Seizing the opportunity, Obito activated his Sharingan the moment Minato began forming the Rasengan.
Though only one eye had reached the Three-Tomoe stage, it was still the Three-Tomoe, and its observational abilities were undoubtedly superior to before.
"Amazing!" he exclaimed, astonished by what he saw inside the chakra sphere.
The seemingly stable orb was actually a chaotic vortex of swirling chakra, resembling a miniature typhoon condensed from pure chakra.
If that hit someone...
Hiss!
Too powerful.
"This is just a standard Rasengan," Minato explained. "And I've only developed it to this point. It's an incomplete Ninjutsu. This is the only progress I've made recently."
As he spoke, Minato increased the Chakra infusion.
The small Rasengan, unable to withstand such a massive influx of Chakra despite continuous compression, began to expand and grow larger.
"The power's increased, but the Chakra consumption is much higher, meow!"
Raj raised his right paw.
Soon, a Chakra sphere larger than the cat himself materialized above it.
It was the same state.
"How do you know how to do that too?!"
Obito exclaimed in astonishment.
"Don't be so easily impressed," Kakashi retorted coldly, glancing sideways.
'So what if you have the Sharingan? Even without it, I can see what this is. Show-off.'
"Because it's simple, meow~"
"..."
As expected, this cat's just here to rub salt in the wound.
For once, Obito and Kakashi found themselves in agreement.
"Reaching this stage isn't difficult," Minato continued. "This type of Rasengan simply consumes more Chakra and takes longer to charge. Since my strength lies in speed, I rarely use it."
As he spoke, the Chakra in his palm gradually dissipated.
For Minato, speed and efficiency were paramount.
This Rasengan, which prioritized power at the cost of time and Chakra, was less practical than using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport and finish enemies with a single kunai.
Pointless.
'Yet it's precisely this mindset that left him helpless against the Nine-Tailed Beast...'
"Raj, you mentioned combining Wind Release with the Rasengan. Do you already have an idea?"
Kakashi asked, his attention immediately piqued.
Earlier, Raj had asked him about Lightning Release and suggested he combine it with his swordsmanship to create his own unique technique, which had given Kakashi significant inspiration.
Of course, Raj had soon after mastered Ice Release...
'What a painful memory!'
"Exactly, meow! Wind Release's nature transformation is cutting. So, couldn't we use Wind Release Chakra to reshape the Rasengan into a shuriken form?"
Raj proposed, revealing his "original idea."
Minato had been struggling to combine Wind Release with the Rasengan.
The emergence of the Flying Thunder God Technique had given him a new goal, causing him to temporarily abandon the project.
In essence, he had too many options.
If, like Naruto, his primary offensive techniques were limited to the Rasengan and Taijutsu, he would've been forced to focus on enhancing the Rasengan.
"A shuriken? That's an interesting concept," Minato mused, falling into deep thought.
As a master of both the Rasengan and Wind Release, Minato immediately grasped Raj's suggestion and began brainstorming how to develop this technique.
After walking a short distance, he extended his hand and conjured a Rasengan.
This Rasengan was slightly different - four small "horns" protruded from its edges.
"You finished it?"
Obito's eyes widened.
"It's just a slight variation. The power isn't significantly different, but it's definitely a good direction. Thank you, Raj."
Minato smiled gently.
"Meow~ We should exchange ideas more often."
Raj waved a paw dismissively.
It's all coming out of...
'Your own pocket anyway. How am I supposed to farm Points if I don't fatten you up first? Besides, witnessing the birth of the Rasengan Shuriken might get me a discount in the shop.'
"Today's mission is to help Obito and Kakashi train. Let's put this aside for now."
If he weren't teaching Obito and Kakashi, Minato would have already started researching this.
Though not a Forbidden Technique fanatic, his creation of the Rasengan clearly demonstrated his passion and talent for research.
Obito was deeply moved.
'Even now, Teacher is still thinking of me. He really does care about me after all...'
"Meow?" Raj was confused.
'No wonder he woke up so early. He's taking us out to train? Is it too late to go back to sleep?'
Clearly, it was.
Minato held the cat firmly, showing no intention of letting it go.
Only after they had left the camp did he continue, "Obito, would you prefer to focus on Taijutsu or Ninjutsu?"
"Can't I do both?" Obito asked cautiously.
"Both? Well, it's not impossible. Taijutsu requires a lot of time, but with your Sharingan, you can cut down on the time needed to learn Ninjutsu."
"You've mastered the power to unlock the gates, right? You can use Ninjutsu at first, but once you unlock them to a certain extent, you won't be able to use Ninjutsu anymore, meow," Raj said, raising a paw.
This knowledge came from the System.
Beyond the Third Gate, the body could no longer refine Chakra because the energy within had become too volatile and uncontrollable.
To avoid copyright issues, Raj had cleverly renamed the Eight Gates.
Obito asked blankly, "Gates? You mean the Eight Gates?"
"Eight Gates? What have you been training in? Anything involving the Eight Gates is a Forbidden Technique!" Minato's expression darkened sharply.
The human body's Eight Gates were taboo.
All techniques related to them were Forbidden Techniques.
The Second Hokage had conducted some research on them, but those records had long been sealed away.
'Hmm, I heard Tobirama Senju hadn't become Hokage yet at that time.'
"The Eight Inner Gates... Senior Guy and Senior Duy taught me."
Obito's face paled with fear.
'A Forbidden Technique? Is it really that terrifying? Senior Duy and Senior Guy never mentioned it!'
"The Eight Inner Gates? Senior Duy?" Minato paused, surprised.
He knew Guy, of course - a ninja who had remained a Genin for over twenty years.
But to think he had mastered such a Forbidden Technique involving the Eight Gates...
"Meow~ Our Cat Clan also has a similar technique. Fine, I'll teach Obito myself."
Raj pondered for a moment.
He had been constantly taking advantage of Obito's resources, so it was time to give back.
He had noticed earlier that Obito's eye had already reached the Three-Tomoe stage, so he should learn quickly.
In contrast, Kakashi's training involved both theory and practice - Minato could handle that headache.
"You? No, Teacher!"
Terror flashed in Obito's eyes.
He had thought he'd escaped unscathed today, only to find this waiting for him.
'That damned cat's malice knows no bounds!'
"You know it too, Raj? Tell me honestly, does this technique harm the body?"
"I didn't know it at first, but it might be different up there, meow."
As soon as Raj finished speaking, he instantly activated the Gate of Opening.
"It's actually pretty similar..." Obito's eyes widened in surprise.