Husband Material

"In any case, just look it over and practice on your own. Come ask me if there's anything you don't understand!"

Leaving those words behind, Tsunade departed.

She had taken quite a hit today and planned to go gamble a few rounds to adjust her mood.

Minato looked at the mountain of scrolls before him, created four Shadow Clones, and then sat down with the main body to study the scroll detailing Wood Release ninjutsu.

Minato's goal was the Wood Clone; it was the most practical ninjutsu for him at the moment.

Unlike Shadow Clones, which pop at a single strike, Wood Clones last longer and can withstand a certain amount of damage. Not only can they merge into trees, but upon being dispelled, they can also transform into wood to bind enemies.

The only drawback is that Wood Clones require physical contact with the main body to share information, making them less convenient for intelligence transmission than Shadow Clones.

However, this was not without a solution.

For instance, if a Shadow Clone has sufficient chakra, it can create further Shadow Clones.

Theoretically, a Wood Clone could also create a Shadow Clone, which would then be dispelled to relay information.

Or, perhaps if there were an opportunity to capture a White Zetsu later, he could see if he could research the Mayfly Technique.

"Speaking of which..."

Minato suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room. The several Shadow Clones all looked up at him.

"I haven't tested it before—can a Shadow Clone use the abilities of Light Release?"

The Shadow Clone beside him heard this, drew a kunai, and poked its hand.

Poof!

The Shadow Clone vanished.

Minato shook his head in disappointment: "It seems not."

The Shadow Clone opposite Minato raised its index finger and sensed for a moment: "It's not just elemental transformation; other abilities can't be used either."

Minato asked again: "What about Wood Release?"

The Shadow Clone sensed again: "It feels like it can, but also like it can't?"

Minato looked bewildered: "So is it a yes or a no?"

The Shadow Clone described its sensation: "I feel like I can't grow wood directly from my body, yet I can still sense the power of Wood Release."

"Why not just try it and find out?"

Another Shadow Clone picked up the Wood Release scroll: "Can't grow it directly, but can sense it... How about this: I'll learn the Wood Release technique, and you learn the Wood Clone technique."

Soon, after memorizing the essentials of the two ninjutsu, the group went out into the courtyard.

Two Shadow Clones performed different ninjutsu respectively, Minato stood on the veranda watching, and the last remaining Shadow Clone sat to the side holding the Wood Release scroll.

"Wood Release Technique!"

One of the Shadow Clones clapped its hands together, and a small tree the height of a person suddenly grew in front of it.

"Wood Release: Wood Clone!"

The other Shadow Clone formed the Horse, Dog, and Snake seals, then clapped its hands together, but nothing happened.

"So that's how it is..."

The Shadow Clone reading the scroll had an expression of "as expected": "The principle of the Wood Clone is to use chakra to catalyze cellular mutation, forming a clone after division. But a Shadow Clone is essentially just a mass of chakra, containing no cellular components, so naturally, it cannot release a Wood Clone."

"However, for pure ninjutsu like the Wood Release technique, a Shadow Clone can use it."

"If that's the case..."

Minato took the scroll and dispelled the Shadow Clones.

He then walked into the courtyard and formed seals with his hands: "Wood Release: Wood Clone!"

Crack, crack—

With the sound of wood growing, three logs sprouted rapidly behind Minato. The three logs quickly morphed, taking on human shapes and appearing beside him, looking exactly like him.

"Can you use Light Release?"

Not surprised by the trivial matter of succeeding on the first try, Minato asked impatiently as soon as the clones appeared.

One of the clones raised its hand, sensed for a moment, and shook its head.

"That doesn't seem right, does it? It's one thing for a Shadow Clone to be unable to use it, as it's just an energy construct, but as a Wood Clone is a part of the main body that has split off, how can it also be unable to use it?"

"Could it be because of the division? After all... you guys know what I mean."

Minato nodded; he understood what the clone meant.

The power of the Devil Fruit only acts upon the host, and a clone is theoretically an independent individual separated from his own body.

"Does this mean that Light Release cannot be combined with the chakra system?"

"To judge based solely on this would be a bit hasty..."

"Indeed."

Minato's main body nodded. "Besides, the current focus of my training should be on ninjutsu. My current repertoire of techniques isn't enough to support me in researching these things."

Upon hearing this, the several clones stopped dwelling on the Glint-Glint Fruit and shifted their attention to Wood Release.

There weren't many ninjutsu recorded on the scroll, but there were quite a few related extended applications.

For instance, turning a Wood Clone into a seed and leaving it on someone else could serve as a tracking device or a communication tool.

However, without trees to act as signal relays, the distance could not exceed the main body's sensory range.

Furthermore, the scroll also contained many insights into cultivating flowers, plants, and crops.

Minato didn't quite understand why such things would be recorded in a ninjutsu scroll, but the moment he saw the characters handwritten by Hashirama Senju at the end, he was no longer surprised.

Given the First Hokage's eccentric personality, there was truly nothing to be surprised about.

In just over two hours, Minato had memorized every technique recorded on the scroll.

After absorbing the three Wood Clones back into his body, the experience of the four merged, which was equivalent to having memorized it four times over!

Although the accumulation of over eight hours of memory left his brain feeling a bit groggy, he didn't feel significantly exhausted. Minato figured this was likely because the Yin Release brought about by the Sharingan had increased his mental endurance.

Grumble--

His stomach suddenly started making a ruckus, and Minato rubbed his belly, feeling faint with hunger.

"I didn't eat little at noon, so it really is true that overusing the brain makes you hungry quickly..."

Creating a Wood Clone to prepare the dishes, Minato stepped out the door, intending to buy some ingredients to cook.

Vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, milk...

Minato walked and stopped along the street, and soon his body was covered in bags.

Thinking that he looked a bit silly like this, he created two more Shadow Clones to help carry the items.

"Shadow Clone?"

Seeing this scene, the proprietress of a shop by the roadside looked astonished. "Young man, how old are you this year?"

"Five years old. May I ask how much the chicken thigh meat is?"

"Sixteen ryo per catty... To be able to use Shadow Clone at this age, you really are a genius!"

"You flatter me."

Minato responded to the shopkeeper's small talk with a smile. The evening sunset spilled onto his gentle and easygoing face, making him look beautiful and warm.

At the same time, Tsunade, who had just lost everything at the casino, was walking home while practicing the gestures for throwing dice, muttering to herself as she reviewed the gambling match she had just lost.

Just as she turned the street corner, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the little blond boy not far away, and her footsteps faltered.

Just as she was about to wave and say hello, her heart skipped a beat the moment she saw his face clearly.

No, this kid...

Where did such a strong "husband material" vibe come from?

Recalling the inexplicable flutter she felt in her heart just now, Tsunade's face turned slightly red, and she cursed herself inwardly for being single for too long, to the point where she would actually have such thoughts about a child.

Although it only lasted for a split second, it was enough to nail herself to the pillar of shame for being a pervert...