Nascent Wood Release

Otogakure Underground Base, Ninth Training Ground.

It had been exactly six months since the Hashirama Cells transplant surgery. Over those six months, Neji's life had become a precision machine—eighteen hours of training, four hours of Sage Arts meditation, and two hours of sleep every day. The sealing formula of the Strength of a Hundred on his forehead remained hot, a sign that enormous amounts of Chakra were being compressed and stored within it. The light brown, wood-like markings on his chest had stabilized and no longer spread, but the faint outline of a human face had become clearer instead. Its brows and eyes were tranquil, as though it might open them at any moment.

The greatest changes, however, had occurred within his Chakra system.

The laboratory's central monitor displayed a three-dimensional projection of Neji's current Chakra attribute distribution:

**Lightning Release: Converted, Stability 97%**

**Fire Release: Converting, Progress 63%**

**Water Release: Trace Awakening, Autonomous Conversion Rate 12%**

**Earth Release: Trace Awakening, Autonomous Conversion Rate 9%**

**Wind Release: Unawakened**

**Yang Release (Hashirama Cells): Fully Fused, Activity Index 89**

**Yin Release (Byakugan/Caged Bird): Inherent, Stability 100 (Bound State)**

Orochimaru stood before the projection, his pale fingers gliding across the data. The excitement unique to a researcher gleamed in his golden eyes. "Six months. Lightning Release has been completely converted, Fire Release is more than halfway there, and Water and Earth Release have begun autonomously converting under the catalysis of Yang Release... Neji Hyuga, you are making history."

At the center of the field, Neji opened his eyes. His Byakugan was clearer than it had been six months ago. The pale golden rings around his pupils had stabilized, visible even without entering Sage Mode. They were not decoration, but an outward manifestation of his evolved ocular power—his Byakugan could now see the "colors" and "flow" of Chakra, distinguishing the subtle differences between various attributes.

"But it still isn't enough." Neji spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse from prolonged silence. "Wood Release requires Water and Earth Release as its base materials, with Yang Release acting as both catalyst and shaping force. My Water Release is only at twelve percent and my Earth Release is at nine percent. I can't even meet the minimum requirements for the combination."

"That is why we need today's test." Orochimaru brought up a new experimental plan. "We will use your existing Lightning and Fire Release to simulate the effects of Water and Earth Release, then forcibly catalyze rudimentary Wood Release through Yang Release. If it succeeds, it will prove the theory is viable. After that, we only need to accelerate the conversion of Water and Earth Release."

"The risks?"

"Two possible failures." Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and took over. "First, an imbalance in attribute ratios could make the Wood Release structure unstable and cause backlash against the caster. Second, excessive Yang Release consumption could send the Hashirama Cells into dormancy, causing the fusion to regress. According to the model... the success rate is forty-one percent."

Forty-one percent—higher than the thirty percent chance of the cell transplant six months ago, but it was still a gamble with his life.

Neji did not hesitate. "Begin."

He walked into the specially constructed formation at the center of the training ground. Orochimaru had designed it personally. It could amplify Chakra perception, stabilize energy flow, and activate an emergency seal in the event of loss of control. The formation's five points corresponded to the five Chakra attributes. At the moment, the points representing Fire and Lightning glowed steadily, the Water and Earth points gave off faint light, and the Wind point was completely dark.

"First stage: attribute simulation," Orochimaru ordered.

Neji formed hand seals—not traditional ninjutsu seals, but special hand signs he had developed over the past six months by combining Sage Arts and Yang Release. Chakra surged from his lower abdomen and split into three currents:

The first current of Fire Release Chakra traveled upward through his modified heart meridians, where it was compressed and refined inside his chest to simulate the heaviness and stability of "earth."

The second current of Lightning Release Chakra traveled down his spine, slowing and softening in his lower abdomen to simulate the fluidity and nourishment of "water."

The third current, Yang Release power, surged from the outline of the face on his chest like warm sunlight, wrapping around the first two streams of energy.

