A Gathering; The Secret of Wood Release

Kakashi, Asuma, Might Guy, and Hotaru Hyuga are all ninjas of the same rank. Sakura finds it quite amusing to watch them gang up on their junior, Yamato.

These renowned Elite Jonin are also human beings with emotions and desires in private. They have their own social circles and relationships. Although they can't post on Weibo or WeChat Moments, they often get together for meals and drinks from time to time.

The circle of Jonin is very large.

Konoha only has tens of thousands of ninjas, and even among the Jonin, there are only a few hundred out of a hundred. The exact number is top secret, but Sakura Haruno can roughly guess that there aren't many.

So, they basically all know each other, or at least have met before, nodding to each other when they meet on the street.

Those who have worked on missions together can be considered friends—missions requiring multiple Jonin complete are usually not easy, and mutual reliance and assistance are essential for building a bond.

Especially after going through life and death together, the bond forged in the crucible can instantly transform two people who once disliked each other into brothers who can entrust their backs to each other.

The Will of Fire is no empty phrase!

The bonds forged on the battlefield, the camaraderie forged in the face of life and death—these are genuine emotions that can withstand any test!

The harsher the external environment, especially war, the stronger the internal cohesion becomes; this is why, in just a few decades, a loose alliance of several families, after several world wars, quickly solidified into an indestructible ninja village entity.

Except for the Uchiha...

Therefore, when the Third shouted political slogans like "Will of Fire," no one felt strangely embarrassed, because it was indeed a feeling that everyone had; the ninja village was essentially very similar to a united large military camp.

The Jonin circle can be further subdivided into Anbu circles, squad circles, Elite Jonin circles, and team- Jonin circles, etc.

The people who came with Kakashi were the Elite Jonin who were relatively familiar with him, including Hotaru Hyuga and Yamato. The Anbu to which these people belonged were all elite teams ranked in the top twenty. Sakura Haruno, but her situation was a bit special.

Hotaru Hyuga has a stronger presence; she's a high-ranking member of the Anbu, second in her squad's ranking, and considered a big shot within the Anbu. The most senior member is Sakura Haruno, and logically, she should be the one being verbally harassed today, but...

After watching today's battle.

Yes, everyone tacitly shifted their focus to Yamato.

Let us offer our silent condolences on behalf of our junior Yamato.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became much more lively.

"A toast to Yamato! Please take care of me in the future!" Sakura smiled and clinked glasses with the square-faced youth.

The custom here is that one can only drink alcohol after reaching adulthood, but... as long as no one else does, the hotel owner can't control these ninjas.

"No, no, no, it should be a promising newcomer like you looking after us." Yamato was already a little drunk, his face slightly flushed, and he said with a smile, "Sakura, who knows, you might become the head of a Kekkei Genkai clan someday!"

Sakura chuckled twice. "Let's leave this to Yuki Haku!"

She downed the sake in her cup in one gulp, and following up on the topic, asked the question that had been lingering in her mind, "As for Kekkei Genkai... did Yamato- senpai's Wood Release Kekkei Genkai also originate from his own creation?"

Kakashi and Might Guy, who were still engaged in a drinking contest nearby, and Asuma and Hotaru Hyuga Yamato interest upon hearing the question. Yamato downed his drink in one gulp, swirled his glass to indicate he had finished, and replied, "No, I don't have that ability! Anyone who can simultaneously perform two Nature Transformation and combine them into one is a genius! If it were that simple, the whole world would be filled with Kekkei Genkai clans. As for me..."

Sakura quickly refilled his wine cup, gazing at him expectantly.

The square-faced youth took another sip, the alcohol rising in his throat, and let out a loud burp filled with the smell of alcohol. He continued, "My Kekkei Genkai ability comes from the First Hokage! No, no, you misunderstand, I'm not a member of the Senju Clan."

"Hmm... alright, I'll just say it once. This was originally a secret, but there's really no point in keeping it a secret." Sensing the expectation in those bright, light green eyes, Yamato, emboldened by the alcohol, said, "It all started when I was a baby."

The story goes like this.

Yamato was kidnapped by Orochimaru when he was young and became a test subject for human experimentation, where he was implanted with Hashirama's cells.

Sixty children were implanted with Hashirama Cells at the same time, but only he survived the invasion of the Hashirama Cells thanks to his strong will to live. In the end, he became the Yamato we know today.

After hearing Yamato's story, Sakura felt quite saddened.

No wonder human experimentation is so notorious in Konoha. Orochimaru's actions are utterly blatant disregard for human life, and no one can tolerate him!

"This is the origin of my Wood Release," Yamato said calmly. His emotions were no longer stirred by such old events; he was concerned with more practical matters. "However, unfortunately, despite suffering so much, the Wood Release I can use is still far from the power described in the Lord First."

"I find it rather strange too. Sakura, as someone capable of creating one's own Kekkei Genkai, what are your thoughts on this?"

Emboldened by the slight intoxication, Yamato shamelessly asked a question.

If Kakashi and Sasuke asked this kind of question, it would be normal conversation; however, this is his first meeting with Sakura, and if Sakura happens to be the kind of ninja who values the secrets of Ninjutsu, then he'll probably get a rather unexpected response to this question.

Sakura Haruno smiled faintly.

