God of Shinobi

"I woke up and came back to the village?"

Senju Hashirama withdrew his gaze and looked at Tsunade. "Little Tsunade!?"

Tsunade looked at Senju Hashirama, her eyes filling with tears. "Grandfather!"

Senju Hashirama smiled warmly. "I can't believe you've grown into such a beautiful young woman, little Tsunade!"

"It seems a long time has passed."

Tsunade steadied her emotions and said, "It's been over twenty years."

Senju Hashirama sighed. "Has it really been that long?"

"What's the village like now?"

"Who's Hokage? What about Tobirama?"

Tsunade's expression darkened. "Second Grandpa died in the war more than ten years ago."

"The Third is in office now—my teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The village is doing all right, so you don't need to worry too much, Grandfather."

Senju Hashirama's expression grew heavy. "I can't believe Tobirama is gone, too... I suppose no era is free of war!"

As the two caught up, Genma and the other two listened quietly, not interrupting.

After a long while, Senju Hashirama had learned most of what he wanted to know, and the somewhat somber conversation came to an end. He looked at the three with Tsunade. "Little Tsunade, are these your students?"

"Shizune and Huixiang are. This guy isn't."

Senju Hashirama turned to Genma. "This boy was the one who summoned me."

He looked surprised. "He must be an incredible prodigy!"

To summon him from the Pure Land at such a young age—he was even more talented than Tobirama.

Seeing the conversation turn to him, Genma smiled. "First, I'm Kazekaze Genma. I may not be Lady Tsunade's student, but I am her friend."

Tsunade pursed her lips. "He's my junior!"

Senju Hashirama laughed. "It's wonderful to have a friend like you."

"But if the village is all right for now, did you summon me to help with some other problem?"

Genma was about to answer, but Tsunade beat him to it. "This guy modified the Summoning Technique and wanted to test it, so he summoned you."

Just like that, a huge burden of blame landed squarely on Genma's shoulders.

Tsunade knew she'd gone a little too far, and her face reddened.

Genma couldn't be bothered to shift the blame. "I do have some questions about ninjutsu that I'd like to ask you about. I just wasn't sure whether summoning you like this would be too much of an imposition."

Senju Hashirama didn't mind at all. "Of course not, but..."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If it's a question about ninjutsu, you might be better off asking Tobirama."

"Hahaha!"

Senju Hashirama suddenly laughed and scratched his head. "Tobirama really is better at teaching people."

Shizune and Huixiang exchanged bewildered glances as they watched Senju Hashirama.

Was this the God of Shinobi?

He didn't seem imposing at all!

Genma's eyes lit up. He seized the opportunity. "Yes, First. If I get the chance, I'll ask Second Hokage for advice."

"But when it comes to Wood Release, surely only you can guide me?"

Senju Hashirama was surprised again. He looked Genma up and down, then noticed something odd. "There is indeed a power of Wood Release inside you, but..."

He hesitated. He could sense that this power didn't come from his cells, and it wasn't quite the same as combining chakra nature transformation, either.

Genma saw Senju Hashirama's confusion and privately marveled at his keen senses, but immediately explained.

Senju Hashirama was deeply astonished. "You really are a greater genius than Tobirama. To think you came up with an idea like this!"

He gave Genma a thumbs-up, then said, "If you're just looking for Wood Release techniques, Tsunade and the village should have some of the ones I left behind, right?"

"I've already given them to him, but I don't know how much he's mastered," Tsunade said, glancing at Genma.

"I don't have many questions about the techniques themselves," Genma said. "But, First, does Wood Release count as creating life?"

The question made everyone pause.

Shizune was the first to speak. "Genma, I don't think it does, does it?"

"Why not?" Genma asked in return.

"Is it because you don't think plants are alive? Or because the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai doesn't create plants from nothing?"

"Or is it because, once living plants are made, they can't survive without a supply of chakra?"

Though he seemed to be asking Shizune, he was really asking Senju Hashirama—and the others, too.

Tsunade pondered the question. "Plants are certainly life in the broad sense. They have cells and carry out life processes, unlike inanimate things like metal and soil."

"Leaving aside Lightning Release, Fire Release, and Wind Release, Earth Release and Water Release can create soil and water with chakra, but they disappear once the chakra sustaining them is gone."

"But Wood Release..."

Tsunade looked at her grandfather.

Genma and the others also looked at Senju Hashirama.

Senju Hashirama stroked his chin, lost in thought. When he saw everyone looking at him, he raised his head and smiled. "That's certainly a fascinating and profound question!"

"Wood Release can indeed work in different ways. For example, simply creating wood—without roots, like the kind used to build houses—shouldn't count as creating life, right?"

"Second, you can infuse chakra into the ground as a source of life, stimulating existing roots and tree seeds."

"Of course, more often, you create the trees directly with chakra, which then serves as the source of life that sustains their growth."

"As for whether they can remain permanently, aside from the second method, it actually depends on the caster's own will."

Genma nodded. His Wood Release now worked in those same three ways.

At first, he could only use Wood Release chakra to stimulate plants that were already there.

Given the situation now,

Wood Release could clearly be said to create life, since plants were a form of life.

Of course, he was exploring this question because he wanted to delve deeper into how matter and energy transformed into each other.

Yin-Yang Release was said to be a technique capable of creating life, but that was far too narrow a way to describe it.

Perhaps "creating all things" would be more accurate.

Life—or, more specifically, intelligent life like humans—might simply be the hardest thing to create.

Looking back through the history of the Ninja World, only the Sage of Six Paths had created the Nine Tailed Beasts.

As for matter created with Yin-Yang Release, Genma remembered that the Truth-Seeking Orb and the Black Receivers used by Pain had both been created with Yin-Yang Release.

"Genma, why are you exploring this?" Shizune asked, voicing her confusion. Huixiang nodded along.

Senju Hashirama smiled and answered for Genma. "He must be trying to understand Yin-Yang Release, right?"

"You're a lot like Tobirama!"

Genma found that a little odd. Why did everyone keep bringing up Tobirama?

Shizune and Huixiang looked completely baffled. They didn't know enough to follow the discussion anymore.

Tsunade said, "This guy thinks chakra refinement counts as a kind of Yin-Yang Release."

Senju Hashirama furrowed his brow, thinking. "The Chakra Refinement Technique..."

How could that be understood as Yin-Yang Release?

Kids these days really were different.

If Tobirama were here, he'd probably be able to answer a question like that, wouldn't he?