The Third had let down his guard toward Naruto. To Naruto, that order meant far more than the freedom it appeared to grant.
It meant he could finally put his idea of creating Wood Release into practice.
The thought sent excitement surging through him.
And not just Wood Release. Many other things he had been unable to pursue under surveillance could now go on the agenda.
This was undoubtedly fantastic news.
At that thought, Naruto couldn't help feeling a twinge of regret and urgency, too.
With the Third's surveillance always hanging over him like invisible shackles, he had been forced to tread carefully all these years, wasting countless opportunities and a great deal of time.
Even when using Shadow Clones, he had to pretend he was unskilled, succeeding only about three times out of ten.
The feeling of countless eyes watching him had kept him constrained at every turn.
Forget high-risk moves like trying to save the Uchiha Clan from its destined tragedy, or audaciously plotting to sneak over and pluck out a couple of Sharingan eyes for research.
He hadn't even dared pull a little trick like leaving a Shadow Clone at school while his real body slipped away to train in Taijutsu.
Every potential step out of line could draw closer scrutiny from the ANBU, or even alert them to his intentions and ruin his long-term plans.
Now, those restraints had finally been lifted. The exhilaration of a hidden dragon entering the sea, of a bird escaping its cage, surged through his heart.
In theory, he had chakra for every release except Yin Release within his body.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, he naturally possessed Yang Release.
Naruto decided to start by developing Wood Release. Even if he couldn't reproduce Hashirama Senju's terrifying version, which could instantly create forests and suppress Tailed Beasts, matching or even surpassing Yamato's level would be enough to prove immensely useful in many situations down the road.
Having made Wood Release his goal early on, Naruto had already prepared and given it plenty of thought.
He understood that Kekkei Genkai release techniques essentially fused chakra of two different natures in a specific, stable ratio, producing a qualitative change that created an entirely new release.
Normally, once someone developed a Kekkei Genkai, their descendants could naturally learn to use it as well, having inherited similar chakra properties and bloodlines.
Examples included Ice Release from water and wind, Lava Release from fire and earth, Storm Release from water and lightning, Boil Release from fire and water, and Wood Release from earth and water.
However, Wood Release differed from those other Kekkei Genkai in one crucial respect: it had never been widely inherited.
After Hashirama Senju, neither his direct descendants nor anyone else in the entire Senju Clan had been able to reproduce his Wood Release.
Not even a version weaker than Yamato's.
This was the fundamental reason Naruto suspected Wood Release was actually a higher-level Kekkei Tōta formed by fusing three chakra natures.
Although the later Boruto: Naruto Next Generations had mentioned that Moegi could also use Wood Release, hers was probably the same kind as Yamato's.
After all, the techniques she commonly used were Water Release and Earth Release, not Wood Release.
Besides, if Moegi's Wood Release had really been on Hashirama Senju's level, she would have charged into battle atop a Great Buddha when fighting aliens and God Tree people.
Naruto himself had no experience whatsoever in fusing chakra of two different natures and transforming their properties.
But that didn't mean he had no idea where to start.
Because he had the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb was the ultimate embodiment of fusing chakra of two different natures: yin and yang.
It was created by combining yin release chakra and yang release chakra in a 2:8 ratio, then pushing chakra shape transformation to its absolute limit.
And the Nine-Tails himself had told Naruto the ratio used in a Tailed Beast Bomb.
That undoubtedly gave Naruto a vital point of reference and invaluable practical guidance as he explored the ratios and techniques needed to fuse earth, water, and perhaps the yang release chakra that gave Wood Release its life force.
In conventional ninja training, there were virtually no systematic textbooks or instructors for learning how to fuse chakra and create a Kekkei Genkai. Such knowledge was a closely guarded core secret of major clans or genius ninja.
But even without a human teacher, Naruto had a "beast teacher"!
And that "beast teacher" was Kurama, the foremost of the Nine Tailed Beasts, who stood at the pinnacle of chakra control and fusion!
The Tailed Beast Bomb he had mastered demanded a degree of complexity and precision in chakra fusion no lower than that of an ordinary Kekkei Genkai.
With a "mentor" who had lived for nearly a thousand years and understood the essence of chakra so deeply at his side, Naruto's starting point in exploring Wood Release and other powers already surpassed that of the vast majority of ninja in the world.
From then on, Naruto's days were packed: in the morning, he underwent Might Guy-style extreme Taijutsu training; at noon, he ate at Ichiraku Ramen for convenience, then bought ingredients at the market before returning home; and he devoted the entire afternoon to the dangerous, arduous work of developing Wood Release.
Throughout the process, Kurama delivered roaring lessons from within the seal, furious at his pupil's failure to improve.
"You absolute idiot!"
The Nine-Tails' furious roar nearly shattered the mental space.
"Do you think chakra fusion happens in one go? How could you slam two types of chakra together right from the start? The backlash from a failed fusion could overwhelm your chakra pathways and tear them apart!"
"Idiot! How many times have I told you? You have to bring them together at the same time!"
Seeing Naruto fail yet again, the Nine-Tails slapped his tails against the water in fury.
"Don't think you can carefully gather one type of chakra first, then wait for the other to slowly catch up!
If you gather earth release chakra first, it'll gradually solidify into rock. If you gather water release first, it'll turn into plain water!
Their natures are already fixed by then. What's the point of adding yang release chakra afterward? Are you trying to use yang release chakra as glue to stick water and rock together?"
"No! It still doesn't feel right!"
The Nine-Tails carefully watched the ball of chakra collapse in Naruto's palm again, a thoughtful glint flashing through his eyes.
"A half-and-half ratio of Water Release and Earth Release doesn't seem to work. Perhaps... your guess was right, and it needs a third power to balance them.
Forget the usual rules of Kekkei Genkai. Try adding yang release chakra from the very beginning, too. Make all three types of chakra spin together in a spiral and fuse. Give it a try!"
Under the relentless scolding and guidance of the Nine-Tails, his strict "beast teacher," Naruto endured failure after failure. The disruptions in his chakra even sent stabbing pain through his chakra pathways several times.
But with the Uzumaki Clan's formidable physique and the Nine-Tails' protection, he gritted his teeth and held on.
Winter gave way to spring. The snow outside his window gradually melted into streams that nourished the earth.
Konoha came alive with renewed vitality, and the start of the Ninja Academy's new term drew near.
That afternoon, Naruto once again sat cross-legged on the cold floor beside his bed, repeating the attempts he had made day after day.
Suddenly, his tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and his lips spread into an irrepressible smile filled with excitement and accomplishment.
In his open palm, a tiny speck of vibrant green quietly sprouted.
It wasn't an illusory glow of chakra, but a real, slender twig bearing tender green leaves. It slowly grew and unfurled at a visible pace, radiating a pure, exuberant vitality.
It was barely enough for landscaping, but he had done it!