A Theory About Wood Release

"Teacher, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

At dinner, Minato said to Tsunade, "For the next few days, I'm thinking of having a Wood Clone go to school for me."

Tsunade looked puzzled. "Is something going on?"

"As far as Wood Release goes, I've nearly mastered everything except a few large-scale techniques. Starting tomorrow, I'm planning to train in Light Release."

Minato explained, "But Light Release is special. Only my real body can use it, so I can't train with a clone."

"Only your real body can use it?"

Tsunade looked confused. She'd never heard of a clone being unable to use a kekkei genkai, but she didn't doubt Minato.

She really had never seen Minato's clones use Light Release, whether they were Shadow Clones or Wood Clones.

Besides, the ability was indeed unusual. Although it was called Light Release, the fact that it could be unleashed directly through physical strength suggested that, strictly speaking, it didn't belong to the chakra system.

So there wasn't much she could do to help Minato with this. He would have to develop it on his own.

"That works."

After thinking it over, Tsunade readily agreed. "That way, I won't have to get up early every day to take you kids to school~"

"So Tsunade was only taking us to school because of Minato?" Kushina suddenly felt like she'd been a fool to trust her.

"Of course~"

Tsunade looked as if it were only natural. "Have you heard of Wood Release?"

"I have. I remember it was the First's kekkei genkai."

Kushina was confused. "What's the problem? There should be lots of people in Konoha with it, right?"

"Not at all!"

Tsunade shook her head, her voice complicated. "Kekkei genkai are usually passed down to descendants, but Wood Release is different. Since my grandfather died, Konoha hasn't seen another Wood Release user in many years."

"For some reason, the power of Wood Release is extremely important to Konoha. Minato doesn't just have Wood Release; he also has another kekkei genkai, as well as a powerful physique and vast chakra reserves like my grandfather."

"That's why even if I die, nothing can happen to Minato!"

"So that's how it is?"

Kushina stared blankly at Minato.

With talent like that, it was no wonder Tsunade had bragged about him so much before.

"I had no idea you were this amazing."

Kushina sounded astonished. "Two kekkei genkai!"

"It's not that big a deal..."

Minato glanced at Tsunade. "By the way, since we're talking about Wood Release, I've had a few ideas lately."

"Go on."

Tsunade immediately grew interested. She was curious what Minato had figured out.

"I think Wood Release requires more than just Water and Earth chakra nature transformations. It also needs an immense amount of vitality. To some extent, it could be considered a different kind of Kekkei Tōta."

"What?!"

Tsunade sat bolt upright. "How do you know that?"

Minato explained, "I'm strong, and even when I'm injured, I heal quickly. You said the First was also incredibly strong. I don't think that's a coincidence."

"The Senju Clan's jutsu scrolls contain more Water and Earth Release techniques than anything else. That shows there were plenty of people throughout history with those two chakra nature transformations, yet hardly anyone could combine them to create Wood Release."

"I think something is missing—something that can't be sensed and is easy to overlook. And something that happened during my training later on made me even more certain of this theory."

Tsunade swallowed, struggling to contain her excitement. "What happened?"

"Some of the First's Wood Release techniques were created by stimulating his cells to mutate and split off from his body."

Minato recalled the day he first learned Wood Release and continued, "My Shadow Clone couldn't use those techniques, but my Wood Clone could. That shows that beyond Water and Earth chakra natures, Wood Release is also connected to the user's body in some way."

"Another thing I discovered later is that if I use the same amount of chakra to perform the same technique, the Wood Release from a Shadow Clone is far weaker than that from a Wood Clone, both in power and suppressive force."

"In other words, even if someone could awaken or combine Wood Release without enough vitality, its power probably wouldn't be very impressive."

"So that's how it is..." Tsunade's expression was complicated.

Minato didn't know that ever since the First passed away, Konoha had been studying his cells in hopes of recreating Wood Release. Even Tsunade had studied Hashirama Cells.

Because of this, Tsunade knew exactly how monstrous the vitality of Hashirama Cells was. That also proved Minato's theory was right.

"How big is the difference?"

"In terms of power, the Shadow Clone is only half as strong as the Wood Clone. Its suppressive force is only a quarter as strong."

"The gap is that big..." Tsunade furrowed her brow.

Strong vitality meant naturally possessing powerful Yang Release Chakra. Since a Shadow Clone was made from chakra split off from the original body, it naturally carried the Yang Release attribute, too.

Even with chakra of the same origin, the difference was that great. For an ordinary person, the gap between them and Minato would probably be even wider.

"So even if I could combine Wood Release, I wouldn't be able to match your power because of the difference in our physiques, right, Minato?"

Nawaki might have been a little straightforward, but he wasn't stupid. He quickly understood what Minato meant.

"Probably, but I think you should give it a try, Nawaki."

Minato nodded. "It's still a kekkei genkai, so it's definitely stronger than a single nature. Even if its suppressive force is a little weaker, it'll still be useful in battle."

It was meant to suppress Tailed Beasts. Yamato's Wood Release was only a fifth as powerful as the First's, yet it was still among the best even by jōnin standards, and could somewhat suppress Naruto's Tailed Beast Transformation.

"I see..."

Nawaki sounded listless. He wasn't jealous or anything; he was used to being put down by now.

"In a way, you're pretty unlucky, kid."

Tsunade chuckled. "No one can teach you anything about Wood Release or Light Release. You can only figure it out bit by bit on your own."

"That's fine. From what I've read in the scrolls, the First invented many of his Wood Release techniques himself."

Minato didn't mind. Compared with utility techniques, nature-based techniques were relatively simple.

"So tomorrow I can only go to school with my Wood Clone?"

Kushina pouted. "It feels a little weird."

Nawaki suddenly froze. "Wait, if that's true, then if I learn Shadow Clone, can I have a clone go to school for me, too?"

"Just go to school like you're supposed to!"

Tsunade raised her hand and tapped Nawaki on the head, making a soft thunk.

"Ouch!"

Nawaki rubbed his head, indignant. "Why can Minato use a clone to skip class, then?"

"Listen. Shadow Clones are convenient, but they have the drawback of accumulating fatigue. Minato has a physique and recovery ability comparable to my grandfather's, so he can handle it."

Tsunade warned him sternly, "But someone with an ordinary physique can't fully recover overnight. Fatigue that doesn't go away will build up over time and put a heavy strain on your body. If it passes your limit, it could even put your life at risk!"

"Your body is still growing. Doing this could affect your development!"

"I see."

Kushina sounded disappointed. "I wanted to try it, too."

Tsunade glanced at Kushina. "You can."

"Hey—"

Nawaki's eyes widened. "Why can Kushina do it, too?!"

"The Uzumaki Clan's greatest trait is their abundant vitality."

Tsunade said calmly, "If it's just one Shadow Clone, it won't have much effect. But you're still a little young, so wait a couple of years."

"Okay!"

Kushina nodded obediently.

Nawaki watched them coldly, feeling that the world was so unfair and so heartbreaking...