The next morning, somewhere deep in the Forest of Death, just outside the village.
Haruki stood beside a small stream.
Water swirled around his fingertips, flowing into the balloon in his hand as if it had a mind of its own. In just a few seconds, it was completely filled.
"Alright, listen up," Haruki said, tossing the water-filled balloon to Minato.
"The Rasengan, in simple terms, is about gathering your chakra in your palm, making it spin chaotically in all directions, and compressing it into a dense sphere of energy with no elemental affinity."
Minato caught the balloon and nodded attentively.
"For the first step," Haruki continued, "you need to make your chakra swirl inside the water balloon in random directions until it bursts."
"Got it, sensei!" Minato responded, gripping the balloon tightly. He took a deep breath, focused, and slowly injected his chakra into it, carefully controlling the flow.
Under the faint morning light, the water inside the balloon suddenly started spinning violently, churning with energy as Minato concentrated.
Haruki nodded in satisfaction as he watched Minato work.
For someone from a civilian background, Minato's natural talent was undeniable. In fact, he was easily one of the most gifted shinobi in the entire series.
Compared to Naruto, who needed multiple tries, Minato could grasp the concept after just one explanation.
Haruki estimated that Minato would breeze through this stage in no time.
As he kept an eye on Minato's training, his mind wandered to his next steps.
Right now, his main role was teaching.
As a medical ninja, he was rarely assigned high-risk missions. Most of his work revolved around treating injured shinobi and handling logistics. Honestly, compared to that, being an academy teacher was far more engaging.
There was a certain satisfaction in shaping young minds, guiding them, and most importantly, ensuring they didn't get brainwashed by Hiruzen's twisted version of the Will of Fire.
But, of course, Haruki wasn't going to settle for just this.
Education was a long-term game.
He couldn't change an entire generation overnight. It would take at least a decade to see real results.
And even then, no matter how flawless the system was, there would always be a few who slipped through the cracks.
Haruki's thoughts drifted to Orochimaru.
His next steps depended entirely on the progress of Orochimaru's research.
Three years ago, after their first meeting, Haruki had subtly introduced bits of biological knowledge into their conversations, just enough to spark Orochimaru's curiosity.
That curiosity quickly turned into obsession.
After a few friendly discussions, they had reached an agreement.
Haruki would provide funds, knowledge, and research ideas, while Orochimaru would work for him.
Of course, Orochimaru had no idea that topics like immortality, curse seals, and cloning, concepts Haruki had casually dropped, were all things he himself had created.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru was undeniably a genius, but his research methods were far from ideal.
With Haruki's guidance, however, his focus had shifted toward something far more fundamental, the true nature of chakra.
Haruki had once told Orochimaru that, in theory, mastering every ninjutsu was impossible.
However, if one could fully grasp the essence of chakra, its formation, composition, the reasons behind its changing properties, and the fundamental differences between spiritual and physical energy, then understanding every jutsu at its core would become attainable. With such knowledge, one could master any technique and even unravel the mysteries of Kekkei Genkai.
This perspective had been a game changer.
For the first time, Orochimaru saw ninjutsu not just as techniques to be learned but as a science to be unraveled. From that moment on, he had fully immersed himself in research, diving headfirst into the mysteries of chakra with an unprecedented level of enthusiasm.
'I wonder how the research on the Caged Bird Seal is coming along?' Haruki hadn't checked in with him for a while, so he wasn't sure about his progress.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy breathing. He turned his head to see Minato sitting on the ground, panting and drenched in sweat.
"Come on, Minato, you can do better than this."
"Sensei, I… I can't go on anymore…" Minato gasped, looking exhausted.
Even if he was more talented than Naruto, he didn't have the luxury of Uzumaki's near-limitless chakra reserves.
Plus, he was still just a kid. His stamina had its limits.
Haruki smirked and tossed a small paper box toward him. "A man shouldn't say 'I can't.' Here, take this."
At the same time, he formed a one-handed seal. A soft, green glow of healing chakra spread over Minato, washing away his fatigue almost instantly.
Minato caught the box and opened it. "Three Colored Pills?" He recognized them immediately.
Without hesitation, he popped one into his mouth, and a fresh surge of chakra filled his body.
