Wood Release

Upon receiving the system's explanation, Nawaki nodded in understanding. Many in the original story had transplanted the cells of the First Hokage, yet none could replicate the true power of his Wood Release. Take Yamato, the most successful example: his Wood Release could only suppress chakra; it could not directly absorb it like the First Hokage's, nor did it possess any vitality or massive scale. This was because he had only inherited the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, not the perfect Senju bloodline of the First Hokage, leaving him lacking in both vitality and chakra to unleash the technique's full potential.

It follows that Wood Release and the Asura bloodline are two distinct inheritances. Because Wood Release is the only elemental Kekkei Genkai that possesses life and can manifest as a living technique, it is perfectly suited for chakra that is brimming with vitality and nearly inexhaustible.

The perfect synergy between the two is far more than a simple one-plus-one equation. Asura chakra without Wood Release can only gain an advantage in medical recovery, unable to fully convert its potential into raw attack power; conversely, Wood Release without Asura chakra is like the version in Yamato's hands, unable to exert its intended might.

Hashirama Senju was truly worthy of being called the God of Shinobi, having created an elemental Kekkei Genkai that perfectly complemented his own chakra characteristics. By comparison, Asura and Naruto pale in significance—one relied on the Nine-Tails to overwhelm others with sheer force, while the other merely repeated the paths trodden by those before him.

In the original story, Hashirama fought Uchiha Madara—who possessed the Nine-Tails and had awakened the Eternal Mangekyo—for three days and three nights, forcing Madara to use the Izanagi technique before finally securing victory. This alone demonstrates his immense power.

Had he not excessively overdrawn his chakra and even his life force, suffering grievous wounds in the process, the cellular vitality of his body would have easily allowed him to live for several more decades.

Wood Release can be fueled by life force in addition to chakra. After exhausting his chakra, Hashirama burned his own life force to drain the chakra of both Madara and the Nine-Tails. Had it not been for the Nine-Tails, with its reputation for infinite chakra, Madara would certainly not have been a match for Hashirama at that time; otherwise, given his personality, he would not have been constantly suppressed by Hashirama.

Aside from the combination of Madara and the Nine-Tails, who else could have forced Hashirama to exhaust his chakra? As the God of Ninjutsu, it is impossible that he would have created a Kekkei Genkai with such massive side effects. Thus, the perfect Wood Release is a bloodline elimination composed of Water, Earth, and Yang attributes, not the Kekkei Genkai the world believes it to be. Because Yin-Yang release is extremely rare, this secret is currently known only to a few. Wood Release is a perfect bloodline; as long as one has sufficient chakra, it has virtually no side effects, contrary to the speculations that it requires sacrificing life force or shortens the user's lifespan.

After learning of the importance of Wood Release to the Asura bloodline, Nawaki's desire for it grew even stronger. However, one million Wish Power points was an astronomical figure for him right now; he had no idea when he would be able to scrape it together. Was he supposed to just keep waiting?

No, the sooner he obtained Wood Release, the better it would be for him. It wasn't just about saving time to practice the Wood Release ninjutsu from the Scroll of Sealing to prepare for future wars; more importantly, he had stolen the First Hokage's corpse, and this matter would eventually come to light. Orochimaru, at the very least, would certainly discover it!

If Nawaki remained unable to use Wood Release for ten or more years, only to suddenly manifest it, it would inevitably arouse suspicion! Given the talent and learning speed he had displayed, if he had truly inherited the First Hokage's Wood Release bloodline from birth and had early access to the Scroll of Sealing, he should have been able to use it long ago. Why would it suddenly awaken only after he reached his teens?

If, by then, someone with malicious intent spread rumors about the theft of the First Hokage's corpse, people would inevitably link the two events. Nawaki's reputation would plummet, and he knew that because of the Wish Power System, his reputation was his most important foundation. Although the probability was low, he had to prevent this situation at all costs. To become Hokage, he could not afford a single stain on his record!

Therefore, he must either never use Wood Release in front of others or use it as early as possible and expose it proactively. After all, no one would believe that a one or two-year-old child would steal his own grandfather's corpse for human experimentation! It was not only contrary to common sense, but he also lacked the necessary conditions—the knowledge, the laboratory, and the equipment. Once he did that, he could truly rest easy, as no one would suspect him.

As his brain raced, a flash of inspiration struck Nawaki, and he came up with a shortcut: "System, if I inject Hashirama's cells into my body and then fuse them, how much Wish Power will it cost?"

"Cell injection surgery requires 1,000 Wish Power points, and fusion requires 1,000 points. Due to the high activity of the cells, the injection surgery carries a high risk of failure. The success rate for a normal person is 0.1%, 5% for those with low-level Senju bloodlines, 10% for medium, 30% for high, and 50% for perfect bloodlines. Since the host shares a genetic lineage with the owner of the cells, the success rate is 90%! If it fails, it will cost 1,000 Wish Power points for treatment and recovery! Does the host wish to proceed with the transplant surgery?"

Hearing the system's report, Nawaki's mouth twitched. Why did this feel like playing a predatory pay-to-win game? Fortunately, he had a 90% success rate and the ability to retry, which was far more cost-effective than spending 1 million Wish Power points to redeem it directly. With his current points, he had a high chance of success.

"Proceed with the surgery!" Nawaki commanded decisively.

"Ding, the surgery has begun. Rejection reactions are highly likely, and the process will be quite painful. Please be prepared, host."

"You... why didn't you say so earlier?" Nawaki felt a chill run through his body, followed by an unbearable itch from the inside out. This gradually turned into a sour, numbing sensation, which finally evolved into excruciating pain. The experience was indescribable, and just as he was breaking out in a cold sweat and on the verge of losing consciousness, all sensation suddenly vanished.

Nawaki felt as if he had come back to life. He caught his breath and asked in his mind: "System, did it succeed?"

"The cells have been preliminarily fused, and the host's body no longer shows signs of rejection. Do you wish to spend 1,000 Wish Power points to perfectly fuse the bloodline within your body?"

"Yes! Hurry up and fuse it!"

This time, the sensation was worlds apart from before; Nawaki felt a warmth spreading through his entire body, even more comfortable than a full-body massage.

After everything concluded, Nawaki channeled his Wood Release chakra and concentrated it in his hand. To his surprise, his entire hand underwent woodification. He wiggled his fingers and found them flexible and agile, with no discomfort. He then tried to cover his entire body with Wood Release chakra; his whole person turned into wood, and his hair turned green, making him look like a tree-man.

"System, what is going on? I don't recall Wood Release having a transformation effect?"

After Nawaki withdrew the Wood Release chakra back into his body and returned to normal, he pondered silently in his mind.