It was a precise operation that defied common sense. Fire was supposed to blaze, yet it had to imitate the weight of earth. Lightning was supposed to be violent, yet it had to imitate the softness of water. Everything depended on Yang Release's shaping ability and the precise control of Sage Art Chakra.

Ten minutes later, the monitor displayed:

**Simulated Earth Release: Completion 71%, Stability 65%**

**Simulated Water Release: Completion 68%, Stability 62%**

**Yang Release Catalysis Rate: 83%**

"Barely passing." Orochimaru stared at the data. "Proceed to the second stage—Wood Release formula construction."

Neji took a deep breath, and his hand seals shifted.

This time, he drew upon the Chakra reserves of the Strength of a Hundred. The sealing formula on his forehead flared brightly as immense amounts of Chakra flooded into his meridians like a torrent, merging with the simulated Water and Earth Release and his inherent Yang Release power.

The theory was simple: water and earth as the foundation, Yang Release as the soul, shaping life itself.

The reality, however, was unimaginably dangerous.

Neji could clearly "see" it—in the microscopic vision of his Byakugan, the three types of Chakra, each with different properties, resembled venomous snakes of different colors. They tangled and tore at one another within his meridians, trying to devour each other. The earth simulated by Fire Release was too "dry," lacking the true steadiness of earth. The water simulated by Lightning Release was too "sharp," lacking the true inclusiveness of water.

Yang Release was like a stern beast tamer, ruthlessly lashing the three energies and forcing them to fuse.

Explosive agony erupted from deep within his meridians. It was not the pain of an external wound, but the agony of having his Chakra system forcibly twisted and remade. Neji clenched his teeth, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet his hand seals did not tremble.

Five minutes later, the fusion rate barely reached the minimum requirement for Wood Release.

"Now!" Orochimaru shouted.

Neji slammed both hands onto the ground.

The formation blazed with light. The training ground began to tremble—not like an earthquake, but with a deeper stirring, the pulse of life breaking through the earth.

Cracks spread beneath Neji's palms, but what emerged was not vines, nor trees, but something... malformed.

It was a segment of dark red wood-like material covered in charred black cracks, like a dead branch scorched by fire. It trembled as it grew half a meter tall, then abruptly stopped. Its surface began to peel away and carbonize before finally crumbling into a pile of ashes. Failure.

"The attribute ratio is unbalanced." Kabuto rapidly analyzed the data. "There is too much residual fire nature in the simulated Earth Release, causing the wooden structure to fail to remain stable. We need to reduce the Fire Release purity and increase Yang Release's balancing ratio."

Neji dropped to one knee, panting. That attempt had consumed a third of the Strength of a Hundred's reserves, and all it had produced was half a meter of rotten wood that could not survive ten seconds.

"Rest for thirty minutes," Orochimaru said. "We'll adjust the plan and make a second attempt."

Half an hour later, the second attempt began.

This time, Neji changed his strategy. He no longer pursued high-purity attribute simulation. Instead, he suppressed the "dryness" of Fire Release as much as possible and used more Yang Release power to compensate for earth's sense of "weight." At the same time, while using Lightning Release to simulate water, he added the Natural Energy within Sage Art Chakra to increase its nourishing quality.

The fusion process went somewhat more smoothly, and the pain lessened by around thirty percent.

But when Neji pressed his hands to the ground again, the result was still far from ideal.

This time, a pale, translucent fungal plant grew out. It rapidly reached a height of one meter, blooming into a huge cap at its peak. Yet corrosive mucus dripped from the gills beneath the cap, eating small pits into the ground. Thirty seconds later, the entire fungus began to melt, turning into a puddle of foul-smelling slime.

"Attribute contamination." Orochimaru frowned. "The 'sharpness' of Lightning Release did not fully convert into the 'softness' of water. Instead, it combined with Yang Release and produced a mutation. This thing... can no longer be considered Wood Release."

