Lightning Style: Vanishing Rasengan

"As expected of Orochimaru, it only took him three days to break through the final layer of theory."

Xu Ming looked at the system's feedback and couldn't help but sigh.

Orochimaru must have fully grasped the last stage of Rasengan, mastering this "seal-less Ninjutsu completely. Only then would he have received tenfold feedback from the system.

The greatest advantage of the Rasengan lies in its lack of hand seals.

In close combat, he could simply spread his hands and form the sphere.

The opponent would immediately be caught off guard.

…

Xu Ming, however, remained unaware.

At that moment, Orochimaru was also sighing in admiration at home.

"As expected of Xu Ming… He actually imagined such a powerful technique."

"Is the gap between us really this vast?"

"Heh… But I won't admit defeat."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with determination.

He had always been fascinated by studying and mastering powerful techniques. Yet, this passion had never quite aligned with the conventional path of a ninja.

Ninjas were meant to seek strength, not just knowledge.

For a time, Orochimaru had felt isolated, as though his obsession made him an outcast. He had carefully concealed this part of himself.

But now, he had found someone similar to him.

This realization filled Orochimaru with excitement.

"Xu Ming… You must have noticed my true nature and decided to test me." He murmured to himself, a rare excitement shining in his golden eyes.

"Then I have no choice but to push myself even further."

Though the process seemed unconventional, the outcome was undeniable.

If Xu Ming knew what was going on in Orochimaru's mind, he would have been surprised—but ultimately, he would have accepted it.

After all, as the saying goes: it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

As long as Orochimaru continued honing his abilities, that was all that mattered.

Early Morning, Konoha's Public Training Ground

Xu Ming stood in the empty training ground.

Raising one hand, he gathered and compressed chakra in his palm, forming a luminous, crystal-like sphere. Within it, violent currents churned like a miniature galaxy.

Zzzt!

Electric arcs crackled to life around the sphere.

Under Xu Ming's control, a refined stream of lightning chakra surged into the Rasengan, compressing it further.

The brilliant blue sphere deepened into a dark azure hue, crackling with electricity—like a thunderstorm frozen in the palm of his hand.

"Lightning Style: Vanishing Rasengan."

Xu Ming exhaled softly, staring at the modified Rasengan.

This was the evolved form of the Rasengan from Boruto's era—a technique Uzumaki Boruto had instinctively developed by infusing Lightning Release while forming the sphere.

True to its name, this Rasengan had a unique effect.

The moment it was launched, it would suddenly disappear.

Then, as if teleporting, it would instantly reappear upon impact with the enemy.

Its trajectory was completely erased, making it almost impossible to dodge or defend against.

"Go!"

Xu Ming hurled the Vanishing Rasengan at a wooden training post thirty meters away.

Whoosh!

The instant it left his hand, the sphere vanished, leaving behind only a rippling distortion in the air.

A heartbeat later—

A violent burst of lightning erupted on the wooden post.

Dozens of electric arcs tore into the target in an instant, resembling a thunderstorm striking the earth.

BOOM!

The wooden post lasted less than half a second before exploding.

Flames illuminated the training ground as two-thirds of the post were reduced to scorched splinters. The once-thick pillar was now as thin as an arm, smoldering and crackling as embers danced in the air.

"Not bad," Xu Ming muttered with a satisfied nod.

A single Vanishing Rasengan was enough to obliterate a wooden stake—exactly as expected.

This was an S-rank ninjutsu, refined to its ultimate form with nature transformation added. Its level of power was only natural.

Of course, a technique's difficulty didn't always determine its destructive force, but in general, the harder a technique was to master, the more formidable it became.

The real strength of Vanishing Rasengan wasn't just its power—it was its speed.

By infusing Lightning Release, the Rasengan accelerated to near-sonic speeds, vanishing from sight and striking before an opponent's nerves could even react.

This technique surpassed human reflexes.

Unless an enemy could predict its movement in advance, dodging it was impossible.

"With this technique, even a Jōnin could be taken out in seconds."

"As for Kage-level opponents… They're a different story. Those old veterans have survived countless battles. Their instincts and awareness are on another level."

"But at the very least, it'll keep them on edge."

Xu Ming smirked, exhaling in satisfaction.

With this technique, he felt a newfound sense of security in the dangerous world of ninjas.

"That said… Orochimaru still isn't pushing himself hard enough." Xu Ming sighed. "If he were advancing at full speed, I would have already reached the peak."

"Looks like I need to push him even further."

"Now that Rasengan is complete, what should I teach Orochimaru next?"

Xu Ming fell into deep thought.

A Few Days Later…

Orochimaru finally learned the name of the technique from Xu Ming—Rasengan.

He had no objections.

Instead, he simply returned to his usual quiet demeanor.

However, behind the scenes, he pushed himself harder than ever.

The gap between him and Xu Ming was undeniable, and it only fueled his determination.

During Class Break…

"Orochimaru, take a break. You've been pushing yourself too hard lately."

Jiraiya approached Orochimaru with a worried look.

For the past two weeks, Orochimaru had been training tirelessly—day and night, barely stopping to eat or sleep. His already pale complexion had grown even more ghostly.

Outside of class, he was nowhere to be found.

Jiraiya simply couldn't understand it.

How could someone be so obsessed with something as tedious as researching techniques?

If it were him, he'd have lost patience within half a day.

"Yeah, you should pace yourself," Tsunade added as she walked over. "The teacher is free tonight and invited us over for dinner. Come with us, Orochimaru."

Hearing his friends' concerns, Orochimaru realized just how immersed he had been in his training.

After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"Alright."