Sakura would never hesitate to offer even the smallest bit of guidance, as long as it was something she understood; coincidentally, she was also very interested in the differences between Yamato's and the First's Wood Release techniques.

"Well, Wood Release is the result of simultaneously performing Earth Release and Water Release Nature Transformation..." Sakura said, "Captain Yamato, may I ask you to demonstrate Wood Release?"

Yamato nodded, spread his hands, used Earth Release: Nature Transformation with one hand and Water Release: Nature Transformation with the other, and then clasped his hands together!

The wooden chopstick in front of him twisted slightly, then quickly thickened and lengthened, roots sprouting from one end and branches and leaves from the other. In just a few seconds, it transformed into a tree!

"That's the Nature Transformation of Wood Release," Yamato said with a smug smile.

"No matter how many times I watch it, it's still amazing!" Kakashi exclaimed, as everyone watched Yamato's performance intently.

"Hehe, not at all, I'm still far from being as good as the Lord First." Yamato a smug look on his face.

"It's essentially the same as my Ice Release. It's also a mixture of two attributes." Sakura pursed her lips and pondered for a moment. "The Lord First must have incorporated the Nature Transformation of Yang Release!"

Her previous thoughts on the relationship between Yin-Yang Release and Wood Release were just speculation, but after seeing Yamato's Wood Release, she is now basically certain of it.

Yamato's Wood Release is about the same strength as her Ice Release; the First's Wood Release only became this powerful after the addition of Yang Release Nature Transformation!

Oh, right, we should probably also include Sage Mode.

"Yang Release Nature Transformation?" Yamato frowned, clearly hearing this technique for the first time.

"Yes," Sakura nodded, "The combination of two attributes is called Kekkei Genkai, and the combination of three attributes is called Kekkei Tōta, which is a power even stronger than Kekkei Genkai! However, because Kekkei Tōta is very rare, these special cases are usually referred to as Kekkei Genkai..."

"Based on the information my master gave me, as well as notes I found elsewhere, I can basically conclude that the First's Wood Release was actually a Kekkei Tota, a fusion of Earth, Water, and Yang Release Kekkei Tōta, rather than Kekkei Genkai synthesized from Earth and Water!"

The people present all frowned, lowered their heads, and pondered silently.

"As for Yang Release," Yamato stroked his stubble-covered chin, "I've also mastered the Nature Transformation of Yang Release! Why is it still not working?"

He used Wood Release again, then activated Yang Release's Nature Transformation; however, the power of Wood Release did not increase significantly.

"The same Wood Release, the First Hokage's is at least five times more powerful than mine," he said, looking at the wooden block extending from his palm.

Sakura Haruno shook her head.

"Simply mastering Yang Release and using it in sequence is not enough. Listen carefully, Yamato- senpai," she said seriously, "You must simultaneously use all three Nature Transformation, fusing the three Chakra into one!"

She paused for a moment, then slowly said, "It's like if you first use Earth Release and then Water Release, the two combined won't form Wood Release. The key is to perform Nature Transformation simultaneously! That's the difficulty of Kekkei Genkai; they require you to do two things at the same time. Kekkei Tōta, on the other hand, requires you to do three things at the same time!"

This was the first time she had shared her thoughts with anyone other than Tsunade.

These are just some of the conjectures she's recently started considering.

When organizing her thoughts, she had to be very careful and slow with each sentence, as it came out only after careful consideration. So after finishing these words, she felt that she had also benefited greatly; what was originally just a vague idea in her mind became clearer and clearer the more she spoke.

At that moment, Kakashi looked up and abruptly interjected, "Your past life was like trying to draw a circle with your left hand while simultaneously drawing a square with your right, wasn't it!"

He dipped his finger in water and tried drawing a square and a circle on the table. The resulting square and circle were crooked and completely unrecognizable from their original form.

"For an ordinary person, it's impossible to do both things at the same time. And Kekkei Genkai requires drawing a circle and a square with extreme precision! In fact, it's already very difficult for an average ninja to master even one of these Release Techniques to a very high level."

Yamato hesitated for a moment, his hands flashing with Chakra, trying to experiment with whether he could fuse Wood Release and Yang Release together. After trying for a while, he slumped back in his chair and sighed, "Still no good! Multitasking is difficult enough, multitasking is simply unimaginable!"

Seeing Hotaru Hyuga's disappointed expression, Yamato chuckled, then ignored him and turned to ask curiously, "Sakura, how did you master Ice Release back then?"

Kakashi chuckled, "She mastered Ice Release in just seven seconds back then! That was during the mission in the Land of Waves..."

Although only a year and a half has passed since that incident, Sakura always feels that it's all ancient history.

Back when she was a naive newbie, Zabuza's strength was as unfathomable as an abyss; but now, against Zabuza, who is about the same level as Kakashi, she can basically guarantee a victory!

Zabuza's Water Release are basically completely countered by her. As for swordsmanship, she no longer cares about it.

What she considered an abyss, when she looked back after she had grown up, was nothing more than a ditch...

Let's return to the topic of Ice Release.

Her ability to master Ice Release so quickly back then was partly due to her years of understanding Water Release, but also partly due to her unique mental structure...

This involves the secret of her being a time traveler.

(Third update delivered, guaranteed update! I'll try my best to write a fourth update!)

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