The two failures had consumed nearly half the Strength of a Hundred's reserves.

Neji sat in the center of the formation, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing. Sweat soaked through his clothes. The outline of the face on his chest gave off a faint heat, as though it were mocking his incompetence.

"Do you still want to continue?" Kabuto asked. "Today's Chakra consumption has already exceeded the safety threshold."

"Continue." Neji opened his eyes, and there was not the slightest wavering in them. "But we'll use a different approach."

"What approach?"

"Since simulated attributes cannot reach the ideal ratio," Neji said, looking at the faint Water and Earth Release readings on the monitor, "then we'll use the real thing, even if there's only a little."

He formed hand seals again, but this time, he was not simulating anything.

The first current drew upon the genuine Water Release Chakra within him, which accounted for only twelve percent—weak, but pure.

The second current drew upon his nine percent of genuine Earth Release Chakra—scarce, but stable.

The third current was Yang Release power, serving as the framework and soul.

The fourth current was Sage Art Chakra, serving as both mediator and energy source.

The four powers began weaving together inside his meridians.

This time, the pain lessened. Not because there was no conflict, but because the genuine Water and Earth Release were small in quantity yet pure in quality. Their affinity with Yang Release far surpassed that of the simulated attributes. Like obedient children, they fused naturally under Yang Release's guidance.

Ten minutes later, the fusion was complete.

The monitor displayed:

**Water-Earth Base Fusion Rate: 91%**

**Yang Release Catalysis Rate: 96%**

**Sage Arts Harmonization Rate: 88%**

**Overall Stability: 79**

"It works!" Kabuto's voice carried undisguised excitement.

Neji did not hesitate. For the third time, he pressed both hands against the ground.

This time, the ground did not tremble.

It grew. Naturally, as though life was simply doing what it was meant to do.

Fresh green shoots broke through the ground. Not one, but more than a dozen. They branched, sprouted leaves, and split apart at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing into three-meter-tall saplings within half a minute. Their trunks were straight, their bark smooth, and their leaves full and richly green. Most importantly—they were alive.

Real, living trees.

Not the wooden structures Yamato created that required a constant supply of Chakra to maintain. Not the scorched dead wood from the first attempt. Not the mutated fungus from the second.

They were trees. Real trees that breathed, grew, and absorbed Natural Energy from the air.

Neji withdrew his hands. The dozen or so trees stopped their explosive growth, but they continued standing quietly in the middle of the training ground, their branches and leaves swaying slightly in the airflow from the ventilation system.

He walked to the nearest one and reached out to touch its trunk. It felt warm. He could sense sap flowing beneath the bark, while the roots had already dug deep into the specially made training ground floor and were still slowly extending farther down.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence—miniature version." Orochimaru walked to the tree, his golden eyes carefully examining every leaf. "Though its range is only ten square meters, and though the trees are far less durable than Hashirama's... this is indeed genuine Wood Release. Water and earth as the foundation, Yang Release as the soul, Sage Arts as the source."

He turned to Neji, a meaningful smile on his face. "You are now the third person in the Shinobi World capable of using Wood Release. Though it is still in its infancy, and though the Chakra consumption is enormous—that last technique used all your remaining reserves, didn't it?"

Neji nodded, his face pale. Third? I am only the fourth. Orochimaru does not know that Madara Uchiha also gained Wood Release after obtaining Hashirama Cells. The seal of the Strength of a Hundred had dimmed, and the Chakra within him was completely depleted. Those dozen or so trees had nearly drained all his strength.

"But the direction is correct," he said quietly, brushing his fingers across a leaf. "Using genuine Water and Earth Release as the foundation, even in small quantities, is far more effective than simulation. Next, I only need to accelerate the conversion of Water and Earth Release, and Wood Release's power and range will improve."