Haruki watched as Minato's learning spirit reignited, then shifted his focus back to the Caged Bird Seal.
He had asked Orochimaru to study the seal, not to remove it, but to modify it.
The original purpose of the seal was to prevent the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands. But over time, it had turned into something far worse, a tool for the Hyuga main family to keep the branch family under absolute control.
What Haruki wanted Orochimaru to change was the control mechanism. Instead of being at the mercy of others, the wearer of the seal would be able to control it themselves.
No matter how peaceful things seemed on the surface, as long as one person held the power of life and death over another, there could never be true unity.
The reason Haruki put so much thought into this was simple. He was deeply interested in the potential of the Byakugan.
While evolving it into the Tenseigan was practically impossible, he still believed the Byakugan was more strategically valuable than the Sharingan.
Its support abilities were ridiculously strong. On the battlefield, in medical treatment, even in intelligence gathering, the Byakugan outclassed the Sharingan in utility.
Ever since Haruki set his sights on reshaping the rotten leaf, the Byakugan had been a key part of his plans.
Beyond just reconnaissance, he had two major ideas for its use.
First, forming a specialized long-range combat unit. The Byakugan's vision was far superior to any standard scouting method. It was practically an upgraded eightfold mirror. With proper training, a unit like this could change the entire structure of warfare.
Second, integrating it into medical treatment.
With the Byakugan functioning as a built-in X-ray, medical ninjas could diagnose and treat injuries with unmatched precision.
As for the Hyuga Clan's signature Gentle Fist style, it was great for close combat, but let's be real. By the later parts of the series, the power scale had gone absolutely insane.
Susanoo, Jinchuriki transformations, Edo Tensei, and a freaking army of 100,000 White Zetsu... What was Gentle Fist supposed to do against that?
While thinking about all this, Haruki continued keeping an eye on Minato, occasionally giving him a chakra boost whenever he looked too exhausted.
Minato's mouth twitched speechlessly.
His body wasn't tired anymore, and his chakra had been replenished, but mentally, He was done.
Haruki noticed him spacing out and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Minato?"
"No… nothing," Minato quickly replied, though deep down, he was starting to wonder if his sensei had some personal grudge against him.
'No, that's just my imagination… He's doing this for my own good…'
Trying to convince himself, Minato took a deep breath and got back to training.
And so, the cycle continued.
By the time evening rolled around, Minato was so dizzy he could barely think straight.
"S-Sensei, I DID IT! I finally did it!"
Minato's voice rang out in excitement… only for him to immediately slump over in exhaustion. His spirit was drained beyond belief.
Haruki chuckled. "That's enough for today. Go home and get some rest."
Minato, looking like a ghost of his former self, weakly nodded. "Thank you, Sensei…"
Just as he was about to leave, Haruki suddenly clapped a hand on his forehead and smiled. "Oh, right. There's something I need to tell you. You should mentally prepare yourself."
Minato froze. A terrible feeling crept up his spine.
"S-Sensei… what are you talking about?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Haruki sighed. "Well… the core principle of medical ninjutsu is accelerating cell division to heal injuries. But, you see, excessive cell division shortens lifespan."
Minato stood there, stunned. "So… all those times you used medical ninjutsu on me today…?"
Haruki nodded, still smiling.
Minato didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or just drop dead on the spot.
'So… I was right? But… what did I ever do to my sensei?' Minato thought, panicked.
Before his paranoia could spiral further, Haruki's voice snapped him back to his senses.
"But how could I do such a thing?"
"Huh?" Minato blinked in confusion, then immediately felt ashamed for doubting his teacher.
'Haruki-sensei would never do anything to harm his students…'
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Haruki continued, completely shattering that moment of peace.
"So instead, I just used a little trick to confuse your body and delay the feeling of fatigue. If you experience any side effects when you wake up tomorrow, don't worry. It's perfectly normal."
Minato stood there, stunned once again. By the time he snapped out of it, Haruki was already gone.
Minato stood frozen for a long moment before sighing. 'Well… it shouldn't be anything serious, right?'
With that final thought, he went to bed.
And the next morning, he nearly crossed over to the Pure Land.
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