Chapter 23

The next day, during the outdoor class.

"Senju Tsunagi?"

Upon hearing this familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar name from Shiraishi, Ruri furrowed her brow.

"Yes, before yesterday's afternoon experimental class, I ran into him. He seems very interested in defeating you."

Shiraishi observed Ruri's facial expression with interest, eager to see her reaction.

Unfortunately, Shiraishi was disappointed. Ruri merely nodded indifferently. There were too many people who wanted to challenge her, and Tsunagi, a mere lower-level ninja from the Senju clan, was no exception.

However, he is the grandson of the First Hokage, so he should have some skills.

"What is his strength like?"

"Probably a bit weaker than me."

"That is indeed a challenger worth looking forward to."

Ruri, who knew Shiraishi's full strength, slightly lowered Tsunagi's level. Although he couldn't defeat her, he should be able to make her a bit more entertained.

"But I heard from Tsunagi-senpai that his teacher, the jōnin Orochimaru, has just returned to the village. He is said to be a rare genius ninja. You should be careful when the time comes."

"Don't worry. The jōnin who taught me is a highly respected elder within the Uchiha clan, though he has retired. His experience and understanding of ninjutsu are only comparable to the Third Hokage in Konoha. Besides, I have the Sharingan and your scientific training method. With two more years, I can even tangle with a jōnin."

Ruri said confidently.

She was only in the fourth grade, with two more school years before graduation. She had plenty of time to grow.

Senju Tsunagi has good connections and resources, but the treatment she receives within the Uchiha clan is not inferior to his.

The Uchiha clan is not short of powerful jōnin.

"I'm just giving you a slight reminder. I have full confidence in you. After all, who knows what might happen to Tsunagi-senpai in two years. The war has just ended, and going on missions outside the village is still quite dangerous."

Shiraishi wasn't cursing Tsunagi, but the period right after the war might be even more dangerous than the war itself. Even with the care of the Three Sannin, missions outside the village are still quite risky.

"Speaking of which, Tsunagi-senpai is the grandson of the First Hokage. Has he inherited the First Hokage's Wood Release? That is the bloodline power that pacified the Warring States era."

Shiraishi was considering this point.

Hearing this, Ruri said, "That's impossible. According to the records of our Uchiha clan, only the First Hokage awakened Wood Release among the Senju clan."

Shiraishi raised an eyebrow. "That is strange."

"Strange?"

"Yes, Wood Release is a Kekkei Genkai, a bloodline ability that is inherited by the next generation, like the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Hyuga's Byakugan. If Tsunagi-senpai hasn't awakened Wood Release, isn't that strange? After all, he is only one generation away from the source of the Wood Release bloodline, and his bloodline is very close to the First Hokage."

"From what I know, Tsunade jōnin also doesn't use Wood Release."

Shiraishi was even more puzzled.

At first, he didn't think much of it, but upon serious consideration, it was understandable that other members of the Senju clan didn't inherit Wood Release. Shiraishi could view Wood Release as a Kekkei Genkai created by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

In other words, the Wood Release bloodline wouldn't awaken in other members of the Senju clan but would definitely manifest in his direct descendants.

Tsunagi's lack of Wood Release could be explained by his young age and insufficient strength, but Tsunade was already a famous jōnin in the village and one of the best among jōnin.

Such a jōnin didn't awaken Wood Release either.

Could it be that Wood Release isn't a Kekkei Genkai at all? Or does awakening Wood Release require something special?

Shiraishi couldn't figure this out.

"I remember you once said that the First Hokage also used something called Sage Jutsu, right?"

"Yes, I did. I read it in the clan's records by chance. It is said that there exists a special energy called 'natural energy' in nature, which seems to be related to Sage Jutsu. I don't know much more about it."

"Could this be related to Wood Release?"

"Who knows? Many things about the previous generations are hard to verify. After all, I haven't heard of anyone in the Uchiha clan mastering Sage Jutsu. If so, there would definitely be training methods passed down."

Ruri was also interested in Sage Jutsu but didn't know how to obtain its power.

Compared to something intangible and invisible, the Sharingan felt more tangible to her.

It is the source of power for Uchiha clan ninjas.

"What is natural energy like?"

Shiraishi looked up at the sky, puzzled, but his eyes showed a desire to explore.

To understand Sage Jutsu, one must first grasp natural energy, and to grasp natural energy, one must first discover and accept it.

Ruri could see that Shiraishi was also very interested in Sage Jutsu. This was his weakness; once he encountered something unknown, his curiosity would become even stronger than hers.

"I'll bring you the records about Sage Jutsu tomorrow."

"Really? Is that okay? Those records are very precious, right?"

"Precious? Not really. They are just the basics. Just like how many people in the ninja world know about Wood Release, but only the First Hokage could use it. The same goes for Sage Jutsu. Knowing it exists and mastering it are two different things."

The next day, Ruri, as promised, brought some records about Sage Jutsu from the Uchiha clan to Shiraishi.

Anyway, this stuff just gathered dust at her place and was completely useless.

Shiraishi, however, treated it like a treasure.

Even the basic information about Sage Jutsu was very precious to him.

After practicing with Ruri for a while in the evening, Shiraishi couldn't wait to go home and spread out the Sage Jutsu records on his desk under the lamp.

The scroll recording Sage Jutsu was very old, with some dust that couldn't be brushed off, stuck to it.

Shiraishi didn't mind, opened the scroll, and started reading the text.

The scroll roughly stated that based on ordinary chakra, one must absorb natural energy from the environment, fuse it, and form what is called Sage Chakra.

By creating Sage Chakra, one can use Sage Jutsu.

To use Sage Jutsu, one must first enter Sage Mode.

A very brief introduction.

However, the most important part was the so-called natural energy.

Ordinary chakra can be produced by fusing the physical and mental energy of the ninja.

Sage Chakra, on the other hand, adds natural energy to the two types of energy, forming Sage Chakra.

Natural energy exists in the air and the earth.

In other words, natural energy is omnipresent.

To sense natural energy, one must become one with nature.

The record ended here.

There was no information on how to become one with nature, how to receive natural energy, how much to receive, or what ratio of the three energies is needed to balance them.

None of this was recorded.