"And its efficiency." Orochimaru brought up the consumption data. "Your Chakra conversion efficiency when using Wood Release this time was only five percent of Hashirama's. Most of the energy was wasted harmonizing the attributes and maintaining the structure's stability. That will require extensive practice and optimization."

"I know." Neji sat cross-legged and began restoring his Chakra through Sage Arts meditation. "But at least we have proven... that this path works."

Over the next two hours, Neji conducted further tests after his Chakra recovered.

He tried several basic applications of Wood Release:

Wood Locking Wall—it could create a wooden wall two meters wide and one meter thick, but it could only last three minutes before decomposing on its own.

Thorn Kill Technique—it could grow thorn-covered vines to bind a target, but the vines were too weak. A Chunin-level opponent could break free.

Tree Binding Eternal Burial—it could barely create a wooden cage, but the structure was too loose to hold a Jonin-level opponent.

Every technique had obvious flaws: small range, low strength, short duration, and massive Chakra consumption.

But every technique was genuine Wood Release.

By the end of the training, Neji was drenched in sweat, and his Chakra had run dry again. Yet as he stood among the dozen or so trees he had created and felt the faint life force emanating from them, what rose within him was not exhaustion, but a deeper... certainty.

The path was right. It was long and difficult, but the direction was right.

"That concludes today's training." Orochimaru shut down the monitoring equipment. "For the next week, you need to focus on converting Water and Earth Release. Based on today's successful experience, once both attributes exceed thirty percent, Wood Release's stability and efficiency will improve qualitatively."

Neji nodded and prepared to leave.

But Orochimaru stopped him. "There is one more thing. When you used Wood Release, the outline of that face on your chest... lit up."

Neji halted.

"It was not an illusion." Orochimaru walked up to him, his golden eyes fixed on Neji's chest. "The monitoring instruments detected abnormal energy fluctuations. Whenever you drew upon Yang Release, the cellular activity around that face tripled. As though... it possessed its own consciousness and was answering your call."

"The residual consciousness of the Hashirama Cells?" Neji asked.

"Not entirely." Orochimaru shook his head. "More likely... it is an 'imprint' of Yang Release. During their fusion with you, the Hashirama Cells left behind some instinctive 'program.' Whenever you use Wood Release, that program activates and assists you in shaping life forms."

He paused, and his voice lowered. "This means two things. First, your Wood Release has the potential to continue evolving—as your fusion deepens, this 'imprint' may become clearer and stronger. Second... you need to be careful. If this imprint becomes too powerful, it may influence your consciousness in return."

Neji fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'll be careful."

After returning to his stone chamber, Neji stood before a mirror, looking at the increasingly clear human face on his chest.

Hashirama Senju... even an imprint left within his cells possessed such terrifying shaping power. What kind of frightening existence had the true God of Shinobi been?

And now, Neji was walking a similar path. Using Yang Release to harmonize attributes, using Sage Arts to amplify his power, trying to unlock the possibility of Byakugan evolution.

Though his Wood Release was still weak, though the conversion of Water and Earth Release still required time, though his Chakra reserves remained his weakness.

At least he could now create real trees.

Neji raised a hand, palm facing upward. With a slight movement of his will, a wisp of faint, emerald-green Chakra appeared at his fingertips and turned into a tiny leaf, its veins distinct and its flesh full.

Three seconds later, the leaf withered, decomposed, and vanished.

The Chakra consumed was negligible, but the sensation of creating life... was intoxicating.

"Soon," Neji murmured, looking at the Byakugan encircled by pale golden rings in the mirror. "Once Water and Earth Release finish converting, once Wood Release truly takes shape... you are next."

He meant the Byakugan—the theoretical endpoint of evolution under the balance of Yin and Yang.

Though it could not even be considered an embryonic form yet.

But the path had already been carved out.

Outside the window, in the eternal darkness of Otogakure's underground base, the dozen or so newborn trees in the training ground grew quietly. Their roots slowly pierced through the specially constructed floor, stretching toward deeper, darker places.

Just like their creator.