Wood Release Ninjutsu, Dai's Ninja Way

"..."

The room fell into a deathly silence. If one listened closely, they could faintly hear the breathing of the two men.

For the first time, Tobirama Senju's expression shifted. His eyes narrowed, staring intently at Uchiha Ao's somewhat tense demeanor.

Wood Release wasn't exactly his self-created Forbidden Jutsu, nor could it even be considered a useful Ninjutsu, because in the current world, besides his Eldest Brother, no one else could cultivate it.

But why did this kid want it? And he wanted the whole set!

Was he going to a Dancer's shop for massage services?

And he even ordered it!

Could it be that this kid was asking for it on behalf of the Uchiha Clan? No, those lunatics in the Uchiha Clan always looked down on other Ninjutsu. Besides, given his Eldest Brother's personality during his lifetime, he had revealed plenty of Ninjutsu in front of Madara.

If they wanted to understand it, they would have copied it with their Sharingan long ago, recorded it in their clan registry, and passed it down.

He'd test the waters first.

"What do you want Wood Release for? I believe you're well aware that even within the Senju Clan, only one in ten thousand can cultivate Wood Release, a special Bloodline."

"This subordinate knows."

Uchiha Ao had already prepared his response in his mind. At the opportune moment, he put on an expression of longing.

"According to the Clan History, I heard that Lord Hashirama was the first person to defeat the strongest among our clan, Uchiha Madara, in a one-on-one battle. Therefore, I greatly wish to admire the Ninjutsu that Lord Hashirama once used, to see if I can gain some inspiration."

"Inspiration?"

Tobirama Senju scoffed. "I've never heard of anyone gaining inspiration just by looking at Ninjutsu. You're not learning the Lightning Release Armor, which would be most useful to you, but Wood Release, kid..."

As he spoke, his gaze turned cold, and his aura suddenly erupted.

"Do you really think I'm an idiot?!"

Crack!

The armrest of the wooden chair beside Tobirama instantly shattered.

A powerful Chakra pressure descended, making Uchiha Ao's face turn pale. Yet, he still forced himself to endure the pressure, sticking out his neck and saying:

"To be frank, Hokage-sama, during the recent perilous situation, I happened to awaken my Sharingan and learned the Lightning Release Armor from Kinkaku and Ginkaku. That's why I didn't choose Wood Release.

However, my longing for Wood Release is indeed not a lie! I truly wish to find a sliver of enlightenment from it."

"Awakened your Sharingan?"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Tobirama's eyes. Having been an opponent of the Uchiha, he knew very well how much the Sharingan impacted the Uchiha Clan's strength.

Even if you were an unknown Chunin before, you could reach the level of Special Jonin in a short time. If you learned some ocular techniques and genjutsu, your strength would be even more terrifying!

Since the opponent has awakened that monstrous Bloodline, they currently only need to develop it properly to gain power comparable to a Jonin in the near future.

Could it be... this kid really wants to research something from Elder Brother's Wood Release?

Others might not know, but he was very clear that the reason Wood Release was so powerful in Elder Brother Hashirama's hands, besides its inherent strength, was also Hashirama's inexplicable Chakra source.

As he pondered, Tobirama Senju slowly withdrew the Chakra from his body, but the killing intent surging within him never faded; instead, it grew even more intense!

"Although your contribution this time is not small, Wood Release is a top-secret Ninjutsu of our Senju Clan."

He narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "We definitely won't let you watch it casually, but..."

He paused, trying to find a trace of disappointment in the other's expression. However, apart from a pale face and heavy breathing, he saw no flicker of emotion.

Interesting... Tobirama admired inwardly, while maintaining a cold expression. "If you are willing to become my secret spy, regularly report the Uchiha Clan's actions against the Village to me, and make a Contract Seal, vowing never to reveal the Wood Release technique to a second person, then I can consider rewarding you with two A-rank Ninjutsu of Wood Release.

Afterward, if your espionage yields results, I will reward you further, for example... with more Wood Release Ninjutsu."

"..."

Listening to Tobirama's grand promises and the intense killing intent that almost pricked his skin, Uchiha Ao tugged at his lips. He seemed to have no other choice.

"...I am willing, but Hokage-sama, before that, I have one piece of intelligence to report to you."

Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy.

Bang!

The kid who kicked Might Duy was sent flying backward, crashing into several of his companions behind him.

"Ouch..."

"You bastard Might Duy, what did you do? You actually dared to fight back."

"Kid, you're finished! His uncle is a ruthless killer!"

Those kids who were knocked down were even weaker than the one who was kicked. They struggled for a while before getting up from the ground, and together they helped up the child whose face was contorted in pain.

The child's name was Uchiha Gongzhu, the ringleader of the first-year students. He constantly boasted that his uncle was in the Village's Police Force, acting arrogantly.

Children say things, and these kids dared to believe him!

Naturally, a group of brats gathered around him, swaggering everywhere.

Hearing that this child's uncle was in the Police Force, Might Duy felt a little scared. Although his Brother Sou was gentle and kind, the entire Uchiha Clan had a rather poor reputation in the Village.

He was just a child, and an orphan at that. Hearing this, he naturally felt a bit flustered and quickly explained:

"How can you blame me? He made the first move. I was just defending myself."

Gongzhu, the leader, saw that he was backing down and thought it was a good opportunity.

He exchanged a look and then rallied the few lackeys beside him, pouncing forward. Each of them grabbed one of Might Duy's arms, restraining him.

"Still talking back!"

Gongzhu sneered, raising his fist, the size of a bean bun, with a fierce expression:

"Kid, that kick you just landed, I'm going to return it a hundredfold on you!"

With that, his fist was about to smash into Might Duy's face.

Bang!

White mist exploded.

Might Duy, who had been held by them just moments ago, had transformed into a withered log and reappeared not far away.

"Why do you force me?!"

Seeing that they wouldn't let up, Might Duy gritted his teeth and decided not to hold back any longer. He directly unleashed "Crow Flies" and charged, sending the group of brats yelping in pain.

With his taijutsu aptitude, beating these punks who hadn't even learned any ninjutsu was incredibly easy.

As for the uncle Gongzhu mentioned, Might Duy had long forgotten about him. This was because a sentence Sou had told him kept echoing in his mind.

"Remember, Duy! In the ninja world, yielding doesn't bring peace, and fear can't protect those you care about!

True strength is using these clenched fists to forge your own ninja way!"