walk out of the shadows into the light.
"Good job. You mastered rotation in about 7 hours. It took me two whole months," the Hokage said finally grinning. Nobuki shook his hand making a little water fly through the air. The Hokage looked at Nobuki and smiled.
"What?" Nobuki finally asked.
"I just never thought Kohaku would pass on the Rasengan at such a young age," the Hokage explained.
"What do you mean?" Nobuki asked.
"The Rasengan is a technique passed on from teacher to student. Kohaku seems to think passing it on to you is the right choice. If my student thinks you're the right choice. I'll trust you," the Hokage said turning around and disappeared ominously. Nobuki shrugged and released the technique. Nobuki picked up the two bags of balloon in one hand and made the Ram sign with the bag in his hand and Nobuki vanished from the training grounds.