The Power of Nature!

"The system is searching... Search complete! To awaken Wood Release, you must find a place where Natural Energy gathers..."

Liuxia stared intently at the system interface before him, silently pondering. A place where Natural Energy gathers... Could this so-called Natural Energy be the mysterious energy drawn upon by Sage Mode?

He couldn't help thinking back to the cultivation novels he'd loved reading before his rebirth. The energy practitioners used in those stories was also the energy contained in heaven and earth, wasn't it?

This Natural Energy was truly wondrous, as if it held endless secrets and potential.

Aside from Naruto's seemingly cheat-like use of Sage Mode, the energy absorbed by the God Tree planted by the Ōtsutsuki Clan surely came from the natural power of the planet itself!

And the reason Wood Release possessed such overwhelming might was undoubtedly the influence of the God Tree's power.

With his peerless Wood Release, Senju Hashirama could clap his hands and toy with the Nine-Tails as if it were a plaything. Even Uchiha Madara, wielding the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, couldn't defeat Senju Hashirama's terrifying Wood Release, despite unleashing the earth-shaking technique Majestic Attire: Susanoo.

Thinking of this, Liuxia grew ever more curious about—and eager to obtain—this mysterious Natural Energy.

If he could master this power, he would surely be able to fulfill the promise he'd made to Grandpa Taiyi. But a place where Natural Energy gathered... That must mean the Three Great Sage Lands!

Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myoboku, and Ryūchi Cave were known together as the Three Great Sage Lands. Of Konoha's legendary Sannin, Jiraiya trained at Mount Myoboku, Orochimaru at Ryūchi Cave, and Tsunade at Shikkotsu Forest.

As a descendant of the Senju Clan, he had exceptional advantages. He could easily gain access to summoning jutsu—and obtain the mysterious power of the Three Great Sage Lands! At the thought of it all, Liuxia let out a long breath.

But just as his excitement began to fade, an indescribable weariness suddenly washed over him.

After all, he'd just endured immense grief, only to be greeted by the wonderful news that the system had finished decompressing. With emotions swinging so wildly, anyone would have struggled to cope.

Dragging his heavy steps, Liuxia returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed. Before long, he had fallen into a deep sleep...

"Xia! Xia! Wake up!"

Liuxia was jolted awake by an urgent shout. He forced open his heavy eyelids and vaguely made out someone standing beside the bed.

"Nawaki, why are you up so early? I'm still tired... Let me sleep a little longer..."

Mumbling to himself, Liuxia rolled over, ready to go back to sleep.

But Nawaki clearly had no intention of letting him off so easily. He grabbed Liuxia by the shoulders and shook him hard.

"No way! Big Sis said we're about to start at the Ninja Academy, and she told me to come get you so we could train together! If you don't get up, it'll be bad when she gets here!"

The moment he heard Nawaki mention Big Sis Tsunade, Liuxia's sleepiness vanished. He knew what Tsunade was like. She was beautiful, the princess of the Senju Clan and the Land of Fire.

But he didn't want to experience her Strength of a Hundred Fist. Jiraiya had spent months in the hospital!

He sprang upright, hurriedly got dressed, and followed Nawaki to the training ground.

On the way, Nawaki complained about Tsunade while telling Liuxia how excited he was about starting at the Ninja Academy. Liuxia, meanwhile, silently thought about the days ahead!

When they arrived at the training ground in a rush, their anxious hearts finally settled—Tsunade hadn't arrived yet!

"Phew... That was close! At least we got here before her!" someone said with relief.

"Hehehe, good thing Big Sis isn't here yet, or we'd be in trouble! I just don't get what Jiraiya sees in a fierce tigress like her..."

Nawaki had been talking animatedly when he suddenly noticed the look of terror on Liuxia's face. He instinctively clamped his mouth shut.

Then he slowly turned around—and came face to face with Tsunade's faintly amused gaze.

"Hm? Nawaki, you're feeling pretty bold today, talking about your big sister behind her back!"

Tsunade smiled as she spoke. Before she'd even finished, she raised her right hand and delivered a swift dose of sisterly love to Nawaki.

After disciplining her little brother, Tsunade's expression turned serious. "You're about to start at the Ninja Academy. There's been more and more tension in the Ninja World over the years. Who knows when another great war will break out."

Nawaki and Liuxia knew that conflict in the Ninja World had never truly ceased.

The fighting had raged endlessly between clans, until Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara led the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan in joining forces to overcome hardship, pacify the land, and establish the shinobi village system.

But peace didn't last. After Uchiha Madara turned away, he and Senju Hashirama fought a breathtaking battle to the death, and both passed away soon afterward.

Seeing the Land of Fire's abundant resources, the other villages grew greedy, sparking the first large-scale war in the Ninja World.

In the midst of that chaos, Tobirama Senju sacrificed himself to protect Konoha's younger generation of leaders. He acted as a decoy, luring Kinkaku and Ginkaku into a trap, and died a heroic death.

Liuxia knew that the Second Shinobi World War would break out in a few years, but he could no longer remember exactly when.

Suddenly, as if waking from a dream, he turned to look at Nawaki, a sense of foreboding rising within him. Nawaki seemed destined to meet his end in the coming war.

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? You're creeping me out," Nawaki said, feeling inexplicably uneasy under Liuxia's strange gaze.

"Nothing. I just feel like someone with your personality might have a hard time in a war, Nawaki."

Liuxia scratched the back of his head and answered as if it were nothing.

"I'm going to be Hokage! I'm going to protect everyone just like Grandpa and Second Grandpa! How could some little war stop me? I'm super brave!" Nawaki said, then stylishly wiped his nose with his thumb.

"Xia's right! A fool like you would definitely get into danger on the battlefield! Even Second Grandpa..." Tsunade broke off and shook her head. "Anyway, whether you want to become Hokage or protect the village, you both need to grow strong. Understand?"

"Got it!" they answered in unison.

Tsunade gave a slight nod, then began teaching them how to draw chakra from within their bodies.

Her voice was low and powerful, as if it could pierce straight through their souls. "To successfully draw out the chakra in your body, you must first focus your mind and concentrate entirely on your own body..."

As Tsunade explained each step, the two young boys listened intently and put her instructions into practice.

They closed their eyes, sensing the currents of air around them and the changes in the energy flowing through their bodies. They tried to guide those forces together, forming a powerful, steady stream of chakra.