Sage Art: Wood Release Rasenshuriken (2)

Senju Clan Training Ground

"Ugh, this Wind Release: Rasenshuriken is still too much like Uzumaki Naruto's; it doesn't feel like it fits the style of my Senju Clan."

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Uzumaki Naruto utilized the Lava Release chakra of the Four-Tails Son Goku to unleash Sage Art: Lava Release Rasenshuriken. Its power was staggering; it could be thrown, and upon striking a target, the Rasenshuriken would detonate, causing massive destruction. Its power was sufficient to sever the God Tree, and it carried a searing effect.

The Rasenshuriken is truly a divine technique. How could the "Prince's" signature move not be formidable? It can incorporate not only a single nature transformation but also the chakra nature transformations of Kekkei Genkai.

If that's the case, what would happen if I added Wood Release?

Thinking it, he did it. Li Yu performed hand seals again to create a Wood Release Clone. Following the same steps, the clone injected green Wood Release chakra into the Rasenshuriken. At this moment, the Rasenshuriken gradually shifted from blue to cyan, and the intensity of the control required increased exponentially.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Li Yu was blown away by the exploding Rasenshuriken in his hand. The clone turned into a piece of wood with a "bang," and the scattered green chakra fell to the ground, causing the plants on the ground to grow rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the ground and walls were covered in grass half a meter high; one look revealed it was everywhere.

"Damn it, that backfired."

He shook his reddened right hand, and thanks to his super-strong recovery ability, it was fully healed within a few breaths.

Had he injected too much Wood Release chakra? Was the ratio off? Unconvinced, Li Yu experimented repeatedly.

Dozens of wooden logs were left on the ground, a total mess. The once-level ground was now covered in green grass, and the half-meter-high grass had grown to over a meter tall.

Every time he felt he was about to succeed, it seemed to fall just a little short—that tiny bit that seemed to affect the stability of the entire Rasenshuriken.

Li Yu lay in the grass, panting heavily.

"So developing ninjutsu is this difficult. Maybe there was a bit of luck involved in completing the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken on the first try."

Looking at the grass that had started as mere patches and now covered the entire training ground floor and walls with meter-high blades, Li Yu felt like a thousand horses were galloping through his heart.

Chunin Exams: Second Stage

Konoha - Forest of Death

Li Yu's Wood Clone had been following Uchiha Obito's team since they entered the forest.

With the natural advantages of Wood Release, he easily hid his figure in the forest, constantly merging into the earth and trees, occasionally poking his head out to observe the trio.

The Wood Clone's stealth and tracking were on par with Black Zetsu—incredibly eerie. This was also the training objective for this Wood Clone, preparing for the future.

As for Kakashi, the "Lord Kakashi" of the Naruto series with his signature dead-fish eyes, Li Yu was still quite interested in him, the boy who became a Chunin at twelve.

"Kakashi, we've been in the forest for so long, why haven't we seen a single person?"

Uchiha Obito, eager to show off in front of Nohara Rin, turned his head to ask Kakashi.

Kakashi tilted his head and glanced at Uchiha Obito with his dead-fish eyes, then continued walking in silence.

Seeing that dismissive look from Kakashi, it was as if he were saying, "I'll give you a look, figure it out yourself."

"Hey, Kakashi, I'm talking to you!"

Kakashi's complete lack of reaction made Uchiha Obito toss his head. "Hmph, what a snob."

"Just make sure you don't hold us back."

"What did you say, Kakashi?"

That airy remark made Uchiha Obito blow a fuse. He stepped in front of Kakashi, ready to argue.

"Stop arguing, you two. Minato Sensei said we are a team; we need to be united."

Seeing Nohara Rin speak up, Uchiha Obito immediately tossed his head again, accompanied by a defiant snort. "Hmph."

He secretly clenched his fists. When they encountered other teams later, he would have to show off properly in front of Nohara Rin. Rin would definitely fall for him.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Obito's face turned red, his mind wandering.

