The invisible energy that flowed through Dongfang Mao's mind at his will intertwined with the life energy inside his body, winding around each other before slowly gathering between the hand seals in his hands.
As the hand seals brought the two energies into balance, they gradually blended together, ultimately transforming into an entirely new form of energy...
"This Chakra!"
At that moment, Tsunade, who had been fast asleep in the next room, suddenly jolted awake. A sharp killing intent welled up in her eyes as she slammed a fist into the side of her bed.
"Boom!"
With a deafening crash, the wall between the two rooms collapsed, sending rubble and dust flying everywhere..
But when Tsunade charged into Dongfang Mao's room, she found no one there except Dongfang Mao, sitting cross-legged on the bed with his hands still forming seals.
The murderous look on her face froze, then turned to astonishment.
And Tsunade wasn't the only one bewildered. Dongfang Mao, still holding his hand seals, stared dumbfounded at Tsunade, who had suddenly burst through the wall.
"Big Sister Tsunade, what are you—"
After a moment of silence, Dongfang Mao cautiously asked.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. I got up this morning to stretch a little, and accidentally overdid it."
Tsunade rubbed the back of her head and laughed awkwardly, her delicate eyebrows comically bent into the shape of the number eight.
"Well, Big Sister Tsunade, you sure know how to live."
Dongfang Mao's mouth twitched as his gaze swept over the wrecked wall before settling on Tsunade.
"Haha, that's not important."
Tsunade waved away the awkwardness, then strode over to the bed. She suddenly leaned in close to Dongfang Mao and gave him a thorough once-over.
Tsunade's stare made Dongfang Mao's skin crawl. Just as he was about to break out in goosebumps, she finally asked,
"Was that Chakra just now your doing?"
"Probably. Is something wrong?"
Dongfang Mao nodded.
"Tell me in detail what happened and what you felt while extracting Chakra just now."
Seeing the faintly serious look on Tsunade's face, Dongfang Mao grew concerned too, afraid something was wrong. He quickly recounted what he had just experienced.
As Dongfang Mao spoke, Tsunade first looked stunned. Then, as if she had thought of something unbelievable, her whole body trembled slightly.
"Big Sister Tsunade, did I do something wrong?"
Noticing that something seemed off about Tsunade, Dongfang Mao quickly asked.
"No, you did very well. Too well..."
Tsunade's voice tightened. Overcome with emotion, she pulled Dongfang Mao into her arms and hugged him tightly.
Caught off guard, Dongfang Mao was once again overwhelmed by that familiar feeling of suffocation. Fortunately, he had plenty of experience by now and knew how to find a chance to breathe while trapped in her embrace.
After quite a while, Tsunade finally calmed down and slowly let Dongfang Mao go.
She took a deep breath and looked up again. Dongfang Mao noticed a complicated glimmer in her eyes: delight, comfort, and... longing...
Just as Dongfang Mao was wondering about it, Tsunade finally spoke and explained.
"Don't worry. Most members of the Senju Clan are born with a vast amount of Yang Release Chakra, so it's normal for your body to feel hot while extracting Chakra. That's a sign that your Yang Release Chakra is activating. But..."
Tsunade paused, and her gaze suddenly softened. Her smile was as warm as a spring breeze, breathtakingly beautiful beneath the sunlight.
As she said this, Tsunade's eyes suddenly grew tender, like snowmelt in early spring, her warmth enough to make one's heart tremble.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly. Sunlight streaming in through the window happened to fall across her profile, making that faint smile breathtaking.
The sight left Dongfang Mao momentarily entranced. He only came back to himself when Tsunade spoke again.
"But your Yang Release Chakra is astonishing. Your talent is extremely rare among the Senju Clan over the past several decades. I don't know whether you might awaken Grand Uncle's Wood Release, but..."
Tsunade's voice grew serious, and anticipation showed in her eyes.
"If you can master the five nature transformations, you might be able to recreate Second Grand Uncle's glory!"
Dongfang Mao mulled over her words, and his eyes lit up.
"Big Sister Tsunade, do you mean I could be like the Second Hokage and train my Water Release until it becomes Sea Release? And I might even awaken Wood Release?"
"Pfft!"
Hearing Dongfang Mao's words, Tsunade couldn't help laughing.
"Sea Release? That's a fitting description. So that's what people outside Konoha call Second Grand Uncle's techniques?"
Then she nodded.
"That's right. But Second Grand Uncle's Water Release was so powerful because his vast Yang Release Chakra gave the water nature an incredibly powerful vitality.
"So you don't have to fixate on Water Release. If you master any one of the five nature transformations, then with your talent, you have a good chance of reaching Second Grand Uncle's level!"
Dongfang Mao nodded. So Second Hokage's "Sea Release" was a Kekkei Genkai born from Water and Yang. No wonder it was so absurdly powerful.
"As for Wood Release, you might awaken it, but don't get your hopes up too high. The Senju Clan was the first to produce someone with Wood Release.
"But ever since Grand Uncle, no one else has been able to awaken this Kekkei Genkai."
Tsunade said regretfully.
"I understand."
Dongfang Mao knew Wood Release was a bit mysterious. Whether it was a Kekkei Tōta made from Water, Earth, and Yang, or the result of Asura's Chakra, there was still no definitive answer.
But either way, meeting the requirements would be extraordinarily difficult. Dongfang Mao didn't feel like dwelling on it.
"Oh, right!"
Tsunade suddenly slapped her forehead.
"I was so focused on your Yang Release Chakra that I forgot about your spiritual energy. Spiritual energy can be broadly called Yin Power. From what you described, your Yin Power is just as strong, which is rather strange.
"Normally, only those Uchiha fellows are born with such a vast amount of Yin Power. Could your mother have been an Uchiha?"
As she spoke, Tsunade rested a finger beneath her chin and studied Dongfang Mao's eyes, as if wondering whether two Sharingan would suddenly pop out of them the next moment.
"No, my mother was just an ordinary farmer."
Dongfang Mao shook his head. His mother had nothing to do with the Uchiha, and as for why he had such powerful Yin Power—
Dongfang Mao guessed it was because he had crossed over into this world, and because he had a photographic memory.
"I see..."
Tsunade scratched her head, looking rather bored. She pursed her lips, her face practically spelling out, "How dull."
She had already imagined a melodramatic story in her head: Dongfang Mao's father was a Senju who, for love, defied convention and married an Uchiha woman.
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