Mastering Wood Release

At the center of Konoha's latest storm, Uchiha Ying Yue had no idea that information about him had already been discussed repeatedly at the desks of the Konoha High Command, or that he had even become a hot topic at clan meetings among Konoha's great families.

However, even if Ying Yue had known all this, he wouldn't have cared.

To Uchiha Ying Yue, outside opinions and gossip couldn't shake him.

Ying Yue stayed focused on his own goals and ambitions, undeterred by what others thought of him.

In Ying Yue's eyes, only hard work and strength could help him survive in the turbulent Ninja World. So he would keep moving forward and continue to improve himself.

Recently, Uchiha Ying Yue had been testing his Wood Release abilities and their properties. To his surprise, he found that his Wood Release was very different from the First Senju Hashirama's.

The first obvious difference was in its power. Ying Yue could clearly feel that the Wood Release techniques he could perform were nowhere near as powerful as Senju Hashirama's.

When Ying Yue tried to use Wood Release techniques such as "Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence," he found that he couldn't perform them at all.

After several attempts, Ying Yue found that the most he could do was create large quantities of sturdy trees and vines to bind enemies or form barriers. Their growth and offensive power, however, were nowhere near as terrifying as what Senju Hashirama had demonstrated.

This made Ying Yue realize that although he had mastered Wood Release, the limits of his power were nowhere near those of the First.

The chakra-absorbing properties of Wood Release also differed.

According to the legends about Senju Hashirama, his Wood Release could rapidly absorb an enemy's chakra through contact, even sucking them dry and killing them.

Ying Yue found that his Wood Release could absorb chakra too, but the process was disappointingly slow.

Uchiha Ying Yue tried wrapping a target in vines and using Wood Release to absorb the other person's chakra.

The absorption was extraordinarily slow—in fact, it was almost "gentle."

With Ying Yue's current abilities, even against a Genin, it would take at least ten minutes to kill them by absorbing their chakra, and that was assuming they didn't resist at all.

Ying Yue furrowed his brow and pondered. His Wood Release was clearly nowhere near as terrifying as Senju Hashirama's.

Ying Yue couldn't help wondering whether he had only mastered part of Wood Release's abilities, or whether his current chakra reserves and control were still insufficient to unleash its full power.

Ying Yue repeatedly considered the possibilities. Perhaps Senju Hashirama could wield Wood Release with such terrifying power not only because Wood Release itself was powerful, but also because Hashirama had enormous chakra reserves and a profound command of Natural Energy.

Ying Yue realized that the limited power of his Wood Release might be related to his chakra reserves, his control, or even his understanding and use of Natural Energy.

Uchiha Ying Yue continued testing his Wood Release on the training ground. Although he could already control trees and vines with ease, its power and chakra-absorbing ability were both far weaker than he had imagined.

After many attempts, Ying Yue realized that his Wood Release had, at most, reached a level comparable to Yamato's. The gap between him and the astonishing power of the First Senju Hashirama remained enormous.

Unwilling to accept this, Ying Yue decided to ask the system for an answer.

"System, why isn't my Wood Release as powerful as Senju Hashirama's? Even its ability to absorb chakra is weak," Ying Yue asked silently, his voice tinged with confusion and unease.

A moment later, the system's reply sounded in his mind:

[Host, your Sage Body is too weak compared to Senju Hashirama's. As the reincarnation of Asura Chakra, Senju Hashirama possessed a Sage Body that was nearly perfect. The strength of one's Sage Body directly affects the power and properties of Wood Release. To achieve Wood Release abilities on par with Senju Hashirama's, you must attain a Sage Body of at least 80%.]

Hearing this answer, Ying Yue suddenly understood a lot.

Ying Yue knew that the Sage Body wasn't simply a matter of physical constitution. It also involved the quality of one's chakra, the absorption and use of Natural Energy, and even the strength of one's overall life force.

Senju Hashirama's Wood Release was so powerful precisely because his Sage Body was nearly perfect, allowing him to unleash its full potential.

His own Sage Body, however, was clearly far from sufficient, directly limiting his Wood Release abilities.

Uchiha Ying Yue then stood in a corner of the training ground and silently opened the system's status panel.

Ying Yue studied each of his stats carefully, his mind full of thoughts and anticipation.

[Character: Uchiha Ying Yue]

[Identity: Ninja Academy Student]

[Bloodline: Senju Clan, Uchiha Clan]

[Kekkei Genkai: Sage Body 21%, Sharingan (not awakened), Eye Power 66%, Wood Release]

[Chakra: 1500, 1.5 cards]

[Special Ability: Ninja World Dance King]

[Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques, Body Flicker Technique, Uchiha Style Taijutsu, Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu]

[Destiny Points: 2260]

Ying Yue's gaze swept over his stats. He paid particular attention to the Kekkei Genkai section, where he noticed some encouraging changes.

First, Ying Yue noticed that his Sage Body had increased from 20% to 21%.

Although it was only a 1% increase, it was a positive sign for improving the power of his Wood Release and the quality of his chakra.

Every increase in his Sage Body brought him one step closer to reaching the heights of Senju Hashirama.

Second, the Sharingan's eye power had increased from 60% to 66%.

Although his Sharingan had yet to awaken, this showed that Ying Yue's Uchiha bloodline was continuing to awaken. Once his Sharingan did open, it might bring a tremendous increase in power.

What pleased Ying Yue most was that Wood Release had now appeared steadily on his Kekkei Genkai panel.

This meant that he officially possessed this legendary ability. Although its current power couldn't compare to the First's, he knew that as his Sage Body grew stronger, Wood Release's potential would gradually be unleashed.

The increase in his chakra also surprised Ying Yue. He had previously had only 1,000 points of chakra, or 1 card, but now he had 1,500 points, or 1.5 cards.

His increased chakra reserves would not only improve his stamina in battle, but also allow him to use more powerful ninjutsu.

The [Ninja World Dance King] ability, inherited from Uchiha Madara, was one of the combat skills Ying Yue relied on most.

As he gained more practical experience, he had gradually become more adept at using this ability. His improved reflexes, dynamic vision, and combat awareness gave him an absolute advantage in battle.

What caught Ying Yue's attention in particular was that his Destiny Points had increased by more than 1,000 in a short time. This surprised him.

He thought back over recent events. He hadn't gone out of his way to complete any special missions or challenges, so the sudden increase in Destiny Points might have something to do with his reputation.

Could it be because of what I've done at the Ninja Academy...