Li Yu's Wood Clone, trailing behind, couldn't help but chuckle. Watching Naruto on screen versus seeing it in person felt different; perhaps it was just the nature of anime, unable to fully convey every emotion of a person.

Obito and Naruto were truly alike. Kakashi at this age was even more arrogant than Sasuke; he clearly cared deeply about friendship, yet he insisted on acting indifferent, putting the mission first.

The Wood Clone followed behind, watching the show, keeping pace without letting the trio ahead notice him at all.

Senju Clan - Training Ground

After five days of day-and-night experimentation, Li Yu finally found the ratio for adding Wood Release chakra to the Rasenshuriken, but it still wouldn't stay stable for long before dissipating on its own.

This frustrated Li Yu; he always felt it was just a tiny bit off.

"Didn't Naruto's Lava Release Rasenshuriken succeed?"

He replayed in his mind how Naruto had developed the Rasenshuriken in the anime.

"Does one need to enter Tailed Beast mode?"

"Tailed Beast mode... Tailed Beast mode..."

He slapped the ground and shouted, "I get it now!"

He had been stuck in a cognitive trap for too long, habitually following the method for the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, forgetting the state Naruto was in when he developed that technique.

"The full name of Naruto's Lava Release Rasenshuriken should be: Sage Art: Lava Release Rasenshuriken."

"Sage Mode."

Acting on the thought, Li Yu immediately sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, absorbing the natural energy from the air.

Five minutes later, Li Yu created a Wood Clone. With his right hand, he formed a Sage Art Big Ball Rasengan, and the clone immediately infused it with Wood Release chakra.

He watched as the Rasengan shifted from blue to a vibrant cyan.

"That's the feeling. It's done."

He gazed at the cyan Rasengan in his hand, which was surrounded by a glowing white halo; it was truly a sight to behold.

"Let me see just how powerful you are."

He hurled it with force toward a massive tree in the training ground, thick enough for ten men to wrap their arms around. It lacked the deafening roar of the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and the scorching heat of the Lava Release: Rasenshuriken.

Instead, the tree was instantly ensnared by thick, rapidly rotating wooden vines that coiled around its trunk like a python strangling its prey.

Within a few breaths, the tree groaned and creaked under the immense crushing pressure.

"Bang!"

Wood splinters flew everywhere as the upper half of the tree was launched into the air, soaring dozens of meters high before crashing down with a series of heavy thuds.

Seeing this, Li Yu rushed forward in excitement to inspect the damage, swatting away falling branches and leaves as he approached.

After examining the scene, Li Yu jumped for joy, as excited as a child.

"Haha, I'm a genius! A genius!"

Li Yu, caught up in self-praise, fell into a state of extreme confidence.

"A new technique that never appeared in Naruto, an exclusive ninjutsu of Wood Release Sage Art that no one else can imitate—not even the Prince, Naruto."

"It has such power with only a small amount of chakra. Next time, I'll find a chance to test it on someone with thick skin."

Once the excitement faded and he had calmed down, Li Yu sat back down to analyze the damage using modern medical principles.

Human injuries are generally divided into sharp force and blunt force trauma.

Sharp force, such as from knives, axes, or blades, relies on sharpness to damage the body, leaving distinct lacerations.

Blunt force, such as from clubs, fists, kicks, impacts, falls, or crushing, leaves no obvious external wounds but causes internal hemorrhaging and organ damage.

The Wind Release: Rasenshuriken relies on sharpness, using high-speed wind blades to strike the enemy and cause rapid lacerations.

However, the Wood Release: Rasenshuriken that Li Yu developed relies on wooden vines rotating at high speeds to crush the enemy. Furthermore, Wood Release can absorb the enemy's chakra, growing stronger as the opponent does.

Unless they can break free instantly, they will inevitably be crushed to pieces.

Although it bears a slight resemblance to Gaara's Sand Burial—where sand envelops the enemy before crushing them—the combination of Wood Release and Sage Art chakra makes it even more formidable.

"Sage Art: Wood Release Rasenshuriken," mission accomplished.